Part 2: What
Now that I have wrangled with the ‘where’ of the kind of work I wan to do, the next question is what roles in can I work in?
The part of animation that I had fallen in love with in the first place was preproduction. I would pore over behind-the-scenes videos from Lion King, The Incredibles and Tangled, to see how they came up with the characters, how they designed the world, how they developed the story. I would see footage of the story and concept artists put together sketches and thumbnails in meeting rooms, piecing together and arriving at the films I had come to love so much.
I have identified my interests and abilities in two possible roles— storyboard artist or character animator.
As an animator I could work in film, television or video games and as a storyboard artist I would also have the opportunity to board live-action projects alongside animation. Starting out I would prefer to compile portfolios for both kind of roles given the uncertainty of actually landing roles in the industry currently.
I reached out to animators and storyboard artists online, and though I didn’t receive a lot of responses, I had the chance to speak to animator Gaurav Wakankar, and story artist Bianca Ansems. I had asked them about how they arrived at their roles, skills they had that helped them in their practice and advice on how to get work in the industry. They were kind enough to give very thoughtful answers and helped me ground my conjecture in reality.
Gaurav mentioned how he enjoyed animation because focusing on the motion was the part that gave him the most joy, rather than researching and designing characters or painting backgrounds. He had directed a short film and realised that directing was not his preference, and he would rather pursue animation roles. He also spoke about how there is no one set path, and he had initially started a studio before changing direction and working as a freelance animator.
Bianca advised to apply to jobs of all kinds of roles to start with, even if I wanted to be a storyboard artist eventually. She spoke about how she had worked in a variety of positions which not only gave her a better understanding of the whole production process, but it helped her earn a living and brought her contacts. She kindly gave me a list of skills and resources that would help if I want to be a storyboard artist.
Before this course, I have worked for a year at an animation studio, on a number of roles including visual development, character design, storyboarding and 2D animation. Following Gaurav’s approach, I think I enjoy the processes where I can draw the characters in action and see the story unfolding. I also understand that standing here, I only have an idea of what I can do based on my existing experiences and I still have several specific skills I will need to learn to be better suited to the roles I want to have. While I am aware the chances of me getting to work in my preferred role from my first job after this course are not likely, it is important to identify which way to veer to.