HMJ | VFX & VP Production Operations Consulting

HMJ is a consulting business run by Helen McAvoy-James, a senior consultant with over 12 years of experience in visual effects and virtual production. The firm works with VFX and virtual production studios to build and improve production infrastructure, implement tools such as ShotGrid, and manage operational change or digital transformation projects. Services are delivered on a consulting basis rather than through a full-time hire, with engagements that include change management for multi-studio rollouts.

The business offers three main service tiers: Diagnose, Diagnose & Design, and Diagnose, Design & Deploy. Each tier includes the one before it, and you can start at any of them. Scope, deliverables and price are agreed up front, with example prices starting from £1,250 for Diagnose and from £12,500 for the full Deploy tier.

Helen McAvoy-James has led change management for a global ShotGrid migration across five studios and a company-wide digital transformation programme at Technicolor. She also managed a multimillion pound delivery portfolio at Union VFX and built the Head of Production function from scratch there.

The work is mostly remote, on a schedule that fits the studio, such as a day or two a week, half days spread over a few months, or a short intensive. If the scope changes partway through, the team agrees the change before the work happens.

The business provides training tailored to different roles and technical confidence levels, along with full documentation and a runbook so the change survives after the consultant leaves. A follow-up call is included a month later to ensure everything is running smoothly.

The workflow covers governance, reporting, resourcing, scheduling, and team structure, as well as connecting existing tools like production tracking and resourcing systems. Automation is used to connect these tools and automate manual work and reports that eat the team's week.

The consultant writes scripts herself, such as Python against the studio's production tracking API or Apps Script for reporting and resourcing sync. This ensures no developer hand-off and that the spec matches what was meant before going near a live show.

The business is suited to studios who sense something isn't working but can't pinpoint where, or teams about to scale who want a clear picture first. It also suits studios with a pipeline or technical team who can build the fix themselves and want a clear plan to build from.

The business is run by Helen McAvoy-James, who has a background spanning DNeg, MPC, Eyeline, Technicolor, and most recently Union VFX. She is also a qualified Mental Health First Aider, which she notes matters more in this industry than people sometimes admit.

The business offers a verbal walkthrough with key stakeholders as part of the Diagnose tier, and a handover session for whoever will own the project as part of the Diagnose & Design tier. These steps ensure clear communication and knowledge transfer before and after the work.

The business is mostly remote, but the consultant is available for a day or two a week, half days spread over a few months, or a short intensive. The business also offers a follow-up call a month later to ensure the change survives and runs smoothly.

The official website of HMJ | VFX & VP Production Operations Consulting is hmj-consulting.com.

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