Interview with Mary Poplin, the Senior Product Specialist
In the dynamic world of visual effects, Mary Poplin stands out as a beacon of creativity and expertise. Her journey in the industry began on a movie called Barnyard: The Original Party Animals, where she created marketing material. From there, she was recruited by Martin Brennand and Ross Shain from Imagineer Systems, marking the start of her career in visual effects.
Mary Poplin's career has been shaped by the guidance of Leslie Barker, Aaron Parry, and Phil Cruden. She credits these mentors for the opportunities that have come her way. As she reflects on her journey, Mary's advice to her younger self is to learn to balance stress better and to stop caring so much about unimportant things.
Throughout her career, Mary has worked for Cafe FX for matte painting work and continued compositing all over Southern California for the next decade. Today, she is a senior product specialist for Boris FX, where she consults and trains editors, artists, and studios in Los Angeles and around the world.
Mary's work is renowned, and she is most proud of her project work on the original Thor movie. Her contributions have not gone unnoticed, as her team won both a Technical Emmy and an Academy Award from the Arts and Sciences branch for Mocha Pro.
Mary is known for her energetic and creative spirit, and she has become the "flower in her hair" face of Mocha. She has been demoing Mocha for nine years, Continuum for five years, and has recently become an evangelist for Sapphire. Mary is excited to add Silhouette to her toolbox.
Mary's favourite TV series is Supernatural, and her favourite film is "Chasing Amy" directed by Kevin Smith. If given the opportunity, she would love to collaborate with Kevin Smith as a director and Felicia Day as an artist.
When it comes to self-care, Mary enjoys Korean Spa days and seeks alone time, often in a hot tub with an audiobook, when feeling creative burnout. Her favourite keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Z, a testament to her efficiency in the fast-paced world of visual effects.
As Mary looks to the future, she aspires to one day be an old witch lady who lets everything bounce off her. With her unwavering passion for visual effects and her knack for breaking complex ideas down into simple concepts, there's no doubt that Mary Poplin will continue to make her mark in the industry.
Technology plays a significant role in Mary Poplin's lifestyle, as she works with various software tools such as Mocha, Continuum, and Sapphire in her role as a senior product specialist for Boris FX. entertainment also plays a part in her life, with her favourite TV series being Supernatural and her favourite film being "Chasing Amy," directed by Kevin Smith. She dreams of collaborating with Kevin Smith and Felicia Day in the future.
