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MARLA TANIGAWA

As a Digimatte Supervisor, I help to craft digital environments seen in DreamWorks animated feature films. In Digimatte we have the ability to create imaginative worlds and landscapes, everything from cloudscapes, environments, and distant galaxies.

DEMO REEL

Full-length

To view my demo reel, please click the link below. The footage shows some before and after shots, "breakdowns" of how a shot is created, and final shots.

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DEMO REEL BREAKDOWN

•Camera projection techniques to apply digital still paintings, created by Matte Painters, onto geometry to give dimension and depth for realistic movement through a shot.
•Three-dimensional modeling of geometry in 3D modeling applications.
•360-degree dome geometry creation for sky and environment mapping.
•UV creation and mapping.
•3D environment builds.
•Compositing (layer images together) and rendering to create a full shot.
•Match composition, lighting and color to the targeted art key and desired look of the film.
•2D animation in compositing software to create motion and to add more life to a scene (clouds, rotating angels, mist, water, etc.).
•2D tricks to create water glints, reflections, and movement.
•Strategic shot setups that incorporate complex camera movements that work for multiple shots.
•Extend CG sets using 2.5D techniques.

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WORK EXPERIENCE

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FILM CREDITS

2001-2020

Boss Baby 2 (in production) 2021 • Abominable 2019 • How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World 2019 • Captain Underpants (image finaling) 2017 • Boss Baby (uncredited) 2017 • Trolls (uncredited) 2016 • Larrikins (unreleased) • The Croods 2 (unreleased) • Kung Fu Panda 3 2016 • Penguins of Madagascar 2014 • Rise of the Guardians 2012 • Dragons Gift of the Night Fury 2011 • Kung Fu Panda 2 2011 • Shrek Forever After 2010 • Monsters Vs. Aliens 2009 • Kung Fu Panda 2008 • Bee Movie 2007 • Charlotte's Web 2006 • The Chronicles of Narnia 2005

DIGIMATTE ARTIST, DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

2006-Present

  • Led a 13-person team to execute all creative/technical aspects as Lead MPC on the $145M production budgeted film, “Rise of the Guardians” with $307M in worldwide gross box-office sales.

  • Conducted research, software testing, and cost-benefit analysis for an internally developed film noise reduction solution vs. 3rd party software, eliminating the need for long-term support and resources for integration; successfully persuaded leadership team to adopt the recommendation.

  • Identified need for and created detailed training and documentation for inbound supervisors shortening the learning curve to master staffing requirements; resulted in improved accuracy for man-hour bid times.

  • Handpicked by Workflow executives to spearhead authoring of a procedural guide informing top-level management on techniques, software and staffing needs to demonstrate that through maximizing utilization and efficiency of the department, resource and time costs of applicable film scenes could be reduced by 33%.

  • Collaborated with technicians to formulate a principal toolset; led all phases of design and implementation resulting in improved data organization and empowerment of less technical artist to grow beyond current capabilities.

  • Established a framework that enabled teams in China and India to integrate with the home office while ensuring film production continuity, reduced overseas costs, and an improved competitive position.

ANIMATION LAYOUT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, RHYTHM & HUES STUDIOS

2004-2006

  • Collaborated with senior show managers on the film “Charlotte’s Web” to develop creative solutions for production issues relating to 65 shots.

  • Selected for project lead role to plan and prioritize the layout needs for 6 Cox Communication national commercial spots, and achieved seamless completions of projects.

SYSTEMS OPERATOR, RHYTHM & HUES STUDIOS

2001-2004

  • Monitored computing resources, problem solved software and network issues, and ensured 24/7 operations for 700+ employee visual effects studio.

  • Scripted an automated tool in Perl to interface with MySQL that ensured continual workspace backup and recovery.

  • Facilitated the implementation of studio-wide system software upgrades and modifications resulting in a state-of-the-art network of computers for feature film production.

EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, MARSHALL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

2015-2018

Master of Business Administration

  • Honors:

    • Dean’s List

    • USC Marshall MBA Program, Academic Achievement Award in Marketing 528 - Art & Science of Sales

    • USC Marshall MBA Program, Social Media Excellence Award, Marketing 528 - Art & Science of Sales

    • USC Marshall MBA Program, Communication Award, Marketing 528 - Art & Science of Sales

  • Leadership:

    • Class of 2018 Marshall VP of Merchandising (2015)

  • Membership:​​

    • Class of 2018 MBA Alumni Mentor Program

    • Business of Entertainment Association

    • Entrepreneur & Venture Management Association

    • Operations Management Club

    • Marshall Consulting & Strategy Club

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY

1997-2001

Bachelor of Arts, Business: Information Systems; Minor: Accounting

  • Honors:

    • Dean's List

  • Leadership: 

    • Finance Workshop Manager for the Dean’s pilot mentoring/tutor program​

  • Membership:

    • Mu Kappa Tau – National Marketing Honor Society

SKILLS & INTERESTES

•Computer: Maya, Nuke, Houdini, Photoshop, After Effects, Perl, MySQL, UNIX/LINUX, Office Suite
•Interests: Mentee, Women in Animation (pilot mentor program), Singing (backup vocals for a local band)

Technology

Studio Architecture, Pipeline & Tool Development, Computer Graphics Applications

Animation

3D CG Environments for animated feature films at DreamWorks Animation

Business

MBA Candidate 2018, USC Marshall School of Business

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MARLA TANIGAWA

310-384-7594

4526 Mosher Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90031

©2017 by Marla Tanigawa. Proudly created with Wix.com

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