A collection of my interviews with women who work in the field of Animation covering their personal history, views on animation, and advice for women who would like to become animators.
Looking for the most up-to-date information and articles on Women Animators? Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WomenAnimators/
And if you haven't seen it already, head over to the ShortsHD website (www.shortstv.com) where they have a short video interview with Ms. Gratz talking about the 'painting with clay' animation process that she pioneered and used to create her Academy Award winning film "Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase".
On her website: www.gratzfilm.com, Joan has video clips and images of the films and commercials she's produced as well as books and DVDs of her work for sale--including "Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase".
* image linked to from Animation Magazine's article:
"ShortsHD Offers Special Spotlight on Joan Gratz", July 11, 2013.
http://www.animationmagazine.net/people/shortshd-offers-special-spotlight-on-joan-gratz/
Sometimes you go looking for the cause, sometimes the cause finds you...
Design by Erica Perez
So there I was, working at the day job when a young lady by the name of Staci Jacobs e-mailed me out of the blue. It turns out that she had found this year's Women in Animation blog posts on my other website, Smudge Animation, and discovered that we held some pretty common views on filmmaking opportunities. Y'see, Staci is a writer, actress and producer who is working on getting her own webseries off the ground.
Called "Saving Unicorns", the show takes the popular 'man-child' theme and tells it from a woman's perspective with an imaginary unicorn taking the place of Jiminy Cricket (or a stuffed teddy bear that sounds suspiciously like Peter Griffin from Family Guy). While this is a somewhat common theme, what is unique is telling the story from the perspective of a woman who is struggling to find her way through adulthood in modern society. Since I've had a very vibrant imagination my entire life, I can relate to her story. Be it a remnant of society or how we are raised nowadays, I can look at my wall of animation DVDs and understand how it feels like you wake up one day and 'Bam', you're an adult with all the rights, privileges, and (oftentimes overwhelming) responsibilities all the while pursued by the thought "I'm not sure I'm really prepared for all this..."
Staci has made the decision to follow her own unique vision by creating a story that is personal to her (as well as many in our generation). And by using the tools at her disposal, she has decided to go the independant producer route in order to bring her vision to life outside of the established studio structure.
After reviewing her websites, I was intrigued about her project and her motivations behind going the indie route for this hybrid live-action/2d animated project, but more research was needed to satisfy my curiousity--especially since I made a decision when launching this blog to keep my focus specifically narrowed onto women animators, their history, and their films. Needless to say, I didn't want to stray too far from the core mission of this blog.
It was during that initial e-mail that Staci revealed the very pleasant surprise that she is hiring a woman animator to design and animate her sassy imaginary unicorn. Staci stated in her e-mail that she was surprised at how difficult it was for her to find a woman animator--not a big surprise if you've read any of the Women in Animation interviews on my blog over the past couple years. But fortunately she found Erica Perez, a graduate from Pratt Institute who has worked on such shows as Ugly Americans, the Electric Company, and StoryCorps with the Rauch Brothers.
In the following video, Erica tells us about her motiviations for working on this project and shows how she brings imaginary unicorns to life.
But, as this is a blog about women who work in animation, I had to be direct and ask Staci the question:
CW: "Why did you decide to hire a woman animator for your unicorn character?"
SJ: "When the heart of the project became clear, and the focus was about the Woman-Child, I immediately knew that having women on the production team was the way to go. A show created by a woman, telling the story of a woman and having the creative forces behind it being women-just seemed right. Especially when you look at the "big guns" in Hollywood. The movers and the shakers are men. Men telling stories, about men, produced and written by men. Don't get me wrong-I'm a fan [of] great content. I just knew that finding a female animator would add something extra special to the team. When I first posted an ad looking for an animator, every reply I received about the job was from a man. I got very lucky finding Erica. A mutual friend and fellow producer introduced us. Erica got the character and the concept from her very first sketch and I knew she would be perfect. Plus women and unicorns is like bread and butter!"
This strikes to the heart of my argument for creating a blog about women who work in the field of animation. As I state on my 'Why Animated Women?' page:
"women have a unique perspective that we, as men, don’t... we should enjoy our own unique perspectives—and by extension, as filmmakers, we should put that perspective into our films."
I often quote National Film Board director Michael Fukushima to friends, students, on my blog... to anyone who will listen, really, where he says:
"Make a ten-second film and send it to the festivals. Next, make a 30-second film... and send it to the festivals. Next, make a sixty second film... and send it to the festivals..."
What I got from my larger discussion with Michael back in 2012 is: rather than sitting around and waiting for something to happen, sometimes you have to make your own opportunities.
And this is what Staci is doing--hence her webseries and her Indiegogo campaign to get the show off the ground.
But still, I wanted to know more. So, I asked her:
CW: "What prompted you to go it alone and produce your webseries by yourself?"
SJ: "Why did I decide to produce? There are days I ask myself that..haha because it's not easy! I started out in musical theater, which provided many opportunities to perform. While I was grateful for getting work, I knew I wanted something more. I had more things to say and other sides of myself to explore other than the parts that were given. A good friend started producing her own work, I saw how it changed her outlook, her community, her "world". Most importantly it lets you, the actor-take the creative reigns, empower yourself and say I have this story to tell, this character to play, this funny song in my head... Instead of waiting around for others to open doors for you-I decided to open my own. So Jan. 2012, I took the leap. It's pretty incredible to see my notes on that very first day and now see it actually becoming a reality. This process has been the most challenging, crazy, emotional journey. It.Is.Hard. It is also extremely rewarding to say "I did that, I made that." "I created something from nothing." That's pretty special.
As of today (Monday) I have 12 days left of my Indiegogo Campaign. I've got $2600 to go. I am so grateful for the amazing people who have shown love and support. I am a one woman army with amazing hard working, talented women on my team. I don't want to let them down!
Note ALL donations are tax deductible."
So if you have a chance, check out her website and campaign videos to learn more about "Saving Unicorns". See if her story resonates with you. If you want to help encourage independent producers bring their unique visions to life you can do so by making a donation to this project via IndieGogo or by telling your friends about it. And when she completes the show, be sure to check it out and help support women in film and animation.
As you can see by the above video and on her websites, a donation no matter how small (or how big) is a way to fund a project that directly benefits women who are working in the field of animation.
Design by Erica Perez
All images and video are copyright Staci Jacobs and used with her permission.
Last month, my brother, himself a new dog owner, brought a delightful student film to my attention entitled: "Omelette". The young lady who produced this film is Madeline Sharifian, a second year student enrolled in the CalArts animation program.* Well serendipity struck me a week later when on vacation in Toronto, I met a girl at the Toronto Zoo who was drawing a peacock. After asking me to look at her portfolio, she stated that she was interested in becoming an animator and wanted to go to college at CalArts. As a result of that conversation, I decided to reach out to Ms. Sharifian and see if she'd be interested in sharing her experiences, to which she graciously agreed. So, here is what I hope will become a new series here on Animated Women showcasing the work of up-and-coming woman animators.
Name: Madeline Sharafian School: California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Q: What made you choose animation as a major course of study?
A: I chose animation because of two movies that totally changed my life: 'Spirited Away' and 'Monsters, Inc.' I was pretty young when I saw them, but they completely changed my expectations of animated movies. I was so emotionally moved that I can still remember that car ride home after seeing 'Spirited Away' to this day. The story of Chihiro's personal transformation was so incredible that I think it may have permanently changed my personality (I used to be a very whiny child just like her at the beginning of the movie... so whiny). I didn't learn about CalArts and the character animation program until much much later, but the prospect of trying to make a film was too exciting to ignore!
Q: Your two films "the Mew-sician" and "Omelette" were both produced using 2d hand-drawn techniques, is this your preferred method of animating or do you plan to make the jump to 3d CGI for some of your future student films?
A: I am definitely much more comfortable with 2D animation, whether it's on
paper or via a program! I'm not very savvy with computers in general; I
didn't learn how to use Photoshop until I went to college. The first
time I opened Maya, I felt totally overwhelmed! Now that I'm more
familiar with the controls, I've started to really enjoy CG animation
class, but I don't think I'll ever become proficient enough with it to
make a CG film. Plus I'm horrible at modeling (it's a little
embarrassing).
Q: What was your inspiration for Omelette?
A: Well, I love dogs and food. That's really all there is to it! I came up with the basic concept on a hike over the summer and I stuck to it pretty faithfully all year. I wish it had a cool origin story, but it's really just an homage to my foodie family.
Q: On your Vimeo page, you allow people to freely download your film the Mew-sician in HD, SD, and mobile device formats. As students at CalArts retain copyright to their works, what prompted the decision to freely distribute copies of your film as opposed to seeking a way to monetize it or keep it for a DVD compilation of your future works? A: Can I be honest with you? I had no idea that it was available for download! But it doesn't bother me so much. Also, I would personally find the concept of making money off of my student films very strange! It's definitely not something I think about. I just want to make more films!
"Omelette Designs", by Madeline Sharifian
(click image for larger view)
Madeline currently has two blogs that showcase her work. The first is a portfolio of her character designs and storyboards which can be viewed here on blogspot (maddiesharafianportfolio.blogspot.com). The second, also on blogspot (maddiesharafian.blogspot.com), includes preliminary work for "Omelette" as well as a wider array of designs, storyboards, sketches, and artwork that showcase the depth and breadth of Madeline's artistic ability.
Below are Madeline's first and second year films that she produced at CalArts: "The Mew-sician" and "Omelette"
The images and animations used in this blog entry are copyright Madeline Sharafian and used with her permission.
* Founded in 1961 by Walt Disney through a merger of the the Chouinard Art Institute and the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, CalArts produced another notable female animator: Nancy Beiman, whose work runs the gamut from Ralph Bakshi and Warner Brothers to Walt Disney Animation Studios (source: LinkedIn).
NOTE: This post originally appeared on my Smudge Animation site on March 13th, 2012.
For this year's Women in Animation posts, I'll be presenting the story of two animators: one at the beginning of her career and one at the middle of her career; one who is working within the industry and one who has taken lessons learned from industry and is applying them to her own independent animated films.
As you read about Angie Hauch and Lynn Dana Wilton, you'll see one animator looking at her future with cautious optimism and a cagey sense of realism about her profession, and the other animator as a veteran with a world of hard-won experience and wisdom. Many of the lessons that they will share are applicable to anyone who wants to pursue a career in animation, but it is my hope that girls will read their interviews and be encouraged that women can succeed in the 'boys club' that exists in the animation industry.
Men have a unique perspective that tends to dominate animated film due to the large number of men working in the industry (in my not so humble opinion). But women have their own unique perspective and voice that needs to be brought to the screen in order for the art form to mature and live up to its potential.
Everyone has a story that needs to be told. You can read Lynn's and Angie's at the following links:
NOTE:This post originally appeared on my Smudge Animation site on March 20th, 2012.
Angie Hauch
I first met Angie several years ago at the Ottawa Animation Festival. I was walking out of the Arts Court building and bumped into her and her two friends, David and Brianne. Ottawa 2010 was an abysmal time for me, so when these three college students stopped me on the street and said that they knew who I was, it caught me off guard. If memory serves, I had apparently been at an ASIFA/Central event (or was it KAFI?) which they had attended and remembered me from. I vaguely remember mumbling something about ASIFA, wished them well, and then shuffled back to my hotel room where a confrontation with a business partner, still hung-over from a previous night of drinking, awaited me.
Fast forward six months to the ASIFA/Central Spring meeting where I once again bumped into Angie and David. This time, I was better prepared--though at the time, I barely recognized them and spent probably a little too much time looking across the table at Angie and David in a desperate attempt to get the grey matter's pattern recognition software working. But eventually it kicked in and, yes, they were who I thought they were--minus Brianne of course. It was at that time where I really got the chance to talk to, and more importantly listen to, Angie. She was getting ready to graduate from Kendall and had spent a wonderful time interning for a production company in Chicago on a film entitled "The Edge of Joy". That afternoon, we got to see her senior film "Cuckoo for Two" (co-produced with her classmate Angela Tidball), which went on to be screened at the 28th Chicago's International Children's Film Festival. As gracious as I remembered from Ottawa, Angie agreed to let me interview her for an upcoming 'Women in Animation' post as soon as she got settled into her career.
Later that year, David and Angie were two of the several people who contacted me about attending Ottawa 2011. I'm thankful to say that I listened to their advice as I went on to have the best Ottawa Animation Festival experience that I have ever had in seventeen years of attending OIAF. The high point of the festival though was the first night where I had dinner with David and Angie and she updated me on her career, then reiterated that she'd be happy to let me interview her.
While "Cuckoo For Two" is still making it's way through the festival circuit, after reading her interview, I encourage you to watch the film that Angie worked on during her internship at the following link: "The Edge of Joy".
Q: What is your current job description?
A: Associate Producer at Woodlawn Avenue Productions
Youth media instructor, and freelance designer/animator at the University of Chicago: Section of Family Planning and Contraceptive Research
Q: How long have you worked in the animation industry?
A: I'm really just starting my career, I graduated in May 2011 from Kendall College of Art and Design.
Q: What roles have you performed during your career in animation?
A: I started interning at Woodlawn Ave during college as a motion designer and production assistant on the maternal health film The Edge of Joy. I'm AP, assistant editing, and making some motion graphics on the current documentary, a film about women who were forcibly sterilized by the state of North Carolina. The topics are intense, I've been asked if it's hard to have to think about these issues everyday... and it is, but once I start working on a film it's easy to get passionate about it and get that feeling where I have to be involved in telling the story, how could I not be?
Last summer after doing a couple freelance projects for the Section of Family planning, I got involved with Game Changer Chicago, an interdisciplinary program put on by the University of Chicago, where youth collaborate with doctors, professors, artists and community members to create games that promote social change. By using a fictional game based platform we're able to discuss some deeper issues our youth recognize in their communities here on the south side of Chicago, like teen pregnancy, cyber bullying, STD's, abuse, emotional and reproductive health, and access to healthcare, and apply these issues to the world. In the past we've designed interactive comic books, our current game is an online ARG based on leaked information about one doctors quest to stop the spread of STD's and a greedy corporation that tries to use the technology for profit. Along with storytelling skills and game development we teach the kids basic animation, video and image editing so they can be a part of every aspect of production.
I feel really fortunate to be a part of projects that educate and raise awareness on these serious issues.
Q: Is there a book or film that you worked on that you are particularly proud of?
A: Cuckoo for Two, is my first 3D animated short film, a collaborative senior thesis project I co-produced with classmate Angela Tidball. It was an ambitious undertaking to make a five min film in less than a year but we persisted through it, learned a lot on the way and achieved our goal of getting into a few festivals. It was a huge learning curve and like all student projects I have a hard time watching it with out dwelling on the mistakes, but it's been a blast to screen it at the children's festivals for younger audiences who throughly enjoy all the films they see.
Q: How have opportunities changed for women pursuing a career in animation today as opposed to when you started your career?
A: I think that one of the scariest and most advantageous hurdles our generation is facing, man or woman, is being in the age of prosumer technology. The tools are available to everyone you just need to find a mentor or more often than not, take the time to teach yourself. The opportunity is there for everyone to be a great independent filmmaker, and with social media sites like vimeo you can reach your audience, there's just a lot more junk to sift through.
Q: What do you think is the biggest obstacle to women who want to pursue a career in animation?
A: Animation is one of the strangest careers. I can't think of a more demanding or time consuming career. That being said, animators are usually extremely passionate about their filmmaking but that doesn't always lend itself to having great social lives or a lot of family time. For a woman it's not an impossible but an intimidating future. This is a choice every career women meets differently.
Q: If your daughter said that she wanted to work in animation, what advice would you give her?
A: If my daughter was aspiring to be an animator, I would encourage her to really observe the industry by watching new and old animation, attending festivals, joining animation groups or starting your own. Always have a work-in-progress project and a dedicated space to work, some place that is just for animating. Animation takes over your life and you need to be ready for it. Get those early internships, fill your free time with drawing and creative writing classes and find a group of supportive friends you can trust and share ideas with. You'll want to be surrounded by likeminded people who can remind you that you chose to be an animator not just because you like it and you want to, but because you love it and you have to!
Q: What is the most important thing that authority figures (parents/teachers/professors) can do to encourage girls who are considering a career in animation?
A: Some girls are turned off by animation because all they see is combat, chicks in tiny tops and short skirts, sci-fi, crude humor, or weird fantasy that has no appeal to them. It's hard not to be prejudiced about animation being a respectful career for a woman when the industry is saturated with this kind of media, it may be the only exposure to the art some girls have. Parents and teachers should encourage girls to really explore illustrators as well as animators and make a commitment to creating their own style if they aren't happy with what they see, rather than swearing off animation as a boys' club.
* The image used in this blog entry is copyright Angie Hauch and used with her permission.
Just in case you missed it, Animation Magazine has a short interview with animator Joan Gratz that is worth reading.
