What is your name, what do you do and how long have you been working at ILM Sydney?
My name is Rebecca Kuo, and I used to work in ILM Singapore as a Pipeline Technical Director for three years. I recently transferred to ILM’s Sydney studio.
What is your biggest passion outside of work?
I love traveling, exploring new things and enjoying good food. I always try to arrange at least two trips in a year just to see different parts of the world. I am also a theme-park person. I’ve been to Universal Studios Singapore 4-5 times in six months and hope that one day I can visit all Disneylands and Universal Studios around the world.
What kickstarted your career in VFX?
I used to play different kinds of games since I was a kid, from Gameboy, NES, to online games on Windows XP. Around high school time, I was attracted by the interior design, and I almost chose to study it as a professional. However, my father guided me into computer science as that was part of his daily life. Eventually, I graduated from a tech background, but deep in my mind still have the idea to do something related to art. So, I kept looking for what I wanted to focus on, then computer graphics made me very interested. After graduating from university, I worked in a mobile game studio as a programmer. During that time, I’ve watched many Marvel movies, I observed all the pretty and realistic images but I knew it’s fake, that made me want to switch from the game industry to visual effects. Because I wanted to find out how visual effects movies were made.
What do you love about working in the industry?
I really enjoy the production work from green screen plates to the final movie. Each project has different requirements, working in a position like Pipeline Technical Director, I have to understand each step in our workflow. When I’m watching movies together with friends or family, I can explain to them how something has been made. I think it is super cool.
If you could give one piece of advice to a young woman wanting to join or starting out in VFX, what would it be?
Everyone starts from something that you are not confident about, but never be afraid or doubt yourself without even giving a try.
