Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to learn character animation?

Paul Allen:
I always loved to draw while growing up, but I really didn't feel like I had any direction I could go with it. I also loved Looney Tunes as a kid. In the early 90s, I was in my 20s working in retail, when I happened to see Pixar's Knick Knack at a small theater in Oklahoma. It really opened my eyes. I thought "You can do that with a computer?" So I paid around $2,500 for a computer, a DX2-50 with 4 MB of RAM and a 300MB hard drive. I didn't really even know what I was doing, but eventually I got a hold of some ray-tracing software, POV-Ray, and started experimenting. I built a character made out of simple tubes and made a really horrible loop of him running – absolutely horrible looking! But it was a start. I eventually ended up at the Art Institute of Dallas and got an associates degree in computer animation in 1997. Then I went to DNA Productions in Dallas right out of school.

Paul Allen:
I can honestly say I learned everything on the job. The Art Institute was a good opportunity for me to take a couple of years and figure out what I really wanted to do with art and computers, so I gravitated towards animation. From there out, with my nine years at DNA, I learned on the job by being in actual production with hard deadlines. We also had a lot of very talented animators come in to work on the Jimmy Neutron feature, TV series, and the Ant Bully feature – those were great learning opportunities as well. I used to be very scared to show my work in progress, but I learned that you have to have a thick skin and take feedback gracefully. That was hard, but worth it in the long run.

Paul Allen:
I wish there would have been training available like what we have at Animation Mentor. I couldn't afford to go to CalArts or Ringling, and this was in the mid-90s when I was at school, so the opportunities for online education really weren't available yet.

Paul Allen:
My favorite character? Probably Sheen and Hugh Neutron from the Neutron TV series. I love their voice actors, they always delivered great reads, and that really helps when it's time to sit down and imagine a performance.

Paul Allen:
When I got to DNA, I remember the first few things I did were a small smiley face that morphed out Mickey Mouse ears, that was for a Microsoft team convention I think. And I animated a horse jumping into the screen for a Westway Ford commercial – it took me forever to get it done, it felt like. What took me a few days at that early point in my career, I could now do in an afternoon.

Paul Allen:
Who I learned from the most was my fellow animators through the years at DNA, but I really followed and studied Pixar's work. Toy Story came out while I was in school at the Art Institute, and that was such a huge influence on me. I saw Toy Story at the theater probably around 20 times, although I think 18 of the 20 times were at the dollar theater. I was on a budget.

Paul Allen:
I like to spend a certain part of my morning going over what my tasks are and lining out what I need to accomplish for the day. We are starting to get near the finish line for our upcoming release for Atari, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, so focus and task management are really crucial. Luckily, we have a very dedicated group and whenever I have a question or need to solve an issue with other departments, we can get it hammered out in no time. Enjoying what I'm doing and who I'm working with is very important to me, so I'm lucky in a lot of ways.

Paul Allen:
I love interacting and sharing with the students. As I said before, I wish Animation Mentor would have been around because it's really a unique environment, great place to collaborate and get and give feedback. It also helps me a lot, giving feedback every week, as it helps keep my eye for detail sharp, and I continue to learn and grow as well.

Paul Allen:
Being able to get to work in under 15 minutes is a huge plus! My current job is in gaming. I work at Terminal Reality in Lewisville, right outside of Dallas, Texas. I am focusing right now on working with FaceFX software for in-game face animation and also improving our cinematic editing tools. As a senior animator, my supervisor gives me a lot of room to manage myself and be creative, to get the most out of both Maya and our in-house game engine, the Infernal Engine. It's great to be entrusted to take charge and have a say in production. I still animate quite a bit, but the added opportunity to collaborate on development and technical issues is very rewarding.