What is your name and your current occupation?

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Probably the weirdest job I’ve had was working in the immunizations department of my university’s health center. I had to answer angry phone calls from incoming students who didn’t have proof of their MMR immunizations. At the same time I was also doing graphic design for the campus health center, which occasionally involved designing posters about sexually transmitted diseases.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Randy’s my favorite show to have worked on, and I’m really excited for people to see it once it’s released. Beyond that, I love working on RAD RAZ, my weekly webcomic for Dumm Comics. I’ve been reading the site and following the other Dumm artists since 2008, so by the time I was asked to come on board in 2010 I was honored to join the team. Tiny Jackie Talk Show, a short I created recently, was another highlight to me. It allowed me to work with some of my favorite voice actors and animation artists: Thurop Van Orman, Penn Ward, Jackie Buscarino, Eric Bauza and Justin Roiland. It was also a treat working with Abed Gheith. People might not be as familiar with him, but I’m a fan of his countless contributions to Channel 101 over the years, and don’t think Tiny Jackie would have worked without his hilarious performance.

How did you become interested in animation? 
I’ve always loved animation, but I spent some of my younger childhood in Italy, where we only got a handful of American cartoons on TV. When we came back to the states to visit my grandparents in the summer of ’92 I saw cable television for the first time. My grandparents lived in Florida, so I was surrounded by beaches and great summer weather, but all I wanted to do was sit in the living room and watch Rocko’s Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy, Doug, and Rugrats as long as I could. I had never seen anything like those shows, and I think the visual aesthetics and warped humor from those early ’90s toons has stuck with me since then.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I grew up all over the place. I was born in Japan, spent my life in various US states and Italy. I was in Florida longest of any one place, and wound up studying animation at the University of Central Florida. Although Orlando used to be home to animation studios for Disney and Nickelodeon, by the time I graduated those were long gone. One of the only real options in town was to work for EA, but I wasn’t interested in working on games. I tried my hand at motion graphics for an advertising agency, but coming home each night to watch Flapjack and Superjail gave me the push to head west and give animation a real shot. I swallowed my pride and moved in with my parents in Tucson where I worked a couple years to save up money and network with artists out in LA. I had some setbacks and obstacles, but eventually I got my foot in the door and was able to move to LA myself.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job? 
My day consists largely of staring at a Cintiq screen and scribbling on it with a stylus to paint backgrounds. Luckily I absolutely love painting, so it doesn’t really feel like work. Other than that, I just have to keep on my toes incase a spontaneous nerf battle or slow dance breaks out in the design room.

What part of your job do you like best? Why? 
I love being a part of bringing a show like this to life. It’s really surreal to be behind the curtain and creating cartoons instead of just watching them. It still blows my mind that I’m able to make a living by drawing fun stuff every day, and I’m really thankful for that.

What part of your job do you like least? Why? 
A lot of our show takes place in a few regular locations that we revisit over and over. Painting different angles of those same locations isn’t as exciting as painting really crazy, brand new environments, so if anything that’s my least favorite part. Luckily there are plenty of really wild backgrounds that turn up in the episodes, so it all balances out.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
We work in Photoshop to paint the backgrounds for the show, which is a nice change of pace from designing backgrounds in Flash. It gives us the freedom to get a much more detailed, painterly feel. I use a Cintiq to draw. Outside of my day job I use Illustrator to ink my comics, Photoshop to color and finalize them, and After Effects to animate my shorts. I also operate a Bunn-O-Matic coffee machine in the breakroom.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?  
To me the hardest part was getting in. It can be really confusing, discouraging and frustrating when you’re trying to make a name for yourself and find work after college. I can’t count how many rejected portfolios I’ve gone through, how many design tests I’ve taken and how many times I thought that it might never happen. Once you get in and work in a couple places, the world really opens up a lot more and you sort of get the hang of it, but those first steps are the absolute hardest thing.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
Living in Los Angeles and working in this industry tears down a lot of walls. The people that I run into just during the course of working or going to events and galleries around town are people that have been heroes of mine for years, whose art shaped my worldview and aesthetic and motivated me to follow the path that I took. Working with people like Thurop and Penn on Tiny Jackie Talk Show was one of those surreal moments that I couldn’t have imagined happening even just a year ago. It’s a small world and a smaller industry, so you really never know who you’re going to run into next.

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
The time between graduating college and finally getting into the animation industry was a trying time for me. The advertising agency work I did back in Orlando was more stressful and grueling than anything I’ve had to do in the animation industry. When I wasn’t at agencies, the freelance design gigs could be even crazier. While living with my parents I had one nightmare client that ran up outrageous phone bills calling me at all hours of the night then stiffed me for thousands of dollars at the end of a project, leaving me with nothing to show for months of hard work. That was definitely the lowest point, and it took me a while to pick myself back up again and convince myself that I had something to offer and could really make it in animation.

Any side projects or you’re working on or hobbies you’d like to share details of?
I’m always trying to do something on the side. I largely stay away from freelance, but instead try to focus on my own personal projects. I have a weekly webcomic called RAD RAZ that runs on Dumm Comics every Saturday. I also make web shorts, like my recent Tiny Jackie Talk Show and my previous RAD RAZ animated shorts. In addition to that, I do digital paintings, including a series where I’ve been doing one new painting for every episode of the third season of Adventure Time. I share my artwork on tumblr and participate in the occasional gallery show.

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
I don’t know about unusual, but I love cooking. It’s really tough to avoid a take-out food diet as an animator, but I try to clear time almost every day to cook something fresh and healthy in the kitchen. I cook things from scratch, avoiding processed and pre-mixed ingredients. I feel better having eaten a home cooked meal, and I feel better for taking the time to step away from artwork for a minute to prepare the food.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
If studios won’t hire you because of lack of experience, make your own experience. When no one was hiring me, I would write and draw my own comics, voice and animate my own cartoons. I co-created a digital magazine with friends from college and did the layout and illustration and drew comics in the back. No one was paying me to do any of these things, but I was slowly building a body of work experience and honing skills that were valuable to studios. Don’t sit around and wait for someone to give you experience or you’ll stagnate and get left behind. Do what you want to be doing and know you can do, and make people take notice.

http://dummcomics.com/category/comics/daily/rad-raz/

http://jackiecous.tumblr.com/

Yesterday, Sony unveiled their new 13.3 inch Digital Paper prototype which supports flexible displays and is quite possibly a peak into the future of the 21st century artist. While initially for books and print as of this writing you can write and draw on it.

From the Engadget site:

At 13.3 inches, the panel is larger than your typical e-reader’s, but it weighs just 60 grams. That light footprint comes courtesy of E Ink’s TFT tech, which allows for larger, more rugged devices without the extra weight. The Digital Paper’s form factor matches the size of a sheet of A4 paper, and the on-board digitizer lets users scrawl notes on the electromagnetic induction touchscreen.

Catch that? Scrawl notes! I’m sure right now it’s nothing more than black or white without pressure sensitivity but I’m wondering if they’ll change that. It seems to make sense.

So is this the “Cintiq Killer”? Perhaps, in the future,  it might be for a number of reasons… First off they will be significantly cheaper which studios and artists will drool over. Second, you’ll only need one connected to a sever via wifi to generate the same amount of work from a much smaller, lighter and possibly even portable piece of tech. Thirdly, while it is only a display showing one page, it’s logical to assume that they might one day add a hard drive and an operating system on it as well. Android? Windows Mobile? iOS? It seems the most likely would be Windows Mobile if only because they’re the ones who need to reinvent themselves. IF THAT happens, it’s likely to assume it could become mainstream.

Another interesting aspect of this is the possibility of doing the same thing to cloth. Imagine your art or portfolio on a slideshow as you walk the Comic Con? Quite a calling card wouldn’t you say? Add to that the fact that E-Ink has a ridiculously long battery life and it’s a pretty exciting possibility.

Now granted, all that said… E-Ink is strictly black and white so you wouldn’t be putting full color on it and all, at least not for now, but who knows what the future will hold since color E-Ink DOES already exist.

Is this the next wave of what a digital artist will draw on? Sound off!

Engadget

What is your name and your current occupation?
Michael Hitchcox / 2D Background Instructor Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario and freelance 2D background artist.(Photoshop either colour keys or production backgrounds)

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Worked as a highways ticket guy for construction crews. Worked as a landscaper for a dutch owner (nice guy, just a very hard worker)

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Magic School Bus, Beetlejuice (the animated series),Gargoyles, Gift Eater promo, various productions for Atomic Cartoons.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Oakville, Ontario, Canada. I went through for fine arts, never thought of animation or anything commercial…but thanks to a friend who was working at Nelvana (a Toronto animation studio) I was hired on as a traditional background painter. I worked at Nelvana for 16 years (eight years as BG supervisor when they had a background department). Left Nelvana to become an instructor at Sheridan College and continue to be a freelance bg painter for a variety of Canadian animation studios.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Instruction time usually would be either 4 to 6 hours of class time ( two days a week) When I am freelancing on a full production hours can be 8 to 12 hours / day. Freelancing on the net deals with allot of downloading time, uploading for feedback and posting approved backgrounds. When I am painting colour keys, allot of time is spent on developing the art direction and style of backgrounds as well as building files that will work well in the pipeline process.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?
In teaching, I love how the students take your content and create something new and beyond expectations. In production painting I really enjoy working with a good team and creating something worth while.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
Being out of work…….is on the top for obvious reasons. But feel lucky to have what I have of course. Also, how corporate attitudes change people. I find it hard to understand how egos and ambition can turn the animation business into a very competitive and brutal place to be.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
When I started painted backgrounds, we used real paint. We had to trace the line work onto watercolor paper. We used air brushes, gouache, took photos of the work, took two weeks to send the art direction to overseas for production, there were no computers at work……now everything is computer based. Any work that is sent to overseas or anywhere takes a few seconds…no photography, air brush is just another tool in Photoshop, revisions usually is just a few clicks and adjustments. Technology has made things more predictable, more production friendly but not as specifically unique.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Day to day stability. Most jobs now are only contract based. This means that if you do have work, you should always plan ahead for future contract work. Job placement also is based on the current market activity. Meaning that an artist has no control on the job activity in the field. This can be difficult to live with…..but is just part of the business. Times can be good or times can be bad.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
I met Mr. T

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
As a parent, I have had many situations that have been difficult. My son is now in the UK which is amazing for him,but tough as a parent.

Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
I have a few things on the go, but cannot share them as of yet.

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
I love to build things like solar heaters but nothing to unusual.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business? Always be your self, keep focused, push yourself, learn from others, be humble, be ready to change, treat others well, be patient, watch for changes in the industry, build a good net work, try to be ahead of the crowd, help others, be honest, always have a plan A, B and C……, and never let the corporate attitude become your norm.

What is your name and your current occupation?
Jean-Dominique Fievet – Head of Animation at MPC Los Angeles.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Never had another job, unfortunately

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
A Gentlemen’s duel, Hotel Transylvania, The Golden Compass

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
From France. I did a (generalist) computer graphics school, then wanted to specialize in animation after I graduated. I learned on the job.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Way too long of a day.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?
Creating stuff. Because I just need to be creative, one way or another.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
The long hours, Studios taking advantage of your passion in order to have you work until you drop, sometime without overtime pay.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
Maya 2012. Thankfully, it never changes much for animation. The theory and workflow is always pretty much the same

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Trying to have a balance between life and work.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
Not sure what you’re talking about… I’ve met some stellar artists, yes, but no famous animation director or anything like that.

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
Seeing my newborn only 10 mns a day for the first 3 months of his life, as I was wrapping up on a feature film.

Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
Not really. As much as I love animation, when I go home, I want to stay away from it as much as possible.

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
I DJ tech-house and disco stuff

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
Turn back and walk away, this job is going to suck up your whole life, and it doesn’t pay as much as before. I’m not sure that the return on investment is worth it. But if you really really want it, well, just hang on to it, and be patient. Don’t be afraid to start low and work your way up. These skills take a lot of time to learn.

Black Mast Studios is looking for an all around VFX Supervisor familiar with roto, compositing, matte painting, lighting and animation for a long term partnership on a gig by gig basis.

We have an influx of projects that will be distributed on the web over the next year that will require some level of VFX ranging from minimal compositing to fully rendered green screen matte paintings.

Pay will be on a project by project basis, with the possibility of becoming a partner in a growing Transmedia company.

We are currently accepting resumes for any and all departments, and are open to someone just out of college, looking to build a resume.

2+ years of experience with the following software is preferred:
After Effects
Final Cut Pro
Element 3D
Maya

Consistency, reliability a positive mindset, and a quick turn around are our top priorities in a candidate. Must be able to stick to agreed upon deadlines. Our work is mostly in the sci-fi realm drawing inspiration from comic books and video games, and even working on large recognizable properties, so familiarity with this genre is also preferred.
More Info: http://www.blackmaststudios.com

Apply to: Ramon

NOTE: Animation Insider.com has nothing to do with this job or the studio itself and only provides this to it’s readers as a courtesy. You CAN NOT apply for the job by leaving a comment. You MUSt click through to the site and apply there. Good luck!

What is your name and your current occupation?
Kevin Sullivan Staff Writer for Fairly Oddparents & TUFF Puppy.

 
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I worked at Walt Disney Imagineering for years. I started as an assistant. On my first day, the show producer I was working for asked me to get him a helicopter. He was making a film for one of the parks, but he didn’t want the helicopter for that; he wanted it to take him home to Saugus so he could skip the traffic on the 5 freeway. Before that, I was a Production Assistant on the Academy Awards, and spent Oscar night in a tux in the green room, hanging with celebrities and holding their Oscars. That was a super fun job.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I am super proud of everything – I think all of Butch Hartman’s shows for Nick are a blast and I am proud to have been a part of them. For me, I’d say I’m most proud of TUFF Puppy. I think it’s not only funny, but really clever and smart, too. But FOP and Danny Phantom were where I really learned to write animation so I’ll always hold a special place for both shows. FOP has a zaniness I never get tired of. And I’d never written action before Danny Phantom, so that was a learning curve. I went from writing too vague sequences like “Danny and the Box Ghost fight” to descriptive paragraphs so overwritten I hold the record for the longest single script of Danny Phantom ever written. (And yes, I’m proud of that, too…)

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I grew up in Connecticut, and studied communications at Gannon University in Erie, PA. I moved to LA with my college roommate. He got here two months before I did, but by the time I arrived he said he hated LA and was leaving, so I was on my own. I’m a great example of the old adage, “It’s not just what you know, it’s who you know.” After PA work on bad sitcoms and the Oscars, and a 12 year stint at Disney Imagineering, I wanted to make the leap into script coordinating. I was lucky that I had friends at Nickelodeon who let me know there were two jobs open. I interviewed for both –one was for script coordinator on the Bill Cosby cartoon Fatherhood. The other was for FOP and Danny Phantom. I got the Fatherhood job. Six months later, the script coordinator on FOP and DP was promoted to writer and rather than interview new candidates, they moved me over and had me work on all three shows at once. That was my way in, and while it was crazy juggling so many shows at once, I loved it. From there I started pitching jokes, then whole episode ideas, and was lucky enough to be given a shot at writing an episode that I pitched. That was the start. And I should mention that one of the friends who let me know there were jobs at Nick was someone I met way back in college, so the “who you know” part doesn’t always mean someone new you bump into at an industry event.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
We write now like we’re on a live action sitcom – everything is done together in one room. All the writers work together, whether it’s breaking a story, pitching jokes, revising scripts, etc. Our typical day starts at 10:30, and we write til 5:30 or 6 – or until we break down and just can’t form words anymore. In between coming up with a premise for a new episode, or writing an outline from a premise that was approved the previous week, we’re writing the first draft of a new episode, fixing existing drafts of other episodes, punching final drafts so we can bring the actors in to record, and attending meetings to discuss notes. And this is on two shows simultaneously, since FOP and TUFF have two separate crews working side by side. We also get to attend recording sessions and storyboard pitches, which is a great chance for us to slow down a little and actually laugh at our stuff.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?Whether it’s writing, or in a recording session or at a board pitch, I get to laugh all day long. You can’t beat that. When you pitch a joke that cracks the whole room up, there’s no better feeling. And we all pitch the jokes in the voices of the characters – or at least our lame versions of them. So anyone walking by our room will hear us imitating Cosmo or Keswick (and will think we’re insane). But that chance to take someone else’s pitch and improve upon it, or solve a story problem, or just make someone else laugh, is great. We’re a very close group and it’s a very comfortable room to be in, and it’s so nice that this is how I get to spend my days.

 
What part of your job do you like least? Why?
I hate the schedule!! It’s taken me a while to learn to relax and just go with the flow. Everything gets done and in on time, so I need to chill out during those moments when I panic and start thinking about how much work is looming and how many deadlines are quickly approaching. Panic never helps creativity, so I’ve learned to just focus on what’s being worked on in the writer’s room at that moment. Also, what I said about the great feeling that comes from pitching a joke that cracks everyone up? Pitching one that tanks is just the opposite. =)

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
There’s no technology, unless you count the projector in the writers’ room (so we can project the script on a screen for all to see while we write). Otherwise, we’re as low tech as they come! The most tech has to be our smart phones, which we’re all playing with when we should be focused on the script in front of us.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
You really need to be aggressive in this business, always hustling, schmoozing and selling yourself . I stink at all of those things. I’m a wallflower. I remember a day as script coordinator when our exec in charge turned to me in a meeting and told me I was free to pitch jokes – I nearly peed my pants. It took me a while to come out of my shell – which is the worst thing to have to deal with as a writer. I’m totally over that part now – you can barely get me to shut up in a room – but the selling of myself outside of my day job has never been easy for me.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
I brush up against animation greatness every day at Nickelodeon. I am always blown away by the caliber of talent here, from voice actors to artists to other writers. It really is inspiring and invigorating. I can’t believe I am a part of this group of people and a part of this world. When I saw what the board artist had added to my very first script (“Oh Brother,” an Oddparents episode where Timmy wishes for an older brother), I was blown away. The added jokes on just a visual level amazed me.

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
I’m gay, and when I was growing up this was not something that was as accepted as it is now. It was a struggle to accept myself and to come out to those people close to me. My family and friends have been awesome, but in the beginning I did lose a couple people who wanted nothing to do with me when I came out. I hope someday to be able to get a gay character onto a Nickelodeon show – be it animation or live action – so that kids growing up in some small town somewhere can recognize themselves on TV early on and never feel alone.

Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
Three of us TUFF/FOP writers are working on several new pilots for Nick, which are very cool and fun. I’m afraid I can’t mention any details, but they’re as wild and imaginative as FOP and TUFF Puppy are, so I get to spend my days jumping from one cool world to another. That’s what I love about animation – you can create anything. It’s so freeing.

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
Not a one. I will say I am a demon on the dance floor, as anyone who’s ever attended a Nick Christmas party can attest. But I can’t even whistle (which I blame on having braces as a kid) so forget the whole idea of tying a cherry stem with my tongue. I do love to draw pictures of cars. I’m a car nerd. In all our writer sessions, everyone knows which copy of the script is mine because there are tiny cars drawn all over it.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
If you want to be a writer, write. Write spec scripts of your favorite sitcoms or dramas. Create your own pilot. Study the shows you love and understand what works about them. Enter writing contests or fellowships. Get your stuff out there. It’s so much easier in this day and age with the internet to find places and people willing to read your work. Also, make connections. Network. Like I said, I’m here partly because I knew people who helped me. I know I had to have the skills to back it up, but I wouldn’t have had the opportunity if people didn’t help. If you get an internship or fellowship, stay in touch with everyone you meet. Schmooze and get your name out there.

What is your name and your current occupation?
Christopher Hicks, freelance writer/illustrator/toy designer.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
In college, one of the admins would pay me to watch her desk and phone while she ran off for quikies with one of the professors. I don’t think I was an Accessory to Home-wrecking, because at the time I was too dense to realize what was going on (not that I am any less dense now.)

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
A lot of stuff that has never seen the light of day, but I will always be proud of my comic book series Mister Blank, and the Mighty Muggs toy line I designed for Hasbro.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Rocky Point a crap stain of a town on the north shore of Long Island.  Comics (see above) exposed me to people in the animation business. I met my writing partner Francis Lombard, and starting cranking out original properties.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Lots of plate spinning. Sketch a bit here. Write a bit there. Phone calls. Hustling online. Rinse and repeat.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?
Drawing. I love drawing, even when I hate it. I even draw when I write. Drawing characters, even for screenplays, helps me get to know them.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
Networking. I’m terrible at it. Schmoozing over beers and all that. I got a great memory for faces, but no memory whatsoever for names. I blank on the names of my closest friends, so you can imagine how bad I am with some producer I met with once 5 years ago.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
Cintiqs have been such a game changer. No need for scanners. The huge variety of brushes available. The ability to draw in layers or simply Undo some mistake you made. I couldn’t live without it.I haven’t sat at my old drawing table in over 7 years. Makes me sad, but hey, onward we go.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
One of the most annoying/devastating thing about developing original properties – and this will happen to pretty much anyone in development – is pouring your heart and soul into a project only to find out someone else has a project eerily similar to yours, but farther along the pipe.  Not much you can do expect put it aside and maybe revisit it in a few years.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?I went to college with Seth McFarlane, although I can’t say I really knew him, just of him. Pitched to Craig McCracken, who is super cool and chill. Did a pilot for Disney with Phil Lamaar and Frank Welker, both of whom are brilliant.And I once rode an escalator behind Matt Groening. :-\

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
Hmmm. Life is full of tough situations. After my daughter was born, I was getting maybe an hour of sleep a night. I was so tired I was in pain, and my brain was complete mush. I’d sleep in my car on lunch breaks. That was tough, but totally worth it!

Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
An outbreak of rabies at a sex resort for werewolves.…I should probably clarify that its a screenplay about an an outbreak of rabies at a sex resort for werewolves. I’m not trying to wage some kind of germ warfare against horny mythical creatures.

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?Not really. I can’t cook (although I sure can eat!) I can’t sing, but that rarely stops me. Oh! I am an award winning dancer. My dance moves have proven so fresh that they have moved a complete stranger to honor me with accolades and laurels. A stranger that was in no way compelled, beyond the pure aesthetic majesty of my dance performance, and knew that she must recognize that dance, or humanity would be poorer for her oversight.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
The people that succeed in this business, or most any business, are not necessarily the smartest people, or the most talented people. They are the people that don’t give up. They are the people that can shake off setbacks and rejection and continue on with bulletproof enthusiasm. That’s not to say you should ignore feedback and criticism. There’s always room to grow and improve. And sometimes that criticism might be less than constructive, or even downright insulting. The key is to shake it off. The people that fail are not the people that crank out bad work. The “hacks”, so to speak. The people that fail are the ones that quit. There are thousands of people out there that have sway over your success, but there’s only one person who has sway over your failure. You.

Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

http://com652.wix.com/christopherhicks

This time we’re going to talk about video editors because after all no matter how much animation you draw unless you can edit it all together you’ll never get that film seen by anyone.

There are SO many better video editors all from which you can make a decent animatic. Did I miss your favorite app? Let me know!

Windows:
The first comes with Windows, Windows Movie maker is simple but can certainly be used to make an animatic.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/movie-maker

Another one is Ezvid
http://www.ezvid.com/
Another one is CyberLink Power Director
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009716H00/ezvid02-20

Another is Movica
http://sourceforge.net/projects/movica/

Another is Corel Video Studio Pro
http://www.amazon.com/Corel-VSPRX5ULENMBAM-VideoStudio-Pro-Ultimate/dp/B007GFNPFY/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1361304413&sr=1-1&keywords=VideoStudio+Pro+X5+Ultimate

For the Mac there is Final Cut X which is fairly cheap
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/final-cut-pro/id424389933?mt=12

and iMovie which is cheaper.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

Also you could use VideoLan Movie Creator which is free and works on all platforms including Linux
http://www.videolan.org/vlmc/

Well on Windows the first that comes to mind is Windows Movie Creator which is a free download. you could make simple animatics using that.

Virtual Dub is another one… but you gotta be on a PC for it… http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-video-editor.htm#VirtualDub

EZ Vid is a third: Again PC. See a pattern here?
http://www.ezvid.com/http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0075629QK/ezvid02-20

Cyberlink is fairly affordable at $189.00
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B009716H00/ezvid02-20

Sony Vegas is kinda weird but not too expensive.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Studio-Platinum-Production-Version/dp/B0051M6IPI

For Mac there’s Avidemux which is free.
http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html

And of course iMovie which is kinda kludgy but usable
iMovie
There’s also Final Cut Pro X which is pretty much the newest version of FCP and iMovie combined.

there’s Kden Live as well
http://kdenlive.org/

And Jahskaka.
http://www.jahshaka.com/

and finally VLC Movie Creator
http://trac.videolan.org/vlmc/

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from CT, and got into animation writing for Johnny Test.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Go to the office and daydream (think of stories). It’s a great life.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?
During a read through and the whole room laughs at one of my jokes. Then I know I’ve done my job well, and that joke will make kids laugh too.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
The blank page. Because it’s just you and a keyboard.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Knowing I have a really good idea and not being able to sell it. But at least I know American Idol went to all the networks twice before FOX decided to buy it.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
MacBook Pro – Final Draft.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
See Johnny Test toys at Carl’s Jr.

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
I was a UPM on a horror film in the woods and had to feed a crew at 2am in the mountains of Big Bear, not many places open at the time.

Any side projects you’re working on you’d like to share details of?
I have two finished show bibles for animation and one live-action that I’d love to team up with a producer and get sold.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
Keep writing everyday, because one day when you least expect it you’re going to run into someone look for you idea and you better hope it’s ready to show them.

What is your name and your current occupation?
Jane Davies – Animator, Director.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Cleaning public toilets in the height of summer, it was truly grim.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Animation Director on the ‘A Productions’ animated episodes of Frankenstein’s Cat (CBBC series).  Most recently I directed the song section of ‘A Liar’s Autobiography’ a film about Graham Chapman. Different animation companies made sections of that film and I was involved in the ‘A for Animation’ section. That was quite an honor. I put a lot into it and I am very proud of it. There were only 5 of us that did the majority of the work (some additional help from some animators on bits of it) and it was in Stereoscope too. I’m so pleased with the end result.  I also was very proud to be trusted with the characters of Jamie Smart on a micro short we did for fun of Looshkin. I’m doing another one but it’s taking much longer as it’s a little more complicated and I do them in my spare time (1 or 2hrs a day).

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Stevenage which is north of London. I did some animation in Foundation Art which was a defining moment for me, I had previous done a 2 yr preparatory art course exploring all areas of art trying to find what I wanted to do. When I did my first scene after reading about how to do it in the library, then showed my tutor I knew then and their that animation was what I wanted to do so I took the leap and studied animation at Glamorgan Centre of Art & Design University in Wales; which was the best decision I ever made. I stayed in Wales and did bits and bobs in Cardiff after graduating but eventually got some freelance work at A for Animation in Bristol on a series called Pond Life. I then became an animators assistant, I learn’t so much from him. Phil Parker is his name. I eventually got more and more work and have been there for 17 years.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What part of your job do you like best? Why?I love being given a project to do from the start then figure out how to do it in time and budget. We did an 11min pilot of Pedro and Frankensheep which had to be finished in 6 weeks. That was hard but great fun as the project was so fun. The Brothers McLeod did a series of 5 min eps of Pedro before so a lot of the foundation regarding the characters and story was already established. So in those 6 weeks I had to organise the storyboard, new character and prop designs, BG’s, FLA builds and animation. The animatic was so much fun to do with that project as the script was so fast paced and the dialogue record so frantic it got to the point where pretty much every breath was edited out to fit everything in. It’s also brilliant to be able to add some ad libs in from the sound record to add extra humor. I am proud of the timing on that pilot. If I make myself laugh with something timing wise after watching it 40 times then its working.  Then when it all comes together and animated and composited and is working well, it gives me immense satisfaction. It was a tough 6 weeks but only made possible by a good team. I have been very lucky to work with such great animators over the years. It’s always a joy selecting the best people for each role.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
Computers when they don’t work. They hate me. Well it’s probably down to my slight technophobia and lack of technical skills but when computers go on a tissy fit it can be the most frustrating thing ever. And it’s usually when you have a deadline looming.

What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis, how has technology changed in the last few years in your field and how has that impacted you in your job?
2003 is when things changed considerably. Up until then I had been animating with paper on a light box. Then filming it on a line tester, cleaning up the animation then those drawings would be scanned into a computer and coloured and processed. I came into animation just after painting on cells had stopped. We worked on a series called BB3B’s which used Flash and it was the first time the studio had used it, I had tried for a few years to learn Flash on my own with no success (technophobe) so I put myself in a room with some one who knew Flash and was just beginning to animate professionally. So he taught me Flash and I taught him some animation tricks, Tom was his name and he became one of my valued animators who went on to be a better animator than me.  Ever since then all 2D projects at A Productions have been done in Flash and After Effects. We use Flash as a tool and approach projects from a traditional 2D angle, it’s much quicker than using paper. And a lot easier to do corrections too.

What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
Tighter deadlines and smaller budgets. I dream of being able to refine and craft a project but in TV it’s really hard to do that due to time. You have to get it right, do it well and on schedule.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
A whole load of amazing animators and artist I have been fortunate enough to work with. Seriously.

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
I’m a very experienced motorcycle rider but just over a year ago I had an accident and hit my head very hard, I got vestibular and brain damage. That’s been very tough. I’m still on the mend, but I’m finally almost back to normal now.

Any side projects you’re working on that you’d like to share details of?
I’m still working on a new Looshkin Short for Jamie Smart, this one is taking ages. It’s a lot more difficult that the first one, more going on. I just wish I could spend some solid time on it, an hour now and then on it is hard as you don’t get much done. I love Jamie’s drawing style. Ive recently been invited to contribute to the ‘A Little Bit Bunny’ blog, http://alittlebitbunny.blogspot.co.uk/ its a monthly themed blog that’s fun.  I’m also doing the title sequence in my spare time on a live action short film about Autism. Its a great script so the film should be amazing.  I try to do a lot of bits and bobs in my spare time as it makes me happy. It also helps you to improve your skills as well as being very satisfying.

 
Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
I’m not that exciting anymore, I’ve got old. Ill come back to this once I’ve thought about it some more. Oh I take photographs with 35mm and 120mm film, that’s a bit unusual yes? Yeah I’m a bit boring. No need to hand me my slippers, I have them on already.

https://vimeo.com/channels/fullsecs

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?Keep at it. Contact everyone you can find, it’s a lot easier and cheaper now with sending emails and links compared to mailing in disks with your showreel. Don’t get disheartened by no reply’s. Keep your showreel short. 1min to 1min 30 secs max, no need for a long one. People are more likely to skip on or stop it entirely if its too long or slow going. I have seen thousands of reels for my job so please trust me. Plus you are more likely to just put the good stuff in if its short. When you have finished your showreel show it to someone who doesn’t know your work, see how you feel about it when they are watching it. If there is something you think should be changed then change it.  Follow up emails with new work to show, always put links at the bottom of your email. I once kept getting emails from someone saying hey I have new work on my blog but he didn’t link to it.  Blog often, update your website and be on Twitter. It’s quite surprising how places are advertising on Twitter first. Plus you can discover Studios you never knew about too. There are so many inspiring animators and artists on twitter. Main thing is to keep doing things. Ive hardly any free time these days after becoming a mum so all I have is about 1 or 2 hours a night to do my own things be it animation or art. Usually I end up fretting about what I’m going to fit in so end up doing nothing art or animation related.  Find things to do for a goal if you have trouble doing things for just yourself. I am presently addicted to the Full Secs Vimeo rumble. Ive done about 11 now, short things that wont take weeks to do. Keeps you active plus you can find loads of inspiration and try to better yourself.

Good Luck

http://alittlebitbunny.blogspot.co.uk/

www.upstartthunder.co.uk