Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1257506
SUMMER 2020 11 O N T H E J O B LUIS LOGAM STORY ARTIST, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON AT WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU GOT INTO ANIMATION. Growing up I've always loved comics and cartoons. In high school, a friend showed me how to use an animation program called Flash, and I slowly started to teach myself with the help of Richard Williams' book, "The Animator's Survival Kit". I grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and at the time there weren't a lot of options for animation studies so I got a degree in Multimedia Design at a local university. WHAT DREW YOU TO STORYBOARDS? I didn't have much luck finding art related work in my hometown, so I considered a shift in career and flew to Sydney to study film and television. I was awful at it, but it was there I discovered storyboarding and found a lot of enjoyment helping fellow students visualize their live action projects. Though It wasn't until many years later that I saw the apprenticeship opening at Disney Animation, that I realized I could focus on this. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB? We work closely with the directors and writers to visualize the rough blueprints of the film. A lot of it involves communicating with your leaders and other story artists, to find the best way to convey the scene you're working on. WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE? A typical day for me involves sitting in front of the computer all day, trying real darn hard to make good drawings happen. It can be a real challenge to be creative on command and luckily I'm surrounded by amazing colleagues that I can always turn to, bounce ideas off of and get feedback. WHAT'S THE MOST REWARDING THING ABOUT WHAT YOU DO? Definitely seeing a sequence you worked on get realized by the other departments. When you get to see your rough drawings become this amazingly animated and rendered sequence—it's like magic. WHAT'S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE? It can sometimes be a challenge to set aside your own ego and get a clearer understanding of the director's vision. When discussing story, you're in a room full of creative people all with different tastes and opinions. It's your job to try to understand the director's intent and execute it to the best of your ability. It took me a long time to gain the courage to speak up in meetings and take part in discussions—and I still find it difficult most of the time. But learning to communicate with your team and ask the right questions is one of the most valuable skills to learn in this role. WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION? I'm lucky to have access to many amazing storyboards from past and present Disney Animation films. I like to start off the day looking at other storyboard artists' work, almost as a reminder on how it should be done. If I'm ever feeling stuck, inspiration is only a few clicks away. ANJELICA RUSSELL STORYBOARD ARTIST, UNANNOUNCED SHOW ON NETFLIX TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY. I went to the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design! There, I studied 2D animation. I knew for a pretty long time that I wanted to work in animation but I didn't know that I'd end up storyboarding. I didn't even know it was an option! WHAT DREW YOU TO STORYBOARDS? I kind of stumbled into storyboarding. I was pretty determined to be a 2D animator but at the time all I was hearing was that 2D work was hard to come by. I'd already given 3D a try, thinking that 'animation is animation, right?' Unfortunately for me, there isn't much drawing and I love drawing. I also love making others feel and laugh, and it turns out that storyboarding is a pretty good place to do just that! HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB? A lot of drawing and thinking and drawing and planning and, did I forget to mention drawing? It's important to rest properly and take care of yourself because it all adds up! WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL DAY WORKING LOOK LIKE? Back in the days of the office, eons ago, my days varied depending on what part of the board cycle I [would be] in. But the constants are—getting a cup of tea and a breakfast snack ready. Nothing says it's time to work like a warm drink! Then I'd usually check on my office plants, do some kind of warm up drawing to get my brain in the work zone, then get started. I'm unfortunately not a morning person, so I don't really hit my groove until after lunch. YOU WORK ON A BOARD-DRIVEN SHOW, WHAT MAKES THE PROCESS DIFFERENT THAN A SCRIPTED SHOW? Writing the script is one of the biggest differences so far and being responsible for making sure that the threads of the story stay on track and weave nicely with the work of my partner. I'm used to doing whole episodes alone on scripted shows, so this level of collaboration is new and exciting! WHAT'S THE MOST REWARDING THING ABOUT WHAT YOU DO? If I can bring just a little bit of joy to someone's life, that's pretty rewarding to me. Laughs, extra rewarding. Happy cry? I've climbed the mountain and I'm winning. Jokes aside, cartoons were my comfort and so important to me growing up, to give back into that is the most rewarding. WHAT'S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE? Right now, trusting my own unique voice and not comparing it to others is my biggest challenge. Storyboards are like making a delicious soup, everyone puts in their best flavors, and it's the variety that comes together and makes the finished cartoon soup so good. Also, avoiding burnout. Storyboarding can become a grind because of the tight schedules, and work- life balance can get out of hand if you're not careful. I'm a lot more careful than I used to be, but it also helps when the schedules are built with some time for story artists to breathe a little. I appreciate productions like the one I'm on now that have those considerations built in. WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION? Inspiration comes from all around, it's hard for me to really say there's a specific source. But I often find myself drawing inspiration from nature and the feeling of genuine love and excitement that's put into something. A few examples: Monty Don's gardening shows, The Repair Shop, anime like Mob Psycho 100 and Promare, my number one favorite film, Bambi and runner up, Fantasia. It's kind of abstract, but when I can feel that feeling come through, it really puts the wind under my wings!