Hector Lopez

What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Hector Lopez and I’m a character animator/game developer.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I did quite a few jobs in my days before getting into animation. The craziest I would have to say when I worked for a food distribution company. My job was a material handler working inside a freezer stacking pallets with frozen meats. We walked in there looking like Eskimos since the temperature inside was 0 degrees. I worked there for several months while I was in school. After a couple months I got used to it. Being inside a room at 0 degrees doesn’t bother me anymore. Unfortunately, since I was in school full time I could not keep up working there since it was a graveyard shift. School came first.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’ve worked with several animation studios on loads of projects. The projects I had most fun on was doing flash animation on “Cheech & Chong Animated Music Video”, facial animation on “Red Dead Redemption” and “GTA IV Ballad of Gay Tony” for xbox 360 and PS3. I always enjoyed playing games like Grand Theft Auto and all Rockstar games for that matter.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. After finishing up my studies in animation I started sending out demo reels to small studios. My first job as a 3D animator came as a freelance gig doing small animations with lip sync. It was fun.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
 In the mornings everyone at the studio gets together to discuss what the objectives will be for the day. This usually takes about 15 – 20 minutes. After that I go back to my desk and look in my file to see what shots are assigned to me. Once I review it I start planning it out. Usually I have a good idea of what I want to do right from the beginning. After that I spend the whole day animating. What more can I ask for.

What part of your job do you like least? Why?
The least part of the job is more on the business side of things. For most studios once a project is completed we move on to the next studio. Work is available only if studios have work. If not, we move on.

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?
The softwares I work with on a regular basis are Maya, 3ds Max, After Effects, and Flash. Technology is always changing so one has to be ready to adapt to the medium. If you can’t do the work someone else will.

In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
Oh, yes. On a day off I decided to go to the zoo to sketch the animals and who do I see doing the same, Glenn Keane! He was there with a group of people sketching animals. It was a great experience looking over his shoulder as he sketched.

Describe a tough situation you had in life.
I would have to say when I was in animation school. I was in school full time and working a night job full time as well. I hardly sleeped. My weekends were only for sleeping. It got to a point where I started noticing that it was effecting my health. It was tough since I needed a job to get myself through school since animation schools don’t come cheap. I did that for 2 years.

Any unusual talents or hobbies like tying a cherry stem with your tongue or metallurgy?
Not really. But I can flip my eyelids inside out.

Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business? It’s a competitive business. You need to always stay on top of your game. Always keep learning and better yourself. Now go animate something.