To kickstart my investigation into different roles within the industry that I am interested in, I started initially with a medium I am extremely passionate about: Stop Motion.
I started my investigation by emailing Christina, both for advice surrounding the final film and what direction I should take it, as well as to ask for career advice for getting into stop motion as an industry. She connected me with alum Stephanie Marshall, who was able to answer a few different questions that I had about her experience on the course, as well as her journey to becoming a stop motion animator for Aardman, and also freelance/independently.
Here’s what she had to say:
“Hi Jess,
Lovely to hear from you.
So great that you’ve found a passion for stop motion, it’s a long and tough journey to go on but as long as the passion is there then the hard work will eventually pay off.
I studied at CSM back when Christina was on the course and for me this was very much the beginning. I had done a few basic self taught stop motions whilst I was doing my BA in Fine Art but I knew stop motion was what I wanted to focus on. I was then lucky to go to NFTS to study directing. Whilst directing is an amazing role, I realised quickly whilst I was there that it’s very rare for new graduates to become repped straight away. That really should be a long term goal rather than an immediate one as it really requires a lot of industry experience, a strong understanding of how each department works and a particular, unique, well established style that’s distinct but also adaptable depending on the project.
Since I graduated from NFTS, I’ve been developing personal projects and whilst that’s a very fulfilling thing to do to keep that passion alive, it’s incredibly difficult to get funding and even with funding, you as the director are likely not going to get paid and you will most likely act not only as director but also as lead animator. This is why as important as it is to keep your own personal creativity fulfilled, it’s good not to depend on that as a full time job.
My advice to you would be to first and foremost concentrate on developing your animation skills as best as you can. There’s nothing stopping you from writing and creating pitches on the side for your personal more complicated projects, but I would dedicate your final project as an opportunity to really show case your skills as this is what’s gonna get you work. You want to create a very short, concise showreel as production companies are so incredibly busy they won’t have time to watch a long showreel let alone a short film. You want to make sure that your showreel demonstrates that you have a strong understanding of the animation principles also convey some of your style and show any modelmaking skills you have. Basically you want to impress them in the first 30 seconds.
Once you graduate, I recommend contacting any email you can find on production companies website (places like Blink Ink, Nexus, A+C Studios). Maybe see if any of your tutors at CSM have any direct contacts they could put you in touch with. Then I would send them your showreel and instead of asking for work straight away, ask if you can meet them for a coffee and a visit of the production office/studio. Once you get an in, then you can start asking if there are any projects in production you could assist on. I would basically get onto any project, doing any role. So if they’re not looking for animators, ask if they have anything in art department or even if you could be a runner. Make sure you have a basic understanding of modelmaking but don’t worry too much because a lot of the skills needed you will learn on the job, as long as your showreel demonstrates some kind of creativity you’ll be fine. I know it’s not ideal but even if they said they don’t have any positions available, ask if you can do some work experience and once you’re there, make yourself needed and memorable. Craft skills you will learn on the job, but the main thing productions are looking for is someone who is confident, works hard and efficiently and gets along with the team. That’s what’s going to get them to hire you again.
It’s a tough game to play, there will be wins but there is also a lot of rejection but it’s just about making sure you have that drive. Keep checking in with all these companies and just keep repeating the process. When there are gaps between projects, just get a part time job and that’s when you can focus on your personal projects. Meaning if you get asked what you’ve been doing between jobs, you can show that you still take initiative.
That’s essentially how I’ve gone about things since I graduated. I got some work experience at Aardman a couple of years ago and I’ve been lucky enough to be employed ever since as an assistant animator. I’ve had a few small gaps between projects but it’s great jumping back into my personal stuff and the experience I’ve had with each project I’ve worked on is only making my own work stronger.
Hope this has helped and feel free to send me your showreel. Would love to see some of your work!
Good luck and just keep going!”
Steph has provided a lot of useful insight into how I can go about trying to approach the industry, and has given me the confidence and courage to pursue the medium I am most passionate about and feel I have the strongest affinity for.
In terms of other stop motion connections, during my undergrad I had a few lectures by a man who worked on both Fantastic Mr Fox and Isle of Dogs, who I have since connected with on Instagram and have asked questions about the industry. In terms of career goals, having the opportunity to work on a big stop motion film, such as one directed by Wes Anderson, would be an absolute dream!
In terms of studio I have researched, I would love to work for places such as Aardman, Nexus, Picturesmith, A+C Studios, Kerrupt, Mockduck, etc.