Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1446450
ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 21 a Kodak book, The World of Animation, and it sparked a lifelong love of the medium. WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY? Animation combines so many of the arts and is a collaborative medium. I enjoy those aspects of the work. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PROJECT YOU'VE WORKED ON IN YOUR CAREER AND WHY? Definitely Sofia the First. It was a charming series, a great crew, and a favorite of my beloved mother, Barbara, who recently passed away. TELL US WHAT THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY LOOKED LIKE IN THE 1990S. Animation in the 1990s was enjoying a renaissance, after declining within the overall entertainment landscape in the mid-1980s. By the mid-1990s, studios were trying to round up the very best talent to ride the animation wave. HOW DO THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY CHANGED FROM WHEN YOU STARTED TO NOW? When I started, animation was a 19th- century artform in the 20th century, in many ways. I worked pencil-on-paper until 2010. It was also a less diverse profession years ago. My mentor, the great Tissa David, had directed in Europe but arrived in New York in the mid-1950s to discover a very sexist industry. That has changed to a great extent, thank God. HOW HAS THE UNION IMPACTED THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY WHILE YOU'VE BEEN A MEMBER? The union has been a great blessing. It has grown enormously since I became a member in 1995. It is more diverse, the membership is more involved, and it is a great resource to all those in the industry. From storyboarding to directing, Chun has worked on children's shows, action, and adult comedy. Most recently he is supervising on Solar Opposites. 2000s ANTHONY CHUN HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY? I got lucky and was hired at Sony Television Animation as a revision/ cleanup artist after a short stint drawing superhero comics. WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY? I love collaborating with great people on great projects, and I get to make funny pictures come to life! WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PROJECT YOU'VE WORKED ON IN YOUR CAREER AND WHY? I love Solar Opposites. I got to assemble a wonderful crew and work on a show that combines my love of well-written comedy, sci- fi, action, and horror with generous helpings of sex, violence, and profanity! TELL US WHAT THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY LOOKED LIKE IN THE 2000S. The most advanced technology we were using to storyboard in the early 2000s was Post-it notes. HOW HAS THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY CHANGED FROM WHEN YOU STARTED TO NOW? We're drawing on Cintiqs and timing our own boards to audio tracks, but it's basically the same: lots and lots of drawings in a short amount of time! HOW HAS THE UNION IMPACTED THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY WHILE YOU'VE BEEN A MEMBER? I'm incredibly grateful for the stability and advocacy the Union provides. In an industry where we move from project to project, studio to studio, it's great to know we have a body of fellow workers standing in solidarity with each other and offering continuity of benefits and rights in a sometimes volatile profession.