Animation Apprentice student Benn Garnish has recently won himself a job on the latest installment of The Fast and The Furious, working on visual effects at Double Negative, one of London’s leading VFX houses.
AA: Tell us about the project you are working on.
Benn: I am currently working on Fast and the Furious 6 (Yes that’s number 6 – who would have known?)
AA: Congratulations! How did you get the job?
Benn: The job at DNeg was offered to me after a friend of mine put my reel forward to the Animation Supervisor – and I then got an interview. Networking helps!
AA: Amen to that. How did studying at Animation Apprentice help you to find work?
Benn: Studying at Animation Apprentice really helped me focus more on the story telling side of my animation, helping me to sell an idea better to the audience. Which kind of counts for a lot!
AA: What is the best part of studying at Animation Apprentice?
Benn: Getting feedback from Alex with all his experience has definitely pushed my animation in a much better direction. Thinking not only about the motions and body mechanics of a character but getting into the head of the character to make them feel alive has really pushed my animation to a whole new level.
AA: What advice would you give to anyone trying to break into the animation industry?
Benn: I would tell anyone who is trying to break into the industry to just practice and practice and practice! Once you know the theory, then it is a case of applying those theories to your animation. And, like any art form, it just takes time to perfect. It has been about six years of animation for me, and I feel I am only just starting to get it!