Role-specific Animator Interview Questions & Answers:

1. Explain me me about an accomplishment you are most proud of?

I struggled in school, but with my return, I excelled in places I thought weak. My accomplishment was a matter of going through a very important learning experience early on.

2. Tell me when do you wake up and what do you on average everyday at the studio?

I usually wake up around 7am, and because I walk to work, I'm usually there between 8 and 8:30. It's uncommon to walk to work in LA County, but in Burbank it's quite a good setup.

3. Tell me where do you find inspiration for your artwork?

All around. There's always some new funny youtube clip or inspirational animation circulating around the studio. We at work and my friends are always sending each other new animation shorts and talking about ideas all the time. I guess I constantly find inspiration in those things.

4. Tell me what three words would you use to describe yourself?

Adaptable, quick learner, aproachable and open to critique.

5. Tell me what was it like to have a film that you worked on nominated for an Oscar?

That is always exciting. 3 of my films have been nominated and one, Golden Compass actually won for Best Visual Effects.

6. Tell me what are your career goals as an animator?

My career goals are to work on a production team an a character designer or storyboard artist.

7. Explain what animation methods are you most familiar with?

I am most familiar with Photoshop animation. It is a unwieldly, and unopopular animation style, but it I have found it very useful for practicing animated illustrations. It also gave me patience when working in other mediums such as with Maya. I prefer a key frame/pose by pose style, where I draw/pose the key frames first, and try to get the timing and acting right first. Then I work on arcs and so forth.

8. Tell me who's work do you admire?

Good question. There's a lot of animators where I just admire how they can get so much life into their shots. Here's a list of just a few. David Stodolny because his animation is so sincere, fluid and natural. Jason Ryan and Dave Burgess for their whimsical and cartoony yet emotional style. Victor Navone for his technical skills and knowledge of motion, spacing and timing. Dave Hardin and Glen Keane for the realistic and organic approach they deliver in their work. All these animators have a real sense of believability and sincerity in their work that I admire and try to put into my own.

9. Tell me what part of your job do you like best and why? What makes it so awesome?

The best part of my job is the amazing artists I work with. Everyone is so talented and so passionate, and sometimes you get so used to it that you forget that the rest of human civilization doesn't exist in the 'animation bubble' that we live in at Disney.

Sometimes you get so used to being surrounded by amazing artists that you forget that the rest of human civilization doesn't exist in the 'animation bubble' that we live in at Disney
Being a part of the Disney Animation legacy that began with Walt and the "Nine Old Men" is a rare privilege, and I am thankful for it every day.

10. Tell me how do you stay focused while working long hours?

I stay focused by giving myself 5 minute breaks every hour. I do not listen to music besides whatever audio I am animating or compositing with. I wear headphones regardless of whether or not I am listening to something, because it helps desensitize towards outside distractions. I try not to think about how much needs to get done, but rather what I can do to get it done. I focus on utilizing my strengths, because I know this will get done in the quickest way. I try not to do anything new unless it is fairly simple to do because it will interfere with the workflow. I like to stick to my guns. If I have enough time at the end, that's where I would utilize a new skill to improve the work since I have time to practice it and implement it.