Alumna shines as lighting lead in popular shows and films

Kate McFadden ’12 (3D digital design) has shined bright since graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology. To date, she owns more than a dozen screen credits that encompass a range of major motion pictures, animations and an ever-popular Netflix series for her lighting work. 

A lighting lead for visual effects studio Atomic Fiction, McFadden sets key light rigs and other foundations for a film or show, collaborates with other departments to nail down the overall aesthetics and mentors technical artists. Recently, Atomic Fiction was acquired by Deluxe Entertainment Service Group to join its global visual effects brand, Method Studios.

With credits on “Stranger Things,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Blade Runner 2049” already, McFadden is now working on “Welcome to Marwen,” an upcoming movie starring Steve Carell. 

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McFadden grew up in the Rochester area (Fairport) and is from an RIT legacy family, with her parents and brother also being alumni of the university (Tom McFadden ’82 [information systems], Marianne [Ellefson] McFadden ’81 [business administration] and Ben McFadden ’17 [mechanical engineering]).

Today, Kate is based in Montreal, Que., and can trace discovering her interest and talent in lighting in film and television back to RIT.

Question: In what ways did RIT’s 3D digital design program prepare you for the career path you’re on?

KM: An old Pixar adage is, “The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art.” My RIT education gave me a balanced blend of art and science, and that's really impacted the way I approach problems now. I took a computer science minor, and I've always been glad I did because it taught me how to troubleshoot and think methodically about creative problems. The 3DDD program has a nice blend of technical and traditional art courses.

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Question: Is there a faculty member at RIT who was particularly impactful?

KM: The faculty really helped to shape my career. But I want to give a shout out to (associate professor) David Halbstein, who brought it into focus that lighting was the right passion for me to pursue. Also (associate professor) Shaun Foster, who helped me to learn to think outside the box, never stop trying new programs and take creative approaches to solve a problem.

Question: Your IMDb page is an impressive showcase of your career accomplishments. What has it been like to work on such well-known films and shows?

Kate McFadden: It's been a lot of fun. After many months of working on a movie, it is really thrilling for the film to be released to get the reactions of friends and family. I've been fortunate to work on some movies that were very well received. One of my favorites was“Blade Runner 2049” because I really admire the cinematographer, Roger Deakins. I loved working on “Stranger Things,” too, because everyone binge-watched it the day that it came out. 

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