Theresa Rygiel

Studio Visual Effects Supervisor       X-Men (I), Conspiracy Theory, The Martian Child, Spanglish,
                                                             Nativity Story, Someone Like You, Stepmom, The Parent Trap
On Set Locations: New Zealand, Vancouver, New York, Toronto, Matera Italy, Ouarzazate
                                                                       Morocco, Durban S. Africa, Los Angeles
On Set with the following Directors:    Dick Donner, Barry Levinson, Frank Oz, Chris Columbus,
                                                                       Jerry Zucker, James Brooks, Menno Meyjes, Catherine Hardwicke
                                                                       Brian Singer
 
20 years member of the Visual Effects Branch, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
3 years elected as a nominee for governor of Visual Effects Branch
8 years on Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee.
1 year Student Academy Awards Executive Committee.
35 continuous years with credits in the creation of visual effects both practical and digital.
Over 20 years on set and in production houses as supervisor on feature films.
4 years owner of my own visual effects company for feature films.
3 semesters (10 weeks each) as a mentor for Spark@TheAcademy (with local city schools)
Panelist CAREERS IN FILM SUMMIT, “Get it in the Can-Post Production” Goldwyn Theatre,  
Speaker for the Academy on Visual Effects at INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INDIA
Chair/moderator VFX CONVERGENCE 3 part PANEL SERIES, Lynwood Dunn Theatre
Chair VFX discussion on “Performance”  in Wilshire conference room with Actor’s Branch.
 
THERESA ELLIS RYGIEL began her career in the early 1980's developing artists’ tools at New York Institute of Technology’s Computer Graphics Lab and from 1986-1989 honed her digital artist skills overseas in Germany and England.
She has been a very active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1997 including eight years on the Executive Committee for The Visual Effects Branch, One year on the Student Academy Awards Executive Committee,  two years a judge for the Student Academy Awards, three semesters as a mentor with Spark @ The Academy, and co-created the four part panel series called VFX Convergence at the Academy. She has been invited also to speak for the Academy at The International Film Festival India, LenFilm Studios in St. Petersburg, Russia, Film University at Babelsburg, Germany and on a panel on The Academy’s Film Summit.
In 1993, she opened her own computer animation company as digital effect supervisor on several major motion pictures including RICHIE RICH, WATER WORLD and EXECUTIVE DECISION and won a CLIO Award for her work on Miller Genuine Draft's "Neon Cowboy".
Rygiel has since served as a Visual Effects Supervisor on set with several motion pictures, including for New Line’s  NATIVITY STORY in Italy and Morocco, and MARTIAN CHILD in Vancouver; Warner Bros.’ CONSPIRACY THEORY; STEPMOM in New York, and X-Men in Toronto for 20th Century Fox which she presented at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at their annual VFX Bake-off for the year’s best visual effects in a feature.
While at Weta Digital in New Zealand, Rygiel advanced from Senior Compositor on THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Fellowship of the Ring, 3D Lead on THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Two Towers, to working as Digital Effect Supervisor on the final film in the trilogy, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Return of the King.
Her composite supervisor credits also include such features as JOY, OBLIVION, FAST FIVE and NIGHT OF THE MUSEUM: Battle at the Smithsonian.
In recent years, Rygiel has moved into the studio production offices as Post Visual Effects Supervisor and Compositing Supervisor on GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, FURIOUS 7, BEN HUR, JOY,  MARVEL’s DR STRANGE, FAST 8, A WRINKLE IN TIME, and currently at Universal Studios on The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle.