Creators: VFX Coordinator & Associate Producer Natasha Nader
Natasha Nader has over 5 years of experience in the VFX industry, having led a wide range of projects in episodics, features, and commercials, she is currently serving as a VFX coordinator and associate producer at Alkemy X. Some of the titles she has worked on include; Midnight Mass (Netflix), Westworld (HBO), Mrs. Davis (Peacock), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), The Righteous Gemstones (HBO), The Gilded Age (HBO), Evil (Paramount), Power Book III: Raising Kanan (Starz), Power Book: II Ghost (Starz), Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Natasha was born in Brazil, in a small town in Rio de Janeiro, and later moved to São Paulo where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Design and immigrated to the USA in 2017.
AX: What led you to pursue a career as a VFX Coordinator, and how did you progress in your career to eventually assume this role?
NN: I started my journey in the industry when I landed my first gig creating graphics for a feature film called Slice back in 2018. At the time I was working as a graphic designer and joined a small VFX studio to create matte paintings for the Netflix show Midnight Mass. During my time with the company, a production coordinator position opened up and it piqued my interest in being more involved on the production side of things. I absolutely fell in love with the ins and outs of it and realized I had found my place. After 3 years of amazing collaborations, I felt like I needed to expand my horizons and joined Alkemy X in 2022, which led to meeting the most amazing people and creating some of my favorite work to date.
AX: What is your favorite part of what you do at Alkemy X?
NN: I love being involved in everything and just helping out as much as I can. Collaborating with our clients and internally, between all departments, to deliver our best work has to be one of my favorite parts of the job.
AX: How do you adapt your coordination skills to meet the unique demands of projects in various industries, from advertising to entertainment?
NN: Having a clear vision and understanding of the project needs/demands is essential to a successful delivery. Because of that, I like to ensure I have every detail written down and easily accessible to the team at all times.
AX: What does a successful VFX team and client collaboration look like?
NN: It all sums up to communication, that is the key. If the team and the client are aligned and on the same page that sets up everyone for success.
AX: What’s your approach to project scheduling and time management to ensure timely delivery of work?
NN: We use different tools to keep track of a project like Notion, Google Sheets, and Slack but the main one is Shotgrid. I’ve developed a custom dashboard page that we’re implementing now, which contains all the crucial information right in one spot helping tremendously to see the overall picture. Also setting up internal deadlines and checking in on the artists daily to ensure we have no roadblocks and are right on track.
AX: Can you share an example of a challenge you encountered while working on a project and how you came to a resolution?
NN: We had a particular show in which we were sharing multiple shots with at least 5 other studios, so coordinating between it all and being extra organized was vital to the fulfillment of the project.
AX: How do you ensure the final product meets the client's expectations and industry standards?
NN: At the beginning of each project we receive client specifications for what is expected in the delivery, my part is making sure we’re abiding by those specifications and that the Supervisor is tech-checking every shot before it is sent out.
AX: How do you manage resources to meet the specific needs of each project?
NN: Having a clear line of communication between our Head of Production and Producers, updating, flagging any changes, and discussing a game plan whenever a new project comes to us.
AX: How do you stay updated on the latest developments in VFX and project management?
NN: Video tutorials, conventions, networking is a big one, and reading books on VFX production.
AX: What’s something non-work related you are passionate about?
NN: ComicCon, which is a little work-related, but it’s where I go to check out everything new that is coming up, meet new people, see old friends, and enjoy myself.