Anne Trotman is a senior Flame artist and VFX supervisor at The Mill in New York. She specializes in beauty and fashion work but gets to work on a variety of other projects as well.
A graduate of Kings College in London, Trotman took on what she calls “a lot of very random temp jobs” before finally joining London’s Blue Post Production as a runner.
“In those days a runner did a lot of ‘actual’ running around SoHo, dropping off tapes and picking up lunches,” she says, admitting she was also sent out for extra green for color bars and warm sake at midnight. After being promoted to the machine room, she spent her time assisting all the areas of the company, including telecine grading, offline, online, VFX and audio. “This gave me a strong understanding of the post production process as a whole.”
Trotman then joined the 2D VFX teams from Blue, Clear Post Production, The Hive and VTR to create a team at Prime Focus London. She moved into film compositing where she headed up the 2D team as a senior Flame operator. Overseeing projects, including shot allocation and VFX reviews. Then she joined SFG-Technicolor’s commercials facility in Shanghai. After a year in China she joined The Mill in New York, where she is today.
We reached out to Trotman to find out more about The Mill, a technology and visual effects studio, how she works and some recent projects. Enjoy.
Bumble
Can you talk about some recent high-profile projects you’ve completed?
The most recent high-profile project I’ve worked on was for Bumble’s Super Bowl 2019 spot. It was its first commercial ever. Being that Bumble is a female-founded company, it was important for this project to celebrate female artists and empowerment, something I strongly support. Therefore, I was thrilled to lead an all-female team for this project. The agency creatives and producers were all female and so was almost the whole post team, including the editor, colorist and all the VFX artists.
How did you first learn Flame, and how has your use of it evolved over the years?
I had been assisting artists working on a Quantel Editbox at Blue. They then installed a Flame and hired a female artist who had worked on Gladiator. That’s when I knew I had found my calling. Working with technical equipment was very attractive to me, and in those days it was a dark art, and you had to work in a company to get your hands on one. I worked nights doing a lot of conforming and rotoscoping. I also started doing small jobs for clients I knew well. I remember assisting on an Adele pop video, which is where my love of beauty started.
When I first started using Flame, the whole job was usually completed by one artist. These days, jobs are much bigger, and with so many versions for social media, some days a lot of my day is coordinating the team of artists. Workshare and remote artists are becoming a big part of our industry, so communicating with artists all over the world has become a big part of my job in order to bring everything together to create the final film.
In addition to Flame, what other tools are used in your workflow?
Post production has changed so much in the past five years. My job is not just to press buttons on a Flame to get a commercial on television anymore; that’s only a small part. My job is to help the director and/or the agency position a brand and connect it with the consumer.
My workflow usually starts with bidding an agency or a director’s brief. Sometimes they need tests to sell an idea to a client. I might supervise a previz artist on Maxon Cinema 4D to help them achieve the director’s vision. I attend most of the shoots, which gives me an insight into the project while assessing the client’s goals and vision. I can take Flame on a laptop to my shoots to do tests for the director to help explain how certain shots will look after post. This process is so helpful all around in order for me to see if what we are shooting is correct and for the client to understand the director’s vision.
At The Mill, I work closely with the colorists who work on FilmLight Baselight before completing the work on Flame. All the artists at The Mill use Flame and Foundry Nuke, although my Flame skills are 100% better than my Nuke skills.
What are the most fulfilling aspects of the work you do?
I’m lucky to work with many directors and agency creatives that I now call friends. It still gives me a thrill when I’m able to interpret the vision of the creative or director to create the best work possible and convey the message of the brand.
I also love working with the next generation of artists. I especially love being able to work alongside the young female talent at The Mill. This is the first company I’ve worked at where I’ve not been “the one and only female Flame artist.”
At the Mill NY, we currently have 11 full-time female 2D artists working in our team, which has a 30/70 male to female ratio. Still a way to go to get to 50/50, so if I can inspire another female intern or runner who is thinking of becoming a VFX artist or colorist, then it’s a good day. Helping the cycle continue for female artists is so important to me.
What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced in your career?
Moving to Shanghai. Not only did I have the challenge of the language barrier to overcome but also the culture — from having lunch at noon to working with clients from a completely different background than mine. I had to learn all I could about the Chinese culture to help me connect with my clients.
Covergirl with Issa Rae
Out of all of the projects you’ve worked on, which one are you the most proud of?
There are many, but one that stands out is the Covergirl brand relaunch (2018) for director Matt Lambert at Prettybird. As an artist working on high-profile beauty brands, what they stand for is very important to me. I know every young girl will want to use makeup to make themselves feel great, but it’s so important to make sure young women are using it for the right reason. The new tagline “I am what I make-up” — together with a very diverse group of female ambassadors — was such a positive message to put out into the world.
There was also 28 Weeks Later, a feature film from director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. My first time working on a feature was an amazing experience. I got to make lifelong friends working on this project. My technical abilities as an artist grew so much that year, from learning the patience needed to work on the same shot for two months to discovering the technical difficulties in compositing fire to be able to blow up parts of London. Such fun!
Finally, there was also a spot for the Target Summer 2019 campaign. It was directed by Whitelabel’s Lacey, who I collaborate with together on a lot of projects. Tristan Sheridan was the DP and the agency was Mother NY.
Target Summer Campaign
What advice do you have for a young professional trying to break into the industry?
Try everything. Don’t get pigeonholed into one area of the industry too early on. Learn about every part of the post process; it will be so helpful to you as you progress through your career.
I was lucky my first boss in the industry (Dave Cadle) was patient and gave me time to find out what I wanted to focus on. I try to be a positive mentor to the young runners and interns at The Mill, especially the young women. I was so lucky to have had female role models throughout my career, from the person that employed me to the first person that started training me on Flame. I know how important it is to see someone like you in a role you are thinking of pursuing.
Outside of work, how do you enjoy spending your free time?
I travel as much as I can. I love learning about new cultures; it keeps me grounded. I live in New York City, which is a bubble, and if you stay here too long, you start to forget what the real world looks like. I also try to give back when I can. I’ve been helping a director friend of mine with some films focusing on the issue of female homelessness around the world. We collaborated on some lovely films about women in LA and are currently working on some London-based ones.
You can find out more here.
Anne Trotman Image: Photo by Olivia Burke
