Jenny Fulle might not be a household name, but I can guarantee that most people are very familiar with her work. Here are just a few films that Jenny has worked on…
– Hancock
– I Am Legend
– Superman Returns
– The Aviator
– Spider-man
– Charlie’s Angels
– The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
– Apollo 13
Jenny been the Visual Effects Executive Producer on many of Hollywood’s blockbuster hits. Jenny was also the Executive Vice President of Production and Executive Producer at Sony Pictures Imageworks, as well as the Head of Production at Warner Digital. At one point in her career she even worked for Lucas Films.
Currently Jenny works at The Creative-Cartel (www.TheCreative-Cartel.com), that she founded, which is a Los Angeles based Production Company specializing in creating teams to work on the visual effects for individual movie productions.
Jenny’s most recent project, Priest, opened in theaters across the country on May 13, 2011. I haven’t had the chance to see it yet but I am hoping I get the chance to in the next couple of weeks. I love horror movies.
Here is the movie’s official trailer.
This is my kind of movie! I love the creepy vampires. Imagine having one of those chasing after you? Oh my! The special effects look amazing and I cannot wait for the opportunity to see Priest.
Priest stars Paul Bettany (Wimbleton, Iron Man), Cam Gigandent (Twilight, The Roommate), Lilly Colins (The Blind Side), Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music), and Stephen Moyer (True Blood). The movie is based on a Korean comic book by the same name.
When Jenny is not out making movie magic on blockbuster films she is busy being a mom to her young. I don’t know how she does it. I’m lucky if I can get the dishes done no some days, and Jenny is able to accomplish that AND make movies.
I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Jenny and ask her a few questions about the movie, Priest, as well as questions about the Visual Effects industry and being a mom.
Please note that a few times in the interview Jenny refers to VFX. That stands for “visual special effects”.
How did you get your start in Hollywood?
I got my start at the age of 18 as a janitor for George Lucas at I.L.M..
How are you able to juggle being a visual effects producer, business owner and mom? Do you ever feel overwhelmed at times? If you do, how do you remedy that?
I feel like I’m able to juggle those three things pretty well. I am a big believer in having balance in one’s life. Obviously all three can be very demanding and unfortunately the job that’s most important (being a mom) is the easiest one to push to the back burner. My career is successful because of what I know, not how much I do. I surround myself with overly competent people in the workplace and it gives me the freedom to have the balance that is so important to me.
Do you think your son might be interested in working in movies when he is older? What advice might you have for him?
Right now my son has no interest in a film making career. He is far more interested in becoming an elite ranger and living out his video game fantasies. But he is only 10!.
You seem to have a very busy life between your work and raising your son. What do you do for fun in your free time?
Fortunately, in my family we have similar ideas of what constitutes fun; a trip to the mountains for skiing, or to the desert for ATV/Dirt Bike riding. For lower key moments, we all have our own particular ways of relaxing at home, another family favorite.
Have you always been interested in visual effects?
I was a late bloomer. Unlike many people I work with who have dreamed of doing this their wholes lives, for me it wasn’t until I starting working as a janitor at I.L.M. that I fell in love with energy and the magic of it all.
Is the visual effects industry primarily male dominated, or are you seeing just as many females in the industry as there are males?
Visual effects is definitely male dominated. However, that certainly doesn’t mean there are just as many opportunities for women. I think that women, as a gross generalization, don’t gravitate towards nerdy work with lots of creatures.
Tell me about The Creative Cartel.
The Creative-Cartel is company that focuses on the management and infrastructure for production of visual effects on feature films. You can almost think of it as a sort of a visual effects department for hire. Big studio tent-pole effects movies can afford to pay top dollar to hire experienced VFX department heads to assemble, manage the budget and schedule the teams for large VFX films. Shows with more modest budgets (but similar creative aspirations) generally don’t have that luxury. Our service offers affordable to the more modestly budgeted films.
Do you ever work closely with any of the actors, or is your part just coordinating the special effects?
If the actor is involved in shot containing VFX, we generally work more closely with them than they would like!
When creating visual effects for a film do you have a pre-planned idea about what you are going to do, or does it come as the movie progresses?
Visual effects tend to be a very evolutionary and organic process. All of the best intentions and planning are often thrown out the window once you get out on set and try and fit imagination into reality. Intellectual and creative agility are very necessary traits.
What types of visual effects went into creating Priest and why?
We really had all types of effects in Priest because that is what the script called for.
The vampires in the movie, Priest, are really gruesome looking. Was their look inspired by anything or were they created specifically for this movie? They certainly do not resemble Bela Lugosi or Tom Cruise.
Priest’s vampires were created specifically for this movie and brought to life by very talented animators utilizing key frame animation.
Some of the weapons used in the movie are really interesting. Were there tangible prototypes created to aid the visual effects creators, or were they something that was created by the visual effects team exclusively on the computer?
Most of the weapons were designed by our Production Designer and his team. Through the process of creating a 3D model in the computer from 2D art, there was plenty of opportunity for improvements and modifications from the director and VFX creatives.
How long did it take to create the visual effects for Priest?
All in all, my team was engaged in creating the visual effects and conversion on Priest for about a year and a half.
What percentage of Priest was based on visual effects compared to live action with no effects?
I would say over 1/3 of the film had some sort of visual effect in the shots.
Is there any specific effects in the movie Priest that are your favorites and why?
We did 750 visual effects shots for Priest, 745 of them are my favorites. I am extremely proud of the quality of work we achieved for any price. When you factor in what our VFX budget actually was, I think our accomplishment is astonishing.
Would you recommend the Priest to any audience?
I think it’s appropriately rated at PG-13.
Do you think that more movies are going to be made into 3-D, or is this just a passing fad?
I think 3D is here to stay. I think the way we get there and how we view it will change dramatically over the next few years.
What are some of your favorite films that you worked on and why?
Apollo 13 was probably my favorite film to work on. Ron Howard and his team are all incredible human beings and the subject matter felt significant. So often we are working on stories based on pure fantasy. It was nice to work on a film based on a truly inspirational event.
Is there any advice you would like to share with anyone interested in working with visual effects on movies and television?
Be prepared to work hard and be adaptable to environments and situations that you could never imagine. A good sense of humor and yearning for adventure will also serve you well.
I love Jenny’s response to the question about whether or not the visual effects industry is male dominated, especially how women “…don’t gravitate towards nerdy work with lots of creatures.” Call me a nerd because I am totally into creepy creatures and scary monsters.
If you are really into horror, action, adventure and Sci-fi and special effects then you will want to see Priest which is currently playing in theaters across the country. You can also learn more about the movie by visiting the official web site, www.Priest-TheMovie.com.
To learn more about The Creative-Cartel please visit www.TheCreative-Cartel.com. You can also learn more about Jenny and the amazing films she has worked on by visiting the International Movie Data Base at www.IMDB.com. Put her name, Jenny Fulle, in the search box.
A very special thank you to Jenny Fulle for taking the time to answer a few questions for me.
Kimberly
*I was not compensated for this post. I posted this for the benefit and enjoyment of my site readers.
Lee says
This is such a great interview. I love Apollo 13 by the way. My favorite part of this interview is that she gets closer to the stars than they would like. LOL!
Lee
Jessica says
I found this interview very interesting. I have never heard of her before but I looked her up on that movie web site. I think I have seen just about every movie she has worked on. It must be great to be involved in so many movies like that.
I have not seen Priest yet, but after reading this I think I will have to check it out.
Dan says
Great Interview. It’s always great to hear that even though people have a successful career that there is always time for family. Spending time with them and going on vacations.
Loved Hancock and I Am Legend. Great work on those movies.
Bob says
She has worked on some movies that had incredible special effects. Must be so much fun to be involved on that side of movies.
Very nice interview. She seems like she has it all together as far as her career and family.
Mom23Now says
I actually saw this movie. It was really good. I don’t know if I would call it a horror film. The special effects were amazing. I agree with you about the vampires. They were scary.
Thanks for telling us more about Jenny. She seems like a really interesting person.
Tiff @ Babes and Kids says
That was a great interview. I had no idea who she was, but she’s worked on a lot of great films. It’s so interesting to me how people get their start in Hollywood, and she was at 18 at a janitor. Crazy!
Marianna says
Great interview! And she has a lot of great movies on her resume. The Two Towers is my favorite Lord of the Rings film!
Louise says
Oh wow, her movies are amazing! What a great interview!
simplydab says
Great interview. I’ve not seen her movies but I’ll have to check them out now.