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Disney Animator looks beyond 'the next big thing'

Beowulf's tale of seduction and battle may now be more closely associated with Angelina Jolie than the Anglo-Saxons. The movie, based on a thousand year old epic poem, features animated characters which look closer than ever to their real-life counterparts, crossing swords with monsters as scary as any we've imagined. Its mass appeal speaks to the power of the global multibillion dollar film industry to shape the imaginations of millions around the world.

At the 6th UWI Animae Caribe festival held in October 2007, Olun Riley, a Trinidadian animator working at Walt Disney Feature Animation, revealed some of the behindthe- scenes work that goes into making on-screen magic. During his presentation, which was packed to capacity with high school and university students, as well as local professionals, it became immediately apparent that animation on this scale is a team effort involving experts with skills ranging from storyboarding, sound recording, 3-D modeling, to set design, layout, lighting and special effects.

Riley himself has worked in different capacities on a long list of well-known films including the fully animated Monster House, Meet the Robinsons, Polar Express and Anastasia, as well as live action films such as Vanilla Sky, 13 Ghosts, Spy Kids 2 and The Core. Before Disney, he gained invaluable experience working at a smaller company in Hollywood (Cinesite) on projects such as the robot in Red Planet, expanding the Cerebro room in X-Men 2 and creating the elevator shaft in Ocean's 11.

At the same time, while "smaller studios want employees who can cross over and have more than one skill", Riley points out that it is good to have a specialization. His interests led to him becoming an EFX artist/ Lighting TD at Dreamworks Animation, then a Senior Lighting Technician at Sony Pictures Imageworks and now, Walt Disney.

But how did Riley become an animator? It all started with a love for comic books. "I read comics all the time and one day I decided to contact the writer for the Super Friends Comic Book. I was looking for a kindred spirit and he encouraged me." At Queen's Royal College, the principal Mr. Carter was "a lynch pin" in his career, allowing him full access to the computer room even though he was not an IT student. "It was great having someone vindicate you." Unfortunately, he explained that although resources and expertise in the field were limited he was able to make choices that would support his career; "there was no way of formally pursuing animation here, but I made [subject] choices that I thought would lead that way, such as Physics."

For those interested in careers in animation and film, Riley made the encouraging observation that "You don't have to take a straight path...whatever discipline you pursue, you can find a way of applying it to the medium."

His opportunity to study animation at the tertiary level came as a result of persistence and serendipity. "Back then some friends of mine and I would go to the Canadian and US Embassies and read magazines and books." That was where he came across a prospectus for Sheridan College that offered a "Diploma in Classical Animation in the Disney tradition". Before embarking on this course of study, however, his parents encouraged him to do a first degree at the University of Toronto which he now sees as beneficial. "Don't forget that general life experience plays a big role in making you who you are..." he reminded students at the UWI lecture. "Even things that you may not like, you may have to take a minute to take them in", in order to learn and develop. Now, he says, the search for opportunities in animation has become much more rapid and far-ranging. "You have the internet. Google is your friend! But you have to be persistent and have faith in yourself. Don't let anyone tell you, you can't do something. There are ways to get to what you want, but you have to find them. You have to be vigilant."

For instance, he explained that there are different ways to develop an idea for a script or for production. One way is to find places that support filmmaking such as the Trinidad & Tobago Film Company (www. trinidadandtobagofilm.com) and submit a proposal for funding. Another way is to enter scriptwriting or production competitions. He also suggests attending film festivals here and abroad in order to meet people and share ideas. To access equipment, he advocates talking to experts in the field and approaching companies for used items. In the United States for example, animators working at Kodak sometimes get leftover film at low or no cost. Studios might sell old equipment to their employees, or donate to schools. Bear in mind, Riley says, that an important skill in this industry is learning how to deal with rejection. After graduating, he sent applications to all of the studios and was turned away by every one. "But I took rejection as an impetus to improve", fueling his attitude of "I can do better. I can do more." He advises students to "Constantly ask yourself questions: What is it I want to do? What am I trying to achieve? And keep improving. Don't rest on your laurels." "Focus on life around you. See what you can take in to inform your work. Stay open to different styles, ideas and possibilities. Stay in dialogue with the world." He added that this is crucial in a field like animation where art meets technology in a state of constant evolution.

For some animators, pushing the envelope is about creating a cyber human image that is indistinguishable from live actors. Personally, Riley does not see animation as trying to recreate the real world, but creating an impression of reality that is believable to the audience. "This is what makes the story so critical to any film [but] the power of filmmaking goes even beyond the story. People gravitate to films because there is something primal about [them]; from cavemen sitting in a dark room looking at shadows on a wall. We're still sitting in the dark looking at shadows that tell us something about ourselves and our lives, about what it means to be human."

Here in Trinidad & Tobago and the Caribbean, as small as we may seem, we have unique stories to share with the world. And while the high cost of major box-office hits in the US (in the hundreds of millions) may seem daunting to filmmakers locally, Riley suggests not being turned off by those figures. "Look at The Simpsons; a low budget cartoon, but superior to many others because of the quality of the writing. You don't always have to have high production costs. What you do should be sincere and believable. It shouldn't be about the next big thing."