Animation Mentor is putting the student highlight back into the hands of the students themselves.  We let students create whatever they want – revealing themselves by sharing video, text, and anything else they feel is appropriate.  If you are currently an Animation Mentor student and you’d like to participate in this, send an email to newsletter (at) animationmentor.com and we’ll do our best to fit you in!

Jessicka Herman - Class 3, Introduction To Acting

Visit Jessicka's personal site at: www.orchid-eye.com

What inspired you to learn animation?
I spent a lot of time watching animated television specials from the 60's as a kid, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! , A Charlie Brown Christmas as well as the shorts from The National Film Board of Canada  - The Log Driver's Waltz, the Cat Came Back, and Neighbours.  I remember being amazed at what was possible - a whole different world could be created.  When I was a little older, one of my favorite activities was experimenting with animation on an old commodore or with an early video camera and modelling clay.

Gretel - 3D Character Jessicka created

What would be your ultimate dream job?
Animating characters I like.  I would love to work on feature films.  That'd be the ultimate job scenario, but regardless, the characters would have to become friends of mine.   I'd have to know them inside out and be working on large enough projects to have time to understand what they're all about and watch them grow.  I'm not sure if I'd be offered that luxury in games or advertising, but anything is possible.  Maybe the magic could happen over short scenes too.  The other important factor of an ideal job is that you're surrounded by honest, open, positive and enthusiastic people.  The ideal place would be where people don't take themselves seriously at all but understand the importance of the work they're doing together as a team.

How has your experience at Animation Mentor been so far?
It has really been amazing!  I feel really supported when I'm working on shots and really confident that it's not all about the end result but the road we're traveling down.  It's the first time I've been to a school that is more focused on helping students learn than judging them or grading them.  The proof is in the work that everyone keeps knocking out week after week.  It's all about the feedback.  It's about making mistakes and learning why you did and how not to make them again.  I really think that schools in every field should adopt the philosophy that Animation Mentor is based on.  It really works!

What's one of the most important and/or interesting lessons you've learned while at Animation Mentor?
Keep it simple.  It's said over and over and over.  I'm still struggling to get it burnt into my psyche in big bold letters, but so far it's the most valuable lesson there has been.  It's also one of the hardest to learn.  I think by the time we get to higher education we're repeatedly told to add more details or make things longer-winded.  In animation that just doesn't work.  The simpler and cleaner and more thought out a shot is at the beginning, the less you're going to struggle with it down the road and the nicer it's going to look when it's finished.  The same goes for learning animation - one thing at a time.

What is your favorite animated/CG scene of all time?  
I really love the scene in The Triplets of Belleville when the dog is sniffing around the toy train set and gets his tail run over by the train.  It's done adorably and subtly and is setting up the dog's phobia for the rest of the film.  So much of the detail in that movie is put into the character development and it's little scenes like that really bring it all to life.

Anything else you want to say to your fellow and prospective students of Animation Mentor?
This experience is changing my life.  I never thought you could get so many passionate, optimistic, kind and funny people together in the way that they have at AM.  You ever get the feeling that you're exactly on the right track at the right time heading in the right direction? I do and I'm thrilled! If your dream is to be an animator then this is the place where you can make your dreams come true.