Position Statement

I am a passionate and ambitious 2D animator, who has recently graduated from Leeds College of Art with a BA (Hons) in Animation. I love work that has a strong personality, whether this be from characters or stylistic and detailed backgrounds. I have recently developed a focus on character animation myself, but in reality I just enjoy making things move. I am very open-minded when it comes to trying new things, which means I have experience with a range of software -including Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Maya - as well as a portfolio complete with multimedia pieces.

My ultimate goal is to better myself as an Animator, so everything I do is in pursuit of that goal. I am a firm believer that life drawing is crucial for a good animated performance, so I practice regularly, not just to better myself as a practitioner but because it is something I truly enjoy. I am often influenced by those around me and I love travelling to new and exciting places to find further inspirations. This year I had the chance to go to Tokyo where I visited the Studio Ghibli museum and generally absorbed the Eastern culture and animation, as well as Lille, where I took part in the Marathon de Animation as part of the 13th edition of Fete D' L'Anim. My teamwork skills were put to the test as I worked with two other students I had never met before, to produce a 10 second animation in just 36 hours.

Creative Strategies Presentation

Creative Presence Presentation Boards

Portfolio of Work

I've come to Realise...

Whilst researching different studios for potential places I'd like to work for/gain experience at, I've discovered that there isn't much I wouldn't like to do. As long as the studio is fairly local and works in 2D, I'm game. At this stage I'm really just hoping to gain experience and find out what it is I would NOT like to do. I haven't had enough experience in one specific area to say I don't want to do said thing. Apart from 3D Rigging. I definitely don't want to do that.

So the plan for me at this stage is just to continue to apply for jobs/internships/experience in the area and see what comes of it. But I know that I don't want to move away from home just yet. I want to be able to find my feet in an area that I am familiar with, before I reach out to studios that are further away. I have seen a lot of studios I like the look of in both Ireland and London, but I just don't have the finances to be able to live out there right now.

I'm also going to take the time to finish my final film and send it out to festivals. If this goes well - and I'm hoping it does - this could always lead to jobs too, especially as I am planning to target festivals in the area, such as MAF and LIFF. I think it's important to stay in the loop after leaving uni, so I'm also going to put effort in to attend festivals rather than just submit to them, as they are obviously great networking opportunities. Not only this, but I am making more of a conscious effort to follow more studios on Twitter and social media in hopes of getting my name out there a bit more, and to be able to see first hand whether there are opportunities available. I have started following a few accounts that just post about jobs in animation, so I'll make sure to keep an eye on their feeds to see if anything relevant comes about.

Animation Jobs

Studio Research: More Yorkshire Studios!

Northforge

Northforge are based in Leeds and work with companies to make "anything that moves", whether that's animation for TV, web, corporate, in-store or VR. I particularly liked their animation for Unilever, as I liked the colour scheme and how it remained consistent throughout, and the transitions between scenes and components. I generally just thought it was very well animated.

Unilever Brightfuture

Their other 2D work seems to be of a similar nature to this animation. Though it may not be the most interesting work that I've looked at, it is very well made, and it's something I wouldn't mind doing myself if it allowed me to get experience in the industry. I'd very much like to push to find something that is more tailored to character animation or working on projects that have a narrative, this could always be an option for me.

Hungry Sandwich Club

Hungry Sandwich Club is another studio based in Leeds. They specialise in Illustration, Animation and Motion Graphics. Like Little Motel, they are also based at Duke Studios.

I think they produce some good work. I like their general style, and how they've been able to apply it to a number of different briefs. It seems very fun and very silly, though there's nothing that really reached out to me and grabbed my attention. It's all very cute, and cleanly made, but for me I'd want to really push character personality or narrative. 

Their showreel

That's not to say I wouldn't like to work there though. It does seem like they work on a lot of fun projects, and I'd definitely be able to learn something new and expand my skills, just not necessarily in the area I'm striving for.

Studio Research: Sixteen South

Sixteen South

Sixteen South is the company that produces Lily's Driftwood Bay. I LOVE Lily's Driftwood Bay. It is a very unique show that uses multi-media, for a very textured and interesting style. What I didn't realise is that everything is made up of things that have been washed up on the beach, which has only made me appreciate the show even more. I've seen a lot of the episodes as I like to watch them with my niece, and I think the show is brilliant. The characters are interesting and the story really pushes imagination and creativity. It has a cut-out animation style, that I think works really well with the show.

Lily's Driftwood Bay

Like I have mentioned before this is a style of animation that I could see myself being able to produce, and being a fan of the show it would be an amazing opportunity to be able to gain experience/work here. The only downside with this studio is that they are based in Belfast in Ireland. Right now I'm not wanting to move away, but could always be somewhere I try apply to in the future, as I am interested in working on children's TV shows, which is what the company solely produces.

If they were to offer studio visits or short work placements, I would definitely be interested, but I wouldn't be able to afford to move out to Ireland. Not just yet anyway. 

Studio Research: Yorkshire Animation Continued

Little Motel

Little Motel is a small Animation Studio based at Duke Studios in Leeds, who offer a range of 2D and 3D design services. They cover all aspects of production including concept design & development, storyboards and character design, through to character animation, motion graphics, music videos and sound design. 

Asthma Pro - Introductory Animation

Their 2D work is very informative, and very motion graphic-y. It looks professional and definitely get the message across in an interesting way. Again, this is something I am open to exploring further having experienced info graphics briefly during my time at university. 

On their website it says that they currently have no vacancies, but they are always keen to meet freelancers, so I'll make sure to drop them an email.

Kilogramme

Kilogramme is an Animation production company based in Manchester, that produce a wide range of design led multimedia. I first came across their work at MAF in 2015, where they showcased their Tall Tales animations. I really like their work, and I think it's great that they have such a diverse range of styles and media. They've proved to everyone that they're not rooted with their animating abilities and I think this is why they're so successful. 

Five Ways to Wellbeing

I particularly like this animation, and how they have combined the use of 2D and 3D. I think the aesthetic of the film is beautiful, and working with texture is something I am interested in myself, having looked at this briefly in my Grad film. 

I think this is another studio I could see myself working for. I like that they have a number of different clients and target audiences, and do a mixture of commercial and animation for TV and non-commercial uses. 

Drawing Practice

As well as keeping up with Life Drawing, I've also tried to do a lot of sketching and portraits in my own time, to build on my drawing skills and become more confident in my line making.

Self Portraits

Portraits

Environment Sketches

Others

Here are just a select few of the pieces in my sketchbook. I feel I have come a long way with my drawing ability, and I'm going to continue to draw for fun to build on my skills even further. I love working with intricate lines, and I would love to create an animation that exploits this.

Studio Liddell Responce

I was shocked to see that Tracy had replied so quickly, and it was nice to know that she liked the look of my showreel. Unfortunately they don't have any openings for 2D animation jobs at the moment, though Tracy was able to give me some helpful feedback about my showreel and website. It hadn't occurred to me to write about the role I had on the projects I've featured, so I shall look at doing that in the near future.

Email Response

I made sure to thank Tracy for taking the time to email me back, and that I'd look out for openings and opportunities as it would be wonderful to gain some experience. 

Studio Research: Yorkshire Animation

As I am wanting to remain local for the time being, I've began to research Animation studios in the area.

Lunar Animation

Lunar Animation is a Sheffield based, high-end animation studio that specialises in full CGI and Visual Effects. I came across it because I saw an ad online for a position as a character animation, but soon discovered it would be to animate 3D Characters. Though the work they produce does look visually stunning, I don't think it is a company I'm going to apply for/would like to work for, as it presents no opportunity to work in 2D, which is ultimately what I want to do.

Big Zoo Media

Big Zoo Media is a studio based in Batley, who offer a range of video production services, whether this be corporate video, animated video, internal communication or motion graphics. Producing corporate videos or advertisements isn't something I've really considered, but is definitely something I'd be open to. I really just want to make things move, and get experience to see what it is I like producing. They seem to be predominately 2D, and their style seems very... "After Effects Puppet/Cut Out" to me. Which is great! It is something I have experience in and enjoy producing.

Kiklees College Animation Example

This is another studio that seems absolutely perfect for me. It's close to home so I'd be able to commute to work/wouldn't have to move too far, produces good quality work that is in my area of expertise, and from their website I've got the impression that they'd be really nice, approachable people.

Examples of Character 

Studio Research: Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films is a large animation company, that has studios in Belfast, Manchester and the US, that produce original children's TV shows, including Doc McStuffins which is a personal favourite. It is another Studio that I was able to speak with during Meet the Experts.

Show They Produce

Children's animation is something I'd definitely be interested in producing, and Brown Bag seem to have a mix of both 2D and 3D, though their most famous works are those produced in 3D. They produce high quality shows, and I like them because of how engaging they are and how they are very character/narrative driven. I've even sat down and watched Doc McStuffins with my niece and children in the family, and I think it's beautifully made, and very imaginative. 

I've found that they have openings for a 2D Animator at their Manchester studio, which would be perfect for me. The successful candidate would be working on a new, pre-school series for a global children's channel, and would be working amongst a team of animators, reporting to the Director. It says that you must have at least 2 years' experience working as an animator, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to apply, as I am still eager to gain experience and work in a studio. 

Application Response

Though it's unlikely I'll get the position if they truly are wanting someone with experience, it would still be nice to have my work considered. Who knows? As my showreel shows a breadth of 2D skills, maybe something good could come from my application. I shall remain hopeful.

Visiting Practitioner: Fraser Maclean

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of watching Fraser Maclean present his experiences in the industry, and it is easily the most fascinating talk I've sat through this year. He spoke with such passion and enthusiasm for animation, that I could have easily sat there for hours and listened to what he had to say. 

Though I don't remember much about his talk - other than the work he produced for Who Framed Roger Rabbit and his book Setting the Scene that goes into great detail about staging in animation - it's his stories and struggles with the animation industry that really stuck with me. 

Setting The Scene by Fraser Maclean

He spoke how he had originally been studying Fine Art and Graphic Design, and showed us his early life drawing work that had been looked down upon by different companies and institutes. It was reassuring to know that he too hand struggled with knowing what he wanted to do, and that he had overcome rejection to eventually land jobs in the animation field. Even more assuring that when he had managed to secure a job to produce inbetweens (I can't remember for what film), he didn't even know what that entailed, or how he was going to do that. He had placed the blank frame paper physically inbetween two other keys rather than on top, and had to keep flicking back and forth to try and work out the pose. This resulted in the producer standing over him and asking "What the f- are you doing?", but it goes to show that if you are passionate about what you do, and are persistent and willing to learn, then you are rewarded. 

This seems to be the key, and something that I am definitely going to have to get across myself when it comes to applying for jobs. He told us how Richard Williams first got his job at Disney; He had traveled for 5 days/nights to the other side of the USA, and walked around the studios with his portfolio until security found him, and he asked for a job. Now I'm not saying I aimlessly wonder around studios and physically get my foot in the door, but it's clear that passion and persistence is favoured; you've got to PROVE that you want to work.

Studio Research: Studio Liddell

Studio Liddell

Studio Liddell is one of the companies I had the pleasure of speaking with at MAF at the Meet the Experts event. The company was founded in Manchester in 1996. They produce a range of different work from creating imagery for advertising to developing and producing entire children's TV shows, technical animation, Apps, and Virtual & Augmented Reality.

Though their work seems to be predominately 3D, they have worked with 2D before. What really stood out to me was their Mouse and Mole at Christmas Time animation. I particularly like the detailed backgrounds, and how the line work is prominent and quite sketchy in areas; it's a style I find myself working with when I'm drawing environments too. It is a very heartwarming animation, that looks very beautiful and suitable for all the family.

Mouse and Mole

Though they are very focused on 3D work, it's still a company I wouldn't mind working for. It's local which is a plus as I'm not interested in moving away just yet, and they do produce children's animations and TV shows which is something I would be interested in pursuing. It doesn't say that there are any jobs available on their website, but I thought it would be a good idea to get in contact with Tracy anyway, and see what she might have to say about my showreel. 

Emailing Tracey

I made sure to attach a link to my website aswell, as I have had 3D experience in the past, and wouldn't mind returning to work with 3D if it meant I'd gain some experience. Who knows, they may be working on more 2D oriented work in the future?

Following Up With Reg Isaac

Even though it's been a few months since I last spoke with Reg, I still wanted to follow him up and send him my showreel now that it was finished. I think it's nice to keep in contact, especially as he was very nice with speaking to me, and offering to pass my work on.

Follow Up Email

I look forward to hearing what he might have to say!

Life Drawing

This year I have been taking Reg's advice, to try and keep on top of my life drawing. For a while I was able to fit in quite a lot of quick gesture drawings, to practice my line making and generally improve my drawing skills with the human form to better my own practice. I even attended a couple of sessions at the Fenton, and produced some work I am very proud of.

Sample of Life Drawings

Sample of Life/Gesture Drawings

Though in the end I did drop off with Life Drawing, when the pressures of Dissertation and EP became too much, though I do plan on returning to practice once my time has freed up a little.

Visiting Practitioner: Reg Isaac

A while back we had Reg Isaac coming to talk to us about his experience in the industry. It was refreshing to hear from someone who is young (24), and knew exactly what we were about to experience as recent graduates.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Trailer

It was really interesting to hear about what he had been involved in, 'We're Going On A Bear Hunt' and 'Ethel and Ernest' being two projects that stood out the most to me. What I found particularly interesting was the way Reg used reference videos for WGOABH; he had got friends and co-workers to act out the scene where the family were trailing through the mud. In the LAV they didn't actually walk through mud, but they made sure to exaggerate their walks to make it seem like they were struggling. Reg could then use the reference to mark out key poses, but would exaggerate his own work slightly to emphasise the struggle and give the characters more personality. This made me think about my own practice and how I have used reference in the past. LAVs can be very useful, especially when the characters are very life-like and naturalistic, but it's a good idea not to use them extensively. You can inflict more life and personality into the characters by exaggerating and deviating from the references.

Ethel and Ernest

During the presentation, Reg spoke about his time working on Ethel and Ernest. What was reassuring and interesting to know about this was the amount of different passes and people that could sometimes be involved in the production of one section of animation, and how long of a process this could sometimes be. I wasn't really aware that multiple people could take charge of producing keys and inbetweens, or doing roughs and neats. I was more under the impression you'd be in charge of the whole sequence.

For Example, Reg showed us the breakdown of a scene involving firemen from a birds eye view, running to man a hose to put out a fire. First there were the rough keys, which were neatened up, followed by rough inbetweens and final linework. At each stage the progress would be reviewed, and there were many changes made to actions the characters made. It was reassuring to know that it took time for the scene to look the way it did, as I can often be quite negative about my own work. It also made me feel like I should be less precious about my work in the future as it's likely I won't be the only person handling the animated sequence in industry, and other people may not be so nit-picky about the mistakes that I can see and get worked up about. 

The advice that I took away from his talk was the importance of life drawing. I had managed to find this out for myself during my time at uni, and through researching for my dissertation, but it was refreshing to hear it in person. Reg tries to attend as many classes as he can, and he's often been on drawing holidays, where he has done nothing but sketch. Whether it be people or landscapes and environments, to better his drawing ability. This is something I definitely want to keep up myself.

Emails With Reg

I spoke to Reg after his talk and asked further questions about his work and practice. We also spoke about my work and what it was that I was hoping to do. I asked him whether I'd be okay sending him my showreel to see what he thought and he said he'd be happy to take a look, and that he'd give me further contacts of people that might be interested in the work that I produced.

Studio Research: Mash&Co

Mash&Co

Mash&Co is an app that is aimed at pre-school children, that teaches them recognition, co-ordination and interaction with the help of their animated characters Mash and Periwinkle. The characters and general aesthetic is bold and rounded shapes making it very visually pleasing for children and adults alike. I like the work that they produce as it looks very cute and squishy, and overall just looks very fun to work with.

There are a lot of elements that have a cut-out style, which is something I have had the chance to experiment with myself during responsive last year and the animations I produced for the Lifting Tower Projections. Vincenzo said their main studio is based in Lille, and although I'm not wanting to move away from home/Yorkshire (at least just yet), I followed him up with an email, as I would be happy to work for them if I could work from home/the UK, as he discussed the possibility of during our meeting.

My Email

I look forward to hearing what he has to say, and fingers crossed this could lead to something good. Even if it is just maintaining the contact!

Creating a Website

I thought it would be a good idea for me to make my own website. It's a great platform to showcase all of your work and contact information, and when done well can be very professional. I thought it would give me the upper hand for when I begin to contact studios looking for work/experience, and it will be easier for me to show them what I do with the use of a website too.

Website Pages

MY WEBSITE

Again, I made sure to make my branding consistent across the pages and I think the end result looks really professional; at least I feel more like a professional now I have the website. I even bought the domain name. 

I had to be really critical with the work I decided to showcase. I featured only stills from my films on my home page, making sure to leave out films/animations that weren't as strong. There are links to my other social media pages on every page of the website, so this work can still be accessed. I also scanned in a lot of work from my sketchbooks that I thought we good examples of linework and featured them on my portfolio page, along with work in progress images, pre-production art boards and life drawing. 

With my about me and contact me pages (where I have wrote about myself and addressed the audience/viewer) I tried to have a good balance of professionalism and insight into my personality, to try and get across that I'd be a friendly person to work alongside. Not only that, but I have my CV and position statement for me to be formal, so I wanted my website to be more of an insight to how I am as a practitioner. 

I'm very pleased with my website, and have since tweeted about it, and updated my social media with a link to the site address in my Bios. 

Showreel 2017

My Showreel

For my showreel I have chosen to showcase clips from Kites, From a Child's Eye, Lifting Tower Projections, Marathon De Animation and A2 Milk. All of which are 2D which is how I want to market myself, so I left out the 3D work I did for Telling Tales, despite being proud of that work. I also left out other work that I have done in the past despite it being 2D (for instance my Changes in Gaming Infographic and previous loop de loop submissions), as I didn't think it was as strong as the work I have recently produced. 

I don't have to worry about copyright with this showreel, as I asked Cameron, a music student from LCoM, whether he'd be interested in making a track for me. I was delighted with the results, and I think it has greatly improved my reel. It conveys a tone-of-voice which I think is very suited to my work and my personality; friendly and lighthearted. 

Overall I'm really pleased with my showreel. I think it showcases my best work very well and gets across my character animation focus. It also shows my engagement with live briefs and external experiences outside of university, which can be used as a conversation starter for potential interviews. 

Showreel Tips

Before I made a start on producing my own showreel, I wanted to quickly research what other people thought made a good showreel. After looking at other studio's reels I had an idea of what I wanted to do for myself, but just to be sure I looked up some tips on the dos and don't of showreels.


Do:
- Get permission for the work/music you're featuring.
- Have your contact details clearly at the end of the showreel.
- Include your best work.
- Quality over Quantity
- Start and end well.
- Tailor your showreel for the job you are applying for/what you are wanting to do.
- Make a strong impression with the first clip.


Don't:
- Have your showreel last too long.
- Show everything you have. Instead be selective about your work and pick out the best clips.
- Include ALL your work. Just the strong clips.

Showreel Research

Before I get started with my own showreel, I thought it be best to research into existing showreels, so I can see what I think works and take inspiration. 

I really like Kilogramme's latest showreel. It is filled with really strong work that shows their diverse range of animation styles and capabilities. Their production focus really shows in their showreel, and the music compliments the content, resulting in a very upbeat reel. 

Kilogramme Showreel 2017

Although I have a diverse range of skills (experience in 3D, motion graphics), I don't think I am going to include this range in my own showreel like Kilogramme have. Instead, I would like to tailor my reel to work that I would like to continue producing.


I really enjoyed this showreel by J-Scott. He is an Art Director with the design and animation studio Oddfellows in San Francisco, and it's very clear from his showreel where his strengths lie. This is something I want to get across with my own showreel.

J-Scott Showreel

Here is another good example of a showreel that showcases work of a particular style/that is 2D orientated. Though I thought the work shown was very good, and I do like the aesthetic of the work, For me this showreel was too long, and after a while I started to lose interest. I shall make sure to keep my own reel quite short.

Headless Showreel

I also found that this showreel was a little inconsistent. There are clips that are showcasing lip syncing and haven't included the audio from the film, and others towards the middle where they have decided to include the speech. Personally, I found it hard to hear what was being said by the characters as the music was too loud over the top of the audio. Though this isn't going to be a problem with my own work, as I am not going to be featuring any lipsyncing, it's definitely something I should keep in mind for future reels should I have something of this nature to present.

I've found that showreels don't always have to show of the range of animations you've worked on. Instead, if you have a lot of strong work from one particular piece (usually feature films), a reel that shows of this work could be appropriate.

Trent Correy - Moana

For example, this showreel of Trent Correy's shows some of the scenes he worked on for Moana. Although this isn't something I am going to do with my own showreel as I don't have enough content to do this, and have other strong work I would like to showcase that isn't just from my grad film, I do like how there is a range of rendered, final scenes and play-blasts. This should be something I consider doing with my own showreel, especially as my final film isn't yet finished and I have a lot of scenes that are just linework at the moment. 

Business Stationary Pack

I made a letterhead with a similar theme to my invoice. I made sure that my logo didn't take up too much room on the page, and that my contact details were clear and eligible. Again, I think the document looks very professional, and I can see this being very useful for the future as I will have to contact a lot of companies in search for experience and/or work.

I also made sure to make a black and white version to make sure it was still tangible in monochrome.

Letterheads

Business Stationary

Here I have put together a mock-up of all my business stationary, complete with letterhead, business cards, pin badges, showreel work and invoices. I'm really pleased with the consistency in my brand and how much more professional I feel as a result.