Animated over animation
> Hollywood director Kyle Balda was in Kuala Lumpur to talk about his work as well as the challenges he faces in this creative field
IF YOU are a fan of the Minions, then you would probably be familiar with the name Kyle Balda, who codirected the blockbuster 2015 animated film with Pierre Coffin.
Balda was recently in Kuala Lumpur to give a masterclass on 3D Animation Film Directing, co-organised by The One Academy and The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas).
This was Balda’s second time in Malaysia, after having been invited before, also by The One Academy, to give a masterclass on Animation Methology.
Balda has worked in the animation industry for over two decades. He began his career in the early 1990s at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) where he did animation work on films such as The Mask and Mars Attacks!, and was the supervising animator on Jumanji.
After animating the Grim Reaper for Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners at Weta Digital in New Zealand, Balda returned to California to work for Pixar on A Bug’s Life and Monsters, Inc. He also served as directing animator on Toy Story 2 (1999).
He then moved on to conducting 3D animation masterclasses at renowned European and Asian film schools, as well as directing short form animation projects.
Balda eventually returned to feature production as the head of layout for Illumination’s Despicable Me (2010), followed by a co-directing position on The Lorax.
Now, he is teaming up with his Minions co-director Coffin on Despicable Me 3, which will be released here on July 3.
When asked what it was like working with another director, Balda said: “There are definitely differences of opinion on which way the story would go. But it actually brings interesting results.”
Casting the right voice actor was also essential, he added.
Initially, people were surprised when actress Sandra Bullock was cast to voice chief villain Scarlett Overkill in Minions ( below). Bullock was well known for her lovable girlnext-door persona.
“It was precisely because she was America’s Sweetheart that we cast her as Scarlett Overkill.
“Sandra has this powerful voice when she wants to. When she first takes in the Minions she is really sweet, and then she reveals that she has this bombastic side.”
Many animators have revealed how initial storylines change during production. Balda puts it as “a very organic process”.
He said: “In animation, you can explore and try things out during storyboarding.”
Having also worked in live action films where he did computer animation work, Balda agreed that the line between the two has blurred.
“If you look at all the Marvel movies, there is as much animation as there is live action in the movies.
“Computer animation has opened up so widely the kind of stories we can tell.”
To those planning a career in animation film, Balda said: “To be a good animator, you really have to be an observer of life.
“A lot of what interested me as an animator was drawing and watching Disney films. An animator is an artist, and also an actor and storyteller.
“The biggest challenge nowadays is not just drawing, but also learning computer software and branching out to tell stories and character performances.”
Balda said that with each new movie, there is a different set of challenges with new characters and taking the audience to new places.
When asked if he plans to direct a live action film in the future, he said: “I think that will be really exciting. Ultimately, it is still
storytelling.”