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Archive for April, 2012

Dan Fraga

April 30th, 2012 Laura


What is your name and your current occupation?
Dan Fraga. I’m the director of The Ricky Gervais Show.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
There have been a few. Comicbook artist, Storyboard artist, Set Designer, Visual Effects Supervisor, Second unit director. Burger King.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
One of my favorites was being part of the launch of Image comics in 1992. Designing the sets for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2008 was a hoot as you might imagine. I’m really proud of the work my crew and I did for The Ricky Gervais Show Season 3.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
When I was a kid, my parents took us to this discount store. In it I found this Fisher Price Movie Viewer  and it came with a cartridge for Disney’s Lonesome Ghosts.  I’d seen the cartoon before, but I never had the ability to step through it one frame at a time like you can now with a dvd player of quicktime clip. This was the late 70′s early 80′s, so for me to see that animation was 24 drawings making up a second of movement was like learning the secret to the greatest magic trick. Of course afterwards I made flipbooks and what-not. I eventually discovered comics and took detour from animation. After working as a storyboard artist in feature films, I started noticing the changes and compromises being made from board to final shot and it was kind of a bummer. When I started working on The Hard Times of RJ Berger for MTV, it was the first time that I got to see what I boarded translated near perfectly to final shot. It’s intoxicating. I felt that magical feeling that I once got as a kid with that toy. I love all things animation and made it my mission to learn all that I could about the different kinds that are out there and the histories behind the masterpieces we all love.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from North East Bay Area by San Francisco. I got into the animation business through working on The Hard Times of RJ Berger. I was storyboarding the show and providing on camera artwork for the main character who was an aspiring comicbook artist. The creators of the show asked if I could (more…)

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Jennifer Harlow

April 29th, 2012 Laura

What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Jennifer Harlow and I’m an animator at DreamWorks Animation SKG, where I’m currently working on “The Croods” which is due out March 2013.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Prior jobs have included working at Subway with the job title of “Sandwich Artist”—a fancy name for the not-so fancy job of making the customer’s order. I was also an assistant manager on Sundays, so I kept the business running from 6 a.m. until almost 9 at night when the other manager would take over. I also worked for 2 years at Target as a cashier, but I also spent time in the photo lab and behind the customer service desk. I have a lot of wild stories from my time there, ranging from encountering a homeless woman who was convinced Target employees like myself were stealing her freshly purchased toilet paper, the chaos that is Black Friday, to random strangers pulling my curly ringlet-like hair because they thought I was wearing a wig. A slightly crazier job was during the summer after my second year at CalArts, while staying at my home in Oregon I worked as a freelance caricature artist and this led to one memorable event where I was hired for a wedding. Nothing stranger than drawing tons of already self-conscious strangers for about 4 hours. Everything went very well though, the crowd was extremely nice, and I had a fun time—though I made it a point to make the caricatures a little more flattering than my usual style.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
It’s still pretty early on in my career to be able to state a specific project. I’m really enjoying working on my first feature project, “The Croods.” It’s been a really wonderful experience, and the crew is very supportive and awesome. But I’m proud of everything I accomplished during my time at CalArts and while my students films are less than perfect, I’m glad I have them. They were each a huge learning experience.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
I always drew as a kid, even before I can really remember, my Mom likes to tell this story about how she found me in the living room drawing with a big red crayon on (more…)

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Ian Dorian

April 28th, 2012 Laura

What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Ian Dorian. I currently work as a concept and character designer, toy sculptor, and, Adjunct professor.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I have done lots of things that required me to really learn about myself, I worked for butchers, sold hardware, worked for the government, and as an investigator.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
To be honest, I’m proud of everything I’ve worked on. Not because I think I always did a smashing job. Because I’ve had failures almost as much as successes..or is that the other way around? Hahaha! I have to say I really enjoyed the early years working for a start up studio. I created some of my best characters and had the chance to work with some great talent. Jim Krueger was a great guy to work with. He was the writer on a big project I created and developed. He taught me a ton. He was very open minded and very accommodating to the needs of the company. I also enjoyed working as a sculptor for a few Toy and Game companies. I still haven’t created my dream “piece” yet but being able to challenge my 3D skills is a lot of fun. As far as my current work goes working with Atlas Model Railroad Train Co. is always a pleasure. Those guys are so involved (in a good way) in everything they produce and they have been very supportive and creative to what we are doing. Mila (Milafilm.com) Is a project I recently joined. It’s an animation that deals with the survivors of war. Cinzia Angelini (the creator) is a wonderful person to communicate with and the team is very down to earth and top professionals. I’m glad to be a part of such a great and ambitious project such as this one.

 

How did you become interested in animation?
Bugs Bunny, Battle of the Planets, Ninja Scroll, Thundercats, Transformers, Johnny Quest, Jungle Book, Every single Pixar animated film especially Monsters incorporated, Ratatouille and Toy Story….and the list goes on. Animation has always seemed like a dream set to pictures. The drama! The tension! The sadness! The ability to go beyond your fears! The ability to (more…)

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