“The idea came to me when I was driving home from the cinema having watched the new Barbie Movie. I was kind of daydreaming and thinking to myself what type of Barbie I’d be and where I would live etc. That’s when I thought this could be a fun little effect.”

‍- Chantelle Parker, Filter Developer and TikTok Effect House Ambassador 

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Remember the ‘My Barbie Life’ filter that caused a cute scene on TikTok a couple weeks ago? 

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It was fun to watch the reactions people got after Barbie predicted what their life would look like in Barbieland. 

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If you wanna get up to scratch on the trend, this post will help.

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Today we’re spotlighting Chantelle Parker, the top TikTok Effect House Creator who made the effect.

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We got to have an Optix AI chat with Chantelle where she shared her inspiration and her thoughts on being a member of the Effect House Community.

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Here’s how it went:

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What was your reaction to the barbie life filter trend?

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I was surprised at how popular the Barbie Life effect has become. 

The idea came to me when I was driving home from the cinema having watched the new Barbie Movie. I was kind of daydreaming and thinking to myself what type of Barbie I’d be and where I would live etc. 

That’s when I thought this could be a fun little effect. It took around a day to make and the most time-consuming part was Photoshopping some of the locations and transporting pink! 

Believe it or not there’s not many images of pink UFOs and graveyards online!

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What do people frequently ask you about filters?

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How are they made? Are they hard to make? How do you make effects go viral?

Also, some people are fascinated with the numbers and how many times an effect was seen and used, which I don’t mind because the numbers and analytics intrigue me also. 

I like to share a lot of BTS on how I create effects on my TikTok. Some people may find this a little boring, but for those wanting to create, I hope it gives people an insight into how an effect was made. It also gives people a chance to ask any questions they may have about how I made a certain effect.

As for going viral, I usually film four to five videos using my effect and post them using different trending sounds and hashtags. It's very much down to luck though. If the right person sees the effect and uses it, it can blow up over night!

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What are some common misconceptions about the effect-making process?

People think it's really hard to create effects or you have to be really good with computers and coding. But this isn’t the case. All you need is an idea! TikTok’s Effect creation software has so many learning resources and templates designed for beginners. Once you familiarize yourself with the software, everything starts to fall into place. It’s very beginner friendly.

Effect House also does live sessions weekly where you can ask experts anything. If you want to create a specific effect or you're stuck on a certain part of an effect, they'll literally show you then and there how it’s done!

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Any fun facts about the creation process?

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So, I have two different effect creation processes.

I do two types of effects - for paying clients and my own personal projects. When creating effects for clients I take it really seriously. It’s my job and it needs to be perfect. For this, I work from my home office, and I'm usually working to a strict brief. 

But it’s the complete opposite when I’m creating my own fun effects. I usually create them in my free time, on my laptop in bed, with snacks and usually watching reality TV. I get a lot of inspiration from TV and movies, so for me the two go hand in hand! It's a way to relax. I'm very creative, and this gives me a way to be creative but also doing what I love. 

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Do you have a favorite filter?

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It’s hard to pick my favorite effect because I love them all! I created a pink gamer headset effect which has a special place in my heart because I modeled the headset in 3D software myself. It was at the very start of my 3D modeling journey, and I remember being super proud of how it turned out!

My favorite randomizer effect was a 'Kiss, Marry, Avoid' effect. Where you’re randomly allocated 3 well known celebrities and you have to pick who you would kiss, marry and avoid!

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What was the most popular filter you created?

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My most engaged effect was one I created for Valentine's Day and is probably my simplest and quickest effect I have ever made.

It's called Valentine's Initial and is a randomizer effect which gives you an initial at random. It took around half an hour to create and has been viewed over 300 million times! Which really does prove the point that the simpler the better! 

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Which filter took the longest to create?

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I made a fully working Tamagotchi style effect. Based on a Niantic app called Peridot. The idea was to take care of your pet and keep him happy. 

It took around two weeks to make and the last time I checked it had been used a grand total of 33 times ha! I learnt a lot creating this effect and really pushed myself, so not a total waste.

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Any predictions for next filter/effect trends?

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I think effects which predict something about someone's life will always be popular. There's always that thirst for people to want to know something about themselves.

Also, whatever is happening in the news or media or relevant at that time will also make a great filter. Not to mention we’re coming up to Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mass events like this are always a good starting point for an effect!  

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Why do you think people resonate with filters so much?

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I think there are two reasons. The first is they hope the effect isn’t random at all and that it’s actually predicting something about their life. People like to look for signs and messages in things. Like the universe is trying to tell them something.

And also, I personally think that people like to use effects because they help to tell a story without actually having to tell that story. They’re a conversation starter. I often see people using the ‘Valentines Initial’ effect multiple times to get the initial that means the most to them, then posting that, in the hopes the person they intended to see it, sees it and replies.

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What are your thoughts on the Creator space in general?

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I love the creator community so much. It’s one of the best things about creating effects.

Everyone is so friendly and helpful. TikTok EffectHouse has a Discord channel where we all talk and discuss ideas and plans. If you’re ever stuck in the middle of creating an effect, you can ask for help, and you'll be flooded with answers. It’s not competitive. Everyone just wants to help!

People will not hesitate to send you parts of their projects to help you out. There is no gate keeping or competition. I think everyone knows there’s room in the Effect World for us all.

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Want to share a fun fact about yourself?

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My party trick is I can actually do the Rubik’s cube in under one minute! 

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Final thoughts

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And there you have it, folks! 

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We hope you enjoyed this chat with Chantelle Parker, the creative force behind 'My Barbie Life', 'Valentine's Initial' and other killer effects that have been taking TikTok by storm. 

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If you wanna keep up with Chantelle, you can follow her on TikTok and Instagram.

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Don't miss out on more intriguing interviews and insights into your favorite filters and trends right here on the Optix blog. And hey, if you're itching to create your very own lifelike avatars and filters in under 30 seconds, download the Optix app today. 

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Cheers!

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