What do you do?
On a typical day, I’d work with an art director,
the other animator and artists in our team. We have
a list of characters for each game
and a list of animations each character needs to do,
and I work through those. I would be told which one
to work on and I’d rig the character.
It comes in a 3D model because we use Maya here –
so I’d give the character the bones and the controllers
to make it move. And then I just work through the list
creating each animation.
Whether I work on one character at a time or multiple,
depends on the game. If you are doing a main character
for the game, then the list kind of expands. As the
design changes or expands, then the lists change - but
I am given a certain time frame to do it. I probably
create about one or two animations a day, but it depends
on how complex the character.
We’ve got two animators here at Tantalus. We
work with the art director assessing
the list of animations and decide on how we want it
to look and how we want things to move. There are about
another ten artists who create the levels and the models
and the textures, so sometimes I work with them and
help out with things that need doing in other areas,
but I’m predominately an animator.
We also work with the programmers
because it’s important the animations work well.
So there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the
programmers to make it look good. It’s so important
that the animations come across good in the game and
for them to work well for the player.
How did you get to where you are today?
I studied at the Victorian College of Art where I did
an animation course. It was good. It showed me all of
the different directions you can go in animation. After
that, I worked in television series work, traditional
animation, and some short films. It was just kind of
by chance that a friend of mine worked at Tantalus and
he was an animator here and they had a position going.
I’d been teaching myself 3D on the side for about
four months before I got the job and so it was just
kind of being in the right place at the right time.
With the right skills!
What skills are necessary for you
to do your job?
Technically, we use Maya software,
so a knowledge of that program is necessary. A lot of
people use 3D Studio Max or other 3D packages, so you
could easily come across to Maya. To be a good animator,
you need to have a good sense of all of the principles
of animation - like weights and timing, silhouettes
and the line of movement, and all of those basic sorts
of principles which you learn a bit about at the VCA
or in courses.
But a lot of it is actually learnt on the job.
When you get different characters to perform different
tasks to do different things, you learn as you go to
make things look good. You do a lot of research,
and look at movies, look at other animated
films and other games to see how things move.
How important was your education/training?
I think it was important. It gave a different
overview of all of the different areas of animation.
There is so much to know, like compositing and editing
(which is also in film making). But in animation, there
is 3D, and stop motion, and hand-drawn, 2D and digital.
I think it’s quite daunting for people when they
are starting out – they go ‘ah yeah, I want
to be an animator but …. ‘ There are so
many different areas. I think it’s good to do
a course to see what you like.
Where do you see your career going?
You are constantly learning in animation
- the software and all of the different things that
you work on. I think I just see myself working on bigger
and better things. I enjoy my job, it’s a fun
environment working with a lot of enthusiastic people.
What advice would you give to someone
wanting to enter the games industry?
If you want to work in the games industry, especially
as an animator, you need to have a good show
reel. Going into a course to learn a bit more
about the techniques is a good idea,
and to work a lot on your own.
Animation is a pretty solitary profession,
so you need to work on your skills and spend a lot of
time getting your show reel together
and making it look good. Concentrate on your strengths.
Also, general art, like doing life
drawings, is good.
Perseverance and being able to communicate
with people is good too.
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