From C-town to Tinsel Town

It's no secret WC grads have been making their mark in Hollywood for almost seven decades.

Carey Smith '92 won an Oscar for her work on the visual effects team that produced Spider-Man 2.

Class of 1910 alumnus James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice spawned a film noir classic and a remake of the same name starring Jack Nicholson. Theodore Simonson '49 scripted the 50s sci-fi classic, The Blob, that helped launch the career of Steve McQueen. In 2000, Tammy Tiehel Stedman '86 walked away with an Academy Award for her independent film My Mother Dreams Satan's Disciples in New York. Now Carey Smith '92, a double major in English and drama, joins the WC Walk of Stars, as a member of Sony Imageworks' visual effects (VFX) team that took home a 2005 Academy Award for their work on last year's action thriller, Spider-Man 2.

We caught up with her after the Vanity Fair Post-Oscar Party.

How long have you been working in VFX and how did you get started?

I've been working in VFX for about eight or nine years, but I've been working in the film industry for about 10. I worked on set for my first two years. After graduation, I moved from Chestertown to Pittsburgh, because I heard it was easier to break into the film industry there. I got a job working on Peter Hyams' Sudden Death as the assistant to the director, and I made enough connections that a few years later, when work in Pittsburgh became scarce, I was able to move to LA.

What is your role as a VFX producer?

Typically, my job includes budgeting the VFX for the given film, making sure we have the appropriate crew to do the work, and making sure that the work gets done on time and on budget. Personally, I also feel that it's part of my job to make sure the show is a pleasant one for the 200-plus people who would typically work on it.

What are the challenges and rewards of your job? As if winning an Oscar isn't enough...

The most challenging aspect of VFX is trying to get all the work done on time. There's something terribly stressful about getting 1000 VFX shots through a facility by a certain delivery deadline. It's just like producing a play, watching all the little pieces come together and watching the days slip away until finally you run out of time and all you can do is just hope everyone is happy. I evaluate my accomplishments on a day-by-day basis. My personality is suited for producing, and the work requires a lot of attention to detail and also the ability to see the big picture. You need to be able to remain calm under pressure and deal with stressful situations and difficult personalities. Directing my senior thesis, Cyrano de Bergerac, was as close to producing as I came at WC. The only difference is that theatrical directing involves a creative aspect that VFX producing does not.

Besides Spider-Man 2, what other film projects have you worked on?

I've been doing "Spidey" films since January 2001. I was on Spider-Man 1 and am currently working on Spider-Man 3. Before that I did The Sixth Day, Firestorm, Flintstones 2, Con Air and Only You.

What's better: an Oscar Party or the Birthday Ball?

There is an urban legend running through LA that you can get into any Post-Oscar party with as many people as you want if you're holding an Oscar. Apparently it's NOT a myth. The Vanity Fair Party was the most impressive. It's been a few years since the Birthday Ball—and I didn't always attend them—but I will admit that the Vanity Fair Party was only slightly better than some of the after-strike parties in the black box below Tawes Theatre with Tim Maloney and Dale Daigle. It's hard to top those!

With all the virtual wonder that VFX create, does real life ever seem boring?

Real life sucks! That's why I moved to Hollywood, where absolutely nothing is real. I'm joking! Actually, real life is what makes my day interesting. VFX is a job. It's a fun job and one that I enjoy doing, but it's my husband and my family that keep life exciting. I also do a lot of things outside work—embroidery classes, cooking classes. I'm currently learning how to read, write and speak Arabic. The film industry can skew your perspective, so it's good to do other things so you don't get myopic.

What's more fun for a VFX artist to work with, the good guys or the villains?

I like the villains, because they change a lot. Spidey is always Spidey. The villains are new and different each film. They always have the best costumes, too.

If you had to be the next super villain to challenge Spider-Man, who would you be?

I'd be "Passive Aggressive Woman." I'd attack Spidey with guilt and rhetoric.