Meghan Ang, Master of Digital Media (MDM) alumnus, won the 2024 Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects for her contributions to The Last Of Us.
Meghan is a Senior Production Coordinator with a background in animation, design, and customer service. Currently working in the VFX industry, Meghan has been an integral part of core production teams on a range of projects encompassing both film and episodic media at premier studios including Sony Pictures Imageworks (current), Distillery VFX, and DNEG, and has had a hand in facilitating production of some of the most well-known franchises that have appeared on Disney +, Apple TV+, HBO, and more.
Centre for Digital Media caught up with Meghan to discuss her work and how the MDM helped open the door to this amazing achievement.
How does it feel to have your work recognized by this prestigious award?
I feel very appreciative to everyone who loved The Last Of Us and our work on it. I don't always get a chance to talk in depth with people outside of the VFX industry about my work, and I felt that this recognition was able to bring some good attention to the "movie-magic" that encompassed a lot of the series. I also feel validated as some of the work we did wasn't an easy feat, and a lot of hard work went into creating digital visual effects at this level.
Can you describe your role on The Last of Us and what you were responsible for?
I was a VFX Production Coordinator on the show, and as part of the production team, I was responsible for deadlines and time management, overseeing artist workloads and facilitating communication between departments. Compared to other projects, we had a smaller team, which gave us the benefit of being able to work closely with our VFX supervisors and artists throughout the process.
Looking back at your career and experience in the MDM, can you tell us how you arrived at this achievement?
At MDM, I was able to put a lot more focus on how I could best frame my skill set to suit various projects. I started MDM not fully set on an industry that I wanted to go in, but more in hopes to understand my strengths and my areas of improvement. From there, I started to seriously consider production in film and TV and was able to get my first job in the VFX industry in part thanks to how the MDM helped me discover my strengths.
How did the MDM help you with your personal and professional growth?
MDM gave me an opportunity to branch out from what I am most familiar with—which was art and animation—and enabled me to further develop my management skills and approach projects from a broader perspective. Even if I was in the role of an artist, animator, or designer on a project, being able to work closely with peers on a multidisciplinary project team, I learned from other students who had strong backgrounds in project and team management. It was a huge learning experience and granted me a better understanding of those backgrounds and skills, which I applied to my career.
What was your most memorable part of the MDM?
I really enjoyed the community that was created with our cohort. A lot of my most memorable moments involved the times we were together as a group, celebrating holidays together or even just down time after class working on assignments together.
Do you have any career advice for students who want to work on award-winning projects or to break into your industry?
In my experience, timing played a big part in getting where I am today. I would say to always keep an open mind and open eye out for any opportunity, because something can come along when you least expect it!