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 Wayne Gilbert talks to Vancouver Animation about his Animated Short films, his book and his Animation Career.
Wayne, You have worked for TV Spots, TV Series, Short Films and pretty big Feature Films and Games. What have you enjoyed the most?
Although I had and have fun in all areas of endeavor, making my short films were the most enjoyable times. They were also the most difficult. The 2D films and story reels that I have produced were less stressful then the 3D films because I did most of the work myself. The stressful part of making Let Go was wrangling all of the folks who signed on to help and didn't. Those that came through came through big.
 I loved painting backgrounds for film and television also - painting is therapeutic. I'll have some on my website soon.
How was your experience at ILM?
ILM was a tough go for me transitioning from 2D to 3D. At that time there were few tutorials, animators hadn't yet sorted out work efficiencies and software was in its 2.5 stage. My first 3 years there I was Animation Area Supervisor which was more management but a lot of my job was sketching and making notes at dailies for various shows to support the animation supervisor's efforts.
Making Let Go really helped me to understand CG animating. I worked on that while on shows so it meant after hours and weekends but the story reel was so tight that it was just a matter of getting each shot animated. Everything was in the hands of amazing people - The Art Direction, Score and Audio as well as VFX by John Helms who also did CPU with me. A full credit list is on my website. A few great friends were always around to teach me what I needed to know.  You have great short films, which one is your favorite?
Let Go. The first versions of the story reel told the opposite tale. It was about a guy who was to foolish to let go. Those versions were far more cartoony in design and tempo. The film that I decided to make is being used by over 40 non profit organization, psychologists and spiritual organizations. I was asked if I would allow it to be used in counseling inmates on death row at San Quentin. have two others ready to go just have to give up sleeping.
What has been the greatest creative challenge in your career?
The greatest creative challenge is not having input early in a project and then having to make something out of very little. Too often work started before creative decisions were made. We managed to change that at ILM in the commercial department. I had the opportunity to work with a director who wanted me to do detailed story reels (animatics) before starting production. I would also sketch out how a character needed to move to define how it should be rigged. That was very handy when we animated a pop open zip lock sandwich bag that marched and jumped. The rigger only only had to rig it once.
Working without clear information and creative decisions is an ongoing challenge. Of course there is nothing more challenging than story telling.
What do you think the future has in store for the Animation Industry in Canada?
We need business savvy people to partner with creative leaders for Canada to have an 'A' list studio. If I try to say more I'll start ranting and get a headache. Future discussion.
Are you aware that you are an Animation Ninja?
Nope. What is an Animation Ninja? We used the term Ninjamator at ILM when a shot was fine tuned by someone other than the initial animator. It's a tough thing to do and not always appreciated. Fact is, the shot belongs to production not the individual and often time constraints dictate doing it that way. It is best to show/explain to the animator what has been done and use it as a professional development situation. That's often how I learned the fastest. It applies to everything not just animating.
When did you decide to make an animation book?
It's actually a drawing book for planning animation. I'd love to have the time to finish a book on animation principles redefined. When I was doing the sketches for animation dailies notes at ILM, people kept pushing me to write/draw a book. Most of the animators, even though trained in 2D said they were insecure about their drawings and that's why they didn't plan their shots - (that's another headache coming on).
How long did Simplified Drawing For Planning Animation take to make?
I would say around 6 months from the time I committed to it. I told Shawn Kelly who was a young animator at ILM and main supporter of the effort, that I would have it done by a certain date and asked him to put the word out on CG talk. No turning back after that.
A lot of people speak very highly of you, yes a lot of people! What is or has been your motivation that keeps moving you forward in your career?
The opportunity to direct an animated feature film - looking for the business savvy people to partner with.
 Wayne Gilbert career in Animation spans over 30 years. His credits cover from Care Bears to Star Wars and the Mummy films and has been in key positions such as Associate Animation Supervisor at ILM, Creative Staffing and Professional Development at Walt Disney Animation Canada, a professor and coordinator at Sheridan College. His 6 personal short films have given him a Crystal Heart and two Clio Awards. He is currently the Animation Director at Electronic Arts, Canada.
Please visit his website and blog at: http://www.anamie.com |
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