Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1257506
10 KEYFRAME O N T H E J O B SYDNEY SHARP STORYBOARD ARTIST, INSIDE JOB AT NETFLIX TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU GOT INTO ANIMATION. Growing up, I was pretty far removed from the animation industry and had an extremely limited understanding of what goes into animation production. I didn't even know what a storyboard was! All I knew was that I wanted to make cartoons. After being rejected by USC's animation program, I settled into a major in fine art with a focus on video art because I thought it would somehow relate back to animation (It didn't! You can ask the friends I suckered into wearing absurd costumes for my weird art films.) I was extremely fortunate to have gotten an internship at Nickelodeon during my final semester at college. I'm grateful for the skills I learned in my major, but my internship was vital in giving me the animation production education that I wasn't getting at school. WHAT DREW YOU TO STORYBOARDS? I remember watching a making-of documentary on Finding Nemo and seeing this scene where Mark Walsh, the animator who did Dory's emotional "When I look at you, I'm home" monologue, described his experience animating that scene. He talked about how he took a day to isolate himself and thought about loved ones he's lost to draw upon his personal experience to really sell what Dory is feeling in that moment. It hit me that I could pursue a latent interest I had in acting without having to be on stage or in front of a camera. I was a big-time theater kid in high school and ultimately switched from acting to tech theater due to stage fright, so that realization was cathartic for me. I feel so privileged to be able to express myself while hiding behind these characters through storyboarding, but here's a BIG shout out to the animators who do such a wonderful job bringing this all to life! HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB? I'd describe my job as storytelling, problem- solving, teamwork, humility, and a little bit of improv. WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE? After I've made my sleepy trudge to the studio, I like to start my day off by chatting with my coworkers while I wait for the caffeine to hit my bloodstream. Recently, I've started doing 15 to 20 minutes of short figure drawing drills using a tool I found online to warm up. Then, depending on where my board team and I are at in our schedule, it's draw, draw, technical difficulties, chat, go on a brainstorm walk, draw! There are many different styles of board schedule but right now we're knocking out one sequence at a time and constantly reexamining the story. It's a fun process and makes the episode feel like a living, organic thing! WHAT'S THE MOST REWARDING THING ABOUT WHAT YOU DO? The most satisfying thing about the job is getting to make people laugh - it really makes all the blood, sweat, and tears well worth it! It can be a very social job and I love being able to pitch jokes to my friends and seeing what works. Sometimes you get to work on a show where you pitch to the whole crew. Those are my favorite because it's an awesome opportunity to get everyone into the same room and bridge the divide that there can sometimes be between boards and design. WHAT'S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE? I'd say the biggest challenge is managing my time wisely. I get a big "pitch hangover" after a review! I've heard a lot of my peers in the craft express something similar. After working tirelessly to reach this deadline, you feel so accomplished and then immediately come the notes. It's difficult to dig right back into something after getting it to a place you thought was working, sometimes even rebuilding it from the ground up or getting rewrites. There's a lot of problem- solving involved at this stage, which can be exhilarating but also draining. When this happens, I have a hard time getting back on my feet and will waste a lot of time noodling and pouting. WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION? I'd have to say it mostly comes from daily life and finding intrigue in the mundane—the weird people I meet every day, how I'd direct that tough conversation I just had if it were a sequence, that awkward thing I said last year that keeps me up at night. Also, like many board artists, I look to my favorite films for inspiration. One of the most important things I learned in my art theory classes in school was how important it is to examine why you like the things you like, so I've been trying to actively watch so I can really dissect what it is about these films I find so appealing. YOU ARE THE HEAD OF THE STORYBOARD COMMITTEE. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GET INVOLVED? Without getting all the way up on my soapbox, it's become clear that labor rights in this country could use some attention. Being active in the Guild is my small way of contributing to that conversation. I love this community and want everyone to be able to support their families, feel secure at work and in their retirement, and thrive in the rapidly changing landscape that is animation. Activism feels inaccessible to a lot of people but I enthusiastically encourage everyone to participate in any way they can, even if it's just checking with the coworker who sits next to you to see if they took the wage survey. That makes more difference than you realize—solidarity is everything! STORYBOARD ARTISTS HELP WEAVE A TALE THROUGH IMAGES. HERE, WE SPEAK TO THREE ARTISTS ON WHAT DREW THEM TO THE CRAFT AND HOW THEY STAY INSPIRED. STORY TELLERS Storyboard by Luis Logam of Vanellope from Ralph Breaks the Internet. Courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studio.