Mara Says...

"Being a woman in this field meant that I had to prove myself even more. I have often been in situations where I feel my opinion is disregarded and people assume that i have less technical knowledge than male colleagues."

Early Life & Background

Where did your story begin? Can you tell us a bit about where you were born and what your early environment was like?

I am originally from a very small town in Transylvania, Romania, a peaceful little place surrounded by mountains.

Were there any childhood hobbies, passions, or creative pursuits that now feel like early signs of a future in virtual production or technology?

Not particularly to be honest. I think because of the environment I grew up in and the period of time, we did not get access to the technology that is so readily available these days until later on. Most of my hobbies growing up were sports.

What was your family life like growing up? Any influences that shaped your interests early on?

I grew up in a pretty traditional family. My parents have always been very hard working and I have been fortunate enough to have their support throughout my upbringing. Both them and my older sister have been amazing role models and have motivated me to strive for more ambitious goals, even when it means getting out of my comfort zone.

Education & Early Inspirations

What were you like at school? Were you drawn to arts, technology, or something completely different?

I was really into numbers and technology; specifically maths and computer science. I thought I would follow the programming route at some point, but I didn’t see myself doing it for the rest of my life. I did significantly enjoy the problem-solving aspect of it, but I was always looking for something more creative as well.

Did you pursue further education or university in a field related to film/tech, or did your path evolve more unexpectedly?

I did, I completed a BSc in Film and Television Production, followed by an MA in Post-Production.

When did you first become aware of filmmaking, VFX, or digital arts as a possible path?

It was throughout high school when I started thinking about it as a potential career path, I was watching a lot of behind the scenes videos of big film sets and I was absolutely fascinated by all the work that went into creating the final picture (I remember it was specifically a Lord of The Rings video that caught my attention). The film industry is not as big back home, and especially where I am from, a career path into this field is almost nonexistent. When I began sharing that I am considering this as a potential future plan, I received a lot of skepticism and negativity from relatives. However, once again my parents’ support and hard work made me push through and get to where I am.

Path Into Virtual Production

How did your journey into the world of virtual production begin?

As cliché as it sounds, I do believe I was in the right place at the right time. Garden Studios was beginning its journey as I was graduating my master’s degree, and I got recommended for a technical intern position as part of their new virtual production team.

Before joining Garden Studios, what were some of the key experiences or roles that helped shape your technical foundation?

My university studies provided me with a solid foundation for an on-set role. My undergraduate degree taught me a wider range of disciplines within film that have helped me on set. My Master’s degree was more technical and specific within the post- production world, this combined with my interest in computer science at school have helped with my problem-solving skills which I find essential in any technical role.

Was there a particular moment, project, or person who unlocked the door to the VP world for you?

It was my master’s course leader, Michael McHugh, who recommended me for the position at Garden Studios. Our course was highly technical, and I had previously mentioned to him my earlier computer science studies which I believe is the reason he made the connection. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity he provided me with, as well as all the skills I have developed under his guidance.

Career at Garden Studios

What does your role as a Senior Virtual Production Technician entail on a day-to-day basis?

As I am permanently employed on a single LED stage, my role is somewhat split in two. When we have productions in, I am the lead software operator for the LED wall, running the content provided by the client. This can be 2D video or still plates which we currently run in Pixera, or 3D environments within Unreal Engine. My role is to ensure that the content looks as intended, is running performantly, and all of our systems are working correctly. Throughout a shoot day, I will also receive feedback and requests from the client, through the VP supervisor, with any content changes they need for a particular shoot. It’s my job to assess feasibility, give a time estimate, and then implement changes or find alternative solutions.

During our downtime, when the stage is empty, my role is a mix of preparing content for upcoming shoots, testing and updating workflows, aiding in building LED walls, script breakdowns, and stage maintenance. We also run various demos for prospective clients upon request, so I will assist in running the content for these as well.

Is there a project or moment within Garden Studios that you consider a career standout?

At the beginning of 2024, we worked on the advert for Charlotte Tillbury’s first fragrance collection. This had our team split over two stages (our main permanent stage, and a pop-up we had built in another one of our sound stages). Shooting and pre-lighting different sets at the same time, while also having members of the team assisting with a smaller LED wall for social media content was a stressful and challenging project, but the end result made it all worth it. The combination of big set builds with the VP element allowed us to capture a different emotion for each scene to represent each fragrance. The whole team worked really hard to pull this off, and it was definitely a standout during our time here, especially as it was one of many back-to-back shoots we had in that period of time.

What’s the most exciting aspect of working at Garden Studios and being part of a state-of-the-art VP environment?

The most exciting thing about working at Garden Studios, is the variety of projects we get coming through our doors. They all come with different challenges, and it is always very fulfilling when we can get them through successfully.

In addition, as I have been here from the beginning of the VP stage, it has been very exciting seeing how the volume and the team have evolved along with the growth of the company and the constant technological developments.

How has your role evolved since you first joined?

I started at Garden Studios almost 5 years ago, and I have had the opportunity to progress through a number of roles during my time here. I started as a part-time technical intern for a few months, which allowed me to grasp the main concepts and begin my learning path. This constituted of shadowing the team, hands on training, and many hours of independent learning. I then became a Junior Virtual Production technician, moving into a full-time role and being able to assist the team more and fill in when they needed to step off set. Later on, I stepped into a Virtual Production Technician role which came with more responsibility and opportunities to be the operator for the easier shoots we were doing. Which brings me to the present, as a Senior Virtual Production Technician, being the lead operator on shoots, and overseeing shoot prep.

Career Highlights & Challenges

What accomplishments are you most proud of in your VP career so far?

I never dreamed that I would get to work on so many big productions so early on in my career. I think overall I am proud that I am able to be on set with some amazing, very experienced people, and know that I am part of a larger team working together to achieve a creative vision. I am just proud of my progression so far, and I hope that I can still grow from here and keep learning.

What challenges or low points have you had to push through, and what did they teach you?

At the beginning of my journey in VP, I struggled with feeling like I was out of my depth. I had not done any 3D work before, it was all new to me so it did help having prior film knowledge, but the learning curve was a steep one. I struggled with feeling like I was not being useful to the team as much as I wanted. It was of course part of my journey, and that was my role at the time, but it can get demoralizing.

There were a few times when I thought maybe it’s not for me, but I am so happy that I persevered and pushed through, because I do think it is a role that suits me very well.

I’ve learned to be patient, give myself time, and keep motivated because the results will come in the end.

Have there been any mentoring moments, being mentored or mentoring others, that felt especially meaningful?

My manager for most of my time here at Garden, Mark Pilborough-Skinner, has positively impacted my career tremendously. Not only has he mentored me through my first steps into virtual production, and given me the means to develop and progress all the way to my current role, but he has helped build up my confidence significantly over the years. I am very grateful for the impact he has had on both my professional and personal development.

Is there a misconception about virtual production that you often find yourself correcting?

I think some people are afraid that VP is trying to replace on location shooting in the future. That is definitely not the case. VP is meant to be used as a tool, only when and where it makes sense. We never claim that all scenes are suitable for it, and we are always very truthful about what we think might work and what not.

If you can save time, money or achieve something creatively that you could not otherwise, then we will definitely endorse it, granted your storyboards allow it.

I believe there is some skepticism around the VP department on set as well. Sometimes it can feel like people see the process as an extra, unnecessary step. We do not want to be in the way, on the contrary, our hope is that productions can understand it is meant to be a collaborative process and we are there to help achieve their vision. Whether that means communicating with art department, lighting or camera, we are simply an extra piece in the puzzle.

Industry Insights & The Future

How do you see virtual production evolving over the next few years, especially in the UK?

I think the more we do it, the more we can assess what it is best suited for and what the limitations truly are. It has already become extremely popular with driving scenes, making it easier to shoot dialogue in a more controlled, often safer environment than working on low-loaders.

We have also been doing a lot of 3D environment work, but I think there is still room for improvement here. The technology is constantly evolving, so with new iterations of both hardware and software, we can hopefully create more realistic backgrounds while also achieving the performance we need. In addition, new developments with Gaussian splatting could allow us to more rapidly and easily capture photorealistic, real-world environments that could be used on the volume, while having the flexibility that people like when it comes to VP.

I think we could also take more advantage of all the abstract elements that we can play around with, for music videos and more stylised content.

What skills or mindsets do you think will be most important for the next generation of VP technicians?

I think any film or game specific technical skills would be useful as a base to build upon. Problem solving is definitely at the core of what we do, as we are often troubleshooting technical issues. I would say be prepared to collaborate with other departments and compromise. And try and be flexible but also know when to say no and that it is okay to do so. People often think that in the digital world anything is possible, but that is not always the case so being able to communicate this efficiently is crucial.

WiVP Representation & Advice

What has your experience been like as a woman in a highly technical corner of the film industry?

It has been challenging. Being a woman in this field meant that I had to prove myself even more. I have often been in situations where I feel my opinion is disregarded and had people assume that I have less technical knowledge than male colleagues. In addition to this being a young person in a position where you might have to educate and advise people who have been in the industry much longer, comes with its own difficulties. We are often dealing with a thin line between not overstepping, but also making sure we are being taken seriously and our advice is heard.

What support networks, mentors, or communities helped you along the way?

I haven’t really reached out to any other networks outside of Garden to be honest. I have relied a lot on my team and they have proven to be a great support. Some of us have been working together for years now, during challenging and very long shoots, so this has gotten us to build trust in each other. We are all coming from different backgrounds as well, and it has been nice to be able to learn from each other and see everyone grow together.

If you could send a message back to your younger self, what would you say?

‘It’s not the end of the world’. I have always struggled with overthinking, which can sometimes make you feel stuck when you are given more responsibility. I would often be worried about not doing the right thing or not being good enough and second guessing every decision I would have to make for fear of failure. But I have come to realise that must be here for a reason, and I wish I would’ve listened to my gut more often because it ended up proving to be the right choice most of the time. Even if something feels like the end of the world right now, it’ll be nothing but a distant memory in a few days.

Do you feel the landscape is improving for women breaking into VP and tech Roles?

I think it is improving slowly. VP might still be too new and technical, so I find there is still a stigma around women in lead technical roles. Departments like camera, however, have seen a lot of improvement over the years; I’ve personally noticed an increase in the number of women moving up in this dept. so we can only hope that VP will follow the same pattern. I think the more we prove that we are just as suitable for these roles, the better it will get.

What advice would you give to young women (or career switchers) who want to follow in your footsteps?

I would simply say ‘Go for it, you can do anything you put your mind to. And don’t be scared to take chances’. I fell into VP not knowing much about it beforehand or ever thinking that my career could ever look like this. Even if it seems daunting at first, don’t let it overwhelm you. Every change and every step forward is hard work, but it is also an opportunity for growth and progression.

Do not let people treat you with disrespect because of misconceptions they might have about you. At the end of the day, we are all here to work together and make the end result as good as possible. Make sure you are confident in your skills and are proud of the work you are achieving. Aside from this, we do not need to prove anything to anyone. Stand up for yourself and let your work speak for itself in proving them wrong.

Personal Touch

Outside of work, what do you love to do to recharge or stay creative?

One of my main hobbies is volleyball. It helps me stay active and clear my mind after a stressful day or week, and I have been playing for over 15 years now, so it has been a nice constant in my life. On the more creative side I enjoy doing arts and crafts, reading, crocheting and baking.

What advice would you give to someone reading this who would like to have a similar career?
You can get into it even without previous VP experience. Most of us on my team come from different backgrounds, be it camera department, post-production, games design or 3D art. As long as you are able to grasp new concepts quickly, are comfortable with technical trouble shooting and can work well under pressure, you can learn the rest. People are always looking for new talent, so reaching out to different studios, participating at events and tech conferences and trying to get some shadowing experience might be a good step through the door.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I was actually very indecisive when I had to pick my university degree. I knew I wanted to do something technical or that would involve problem-solving, but it was actually not long before I had to submit my application when I decided what I wanted to study. It was a very close call between film and criminology, so my career could have looked very different right now.

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