Interview with India

India is currently working as a Junior animator at Framestore based in London, UK. The following are the interview questions I've sent her. Big thanks to India for her time.

Can you describe how you got your job as a junior animator at Framestore? 

I started at Framestore as a Runner during my summer breaks at University. I attained this by doing work experience when I was a lot younger and keeping in touch with the HR department. University of Teesside gave me the opportunity to catch up with these people at Animex. Then after graduation I went back as a Runner. During this time, the commercials department set an animation test for anyone interested in being promoted into animation. Following an interview, I was the successful candidate. 

What are the entry requirements for a graduate animator in the visual effects industry? 

A quality (not quantity) showreel. Only ever include your best work, and if that's 30 seconds then that's 30 seconds. Don't try to pad it out to make it a minute or 3, just for the sake of it! The CV is essential part of the process too, as it needs to show who you are, illustrate your passion, but also other interests to show that you are a rounded person. 

Can you describe what the “runner” job position entails? 

Depending on the company it certainly varies, so I'll just talk about the Framestore positions. In the Commercials building the Runners priority are the clients, taking care of their every need. There is also a café to run, runs from dispatch and to keep the whole building tidy and in working order, sometimes working weekends too. In the VFX/Film building the Runners priority are the rushes and the up keep of the building. This building is much bigger, so there is much more lifting and tidying here. Then there are two production runners on one particular film, which carry out more administration and production work, like going on set. 

What have you got out of this and how does this correlate to leading to a better position in the industry? 

I got an animation position! Without that foot in the door, I would have struggled to get past the 1000's of applications they receive. Also, I got to know a lot of people in the company, which I think makes it much nicer to feel comfortable with the surroundings, because you already know most of the people in the team that you are aiming to get promoted into. It's all about the networking opportunities! 

How many animation graduates do Framestore take on a year? 

Well, straight out of University, They are probably more looking at the big ones like Gobelins. But if you work is good enough and the right timing, then there's always a chance! As for Runner's at the moment there are about 4 people wanting to get into animation. It's a waiting game. Just have to work your socks off and show how dedicated you are, oh and network! 

Describe what your work entails on a typical day. 

I usually get in between 8-9:30am depending on what time dailies are (morning or afternoon). Then I would load up the shot or shots I have been allocated and look at the feedback notes on our system we have that the producer of the project records from dailies. Then I will just animate up until lunchtime around 1-2pm. In the afternoon I will usually check if there have been any updates or changes, and then work on those. Sometimes I'm moving around props for the characters to use, changing textures and looking at the render settings, just to make sure everything is set up correctly for the renders to go through for dailies. Then back to animating, before rendering again when it's the end of the day, which is usually between 6:30-8pm. 

What kind of projects are you currently working on and do you get credited for your work? 

As I am a commercials animator, I'm on commercials and the first one I have worked on comes out soon! The deadlines are very tight. For example, the current commercial, I started on at the beginning of November, and the team have had a month to animate the whole thing, and not much more time on top of that to develop the FX. 

How much creative freedom do you feel you have when working on projects? 

So far, quite a lot. As I was working on background characters, I was allowed to come up with little ideas and scenarios for the characters. The storyboard and live action is already laid out by the client and director. Having one to one time with the director is great too, as you get to bounce ideas around and improve all the time. 

What are some of the statistics of a company like Framestore? How many animators are there in the company? Are there any freelancers working with Framestore? 

- According to our intranet there are 65 animator's currently at Framestore across film and Commercials. Our team at the moment is about 7! 

- There are 45 runners, including NY, film and commercials. This also includes Casual runners, which tend to work 2-3 days a week. 

- There are freelancers from time to time, but I'm not sure how many right now. 

What kind of material is expected for an animator’s showreel? Do we need realistic creatures or cycle animations? 

For Framestore, most definitely! Realistic creature work is number one here! As there isn't much cartoony work on. But, saying that, it doesn't hurt to include it (as long as it's on of you best pieces). I had a mixture of creature and cartoon on mine. You just have to keep your mind on what they are looking for and what jobs they are working on currently. I recommend taking a look at their website www.framestore.com and looking at their current/recent work and seeing what it entails, and base your show reel around that. You don't need to be a generalist, just a simple clean render to illustrate your work. 

What is the recruitment process like at Framestore? How long does it usually take an application to be processed? 

Well, I'm not quite sure from my point of view (for running). But for a couple of my friends, I would say if you get the timing exactly right, from when they start looking at showreels and CV's, about a month. They tend to need to replace people quickly, once someone has been promoted. For the animation position it was about 5 weeks as the test was a 3 week deadline. 

What are the work hours like? 

Probably between 10-11 hours per day, but it flies by! 

Can you tell us a little about the studio environment and how the structure of Framestore works? 

It's great! Everyone in Commercials sits in open plan seating, apart from the editing suites which the clients rent out to view the progress of the work. The Open plan seating means you can hear everything that's going on, and talk to everyone that you need/want to. It really is useful, say if you get an error, the debuggers and programmers work on the same floor. Structure? The Framestore producers and directors see over the whole project and organise the schedule for the deadlines. The producers also record the minutes for dailies and keep everything up to date. Then you have got everyone working on the project itself and most importantly the clients. The clients, obviously drive the whole vision. 

Do you see any rising trends in technology advancements that are affecting the visual effects industry? What can we expect to see in future? 

Well there has recently been a lot of experimentation with the new motion capture department, but I think the main thing now will be 3D TV and the development of commercials in 3D.