Meet Esmeralda Ramirez | VFX Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Esmeralda Ramirez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Esmeralda, what makes you happy? Why?
Movies make me so happy!

I grew up having gone through some really traumatic things, things no one should ever go through in their childhood. Whenever I would go through these traumatic events, I would always cope by watching movies and immersing myself in them, tuning out everything in real life and entering another reality within the film.

To this day I find movies as a great coping mechanism, and a lot of times I leave the theater with a more optimistic and inspired mindset. I’d like to think of it as art therapy since films are a form of art to me.

People who have gone through what I have don’t usually end up the way I do. I could have gone down a very dark and destructive path, but I think that because I had movies to help me get through everything, I ended up beating the statistics against me even to this very day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My career in VFX is the culmination of a lifelong dream – a dream that started when I was five years old, captivated by the magic of movies. Seeing the blasters and lightsabers in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was the coolest thing! However, when the credits started rolling and I saw the names of everyone that worked on it, I wanted to have my own name on the credits one day.

Getting here wasn’t easy though. Life threw its share of curveballs such as traumatic life events, health issues, layoffs, and more. There were times when that dream felt distant, almost impossible, but the passion I had for VFX kept me going. I poured every ounce of energy into learning, practicing, and improving. I was self-taught for a long time up until college, devouring tutorials, experimenting with software, and building a portfolio piece by piece. Even college was difficult due to some really misogynistic professors that made it a mission to constantly insult me and my abilities the entire time I was there.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is the importance of resilience. Setbacks are inevitable, but it’s how you respond to them that defines you. I learned to embrace failures as learning opportunities, to pick myself up and keep pushing forward. Believing in yourself is also so incredibly important because at the end of the day, you are your biggest cheerleader. You will have many people in your life who will doubt you, but at the end of the day all that matters is what you think about yourself. You know your own abilities and limits, and even then, you often times are capable of so much more than you think.

I want the world to know that dreams, even the seemingly impossible ones, can come true with enough passion, hard work, dedication, patience, and resilience. My story is a testament to that. It’s a story of overcoming adversity, of never giving up on a dream, and of finding fulfillment in a career that I truly love even after 11 years.

Today, I not only still maintain my career in Visual Effects, I also mentor and have become very active in community efforts to support the VFX industry. Community is so important to me and a lot of the time that is how we are able to find job opportunities, so I want to use all the knowledge and skills I’ve learned in my life and career and give back to a community I love and admire so dearly.

Together we are stronger.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If we had a week together, here’s a little itinerary we could do! The possibilities are endless since there are so many things to do here.

Our Itinerary:

Monday:
We’re going to warm up with a tour. We’re going to sit back and relax on a day-long bus tour that takes us around Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, and Santa Monica Beach. We’ll make a few stops along the way and discover a few new places we’ve looked up on Yelp or Google with raving reviews. This is something I love to do, find new places, it’s a fun adventure to discover new things and places so we’re totally trying new things together for the experience of it all.

Tuesday:
Now that we have the lay of the land, we’ll talk about any places we might want to revisit.
We might go back to each place at our own place or pick a few spots on our own. Personally I love Santa Monica, it’s so much fun to walk along the beach, explore the pier, and just enjoy the vibes of the area. But it’s my bestie’s choice so we’re going wherever they’d like!

Wednesday:
Visit Placita Olvera
Placita Olvera is a part of Olvera Street, a Mexican marketplace in downtown and there are some really incredible vendors and restaurants there. We’ll walk around, maybe do some light shopping, and then grab a bite to eat at another Yelp/Google recommendation. There are also some really great historical buildings and museums there!

Thursday
Visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame
What’s Hollywood without the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame? We’re going to take a trip to the strip and see all the stars. We might pick up a few gifts here and there at some of the little shops, maybe even take a stroll through Madame Tussauds Was Museum.

Friday
Visit Universal Studios
Universal Studios is such a fun amusement park here in Hollywood with a cinema theme. There are some great attractions there to enjoy an fun little gift shops. All I know is that we’re definitely eating at The Three Broomsticks because it has the best food in the park in my opinion.

Saturday
Visit Little Tokyo
Little Tokyo is Little Tokyo is an ethnically Japanese American district in downtown Los Angeles that is full of amazing vendors, restaurants, and scenery. Personally I loved this revolving sushi place called Kura Revolving Sushi Bar. I tried it out recently for my nephew’s birthday so we’re definitely going back there again.

Sunday
Visiting The Grove and Farmer’s Market
This is one of my favorite things to do on a weekend. Walk The Grove and Farmer’s Market and maybe pick up a few snacks and gifts along the way. We’ll explore a bit, maybe catch a movie, and then head home to recharge from all the weeklong fun.

Someone’s definitely falling asleep on their way home after all this fun!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give the biggest shout out to the Visual Effects industry.

Visual Effects professionals are some of the most hard working and talented people I have ever met and worked with.
When I was five years old, I watched a film and fell in love with the VFX not knowing what VFX was at the time. After dedicating my entire life to VFX for films and television and having eventually worked beside those people who inspired me at that very young age, I realized just how absolutely incredible and talented those people truly are.

Filmmaking is an art, but Visual Effects is a specific type of art that requires a special type of skillset. Many people have a small understanding of what Visual Effects is, but I feel that not a lot of people truly grasp how much work and skill it takes on all fronts from VFX Production to the VFX artistry part if it all.

I think that the Visual Effects industry and especially the people in it truly deserve so much more recognition than they get.

So a big thank you to every single Visual Effects professional who has dedicated their life to the craft and who has contributed to some of the most amazing Films and TV shows to this very day.

Without every single one of you, I wouldn’t be living my dream today.

I also want to give a HUGE shoutout to my amazing husband who has been beside me since the very beginning.
He inspires me every day and I am so grateful to have not only an incredible partner, but an equally incredible best friend who loves and supports my hopes an dreams.
Thank you for everything you do for me and our little family.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7108051/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_7_in_0_q_esmeralda%2520ramirez

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/es.in.vfx/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esramirez/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EsInVFX

Other: I also own and run a small business where I make handmade goods! Just another way to have fun and express myself through art.
https://queenofheartses.com/

Image Credits
DJ Matias