[FRAMED] Hong Yane Wang, Production Manager IA, London
Which film or TV series do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
The Phantom of Liberty by Luis Buñuel. The dinner-toilet scene is just brilliant.
What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
Craggy Island in Father Ted.
What’s your favourite project that you worked on at Framestore?
Ms Marvel for Disney+ and Marvel Studios. It was a fun project combining 2D animation, 3D and live-action. We were a dream team. We won an Emmy in the Outstanding Motion Design category and I went to Los Angeles with the lovely team on a ‘school trip’.
If you hadn’t gotten into VFX, what would you be doing now?
Since my early teenage days, I’ve written or translated hundreds of articles for Chinese magazines and newspapers. I translated some film scripts and plays too. I enjoyed the freedom of working anytime, anywhere. If I were a full-time writer now, I wish I could write humorously like John Crace, the sketch writer for the Guardian.
The DREAM project would entail:
Working with Ian Spendloff, Creative Director at IA. I’ve been secretly taking notes of his jokes.
How would you describe your job to a child?
Guess what, Paddington, the talking bear, doesn’t exist in real life. People in my company had to make him on a computer.
Describe your career journey (into the exciting world of VFX).
I started working with screen-based media as early as 16 when I was chosen through an open call to write the script and did lead acting in a short drama for BTV (Beijing Television). Then I did two MA degrees in film, one on a full scholarship at a top university in Beijing and another in London using all my savings. I’ve freelanced in various roles in film, TV and theatre, often on set, from dialect coach to behind-the-scenes camerawoman to assistant director. One of my on-set jobs was as a VFX data wrangler, where I chased moving cameras on cranes with a laser distance metre. But it was Framestore that really got me into VFX. I decided to quit freelancing and get a ‘real’ job in 2015. I passed on the opportunity to work on the set of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and came to Framestore to work on the Wanda dark ride. Framestore totally converted me.
Framestore is, to you, in three words:
More than mortgage (payments).
What is the biggest perk about working at Framestore?
Being able to impress people that my job is cool and fun. Imagine if I had to tell people that I worked in a bank!
Framestore is great at:
Like a giant magnet, Framestore attracts talented people who love fun and hard work.
Favourite artform?
Music — electronica, EDM, post-punk, post-rock, noise pop/rock, shoegaze, and the early Beijing punk which I grew up with (literally as I was hanging out with the bands).
Favourite image?
This image from early November 2023 features my favourite artist and filmmaker John Smith. Apart from bringing a smile to my face, it simultaneously reminds me of what attracted me to the UK when I was young and why I might have to leave one day.
What’s your favourite movie and why?
My current favourite is Triangle of Sadness. It is so sharp and funny. The British couple who run a family weapon business are hilarious.
What is the last piece of art that inspired you?
In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell. It reminds me of the importance of a work-life balance.
How do you unlock your creativity?
I make my own no-budget, low-tech video art on the side. My videos have been shown at galleries and festivals including LUX Moving Image in London and Documenta in Kassel. Both are prestigious art organisations that I have long admired.
I also like drawing portraits of my husband Patrick, sometimes in crayon, sometimes in charcoal. Look at him, he is the cutest thing in the world!
From where do you seek inspiration?
Art exhibitions, travels and books. I also like taking online courses on various subject matters on websites such as Domestika, Coursera and Futurelearn.
Share the best piece of advice you’ve ever received:
From my parents (paraphrased): Wealth, success and material things are irrelevant to us. A simple life is the best.
What tech/innovation could you not live without?
Microwave. I heat up a huge mug of soy milk every morning and steam a mountain of vegetables every evening (I’m not vegetarian, I’m just Chinese), all done in a microwave.
What tech/innovation deserves the hype?
Microwave. I heard cooking with a microwave was the cheapest way in terms of energy costs.
What tech do you need that hasn’t been invented yet?
Dream recorders. I have random and bonkers dreams almost every night. I’d love to have them recorded so I can watch the playbacks.
Hong Yane Wang you’ve been [FRAMED].
