I'm a Stage Operator on the Avatar Sequels, and I work with James Cameron as he views the world of Pandora through his virtual camera. If he wants a CG tree moved two feet to the left, or a digital light turned off, or the action of an animated character re-timed, it's my responsibility to fulfill his request as quickly as possible on my workstation. The most challenging part of my job is definitely keeping up with the fast pace of a shoot day! I don't want to interrupt the director's creative flow by taking too long to complete a request.
Q&A
First job in film?
My very first film job was actually the first Avatar! Back then I worked in the Lab as a Sequence Artist, and thought Stage Operating must have been the toughest job on that project. I had no idea at that time that I'd return to work on the Sequels in the role I was most intimidated by! Thankfully during my time on Sequels, I've also found it to be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable jobs that I've ever been able to do.
Favorite memory from the first Avatar?
I have so many good memories from working on the first film, it's difficult to pick just one! But I clearly remember one of my first days on set, when I watched Jim and Richie, our Animation Supervisor, use wire puppets to capture the performance of some of the flying ikran/banshees in film. The idea that our project was using puppets in this way was a small thing, but still exciting!
What's a fun fact about yourself?
My goal in life is to pet all the cats, drink all the tea, and draw in every sketchbook!
