Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1079787
10 KEYFRAME O N T H E J O B MARYAM SEFATI / WARNER BROS. Sefati started her animation career in 2004 in her native country of Iran. "It was a whole new fascinating world to me and I was eager to educate myself about anything animation related. I stayed up nights watching all the animated projects I could lay my hands on," she says. "It was not easy to find good sources since Iran had sanctions in place, and in many cases foreign materials were banned." More problematic was the lack of respect she garnered as a woman in the industry. With the support of her family, she and her husband moved to the U.S. in 2011 and she started studying visual development and illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. In 2014, she was hired for her first job at Warner Bros. and has worked at several other studios including Disney TV, Titmouse and Cartoon Network. WHY DID YOU FOCUS ON BACKGROUND DESIGN? When I started working, I said yes to different opportunities—3D modeling, compositing, visual effects, concept art…After a few years of exploring, I realized designing environments is what I am interested in. When you are designing a set or location you are setting the world, the base where the characters can come in and fill it. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB? Sometimes we design environments, which reflect our world today, and sometimes we build a new imaginary world. With every show I work on, I get to experience the creativity of varied talented artists and I cannot find anything more joyful than that. WHAT DOES YOUR DAY AT WORK LOOK LIKE? We are asked to design each episode in a week or two. We receive the handouts and storyboards from the production team and art director. They pass along to us what the show creators had in mind and they usually give us reference. The design process starts with doing quick sketches and going over them with the art director. After his or her approval, we will take that sketch to final render within the already established style of the show. Besides that, I always try to watch animation from all over the world. I am interested in how different artists approach their work and I want to experience their point of view of the world through the ways they express their thoughts and feelings. WHAT'S REWARDING ABOUT YOUR JOB? Some locations are challenging because they do not exist in real life. To build these worlds, the design team must figure out the look in a limited amount of time. The process is exciting and I must say it can be stressful sometimes but it's very rewarding when we hear back from our fans that not only did they notice the details of the environment but they liked it a lot. WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION? There are so many talented artists worldwide and thanks to the internet it's easy to access their work. Mary Blair gave me faith and confidence that women can do a lot in animation even during a time when things were generally not on her side. She showed us how our artwork can be our power and how we can influence or environment with it. WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE AN ASPIRING BACKGROUND ARTIST? To be curious and look around more. Go out and paint or draw what you see around you. It's easy to lose touch with real life when we have to work indoors most of the day. Our environment and nature is the best source of inspiration. Be respectful to your co-workers and the artists around you. These are the people who are going to be with you more than your family and support you. And try to be flexible in your style while you are finding and exploring your own world. MANY BACKGROUND DESIGNERS ARE DRAWN TO THE CHALLENGE OF CREATING NEW WORLDS FOR CHARACTERS TO LIVE IN. IT'S A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP— BOTH CHARACTERS AND BACKGROUNDS COMPLEMENTING ONE ANOTHER TO TELL A RICHER STORY. WE SPOKE TO ARTISTS TO FIND OUT WHAT INSPIRES THEM AND WHAT THE POSITION ENTAILS. DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS