Visual effects producer Diana Giorgiutti, who had more than 40 years experience in the industry, died last week. The veteran has been remembered by friends and colleagues for her talent and pioneering work, as well as her warmth, calm, and positive leadership.
Born in 1962 in Sydney, Giorgiutti’s long list of credits included both The Matrix and Babe, both of which won Oscars for visual effects.
She is well known for her work with Marvel, including both as VFX producer for the studio and on the vendor side at Luma Pictures, on projects such as Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor: The Dark World, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Deadpool, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Giorgiutti also worked on various films such as The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Australia, Lords of Dogtown, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Romeo Must Die, Alien: Covenant, Mulan and Dungeon & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Her final project was Mortal Kombat 2, which is currently in hiatus in Queensland due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Australia saw Giorgiutti win Satellite Award for Visual Effects in 2008, while she was nominated for an HPA Award for Outstanding Visual Effects for Mulan in 2020.
In recognition of Giorgiutti’s legacy, the Australian section of the Visual Effects Society (VES) is looking to set up an ongoing mentorship under her name for aspiring Australian female VFX producers.
“We are looking forward to discussing this further with the VFX community in the coming months to determine the next steps,” chair of Australian section of VES, Ian Cope, tells IF.
In an interview with Cospective in 2020 about her work on Mulan, Giorgiutti talked about how she was inspired to get into visual effects after watching Star Wars: A New Hope.
“I turned to my sister and said: ‘I’m going to do that. I will figure out a way.’ Little did I believe I would land where I am today. I had no idea what my path would entail. I just knew what I wanted and that I had to figure out a way to get there. I drove myself hard, working out how to crack into a very technical and male-dominated arena,” she said.
Giorgiutti’s first career break came as a tape operator for VideoLab. Later, she would move to London, where she owned an Avid company and performed freelance VFX production for Rushes. The Matrix, which she described as her first Hollywood experience and the “measuring stick” for the rest of her career, lured her back to Australia, before her work would then take her on to the US.
Chris Godfrey, Animal Logic co-founder and VFX supervisor on Mortal Kombat 2, was friends with Giorgiutti for almost 40 years, with their work together also including Australia.
In addition to the strides she made her career – “breaking into the studios and getting their belief, their faith, is a big thing” – he praised her logic, common sense, and strength, noting she was working up to her death.
Godfrey said she prioritised the people she worked with, with her positive influence wide-reaching within the industry.
“When she got into production, all of the people that she worked with became her family, and she kept that relationship with them,” he told IF.
“It wasn’t just another job. And I think that’s what people appreciated about her – it was never just a job. It was a life, and she loved the people that she worked with.”
George Miller worked with Giorgiutti on Babe, for which she was telecine coordinator. He recalled her “comforting smile” and that their work together was groundbreaking; Babe was one of the first CG films.
“We were all adapting to this new technology and she was someone who seemed to embrace it,” he told IF.
“The second thing about her was she had this wonderful, happy, easygoing presence which made the work enjoyable. There was a lot of pressure and stress, particularly when you’re working in that world, and yet she managed to keep this wonderful demeanor and calm through the process.”
Alaric McAusland, managing director of DNEG Sydney, first met Giorgiotti on Babe, and then they later went on to work on The Matrix together; they became fast friends and remained so for their respective careers. He told IF “the size of her credit list was only surpassed by the size of her heart”, noting the outpouring of love for her over the past week.
“In a business that can be at times cynical, Di was an eternal optimist,” he said.
“In the crazy and chaotic schedules, she was uniquely calm. The business is to create the fantastical, but she really kept her feet firmly on the ground. I think that was pretty unique for Di.
“She had a really strong work ethic, an exceptional intellect and professionality. But I think it’s been her integrity that’s been an inspiration to me and many others that I’ve spoken to. It’s rare that you meet someone and you say, ‘Well, that’s who I want to be’. But so it was for me, and I think it was for many others who she really generously mentored. There may have been a side eye or an infectious laugh, but never a harsh word, and it was that gentle cajoling that helped me on the right path. She’s been incredibly generous with her time in bringing the next generation through.”
Giorgiutti worked for Luma Pictures as EP of features across 2016-2017, with Jamy Zink, VP – head of people and culture recalling her sense of humour, and warmth and generosity with sharing her knowledge. Despite her depth of experience, she was never jaded, and remained focused on the creative, technology and people, rather than just the numbers.
“She just had a great sense of being able to make everyone feel special in their own right and had all the time in the world to pass on information and what she knew. No question was too small or too big for her to answer,” she told IF.
Zink also argued that Giorgiutti carved a path for many other Australians and women in visual effects.
“What I really loved about how was she was always flying the Aussie flag over there in LA. She was so proud to be Australian,” she said.
“And especially for women in visual effects, she was in there amongst it with a whole bunch of guys.
“She definitely gave so many people the opportunity to work on some big projects like we do now. She’s a real pioneer in that way; that’s a huge legacy that she’ll leave behind.”
Among the many to also pay tribute to Giorgiutti was Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige, who in a memorial on Marvel’s website said: “Diana was a fantastic producer, someone who understood what needed to be done to make every shot great.
“She will be dearly missed not only at Marvel Studios, but across the industry.”
Giorgiutti is survived by her long-term partner Greg Johnson, her three sisters, and her parents.
Her funeral will take place tomorrow November 1, 11am (AEDT) at St Bernadette’s Parish 367 Old Northern Rd, Castle Hill, NSW. A livestream link is available here.
Giorgiutti wanted people to consider donating to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.