Caitlin Reilly Making the Grade at Windmill Lane 👩‍🎓

Interview

The VFX Production Coordinator spoke to Jason Gaffney about finding confidence in her own creative vision, transitioning from college to full time work, all amidst the fast-paced demands of Windmill Lane’s VFX work.

Caitlin Reilly is a VFX Production Coordinator at Windmill Lane. She joined the Post-Production company in June this year. A recent graduate from the Ballyfermot College of Further Education with a Bachelor of Animation, Video Graphics and Special Effects – Caitlin is passionate about learning and has found her passion stimulated at Ireland’s longest established Post-Production studio.

Current Role

Caitlins personality is infectious and her bubbly approach to work suggests she has found her professional niche and is loving every minute of her young career in Film & TV. But what is it that Caitlin actually does? “Well Production is the middleman between the artists and the clients. We move things forward and ensure everyone is not stressed and enjoying the process. You have to enjoy working with people…which I do”

I was curious to understand what a daily routine is for Caitlin? “Typically I check in with the artists to make sure shots are on schedule and if not flag to supervisors. I am responsible for sending deliveries each day. I can then expect client feedback and it’s up to me to communicate with artists. Again middleman-esque but it’s to protect time which is very much needed in this industry.”

[Odo, HBO TV]

Career Path to date

Caitlin has an energy around the office and buzzes with positivity. Its almost like she’s a seasoned pro who has been operating around the halls of Windmill Lane for years. However – its less than 1 year since Caitlin entered 29 Herbert Street. But how did she get here? “I left secondary school and did a portfolio course in Animation in college. During Covid – we were told to make a film and I took up the role of Production Manager without knowing that ‘that’ was what I was doing [laughs]. I was doing schedules, pipelines etc and thought ‘this could be a job’”. Even through Covid – was it a positive college experience? “The people in Ballyfermot are incredible. The raw talent is phenomenal. Its a great place for creativity. For example we pitched a film that was about a drunken fisherman that falls in love with a fish and our lecturers were all for it. They encourage wackiness.“

The College Experience

This particular film went on to win Best Comedy Irish Short Film Award at the Dublin Animation Festival and Best 2D Film at The Animation Dingle Festival. How did you find the transition from college to full time work? I ask. “In college it was all animating, backgrounds, design, production etc. In a full time environment its just production. Work in college was hard, you are covering all basis and working off the cuff. Full time is collaborative and responsibility is shared. Its also far more structured.“

“Leaving college there is the intimidation. You are walking in and it all feels unattainable. Like…’who am I? I could never work on a Netflix project’. There is self doubt. But its not unattainable. You are not walking in to run an entire show you are walking in to learn. For example – VFX is a passion driven space where people want to learn and teach and suggest and create.“

[There’s Plenty More Fish in the Sea, Alex Hughes]

The Future

As a recent graduate from Ballyfermot – is there any advice that you have for students looking to work in the industry? I ask. “This industry is fueled by ideas. Everyone wants to see you learn, develop and flourish. You just have to believe in yourself and embrace the chaos. Enjoy it. That’s so important.“

“For example Louise Ní Chonchúir (VFX Producer) told me from day one – if there is anything you want to learn or courses you want to do let me know. Sure I had never worked with shot grid and Suzanne Fitzpatrick (VFX Production Manager) ran me through everything.“

And what do you think the future holds for you Caitlin? I ask. “Well for now I am just enjoying the Windmill Lane experience. There’s always an open conversation within Windmill Lane so ideas are welcomed. So for me – I am enjoying the experience for now. Long term – I’d like to move up in production, be a Producer and produce some shows, my own animations.“

Watch this space people.

Written by Jason Gaffney

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