Featured Mentor: Gavin Moran
AnimationMentor.com:
What inspired you to become an animator?
Gavin:
I always knew I wanted to be an artist since drawing was my only real interest from as far back as I can remember. But I didn't even think about animation until I'd already been failed out of two colleges (and had a number of "you'll never succeed" speeches from various administrators for failing to embrace the BS and admit I couldn't draw an apple unless I had a picture to copy from.) I was working in a music store when my twin brother had started his first year in animation. He showed me what he was up to and I said, "That's for me!" I got accepted at the same college, moved back in with our parents and attended two years of a three year course, knowing from the first second that I'd found what I was looking for. Toward the end of my second year I got my green card, borrowed a thousand dollars from the bank, and bought a one-way ticket to the States, arriving with my portfolio and hoping for the best. Luckily everything worked out or I'd be panhandling in Santa Monica today and not typing out the things that went right. Since then I have worked in a lot of studios as I tend to move about a fair bit. Staying at one place regardless of what they were working on wasn't an option for me and I have always been proactive in regards to where I need to go and what I have to learn. I made the decision to move from 2D to 3D when there was plenty of 2D work and the prevailing opinion was that 3D was a fad and wouldn't catch on. I had seen Toy Story and I believed that I knew better, so I went for it. All in all, I was lucky 'cause if my brother hadn't shown me the way I'd still be sitting in Ireland, working at God-knows-what, and that thought makes me shiver.
AnimationMentor.com:
If you could do one thing differently on your journey to becoming an animator, what would it be?
Gavin:
I don't know what I would have done differently. After the hard lessons about what I'm not suitable for in the field of art I was so glad I found animation that I didn't regret not going straight to college for it sooner. I never made easy decisions about which road to take in regards to my career so I don't have any regrets about not doing stuff. I would have loved to work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy but I was applying for my citizenship at the time so I couldn't leave the States for extended periods. I would have loved to work on Cats Don't Dance or The Iron Giant but I'm not going to kill myself over it. I wish that when I was younger I was taught construction and line of action and all the other things that are so necessary for animation.
AnimationMentor.com:
Who is your favorite animated character?
Gavin:
I love the Tramp from "Lady and the Tramp," which is my favorite animated movie. He's close to the top of my list but for my all time favorite I would have to say Baloo from "The Jungle Book." I remember seeing that movie when I was a child and wanting to lie on a bear's stomach as we floated down a river and learn to fight and all that good stuff, when I think about it, it always makes me smile.
AnimationMentor.com:
Who is your favorite character that you've animated and why?
Gavin:
I love animating Elliot from "Open Season," a film I'm working on at the moment. He's uncouth and dirty, probably has fleas, and he's a bit of an idiot, but he's spontaneous and funny and he means well. In regard to animating him he's snappy and very pose-to-pose in his movement, which is fun to do. Basically he's an animator's dream.
What inspired you to become an animator?
Gavin:
I always knew I wanted to be an artist since drawing was my only real interest from as far back as I can remember. But I didn't even think about animation until I'd already been failed out of two colleges (and had a number of "you'll never succeed" speeches from various administrators for failing to embrace the BS and admit I couldn't draw an apple unless I had a picture to copy from.) I was working in a music store when my twin brother had started his first year in animation. He showed me what he was up to and I said, "That's for me!" I got accepted at the same college, moved back in with our parents and attended two years of a three year course, knowing from the first second that I'd found what I was looking for. Toward the end of my second year I got my green card, borrowed a thousand dollars from the bank, and bought a one-way ticket to the States, arriving with my portfolio and hoping for the best. Luckily everything worked out or I'd be panhandling in Santa Monica today and not typing out the things that went right. Since then I have worked in a lot of studios as I tend to move about a fair bit. Staying at one place regardless of what they were working on wasn't an option for me and I have always been proactive in regards to where I need to go and what I have to learn. I made the decision to move from 2D to 3D when there was plenty of 2D work and the prevailing opinion was that 3D was a fad and wouldn't catch on. I had seen Toy Story and I believed that I knew better, so I went for it. All in all, I was lucky 'cause if my brother hadn't shown me the way I'd still be sitting in Ireland, working at God-knows-what, and that thought makes me shiver.
AnimationMentor.com:
If you could do one thing differently on your journey to becoming an animator, what would it be?
Gavin:
I don't know what I would have done differently. After the hard lessons about what I'm not suitable for in the field of art I was so glad I found animation that I didn't regret not going straight to college for it sooner. I never made easy decisions about which road to take in regards to my career so I don't have any regrets about not doing stuff. I would have loved to work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy but I was applying for my citizenship at the time so I couldn't leave the States for extended periods. I would have loved to work on Cats Don't Dance or The Iron Giant but I'm not going to kill myself over it. I wish that when I was younger I was taught construction and line of action and all the other things that are so necessary for animation.
AnimationMentor.com:
Who is your favorite animated character?
Gavin:
I love the Tramp from "Lady and the Tramp," which is my favorite animated movie. He's close to the top of my list but for my all time favorite I would have to say Baloo from "The Jungle Book." I remember seeing that movie when I was a child and wanting to lie on a bear's stomach as we floated down a river and learn to fight and all that good stuff, when I think about it, it always makes me smile.
AnimationMentor.com:
Who is your favorite character that you've animated and why?
Gavin:
I love animating Elliot from "Open Season," a film I'm working on at the moment. He's uncouth and dirty, probably has fleas, and he's a bit of an idiot, but he's spontaneous and funny and he means well. In regard to animating him he's snappy and very pose-to-pose in his movement, which is fun to do. Basically he's an animator's dream.