Out latest 3D short (co-produced with the NFB) is truly a coast-to-coast Canadian production. Not solely because the NFB is headquartered in Ottawa while we?re in Vancouver; nor because Chuck?s dinner party menu is filled with coastal dishes (mmm lobster and mussles, oh my!); Impromptu?s animation staff, too, spans across Canada, too!
While we have our core crew working on the film in-house, we?ve also brought on two animators from Newfoundland. I interviewed Kyle Sharpe and Zachary Green last week and got a behind-the-scenes look at what it?s like to animate a 3D animated film, work on a project from a distance, and overall, navigate the Canadian animation industry as a recent graduate. Read the first part of my interview with Zac and Kyle.
"The hub" at the Media Arts Centre where Zac and Kyle animate scenes for Impromptu.
Meet the Animators!
Zac and Kyle, I know that you?re based out of Stephenville, Newfoundland; but is this where you?re originally from?
Zac: I?m from Ramea, Newfoundland, actually. Stephenville is tiny compared to Vancouver but understand that where I come from, Ramea, is tiny compared to Stephenville. Ramea is a couple of small islands just off the south coast of NL; it?s a very small community with only about 600 or so total population.
Kyle: I was born in Twillingate, NF. My family moved to mainland Saskatchewan when I was about six but we returned to NF to be closer to my mom?s family.
When did your interest in animation arise?
Kyle: My experience with animation developed on something of a whim. (I backed out of a chance to go to theater school at the last minute and felt like making 3D characters instead.) I?ve always been told that I was very artistic (I used to draw a lot as a kid), and do I come from a family of incredibly artistic and talented people (If you were to drive through Twillingate, you?d see more than a few examples of paintings and murals that were crafted by the Sharpe men of my father?s family, and not to mention the dozens of houses they built from the ground up or at least had a hand in.) However, computer graphics had interested me years before I applied to the college, so I decided to pursue that.
Zac: All I knew is that I wanted to work in the entertainment industry and I wanted to get started as soon as I could!
So, you went with your gut and CNA offered you an opportunity to explore a different kind of artistry.
Kyle: I figured, if it was something I could make a career out of that wouldn?t drive me absolutely insane, then it would be an excellent skill to have. Ultimately, as long as I can do something that I?m successful with, I have no fear of failing to explore my other interests [like writing and acting] later in life.
(Take my mother?s side of the family ? there is a lot of creativity there, but it lay dormant for years. I became aware of it only when my grandmother recently picked up painting as a hobby and then, with my grandfather, converted their guestroom into a gallery. It?s really incredible to see what she?s capable of, especially after failing to express her talents for nearly sixty years.)
Incredible. So, you guys took the animation route ? but what made you decide to pursue CNA?s Digital Animation program in Stephenville?
Kyle: To be honest, I came to Stephenville because that?s the only place in Newfoundland where such a program was offered. The place has grown on me, though. It may be the perfect place to concentrate on studies, because there are absolutely no distractions!
Zac: I?d be lying if I said video games didn?t lead me to taking Digital Animation here in Stephenville. But since coming here in September of 2010, but my passion for my media and entertainment in general is what keeps me pushing forward. Digital Animation has since opened me up to something I never knew existed, showed me the inner workings of what it means to work in the industry and how to create in a virtual environment. I?ve loved the time I?ve spent here for the past two years and I wouldn?t trade it for all of Midas?s gold!
From what I know, Stephenville has quite a large arts community, but are there any animation-related events that go on? (Our Creative Director, Bruce Alcocks, also hails from Newfoundland, and I can?t let go of whatever subtle connection there may between animation and geography!)
Kyle: As unbelievable as it may seem, Newfoundlanders are real people just like everyone in the big city! We own cars, eat high-sodium foods from the microwave, and when we?re bored to death, watch TV for hours at a time. That said, there isn?t a huge community for computer graphics-related talent just yet, and certainly not for 3D animators. Someone who is trained for that sort of thing on the island (like me) has more luck leaving the province to seek work. There is a fairly active theatre community here, though, which I?ve been involved with on a few occasions.
Zac: Yeah, I wouldn?t say animation is a big thing in Newfoundland, though the film industry is growing in areas like St. Johns ? but animation, specifically, needs time to grow here.
Kyle: Also, with the video game industry exploding like it is these days, there is always a need for character/environment modelers and such, so thankfully, film isn?t the only outlet for people like us.
And I bet, your instructor Jim Grace and the CNA program he?s heading is helping nurture animation in Newfoundland.
Zac: He and David Martingale, who is our other main instructor, have been teaching for a number of years now, and CNA is definitely the only place offering anything similar in the province.
Kyle: Plus, the only festival in town with any focus on animation is SNAPP, Stephenville New Animation Philm Phestival (I know, a bit of a liberty on the last two words!), which is organized by the Media Arts Center students at the college. People like me, in the Digital Animation program, design and animate the MC character (and skits between the films) for this event.
What is Jim like as an instructor?
Zac: It would take a novel to describe what Jim has done for us with this program in the past two years so I?ll just say this: Jim is exactly the kind of instructor, and human being, that you will need if you want to get anywhere in this industry.
Kyle: He?s an excellent instructor, and I?m not just saying that because I?ll need to use him as a reference (but it can?t hurt)! When planning to work in a competitive field, it?s important to have someone to provide you with constructive criticism. You can?t go through life having everyone tell you that everything you do is perfect.
Zac: Yes. He?s brutally honest with his opinions and the only thing he wants is for you to be successful as a student and as a graduate.
Kyle: That isn?t to say that Jim is strict; far from it! If you can?t deal with someone who is going to push you to reach your full potential, then you won?t make it far in this world. He may try to brainwash you into believing that the world is on the brink of self-destruction, but that?s our Jim!
Haha. Very cool. So, despite there being a lack of a truly vibrant animation community outside of CNA, has the culture and life in Stephenville ? or Newfoundland in general ? shaped you as an animator in any way?
Zac: I?m from a small town where fishing, hunting and the outdoors could definitely describe it almost entirely though I?ve never really participated in any of it directly (minus eating what?s been caught of course).? I can?t speak for the majority of the province (as I haven?t even been to the capitol, St. Johns), but I can say this: Our culture is our strongest tool when it comes to animation. The intersession projects from previous years, including my own, generally revolved around a particular aspect of Newfoundland culture. It has helped add a very certain uniqueness to our work and brings something to the table that no one else will.
Amen! Thanks guys for the lovely chat!
Tidbit: Stay tuned for Part 2 of my interview with Zac and Kyle, going live tomorrow!
Related posts:
- College of the North Atlantic?s Animation Program Gives Graduates Real-life Work Experience
- Animating Impromptu: From Coast to Coast
Source: http://blog.globalmechanic.com/interview-with-animators-from-cnas-media-arts-centre/
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