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Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to become an animator?
Gini Santos:
Although I grew up watching animation as a kid, and I watched a lot of the Disney classics that came out in the theatres, becoming an animator didn’t cross my mind until much later in life.
My bachelor’s degree was in Fine Arts. I was a more traditional artist working in mediums such as oil, pastel and watercolor. I loved doing design during the earlier part of my career. I would incorporate my illustrations of course, but as my work evolved, and the images I designed on the computer started to evoke the look of movement, animation caught my eye again when I decided to pursue my Master in Fine Arts, and applied to a school in New York City that offered computer animation as a major.
Creating movement on the computer was easy, but creating a movement that represents thought and emotion proved to be the most challenging. I feel it’s something I’m still learning up until now.
Animation Mentor:
What was your first animation job?
Gini Santos:
Working for Pixar Animation Studios.
Animation Mentor:
If you could do one thing differently on your journey to becoming an animator, what would it be?
Gini Santos:
Absolutely nothing. Each part happened as a build up to it, and it’s what made it a richer experience for me as I was starting my career in animation. I guess I say that because I made a lot of mistakes in animating and still do, but I’ve learned more because of the mistakes, and I’ve realized it is pretty much a part of the process.
Animation Mentor:
Who would you consider your mentor to be in animation?
Gini Santos:
There are so many I can’t name them all. Most of them I still work with at Pixar as animators and directors. They challenge me and make me question my work constantly, but at the same time inspire me enormously.
Animation Mentor:
Who is your favorite character that you've animated and why?
Gini Santos:
It is Dory in Finding Nemo. I love who she is and what her character was about. I loved that she didn’t carry baggage because she had short term memory loss. But she’s a little bit more complex than that. She does carry it somewhat and finds things planted in her head although she’s not sure if she experienced it, but nonchalantly accepts that it’s just there. I relate to her because I think I’m a little forgetful myself. I’m good with faces but horrible with names. She stood out to me the most.
Animation Mentor:
How has the Animation Mentor experience been for you so far?
Gini Santos:
It’s been great! I like sharing what I’ve learned and seeing all the creativity that comes from the students. I find it really challenging to teach or give advice on something you have a passion for, because even for my own work, I feel there’s still more I could learn too. But it’s nice to be in an environment where you all share the same love for the art of animation.
Animation Mentor:
What is your favorite Animation Mentor tool?
Gini Santos:
I like e-Critiques. From my experience I love it when something could be explained and taught to me based on my own work. There’s so much great animation out there to reference, but also applying that to my work teaches me a lot. e-Critiques allows for an opportunity to clearly see what may be wrong or what can be improved visually.
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