Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1188718
20 KEYFRAME STORY ARTIST JOHN RAMIREZ TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO ASTONISHING THE CROWDS AT THE TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE Every year hundreds of thousands of people line up along Colorado Boulevard to watch the Rose Parade, and it's up to designers like John Ramirez (a story artist on the film Tarzan and more recently on Elena of Avalor) to astonish them with immaculately crafted parade floats that have been heralding the New Year since 1890. "The audience only has a few seconds to see [whatever story you have to tell] before they move on to the next float," says Ramirez, who uses his experience at Disney and Warner Bros. as inspiration. "I find it a lot like storyboarding," he says. "You're trying to create a scene that they can understand right away." Each float becomes a frame to tell a complete story visually, including characters, costumes, and even dance choreography. "You're hitting the audience with music and dancing and bright colors and fantastic shapes," he says. "Making their experience really fun, and that's the whole point of it." The year's worth of work building a float begins in February when the organizers announce the theme, which this year is "The Power of Hope." At this point, Ramirez is free to sketch out anything and everything that comes to mind. Working within the HOPE FLOATS below: Ramirez in front of the How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World float; Designs for Honda (near) and China Airlines (opposite) "You're hitting the audience with music and dancing and bright colors and fantastic shapes," he says. "Making their experience really fun, and that's the whole point of it." A F T E R H O U R S