Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to become an animator?
Raquel Coelho:
I think it was a bunch of things conveying together. My mother is a fine artist and I grew up being dragged to her art classes with her or playing in her art studio while she worked. Basically, I grew up surrounded by arts. She would give me art supplies as gifts on my birthday or on Christmas, and her friends, all of them painters and sculptors, were often visiting us. They were a lot of fun. She was a lot of fun! So of course I grew up loving drawing, painting and doing anything art related. So, this was certainly a factor. Then I remember when my older siblings took me to my first Disney movie, I was maybe 5. I came back home really impressed telling my mom "it was so different than TV cartoons, because everything moved so beautifully and there was movement in every little part of the animation." So, I guess this Disney movie caused a strong impression. Then later, as a teenager, I got very involved in music, and also in theater. I also started writing my own stories and wanted to publish a book. I was part of a puppet theater group and also studied classical guitar and viola. All of these things - theater, drawing, music, writing - seemed so different from each other. It would kill me if I have to choose just one as a career. Well, then I met someone who worked in an animation studio and that felt so right: because animation is all of it, it has theater (acting) on it, and music, and writing, and fine arts. So that seems to me like the right thing to do. That was in Sao Paulo. I worked as an intern in a cell animation studio for 1 year, and that was the beginning of it all.
Animation Mentor:
Who is your favorite character that you've animated and why?
Raquel Coelho:
I think my favorite character was Bunny, from the short film "Bunny" by Chris Wedge. It was the first real CG character I animated after I graduated from school, and that was certainly a thrill! Working with Chris Wedge was a great experience for me. I really love Bunny's story, it is kind of mysterious and the ending is very unexpected. The whole short film is almost surreal, a bit crazy and at the same time very sweet. I guess I really like this combination of elements (crazy + sweet).
Animation Mentor:
What was your first animation job?
Raquel Coelho:
My very first animation job was when I was still living in Brasil. Some friends were doing a series of shorts for a children's show on public TV, nobody knew exactly how to do the animation and they thought somehow I would be able to figure it out. They showed how to do a few things in Photoshop and free-hand, and I started working on the animation. I remember the first two were a kangaroo looking for his mom's pouch, and an angry gorilla chasing tourists. Well, I didn't know what I was doing and of course the animation didn't come out that great... but it worked for what it was, and it definitely make me want to learn more about it.
Animation Mentor:
Who would you consider your mentor to be in animation?
Raquel Coelho:
My best mentors were Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha. They both were my teachers at School of Visual Arts in New York. They later hired me at Blue Sky Studios and I kept learning from them there. They were awesome.
Animation Mentor:
If you could do one thing differently on your journey to becoming an animator, what would it be?
Raquel Coelho:
If I could turn New York into a tropical place, with nice warm weather, that certainly would have made a huge difference in my career! I left New York and Blue Sky Studios because, as a Brazilian, I couldn't stand one more year of harsh winter. Plus, they were starting to work on Ice Age. It was November or so, and the thought of working on a film called "Ice Age" during the winter seemed too unbearable to me. I needed the sun. So, I applied to PDI, got a job in San Francisco, and moved to California. For my personal life it was definitely the best move. But I am 100% sure that, if I had stayed and worked for a few more years with Chris and Carlos, I would probably be a much better animator by now.
Animation Mentor:
How has the Animation Mentor experience been for you so far?
Raquel Coelho:
I love Animation Mentor. I love the community spirit, the interface, the students, the lectures, everything! It's great to interact with students in the Q&As, and I like the eCritiques too. The eCritique tool rocks! It's awesome to have people from so many different parts of the globe and to see their animation changing and improving. It is so rewarding. I love teaching and Animation Mentor has the right ideas. They really support the education process, they want everybody to succeed, and as a mentor I couldn't be happier. I am really proud of Bobby, Carlos and Shawn for their accomplishment putting this great school together. I am really proud of everybody who is part of it!
