How did you go from Philosophy to Animation?

The Hobbit

Philosophy was also a subject that attracted me enormously at that age. I was very drawn to intellectual pursuits during my university years and loved to analyze concepts and arguments dealing with epistemology and metaphysics. I knew very early on that Philosophy would not develop into anything practical as far as a career goes. But I appreciated the way Philosophy helped me work through so many aspects of my life. I actually credit my studies in Philosophy with my problem solving skills, communication skills, and ability to conceptualize ideas in animation.

Between my degree in Philosophy and returning to school many years later to study animation, there was a huge gap of about 6 years where I struggled to find my creative voice. What's so interesting is that the elements that go into being a good animator had been part of my life for the longest time, but I lacked the clarity and foresight to see how they could all blend together into a single pursuit. Photography, film and narrative, acting, and communication, were things I was very passionate about from a young age, but somehow it took an advertisement on a bus for the Vancouver Film School and a conversation with my sister (who is a visual FX Producer) to make me realize that CGI was a great fit for my pesonality.

What was your big break into the Animation Industry?
I wouldn't consider my first job in animation my big break. After working for a number of years in Montreal, animating on various Discovery Channel shows, I finally got up the courage to send my reel to the United States and see if I could work successfully in a major studio. I took a job with Tippett Studio and began animating on Matrix: Revolutions. Before leaving Tippett I was able to work on Hellboy and Constantine as well. I would definitely consider that job my first real break into the industry.

Hellboy

What do you enjoy the most about your animation career?
Animating of course! Over the years I've had the opportunity to work in pretty much every aspect of animation, and nothing holds a candle to just plain animating. I've supervised in film, video games and television, as well as managed animation teams, directed motion capture, etc. In the end, I just love making monsters move. It never gets dull.

What are the challenges of a constantly changing environment?
Well I would probably attribute my wife's and my decision to not have a second child to the fact that we have moved so much since my career began. When you settle for reasonably short periods of time in areas where you have little to no social network, raising a child can be an enormous challenge. Of course, that's not to say that there aren't many animators who grow big and beautiful famlies while continuing to take jobs in distant parts of the world. But that hasn't been the case for us. We have a beautiful, intelligent 5 year old boy and have decided that giving him all of our attention in a constantly changing environment is the best thing for us as a family.

On a professional level, every studio is different. Weta is now my 5th studio and each and every one has been a very different experience. Studios have very distinct personalities. Some are open formats while others are partitioned; some studios are very rigid about their internal structure, while others are much more carefree and less hierarchical. I've worked in studios that exude youth and fun, while others are quieter and more conservative.

The software has generally always been Maya. At Ubisoft and E.A Montreal it was 3D Studio Max and Motion Builder. Making the transition from one to another isn't much of an issue.

Artist Bio: I am 36 years old and was born in Montreal, Canada. I have been animating for almost 9 years. I have had the opportunity to work at all levels of animation, but find my greatest joy just animating cool creatures for feature films. I am currently working at Weta Digital on James Cameron's Avatar. Links: www.aarongilman.com