080: How to Become a Feature Film Animator w/ Nikki Braine
01/19/21 • 47 min
Finding work with a major studio making feature films can seem daunting. You may wonder if your work is good enough. But what if it’s not your work that ultimately gets you hired but something else entirely? If you’ve ever wondered how animators get to work on huge films, today’s guest is going to tell you how she did it.
About Nikki Braine
Nikki has been an animator for many years. Her career spans games, VFX, and feature films including ‘Paddington 2’ and 'Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them'. She was recently hired on as the animation supervisor for a new Netflix show.
What it Takes to Land Big Jobs
Nikki takes us on her journey into VFX and feature film work. She describes the interview process and why you shouldn’t be nervous during them. The truth is, once you’ve landed an interview, you’ve already made it past the majority of the hurdles to get hired. Just be yourself and show them that you’re a nice person to work with.
Although she received a formal education as an animator, Nikki doesn’t suggest that for everyone. There are so many great online schools and programs that can teach you what you need to know. Nikki suggests finding a specific aspect of motion design that interests you and exploring the online programs that focus on it.
Attitude is Everything
Nikki credits her eagerness to take initiative as what landed her in the job as lead animator. Getting this type of work takes problem-solving skills, great communication, and being approachable. Animating is just a small part of the job. It’s being able to effectively lead and inspire a team that makes a great lead animator.
What interview tips can you share with us? Leave a comment on the episode page!
How do you approach large studios when looking for work? Leave a comment on the episode page!
Links and resources
Download the Portfolio Checklist
Follow Nikki Braine on Linkedin
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative
Finding work with a major studio making feature films can seem daunting. You may wonder if your work is good enough. But what if it’s not your work that ultimately gets you hired but something else entirely? If you’ve ever wondered how animators get to work on huge films, today’s guest is going to tell you how she did it.
About Nikki Braine
Nikki has been an animator for many years. Her career spans games, VFX, and feature films including ‘Paddington 2’ and 'Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them'. She was recently hired on as the animation supervisor for a new Netflix show.
What it Takes to Land Big Jobs
Nikki takes us on her journey into VFX and feature film work. She describes the interview process and why you shouldn’t be nervous during them. The truth is, once you’ve landed an interview, you’ve already made it past the majority of the hurdles to get hired. Just be yourself and show them that you’re a nice person to work with.
Although she received a formal education as an animator, Nikki doesn’t suggest that for everyone. There are so many great online schools and programs that can teach you what you need to know. Nikki suggests finding a specific aspect of motion design that interests you and exploring the online programs that focus on it.
Attitude is Everything
Nikki credits her eagerness to take initiative as what landed her in the job as lead animator. Getting this type of work takes problem-solving skills, great communication, and being approachable. Animating is just a small part of the job. It’s being able to effectively lead and inspire a team that makes a great lead animator.
What interview tips can you share with us? Leave a comment on the episode page!
How do you approach large studios when looking for work? Leave a comment on the episode page!
Links and resources
Download the Portfolio Checklist
Follow Nikki Braine on Linkedin
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative
Previous Episode
079: How To Use Branding To Get Your Ideal Clients w/ Hollie Arnett
How you brand yourself may be one of the most important parts of being a profitable motion designer.
There are so many ways to go about it though. Do you brand yourself as a studio?
Should you show more of your personality on social media? What about a logo? How do you stand out from the crowd?
Today’s guest is going to help us answer all these questions.
About Hollie Arnett
Hollie Arnett is a branding coach and strategist. She specializes in helping creatives brand their passion so that they can build a business that allows them to do the thing that they love.
The Central Elements of Any Good Brand
Hollie boils effective branding down to three main elements. The first is clarity.
Both you and your audience need to be clear on what you do and who you target.
Next is creativity. You need something to help you stand out as you convey your messaging.
Lastly, you need consistency. Being consistent with your messaging will help people remember and recognize you.
The Best Branding is Simple Branding
Creating a logo for yourself may seem intuitive for a motion designer.
However, it’s not always a simple task. Hollie suggests considering whether or not you even need a logo.
If it’s holding you back, skip it altogether. Or, just use your name in a font you like. Ultimately, your brand is much more than a logo.
To effectively build a recognizable personal brand, Hollie recommends keeping it simple and recognizable.
Just a few core colours and fonts along with some patterns and photos should help get your core message and identity across.
Keeping this consistent across all the channels you use will keep you recognizable and memorable.
How can you use branding to convey your identity as a creative? Leave a comment on the episode page!
What do you struggle with the most when identifying your brand? Leave a comment on the episode page!
Links and resources
Follow Hollie on YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest
Vivid Vision by Cameron Herold
Learn Brand Strategy with Melinda Livsey
Creative Strategy and the Business of Design by Douglas Davis
Related episodes
Episode 10: How You Think Of Your Freelance Business Matters with Chris Do
Additional resources
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative
Next Episode
081: Should you start your own motion design studio? w/ Mack Garrison
Many motion designers dream of starting an animation studio one day - but how do you know if it’s really the right decision for you?
Are you willing to give up the creativity of actually doing motion design work to become a strategist, manager and entrepreneur?
Our latest guest will help you to decide if aspiring to own a studio is right for you and how to make it a success.
About Mack Garrison
Mack started Dash Studio in 2015 from a desire to create beautiful, bespoke work for clients and champion the creative talent of motion designers in the process.
Before starting Dash he had a diverse and varied career in different specialisms of design, before settling on motion design and in time, co-founding his own studio.
Making the move from freelancer to motion design studio owner
Mack started freelancing after he graduated as, like many new graduates, he struggled to find a job. This led him to try lots of different design specialisms, eventually niching down into motion design.
He then joined a local agency where he worked his way up to become an Art Director but ultimately, he knew he wanted more creative control over his day-to-day and the freedom to be able to create really bespoke, personalised work for his clients.
The pivotal moment for Mack was when he and his colleague (and now business partner) Corey were offered a huge, 15 video project. To take on the project they would need to quit their jobs at the agency.
Hiring a great team is vital to your success
A large factor in the success of Dash Studio are Mack and Corey’s complementary skill sets - where Mack struggles, Corey is able to help and vice versa.
Many people believe that you can’t succeed in certain areas if you lack certain skills, but by hiring people in-house or remotely you can build a multi-skilled, talented workforce.
Dash now has a team of 8 members of in-house staff and 20-25 contractors working on anything from 8-16 projects at any one given time.
The combination of full-time employed staff and freelancers allows Mack to be flexible to the needs of different clients and projects.
Everyone has different skills and one of the best things you can do for yourself is to work out what your individual strengths are and your weaknesses - that way you can recruit the skills that you don’t have into your team.
You can then collectively use everyone’s talents to make amazing work that is beyond what you’d be able to make on your own.
They created a pitch deck, won the work, and planned to start freelancing full-time once they finished. But a bigger conversation arose, they decided to pool their talent, skills and resources and that’s how Dash Studio was born.
Understanding what you want your career path to be
Mack suggests that if you like the idea of creating something special yourself, growing a business and managing people, then starting a studio could be incredibly rewarding for you.
However, if your passion lies in actually doing the motion design work yourself, then becoming a studio owner may not be the most satisfying career path for you because as your studio grows, you’ll find yourself doing the work less and less.
It’s important that you don’t try to do it all and that you work out a defined role within your studio.
If you want to start a studio with a business partner but you have no idea how to find one, it’s important to look to your community and network to find someone who has a similar mindset, outlook and work ethic as yourself.
Do you dream of starting your own studio? Is it something you would tackle alone, or with a partner? Has this podcast made you think differently about your goals? Leave a comment on the episode page and let us know!
Links & resources
Download the Portfolio Checklist
The E-Myth: Why most small businesses don’t work and what to do about it by Michael E. Gerber
Rocket Fuel: The one essential combination that will get you more of what you want by Gino Wickman
Check out Dash Studio
Check out the Dash Bash festival
Follow Dash Studio Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
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