Working on Hoppers was a dream come true.
I feel so lucky to have played a part in telling a story about nature and our need to protect what we love. Being a lover of nature and animals, Mabel's story is near and dear to my heart.
When I was younger, I had dreams of becoming a park ranger, so I majored in Environmental Studies at UniSC.
Making Hoppers felt like a full circle moment, combining my love of nature and filmmaking.
Lucy with a large cutout of Ellen the bear from the Hoppers movie
Growing up on the Sunshine Coast, being surrounded by beautiful forests, hinterland, and the best beaches in the world fed my love for the natural world.
We're so lucky to experience everything the Coast has to offer, that it's worth every effort to highlight and preserve it.
Our main character Mabel also has a very special connection with her grandma, which for me is the icing on the cake. I would do anything possible to preserve the memories I have of growing up with her by my side, just as Mabel does.
Making a movie like Hoppers was no small task, spending over four years bringing it to the screen.
My role as the production manager in short was to make sure the movie moved smoothly, and that every goal was hit on time and within budget.
I worked directly with the director and producer, and with a team of managers and supervisors to ensure the crew of 200+ had everything they needed to get their work done.
That included being a conduit between the crew and the director and producer, ensuring I was communicating what they needed to the right people.
My day-to-day included a lot of meetings and face time with the crew, updating people of the latest priorities and deadlines.
Our production was made up of 12 departments, starting at the beginning of the pipeline with a story and editing team, and going all the way through to the final rendering of the film.
It was my job to communicate with each department, ensuring inventory flowed from one point to the next.
All credit goes to the crew I worked with. They were so good, they made my job easy and an absolute pleasure!
On Hoppers, we valued a collaborative environment, allowing the crew to bring their best selves to work each day. We strived to make sure our team felt seen, heard, and valued.
We were always transparent when communicating about the work, and we consistently gathered feedback so we could address issues quickly. We embraced challenges and worked with teams to solve problems.
As leaders, by being accessible to the crew, we created a safe environment where the crew could thrive, discuss challenges openly, and know that we would support them where needed.
And we placed a good amount of emphasis on having fun and enjoying the process. Making movies, especially animated movies, is not an easy feat, but we truly believed that if the crew was having fun, it would show up on the screen.
And I have a feeling it does.
Lucy looking at some stills from Hoppers
My advice for any students is to just keep at it. Don't be afraid to say yes to any opportunity that comes your way.
For film students, get your hands dirty with any projects possible, especially student films. It's a great way to get experience in the industry, with your peers.
And if you don't have access to equipment, your phone is a great way to film and edit content!
My hope is that when people see our movie, they are inspired to work together despite differences, to honour and care for animals and the natural environment.
As one of our main characters in the movie says, "We're all in this together".
Lucy Laliberte graduated from an Arts degree in 2000. She now works at Pixar Animation Studios as a production manager. Follow the link to read more about her journey: unisc.edu.au/lucys-story
