Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to become an animator?

Nicole Herr:
I have always loved animation and art in general.  When I was a child I remember spending hours watching my mom paint.  She was the first person to encourage me in the arts.  She gave me my first set of pastels and newsprint before I entered kindergarten, and taught me to see what was around me - even if it was a bowl of fruit.  It was not until I was in high school that I really started to think about animation as a career.  I went to see The Little Mermaid, and when I saw the first scenes with the ship that was it, I was hooked.

I immediately wrote to Disney Feature about how to become an animator.  When one of their animators called me a few weeks later, I knew exactly what I wanted to be.

Nicole Herr:
My first job as an animator was working for Cinesite Hollywood. It was a great place to really learn all the aspects of production. The 3D artists there had to be generalists, and they taught me everything from modeling, matchmove, lighting and rigging to animation.

I will always be glad I had the chance to work there. It really gave me an appreciation of the enormous amount of skill, coordination and talent required by everyone to actually finish a film. Eventually, I moved to Sony Pictures Imageworks, where I got my first "true" character animation job working on Stuart Little 2.

Nicole Herr:
I am not sure I would change anything. Every position I have had in my film career has ultimately made me a stronger animator. Compositing taught me what the people down the pipeline will need. Matchmoving and Rotomation taught me to really see what was going on in a human performance.

So far, it has been a fun journey. I have always kept my mind on my animation goal and worked hard to get there, and I am excited to see where I can go from here.

Nicole Herr:
I have worked with many talented artists over the years and I have learned something from each of them.  Kenn MacDonald and Renato Dos Anjos have been the two people I have learned a great deal from.  In animation you never finish learning new tricks and discovering whole new ways to think, so I am positive my list of mentors will continue to grow.

Nicole Herr:
I loved animating Boog from Open Season. His huge amount of 3D controls made him a real challenge. We were able to really get into the shapes and overlap animation we wanted with the unique controls they developed for the show. Boog was a lovable character, like my dog - big and cuddly with no sense of how large or intimidating he really is.

One of my favorite shots was when Boog curled into his undersized bed with his teddy bear. My labrador was my reference for that scene. I would watch him as he circled around and settled into his spot for the night, and then make him get up, after which he would do it again. I'm sure he found it a little confusing, but after a few times I finally let him get to sleep.

Nicole Herr:
Animation Mentor has been a great experience so far.  Working with people who are at the beginning of their careers is amazing.  The students have an incredible drive to achieve, and their excitement is quite infectious.

Nicole Herr:
My favorite Mentor tool is the Live Q&A.  I get a chance to interact with everyone, answer any questions they have, and encourage them to do better.  I am excited to see them succeed, even if it is just perfecting a bouncing ball. 

I wish that Animation Mentor had been around when I was in college myself.  It is a great place to be.