Tamara Toppler is head digital matte painting (DMP) at BlueBolt, an independent visual effects studio based in central London. They specialize in producing photorealistic work using digital matte painting, compositing, 3D and VFX for the global film and television industry.
Past and current projects include Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, Robert Eggers Nosferatu and The Northman, The Last Kingdom (Season 1-5) and as well as Seven Kings Must Die, The Great (Season 1,2 and 3), The Peripheral, Game of Thrones (Season 1), The Imitation Game, Peaky Blinders, Taboo, Macbeth and Snow White and the Huntsman.
Belgravia
What does the job of head of DMP entail?
For matte painting and specifically as head of department my role includes technical aspects such as pipeline — meaning tools and workflows, being able to do your part and then hand it over to the next department. I’m not necessarily creating tools myself but working with the pipeline team on implementing workflows to make things more efficient.
Another aspect of my role is focused on my brilliant team members. I’m involved in the hiring process, scheduling their tasks with production, helping out and offering support if a task is difficult, training new starters, giving performance reviews and feedback about the department and generally being the spokesperson between DMP and the rest of the company.
Another part of the job is bidding new shows and setting up sequences or shots before they start. That’s the head of department part broadly described, but I’m also a matte painter too, of course, so I have my own DMP shots to get done as well.
What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
Maybe the biggest surprise is the diversity of the role. It ranges from very technical things, such as publishing workflows and color space, to very artistic aspects, such as “painting” realistic matte paintings. It also includes things like interviewing, supporting my team and bidding.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
I really enjoy the start of a new show — setting up sequences or workflows and thinking of the best way to tackle a specific problem. Once the department has all they need to create awesome looking DMPs and everyone is on top of their schedules and the work looks great, because it has been properly planned and organized at the start, this is pretty satisfying. Every show has its own DMP challenges, so it never gets boring.
The Last Kingdom
But I can’t leave out the creative side of things when it comes to my favorite part of the job. Being able to give creative feedback and having a say on how a show could end up looking is pretty cool. I’m also glad I can still do my own DMP shots and leave the department business for a few hours to focus on creating lovely environments.
What is your least favorite?
I’m a lot more comfortable making creative decisions than decisions about staff. Things like writing performance reviews or having to let someone go can be tricky. I have been head of department for about five years now, and I remember it was a challenge at the start to suddenly need some serious people skills. It’s a lot about juggling a team and therefore knowing the team well. Having to have serious chats and support if something isn’t going as expected. Luckily, I’ve got a really great DMP team.
What is your most productive time of the day?
That depends on the season for me. In winter I tend to be most productive in the mornings, and in summer more in the evenings.
How has your section of the industry changed since COVID? The good and the bad?
Like most VFX companies, we all started working from home when COVID hit, and we have continued working from home for some of the time since. Our studio is in central London and currently we have a hybrid system where people can come in and work from the studio and/or work from home.
The Spanish Princess
It works well, and most of us think it was the best thing about the pandemic. Not having to commute on the London tube daily and spend hours on a train home or being able to see your kids more is nothing but positive. And for the ones who need a physical office environment, especially the juniors, it is there too. The downside is that very clear communication and being on video calls is the new norm, which isn’t as straightforward as in person but a small price to pay for the benefits overall.
Do you see some of these workflow changes remaining with us going forward?
It seems a lot of VFX studios have adapted to a hybrid system as we have at BlueBolt. I’ve not heard of a VFX studio that forces all their employees to come back into the office full time, and that is great and has a huge impact on everyone’s quality of life. I don’t see this changing anytime soon.
How do you see the DMP department developing in a typical VFX studio in the future, especially with new technology? How might AI help or hinder its development?
We have recently started to incorporate AI tools into our DMP workflow. It’s only for concept work at the moment, but it can be really helpful to kickstart new ideas.
Photoshop has a new AI tool that can be used in its beta version. The quality isn’t of any final VFX level yet, but it helps to inspire new ideas or compositions. There are loads of steps in a DMP process where AI could be very helpful. Personally, I would love to see a tool that gives loads of high-quality, usable photography depending on what you are after to help search for textures. Or brushes adapting according to what you are currently painting. Basically, to make the more laborious technical tasks quicker to allow more time artistically.
I don’t see it getting rid of any jobs as seems to be the fear, but rather it be another tool to use and incorporate in our daily workflow.
If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
I like this question because I think about that sometimes. I love historical architecture and old buildings, and I also volunteer at early medieval open-air museums for a week or two in summer every year. So if I wasn’t creating digital historical environments I would probably work with old buildings or a historical setting in a less pixel-based situation. Or I’d just be a gardener.
How early on did you know this would be your path?
I started painting with acrylics when I was a young teenager and remember asking my parents to take me to art shops and buy canvases and I’d paint for hours on end in my dad’s workshop. It was mostly architectural motifs with a wanna-be realistic style, but I loved it. Both my parents worked for the national broadcasting company (in my native Austria) so my Dad had a lot of cameras at home and would film and edit videos or take us to work behind the scenes of the national news or for concerts.
The Last Kingdom
I think this is where my fascination for films came from and together with my creative drive, I went to college to study industrial design. This is where I had my first exposure to 3D modelling software like Maya, and 2D software like Photoshop and subjects like design and art history. I was very good at industrial design but I remember every designteacher saying, “This looks great but no one would ever approve this to be made.”
My style was a lot more in the fantastical direction and this is why I decided I would be way better off in the film or the games industry. Austria didn’t really have any courses in these subjects, so I decided to go to England and applied for university. In the end, I decided on Bournemouth University and did my BA and MA there. After that it was straight to a London VFX studio. As you can see it was quite a natural progression really. I’m glad my parents were so supportive.
Can you name some recent projects you have worked on?
Most recent projects include The Great Season 3 (Hulu), The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (Carnival Films/Netflix), The Peripheral (Amazon) and Ridley Scott’s upcoming Napoleon.
Name some pieces of technology you can’t live without.
A big part of me would happily ditch technology and I would like to answer that I can perfectly live without any of it. Being realistic, however, I would have to name my phone, my Wacom tablet (I’m useless with a mouse) and my portable charger, which are all very boring answers.
Do you listen to music while you work?
I’m not very “cool” when it comes to music, to be honest. I often listen to entire musicals like Les Miserables or Hamilton because it’s got the ability to make me stay put at my desk and I get loads of productive work done.
The Northman
On other occasions it’s more tribal/norse/electronic vibes such as Danheim or Wardruna. During lockdown I had those hours of YouTube coffeehouse background noise on while working cause it felt a bit too lonely and quiet. So quite a random mix as you can see.
What do you do to de-stress from it all?
It’s rare that I feel totally stressed and overwhelmed at BlueBolt. They are very good at making sure you can cope with the workload. When it does get intense, however, the first thing I do is to go to the pub and just wind down hanging out with colleagues after an intense day.
If I’m feeling healthier, a run also helps to release built up tension and just generally being in nature and doing activities like hiking or exploring. Basically, no screens, no sitting down and lots of fresh air and nature (and a cozy pub) are the things which help me to destress.
Finally, would you have done anything different along your path?
I feel very lucky that the uni course I chose and the decisions I’ve made worked out for me because you just can’t know at the time. I left Austria when I was 19 and moved my entire life to the UK to study, and I knew nobody. It could have easily been the wrong decision in the long run. You just have to try and make an informed decision, take some risks, follow your dream and hope for the best.
I learned everything from 3D through effects to comp at Bournemouth University, and I remember compositing really clicked with me. It could very easily have been my path and maybe now I would not appreciate the pressure compositing has of being the last ones in the pipeline and having to pick up everyone else’s work with the biggest deadline stress of most of the departments. I didn’t even think of things like that at the time.
I always loved environments and a bit more 3D, so matte painting made more sense. I’m glad I followed my instincts on that. So I don’t think I would have done anything differently.
Any advice for thos just starting out?
My advice would be to research more about what’s involved in the job you want to pursue. Questions such as where are most of these jobs based? Do I need to live in a big city to do this job? Where in the pipeline does this job sit? How much creative input does this job allow me? Does it offer opportunities to move up if I want to?
I never thought about these questions. I was just focused on working in the VFX industry on cool films and TV. Once you are years in, however, you might find yourself stuck and it can be harder to retrain and swap to something else.
