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Two local animators are making waves in Hollywood’
scenes,” said Poh. “In addition, some new development features were added like fresnel energy compensation and bump roughness. Fresnel energy compensation makes sure that the way we conceptually separate the surface colour and reflections are backed up correctly. It makes shiny surfaces like clear coat on car paint look right. Meanwhile, bump roughness helps accurately produce very fine specular texture details such as scratches, carbon fibre and brushed metals. This brought the shading of the animated cars to a new level,” she added.
SHARING THE EXPERIENCE
According to Poh, animation is simply a combination of the action, visual and sound effects all put together in one package. “If delivered right, it helps to create a wonderful and fun learning experience regardless of the project theme.”
However, she said the learning process of animation work is lengthy and requires a lot of patience. “It will take you a long time before you can even be comfortable at making a short film. In this line, you really need a lot of passion to be able to survive. The important thing is to understand its body mechanics, so practice makes perfect,” stressed the California based animation artist who was recently in town to promote
Not one to keep her knowledge to herself, Poh concluded her visit here by conducting a workshop at The One Academy where she shared her experience in detail.
“One of the important things that I shared with participants is mostly on my thinking process — how I efficiently approach and delegate assignments with tight deadlines. Myworkon had to be done within 20 weeks, so working efficiently as a group is something I had to maintain,” she said, adding that those able to work well under pressure are highly regarded.
The only major difference that Poh noted about the working environment here in Malaysia and in the United States is that the restraints come in the form of budget. “The Asian animation industry as a whole has Goh’s favourite animation character is GoGo Tamago from Big Hero 6.
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limited resources. I hope this is something we can strive to improve on to grow the local industry further.”
LIGHTS, CAMERA, LAYOUT!
Born in Kuala Lumpur, 25-year-old Goh is probably living the dream of many young professionals. Working for a studio responsible for some of the most successful animation movies this century is a definite career booster.
“I think the best aspect about my job is being part of something bigger than I am, making something meaningful and reaching out to the world with positive messages,” shared the camera and staging layout artist.
Goh was accepted for the Pixar Undergraduate Program (PUP) in 2015 where she discovered her interest in camera and staging. “The experience I went through was very different from what I studied in school. My mentor at the time was Adam Habib, the director of photography. He guided me through my final year projects. I eventually returned to Pixar as a layout intern after I graduated and now I am part of the team as Run of Show,” she said.
PASSION PROJECT
“My typical day at work starts around 9am where I check in with my teammates and director of photography on the show to make sure we are on the same page for our tasks and deadlines. Then, I start building camera shots for my assigned sequence, have my shots reviewed and wrap up work by 6pm.”
Despite the office hours, Goh said the animation industry is more subjective than other jobs.
“We all want to make good interpretations of our work but sometimes, what is considered ‘good’ is so intuitive. This pushes us to sharpen our technical skills and artistic eye while exploring the endless possibilities of digital art.
“Artists often overlook passion for financial stability. You must learn to balance your passion for your job and your need for survival to succeed,” said Goh.