{"id":97220,"date":"2025-10-01T16:09:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/97220\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:09:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:09:11","slug":"robin-saxen-embraces-technology-to-make-the-creative-mission-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/97220\/","title":{"rendered":"ROBIN SAXEN EMBRACES TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THE CREATIVE MISSION POSSIBLE"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\tROBIN SAXEN EMBRACES TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THE CREATIVE MISSION POSSIBLE – VFX Voice<\/p>\n

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VFX Voice<\/strong><\/p>\n

The award-winning definitive authority on all things visual effects in the world of film, TV, gaming, virtual reality, commercials, theme parks, and other new media.<\/p>\n

Winner of three prestigious Folio Awards for excellence in publishing.<\/p>\n

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VFX Voice<\/strong><\/p>\n

The award-winning definitive authority on all things visual effects in the world of film, TV, gaming, virtual reality, commercials, theme parks, and other new media.<\/p>\n

Winner of three prestigious Folio Awards for excellence in publishing.<\/p>\n


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\n October 01 2025<\/strong>
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\t\t\t\"VisualVisual Effects Producer Robin Saxen at 2025 FMX in Stuttgart where she spoke about the art of producing for visual effects. (Photo courtesy of Robin Saxen)<\/p>\n

The past decade has been literally and figuratively a \u2018Mission: Impossible\u2019 for Robin Saxen, who has been the constant visual effects component throughout the Christopher McQuarrie era of the film franchise where she started off as Second Visual Effects Coordinator on Mission: Impossible \u2013 Rogue Nation and became the Visual Effects Producer on Mission: Impossible \u2013 Fall Out, Mission: Impossible \u2013 Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning.<\/p>\n

Before taking on the perilous global espionage exploits of Ethan Hunt, Saxen had a fateful experience on another Tom Cruise production when she was a visual effects production coordinator at ILM. \u201cThe biggest moment was working on Magnolia with Paul Thomas Anderson. We were almost the same age, and he was so excited about working on the project and so infectious that it was a joyous experience.\u201d A mentor was also discovered in the form of Joe Letteri, VES. Saxen remarks, \u201cWorking with Joe all the way through Magnolia led to a lot of the tools that I\u2019ve made and the systems I put in place so we can track things quicker, get through things and deliver. Ultimately, the filmmakers are worried about the picture while I\u2019m worried about all the pieces that are going to make that picture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working in the film industry was not an obvious fit despite being born and raised in California. \u201cMy dad was an insurance broker after leaving the Navy,\u201d Saxen states. \u201cI wanted to be part of something that was always changing. I did not want to sell insurance. I like the energy of working in the kind of world where the technology is always growing and the ask is always something bigger; that makes it quite engaging intellectually.\u201d Technology continues to advance at a rapid rate. \u201cWhen I first started, somebody called me from USC and asked, \u2018How much space would it take to store a whole movie?\u2019 At the time, I said, \u2018It\u2019s never going to happen because it costs too much to scan a film.\u2019 Now, that happens all the time. Even how we deliver films. At the end, it\u2019s a file, not these big, bulky prints. It has sped up how quickly we can compile everything but also means that things can be pushed to the very end.\u201d The resolution divide no longer exists between digital and film. \u201cDigital technology has improved so much that you actually get a much finer resolution than with film, and that was many years in the making. When we started with digital, it was only 1080 res, and film could go up to 6144. We\u2019re able to achieve it now with DI treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"SaxenSaxen has spent a decade working on the Mission: Impossible franchise, including the final installment where Tom Cruise goes underwater. (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"VisualVisual effects painted out the ramp that enabled Tom Cruise to drive off a cliff on a motorbike in Mission: Impossible \u2013 Fallout. (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"DigitalDigital augmentation assisted in raising the sense of peril for Tom Cruise in
Mission: Impossible \u2013 Fallout. (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cI love the globality of our industry because everything benefits from a more global contribution of the brain trust. It\u2019s that technology and striving to make something even better, and bringing all of these different people together around the world has made our industry grow exponentially.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Robin Saxen, Visual Effects Producer\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

An analog enjoyment growing up was reading books. \u201cI was always into books and expanding my knowledge,\u201d Saxen remarks. \u201cI loved John Steinbeck in the early days. I grew up on a little bit of a farm, and remember in high school people talking about The Grapes of Wrath and saying when they had to butcher their pigs how tragic that was and what it meant psychologically to the children. I said, \u2018Actually, I grew up on a farm, and we used to watch the chickens get butchered. It was just a thing that you did.\u2019\u201d The quest for knowledge led to Pepperdine University and a BA in Telecommunications and Political Science. \u201cI wanted to do more editorial work, but the industry was hard to get into if you didn\u2019t have a family connection or know somebody. I ended up working at Unitel Video, which did The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Star Trek: The Next Generation. I was getting nowhere fast, so I sent out 50 resumes and got hired at Pacific Title Digital. There was this great programmer named Bonnie Boyd, and she explained operating systems and Linux to me in a way that made sense. We had to make stuff up as we were going along. There were no GUIs [Graphic User Interface] at that time. Everything was command-line based.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breaking new ground with emerging digital technology was exciting. \u201cSeveral times I\u2019ve run into people saying, \u2018We\u2019ve been doing it like this for 20 years. Why should we change?\u2019\u201d Saxen notes. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018We have computers now. Let\u2019s do something better. Let\u2019s speed it up!\u2019 I\u2019ve taken a lot of pride in automating tools on my side for production and editorial so that we can take care of all the paperwork, communication and tracking easily. This allows us to focus on the picture, the job and making sure that we can deliver on time and as much on budget as we possibly can, and I take a lot of pride in that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"SaxenSaxen attends the London premiere of Mission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning. (Photo courtesy of Robin Saxen)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\":Mission: Impossible \u2013 Rogue Nation welcomed director Christopher McQuarrie and Saxen to the espionage franchise headlined by Tom Cruise. (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"SaxenSaxen takes a break while location scouting in Norway for Mission: Impossible \u2013 Dead Reckoning. (Photo courtesy of Robin Saxen)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"SaxenSaxen gets ready for the train action sequence that takes place in
Mission: Impossible \u2013 Dead Reckoning. (Photo courtesy of Robin Saxen)<\/p>\n

The willingness to adopt technological advancements extends to AI. Saxen comments, \u201cAI has become a boogeyman that, somehow, they\u2019re trying to beat us up with. But we\u2019ve always worked to make better tools in order to improve how we work. Part of that is physics and math. I\u2019ve even called it liquid math when I was trying to explain it to somebody. Don\u2019t be afraid of the tool. The traditional way to get into visual effects companies back in the day was through roto and tracking, and a lot of that\u2019s been farmed out. Now there are tools making that easier. If you have tools that make things easier, then you can focus on the next thing. What I hope is it will inject a creative freedom that enables you to make something that unleashes your potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is still a place for traditional methods. \u201cILM was a huge collaboration of talent and people appreciating each other\u2019s ability, like the modelmakers and the special effects guys,\u201d Saxen recalls. \u201cI still remember being in a mobile home-type of cabin, and people getting on the loudspeakers saying, \u2018Explosion off stage one.\u2019 And you would hear this loud boom! That was very cool. ILM was established and had their way of doing things. Then I went to W\u0113t\u0101 Digital, which didn\u2019t have any baggage. It was all about, \u2018How quickly can we make this happen?\u2019 It was a great place for me to work and actually come up with faster systems for production.\u201d Time was spent with two other major visual effects heavyweights, Framestore and DNEG, where the transition was made from being a production manager to a senior visual effects producer. \u201cI love the globality of our industry because everything benefits from a more global contribution of the brain trust. It\u2019s that technology and striving to make something even better, and bringing all of these different people together around the world has made our industry grow exponentially. I\u2019ve been in situations where I need to make changes, but my vendor is in Canada and I\u2019m in London on the phone saying, \u2018Can you get this?\u2019 We\u2019ll get that overnight, so that actually does help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"HelicoptersHelicopters play a major role in the action scenes found in Mission: Impossible \u2013 Rogue Nation. (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cI\u2019ve created a tool that works for all time zones. One of the best things that I can do for my director is to keep chasing the iterations and making sure that he or she has seen the shots. The most important thing is establishing a relationship with editorial and making sure that you\u2019re clear on the pipeline for your vendors and you know the resolution you\u2019re delivering to. Basically, you are buttoned up from the beginning\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Robin Saxen, Visual Effects Producer\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Switching over to the client side was the next step. \u201cThe facility experience has been invaluable because I understand how things are done, the technology, and what needs to go into making the shots believable and workable,\u201d Saxen remarks. \u201cMy first experience was working on World War Z. That was tough because I didn\u2019t know who was responsible financially for something, and each department is there to protect their own budgets. That was a bit trial by fire, but I learned a lot on that one.\u201d The visual effects work has ranged from creating a fully digital bear protagonist for Studio Canal, to invisible effects that support an actor performing death-defying stunts for Paramount Pictures. \u201cBecause Paddington is a CG creature interacting with environments and people, you have to be aware of everything to make him sit in that three-dimensional space. There are different things to consider. You\u2019re tracking the dialogue and having all that for the animation. It\u2019s a little bit different when you\u2019re turning things over and making it all work. I\u2019ve always told people that the organic stuff is harder, like fur and plant life. [Director] Paul King was amazing to work with, and I see him so much in Paddington. When you\u2019re on more of a live-action picture, it is your relationship with editorial and how quickly they assemble sequences. You need to do the clean-up work so you don\u2019t see the stunt mats or the rigs. You have something that\u2019s seated in reality, so you know what it needs to look like and how it has to interact with lighting in the environment. Basically, you have a template.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Saxen\u2019sSaxen\u2019s career-changing moment was working for Paul Thomas Anderson and Joe Letteri, VES, on Magnolia. (Photo courtesy of Robin Saxen)<\/p>\n

Fundamentals do not change. \u201cWhat filmmakers want from me is, \u2018How soon am I going to get it? Am I iterating, and what were my last notes? When was the last time I\u2019ve seen this?\u2019\u201d Saxen states. \u201cI\u2019ve created a tool that works for all time zones. One of the best things I can do for my director is to keep chasing the iterations and making sure that he or she has seen the shots. The most important thing is establishing a relationship with editorial and making sure that you\u2019re clear on the pipeline for your vendors and you know the resolution you\u2019re delivering to. Basically, you are buttoned up from the beginning so that people that can do their tests and make sure that when submitting, everything is in line and they\u2019re looking at stuff in the same visual space. If you do that, then when you\u2019re in the push and turning over hundreds and hundreds of shots a week, you know that it\u2019s a well-oiled machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"SaxenSaxen visits the Brooklyn Bridge while shooting Gangs of New York. (Photo courtesy of Robin Saxen)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"ToTo acquire the necessary scope and scale for environments, visual effects were utilized for Mission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning. (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"EthanEthan Hunt (Tom Cruise) attempts to escape a falling train in Mission: Impossible \u2013 Fallout. (Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures)<\/p>\n

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\n\u201cIf you have tools that make things easier, then you can focus on the next thing. What I hope is it will inject a creative freedom that enables you to make something that unleashes your potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014Robin Saxen, Visual Effects Producer\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Having the same team on Mission: Impossible \u2013 Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning was extremely beneficial. \u201cOver the course of five years, we fine-tuned everything,\u201d Saxen remarks. \u201cEveryone could access the paperwork and notes easily, and they all felt comfortable with the tools. I made it so that when picture editorial had to export or import, it was like four commands. They could do their work and not have to worry about the small stuff.\u201d A signature stunt performed by Tom Cruise for Mission: Impossible \u2013 The Final Reckoning is the submarine sequence. \u201cWe don\u2019t know what a submarine would look like at that distance underwater in the Baltics,\u201d Saxen observes. \u201cBut the way they engineered the inside of the submarine, and some parts of the exterior where Tom lands on the sub, gave us the framework that we built around to create something that is quite magical. It took time.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you want to be successful in the visual effects industry, you have to be quite thorough. \u201cI created something that is like a digital Post-it, which we could leave each other so when you came in the morning and logged in, you\u2019ll see them,\u201d Saxen explains. \u201cThey\u2019d be flagging changes, problems and concerns, and then I can resolve everything. I always had a record of those Post-its and would send notes back. It has allowed us to dynamically keep all of the vendors up to date.\u201d Collaboration leads to the best results. \u201cI have people who I am bringing up, and they are doing well. I include people in the decision process because they come up with ideas, and you\u2019re all part of the solution; inclusion is the critical thing, which took me a bit to learn. You don\u2019t always have to work alone. You can bring in the troops, and then you\u2019re all on the same team. That has been hugely helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n


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