PROFILE
SHANNAN LOUIS: TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE OF STARTING A VFX STUDIO IN 2020 By IAN FAILES
All images courtesy of FatBelly VFX. Photos by Sean Coonce. TOP: Shannan Louis started FatBelly VFX in early 2020, unaware of the enormous impending impact of COVID-19. The studio was able to continue working from home.
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When Shannan Louis launched a visual effects outfit in Vancouver at the start of this year, she had no idea what challenges her new business venture would bring. It wasn’t only the challenges of crewing up, gearing up or pitching for work in what is generally considered a tough industry; it was also, of course, battling through the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19. The worldwide coronavirus crisis severely impacted live-action filmmaking and forced VFX studios to have artists work remotely. But Louis’ new studio, FatBelly VFX, was engineered with a ‘working in the cloud’ approach in mind from the beginning, and that enabled it to adapt quickly to the changes that have swept through the industry. Louis shares FatBelly’s and her own VFX origin story with VFX Voice. Louis did not start out in the creative industries. She had an earlier career in the non-profit sector before shifting to film and television, “an area that I had always been passionate about,” she says. It was actually acting that Louis had originally pursued as a potential career, in addition to the areas of producing and directing theater productions. “I had always admired the world of TV and film as a way to create emotions or share a story. Television was definitely a way for me to escape when I was a child. I studied documentary film production in 2013 and continue to have an avid interest and involvement in doc making, particularly editing.” An Australian native, Louis made British Columbia her home and entered the visual effects industry with a role as studio manager at Psyop Film & TV in Vancouver in 2015. “This was back in the early days of the studio, when it had a startup feel and you often wore multiple hats. On any given day, I could be helping out with editorial cuts, or working in a production capacity, in addition to my normal day. For me that was great, providing exposure across the board and a way to learn and absorb hands-on. As the studio grew I was promoted to head of studio operations and my role honed in on higher management and operations including overseeing IT, HR and recruitment.” From Psyop, Louis broadened her VFX studio experience by first experiencing time with FuseFX through a project in a production management position and then moving onto CoSA VFX as Head of Studio. At CoSA, Louis says that “by implementing strategic leadership, establishing targeted hiring and focusing on advancing technology and streamlining work processes, I took the Vancouver studio from being an internal outsource facility to becoming a stand-alone, high-performance studio for the global CoSA company.” While gaining that studio experience was vital, there was an entrepreneurial spirit rising. Louis calls this a “desire to create something unique that hadn’t yet been satisfied.” This set in motion a decision to create a new visual effects company, with a particular focus in mind. “FatBelly VFX focuses on personalized client relationships, engaging and investing in the crew and creating opportunities for women in creative positions,” says Louis.
“Tax credits are available in multiple provinces [in Canada], creating enticing opportunities for international productions. And we are fortunate to have such an incredible breadth of talented and accomplished artists available to us at our fingertips. This doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels, though. There is always something new to learn and ways to improve. Technology is constantly evolving, and adapting to those changes is how we’ll continue to be leaders in the industry.” —Shannan Louis, Founder and Head of Studio, FatBelly VFX What makes Louis’ bold move to open a visual effects studio this year perhaps even bolder is that she admits she was not really aware of how prevalent VFX in film and television was prior to her first job in the industry. “I think people assume that VFX is only explosions or dragons, but it’s the subtlety of the work that is incredible,” she says. “VFX is everywhere and people aren’t conscious of it. I’m constantly amazed at the work that is created.” “Booming!” is how Louis describes the Canadian visual effects industry, a location which houses many large, medium and smaller-sized studios. It means there is also already a large pool of VFX artists who work here, and in a convenient time zone for Hollywood production. Vancouver, therefore, was where Louis decided to start FatBelly, a name, by the way, that was conceived to match the idea of working to keep one’s belly full. In setting up in Vancouver – where both significant live-action production and post-production occurs – Louis notes that “tax
TOP: FatBelly VFX’s office space on West Pender in downtown Vancouver. BOTTOM: The FatBelly VFX crew re-group following the coronavirus crisis.
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