The CG Spectrum Podcast - Overcoming Barriers in the VFX Industry with Wētā's Marcella Brown

Jul 13, 2022

Overcoming Barriers in the VFX Industry with Wētā's Marcella Brown

Play • 44 min

Find Marcella Brown at https://thevfxclub.com/

Learn VFX: https://www.cgspectrum.com/courses/visual-effects

Marcella Brown, Senior FX Artist at Wētā FX and founder of @THE VFX Club Podcast , joins Maxine in studio to talk about her VFX career, including working on Encanto at Disney, the power of networking and mentorship, dealing with failure and burnout, and how her own family background has been a motivator in her career. Marcella's credits include Encanto and Godzilla vs. Kong, and she is is currently working on the highly anticipated upcoming Avatar: The Way of the Water.

The VFX Club Podcast is a space where artists from all backgrounds, creeds and colours can express through their own words what VFX means to them, with episodes focusing on what’s current in the industry straight from the artists' point of view. More at: https://thevfxclub.com/podcast/

The VFX Club's The Inception Project (t.i.p) recognizes the need for greater diversity and addressing representation, with a goal to reach the next generation of young artists that grow up in marginalized and hurting communities. Learn more at https://thevfxclub.com/the-inception-project/

🔗 Episode notes: https://www.cgspectrum.com/podcast/diversity-vfx-industry-marcella-brown

00:00 Intro

1:43 Marcella’s background

5:41 Crowd simulation work

7:41 The value of supportive colleagues and the importance of relationships

8:54 Working in Canada as a Black artist

11:34 Marcella’s work on Godzilla: King of Monsters and Dumbo

14:44 Motivation for work

16:20 Getting laid off

19:30 Having the opportunity to make a great reels

20:30 Marcella’s move back to the States, networking, dealing with failure

27:25 How Marcella got into Disney, and the interview process, working on Encanto