Tram Le-Jones has an eye for detail, a people-centric personality, and a passion for computer science — making her perfect for VFX production roles. After getting a job on The Matrix Revolutions via craigslist (no, really), she became a sought-after coordinator and then moved into producing VFX for movies including Spider-Man 3, Tower Heist, and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, as well as commercials, moving from west to east coast and back again along the way.
Having served on the front line of VFX, Tram has taken her expertise into project management software for media and entertainment, starting with Autodesk’s Shotgrid and moving to Backlight’s ftrack. Tram talks through her fascinating career, from lugging huge CRTs around Digital Domain’s office, to working with Spike Jonze on his short film “I’m Here,” to the challenges of integrating cutting-edge virtual production technology into traditional VFX pipelines.
Links:
0:05:04 Getting a job on "The Matrix Revolutions" via craigslist
0:10:04 Calibrating CRTs
0:12:16 Joining DD
0:16:35 Moving into production at Sony ImageWorks for "Spider-Man 3"
0:20:39 What being a coordinator involves
0:25:02 Going to Method for Spike Jonze short "I'm Here'
0:29:16 What it's like to work with Spike Jonze
0:37:21 Moving back to LA and working with Ben West
0:41:49 Framestore, "Gravity," and astronauts
0:44:57 Working on ftrack and what it does
0:50:43 Adopting traditional pipelines for virtual production
0:55:21 New trends in VFX including AI
1:00:04 VR vs theaters
Chris is a CG industry veteran and Director of Chaos Labs. He can also be heard regularly as the host of the CG Garage podcast which attracts 20,000 weekly listeners. With a background in both VFX and Design, Chris has worked for Gensler, Digital Domain, Imageworks and Method Studios. His credits include Maleficent, Oblivion and Tron: Legacy.