Mack Garrison 12/5/23 Mack Garrison 12/5/23

Takeover Tuesday with David Holm

An interview with David Holm: a 2D animation & illustration specialist from Detroit, Michigan.

Interviewer: Bella Alfonsi

Read time: 5min

Bella:

Thanks for joining us for Takeover Tuesday, Dave! Please give the people a lil' introduction!

Dave:

My Name is David Holm and I am an animator/designer at Boxfort, in Detroit Michigan.

Bella:

How did you get into motion design?

Dave:

I went to school for graphic design originally but always wanted to make cartoons and make short films.

The community college at the time didn't have any classes for 2d animation.

But towards my last semester I won a scholarship contest. Which gave me the funds to take a full year of extra classes. So I took Intro to After Effects and Advanced After Effects(taught by Steve Savalle at the time)

And those two classes really helped me use my graphic design and illustration skills in a new way.

Then a year after graduating college in 2012 I landed my first in house studio job as a motion designer!

Bella:

What's the workflow like when mixing 2D and 3D styles together?

Dave:

When I work with mixing 2D and 3D I usually like the 3d elements to ground the 2D animations. So the characters will be all 2D animated but the environment is all made in 3D.

I just think mixing the 2d/3d can give you a really unique look and results. I also really like using glass and reflections to get cool random light leaks.

Bella:

I love me a character made from an inanimate object- big fan of yours. How do you give personality to something that isn't a human?

Dave:

Thank you! I really have a wild imagination that lets me give random objects backstories and wonder how this character/object behaves in an animated world.

Every object in my house has been drawn with a face lol

Dave worked with his pals Gunner to create some animated stickers for a unique mint company called Flintt Mints

Bella:

Do you have a favorite project that you've worked on?

Dave:

My favorite project I've worked on is probably Recess or Half Rez, because we collaborated together to mix a bunch of styles together and made something that felt fresh and unique.

Bella:

Where do you find inspiration?

Dave:

I find inspiration in everyday life. I really benefit from going outside and just watching the plants sway in the wind. And see the wild life thrive and just live around us.

Also bringing a mini sketch book around and using it to do quick idea sketches on the spot.

Bella:

What are you most proud of in your career thus far?

Dave:

What I am most proud of in my career would be probably being able to successfully work as an animator/designer and pursue other hobbies on the side.

Recently I joined my friends band and being freelance lets me be flexible to do both. Also, contributing on the Dash Bash titles this year was a highlight too!

It was a dream project to work with Dash and have it be seen by so many creatives.

*Frame from Recess, a* *Boxfort* *short film.*

Bella:

What's it like working at Boxfort? Do you collaborate often with fellow freelancers?

Dave:

Working at Boxfort has been incredible, we have grown a lot in the last year and we have a lot of new creative energy. We do collaborate a lot by giving each other advice or suggestions. And we are also in the process of creating a handful

of new animated short films. We actually just released an animated short for the new Gunner School. You can check that out here.

Bella:

Do you have any advice for being stuck in a creative rut/how to get out of it?

Dave:

If I get stuck in a creative rut, I usually need to take a break from the screen and all technology. Taking a walk in the woods or a park helps me so much to give myself some clarity and motivation.

Music playlists that are made to get me motivated and stay creative help me a lot too. Also exercise a little will give your brain a boost. We like to play hacky Sack to break up the screen time. It gets your body moving and it's fun!

Bella:

Any final words of wisdom?

Dave:

Final words of wisdom would be to write down your projects/to do lists daily. Sketch ideas out instead of doom scrolling social media. Also, you should set aside a day to not be on the computer at least once a week.

Mack Garrison 11/28/23 Mack Garrison 11/28/23

Takeover Tuesday with Liz Klein DiBello

An interview with Liz Klein DiBello: a Brooklyn based designer, animator and creative director.

Interviewer: Bella Alfonsi

Read time: 5min

Bella:

Thanks for joining us for Takeover Tuesday, Liz! Can you please give us a lil' introduction?

Liz:

Thanks so much for having me in! I’m so happy to be a part of this!

I’m Liz Klein DiBello, and I’m a Brooklyn based designer, animator and creative director.

I come to motion design with a graphic design background, and it’s a part of everything I do. My work has focused on design-based motion projects like network rebrands and broadcast design, commercials and online videos, but has also included projects that focus more on a collage and texture-based approach which lends itself to projects like explainer videos, PSA’s and more.

Also, I just recently joined the incredibly talented team at Mighty Oak full time as Associate Creative Director!

Bella:

How did your career in motion design begin?

Liz:

From a young age I was always interested in anything related to drawing, painting and crafting, so I guess you could say it started there. There was a chest of drawers in my house filled with all sorts of crafting materials: different types of papers, scissors, pastels, crayons, markers and more (this is probably what started my interest in collage). When I got older and my family got their first computer, I got super into Photoshop and discovered graphic design. Later I found out that I could do this as my career, and that’s what made me pursue a design education.

But for motion design specifically, that part of my story started in school. I was going to the School of Visual Arts in New York for Graphic Design, and took Ori Kleiner’s intro to motion class Junior year. Motion design and After Effects was still relatively new at the time, and I loved the idea of bringing design to life and pairing it with music. Ori would show the class so many examples of great titles sequences and introduced us to the process of making motion graphics. I was super inspired by seeing how others were using this new tool. Senior year there was an option to specialize in motion design and I knew it was the right move for me. I decided to do a portfolio class with Ryan Moore.

During school I had always kind of been working, I was always very practical and really wanted to dive right into real life projects. I was interning at Nickelodeon, but I also started taking on a few freelance jobs here and there. One of my first motion design jobs was a book trailer that was all kinetic type, which was trending at the time.

After I graduated, I found my first full time job at The String Theory, a small studio in Manhattan that introduced me to so many different types of projects– anything from broadway commercials, to billboards in Times Square, explainer videos, lyric videos and so much more.

Bella:

With expertise in multiple areas, from illustration to art direction, is there a part of the creative process that you enjoy doing the most?

Liz:

The beginning of the creative process is always my favorite. I like to spend time upfront researching, learning, looking for inspiration, and exploring the different directions a project could go. What I find during this phase can help inform design decisions, and the look and feel of what I’m working on. There’s so much potential during this step.

Bella:

Do you have any advice for other artists trying to go full-time freelance?

Liz:

I have SO many freelance words of wisdom! One big one is that community is super important for many reasons- it will not only keep the jobs flowing, but there’s also an element of support that is there. There’s moments where you might feel isolated because you are flying solo. You’re going to have questions about rates, or the hold system, or maybe you just want to bounce an idea off of someone, but you don’t have co-workers anymore to do that with. Panimation NYC is one of those communities, and Dorca Musseb asked me last year to become an admin. It’s such a great space to provide all of those resources, plus just being a way to meet some genuinely cool people, and I’m happy to be a part of that.

Another piece of advice is boundaries during bookings- define them before you start looking for jobs, and stick to them. For example, how many hours does your rate include, 8, 10? What is your overtime rate, and when does that kick in?

Bella:

Where do you find inspiration? How do you combat creative burnout?

Liz:

Of course I’m constantly inspired by the many talented artists and studios in our community, but I try to look outside of the industry as well so I can get a fresh perspective. Some of the best inspiration can come from a trip I just took, an exhibition that I recently saw at a museum or gallery, or just walking around the streets of New York. Music has also always been a huge inspiration of mine– when I go to a concert, I always look forward to seeing what kinds of graphics are on the screen behind the band and what the merch looks like. Music can have such an impact on how something moves and looks.

Inspiration is also one way to fight burnout. Burnout is so real and so important to acknowledge. It’s important to get ahead of it and realize when it’s starting to happen and what your key signs are. For how to recharge, it’s kind of a balance between just stopping to relax fully physically and mentally, but creatively. For the physical/mental part, doing something away from the computer and devices is pretty key- like a hike in nature, or yoga.

Bella:

Your style is super fun and colorful. What would you tell someone who is trying to "find their own style"?

Liz:

Thank you! I would say to take note of what you enjoy working on the most, and try to do more of that. Your style will naturally evolve from there.

I’d also say my own style is still evolving, it’s a long road! So don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a “style” right away. Sometimes you can only see the pattern in your work by looking back at your past work and seeing the common threads.

Bella:

Do any of the projects you've worked on stand out as a favorite?

Liz:

I don’t know if it gets much better than DOGTV. I had always wanted to work on a network rebrand, and Andrea Pabalan and Darci Manely at thelab nyc approached me to art direct a rebrand for the streaming service.

I should explain that DOGTV is a streaming service for dogs– it keeps them occupied while their pet parents are out of the house, and is actually based on scientific research around reducing stress in dogs. The channel content is actually broadcast in colors that dog’s eyes can see. So it’s a fun project but also serves a helpful purpose.

Our team worked on an entirely new set of assets for the brand that could live on the streaming service, but also in print and digital too. We started with a new logo, typefaces, colors, tone of voice, custom patterns, illustrations, and a brand new photo and footage library. Then we took those elements, and created a new look and feel for the streaming service itself and its content– so everything from bumpers, to transitions and lower thirds, to a sample promo for one of the shows.

We wanted the look and feel to reflect the energetic and unique personalities of dogs, so we went super bold, colorful and poppy. Knowing this was a rebrand for a channel based around dogs, motion was always a huge part of this rebrand and would be something we kept gut checking ourselves against throughout the process. We knew everything we created had to feel like it had the right energy and a playfulness to it.

One of the most fun parts of the project was getting to have a two day photo and live action shoot with over 30 dogs. I made a lot of new furry friends!

Bella:

How do you make yourself stand out among other artists when pitching to a new client?

Liz:

For me it’s not about looking at it as a competition. It’s all about recognizing what you bring to the table and pointing out what makes you and your skills unique, and why and how those things would make the client’s project great. For me, it’s that I can wear many hats- I can design, animate, edit, illustrate, and direct. And I enjoy hopping into all of those roles!

Bella:

What's your proudest moment in your career thus far?

Liz:

I’m really proud of the projects that I work on that give back in some way and use design and animation to serve a greater purpose. I’ve now worked on a few projects that are centered around the importance of elections and voting, a cause that I deeply believe in. I was lucky enough to work on FiveThirtyEight’s The New Bellwethers series, which came out at the time of the 2016 election. Even though the election didn’t pan out as I had wanted, it felt good to be able to contribute to the conversation at that time. Another election based project I’ve gotten to work on recently with Mighty Oak is a spot for NYC Votes. We’re breaking down the process of how to vote to help get more people out there on election day.

And one more bonus proud moment- someone once got a tattoo of a logo that I made. I can’t believe someone liked my design so much that they wanted it with them forever! So that’s definitely up there with my top moments.

*Frame from FiveThirtyEight’s The Bellwethers series.*

Bella:

Are there any projects coming up that you're excited about?

Liz:

Right now I’m working on a series of collage-based videos for IBM, which I’m pretty excited about.

Thank you so much for the invitation again, it means so much to me. I really enjoy reading these interviews and it’s great to be a part of this series!

Mack Garrison 11/21/23 Mack Garrison 11/21/23

Takeover Tuesday with Alejandro Grima

An interview with Alejandro Grima: a freelance art director, motion designer and animator based in Madrid, working for start-ups, companies and agencies around the globe on projects big and small.

Interviewer: Matea Losenegger

Read time: 5min

Matea:

Hello! Thank you for taking time to participate in our series. Can you please introduce yourself and your work?

Alejandro:

Hi there! My name is Alejandro and I’m a Madrid-based motion designer and animator. I was once a jack-of-all-trades graphic designer that worked on digital design, packaging, branding and animation, but 7 years ago I specialized in motion graphics and I’ve been freelancing since.

I’ve been able to work with clients and studios around the globe, and not being restricted geographically and being able to meet people from different backgrounds are some of the things I enjoy the most about freelancing.

When I’m not playing around with keyframes in After Effects, I’m probably discovering new fancy coffee shops, running or taking photos.

Matea:

You have a lot of fun and striking vector work in your portfolio. How did you develop your design style?

Alejandro:

I didn’t really develop a style in a conscious way, I think it has more to do with the evolution of my career: I started out as a branding/digital graphic designer without a proper interest in illustration and maybe that’s how I was initially attached to using simple vectors (also due to the lack of more complex illustration skills). It was later on that I gained interest in more illustrative styles after meeting and working with illustrations, animating their work, and then trying to replicate what they were marvelously doing.

Having said this, I’m really happy that I come from a pure graphic design background, because it allows me to approach each project from a functional point of view and then go for the style that I think should work best. Versatility is key!

*A frame from Alejandro’s Lucidity Tech project.*

Matea:

On a similar note, I really love your logo and 36 days of type animations. Is there a secret sauce in creating precise and effective visuals?

Alejandro:

I would say trusting the process. I usually get to a result animation I’m happy with after following these three steps:

First, planning everything, doing quick sketches or a storyboard to visualize how everything is going to move.
Secondly, work on the movements, nailing the key poses and how every element interact with each other.
And last but not least, spending time working on the timings of every move, because many times a movement lasting ore or a few more/less frames can really make a difference in the end result.

Matea:

You've obviously honed your craft in Adobe Illustrator and After Effects. Are there any plugins or additional software you like to use in your work?

Alejandro:

Way to many, perhaps! But mainly Overlord (which I find crucial to effortlessly bridge between Illustrator and After Effects), and Duik, Key Cloner and Nudge for quicker and precise keyframe tweaking.

Penpal and Anubis also do come in handy.

*Some of Alejandro’s 36 days of Type explorations.*

Matea:

Where do you find inspiration- in and out of the art world?

Alejandro:

In regards to art related stuff, I enjoy going to exhibitions and having a look at anything that has to do with product design and architecture. I even have a dedicated architecture-focused Instagram account because I also love photography and these two subjects collide frequently.

Outside of the arts world, I think what inspires me the most is probably meeting people. I’m a shy person, so it isn’t always easy, but I actively try to push myself out of the comfort zone because I find discovering about other people’s lives, jobs and ways of thinking absolutely enriching.

Matea:

What was your favorite project you've worked on and why does it stand out to you?

Alejandro:

Probably the work I did for Lucidity. I got to learn a lot of really interesting stuff from their team, and they were all a delight to work with. They really know their product and are were able to contribute with interesting ideas while giving me absolute freedom to visualise the information at the same time and could work on some interesting animations and transitions.

Matea:

You've worked with an interesting variety of clients. What's your favorite type of client to work with?

Alejandro:

Definitely the clients that, because of the nature of the project, make you learn new stuff. For example, I worked on a couple of animation explainer videos not too long ago for a blockchain-based technology and a new pharma product, so in order to being able to translate the information into something visual you have to understand well how this technology works and how that medication affects the body. And, by the end of the day, you go to bed with knowing more interesting stuff than when you woke up.

Matea:

How do you fight burnout and stay motivated to create?

Alejandro:

For me, it’s a balance between routine and the unexpected. While exercising and meditation have become keystones of my mental health, I also try to fit as many activities involving new experiences in my schedule as possible. Be it seeing an exhibition, trying a new sport, getting lost around a part of the city you’ve never been to, or trying that fancy new cocktail bar you discovered last week.

Also, special mention to the occasional chatting with my creative friends Vivian, Lucía and Miguel over a cup of coffee. They’re incredibly inspiring people and their insight has got me out of a creative block more times than I can count (thanks guys!).

Matea:

Is there a type of animation you're interested in exploring?

Alejandro:

I’m always trying to learn new stuff but seeing so many talented people doing so many different things on social networks doesn’t really help with the fact that there are only so many hours in a day (ha!). So one can just set priorities, and my current priority is improving my frame-by frame animation skills. After this, I would love to start playing around with code and interactive animations.

*Motion for* *Wearebold* & *Somosmejor’s branding of OEI*

Matea:

Are there any upcoming projects you're excited to share this year?

Alejandro:

As for commissions, I’m particularly excited about the motion identity explorations I’m developing for a couple of design studios here in Spain. And in regards to personal/side projects, I’m working on my first short film that’s allowing me to explore new techniques. All I can say for now is that it’s about museums and some absurd things happening inside them ;)

Mack Garrison 11/11/23 Mack Garrison 11/11/23

Takeover Tuesday Veterans Day Edition with Jeffery Lawson

An interview with Jeffery Lawson: an Art director / Illustrator born and raised in NC who it a bit of a tactile tradesman , lover of all things nature and color.

Interviewer: Bella Alfonsi

Read time: 5min

Bella:

Thanks so much for joining us for Takeover Tuesday, Jeffery! Could you tell us about yourself?

Jeffery:

I am a Veteran, Art Director, Designer, and illustrator born and raised in North Carolina. Most of the work I love making is mixed with fun and a bit of thoughtfulness. I love printmaking and collecting vintage goosebumps books. I am a nature lover and 80’s horror movie aficionado and lover of all things spooky.

Bella:

How did you find your way into motion design? A bit of your background?

Jeffery:

That's a bit of an interesting story! Hold onto your seats, this one's a doozy. My journey into motion design looks like a bit of a treasure map with many points. In the early 2000’s I got started in design learning to be a screen printer and tattoo artist in my local area. Fast forward many moons later I ended up leaving my career in the military and going back to college to be a student.

*A frame from Jeff’s Logitech project with* *Demo Duck*.

Bella:

How was the transition from the military to being a student?

Jeffery:

It was by far one of the most challenging periods in my life. I like to call this my transition phase. My most memorable moment, which was the most challenging, was when I separated from the military on a Friday and Monday morning I was sitting inside a college classroom. It was a complete mental shock not only culturally but mentally as well. Having served in two combat zones made it a little harder given the difference between military life and civilian life. For example, there are strict timelines in the military, and transitioning to civilian life you no longer have those in place and must set them for yourself.

Bella:

What did you learn from being in the military that carries over into your career today?

Jeffery:

There are a few military lessons that I still carry with me but the most important comes from an old army leadership manual. For more about this topic, you can google the 4 c’s of army leadership.

Competence - This means being operationally and technically skilled at what the organization does. When one moves up their understanding of the entire process is far more important than technical skills.
Commitment- This means placing heart and soul not only into the organization but most importantly of all its people. For example, A great leader arrives an hour early and leaves an hour after the last team member clocks out. A committed leader takes the time to learn the habits of each team member and then leads them accordingly.
Candor - This means always being able to be candid at all levels regardless of position. Basically, it means being able to be honest about something regardless of how someone might feel.
Courage - This means having not only physical courage but moral courage to say and do what is right even if one must stand up to someone.

*One of several concepts chosen for a client pitch for Tango Analytics*

Bella:

What do you want to say to those who were in your shoes a few years ago?

Jeffery:

I'd tell them to reference an old proverb that goes like this “Seek and you shall find “. How this relates to your career is as follows.

1- Seek to fill the gap- There's a beautiful video series by Ira Glass that was shared with me called The Gap. In this video, he talks about going through a volume of work to fill the gap between where you are and where you want to be. My interpretation of this is something I always share with my mentees and I want to share it with you. In order to get where you are trying to go you have to fill this imaginary hole with things that are going to make you better. Examples of these things are tutorials, podcasts, lectures, meteors, personal work, feedback, and books.
2- Seek discipline - There's a great book out there that I've read several times called “Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual” by Jocko Willink which is essentially the key to filling the gap that I discussed above. The term discipline equals freedom applies to every aspect of your life and if you want more freedom you gotta get more discipline in your life.
3- Seek a village - There's a quote by the motivational speaker Jim Rohan that states that we are the average of the 5 people we spend our time with. My interpretation of this is that during my career so far I've befriended people who share similar values and beliefs as I do but who are also far more talented than me. By seeking a village of people who support you but who can also offer up honest advice it will help you see the chinks in your own armor and make you stronger.

Bella:

What are some of the techniques you use to create the work you do?

Jeffery:

A magician never tells his secrets, am I right? WRONG. To be super transparent I'm all over the place with techniques because I love exploring and experimenting. I will say that I consider myself a tactile tradesman of sorts. I enjoy integrating things that can be done using printed methods or by hand and merging them with digital aesthetics. For example, recently I had the pleasure of creating a title sequence project at Gunner School, and after brainstorming and pitching two directions I settled on one that used scanned-in elements from nature to emphasize the core elements of the movie.

*Art Direction Jeff provided for Prisidio vis* *Demo Duck*

Bella:

Do you have a favorite type of project to work on?

Jeffery:

This question is a bit of a hard one! In general, I have a deep appreciation for mixed media art. My interests span from collage to two-dimensional works and even dabble in a small touch of 3D. My preferred project styles can vary, but there's usually a common thread tying them together, and that's the element of enjoyment. Much of this passion is showcased on my website within a category I've named "TIDBITS," where I explore diverse artistic styles.

Bella:

You mentioned schooling and I see you recently attended Gunner School. What was that like?

Jeffery:

Attending Gunner School was a truly transformative experience. I had the privilege of exploring new ways of animation, thanks to the guidance and support of my peers and mentors. This opportunity encouraged my passion for learning and pushed me to unlock my potential. Through collaboration and hard work, I grew into a more confident and knowledgeable individual. This journey left a lasting impact on my life, opening doors to exciting possibilities and shaping my identity and outlook in profound ways.

Bella:

What are your goals for the next couple of years?

Jeffery:

Career:

1- Full-time employment with studio
2- Explore more creative styles of design
3- Publish a book on creative thinking

Personal:

1- Spend more time with family
2- Nurture more creatives
3- Watch more horror movies

Bella:

Was there ever a time when you didn't think breaking into Motion Design was even possible?

Jeffery:

Indeed, it's important to remember that every profession has its share of highs and lows, and taking that initial step can be quite challenging when embarking on any career journey. In my own experience, after graduating, I initially had a fantastic internship opportunity lined up, but unexpected circumstances threw a wrench in my plans. After this happened, luckily, I had the awesome support of a mentor whom I met through School of Motion to help me navigate such an event. Fast forward 8 months and with this person's help I had built a portfolio.

Bella:

Who are your personal heroes?

Jeffery:

Please bear with me as I share a touching story about my personal hero, Amanda Russell. Amanda is a Creative Director at CREAM Studio, and she is not only a highly accomplished professional but also an exceptional human being. Her boundless compassion has left an indelible mark on me that I try to emulate to others. Countless times, Amanda's unique blend of creativity and kindness has guided me through challenges in my own career that I couldn't have overcome on my own. In addition to her unwavering empathy, she serves as a deep wellspring of inspiration, embodying the qualities I deeply admire and aspire to cultivate in myself. Her steadfast commitment to creativity and the well-being of those around her should serve as a guiding light for anyone seeking a mentor in their career.

Bella:

Who are your personal heroes?

Jeffery:

Eddie: I was in the desert once, out in the middle of nowhere, absolutely nowhere. Just me, the sand, and silence. But if you know what to listen for, it ain’t silent out there. I heard a music out there I never heard before. In the silence. That’s what I’m after, kid. That’s intense. You dig down deep and touch something like that, people are gonna listen. They’ll listen to you because you got something to say! Not just something to show. You understand?

This quote comes from one of my favorite 80s movies called ‘Eddie and the Cruisers”. Sometimes you have to shut out all the noise of the world so you can hear your own internal voice. We all have an internal compass / creative voice we must listen to and when you add in the many distractions of the modern age it can get quite noisy. Enough to the point where you can't even discern what direction you should point your compass.

Mack Garrison 10/31/23 Mack Garrison 10/31/23

Takeover Tuesday with André Leite

An interview with André Leite: a motion designer and pizza lover from Brazil, currently living in Lisbon, Portugal.

Interviewer: Bella Alfonsi

Read time: 5min

Bella:

Thanks so much for joining us for Takeover Tuesday, Andre! Could you please give us a lil' intro?

André:

Hey there! I'm André Leite, a creative motion designer, punk rock enthusiast, and pizza lover, originally from Brazil, but currently rocking it in Lisbon, Portugal.

Bella:

How did your career in the motion industry start?

André:

This a long one…before diving into Motion, I went through various "fun" jobs. I worked at a skate shop, a tattoo studio, and also organizing music shows in Fortaleza (my hometown). By chance, in 2008, a friend invited me to work at a local TV network that only played music videos. I've always had a passion for videos and music, so when I saw the editing suites there, I thought to myself, "This is where I belong, sitting in the air conditioning (Fortaleza is crazy hot!) and editing MTV style segments - this is perfect!”

After learning how to edit, I started watching Andrew Kramer's videos and gradually transitioned from editing to VFX. I dived deeper into my studies through tutorials and books. In other words, I was completely self-taught on this journey.

I then began working at commercial production companies, where, in addition to editing and VFX, I was also required to animate texts, icons, packshots,

transitions, and more. It was there that I discovered the magical world of animation. Although I sometimes worked 14-18 hours a day and even slept several nights on an air mattress in the editing suite, I can say that this period was an intensive After Effects course. I faced all sorts of challenges and never had enough time. I struggled a lot, but I also learned a great deal.

After working some years at the top video production companies in Fortaleza, I moved to São Paulo, the land of opportunities. If you stand still for too long on street corner in São Paulo, a job might just fall and hit your head. After a while, throught networking, agencies and studios were constantly calling me to create explainer videos, which I loved because I found working with animation is much more enjoyable than VFX. I became a freelancer and never looked back. After a few of years, I wanted to challenge myself so, I bought "The Animator's Survival Kit" and focused my studies on character animation. And that's what I continue to do to this day.

Bella:

With over 10 years of experience in the industry, how do you feel it has changed over time?

André:

Definitely, the amount of information and softwares is crazy now! Back when I started was challenging to find study materials, especially for those who didn't speak English. It was very rare to come across another motion designer. Nowadays, if you open a pack of cereal, you might even find a motion designer as prize…

Motion design has become incredibly popular. Every client wants or already has a motion video for their company. With each passing day, there is new information and techniques to study. At the same time, I really feel motion design has evolved into a vast international community, where practically anyone can participate, whether they're working in the field or simply appreciating the work. And events such as OFFF or Dash Bash really help to consolidate this sense of Community.

Bella:

What's the animation scene like in Portugal? Are your clients mostly there or do you find yourself working more internationally?

André:

When I arrived here in 2017, I was primarily working for the Portuguese market. It was great! I made a lot of networking connections, friends, and learned a lot. However, Portugal is a small country, and there aren't many clients with big budgets. So, gradually, I started seeking international clients to not solely depend on the local market. In my case, nowadays, I would say that I work 25% for Portugal and 75% overseas.I believe the studios here are doing the same, increasingly looking for international clients.

An undeniable fact about Portugal is the abundance of talent—there's truly a lot of it! However, when these talents are unable to work remotely, they often move to countries that offer better pay. Overall, I feel that with each passing year, the motion community in Portugal is stronger and more competitive.

Bella:

What's your process like for animating characters? What's your favorite thing about character animation?

André:

I'm a rebel who likes to do everything within After Effects, including the illustration, if possible. And I stick to the basic principles of animation.

I normally start by creating simple key poses, sometimes using "stick paths" just to understand what kind of rig I'll need. Once I have a simple rig for the character, I begin animating the in-between frames, and only then do I add details like lighting, shadows, and textures. I usually leave the animation of the head/face for last, I'm not sure why, probably it's just a habit.

Without a doubt what I enjoy the most is the challenge of always doing something new, either animating different art styles or trying out a new character movement that I've never done before. It constantly requires me to put my brain to work, figuring out how to achieve it, and it never gets boring.

Bella:

You've worked in so many different fun styles. Is there one you enjoy the most?

André:

To be honest, I don't have a preferred style, I simply enjoy animating. Nowadays, I have been able to choose

my projects with more aesthetic consideration, which is great! In the past, I animated numerous stock image characters, but now I tend to collaborate with illustrators who have their own unique style. In addition to character animation, I'm particularly drawn to animating technology videos in a UX/UI style, with all that gradients and abstract shapes, I love it!

*Gif from the “Make your Flag Green” project.*

Bella:

Is there a project you've worked on that stands out as a favorite to you?

André:

Yes! I’ve a project that is very dear to me, and surprisingly, it's a video without any characters. What makes me love this video so much is that it was created from scratch - script to final video by myself, my wife, and my former business partner— a very small team. We had limited time and resources, but it was a lot of fun to work on and it gained quite a lot of views on social media.

Here's the link for anyone who wants to check it out.

Bella:

When you find yourself in a creative rut, how do you get out of it? What or who inspires you?

André:

Well, I strive to remain in a perpetual state of motion, keeping myself updated both online and in the so-called "real world," although who knows if we're already in the Matrix after all these AI advancements. I go to museums, concerts, and industry conferences to seek

inspiration too. Sometimes, I observe people, like people riding bicycles on the streets, and that becomes a source of inspiration for animating a character. I’ve always been very observant, so be careful not to become a reference in my work!

Bella:

What's the proudest moment in your career thus far?

André:

The first time I worked for a major studio outside of Brazil I really felt like I had broken a barrier. After opening that door, international clients started coming one after another, leading to cooler projects, working with big teams and renowned brands.

Bella:

Any final words of advice or projects coming up this year that you're excited about you'd like to share?

André:

Firstly, I would like to thank Dash for the invitation and acknowledge this initiative that, in my opinion, adds a lot to our community. Thank you!! \o/

A piece of advice for everyone starting in this field is to remember that it's not enough to master all the software. We must realize that a significant part of the work is communication. Often, the biggest challenge is understanding what the client truly wants and finding the best way to convey the message. Sometimes, it's something simple, yet powerful. What I mean is that having good communication with your client is more

valuable than spending nights trying to create something overly complex that isn't what the client desires but rather what you want.

Recently, I was invited to animate Colonel Sanders from KFC, which was awesome, because he is such a recognizable character. It was a super complex photo-collage project, but at the same time, a lot of fun. We are still working on the Behance page, but here is the final video. I hope you enjoy it:

Mack Garrison 10/17/23 Mack Garrison 10/17/23

Takeover Tuesday with Elyse Kelly

An interview with Elyse Kelly: a filmmaker who unites the unique characteristics of animation with documentary storytelling.

Interviewer: Bella Alfonsi

Read time: 5min

Bella:

Hi Elyse! Thanks so much for taking the time to join us on a Tuesday Takeover. For those who aren’t familiar with you or your work, could you tell us about yourself?

Elyse:

Hi! Thanks for having me. It's an honor to be in such good company with this series.

I'm a director based in Washington DC, as well as the founder of Neon Zoo. I'm best known for my work in the documentary world, but I've done a little bit of everything at this point in my career. Regardless of genre, what I love most is giving a platform to unexpected and untold stories.

I also teach animation at Georgetown University, which I'm told by my partner is my one true love when it comes to anything career related. Who knew!

Bella:

How did your career begin? Did you always know you wanted to be in the motion design industry?

Elyse:

To be honest, I don't know if I would consider myself to be in the motion design industry even now! I'm more of a "floater" (that's definitely going to read weird) between a bunch of different industries in our entertainment/media world.

I did always know that I wanted to work in animation though. Not to age myself... but I fell in love with animation after seeing the 1990 re-release of The Jungle Book in theaters. It totally amazed me to think that grownups could make cartoons for a living. What more could you ask for?

Of course, my journey to get where I am now was anything but linear, and includes everything from mocapping robots to cheesemongering and everything in between. But looking back on it all, it's amazing to think that I essentially achieved my childhood dream.

Bella:

Tell us about your full-service animation studio, Neon Zoo!

Elyse:

Neon Zoo is a little over a year old now! But really it's much older than that in practice--it was a natural next step to the work I'd already been doing for years, which is directing/producing projects with the most creatively talented and joyful artists you could hope to work with. Definitely make sure to check out our portfolio to see all their credits--hire them, befriend them, and hug them for me if you live in the same city! I have too many Zoom friends... but now I'm rambling.

Building off of my work in the documentary world, our focus at the studio is to create both "impact-driven and artistically-minded content for film, television and the web." If we can use our skills to help uplift communities and important messages, that's where we're interested in spending most of our time.

In addition to that, we're continuing to invest in our community by supporting teammates in telling their own stories. We have a number of projects in development that range from very personal short docs to surreal narrative series to interdisciplinary productions. It's early days for a lot of them, but I can't wait to share them with you all.

Bella:

The motion design industry is full of folks who have extensive schooling and none at all. Do you feel like getting a Masters Degree in Animation and Digital Arts helped a bunch? Would you recommend higher-education for other folks?

Elyse:

Don't do it! Haha. I'm joking. Kind of.

I talk about this a lot with my students who oftentimes feel that they'll be at a disadvantage in the industry for not attending an art or film school. But there are so many different angles to approach a career in our field, especially if you want to direct. And the skills you use most in those roles aren't the ones you "learn" in school: good communication (see every relationship), effective sales (cheese shop), and compassionate leadership (real estate firm).

Grad school is a huge financial commitment; you can't quite wrap your brain around it when you're younger, or at least I couldn't. So what I would say is think about what you're looking to get out of a formal education: is it skills? Contacts? Time? If you have the means and feel that it's worth the cost (in all senses of the word), go for it. But if it's not for you, that's ok. There are definitely alternative places to learn, and build your community.

And while I don't think grad school was necessarily the right fit for me, I did meet lifelong friends and creative partners that I'll always carry with me. That wasn't my "goal" going in, but it's definitely not something I would trade.

Also, I did learn one CRITICAL lesson in grad school: YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANIMATE ON 1s?! (shoutout to Sara Spink and Willie Williams! IYKYK).

*Frame from “Johnny’s Home” - a 2018 Annecy Selection.*

Bella:

You have a super impressive resume of clients (Netflix, the ACLU, Sony Music, etc.) as well as awards (Emmy, Webby, Addy, etc)! Tell us a little bit about that.

Elyse:

It always sounds so fancy when you line everything up together. What I'll say is that I've been incredibly lucky to have worked for and with incredibly talented people--clients who trust us to bring their stories to life, and artists who pour their hearts into every project that we do. All of that comes through in the work.

Bella:

You are an amazing storyteller and all of the work you’ve directed evokes such emotion. Where do you find inspiration for the stories you tell?

Elyse:

That means a lot. Thanks so much.

The inspiration always comes from the people featured in the work. That's definitely true with documentary projects, but applies to my other work as well. I start by asking the basic questions, "Who is this person? What is their story?" You can tell a lot about someone by the way they tell their own story--their tone, when they pause, what makes them cry (and sometimes more importantly what doesn't). As a director, it's my job to figure out how to translate that in the most authentic way possible. Being the custodian of someone else's story is a lot of responsibility, and not one that I take lightly. Every creative decision is made not just in service of "the art", but with that person and their experience in mind--they are my audience and end game. If I can ensure that our work connects with and respects those people, anything else is just icing.

Bella:

How do you get yourself out of a creative rut?

Elyse:

Great question. I feel like I'm continuing to evolve my approach to this. One thing that I'm working to be better at is giving myself the time and space to just "be". There's a lot of pressure as a creative to always be doing, making, creating. I've found that I'm most creative after I've taken time for myself, even if it's just a walk around the neighborhood. It's obvious, but definitely a lesson I keep reminding myself of. I've also learned over the years not to put too much pressure on having to make "my own" work. We pour so much of ourselves into everything we do, including client work, that sometimes that's enough for me to be creatively fulfilled. Plus those client projects help me flex my creative muscles while giving space to simmer on all the personal stuff that I'm excited about.

Bella:

What’s your favorite thing about being a director?

Elyse:

My team. Day in and day out. Their passion and insane talents inspire me, drive me to be better, and really make this job worth it. And to go back to the previous question, definitely help pull me out of those creative ruts!

Bella:

As someone with over 15 years of experience in the industry, where do you think the future of the motion design industry is headed? And how is it already different now than it was 15 years ago?

Elyse:

This is a big one. It reminds me of the classic, "Where do you want to be in five years?" interview question that was always so stressful to answer.

We're definitely at a crossroads in a lot of respects across the entire animation and media industry--insane technology advancements, unionizations, the further commercialization of art, the continued fight to bring more diversity to the table, etc. It can feel like a lot, so instead of a prediction, what I would say is that we need to keep pushing. Pushing for spaces like this that champion unique voices and honest conversations, pushing to give anyone and everyone the opportunity to tell their stories, pushing this artform forward because of the love we have for it. It's been a weird few years, and as cheesy as it sounds we need to continue investing in ourselves and our community because no one else is going to do it for us.

Either that, or we all just escape to one of those Italian villages they've been giving away for free. Who's with me?!

Bella:

Any final advice/takeaways?

Elyse:

I've already talked too much! Thanks for listening.

("Applications" for Italy will be opening soon.)

Mack Garrison 8/14/23 Mack Garrison 8/14/23

Takeover Tuesday with Jardley Jean-Louis

An interview with Jardley Jean-Louis an NYC born multi-disciplinary artist living and working in Queens.

Interviewer: Matea Losenegger

Read time: 5min

Matea:

Hey Jardley! Thanks for lending us your time. Can you please introduce yourself?

Jardley:

Hey! I’m Jardley Jean-Louis, I’m an NYC born multi-disciplinary artist living and working in Queens. I work in illustration, animation and film and center my work on depicting stillness, education, and under-represented identities and subjects.

Matea:

What inspired you to become an artist and how did you get into the motion design space?

Jardley:

It’s funny, I’ve been an artist since I was a kid and was going to say nothing inspired me because this is how it’s been forever. But I have a memory of being really young and there being a boy who was a really great artist in the class, me aspiring to be that good and taking him on as my mentor. So, that kid and my perseverance to get really good.

In terms of motion design, I think in the back of my head while I was pursuing just art, I wanted to get into the animation space. As a kid that meant the goal of having my own show on Nickelodeon and a film for Disney when I grew up, and later and more concretely, learning more about motion design as an Illustrator’s Assistant for a one-person animation studio while in college. That was my first art job. While my role there was to produce character/background design, the CD also invited me into the depths of script-writing, storyboarding, and animating background characters. Getting that well-rounded experience and seeing the final animation which felt like magic to me, was enough to start me on my own journey of honing my animation skills and looking for my own clients.

Matea:

How would you describe your artistic style and what are some key themes and messages that you explore in your work?

Jardley:

My work is very character driven and intent on building a mood especially with lights and shadows. I also without intending to, use a lot of deep rich colors. I work digitally these days, but my work has been described as painterly - which is great to hear because my foundation is in traditional painting and drawing. So, that’s unintentionally translated.

The key themes and messages I explore in my work are quiet life moments that speak to the reality of life, education, and under-represented identities and subjects.

Matea:

Can you walk us through your creative process? How do you come up with new ideas and what techniques do you use to bring them to life?

Jardley:

On both client and personal work - the creative process is dictated by the brief or idea and what mood and feeling the work is trying to convey. On client projects I’m zero-ing in on the themes and message the client has shared with me and the key words in the script that define each scene. On personal projects, I have an idea and I’m looking to draw it out through thinking of what type of composition and lighting accentuates it.

An exercise I do is dump every idea (including a ridiculous idea) onto my notebook. I believe that writing every single idea, not criticizing it, and therefore dismissing it, frees your mind to be more creative and find its way to a strong concept. If you’re constantly cutting an idea off at its legs, you won’t feel safe enough to explore and trust you’ll find an idea.

I then work through concepts by sketching them out and writing questions I have for myself. I find the notes especially stimulating.

I also review my long list of Flickr reference images and spend a lot of time on Behance looking for inspo.

Matea:

How different is your approach to client work vs your personal projects?

Jardley:

Well with client work it involves more pre-production than I do in my personal projects. That involves deciphering the script or brief and providing tangible materials such as moodboards, sketches, style frames or mockups, and storyboard animatics. In my own work I do less of that - the tangible materials. I’m typically holding an idea and composition in my head. I’ll look at a ton of reference images and then go straight into creating it in photoshop or after effects when the pieces feel right. For both, I also am finding the color scheme while I’m working - most times I have an idea of colors, but it’s not settled until I’m working on it.

However, since my recent solo exhibition, I’ve started to see the reason for sketches in my own personal projects. It helps to remind you of what the composition is meaning to be and by having it out on the paper, you’re able to see if it’s working or not rather than just going straight to final. Finding out the imagined concept didn’t work bit me in the ass one or twice on this solo.

Matea:

Huge congratulations on your recent solo exhibition "Joy - This Place I Land." What was that experience like and are you interested in working on more gallery work?

Jardley:

Thank you! The experience was incredible, I’m glad. I was selected as a ARTWorks Fellow for Jamaica Center for the Arts and Learning’s 10 month residency and the solo exhibition came from that.

So it was a 10 month process of figuring out what scenes best represented my theme: what does joy and thriving look like in everyday life. Especially being Black.

Originally I had 6 pieces + an animation I planned, but upon revisiting the gallery space and seeing how much space I had, I added 2 more illustrations. Getting to show what joy is for me, which is really just love in life moments and witnessing how much it resonated with folks meant a lot to me.

I’m not really interested in becoming a gallery artist. I’ll have my work in shows here and there as long as it makes sense to me. Same for residencies. I’m not actively pursuing either. I view it as avenues that are available to me as a creative. Never just confined to one avenue.

Matea:

I know it's difficult to choose, but do you have a favorite piece in the show and what makes it stand out in your mind?

Jardley:

I have two pieces that stand out for me. “Heritage” for its family ties, warmth and sense of just belonging and “To Be With Friends.” for all the love, lightness, and thriving I continually want for my life.

Matea:

Where do you get inspiration? Are there any particular artists or movements that have impacted your work?

Jardley:

I get inspired everywhere. Walking around and looking at things, overhearing conversations, being with people, looking at the work of fellow creatives, taking in my apartment, processing my life, tv shows/films.

Artists that heavily impact my work are Rebecca Mock and Katharine Lam. Particularly for creating a mood and for their use of lighting. Also Pat Perry, for the still and simple moments of life.

Matea:

How do you stay motivated to create your own work in addition to client projects? Do you have any tips for burnout?

Jardley:

I won’t say that I consistently create my own work and do so alongside client projects successfully. I don’t have a routine. Sometimes it happens that it’s a particularly slow time so I have room for my own work, or there’s an idea I want to get out, or mentally I’m in a space to put the work in and things just flow then. I try to honor where I’m at. I guess I stay motivated because producing client work isn’t my end goal for my career. I want the ratio to skew wherein majority of the time, the work I’m producing is mine. It’s what I’m known for and it’s how I make a living. I still plan on working with clients, but I think my voice and creative project being the end goal is more fulfilling.

For burnout, my tip is to honor it as best you can. When I was a permalancer, that meant speaking up that I was taking some mental health days for myself. When I’ve been working non-stop on client work that means taking as much time as I can in between client work. If I’m on deadline, but am already burnt out and a concept isn’t coming or my brain is frying, I try to take chunks of time during the day to just chill out. Honor it as best you can.

Matea:

Any upcoming projects you're excited about?

Jardley:

I recently wrapped up an animation where I was the illustrator on it which I’m excited to see in its final. It’s about the stained foundation of America.

I have a personal short film animation that I’m currently researching and world-building on on the early years of the AIDS epidemic and Haitians.

On the client front, I’m available!

Mack Garrison 6/27/23 Mack Garrison 6/27/23

Takeover Tuesday with Mike Healey

An interview with Mike Healey: a director and animator based in NY.

Interviewer: Matea Losenegger.

Read time: 5min

Matea:

Thank you for taking part in our Tuesday Takeover series! Can you please tell us a little about yourself and your work?

Mike:

I’m a director/animator based in NY. I fell in love with animation at an early age watching stuff like PeeWee’s Playhouse and Space Jam. After graduating from NYU, where I studied Film/TV with a focus on animation, I founded //kneeon studios and have been lucky enough to be doing that ever since!

Matea:

Many of your projects are very striking and illustrative. Do you have a background in illustration and what was your path to becoming a successful art director?

Mike:

Thanks! I don’t have a huge illustration background but I am always checking out work by illustrators and designers and keeping an eye out for potential collaborators. Whenever a project comes up, I try to find the right fit stylistically and tonally, then reach out to illustrators I know or have been wanting to collaborate with. I love to concept work out with illustrators and then let their imagination run wild. I am a firm believer that two (or more!) brains are better than one, so throwing around ideas in the concept phase is really fun for me and there’s usually a nice blend of all of our ideas in the final product.

Matea:

Where does the name //kneeon come from?

Mike:

When we first started out, my former business partner and I wanted a name that evoked bright colors and fun, so the name Neon came up. Sadly that name was already taken so we decided just to spell it differently instead and then it stuck. Wish I had a better answer!

Matea:

What made you want to start your own studio and do you have tips for artists aiming to do the same?

Mike:

I graduated from NYU in 2009 and there were very few job opportunities at the time so I decided to try to start my own company with a friend. We had been freelancing throughout college and trying to direct and animate as many projects as possible before graduating so we already had some potential clients when we got out of school. I had an internship at a production company in my senior year and the producers there were super helpful and gave me lots of good advice on everything from writing decks to bidding to budgeting and producing jobs.

In terms of advice for those wanting to start their own studio, I would say make sure you have a pretty good grasp at the business side of things, or partner with someone who does. It’s also important to have some projects that showcase the kind of work you want to make. Doesn’t necessarily have to be client work—it can be a personal project or short film. But you want your website and work to be a reflection of your talents and give an idea of why a client may want to hire you over some other animation studio. Lastly, keep your overhead as low as possible for as long as possible. It can help you take on projects you truly want to work on instead of expanding too quickly and being forced to take on anything and everything.

Matea:

You've collaborated with many talented folks. How do you find artists and what goes into putting together a strong team?

Mike:

I always spend time (but not TOO much time) each day on Instagram, Behance and other sites. Whenever I see something I enjoy, I bookmark it. A lot of relationships with artists I have collaborated with have come from me reaching out to them when I enjoy their work. Word of mouth is another great way to find artists. I’m always asking friends and collaborators for any recommendations when I need some help with a project.

To put together a strong team, I think it’s important to find people you really enjoy working with. Many freelancers we have worked with have been with us on a ton of projects over the years so there’s a good short-hand between us. The best projects are the ones that don’t really feel like “work” and everyone has a creative say on.

Matea:

From sports to food/bev, retail, music, and more what is your favorite type of project to work on?

Mike:

My favorite types of projects to work combine sports with documentary audio. We have done so many sports-related projects that we recently started up a sports animation wing at //kneeon called Slam Dunk Club! I love being able to take interviews/doc-style audio and adding fun visuals to tell stories.

*Slam Dunk Club brings together a team of directors, designers and animators from across the globe.*

Matea:

As someone with a pretty diverse portfolio, is there an area of animation you would still like to explore?

Mike:

I’d love to work on some more long-form projects. We do a lot of work ranging from 15 seconds to 2 minutes in length, but would really enjoy making some longer films. We’re currently in the process of finishing up a 20 minute piece. And since my wife and I recently had our first child, I’d love to explore making some more animation geared toward kids!

Matea:

Your studio's work has a very distinctive voice. Where do you find inspiration and how do you make sure your work stays fresh?

Mike:

Thanks! I’m always trying to look at animation, design and art whenever I have a chance. It can be good to be aware of trends in animation and art so you know what to avoid to try to make something unique. And we try not to make something with the same style twice (unless of course it’s part of a series).

Matea:

As someone who's been in this game for a while, what do you think is in store for the future of motion design?

Mike:

There are always trends and advances in technology that will make animators’ lives easier, and some like AI that may make animators’ lives and livelihood more difficult. I’m not entirely sure what the future holds for motion design to be honest…I think there will be needs for more interactive animation and AR/VR as the tech catches up and becomes more mainstream.

Matea:

What does the rest of 2023 look like to you? Anything we should keep an eye out for?

Mike:

We have a long-form fully animated documentary being wrapped up and hopefully coming out sometime soon. Recently wrapped up animated segments for a documentary about J.R. Smith that just came out on Amazon Prime.

Mack Garrison 6/6/23 Mack Garrison 6/6/23

Takeover Tuesday with Trevor Wood

An interview with Trevor Wood: a motion designer based in Champaign-Urbana, IL.

Interviewer: Matea Losenegger.

Read time: 5min

Matea:

Thank you for giving us your time! Can you introduce yourself and what you do?

Trevor:

My name is Trevor Wood and I’m a motion designer based in Champaign-Urbana, IL. I live here with my beautiful wife and adorable rescue dog. When I’m not animating you’ll find me at one of the local open-mic nights or on the couch playing Fortnite.

Matea:

You have a vast range of video production experience. How does the work from your time with WCIA 3 compare to commercial production?

Trevor:

I still use a lot of the same processes, techniques, and software I learned while at WCIA 3. The video production pipeline is pretty similar whether it’s for a local boutique or a big clothing brand. Budgets may be different, but it all comes down to the story you want to tell and how you tell it.

Looking back, I was super lucky to get that job because I had the chance to learn a lot of different things like live camera operation, audio engineering, and video editing. I’ve even shot aerial footage from a helicopter, which was a highlight for sure. But the main thing I did was shoot and produce local TV commercials. The ones with that certain charm you can only get on local broadcast television. I loved embracing the format and its limitations, and I still try to infuse some of that charm into every project.

Matea:

What made you decide to freelance full time and what was that transition like?

Trevor:

The idea of owning my own business has always appealed to me, ever since I got my first job at a small family-owned grocery store. At one point I wanted to open my own coffee shop even though I didn’t yet drink coffee. It sounded cool to be in charge and make my own decisions. Later, in college I was able to make some extra money on the side doing graphic design and photography. When the pandemic hit I started working from home and I constantly found myself going down motion design YouTube rabbit holes. Eventually someone recommended reading the Freelance Manifesto by Joey Korenman and it felt like Joey was speaking directly to my soul. From that point on all I could think about was going freelance as a motion designer.

After making the decision to go freelance, the transition took much longer than I expected. About two years from start to finish. I was still a little rusty with motion design and had to really refine my chops. I also had no idea how to run my own business, so on my commutes I started listening to all of the podcasts from Motion Hatch, The Futur, and School of Motion. I started doing work on the side after hours and saving all of the extra money I made to create a financial cushion just in case things slowed down. Eventually I had to start turning down work because there was so much demand and that’s when I knew it was time to quit my job and go full-time. After I hit my financial goal, I went freelance in July 2022.

Matea:

You recently collaborated with Ben Marriott. What was your experience working with him and the team he pulled together?

Trevor:

Collaborating with Ben was a dream come true. He started getting big on YouTube right around the time I started pursuing a freelance career. So when he launched Master Motion Design course, I was first in line. I was chosen for the collab based on my work for the course and joined 24 other exceptional students to create the Inside an Animator’s Mind collab. Everyone who was part of the collaboration was so nice and it felt great to be part of such an amazing group. Leading up to the launch we all shared our work in a private forum and had the chance to see Ben’s fantastic intro come to life. It was awesome, and one of the biggest highs of my career so far.

Matea:

Whether it be for a passion project or for a client, what is the secret to cultivating a strong collaborative environment?

Trevor:

As artists, our work is often very personal because it’s a reflection of ourselves and our experiences. But to cultivate a strong collaborative environment it’s important to focus on what’s best for the project as a whole and not what’s best for the individual. That can look different whether you’re working with a client or on a passion project. When I’m working with a client, I try to make sure every decision I make is what’s best for the goals of the project and doesn’t just satisfy my artistic desire. If I’m working with others, I’m constantly asking myself, is this what’s best for us, or is this what’s best for me?

Other than that, just be a good human. You don’t have to be the best artist. I’m certainly not. Just be kind, friendly, and helpful. Those are the main ingredients to a strong collaborative environment.

Matea:

While it goes without saying you have some fun character work, I noticed even your text and graphic animations have a lot of charm. What's your process in giving personality to something that's not necessarily a character?

Trevor:

Even if something isn’t a character, it still has character. Giving life to things that wouldn’t have it normally is one of my favorite parts about this business. My process is iterative, which means I animate the biggest movements first, then refine with secondary motion, overshoot, and anything else that feels right. I use my hands a lot to get a better understanding of how I want the movement to feel, and I use my breath to help make the timing feel natural. Then I’ll spend as much time as possible in the graph editor to make sure every keyframe is perfect (or at least close enough).

*Shot from the School of Motion Holiday Card.*

Matea:

Where are some unexpected places you've gotten inspiration from?

Trevor:

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where my inspiration comes from. There are so many talented artists out there that are constantly inspiring and challenging me with their work. But probably the most unexpected place I find inspiration is in restaurants. Whenever I go out to eat with my wife I have to make sure there are no TVs within my line of sight, otherwise I won’t hear a word she says to me the entire time. We cut the cord a long time ago, so I rarely see broadcast commercials. So as I’m waiting for our food to arrive, I find myself captivated by them, trying to figure out how they did the graphics, wondering which studio worked on the animation, who designed the style frames. And since the commercials aren’t targeted like most of the ads I see, I get to see animation that’s totally different than my Instagram algorithm feeds me and I find it all very inspiring (and entirely distracting).

Matea:

What is your favorite type of project to work on?

Trevor:

I love when I’m given a project with very clear brand guidelines. I enjoy the challenge of drawing within the lines and knowing the rules (and sometimes breaking them on purpose). It may sound counterintuitive, but I feel paralyzed when a project has an open brief or too much creative freedom. I like to have a bounding box to play in.

Matea:

Is there a style or type of animation you'd like to explore more?

Trevor:

I started learning Blender this year to explore the hybrid 2D/3D style. I just find the mix between those two main styles of animation very interesting. You might have line work at 12fps while something else with photo-real geometry and textures is happening in the background. The possibilities of hybrid styles in general is super exciting.

Matea:

Is there anything you're excited to share this year?

Trevor:

Some friends and I just dropped a collab we’ve been working on since the start of the year. It was a twist on the game telephone where we had to create a story while only knowing what came immediately before. The story doesn’t make much sense in the end but it’s a fun time. I’d love to do more collab projects this year — It was a great time.

Mack Garrison 5/23/23 Mack Garrison 5/23/23

Takeover Tuesday with Dylan Casano

An interview with Dylan Casano: a motion designer/illustrator from Oakland, California who has over 8 years experience in animation specializing in 2D After Effects Animation, including motion graphics, character animation, and compositing.

Interviewer: Bella Alfonsi.

Read time: 5min

Bella:

Hi Dylan! I'll never stop saying it, your Earth Day 2020 animation is glorious and one of my favorites of all time. But for those who are unfamiliar with you/your work, please introduce yourself!

Dylan:

Haha, thank you! I'm a human 2D Animator and Designer currently based in LA! My personal work tends to be colorful and graphic, and I'm usually breathing life into something that shouldn't be alive, like a taco, a bra, or the Earth.

I think putting sad faces on random inanimate items is hilarious, and you can't tell me any different.

I'm always trying to think of new ways to use After Effects in funky ways to get new looks! I believe every kind of illustration style can be animated, just comes down to how you do it, and how much sleep you want.

I'm primarily an After Effects Animator, with a propensity for adding character to things. I've been picking up Cel animation in the last 6 years because drawing can just make characters waaaay more expressive. Through a Mograph Mentor course with Henrique Barone, I discovered that Cel is very similar to how you would animate something in After Effects, but you’re just drawing it—a lot.

Bella:

How did you find yourself in the motion design world?

Kyle:

I went to school for Graphic Design for way too long and the most valuable thing I learned was that I’m not very good at Graphic Design. Animation has always come easier for me, and I'm a big nerd about it, but in my school there were no Motion Design classes. “Mograph” was barely a thing in schools at my time.

When I was looking for work with my fresh GD degree (Stands for both Graphic Design and Gol’ Dern), I came across a cool Creative/Branding Studio in Berkeley, California who was looking for a flash animation intern. I knew flash from my “Newgrounds.com” days (if you know what I'm talking about then your back probably hurts rn) so I took it on! After I finished the flash stuff, I was moved onto some After Effects projects which I learned as I went. They liked what I did, and I was hired as a Motion Designer.

After 4 years (to the day!) I broke from that Full Time nest to spread my wings in the Freelance world, a phase that would be pretty short lived because of the ever-present and ever-tempting long-term Tech contracts that would beckon me. After a few stints at some beefy internet companies, I decided to venture to the Mograph wilds of Los Angeles to work with We Are Royale!

Bella:

The behind the scenes content you share is super interesting and helpful to see as a fellow artist. Have you ever considered creating a class/being a teacher to share even more of your knowledge?

Dylan:

Thank you! I've always strived to make "Behind the Scenes" content both informational as well as entertaining. Sometimes the BTS is more interesting than the piece itself, and the animation process is very complex and really deserves some extra love.

I absolutely LOVE the BTS breakdowns made by Stéphane Coëdel and Chromosphere (look them up!). Their breakdowns always seemed to go further than a lot of the BTS content I saw out there at the time, they would stop and start the animation, break it down layer by layer, and then use fun sound effects and music to bring the whole thing home. I took a few pages from their books.

In addition to BTS content, I've spent some time teaching a Workshop or two at my alma mater and loved it! I definitely see teaching in my future in some capacity. I would absolutely love to teach an online class if there's enough interest out there.

Bella:

As someone with over 8 years of experience in the industry, how do you think it's changed since you first started? Is there anything you're excited or worried about?

Dylan:

Oh yeah, things are always changing! When I was in school Motion Graphics wasn't even a thing; there was Animation, and there was Graphic Design— they are both very different from Motion Graphics. There may have been some private art schools somewhere that had motion graphics classes but for the most part, I wasn’t aware of it existing in the US education system at the time. Now, Motion Graphics is straight up taught in school, which blows my mind!

The ‘Elder’ generation of Mograph (*cries a little*) used to come from various backgrounds like film, design, or even architecture—so it was easy to meet people who had a good general knowledge of all Mograph trades and beyond. Now that it’s been integrated into the school systems, I’ve noticed a lot more specialized (and crazy talented) people, which definitely changes the vibe a lot.

As far as my fears for the future go—I share, with the rest of the art world, the hesitation about the integration of A.I. art into the field. I’m not afraid that it will take our jobs, but I do worry that the lines between Human created and A.I. created art will blur, and integrity amongst artists will be compromized. It is a dazzling tool, however, and I know we will find great uses for it.

*“Workout” from Dylan’s personal explorations.*

Bella:

What's it like working with We Are Royale? What does being the lead animator/designer entail?

Dylan:

At WAR we do things a little differently. Typically, a Lead Animator/Designer would find themselves mostly delegating and managing people. Because of WAR’s light staff footprint, and our passion for the work, the Leads are still “on-the-box” as it were, typically before the project has even started. We “Lead the Creative '' as our bossboss Brien Holman says, and then we disseminate this special knowledge or technique amongst the rest of the team as the project nears production.

Management was a natural step forward for me at this point in my career, but I just love animating so gol’ dern much that I couldn’t give up being an individual contributor—so I do both.

On bigger projects, I’m definitely finding myself delegating more than animating—but for the most part I straddle the line between Senior animator and management. I learned the hard way that delegating assignments and Animating/Designing are two distinct and very complete jobs, and you can’t do them together very effectively. The lovely people at WAR help me walk that line and help me pick up the slack where needed.

Bella:

When in a creative rut, do you find it helps to step away from what you're working on? Where do you find inspiration?

Dylan:

When I’m in a rut, I find a few things very helpful

1. Just get your first idea on paper, you overachiever, you. Got an idea that you hate because it’s “too basic” or “too obvious” and you can’t think of anything else? Or maybe you don’t have any ideas beyond what was already provided for you? I find it most helpful to JUST DO THE MOST OBVIOUS THING very quickly. Just do it, don’t overthink it. Feel free to keep thinking of ideas, obviously, but your brain just needs some stimulation. Get that idea down on the screen, there ain’t no shame in using your ol’ standby tricks of the trade. Then look at what you got, now tweak it. Still hate it? Please refer to #2.
2. Walk the heck away. Get some water, take a walk, or work on a different aspect of the assignment. Just do something else for a while—ideally with enough time to kinda forget what your art looks like. When I return to a piece after some good time, I definitely have a very immediate reaction, and my first urge gives me a pretty good idea what needs to change/improve; or at the very least, I hate it still and probably need to start over.
3. "Faked-it-til-you-make-ed”. If none of that has worked, boy oh boy, you must be pretty stressed, huh? Well, tough, you’re a hack and you just "faked-it-til-you-make-ed” your little heart out your whole career. Congratulations for tricking literally everyone, everywhere, simultaneously into trusting you. What a mess—your parents were right—wait until your boss finds out you have as much skill as a dressed up Golden Retriever sitting at a computer.
4. Chill out and start fresh. Ok, now that you got all that negative energy out, listen to how ridiculous you sound right now. You’re not a dog. Now breathe. You got this. Now put that thing you made away for a second and start over. I hear you, “But I spent so much time on it, I can’t start over now blahblahblahblah” STOP. Just DO IT. Chill out and start fresh. Stop fiddling with something that’s not working. You’ll either: make something way cooler way than you thought—way faster—and you’ll be very proud of yourself, or hate what you make and that makes the first idea not look so bad after all. At the very least, you’ll get more options for your AD / Client / Sentient Golden Retriever, and they can help steer you in the right direction.
5. Make it fun, silly! We make pretty pictures for a living. Creative brains hate work, so trick yourself into doing work by making yourself laugh. Keep it simple and don’t forget the original reason you started.

Bella:

Your character animation has a lot of personality, but so does your non-character animation. How do you give personality to something that is not a human?

Dylan:

One main challenge I give myself is to try to move more properties than just the “Position, Scale, and Rotation.” When I just do the ol’ P-S-R, it can look pretty flat and lifeless—try to throw in some path animation, or some clever masking for depth, or maybe slap some effect on there for something unexpected. Surprise your viewer! When you treat a flat shape like a flat shape, it’s gonna look like a flat shape; there, I’ll give you that one for free.

Other than that—it’s pretty much Easing, Drifts, and Overshoots/Bounces.

Easing doesn’t have to be complicated, I have basically 2 Easing curves I use for everything, but that’s a secret so please don’t tell anyone.

Drifts are when something stops moving it kinda just keeps going forever—just like my responses to these questions. Learn how to master this move well and most modern mograph is in your bag. I like to use the loopOut(‘continue’) expression and make my curve kinda end abruptly—that’ll do it.

Overshoots and bounces are essential to breathing life into things. Nothing in this world moves from A to B in a linear way and just stops, nothing kills the illusion of life more than those silly diamond linear keyframes. Introduce ‘em to a nice ease curve and they’ll be living before ya know it.

Bella:

How did you start working with Balkan Bump? Are you interested in working with other musicians as well?

Dylan:

Balkan Bump is a band started by my brilliant buddy Will Magid. He was my neighbor in Oakland and he was always filling the halls with sweet sweet Trumpet sounds. We became friends pretty instantly, because how could you not? I started helping him with his album art and branding pretty soon after that. It has been a very rewarding experience seeing my friend climb in popularity and as a result I’ve gotten to go to his shows and meet some of my favorite music producers like Grammatik, and Opiuo to name a few!

I’ve also been privileged to have worked with one of my favorite bands, Vulfpeck, through a completely different set of friends. Woody Goss, the pianist of the group, asked me to help animate a little Christmas special reminiscent of Charlie Brown one year. It’s still one of my favorite pieces to this day!

I love working with musicians, because a lot of the work gets to be more interpretive and artsy than your everyday commercial work. No one hates you when you make it a little funky.

Bella:

Are there any upcoming projects or anything else you're looking forward to this year?

Dylan:

I am looking forward to getting a few more personal short short animations out there and venturing into the Tiktok world of animation—provided it sticks around with us.

Still from the motion graphic spot for Maksoi.

Bella:

Any final words of wisdom for our readers?

Dylan:

Don’t overwork, don’t burn out; energy is precious and finite. Don’t marry your job and don’t date your coworkers. Then, break every single rule I just said, and have a f*cking blast!

Mack Garrison 5/1/23 Mack Garrison 5/1/23

Takeover Tuesday with Kyle Harter

An interview with Kyle Harter: a freelance 2D motion designer based in Orlando, FL..

Interviewer: Bella Alfonsi.

Read time: 5min

Bella:

Kyle! Thanks so much for participating in our Takeover Tuesday series. For those who are not familiar with you or your work, please give us a lil' intro.

Kyle:

Hey there! My name is Kyle Harter, and I’m a freelance 2D motion designer based in Orlando, FL. I add custom 2D motion and design to branded content that drives engagement with my client's intended audience. My work has spanned across explainer videos, digital advertising, commercials, live events, UI/UX, and Film & TV.

Bella:

How do you think going to college has influenced your creative path? Do you think having formal training makes any difference in getting a job in the motion design industry compared to being self-taught?

Kyle:

I went to the University of Central Florida in Orlando. I’m completely self-taught, and didn’t go the traditional route through animation and design courses. However, I did go through the film program in college. I believe that experience really helped me to cultivate and curate my taste, while learning the traditional production process. Of which, I pour lots of time and effort to feeding it and keeping it fresh.

I can only speak for myself here, but I think the self-taught route really teaches a form of discipline that you might not be as quick to in a structured program. You have to be extra guarded of your time and intentions to learning a skillset to step-up your career. I am a bit jealous of the students who go through the formal training route, as there are more opportunities for networking, learning from industry professionals in person, and of course, access to all of the fun tools.

Bella:

As someone with several years of experience in the industry, how do you think it's changed over the years? Is there anything you're excited or worried about for the future of motion design?

Kyle:

The industry has changed in a lot of beautiful ways during my time. I think that it’s become one of the more welcoming industries that I’ve been privy to experiencing. From the YouTube tutorials/courses, to the slack/discord groups, and the industry legends who offer quick chats (Ryan Summers) and mentorship, I felt like I was offered free admission to make really cool shit, and have people offer constructive criticism and helpful feedback.

Also, the cost of entry is a lot lower than it used to be with the availability of affordable/free tools.

In terms of concern for the future, there’s the obvious elephant in the room of AI. There’s exciting aspects and concerning aspects of it. At the end of the day though, I do believe the real impact of AI’s implementation is in the user’s hands. There’s a certain amount of responsibility there. I’m excited to see some of the technical parts of our jobs being sped up or automated. That whole process might change the job description of some roles, but at the end of it, it’s the human who has to use it in a professional and ethical way.

Bella:

2D design is your specialty, but you also do some toolkitting, templating, and system development. How did you get into this side of animation and how has it affected your workflow?

Kyle:

I think I got into it the same way I got into learning AE years ago, FEAR. Code, like AE, was always so scary to me because it was a different way of working than the traditional approach of slapping keyframes on a timeline. There was just something about it that motivated me to learn it. Maybe it was to be more in control of something abstract like animation? Who knows haha. Through a lot of time, practice, and asking other smart people lots of questions, I was able to grasp a decent understanding of it, and apply it to my workflow.

It’s affected my workflow in a really efficient way. It helps me to think about creating looks procedurally and with editibility in mind. With that in mind, I use expressions, essential properties/graphics panel, and scripting to automate any part of my workflow. It helps me shut off my computer sooner at night I like to think.

*Frame from Kyle’s motion work with Cisco.*

Bella:

What made you decide to go freelance full-time? Any advice for someone trying to do the same?

Kyle:

Well I’ve always moonlit as a freelancer when I had full-time gigs. That life was always alluring to me too. The ability to choose what projects you took on, and you could really be in the driver’s seat of your career path are what really drew me in.

In terms of actually taking the leap, I was actually thrown off a cliff into it. I was furloughed in July ’22 from my previous studio gig. I loved the people there, but I had always had this dream of going out on my own. I was resourceful enough to build up a healthy savings during my full-time employment. That helped me jumpstart the business, while still having health insurance until I left for good in September ’22.

My advice would be five-pronged there:

1. Build up a runway of expenses and then some. I’d say minimum of 3 months if possible. We all know how long invoices can take to get paid even if you’re working immediately.
2. Network. Network. Network. I can’t stress this enough. Make sure when you engage people it’s not transactional. Be a human. Get to know people. Let them know what you’re good at, passionate about, and what you don’t like doing.
3. Prioritize your mental health. You will get lonely. You will get stressed about money. You will encounter hardship. If you’re consistently checking in on yourself and giving yourself some space to feel these things, then you’ll be able to make healthier decisions for yourself when it comes to who you work with/for
4. Get a good accountant, and don’t cheap out on it. I sleep a lot better at night knowing the business side of things is in good hands, and I’m not scrambling while trying to outsmart the IRS.
5. Study a bit of personal finance. You’re on your own now. So you have a bit more autonomy in what you do with your money. Reading/studying this can really set you up for future financial decisions.

Bella:

How do you set yourself apart from fellow talented artists when pitching for a project/reaching out to work with a studio?

Kyle:

Your portfolio is always a good indication of the kind of work you’re interested in or are capable of. So I like to think mine is fairly clear in that aspect. That’s half of it though. The other half, the human half, might actually carry some more weight at the end of the day. I stress over-communication, delivering on promises, and anticipating other’s needs when it comes to working on a team. It’s been said before, but a lot of people would rather hire a mid-level artist who carry themselves in a professional way than hire a superstar who is just a giant ball of chaos and bad attitude to work with.

Bella:

Where do you find inspiration? How do you navigate creative burnout?

Kyle:

Like a lot of artists, I find inspiration in everything around me. More specifically, I love art books, films/tv, and interior design too. Especially when people prioritize function over aesthetic. That guides a lot of my inspiration in the wild.

Yeah creative burnout is a doozy. In the past I didn’t do a great job of it. I always thought everything I did had to serve the work I was doing in my 9-5. Now, since I am freelance, I’m able to take intentional time off without guilt. I also feel more joy about just making stuff for the fun of it. Especially when it’s not meant for the reel/portfolio. I just get to have fun and mess up without worrying about meeting a client’s expectation.

Also, therapy is such a healing and helpful process. I can’t recommend it enough.

Bella:

What's your proudest moment in your career thus far?

Kyle:

I’ve been fortunate to work with a bunch of great people, make cool stuff, and even win a few awards. However, I think my proudest moment is to go out on my own, and find success in the form of having control of my life. Not to knock anyone in a staff position, but being a freelancer has been the best fit for my lifestyle and mental health.

Bella:

What's your favorite kind of project to work on and why?

Kyle:

I love a great technical challenge fueled by phenomenal design and stress-free project management. It could be the most corporate thing on the planet, but if there’s great design, fun technical challenges, and really helpful producers then it’s a success in my book. I can’t stress the importance of producers and project managers enough. Please be nice to them. They have one of the toughest jobs out, and we don’t see much of what they go through.

*Still from the motion graphic spot for Maksoi.*

Bella:

What are you looking forward to this year? Any final words of wisdom for our audience?

Kyle:

I’m looking to try a bunch of different projects in my first full year of freelancing. I’d like to meet a lot of great people, and learn a bit more about managing the business side of things. Other than that, I just want to enjoy the ride I’m on. It’s been great to me so far.

Final wisdom: Remember, you always have a choice in what projects you take on or what direction you head in. Life is short. Do your best to make the decisions that can help you have a fulfilling and rewarding life.

Mack Garrison 4/24/23 Mack Garrison 4/24/23

Takeover Tuesday with Jake Sojcher

An interview with Jake Sojcher: a motion designer and visual artist.

Q&A with Jake Sojcher.

Read time: 5min

Matea Losenegger:

Hey Jake! Thank you for taking part in our Tuesday Takeover series. Can you introduce yourself and your work?

Jake Sojcher:

Happy to be a part of it! I am a motion designer and visual artist working primarily with the Adobe Creative Suite, using After Effects, Photoshop, etc. I’m also just generally an explorer, always jumping around between various hobbies relating to art and music.

Matea Losenegger:

What shaped your path into motion design and pursuing a creative career?

Jake Sojcher:

I’ve always loved making things. As a child, I would spend countless hours building spaceships and fortresses with Legos. As I got older, I took various art and music lessons. In high school, I was playing the drums, recording, and mixing audio. Then in college, I got really into photography and video production, so I became a media studies major. I really wanted to pursue a creative career, but I was afraid. I had heard things about how difficult it can be to make it in the creative fields. I was shy and I didn’t have the confidence in my ability to put myself out there. I thought maybe marketing would be a safer creative path, but the only aspect of my one marketing internship that excited me was when I got to assist with a video shoot at the office. After college, I was scraping by on small freelance video gigs, and feeling very unsure if I could make this work. I eventually found a one month temp job editing videos for a local production company. They liked my work, and it turned into a full-time gig. There I got to learn a lot more about the various aspects of post-production. There was another editor on staff who handled motion graphics, and I thought what he was creating was super cool. So I started watching After Effects tutorials on YouTube and asking him for pointers. Eventually when he left, I became the motion graphics guy and the rest is history.

Matea Losenegger:

What inspired your decision to freelance full time and how has the transition been going?

Jake Sojcher:

After a few years at my production company job, I felt like I was ready for new challenges and opportunities for growth. I would periodically apply for jobs at larger companies, but felt discouraged when I consistently wouldn’t hear back. Another coworker of mine had gone freelance, and the idea sounded enticing, but I was also afraid of giving up the stability. Things really changed once the pandemic hit. Until then, I was still very much splitting my time between editing and motion design. But once it became hard to shoot videos in person, I started having opportunities to do even more with motion graphics and really leveled up my skills. I also met my wonderful partner, Lyndsey, on Hinge during the pandemic, and we eventually moved in together. Having a partner who had a steady job, and who gave me lots of encouragement, helped make the idea of freelance feel much more feasible. Then I read The Freelance Manifesto by Joey Korenman, and that was the final push I needed. I left my job, and my boss became my first client. Business was pretty slow at first, but I managed to scrape by. By the end of 2022, after many months of emailing and reel-tweaking, I finally started getting booked more consistently. Work can still ping-pong pretty quickly between very busy and very quiet, so I’m still learning to trust the process. I keep reminding myself that the ebb and flow is just part of freelance life. Overall, I’m really enjoying the lifestyle and the freedom to skip the commute and set my own hours. I especially enjoy having more control over my professional destiny, feeling like my efforts can quickly lead to greater opportunities. I’m really excited to see where the coming years take me.

Matea Losenegger:

From animation to drawing music, photography, and video, you have a pretty diverse skillset - is there a particular medium or type of work you would still like to explore?

Jake Sojcher:

Yes! I’m currently working on building up my illustration skills. I’ve been attending a lot of figure drawing sessions and trying to practice almost every day. Considering most of my work is on a computer, it’s nice to switch it up and spend time with good old pencil and paper. But I’m also working on digital illustration with Procreate and Adobe Illustrator as well. Most of the work I’m hired for involves picking apart graphic art provided by clients and bringing it to life. I’ve dabbled in graphic design enough to scrape things together from scratch when I need to, but I am still learning. I definitely want to be able to animate even more of my own original artwork, both for clients and my own personal projects.

*Some characters from Jake’s Crossriver Funding Announcement video.*

Matea Losenegger:

As someone with a lot of creative interests, do you find it important to experiment or create work for fun?

Jake Sojcher:

Oh absolutely! One of the big reasons I wanted to go freelance was to free up more time to work on my own projects. I feel very fortunate to be able to do creative work for a living, but there’s also way more I want to do outside of client work. Personal projects are great for building skills I can use professionally, but also for finding my own fulfillment as an artist. It’s nice to have free reign sometimes to make something weird, epic, or silly, with no directions to follow.

Matea Losenegger:

A lot of your work has a very distinct ethereal aesthetic. What inspired this visual flare and where do you seek inspiration from as a whole?

Jake Sojcher:

First off, I love ethereal sounding dream pop bands like the Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, and Beach House, so that’s definitely a part of it. I’m also influenced by Vaporwave and Cyberpunk inspired art that I see online. I like the use of gritty urban settings decked out with vibrant neon colors. It feels so cinematic with a sense of danger, mystery, and intrigue. I started playing with Photoshop to add a similar flare to photos that I take around the city. Then to take it even further, I started bringing some of my edits to life in After Effects as well.

*Jake has been developing art style that fuses photography and Photoshop to create surreal cityscapes.*

Matea Losenegger:

Do any of your projects stand out as a favorite?

Jake Sojcher:

I made a silly little animation of an octopus riding the subway, which was my first time trying to implement a character I drew into one of my photo edits. I also recently made an animation of my home office setup, where I animated all the stickers on my laptop as well as various elements of my desk. I even composited a screen recording of the After Effects project onto my monitor in the video to get extra meta with it. I think that came out pretty cool, so I’m proud of that one.

Matea Losenegger:

When it comes to client work, what sorts of assignments pique your interest?

Jake Sojcher:

Recently I’ve done a couple projects I’ve enjoyed with an ad agency called Terri & Sandy. One project was for an organization called Strands for Trans. Their mission is to build a network of trans-friendly barber shops and hair salons around the world. It’s nice to do work for a cause that I can see is doing a lot of good. The other project was for Sennheiser, which was cool for me as an audio nerd and a long time fan of their headphones. The ad featured Dee Snider from Twisted Sister. In terms of future projects, I would love to be able to work on more music related graphics. As a big music fan I’d like to work with local bands to create graphics for music videos, animated album covers, or stage projections.

*Dee Snider - Extended Commercial for Sennheiser.*

Matea Losenegger:

What advice would you give to aspiring creatives?

Jake Sojcher:

Don’t underestimate the importance of persistence. It can take a lot of reaching out to people and following up before you hit your stride. Also never stop learning and building up your abilities. You can learn just about anything on YouTube these days. If you have skills to offer, and you keep putting yourself out there eventually people will take notice, even if it takes longer than you initially hoped.

Matea Losenegger:

What are you looking forward to in 2023? Are there any creative endeavors you're excited about?

Jake Sojcher:

I feel like my drawing skills are really starting to come along and I’m excited to find new ways to implement them into my work. I’ve also really started to hit my freelancing stride, so I’m really excited to see where the year takes me.

Mack Garrison 4/17/23 Mack Garrison 4/17/23

Takeover Tuesday Reece Parker

An interview with Reece Parker: self-taught Animation Director and illustrator.

Q&A with Reece Parker.

Read time: 5min

Matea Losenegger:

Hi Reece! Thank you for contributing your time to our Tuesday Takeover series. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your work?

Reece Parker:

Of course! Thanks for having me. I'm Reece, self-taught Animation Director and illustrator. Subscriber to the famed philosophy "fake it til you make it'. My work leans hand drawn with dark color palettes, but I dive into briefs that range the full spectrum of 2D - and love it all. The more corporate, the more bright and poppy. The more Reece, the more scribbly and dark. 2 sides to one coin really.

Outside of work, I'm a husband and dad to 3 beautiful and intelligent children (Not sure if they actually have my DNA). I also grew up skateboarding religiously, which persists as the foundation of my own personal culture. Fail, start again, fall, get up, on and on. These things influence my work consistently.

Matea Losenegger:

You've been well known in this industry for a while now. How much has motion design changed since you started and what are your thoughts on its future?

Reece Parker:

I discovered and jumped into the industry in early 2016. It was a breeding ground of beautiful and inspired work, from every direction you looked. It was perfect for myself (and young artists like me), with an ambition to join the ranks of those considered great in our field. It was a beautiful time looking back. Empty bank account mind you - but a bursting industry and one that accepted me almost right away.

In 2023, it's still full of beautiful work, but you might have to dig a bit deeper to find it. Industry expanding, client deliverables following suit. But close-knit community might be shrinking a bit. That might be my own small perspective as I become more and more my own island. Or, maybe that's the natural progression of things. This industry is fascinating and beautiful, but maybe less curated and served up on a platter. It has certainly been a shifting landscape for the past several months.

Technology is doing its best to shake up working artists at the current point in time. We will see how that progresses, but I for one stand firmly in the "not worried...yet" camp. It's funny, I was just chatting with a legacy artist in our industry, whose work was among the first of which I was exposed to, about how we might be affected and the validity of our industry moving forward. We all share commonalities but have different perspectives.

To summarize my thoughts on that convo:

Real clients that deserve our protection are the ones that value our input and collaboration. Skillsets might be outsourced, but tastes and ideas are best formulated as a team and in collaboration with clients - relationships. This is something that isn't replaced by technology and is actually the most valuable. For clients that wish for cheaper, easier, faster, and shittier - those clients might flock to AI. Great! Let them. They also have to know exactly what it is they want, how many times have you encountered a client with that certainty..? Taste, ideas, expertise, and collaboration stand as powerful pillars in our industry - despite the tools.

I may eat my words, but Im comfortable with that if it comes in the future. Screens are king, and content is not decreasing in demand.

Matea Losenegger:

As an expert in cel, what makes a compelling animation or character movement?

Reece Parker:

I found myself thinking about this the other day in-depth...by myself.

I think that answer might not be so obvious, animation is diverse - and styles range. Once you have an understanding of timing, you can manipulate it, exaggerate it, work in and out of many softwares, and it be equally beautiful completely realistic, or totally unique.

I think what makes great animation is great design. Strong posing. That's how I see it lately.

For cel or characters specifically, understanding how the body moves and how to position it in your animation. Action is formed first in our brains, and that is limited by our comprehension of how a character might react in reality. Then it can be manipulated or stylized appropriately per the creative, but the foundation is based in reality. Our level of comprehension of that reality "makes or breaks" our shots.

Matea Losenegger:

How did you develop your distinct visual style and how do you keep your ideas fresh?

Reece Parker:

My style is an exercise in evolving over time. I started in this industry with what I thought "motion graphics" was, that being clean vector shapes bopping around. Turns out I had only been exposed to a small (but impressive) corner of motion design at that time. I'm glad I was so short-sided, because the foundation of After Effects forward workflows really balanced my lifetime experience of drawing by hand. When the right time for me to be more artistically driven came along (rather than driven purely by survival) I found my hand-drawn roots ready for me to tap right in. That mixed with a new breadth of knowledge of a whole other form of artistry, more graphic and math driven. The combination of the 2 is really where my style lives. My preference might be to scribble on everything, but that's realistically not the right solution for everything - I understand that. My evolution through this industry has allowed me to deliver on "different" expertise' under the 2D umbrella with confidence and vision indiscriminately.

*Still from* Trifilm’s short for Microsoft.

Matea Losenegger:

In a similar vein, do you have any tips on how to combat burnout?

Reece Parker:

Burnout! The dreaded burnout. There's no one size fits all solution here. I have had small symptoms of burnout that I have powered through and left in the dust. Other times it has been more all-consuming. Depending on its severity, my first course is to identify it and try to trace it back to its inception. Might have been a lost pitch that I loved that has a lasting effect I wasn't considering. Could be anything! If It's correctly identified, it's a more seamless path through the tunnel and out the other side. If it's being ignored or unacknowledged, how can we realistically work through it? For me it's not always as simple as "take some time off", my work lives and breaths in my head - on and off the clock. "Taking time" off is only beneficial if I've overcome what's affecting me first.

Matea Losenegger:

On your site you say that "from time to time, I will join a project as an animator or illustrator- if the shoe fits." What about a project entices you into those roles?

Reece Parker:

Working in multiple capacities with clients allows me to be more particular about what I take on. It might be as simple as an awesome brief, don't get me wrong - I love this stuff. If there's something that seems challenging and interesting, then great. Or, It might be a legacy client that has supported me from the start, maybe they are in a bind, or maybe they only see me fitting the job. Great, let's knock it out. Relationships above my own ego, and I'm not in the business of burning those that have been there for me.

That being said, what I find most compelling in my current project landscape are projects that mix leadership and artistry. If I can take one shot, while directing the rest of the shots with an awesome team - I'm very stoked. Put simply, I've found that mix of responsibilities really suits my skillset, and the more I've done it the more clear that has become.

*Shot from the TIMELORD spot for Battleaxe.*

Matea Losenegger:

When pitching for projects, how do you make sure yours stand out in a sea of other amazing studios and artists?

Reece Parker:

I've been pitching like mad! Sometimes we snatch it, sometimes it blows away. It's the nature of the beast. Luckily I'm not completely reliant on pitching, so it's less depressing to be kicked aside. I don't consider myself wholly unique, I just try to be proud of what I present to clients. If I'm not proud of it, I know that there was more I could have poured into it. If I'm proud of it but it goes another way, then I wasn't the artist for the creative. It's really that simple. Stiff competition at the top of the mountain, really really stiff. But Im proud to be considered in those conversations so frequently now. Learning and absorbing all I can.

Matea Losenegger:

What's it like working for a studio like Hornet? What does it mean to be repped by a studio vs working for them as a staff member or freelancer?

Reece Parker:

They are great collaborators, and supportive. We are more intimately collaborative now, more open, and more frequent communication on and off jobs. I'm really excited to be partnered with them and excited about what the future brings.

Outside of that, I work as I always have. My independence is unshakably important to me, so I made sure that was clear in our negotiations. They were and have been supportive through and through.

Being "repped" means that Hornet (in my case, there are many reps) packages up my work and sells it through to their contacts and clients. If there are jobs that come in that feel like they fit my capabilities, they will poke me to see If I'm free and interested. If so, they pair me up with them in their communication and presentation to clients. From there, I champion the vision and creative treatment of the project. Client presentations, team building and expectations, project style and execution, etc. They help me resource the job, schedule it, budget it, communicate with clients, all the things that can be not so-fun solo.

Hornet's reach is as wide as it gets. They also serve a tier of client that Reece Parker as a solo act doesn't reach. They act as my team if we win the project together.

If I win a project solo, and want to bring them in, I also have that ability. Take some of the load off of my plate. But I also have the freedom to tackle it myself, as I have been doing comfortably for many years. Depends on the context rather than one size fits all.

Staff - Im not sure! I've never been staff anywhere but Taco Bell and Costco. Staff artists are there to support jobs that are being directed, and are assigned and scheduled according to their skillset. Hornet also has strong staff artists, that are super super helpful when building out teams in tandem with freelancers or if we can't resource freelance talent for whatever reason.

Freelance - freelancing has a bit more commonality with being repped, and with being staff. You are poked to join a project that is being directed, to fill a need on that production line. That project ends and you join the next team and next project. Instead of jumping to other people's creatives, I find myself more often owning the creative, and trying to source great talent to join me.

Matea Losenegger:

As someone who is revered for their work, is there anything you would like people to know about you outside of your art?

Reece Parker:

The work may be revered, but I don't think Im special. I think the path I've carved may be at least partially unique but also serves as proof of concept for those willing to do the same. LOVE what you do, and keep working at it as a consequence.

Outside of work, I love life. I love my family to death. Wife, kids, parents, siblings, and friends alike. I've been really fortunate, I try to be considerate of that. I love overthinking, analyzing things with Kiara, building things with my dad, and teasing and dancing with my kids. I try to be carefree when it's beneficial to be, and take things seriously that ask for it. It's served me well in life.

I'm a product of independence, my path throughout my life is proof of that. Skateboarding is an individual activity, it's no coincidence that I have remained solo in my eventual career. But I'm not here without the influence and help of so many others. Indirectly or directly from those close to me. Shout out those folks! Much love.

Matea Losenegger:

What does the rest of 2023 look like for you? Are there any projects you're excited about?

Reece Parker:

Some interesting things! I am nearing the end of building out a new warehouse studio. Sort of a dream come true, but so is my current studio honestly. The new endeavor is symbolic of where the business is going, and I wouldn't have invested in it if the business hadn't earned it.

That's something I've really been contemplating. When I was commissioning my shipping container conversion in late 2019, I remember really carefully considering the financial implications of the commitment - mostly just full of anxiety and fear. But I did it because that was what the business deserved at the time. I had those same feelings and reservations about buying my first iMac, as a replacement workstation for my original MacBook that my wife secretly saved for and bought for me to start my career.

It seems so small now in comparison, but those memories serve as a strong example of my commitment to investing back into myself and the business when the time is right. You can feel it, and it's always scary. But the clear lesson is to invest in yourself.

Projects and new things are hush-hush for now, but yes I am excited, and will share more soon! Thanks, Dashers!

Guest User 2/7/22 Guest User 2/7/22

Takeover Tuesday with Liz Galian

An interview with Liz Galian, a freelance designer and illustrator based in Brooklyn.

Q&A with Liz Galian

Read time: 5min

Madison Caprara:

Hi, Liz! Let’s kick off our chat with an introduction to yourself; who are you, what is it that you do, and how did you find yourself where you are today?

Liz Galian:

Hi Madison! I’m a freelance animator and illustrator based in Brooklyn. These days I find myself doing mostly character design and animation, which is a lot of fun for me. As a kid I really loved drawing portraits, so it’s kind of funny that my career meandered me back to that.

Madison Caprara:

What made you want to pursue animation and design as a career? Was there anything specific you saw or experienced, or was it an interest that gradually grew over time?

Liz Galian:

Initially I really just wanted to be an illustrator! My grandfather was an illustrator for a greeting card company and we had his work hanging all over my home growing up. Because of that, I was really privileged to have artistically supportive parents. They encouraged me to go to art school from a very young age, which is so rare. Then, toward the end of my college career I took an animation class on a whim and completely fell in love with it. From there, the more I learned about the motion graphics industry, the more I felt at home there! It’s such an amazing intersection between illustration, design, and animation — and because of that, I get to do the two things I love most without having to choose.

Madison Caprara:

How would you go about describing your signature style or “look”?

Liz Galian:

I’ve always been drawn to really bright, warm colors. These days the style that comes most naturally to me is 2D, graphic, and whimsical. I think a lot of that has to do with how fast projects move in this industry, and the worry that a design will be difficult to animate if it isn’t as simple as possible. I’ve been told that my animating style has a softer flow to it and is usually mistaken as being mostly cel animated (in reality, it’s usually after effects!).

Madison Caprara:

I see that you recently dropped a new reel. It looks great! Are there any particular do's and don't’s that you feel newer creatives and/or students should know before creating and sending a reel out?

Liz Galian:

Thanks so much! The thing I love about reels is that it gets to be a documentation of a few years of your life and your work, where you get to see how much you’ve grown. Every time I post a new reel, it feels like a little celebration. I would say the biggest piece of advice to someone just starting out, is to use their reel as an opportunity to curate what they’re most proud of and experiment with how you can best showcase it. There aren’t any hard and fast rules for what music to use, what aspect ratio it needs to be in, how fast the cuts are, etc. I would say just keep it under a minute and fifteen seconds, and don’t steal other people’s work (obviously) — but beyond that, make it your own and have fun with it!.

Madison Caprara:

What kinds of projects are you currently working on and which has been your favorite so far?

Liz Galian:

My last big project was my reel, so now I’m taking a breather before I dive back into personal projects. This year I want to put more of an emphasis on the illustration side of my art practice, which I think takes a bit of a back seat to the animation side in my day-to-day life. I’ve been working on a deck of Tarot cards in my free time, so I think that might become the first side project I get serious about finishing!

My favorite project I’ve done so far is actually a smaller one I did with Mailchimp in 2020. I had the space to explore a new workflow I hadn’t used before, where I made draft animations in after effects and then traced over them in photoshop. This let me figure out the beats of each animation really quickly, and then invest most of my time in really playing with the line quality I could get out of the really gorgeous photoshop brushes Mailchimp uses. Usually when I cel animate, I do the entire project in one program and had never really given myself permission to mix AE animation with cel animation. That project showed me that every project calls for a new way of execution, and that there’s really no wrong way to get things done.

Madison Caprara:

We’re coming up on two years of living in this pandemic-ruled world–which is crazy to me. Has your life (and work) changed drastically in that period of time?

Liz Galian:

Definitely, but for the better I think! I was already doing a little bit of remote freelancing before the pandemic, mostly when I was art directing with an all-female studio in South Africa called Batch. At the time I remember wishing that more studios were open to working with people remotely, as a lot of studios and artists I really admired and wanted to work with were on the other side of the US. The new work-from-home norm over the past two years has made it possible for me to make new relationships with amazing people I never would have been able to work with, which I’m so thankful for.

The pandemic also made me take a hard look at how little I prioritized my personal life and my health. I started exercising and spending more time with my friends and family, saying no to jobs that asked for too much, and giving myself more grace when I was tired or burnt out. Its caused a big shift in me as a person. Unexpectedly, I think my work has also gotten better because of it.

Madison Caprara:

What practices did you implement to keep your sanity?

Liz Galian:

I’m really into puzzles, so that’s kept me sane! I try to do a little sudoku or a crossword every day, though those have taken a back seat lately to Wordle. I’m also a big book worm, so not having to travel to work every day gives me time to have my coffee and read a chapter or two before I start work in the morning. My favorite thing I’ve read so far during the pandemic is “Understanding Comics” by Scott McCloud. It weirdly helped me learn a lot about pacing in storytelling and all of the visual ways that you can communicate it. I highly recommend it for anyone who animates (or is into comics!)

Madison Caprara:

In your opinion, for someone aspiring to be an animator, how much knowledge outside of animating is required? Can someone who has more of a fine art background make it, or is a higher technical knowledge needed early on?

Liz Galian:

I’m biased because I went into art school not knowing what Adobe was, how to open photoshop, or how animation worked at all. I think like anything, animation is a skill that comes with years of practice, and if you decide to put the hours in, no matter where you start and what background you come from, you’ll get good at it. Nobody is inherently highly skilled at anything on their first try, so the only barrier anyone can face at a skill they want is whether or not they want it badly enough to keep practicing. The internet has endless resources and the animation community is really welcoming and helpful!

Madison Caprara:

On the flip side, what about those more traditional art skills? For someone who wants to be an animator, how important is it for them to have drawing skills?

Liz Galian:

I think it depends on the kind of animation you want to do. If you’re interested in cel animation, drawing is a skill you might want to invest time in. If you’re interesting in more traditional mograph-y styles and after effects heavy animation, I don’t think having drawing skills is necessary.

There are so many animators who aren’t illustrators, and they still make amazing work! A lot of studios have animators and illustrators on separate teams, so the animators are receiving the artwork that’s already been made and animating from there. There are so many pockets in this industry with different needs, so not having drawing skills isn’t a make-or-break for your career. On the flip side though, if you want to start drawing there are so many resources online that can help. School of Motion, Skillshare, and Youtube are full of classes and tutorials that will give you tips and tricks. In pre-pandemic days, most local colleges and community arts centers offered life drawing classes (usually low commitment weekend ones for fun!), so if you have that as an available resource I’d recommend giving that a shot as well!

Madison Caprara:

Where do you go for inspiration when you find yourself in a creative rut?

Liz Galian:

When I’m feeling a little creatively lost or when I’m burnt out, I go for a walk through The Met. It’s so big that I’m convinced that there are corners of it that I haven’t walked through yet, and I can always find a collection in there that I haven’t seen yet that will spark an idea. It’s also just really calming and meditative to spend a quiet afternoon there with no expectations and see what catches your eye naturally.

Madison Caprara:

Is there anything, in particular, you would like to end the interview with?

Liz Galian:

I feel like a lot of what we’ve been talking about how and where best to start if you want to be an animator. When I was starting out, I wish that someone had told me to be braver and reach out to people who’s work I admired and ask more questions. People in this industry are so incredibly kind and generous with their advice and with their time, and everyone wants to see everyone else succeed. So I’d encourage students and people just starting their career to ask questions, be open to learning new things, and remember that everything comes in time!

Guest User 1/18/22 Guest User 1/18/22

Takeover Tuesday with Leo Franchi

An interview with Leo Franchi, a Designer and 2D Animator based in Patagonia, Argentina.

Q&A with Leo Franchi

Read time: 5min

Madison Caprara:

Hey, Leo! Let’s start off with an introduction to yourself! What is it that you specialize in? How did you get started in design and animation?

Leo Franchi:

First of all, thank you for having me on this series! I really enjoy reading these interviews every Tuesday!

My name is Leo Franchi and I am a Designer and 2D Animator based in Argentina. I specialize in mixed media using collage, cutouts, and textures. I studied Visual Communication Design at UNLP’s Fine Arts College, one of the most important universities here in Argentina. Possibly many animators started in a similar way, but I began animating as s a kid; giving my drawings small movements frame by frame, making my characters blink or move their hands with two or three drawings.

The third year of my degree was a game-changer. We analyzed a ton of different film title sequences. We also had assistant professors working in the industry showing us amazing animated pieces. I have to say that I didn’t study animation in depth at university, but the processes to resolve any visual communication problem that I learned there are key for me now in producing any motion graphics pieces. There were a few of us who decided to explore this field for our thesis during the fifth year of the degree. The first half of it was dedicated to the theoretical side, and the latter to the practical. Since I always enjoyed branding, I decided to work on a piece for a TV Channel called “Canal (a)”, which specializes in arts and culture. This first animation project was a great experience in which I experimented with animated inks and textures. I remember we had to learn to use After Effects from scratch because it’s not taught at university, you had to learn it by yourself.

Madison Caprara:

For those who may be unfamiliar, how would you describe your work and signature style?

Leo Franchi:

I think my work falls between digital and analog. I like to create cutouts with scissors and other tools, then scan and animate them on my computer. I use Photoshop and After Effects in a way that emphasizes this approach, so the final result is a digital piece with an analog/tangible feel. Also, during this process, I discovered the power of the negative space and counter form. If you cut out a circle from a piece of paper you end up with two shapes, the positive, being the circle itself, and the negative. On the other hand, if you do it on the computer, you end with just the circle.

Madison Caprara:

Now, you spoke a little about your university experience. After graduating, what was your first “official” job or client?

Leo Franchi:

My first job was in a branding studio. As I said before, I really enjoy designing logos and brand systems. Although it wasn’t an animation studio, I was able to introduce the concept of movement in some projects and in all presentations with clients. I believe there is a very close connection between cutting out something from a piece of paper and designing a logo. You have to create something simple and highlight features that immediately identify an element or concept.

Madison Caprara:

When looking back over the span of your entire career, who has been your favorite client to work with?

Leo Franchi:

I think it is better to work with a good team rather than a specific client. Betting on good teamwork has opened all the doors since I started in this field. In my opinion, team spirit is the all-important element. If you're working in a certain studio and someone stays to work a little longer to finish up a project task, if you can, stay with them and share the work.

If I had to name one, I would say the rebranding of the Cooking Channel I teamed up with Elevation for. It’s one of the few projects where I could add brand concepts into the movements. When something moves from A to B, it does it with the action we make when cooking: chopping, slicing, mixing, twisting the pepper mill, etc. I’ll always be grateful to Elevation and Cooking Channel for the freedom they gave me on this project.

*Cooking Channel - Refresh*, 2017. Leo Franchi.

Madison Caprara:

When you are accepting these projects are there any “red flags”, or even, “green flags” you look out for?

Leo Franchi:

I have worked on all kinds of projects, from 3D animation to compositions in Nuke. On my site, however, I only show work I enjoy doing. Clients and studios usually call me for the type of projects I put out there. It’s an important filter.

That being said, for me, a green flag would be the opportunity to work on both design and animation in the same project. I love doing collaborative projects every year, this is definitely a green flag as well. Red flag: 3D animation and projects with a lot of flares and lights interspersed.

Madison Caprara:

Moving on to your creative process, is there anything particularly unique about it? How do you go about kicking off a project? What materials do you use?

Leo Franchi:

If I’m designing the project, I make cutouts with scissors and other tools then scan and animate them on my computer. I use Photoshop and After Effects in a way that emphasizes this approach, so that the final result is a digital piece with an analog/tangible feel. When I’m cutting these paper shapes with the pen tool in Photoshop, I use tons of nodes to keep those irregularities that appear on paper or cardboard when cutting with scissors.

Madison Caprara:

How do you initially choose a direction?

Leo Franchi:

As I said before, it’s easy for me now because I only show on my site what I like doing. So, if a studio is working with a direction similar to my style, they usually call me directly.

Madison Caprara:

You recently participated in a fun collaborative project with Coat of Arms. Tell us a bit about the cookbook! How many people were involved? What was your role?

Leo Franchi:

COA’s cookbook was an amazing collaborative project! It’s full of contributions by artists they have worked with since founding their studio more than 10 years ago. The recipes represent different cultures, countries, and family traditions from all over the world. Each collaborator provided a recipe and an illustration, a high-quality photo, or a collage of their recipe. There were around 33 artists who contributed. I collaborated with the ‘Alfajores de Maicena’ (Cornstarch Alfajor) recipe, a classic in Argentina and a journey back to my childhood.

Madison Caprara:

I love to see these collaborative projects that bring artists from all over the globe together!

Moving on to some of your personal pieces, your short film, Supervielle, won quite a few awards. Tell us about it! How did the initial idea come to fruition?

Leo Franchi:

I will always be thankful for taking the time to make this abstract experimentation. The truth is that I had nothing planned. It came about while I was working and listening to instrumental music. This song from an Uruguayan musician, Luciano Supervielle, played, and suddenly my mind started to imagine shapes in motion. We have all the tools to make a short film, and that opens up a whole new world for us animators. A world different from our industry…the amazing world of film festivals.

I have to say that it wasn’t easy. For most of the festivals in which I was competing, I was considered to belong in the ‘experimental’ category. Most of the others were character-driven short films. So, for an abstract piece, it was difficult. I hope there will be more festivals dedicated to abstract animation, as when you find and participate in one, everything you have worked for makes sense.

Madison Caprara:

Where do you find yourself going for inspiration when in a creative rut? Is there a particular site, creative, or even a singular piece?

Leo Franchi:

I think I get my inspiration from the outdoors and nature. I live in Patagonia, a beautiful natural environment surrounded by mountains and lakes. Just going out for a short hike turns all of my senses on. You’re looking at things, hearing things, smelling, touching rocks, and plants. Honestly, I have had many opportunities to go and work abroad, but this environment is the reason why I still remain here; who knows what the future holds!

Supervielle, 2018. Leo Franchi.

Madison Caprara:

What are some hobbies or activities you do that aren’t physically animation but help you be a better animator?

Leo Franchi:

Hiking! I always carry a small notebook and many solutions to different problems or new ideas have emerged while I’m out hiking.

Madison Caprara:

Should’ve guessed that!

Well, we’re reaching the tail end of our conversation, Leo. Before we say our goodbyes, is there anything in particular that you would like to end this interview on?

Leo Franchi:

Thank you again for the invitation! I want to end the interview by saying something positive about the pandemic; I was able to find the time to plan and organize my online shop which will see the light of day soon. It's something I've always wanted and have never had time to set up.

Guest User 1/11/22 Guest User 1/11/22

Takeover Tuesday with Kristina Sharabinskaia

An interview with Kristina Sharabinskaia, a Motion Graphics Designer and Concept Illustrator at The Mill.

Q&A with Kristina Sharabinskaia
Read time: 8min

*duck Pond*, 2021. Kristina Sharabinskaia.

Madison Caprara:

Hi, Kristina! If you don’t mind, let’s start the interview with an introduction to yourself. Who are you, what do you do, and how did you find yourself in the current position that you are?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

I’m Kristina Sharabinskaia! I am a Junior Designer at The Mill. My role in the company is to storyboard, design concepts, and illustrate for motion. It's a fun job! I personally am not fond of animating things, this works well so that I don’t need to. I’m originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. I think the biggest reason why I’ve ended up in motion design is that my experiences in international schooling encouraged me to look for an escape through art.

When I was 12, I was sent abroad to England. At the time, I didn’t know English so art was something that allowed me to be busy while not speaking to people. I was that one student who draws during classes instead of paying attention. On the side, I used to go to fine art curriculums which helped me to get the principles of design down. So I took off to high school wanting to “draw cartoons,” and eventually got into college.

At SCAD, my major was Motion Media Design, and because I am an international student, ICE requires me to work in a major-related field. After graduation, I landed a few jobs as a freelancer for Scholar and State Design, however, I needed something more full-time. An HR rep from the Mill Chicago reached out to me and asked if I would be willing to work for the Mill. During the first go-around they found out that my visa was expiring soon, so they retracted the offer. A week later I saw through an old contact, Stephen Winters, an HR rep for the Mill NY, that they were hiring the same position. I DM’d him letting him know that I was interested. When I applied he vouched for me, and after three interviews, I got the job! This second time around, they looked a bit deeper into my visa situation and realized that I could extend it for another two years, so we’re good now.

Madison Caprara:

From eye-catching motion graphics to stylish designs and illustrations, your work is channeled in a variety of ways, yet still holds a pretty distinct style. How would you go about defining it?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

My personal work explores redefining dimension. I like to play around with different scales of objects to reinforce the effect of a deformed reality. The end result is this surreal, imaginary dimension. I normally go about the process half-intuitively; I have an idea in my head of what I want to create and I vaguely sketch it out. After, I gather a lot of references based on the sketch and start drawing while copying aspects of my mood board. I then choose a style direction and use it as a guide for creating my artwork. In the end, I might apply some patterns, change the initial idea, or even evolve it into something else entirely. I often refer back to the color theory and the rules of composition. These make my decisions not so intuitive, but rather practical to reinforce the most interesting illustration that creates a new realm; bending rules of physics and logic, while still looking pleasing to the eye.

Madison Caprara:

You’re a recent university grad. Congratulations! How was your experience at SCAD?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

Thanks! Tough question. I don’t know how much I can talk about it, but in a few words, it's a great school to connect, network, and find jobs. After all, the only reason I’m here in the epicenter of the motion graphic industry is because of SCAD's relationship with others within the creative world. They throw a career fair every year specifically for motion graphic students, so you can really network. There are so many cool resources, like a swimming pool, gym with real instructors, and even free late-night cabs from campus to your house. They host festivals where you meet celebrities and student shows exhibiting their works. SCAD definitely appeals to the masses.

There are, however, some downsides that you couldn’t imagine being there until you become a SCAD Bee. SCAD doesn't offer enough support for students. The student body has been asking for an increase in mental health services and altering tuition fees since the pandemic began. Other changes to be had are allowing plus-sized models to be cast in fashion shows, providing funding for student clubs, and softening absence rules. It just felt like the school didn’t necessarily do anything for students that didn’t benefit them cost-wise. Even when suicide rates skyrocketed, there was no change in the way SCAD handled the issue. Most of the university, if not all of it, is a big marketing scheme; a business, a modern-day “nonprofit” corporation. So by entering this academic community, you agree to be a part of the show.

With all of this being said, this money-hungry infrastructure benefits graduates. There are so many job opportunities and perks that come from this agreement after you have graduated from this nightmare. It’s a win that comes at the cost of students’ mental well-being, creative blocks, and countless sleepless nights.

Madison Caprara:

That’s disappointing to hear, and an issue many who have chosen the more “traditional” path of education are being forced to make peace with when the realization strikes that these large entities really don’t care about the individual.

Madison Caprara:

Now, do you have any tidbits of advice for students who may be thinking about entering the motion design world?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

I feel like you really need to understand what it is about before entering it. Figure out what exactly you want to do as your job. Try to reach out to some people in the industry, invite them for a coffee, or even email them to ask questions. If they’re not busy, they will be happy to get back to you. Most of us professionals are happy to connect, even through email. But don’t frown if a person doesn’t get to you, I’m sure they feel bad for not doing so.

Madison Caprara:

If you had to choose one creative collaborator for an important project, who would you count on?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

When I had initially started working at a Scholar, my guide from the start was Madison Ellis. She worked as an Art Director for my first Taco Bell project. Madison was incredibly positive and encouraging. She had also graduated from SCAD two years before I did. We hit it off right from the start. She is a talented director and her feedback helped to improve my work by miles. In the end, she would always ask if you were happy with your result. It really showed how much she would listen when solving creative problems together. I’ve never actually met her in person, but her memes would always crack me up and make my day!

Madison Caprara:

What do you believe are some of the benefits of working with colleagues as opposed to going at it alone?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

Working with other creatives helps me keep myself accountable for meeting deadlines and the precision of my work. Processes like brainstorming and overcoming creative blocks as a team are easier as opposed to facing the struggle alone. Your capacity of work goes down when with colleagues because you're not made to wear multiple hats. So yeah, I love teamwork! It’s efficient, fun, and your opportunities to come up with ideas are expanded with multiple points of view.

Madison Caprara:

You’ve worked with some top-tier studios: Scholar, State Design, and as you said, you are currently working at The Mill. How have those experiences been for you?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

Everything I have expected and, at the same time, very different. I had a good understanding that the motion industry had a certain structure of work: the advertising agency sends a script, then you pitch to the agency. If you win, you first would start with mood boards, gathering references, creating style frames, and sharing the overall vision of the project. After the client’s approval, you move to animation. Normally, designers would work almost simultaneously with animators and slowly connect all the pieces of the puzzle together. Art and creative directors oversee the project, share notes with the clients and the team while keeping everyone on schedule. This pretty much sums up the process.

Studios like to keep a similar routine and follow a similar creative process, despite the size of the company. So I found myself fitting into the routine easily. The transition began after I gained more experience with different studios. I found that people had a huge impact on the energy in the company. If there was a micromanaging producer, it would impact the speed of communication. If a creative director is stressed about the project, it would cause the whole team to be nervous too. It’s never really about business and money, but the time you get to know your colleagues as people, not employees. I learned to appreciate a good afternoon of laughter and discussion of new Netflix shows.

Madison Caprara:

That’s a great takeaway. Humans really are at the heart of every company.

Madison Caprara:

With your history of landing work at various reputable studios, what is your opinion on showreels vs. individual clips when landing a gig? In your experience, which should be prioritized?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

I mean, you need both. I’ve gone to college fairs and other opportunities to land gigs with both ready to show, and STILL wouldn't end up nailing an internship. My friends did, though, in some instances. So, I’d say it’s helpful to have them, but they’re not a guarantee to magically find work. Sometimes all that matters is networking and knowing the right people to be the applicant who lands the job.

Madison Caprara:

Do you have an all-time favorite project that you have worked on?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

I haven’t been in the industry for long enough to fall in love with a specific project, yet. Most of the time the ideas get so diversified and changed throughout, that you can barely take credit for your own input. I guess I have an idea for a perfect project where I would be an art director for the project, and so far those have been social media pieces for Instagram during my free time. If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be an illustration for a podcast cover I did a year ago called “Empathy Bro”. I really liked it because the host of the podcast was a small business owner, and the process of working with her was more to the ground and personal. We would facetime each other, I’d film myself sketching ideas, and we’d brainstorm together.

Madison Caprara:

In your opinion, what are some of the current visual trends motion designers should be focusing on?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

A mix of 2D and 3D has a certain appeal. The combination of the different stylistic approaches uplift art to be more unique, and being unique is always something people look out for when trying to find inspiration.

Madison Caprara:

What is your favorite thing about working in motion design? Are there any misconceptions that come with being a designer?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

Yes. One thing in particular that I wasn’t necessarily surprised to find out was truthful but confirmed what I’ve heard before from many teachers and designers in motion. When you create something in a group of people, not all of your ideas get heard or even executed. Sometimes I would spend weeks designing characters for an environment, but in the end, the idea just ends up dusting away on a cloud. And sometimes it’s hard not to take it personally, but it’s work, there is always tomorrow.

Madison Caprara:

Where do you get inspiration from when creating this work?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

Pinterest, mostly. And Netflix’s Arcane: League of Legends. But I intensively follow artists I like and get inspired by their work. A few of the great ones in motion design are Ori Toor, Sarah Beth Morgan, Rune Fisker...Their work is unified by bright colors and the appeal to animation, meaning their work looks like it could move.

My personal art style is just a repetition of other artists’ work. I pick the inspiration, mix, match, and imitate. In the end, it still comes out differently, even though almost none of my ideas are mine in the beginning. References rule!

Madison Caprara:

I love the self-awareness, Kristina! It’s really refreshing!

We’re reaching the end of our time together, unfortunately. Is there anything in particular that you would like to touch on before we go?

Kristina Sharabinskaia:

Yes! I’d like to end with a piece of wisdom for fresh talent. There is nothing wrong with promoting your work on social media. For me, my presence on socials has helped me to make a lot of friends in the industry as well as to find work and even be discovered. Marketing my Instagram and Behance, and posting projects on Linkedin played out very well for me. After all, I got my art on a beer can because of social media!

Guest User 9/12/21 Guest User 9/12/21

Interview with Dash Bash Speaker, Kaye Vassey

From films to comic strips to video games, Kaye Vassey has done it all.

Cory Livengood, dash’s Co-Founder and Creative Director, sat down with Kaye to discuss both her professional and personal journey.

Q&A with Kaye Vassey
Read time: 15 min

“it was lightning in a bottle. I knew that it was a great game. I knew that the art was cool and that the style was awesome, it just needed to find the audience. (fortnite)”

Cory Livengood:

I have Kaye Vassey here with me today. She is a twenty-one-year veteran of the feature animation, games, and comics industries, where she has worked on film franchises such as Shrek, Madagascar, and the How to Train Your Dragon series. Currently, she is a Lead Technical Animator at Epic Games and was an artistic leader on the hugely successful game, Fortnite.

Cory Livengood:

I think the best place to start, Kaye, is by just telling us a little about yourself, and how you got into the animation industry.

Kaye Vassey:

Sure.

Cory Livengood:

Eventually leading to Epic Games.

Kaye Vassey:

I decided when I was around 11 or 12 years old that I wanted to either be...Well, I wanted to do three things. I wanted to do animation, and that was based on a trip to Disney World. At the time they were taking retired animators who had worked for the studio, they put them outside of one of the art stores in Main Street, USA as soon as you enter the park. I had stopped at this guy's table, and he drew for me. I found out he was an animator on Lady and the Tramp. I was like, "Oh, my God, wait, you can do art and have it be alive. That's crazy." From that point on, I want to do animation.

But, I also loved video games. I didn't necessarily want to make them at the time, but I loved gaming, computers, and all that sort of nerdy stuff. This was around the same time that I had a Nintendo Entertainment System.

Cory Livengood:

I was going to ask, were you a computer gamer or a console gamer?

Kaye Vassey:

I started on an Atari 2600, it was right in the middle of the Pac-Man craze and I loved arcades. I still have the memories of going as a kid, that was a huge draw. So yeah, 2600, and then got the Nintendo Entertainment System, the NES. That really sealed the deal as far as gaming for me.

I also wanted to do comics, so I had these three interests and I decided then that they were what I wanted to do with my life. I had been drawing for a long time, art was just one of my hobbies. Then, of course, going through public school in South Carolina, it's like every person you face, you tell them, "Oh, I want to be an animator." They're like, "Okay, yeah, that's great but you need a backup plan." I've heard about the backup plan from every adult through college.

Cory Livengood:

What was your backup plan?

Kaye Vassey:

I was going to do graphic design and illustration. I leaned more towards an illustrator than a fine artist. I was in the camp that considered Norman Rockwell an artist as opposed to an illustrator, the commercial art which was frowned upon. So that was my backup plan: graphic design, illustration, motion graphics.

My intro to art was through my grandfather. He was a plumber by trade. He would come home for lunches and draw for me. Once he retired, he and I would just do art a lot of days, especially in the summer when I would stay at their house while I was out of school. We would just do art most days, we’d go in their basement and paint or draw and try to improve. It was a shared hobby that my grandfather and I had, which cemented everything when it came to choosing art as a career.

Kaye Vassey:

So, I made it through high school, having enrolled in AP art and music. Then, college was a bit of a kerfuffle. I had gotten a full scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York, but part of that scholarship was to begin at their Savannah Campus in Georgia for two years, then transfer to NYC to learn illustration. I was like, "absolutely!"

I had been accepted to Cal Arts, Ringling, RISD, Chicago, and all the major schools but couldn't afford them, so this was my solution. On Valentine's Day of my senior year, the guidance counselor called to tell me that SCAD had a pending lawsuit and so the Savannah Campus for the School of Visual Arts was closing its doors. They weren't allowed to take any more students. Sorry, thanks for playing.

Cory Livengood:

Oh, wow. Just like that?

Kaye Vassey:

Yeah. If you look it up online you can still find a little bit of the story. The only option I had was the University of Georgia. I went there for graphic design for a year, transferred back to Clemson in South Carolina, then told Clemson, "Listen, you have a small art department, and here's what I want to do: animation." I went through the entire course catalog and built my own degree. They were like, "okay, cool."

Cory Livengood:

That's great.

Kaye Vassey:

Yeah! I did a one-minute, traditionally animated short film as my senior project. Then came Disney, and that's where I got my first job doing motion graphics.

There were other jobs in-between, of course. I did a lot of menu design work for Denny's. Their HQ is in my hometown, so I did some graphic design there, mainly their different donation campaigns. There's always a box at the register to donate money to, I designed those. But ultimately, I ended up at Disney in the back lot doing motion graphics, animation, after effects, and wire removal for the TV shows they were shooting in Florida. Eventually, I figured out that I couldn't actually draw and started learning how to.

Cory Livengood:

Interesting.

“you can't stop learning. you have to always be willing to learn something new to stay in your career.”

Kaye Vassey:

The pond got much bigger and so it was like...

Cory Livengood:

Yeah, that's still happening.

Kaye Vassey:

Well, the internet makes it infinitely big. Right?

But yeah, it was a much bigger pond. Once I finally accomplished that goal, Disney was moving into 3D animation. While I was in college, I had taken computer science classes and weaseled my way into the labs that had animation software. The campus had an SGI computer with Wavefront and Power Animator which I got access to over the summers. It would be like 100 outside and the lab would be at 60 degrees. I would carry winter coats in there and animate in Alias PowerAnimator.

Cory Livengood:

I wanted to ask you about how you started so clearly with this comic art illustration, and now you're in technical animation. You deal with more of the code and the computer software. How did that transition occur?

Kaye Vassey:

Once Disney started moving toward computer animation, I got one traditional film under my belt--the Eight Crazy Nights film. That was with everybody who had been laid off or wasn't able to work at Disney because they were scaling down and trying to teach all the animators how to use Maya at the time. A lot left and went to Chicago for Big Idea Productions to work on the VeggieTales movie. It was their first. I got pulled along, dropped into a technical role, and started writing code and making tools. I was a render Wrangler/Render TD. Basically, in today's film industry, that role would have been an animation lighting TD. We were doing the final frames.

Kaye Vassey:

We made sure that everything was working, and went in to fix anything that wasn't. I ended up doing that for their film, and because of the advancements we made with Maya, it got noticed by Alias who was the company at the time that was making Maya up before it got bought by Autodesk. Through knowing people there, I ended up at DreamWorks. So, at DreamWorks, I started in clothing and finaling which was new in the industry. Now everybody has a clothing department called character effects.

Cory Livengood:

Gotcha. So that's like fabric simulation and things like that?

Kaye Vassey:

Yep. Fabric, hair, any type of skin simulation. For example, Shrek would touch his cheek and you would need it to deform. Animators don't have the controls for that, so we would go in after they did their work and do the in-betweens if you will. While handling that, my technical knowledge got to the point where they asked me to do effects. I ended up working on the first Madagascar film as well as Shrek 3. That was more of the fire, rain, water, smoke, dust, debris, and explosions.

Screen Shot 2021-09-09 at 12.37.42 PM.png

Cory Livengood:

It seems like you found yourself being thrown into a lot of these situations, trial by fire.

Kaye Vassey:

Oh, absolutely, and learning along the way. That’s the thing, you can't stop learning. You have to always be willing to learn something new to stay in your career.

It just so happened that on Madagascar, the animation department was backed up, and we realized that some characters had not been animated in two of the zoo shots. So I animated the characters because the shots had to get done. After, they moved me into crowd and secondary character animation, which is where I eventually became a department head and supervisor for quite a few films.

Kaye Vassey:

I did that for 11 years, then I could tell that the industry was moving to India and Vancouver. Things were slowing down and the filmmaking process was getting a little out of hand. When you make a live-action piece or film, there's such a thing as coverage, right? You get all of your coverage, then what you end up cutting isn’t a big deal. You end up leaving a lot on the "cutting room floor." However, with animation, you have to start in the opposite direction. You pre-plan as much as you possibly can, because of the amount of time it takes to get characters made, animated, rendered, lit, the entire process. It's not as easy as shooting coverage.

Cory Livengood:

Cutting something after all that work is a huge waste.

“there's a lot of education and elevation that has to happen...when you come out. the question is, is that company willing to push for it, are they willing to put the time in to make their space safe for individuals of all groups?”

Kaye Vassey:

Right, and we were getting directors there toward the end that were cutting fully lit sequences that had been rendered. I could see the writing on the wall. Things were out of hand and it was going to get rough.

Cory Livengood:

So did you know at that point that video games were the next pivot, or was that also a surprise to you?

Kaye Vassey:

Well, that's where the backup plan comes in, right? As much as I hated that adult who pushed that idea back in the day, it has saved me quite a bit.

A lot of it plays on the environment that things are happening in. My daughter was born in Silicon Valley, my son as well, but the day that she was born was also the release of the first iPhone. I was literally in the hospital looking down at the Apple store in Burlingame, where they were opening for the first line of customers. I vividly remember being like, "I want to get down there, but…”

Cory Livengood:

You had important things to do.

Kaye Vassey:

Exactly. Things are happening here. So all of a sudden, there were these things called apps, they had an ecosystem, and tech began moving in that direction. Once I figured out you could make games for the iPhone, that's what I started doing at night as a side hobby. I ended up playing Gears of War and noticed that the studio credited was in Raleigh. I went on a deep dive and started figuring out who Epic was. I began connecting with people on LinkedIn back when LinkedIn was young.

Kaye Vassey:

When you got a connection on LinkedIn, it was like, "Whoa, a connection? Who is this person?" Now, you’ll sift through 200 requests a day. So, we ended up trading tours back and forth, they would come out for GDC, and to see DreamWorks, or I would be in LA supervising and they would come for E3. Then when I came home for holidays, I would ride up to Raleigh and check out their studio.

When it was time, I was like, "Hey, I think I'm ready to do this. Let's see if I can move over to Epic because things are looking kind of rough here." It was not an easy task. The games industry is different than film. In film, you have a lot of proprietary software like with Pixar, DreamWorks, Disney. So when you have a hire, you don't necessarily expect them to know your software.

Cory Livengood:

Right. The skills aren't always transferred like that.

Kaye Vassey:

No. Your knowledge is great, but it takes you about six months to learn the proprietary pipeline and figure out how you effectively use the new tools that I had never seen before. Games are different. They’re pretty much off the shelf, except for the engine. Now, of course, we democratized game engines with Unreal.

Cory Livengood:

Oh, yeah. Certainly.

Kaye Vassey:

That's a different story now because the environment has changed.

Cory Livengood:

That's the thing, a lot of people in the current generation realize that Epic is now so synonymous with Fortnite that it's like, “Oh, by the way, half the other games you've ever played are running software on Epic software.” Right?

Kaye Vassey:

And that's the thing. At the time, I had to test four times to get into the games industry. They basically send tests to prove that you're good enough. Epic was still at the level where they were only hiring senior-level artists. I mean, I'm coming from this area where we hire students out of college and train them because we believe in career advancement, and Epic was like, "You better be a badass." I was like, "I don't know how to be a badass, but all right."

Cory Livengood:

“I'll keep trying.”

Kaye Vassey:

I tested four times and finally got in and that was the start of it. As soon as I got into Epic, I went in and I was like, "So when are dailies?" They didn’t know what dailies were, I had to ask who was going to review my work. They were like, "You are. Just put it in the game and if somebody doesn't like it, they'll come to tell you." It was a completely different mentality. Now Epic is a well-oiled machine

Cory Livengood:

Certainly. Certainly.

Kaye Vassey:

So at the time, they put me on this little game called Fortnite with a very small team. I was the only technical animator on the game and took it all the way to fruition to what you see now.

Cory Livengood:

Can you talk a little bit about what it means to be a technical animator? What is the day-to-day that goes behind that title?

Kaye Vassey:

Yeah, and just for clarity, in film it's called rigging. You have a character rigger or a character TD, and that's generally their main job. What that entails is that you think of a 3D character as a puppet, then you as a rigger are articulating that puppet. You’re putting the bones and the controls in so that the animator can give the performance that they want.

In games, it's slightly different. Especially at Epic, and especially on Fortnite, because technically animation goes beyond just doing that. That's one facet of the job, it's also more like the character effects department that I was talking about earlier. We handle simulation, clothing, hair, physics, basically all the cool stuff that brings that extra layer of life to the characters, props, weapons, vehicles, etc. So, animation is much more. It’s a hybrid art technical role that is much more than rigging. Was that a good explanation?

Cory Livengood:

Yeah, that's perfect. So when you started with Fortnite, it sounded more like an afterthought. Now it has become this worldwide phenomenon.

Kaye Vassey:

Yeah, it was a small team that had been going in on various game jams for a while. It was overshadowed by Paragon, which was a larger game with deadlines. We were making the portion of the game that became Save the World. Then at one point after the release of Save the World, there was another team that worked on the PVP side of things. In helping them get the characters ready and troubleshooting for them, we built the bones that became Battle Royale.

Cory Livengood:

When we spoke the other day, you mentioned a moment that was sort of a make or break, could you recount that again? As I recall, there was this moment of, “Hey, if you can stick with this team and make this work, great, if it doesn't work, you're out.” Is that accurate?

Kaye Vassey:

I was the only technical animator on the entire game, so I brought on a junior hire to help. I built the team, to a large degree, before leaving the game. This was my first hire on this project, my first direct report on the game, and they were a junior.

It was up to me to train and make them effective, and if they came in and didn't accomplish things, in the eyes of the company, it wasn’t going to be good for me. It was make or break at that point.

Kaye Vassey:

The thing is, at DreamWorks, I had helped a lot with what we call the FX Challenge. That’s a curriculum and classes for graduating college students to come in and learn how to be VFX artists. They’d take the classes, learn our proprietary pipeline, work on shots and low-level effects, and we wouldn’t let any of them go. We trained them so well. I'm still connected with most of those students who have been at DreamWorks and Pixar and everywhere else for years now. I really believe that it’s an important aspect of hiring, growing your company, and growing artists in the world. Right?

Cory Livengood:

Yeah.

Screen Shot 2021-09-09 at 12.38.49 PM.png

Kaye Vassey:

So that's what I did with this person. They're now leading the technical animation team on Fortnite.

Cory Livengood:

Excellent. Is it a pretty collaborative team environment or more focused on individual assignments?

Kaye Vassey:

Back when I was running the team, it was really collaborative. I can't speak to now very well, especially with working from home through the pandemic.

Kaye Vassey:

But at that time, yeah! The office was set up as a large room with desks. Everybody would talk and look at what everybody else was working on. It became one great collaboration. The way I would run dailies, during the meeting, everybody would be there. Anytime there was a problem, it was always best idea wins. Anybody that had a thought about, “Maybe you should try this...,” put it out there. It was collaborative from the get-go.

Cory Livengood:

Did you ever expect Fortnite to become as successful as it is now?

Kaye Vassey:

I don’t think anyone could predict that. I knew that it was a great game. I knew that the art was cool and that the style was awesome, it just needed to find the audience.

Cory Livengood:

Are you still a gamer? Do you still play?

Kaye Vassey:

I do when I can, but I’m not a huge Fortnite player.

Cory Livengood:

Sure. That's cool, not too shocking.

Kaye Vassey:

It quickly outgrew my skill set. I got some decent victories at the beginning, got some nice skins and everything I worked on, but then pros came along and were building skyscrapers in seconds. The data has changed to a place where I can't get there. But yeah, I do play. Dating back to the Nintendo that I had, my favorite game was Dragon Warrior which was the English release of Dragon Quest from Japan. I ended up getting it free. I think it was free. It was the '80s I can't remember exactly.

“the more feminine I became, the less my voice mattered to a degree.”

Kaye Vassey:

It’s about to get nerdy real quick. I think I got it free with the subscription, and it came with a thick instruction book that detailed weapons and enemies and stuff. Having already been exposed to Dungeons and Dragons, it was like it but without having to get everybody together and keep them organized. It was amazing, I loved it. I am still very much an RPG player. I was a wow player from day zero, I played Final Fantasy 11 with a group from DreamWorks, and have now moved over to Final Fantasy 14.

Cory Livengood:

I would love to touch a little bit on your comic background too.

Kaye Vassey:

Sure.

Cory Livengood:

It's the whole other side of the coin we haven't discussed, but throughout this whole journey you've described, you've also done work with hand-drawn comic strips.

Would you like to speak a little bit about that and your experience with the Legend of Bill and Gnome Syndicate?

Kaye Vassey:

Absolutely. So that started when I was working on How To Train Your Dragon. I might have said before, but Legend of Bill was a comic strip I had found online. As I said, it’s all about the era, and the environment. At this time, people started making webcomics. They hadn’t previously been a thing. XKCD was huge, Penny Arcade, and PvP. They were games fed directly into the most popular webcomics of the time, right?

Kaye Vassey:

I came across Legend of Bill and started following it. I thought it was really funny how they took Conan the Barbarian, and the fantasy realm idea and stood it on its head. So, I did a guest comment for the author, David Reddick. He wrote me back after having checked out my social media and was like, "Oh, my God, you work on How To Train Your Dragon?" He ran the guest strip and asked if I wanted to do another series in the Legend of Bill world. I said yes, because why not? I had a new kid and all the time in the world. A lot of my 20s and 30s were spent not going to bed before 2 or 3 AM, and then being up early the next day. Definitely not what I do now.

I started doing the Gnome Syndicate, which is in the fantasy realm of Legend to Bill. The fairies are like the FBI and the gnomes are more like the CIA. It all started as a joke in Legend of Bill. He would always draw and gnome, it was in the background and a lot of the strips. Anytime something big would happen in the story arc, there would always be this gnome chilling in the background. He kept recurring. It was David's idea to make him a watcher. To put it in modern Marvel terms, it would have been like the TVA. So the gnomes control time and space. They can teleport around and make sure that things don't happen to cause catastrophe in the timeline. This was all well before any of the Marvel MCU stuff. That was the beginning of my comic journey.

Kaye Vassey:

I believe gnome 12 was the original, so I picked up with gnome 13 and started running the storyline. I did it for years. Eventually, David Reddick, who was already working on Garfield at the time, ended up getting syndicated himself with his strips. Now he's an artist on Blondie. So, I took over Legend of Bill for several years and began intertwining the story arcs. It was a great run for a long time. I did a few weekends as an artist in residence at the Schulz Peanuts Museum which was awesome. But I eventually stopped to begin working on a graphic novel for a publisher. It's still in progress due to the pandemic and various other things.

Cory Livengood:

What are some major differences, also similarities, between film, comic, and video games; these three buckets you’ve found yourself in over the years.

Kaye Vassey:

First, it's all storytelling. You're all contributing to the story in some way, shape, or form. That's a big umbrella. It's an experience, whether oratory or interactive. That's the big thing that links them together. Though technique-wise, once you get under the hood, film and comics have a lot more in common to some degree. Anytime I'm drawing a panel, I'm always thinking, “Where's the camera and the space?”

Cory Livengood:

It's almost like a storyboard.

Kaye Vassey:

It is, and that's another thing, I think about it cinematically. I think about it based on contrast, and affinity, which is the principle that underlies what the original artists at Disney were calling ‘straight against curve’ in their character designs. You can have contrast and affinity in anything it works not only in character design but in storytelling and composition. In animation. You can apply it to so many aspects of creativity. So, film and comics are linked together in many ways that make them similar.

Kaye Vassey:

Games can be a bit different because they’re an interactive experience. You're adding a lot of extra tech that you don't necessarily need for comics. If you're going to draw a comic, then it's you, your materials, and the story. That's all you have. And words, whether they're your words, or someone else's.

Kaye Vassey:

Film is similar. It involves other issues, and now with 3D animation, you're talking about rendering, and you're talking about a series of images that are played back at 24 frames a second. Ultimately, as a film studio or a film artist, whatever you have to do to get that particular frame done, is what you have to do. Once that frame of film is done, that's your deliverable. That's it, it's done. With games, that concept is a little bit skewed. Because this is an experience that's going to happen over and over and over and over and over across the world, millions of times. It compounds itself. So the way that you design these things are similar, but with a very different outcome.

Cory Livengood:

I really like that.

Kaye Vassey:

It's interesting when you compare them all. Artistically, if you want to talk about the color temperature in an area, or how this lighting makes you feel you can, those are all similar, and that's from comics to film to games.

Cory Livengood:

Rely on how they are experienced. That's interesting.

As a trans individual, I wonder if you would be willing to talk about transitioning in an industry that's known for being cis-male dominated if that's something you're comfortable discussing?

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Kaye Vassey:

Yeah, I'll totally do that. It's very safe to say that me coming out in an industry that is very, I would even say, cis-hetero-white male-dominated, was tough. It was tough for me and it was tough for Epic in a lot of ways. Let's talk about the LGBT+ community for just a second. The one thing about the trans community, and I've said this before in various places, is that if you are a gay male in games, I don't want to diminish anything, but it is easier for you to exist and "fly under the radar" of your peers. There is still a lot of stress involved if you have a partner. There's a great infographic, and I might mess up the name, but I believe it's Ned and Ted's Big Adventure.

Kaye Vassey:

It's a little infographic that shows a male couple who had a wonderful anniversary weekend. Monday morning, a co-worker comes up to one of the members of the couple and says, "Hey, what did you do this weekend?" That starts this chain infographic of asking, “Is this person safe to talk to? Do they agree with me? Do they know I'm out? Do they not know I'm out? If no, then what consequences does that bring by saying, ‘my partner or my husband’? Does that mean that they are going to treat me differently?” This infographic shows the stressful thought process that happens. The person gets back to their desk and has already gone through so much mental work just from getting their morning cup of coffee in the office. Hopefully, it makes company owners question, “Do I see the amount of stress that this person is starting their workday with and they haven't even gotten to the stress that you pay them for?”

Cory Livengood:

Sure.

Kaye Vassey:

Is that something you want to be okay with? And that's the point of the infographic. It's great, those examples are phenomenal. Now, from the trans perspective, let's take that idea. Let's take someone who, a month ago, came in presenting male. Now that person is standing in front of you in a dress and heels. The extra layer of all of that puts a lot of pressure on both sides. Not only that, you are going to be working with hormones, you're going to be diminishing what your body makes and potentially replacing them completely.

It’s one hell of a roller coaster, and so during that roller coaster, if I was advising a company, I would say if you have someone who's beginning their transition and they are coming out, be prepared for a lot of that. Give them soft landings. When I did it, I was the head of technical animation on Fortnite. It was currently the largest video game in the world. Ever. And I was the leader of the group that last touches assets before they go into the game.

Cory Livengood:

No pressure.

Kaye Vassey:

Also, while walking into the office presenting feminine. A lot of people who wanted to be nice in the world would say, "Oh, I support you, dude." It's like, you just didn't support me by saying that. There's a lot of education and elevation that has to happen within your co-workers and everyone around you at a company when you come out. The question is, is that company willing to push for it, and are they willing to put the time in to make sure that their space is safe for individuals of all groups? Epic is learning that, and they're doing a great job.

Cory Livengood:

That's a good segue. I understand that you're also leading inclusivity initiatives at Epic. Are they related to that exact topic?

Kaye Vassey:

I am. So now Epic has grown and matured as a company. They now have ERGs, which are employee resource groups. It is becoming a place that will hopefully show the rest of the gaming industry how to do it right and how to do it best.

Cory Livengood:

Excellent. It's great that they're willing to do that. I think wanting to improve on those initiatives is half the battle.

If you don't want to do it, then you're a lost cause. Even if you make mistakes along the way, wanting to move in that direction is a positive, right?

Kaye Vassey:

Yeah, you have to have a very forgiving nature to be okay. I believe they can be the best and I believe that they can show the industry how to do what this industry seems to have a problem doing. I believe that Epic can do it better.

Cory Livengood:

That's excellent. Have you found other co-workers feel comfortable confiding in you since you've come out? Has that been a good experience?

Kaye Vassey:

Initially, I was very alone. The more feminine I became, the less my voice mattered to a degree. I felt like I was out there by myself. There were other gay folks, but they kept a very low profile. They never really rocked the boat. They were doing what they had to do to, to work and thrive.

“I think all artists have imposter syndrome…one scroll through Twitter shows me these artists that are much younger than me, and they’re more amazing than I'll ever be. it's learning to cope with that.”

Kaye Vassey:

Again, when you're trans, not to diminish anybody's story, but when you're male to female, the contrast in appearance is what our society is so caught up in. Everybody is constantly gauging you based on your appearance. You're going right to that thing that society loves so much to critique, and you're flipping it on its head. You're going to begin a very, very slow process to achieve what society says is okay for your new “chosen gender." Which to be clear, gender is NOT a choice, but that's the belief thrown at you, right?

Cory Livengood:

Yeah.

Kaye Vassey:

So, walking around Epic like that, I would have people write me and come out to me. They would be like, "Please don't out me." Of course, I would never, never, ever, ever, ever do that, but they would write me and give me supporting words like, “Seeing you at work is giving me hope,” and all those sorts of things. So, I just kept doing what I was doing, which was shouldering all these people's compliments. I felt like I was caring a lot for a lot of people. Once the ERGs opened up, cautiously people started coming out and joining up. Now we’re in the hundreds!

Cory Livengood:

That's awesome.

Kaye Vassey:

Now, it's more about doing bigger things than just making people feel safe. Though that is still such an important aspect in all this. It's much easier now.

Cory Livengood:

It's cool to see how it's grown. Yeah, that's amazing.

Well, we're getting near the end of our time. Two last thoughts, one would just be if you wanted to speak a little bit about what you might be talking about with us at the Bash. If there's any insight you wanted to give towards that, or if there's anything that I didn't ask or some other tidbit that you'd like to drop into this conversation, I'd love to hear it!

Kaye Vassey:

Sure. At the bash, I would love to talk about my career path, how crazy it's been, and highlight some of the little moments that people don't expect; when they're in their careers, and they're feeling trapped, or feel like they’ve made a bad decision along the way. Basically talking about that backup plan, and how that terrible advice turned into okay advice, which turned into good advice, as I got older.

Along with the idea of everyone who's coming out now, how society is changing, and how people like me are going to be existing in spaces in this industry. Animation, art, we've been here the whole time. It's just now that a lot of people are going to have to face us and hear our voices.

Cory Livengood:

Oh, that's great. There’s another question I didn't ask. I wondered if you had any advice for someone who's trying to break into either the film or game industry?

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Kaye Vassey:

Totally. That's almost a separate talk unto itself, right?

It's the size of the pond which I sort of touched on and will touch on in my talk. Now, with technology, that pond is the size of the world. It’s not your hometown versus your metropolitan area anymore. I think all artists have imposter syndrome. I won't say every, I'm not going to generalize, but most of the artists I know, when they look at their work, they think it's terrible. Even though it's artwork that has been at the professional level, you still see all your mistakes. You see all the places where you need to work, and the internet can make that even worse. One scroll through Twitter shows me these artists that are so much younger than me, and they’re more amazing than I'll ever be. It's learning to cope with that.

Kaye Vassey:

When it comes to education, in the past, I used to be so big on recommending art schools. But because of that bigger pond and the internet, connections are now available to professionals. You don't have to go to art school to get them, and there are so many online opportunities and professionals who have retired from the industry who are teaching online in their own way. If you have the drive and the passion, then you don't have to go into hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to make it happen. Not today.

Kaye Vassey:

Now we're in the generation whose online teachers are the people who made Little Mermaid and Lion King, and the '90s Disney films. The students of that first generation. The animation industry is not old. Computer animation is even younger. Video games are young too. We’re finally at this place where we know what one generation of retirement looks like.

If you want to talk about it from a career standpoint, if you're going to be an engineer for a major company, you know what your retirement looks like. If you're going to be a police officer, you know what your retirement looks like. If you're going to be an animator, you could have no idea what your retirement looks like. Because there's not enough of us retired yet, and the ones that are, are the ones that made the best 2D animated films that we grew up with. Now, what they're doing is teaching online for small prices compared to giant art schools.

Cory Livengood:

So true. I often think about how young motion graphics is, but I had not put it in the framework of retirement in that way. It's an interesting way to look at it. After the career what do you do at that point? Who knows, right?

Kaye Vassey:

And right now they're teaching. I can name a bunch. Aaron Blaise, there's CAT Animation, iAnimate, Animation Mentor. I worked with a man named Tim Hodge at Big Idea, he's a wonderful director and was Head of Story on Mulan, he just did a storyboard class. He still does freelance storyboard work for films and he did a class for Aaron Blaise's website. I think it was on sale for $30. It was literally hours of video lecturing with examples for...

Cory Livengood:

$30.

Kaye Vassey:

For 30 bucks. Knowing what I know now as an old person in my mid-40s, if I really had that passion for storyboarding, it was in my heart, why would I consider paying an art school 40 grand to learn those things when I can get a one-on-one lesson with the Head of Story from Mulan for $30? It doesn't make economic sense, right?

Cory Livengood:

It doesn't. As someone who hires people from time to time, the first thing we look at is work. It's not what school you went to.

We’ll look at that, it's always interesting, and that's part of the equation perhaps, but it's really about the portfolio. It's the work. It's not, “Did you go to school?” I don't care. Is it a community college? I don't care. Is it art school? I don't care.

Kaye Vassey:

I mean, I do believe that advanced education can be important when it comes to communication and other aspects of business.

Cory Livengood:

Oh, absolutely, or even networking. There are a lot of reasons why I agree with that statement, but when it comes to the actual work, the skill set, and the passion for it, it's not as important as it used to be.

Kaye Vassey:

If I had it to do over again, the important things that I got from going to art school were deadline and accountability skills. You don't get those when you're just a passionate artist working on your own.

They’re important, but if I had to do it again, I would skew my classes more toward 1.) Computer Science, because that's just a good skill to have now, and 2.), Business. I would ultimately skew more toward business, and do my art every other waking minute; getting feedback from people online, doing the courses at various online animation schools. Because honestly, when I came out of college, I didn't even know how to pay taxes.

Kaye Vassey:

Ultimately, all of us as artists just end up working for someone else helping them accomplish their goals, as opposed to, if you have stories in you, you need a way to get them out. You need a way to make them come to life, and the only way you do that is to work for yourself.

“it's not for the old. it's for the hungry. you need that fire. (animation)”

Cory Livengood:

It's funny if you'd asked me, six, seven years ago if I'd be a business owner, I would have laughed because I was an animator. I was perfectly happy doing that. It’s been quite the journey to learn how to run a business. To create a team. To make people feel like their careers are advancing the way they want them to like they're able to push their skills forward. Also just the nitty-gritty things about taxes, organization, and HR; all that stuff that I wouldn't have known. A little bit of trial by fire on that end but it has been a really exciting journey.

Having worked for people as an animator who didn't know anything about animation or design, it's nice having that foundation when you're talking to clients or you're staff about what is possible, what isn’t possible, what deadlines look like. I have a little more insight than some of my previous employers because I've been in the trenches as it were.

Kaye Vassey:

It's all about self-motivation. The self-motivated artists are the ones who end up succeeding in the studios anyway.

The ones that aren't are going to wash out. Because when it gets tough when you're in your first animation job and you're learning new software, it's not for the old. It's for the hungry. You need that fire.

Cory Livengood:

All right, excellent. Well, really appreciate this conversation. This has been a blast and I'm sure you'll end up repeating yourself, yet again, when we get to the actual event, but great.

Kaye Vassey:

Absolutely.

Cory Livengood:

Great. Good to see you, Kaye.

Kaye Vassey:

Yeah, have a good day. Bye.