In her work on “Suits” Racine facilitated communication of timelines and schedules as well as developed a plan for the VFX team. It’s a multifaceted job which saw her managing a team of artists and their needs/requests, fielding questions and concerns, dealing with scheduling issues, and attending all meetings to define the process and communicate them to her team. She sat in on dalies sessions for all the shots and communicated notes from the VFX supervisor, producer and USA Network executives that were discussed and agreed upon. One of her most essential responsibilities was guaranteeing the delivery of daily shots quota back to the post-production department via ftp or file transfer software. Beyond talent, a great deal of commitment and responsibility was required of Jacquelyn. Associate Producer of “Suits” Ryan Kennedy comments, “ She was our liaison for Master Key VFX. We had to be in constant communication to ensure the visual effects deadlines were being met. I could depend on her and knew that shots would get turned around quickly. Their VFX studio was based in Toronto, so I know Jacquelyn and her team were kept late to meet our PST business hours. We expected a delivery of shots daily on the upcoming episode for our weekly broadcast schedule. There was always a clear line of communication from Jacquelyn to guarantee clean, air-ready materials were being produced. I enjoyed working together in this capacity because we had a good rapport and developed an excellent system that ensured our joint goals were achieved. A production this size has a lot of moving parts, which means dropping the ball can cause a crippling domino effect. Particularly when it comes to VFX, we needed the work done expeditiously and expertly. I could always relax knowing that Jacquelyn was in Toronto making sure that everything was perfectly handled.”
The greatest use of VFX in the television series “Suits” was with background replacements, most commonly placing a New York City Skyline in where a green screen had been used during filming. This was necessary when the production team shot on location in Toronto, where they wanted the view out the window to look differently. Movement is then added to the background to make it look alive and realistic to the streets. A calling card that the show is known for is the use of unique transition shots (the cuts between two distinct scenes). The storyline often jumps around in timelines with flashbacks; Jacquelyn and her team helped to create some distinctive changing of time while maintaining the realism in the show.
Racine is adamant about the positive experience of working on “Suits.” Although much of her time these days has been working on feature films and Netflix productions, broadcast television was an excellent opportunity for her to understand many of the demands on a VFX coordinator. Because “Suits” had already experienced successful seasons prior to her working at Master Key VFX, the system in place allowed her to both understand and add her own touch to facilitating the work. Specifically, “Suits” was the first time she had worked with CG, a field which she enjoyed so much that much of her work immediately following “Suits” was exclusively with 3D.
An essential part of the reason for the success of “Suits” was the very high standard established for shot approval. The numerous parties involved in this process in terms of Master Key’s VFX work meant that this demanded a substantial portion of Jacquelyn’s time. This also had the beneficial side effect of continually sharpening her communicative abilities and deepening the relationships within the community that would lead to numerous future professional opportunities and experiences.
With seven seasons to date and a number of award nominations and accolades, “Suits” has become one of the evergreen series in USA’s lineup. With all of the technology, intensity, and deadlines, Racine confirms that for her the success lies in the people involved. She relates, “On a broadcast schedule for commercial television, things move very quickly. The key as a manager and coordinator is to keep your cool. The artists reflect the mood of their production team. We work in entertainment, so this job should be fun. I try to keep things light with my team as I feel it nourishes a positive environment for them to produce their best work. If you treat people as an equal partner collaborating on a common end goal, then the result will be much smoother and more pleasant for everyone.”