Meet Your Makers: Learning Through Doing with Ellie Thwaites

Ellie Thwaites is a VFX producer at No.8 who has worked with a range of clients including Meta, Warner Music, Crtz, IBM, Edeka, Slimfast & Pepsi.

Ellie’s passion and fascination with visual effects has led to a wealth of experience, from on-set production through to audio, colour and VFX producing.  

LBB> What was your first role in the production world and how did this experience influence.  

Ellie> After finishing school, I went straight in at the deep end and did some work experience at The Corner Shop. This was a real eye-opening experience for 18 year old me as it helped me realise the vast number of opportunities/jobs that were out there… turns out there are many avenues one can take. This first experience in the industry was vital in shaping my career as it introduced me to post-production and the unlimited depths of VFX.    

Inspired by my newfound love for post-production, I was fortunate enough to join the Mill as a runner and worked my way up to VFX producer learning along the way. 

LBB> How did you learn to be a producer? 

Ellie> Like most producers I know, I learned through doing. I started small and with each project I worked on I gained more experience, more confidence, and more knowledge. I also made an extra effort to learn from more senior professionals. I shadowed senior producers that I respected and admired, sat in on sessions and made an extra effort to communicate with artists to gain a deeper technical understanding.

LBB> Looking back to the beginning of your career, can you tell us about a production you were involved in where you really had to dig deep and that really helped you to grow as a producer? 

Ellie> While I was starting my journey as a producer I worked on an ad campaign for Dairy Queen, which was a full CGI and animation project. This was my debut, as it were, in a leadership role which covered a multitude of disciplines and pipelines. The project required a team of over 30 people across pitching, awarding, pre-vis, character development, modelling, animation…the list goes on, all of which were looking to me for a smooth production. As the project was on such a large scale it was a huge learning experience, which of course came with its own challenges and situations so I really had to dig deep to be 'on my shit'. 

LBB> What’s your favourite thing about production and why?

Ellie> For me it’s really simple. I love problem solving and I love working collaboratively as part of a team. My favourite projects to work on are the ones where you have a great team of people, who are open to listening and collaborating with everyone to come up with some great solutions and ideas. 

LBB> What do you think is the key to being an effective producer - and is it something that’s innate or something that can be learned? 

Ellie> Communication is key to being an effective producer, there’s no way around it in this job. Each project requires you to communicate with a variety of people and so understanding and adapting to be understood differently is a real skill. I think the art of effective communication can be learned, of course for some people it comes a lot more naturally, but it definitely can be learned over time. I’m still learning everyday as a producer but with each project comes new opportunity for me to grow and learn. 

LBB> And in terms of recent work, which projects have you found to be particularly exciting or have presented particularly interesting production challenges? 

Ellie> The pandemic introduced the advertising industry to the world of remote working. This has been amazing in terms of opening the industry up to share and collaborate from locations across the globe, however this has also come with its challenges. Working across different time zones adds a level of disconnect, as communication takes longer and impacts project progress. Along with this, all communication takes place via a screen which stunts any personal connection that would normally develop when collaborating with someone in person. Personally, I have found this shift to remote working a challenge as I struggle to build authentic connections with people via a screen. This means I have to work harder to establish a feeling of inclusion.

LBB> Producers always have the best stories. What’s the hairiest / most insane situation you’ve found yourself in and how did you work your way out of it?

Ellie> Well there was this one time I ended up holding a Lamborghini chicken for some references…but we don’t need to go into it. 

LBB> As a producer your brain must have a never ending "to do" list. How do you switch off? What do you do to relax?

Ellie> It’s a delicate balancing act of knowing what to prioritise and when to prioritise it. This is a skill that I’m still mastering, but as I progress through my career and gain more confidence, I am getting better at understanding when to down tools for the night and when to push on. I create a literal distance with work by physically putting my phone down and walking away. This acts as a physical off switch and allows me to enjoy the rest of my evening without any nagging anxiety. I then like to fill my weekends/evenings with things that are good for my soul; long walks and cuddles with my cat.