Episode 17 - Day in the Life - Stop Motion-Animator
Enjoying the podcast? Consider donating to help support our show!
Get ready folks! In episode 17, we dive into the world of stop-motion animation! Our special guest Dan MacKenzie @mackmation draws upon his years of experience in feature film, TV, advertising, and more to give us a picture of what life as a stop-motion animator is like. We cover a LOT of ground in this episode--we'll hear what his average day is like at LAIKA, discuss what types of other jobs are available at stop-motion studios, go over some practical advice for how best to prepare yourself for a career in stop-motion, and much more!
Meet the Guest: Dan MacKenzie
Dan MacKenzie is a two-time Emmy winning and four-time Annie nominated stop-motion animator. Originally hailing from Maine, he got his start making short claymation films in his parents’ basement in high school. Since Graduating from SCAD in 2011, he has primarily bounced between studios in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, currently a staff animator at LAIKA. His animation can be seen in Tumble Leaf, COSMOS, The Boxtrolls, KUBO, Robot Chicken, and Anomalisa. He has also directed the shorts CREATE and Star Wars: Go Rogue.
EPISODE OUTLINE
1) 02:12 Meet the Guest
2) 07:11 What projects has Dan worked on?
3) 11:55 How did Dan first get into animation?
4) 16:48 What is a Stop-Motion Animator?
5) 17:42 What is Dan’s average day like?
6) Block Rehearse Question
7) 26:35 Do things ever go wrong?
8) 28:30 Do stop-motion animators go through crunch?
9) 30:36 What type of notes do you give on a puppet during pre-production?
10) 33:45 What types of quotas are stop-motion animators expected to hit?
11) 38:28 Is stop-motion always straight ahead?
12) 40:55 Can you talk about working with x-sheets?
13) 42:05 Is video reference an integral part of your workflow?
14) 47:50 Are there points in the shot where you are more or less nervous?
15) 50:30 What sorts of software and tools do you use?
16) 57:05 What is the normal growth of an animator, title and responsibility-wise?
17) 1:01:20 What is going on in your head while you animate?
18) 1:03:40 Can you ever photoshop or fix a mistake?
19) 1:05:20 What other jobs are there in Stop-Motion?
20) 1:08:50 How does someone interested in stop-motion get started?
21) 1:10:20 Do you have suggestions for beginners to learn the basics on their own? How do you make an at-home setup or puppet?
22) 1:18:16 Do you have tips on how to break into the industry as a newcomer?
23) 1:19:52 What do recruiters look for?
24) 1:22:04 Do studios care about seeing things like rigs, facial animation, etc?
25) 1:23:33 What stop-motion studios are there in the US? How is Netflix changing the game?
26) 1:25:07 Could you talk about the realities of freelance and dealing with health insurance, benefits, etc.?
27) 1:28:25 Do you have any advice about working internationally?
28) 1:30:22 Is it possible to work in multiple mediums?
29) 1:35:20 Did you have any important mentors?
30) 1:37:42 What’s your least favorite part of your job?
31) 1:41:51 What are your favorite parts of your job?
32) 1:43:05 Do you have a favorite project you have worked on?
Dan’s Amazing Tumbleleaf Shot: https://www.instagram.com/p/BmASxPsHDdg/33)
