Production Services Focus Feature
January 19, 2006| You're computer savvy, in love with movies and can see yourself as a future visual effects visionary, but you have no experience: where can you sharpen your craft and start your career path? Or, say you're Robert Zemeckis, doing groundbreaking visual effects using IMAGEMOTION™ on The Polar Express or Beowulf and you need a team to shepherd and secure your effects data: where do you go? Surprisingly, the ideal environment to support both these aspects of the filmmaking spectrum is the Production Services Department at Sony Pictures Imageworks
Headed by Executive Director Marry Borlik, Production Services is responsible for the daily technical production support and |  Marry Borlik |
Borlik, who joined Imageworks in 1996, is a long-time industry veteran who evokes both nurturing wisdom and the eternal zeal of a true film lover. She made up her mind to work in the visual effects business as the opening shot of Star Wars soared over her in a movie theater, and was thrilled to call such visual effects pioneers as John Dykstra and Ken Ralston her mentors and eventual collaborators. Imageworks just received a seventh Oscar® nomination for its most recent visual effects work on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wadrobe.
| Borlik and her skilled Production Services team rely on tools developed in-house to do everything from maximizing the disk space and processors reserved for each film in production, monitor the queues (via a graphical interface to the render farm), shot-tree management (the virtual file system which contains both live action shots and the evolving visual effects shot data), troubleshoot problems, and often provide solutions which assist the visual effects teams in a more efficient workflow. On average, crews of eight Production Service Technicians (PSTs) are assigned to each feature production at Imageworks, and work under the direction of a Lead PST. Their responsibilities start in pre-production and continue through the final stages of post-production and beyond into marketing and promotion. By design, the department is about the sharing of information; this extends to the realm of education, both internally and through the IPAX program. |  Andrea Pace |
Borlik credits Production Services Supervisor, Andrea Lackey Pace with creating a highly successful training program for incoming PSTs. Pace is energetic, smart and modest while demonstrating a clear command of her priorities. When she joined the Production Services Department in 2001, she felt there was a need for a training program to bring PSTs up to speed. Pace adds, "It came from being assigned to a production, and the pressure from feeling, 'I don't really know what I'm doing.' Just being able to have some kind of global presentation of what your job could entail, we thought would be beneficial to any new PST."
Those who are welcomed into the Production Services Department then start with a two-week training program, or PST "boot camp." "The purpose of this training," Pace explains, "is to introduce the concepts and procedures they will face when they are assigned to a real show, and simulate a little bit of stress, so they're prepared for what production is going to be like." As Borlik notes, "We look for individuals who have a high regard not only for themselves but for the industry, and who are the next generation of visionaries. They have all the energy, passion, and the necessary requirements but are in need of that one person who will give them an opportunity to prove themselves. This is exactly what the group can offer."
Far from insisting on specialization, a central philosophy of the department is the pursuit of possibilities within Imageworks. "Part of what we promote is the ability to grow and achieve your goals in whatever career path you want to choose outside of the Production Services Department," Pace says. "We tell new hires that this is your foot in the door, and we're going to teach you everything there is to know about how we get images through this place, from script to screen. If you see your ideal career path down the line, we will support and help you reach that particular goal. A lot of our alumni end up being superstars in the field that they choose." Pace has been running the training program since 2002, and to date over 72 alumni have branched out as producers, technical directors, teachers in the training department, or moved into animation support and systems engineering. With admiration, Borlik describes one alumnus who has become a Senior Systems Architect, "He's responsible for designing the technical infrastructure of Imageworks, and ensures the scalability of our future growth. This is a particularly challenging position to take on, considering the size of our facility and the vast array of resources required to generate the imagery that's shown on the screen. It is truly amazing to watch individuals like him flourish and contribute to the ultimate triumphs of the company."
Benefits from the PST department are widely felt throughout the company. Pace affirms, "One of the things that makes me particularly proud of this program is that after we've sent people out into various groups, their department heads return to me and ask if we have any more people just like that; they are exactly what's needed." "The whole grassroots approach is priceless," observes Borlik. "Andrea works diligently with our crewmembers in the development of their future careers and they move on to do a greater good within the company. Turnover is expected and even encouraged. Just this past year alone, Andrea hired 29 new PSTs for the department and graduated 15. The group routinely promotes a large percentage of our personnel every 18 months."
The thriving, almost collegiate learning environment at Imageworks, is reinforced through the facility Training Department under the direction of Sande Scoredos, which "makes all kinds of learning opportunities available, for the broadening of horizons," says Pace. "On a regular basis, seminars, speakers, special screenings, and classes are offered to Imageworks employees. These experiences can range from a speaker who is an expert on wolf behavior, which was beneficial to the people animating wolves for The Polar Express and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, to a speaker discussing toy merchandising for Spider-Man 3, currently in production."
Pace and Borlik make direct communication with IPAX universities a high priority. Case in point: a department head at DePaul University contacted Pace when she noticed that some of her students who were trying out for PSTs were not being brought in for interviews. An analysis of their current curriculum revealed a lack of background in scripting, which predicted a lack of success in this kind of technical position. Pace researched scripting use and languages with different departments within Imageworks, and met with the DePaul professor to give her examples. Pace adds, "She was able to incorporate the feedback into some of the senior classes, and in fact, we just hired two of her recent graduates as a direct result of this minor addition to the program." As Borlik says, "The message we would like to convey is that we're here to help. Send us your best and brightest and together we can watch their careers blossom." Both Pace and Borlik are available for questions about Imageworks and the PST training program from any interested IPAX faculty and students. They can be reached via email: Marry Borlik marry@imageworks.com and Andrea Pace: pace@imageworks.com.
Borlik and Pace are planning an event in spring 2006 to celebrate the 75th alumni through the program. This will be an opportunity to gather all the PSTs, both current and alumni, along with department heads and senior staff, to acknowledge their contributions. The communication amongst the group is ever-present and they have a sense of community that is unique and should be celebrated. Borlik and Pace recognize with fascination how the alumni seek each other out for guidance when they come across a hurdle that they are not sure of. They remain inspired that their traditions of problem-solving and teamwork carry on, long after alumni leave the group.
Borlik and Pace gave their responses to some key questions which tie into the IPAX program and the future growth of their industry about which they are so passionately committed.
Does education and the film industry encourage too much specialization?
Marry Borlik: "Not at all. If one chooses to work in a boutique environment, then they're required to wear many hats. When entering into a large production environment, one does need to narrow their focus in order to ensure consistent productivity. There will always be a need for specialists, however this should not preclude anyone from awareness and to feed their desire for growth. Our outstanding suite of ongoing programs, set up by Executive Director of Training, Sande Scoredos, allows for employees, regardless of their discipline to receive continuing instruction on the latest advancements in our ever-changing environment. Within the Production Services Department, we expose the future visionaries of this industry to all facets of production. Many individuals enter our program with the desire to pursue one career path but often, due to the opportunity and access to mentor under some of the greatest leaders in our field, they opt for an entirely different path. I believe what is most important here is not that there are too many specialists, but that the individuals entering the field of visual effects are beholden only to a true belief in themselves."
How can there be a greater partnership between education & industry to bring the production experience into the classroom?
Andrea Pace: "While at the IPAX dinner held earlier this year, we were discussing this question at my table. I was sitting with Tim Sarnoff, President of Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Marty Kline, Principal Art Director, and we thought it would be great to partner with education and simulate what a real world environment is like, such as creating a production model on a small scale. The students would have to break into production teams and basically create a storyboard and execute their concept. They'd have to decide amongst themselves who was going to take care of the various things that needed to be done, and as they got going we'd want to simulate real-world dilemmas, like losing resources, or switching people on the team along with other obstacles that often come into play during the course of production."
What can educators and the industry do to promote and encourage programs in animation, FX & technology?
Marry Borlik: "Once again, generate awareness! When I was in high school, I had the fortunate opportunity of a field trip to Computer Creations, a state-of-the-art post production boutique which was pioneering 3D graphics, laser disc video games and multi-screen presentations. This experience rocked my world! It opened my eyes to endless possibilities. Today I think that young minds are exposed to technology from birth, with the advent of satellite television, cell phones, and personal music devices the youth of our world are bombarded by a wealth of visual resources. Kids are fearless. They're willing to adapt to change at an exceptional rate. So the question really is, what can one do to cut through the clutter? The fellowships offered as part of the IPAX program are an excellent place to start."
A stimulating and nurturing creative environment, boundless film industry career opportunities, and the chance to be mentored by some of the world's most cutting-edge visual effects artists are qualities that make Imageworks such an extraordinary place. The growing success of the Production Services Training program serves as a model for how to attract higher education's shining stars and give them an ideal set of tools with which to design their future careers, while lending their unique talents to the craft of filmmaking. Marry Borlik continues to draw inspiration from the people who have gone through her department, as well as the ones she hasn't met yet. "They are my purpose," she says. "That's why I get up every day, and it's not just for the 72 alumni we have out there, or our current group of hopefuls, it's also the next group of dreamers who will join our family. The best that we can do, not only as educators, but also as professionals, is to provide each and every one with an environment that will allow for growth. By doing so, the effects industry will continue to prosper and remain an ever expanding frontier, to be explored by the future generations of visionaries to come."
