Day in the life
Kevin Taylor, lead animator at Flipbook, talks 3D World through his daily work routine
Lead animator at Flipbook Studio, Kevin Taylor, takes us through his day-to-day work life
Kevin Taylor is a 3D generalist that specialises in character animation. Currently he is applying his vast skill set to the role of lead animator at Manchester, Uk-based Flipbook Studio, where he manages the animation team. Flipbook utilises high-end VFX, animation and CGI to create stunning and innovative cross-media content. The studio’s portfolio spans commercials, drama and factual TV programmes, film, video game cinematics and cut-scenes, interactive digital campaigns and print work.
Kevin has more than a decade’s experience in 3D and has acquired skills in everything from animation and modelling, to lighting and texturing. 3D World jumped at the opportunity to chat with him about his day-to-day work.
08:00am
I arrive at work early, which gives me the opportunity to review my previous day’s work, plan for the day ahead and participate in production meetings with the director and producers regarding current or upcoming projects. A lot of time is spent brainstorming and having meetings about the logistics of each job, its creative direction, and the role I’ll play in it. We’re governed by budgets and client requirements, which dictates the amount of time that will be allocated to the job, the number of the team that will be assigned to it, and my specific involvement.
09:30am
Mornings are also spent giving feedback to other members of the department on projects that I am involved in. This is where my role can become very diverse. Being a generalist gives me the opportunity to take a pivotal role in all stages of the project, from concept through to final render. It means that I can provide support to other colleagues in relation to modelling, scene setup, and lighting. I also have a number of smaller projects in which I am heavily involved. These projects are great to work on, as they allow me to have more creative control.
11:00am
I am well in the thick of it by this time of the morning. That’s usually when I start working on the pieces of animation I need to produce for that day. This can be extremely varied. For example, I could be animating a carrot one
day and rigging a sleeping dragon the next. Working with the modellers on how the dragon scales will move across the body, or with the FX department to set out how the dragon might breathe fire, these are just some of the challenges I might face day to day. If we have any new jobs in the pipeline, I may also be researching the requirements for the work, considering ideas for production, finding reference materials to help visualise my ideas, and/or sketching some concept art.
13:00pm
I usually use the first 30 minutes after lunch to look over what I have produced in the morning and to set out what I need to do for the afternoon. Brand and advertising work is very fastpaced compared to some of our other industries such as games or movies. We rarely work on the same project for more than a couple of months. This makes for a diverse environment where every day can be different and every project can require a different creative approach.
15:00pm
My afternoons are usually spent reviewing the work I have produced or supervised during that day with the art director. It is important to keep channels of communication open and to seek regular feedback from the director and from our clients so that we make sure we’re staying on the right track. Producing a product for a client is an ongoing journey which requires a lot of back and forth. Communication is key, and clients really appreciate feeling part of the production journey.
17:00pm
At this time, I usually send out all shots for review, and start test rendering, so that I can work on feedback and results the following day. Structure and time management are essential when you work in production, to ensure shots go out on time and in accordance with our client’s needs.