Tag Archives: Animator

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Randall Kaplan

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Randall Kaplan. I’m a filmmaker, animator, freelance artist and designer.  I’m making an animated horror film called ‘Boxhead’.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation? 
I bar backed for a heavy metal bar (cleaning up vomit) and worked at Starbuck’s (cleaning up vomit). I also edited wedding videos for many years (not exactly true to my sensibility.)

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Well, I’m very proud of my 5 original short films that were distributed in the anthology, ‘Beneath the Flesh’.  Aside from that, I worked as an editor on Beavis and Butt-head and also did some voices for the show. I’m very happy about that. I’m also very proud to have designed the creatures in an upcoming horror movie called ‘Crabs!’ Yes…that’s the title.  There was also this one wedding video I edited that was just gorgeous.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 
I’m from Brooklyn back when nobody wanted to go there. I grew up around animation. My mother is in the business and for many years I did my best to avoid it.  One day Continue reading

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James Wood

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is James Wood.  I am currently employed as a freelance animator under contract with a major Canadian animation studio creating character animation for a tv show.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
One summer I got a job working in a hospital as a photographer’s assistant.  One of the duties required me to take photos in the operating room during surgeries – usually done on Fridays.  On the day when I was “indoctrinated” into that task, I was assured the surgeon was doing “just a little operation on someone’s hand.  It shouldn’t be very extensive” he said.  Little did I know, they were doing an elbow reconstruction.  When I walked in, I thought the patient was lying on their stomach with their elbow bent out behind them.  Then I realized the patient was lying on his back, and their elbow was opened up and bent (urp) the wrong way.  I didn’t hurl, but I was mighty shaky – not a good state for taking pictures.  Every Friday for the rest of the summer… I hid out in the darkroom!

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I was fortunate enough to work with the highly-skilled, very clever, fun, very hard-working people at Weta Workshop animating Dragon and other animals on the tv show “Jane and the Dragon”.  It meant I got to spend a year in New Zealand which was pretty interesting.  The work was quite demanding, but I think the end product was pretty darn good.  Also, in the summer of 2012 I did a  short for an animation contest.  We were given sound tracks and six weeks to animate whatever we wanted.  Just a few weeks before the contest I’d finished programming an autorigger, so I whipped up a character model, rigged it, modeled and rigged props and created a location, animated like crazy, added sound effects to the audio and posted the thing about two and a half weeks after starting it.  Sure the model is crude, and the animation is far from wonderful, and even though I didn’t win the contest (no comment) I feel very proud of my work.  The autorigger worked great (it took about an hour to fully rig the character), the animation is serviceable, and the whole thing tells more story than what was conveyed by the audio.  I realized how do-able it was to create a reasonably good short and it was great to hear how well it was received.  I’m eager to do more.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 
I’m from London, Ontario in Canada.  When I was a kid, I was always drawing and making Continue reading

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Elana Pritchard

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Elana Pritchard, cartoonist/animator.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was an assistant in a hair salon, hostess in a restaurant, a cashier in a newsstand, I sorted mail, I was a nanny, an assistant preschool teacher, and an usher for the Big Apple Circus.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I worked as one of the animators on Ralph Bakshi’s upcoming film, Last Days of Coney Island. It was an amazing project to work on because all of the animation is hand drawn with a pencil, which is such a rare opportunity for a person my age right now. Plus, Continue reading

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Nichole Ceinos

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Nichole Ceinos. Graphic Designer / Animator.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Nothing crazy. I was a customer service rep at AT&T, finance department. Not fun.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I participated on the 2012 august competition for 11 second club. I love subtle animation and dialogues, so I took advantage of the opportunity and did a close up of the characters face and went for it. Everything fell into place and I made the deadline. I’m really happy with it and I think it’s the best I’ve done so far even though it’s not my most recent.  I’m also proud of my 2011 university Demo Reel. Not because of the animation because it was not my best, at all. But because it reminds me that I accomplished something that was very important to me.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Caguas, Puerto Rico. I moved to Florida to study computer animation at Full Sail University. I would watch Pixar movies and they would always Continue reading

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Job: Disney Animator-Burbank, CA.

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Disney logo

Disney is looking for an animator in Burbank… Click here to apply for the Disney animator job.

From their site:

 

Animators, grab your reels and prepare to do the best work of your life!

Be part of the longest running animation team in history. Work alongside legends. Drink all the coffee you want. Waltz into the Animation Research Library and hold a Fred Moore scene in your hands. Use your animation powers for good and touch the hearts of millions of people around the globe.

We want talented men and women who show exceptional understanding of weight, locomotion, anatomy, dialogue, acting, appeal, and entertainment. If you’re funny too, that’s a plus. If you’re not, you’d better be a crack foosball player. If you’ve got an opinion, all the better. We want artists with a strong point of view who put a personal spin on their work.

Responsibilities
Effectively tell the story in a meaningful way through vivid and compelling character acting and movement
Create quality animation using digital tools for feature films and other related projects
Work closely with Directors and Animation Supervisors in a feature film environment:
Receive assigned shots in sequence review with the Directors providing general guidance
Plan shots with an understanding of story/character context
Block animation, most commonly using audio dialog track
Clearly show performance ideas and shot blocking in Director review (animation dailies)
Collaborate with and take direction from Directors and Animation Supervisors
Implement changes and completely finish shots in accordance with production schedule
Develop a working knowledge of necessary production tools
Maintain an open and professional demeanor regarding direction, changes and shifting requirements
Requirements
Visual demonstration (Quicktime or web link preferred) of animation that illustrates visual storytelling, believable expressions, emotional states, weight, physics, balance, appeal, entertainment, clear timing, and staging.
2 years production experience
Proficiency in Maya or equivalent software preferred but not required
Background in traditional hand-drawn, computer, or stop-motion animation
Art Background. Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art, Illustration, Computer Graphics preferred
Degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics or Engineering or equivalent experience helpful but not required
The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Dermot O Connor

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Dermot O Connor. Currently I work as a freelance/independent animator/artist.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I went almost straight from school into animation, aged 18. Apart from working briefly for a graphic design company, I have no career history stranger than animation itself! The strangest animation jobs? One was a French TV show about the souls of babies in heaven (they drove tiny cars around on clouds). I still have no idea what that was about, or how people find the money for such awful projects. Another “educational” project that I worked on was owned by a man who revealed himself to be a quasi-James Bond supervillain. Actual quote: “If you control the children, you control the world”. I handed in my notice the next week. There are some very strange people out there.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
None of my paid animation jobs (which were on movies, TV, interactive and internet projects) would be anything to remember – which I’m sad to say is a common problem – many will know the frustration. There are a great many projects of low to middling quality – and it’s incredibly rare to work on something memorable. That said, the one professional job that I’m really pleased with is my current training series for Lynda.com. I’ve done three titles with them so far, and it’s tremendously rewarding. One of the recent emails I received complimented me on my voice, saying that I sound like the snake in Jungle Book. That made my day!

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m Irish; left school in the mid 1980s, a time when there was very little chance of work, and emigration levels were soaring. If you want to make an Irish person over the age of 40 wince, just say Continue reading