Marianne Morency
Animator Framestore
Framestore animator Marianne Morency loves bringing CG creatures to life and seeing them interact with live-action actors. As the 33-yearold Quebec City native puts it, “It’s hard to replace that feeling you get when what was just a digital puppet on your screen begins to come alive! I also love the people we work with. Our industry is filled with people who are each as passionate as the next, and it resonates.”
Morency was interested in the arts at an early age, but her journey into animation and vfx happened by chance. After studying graphic design in college, she realized that she was drawn to animation, so she enrolled in a pilot program at Laval University. “Having been a big fan of Disney movies growing up, I fell in love with it,” she notes. “I also really loved all things dinosaurs growing up, so The Land Before Time and Jurassic Park were important movies for me. I also really loved Bambi and The Fox and the Hound. Basically, I liked anything with creatures and animals! In retrospect, it’s probably no coincidence why all those years later I found myself drawn to visual effects and creature animation.”
After landing a job at Quebec City’s Squeeze Studio, she got recruited by Frima Studio to work on a French-Canadian movie, which was followed by contract work on movies such as Jupiter Ascending and Paddington. “That’s when I fell in love with vfx, and I’ve been with Framestore in Montreal ever since,” she says.
Morency says one of the main challenges of working in vfx is that
regardless of the complexity of the shot you’re working on, it’s pretty unforgiving. “You’re always trying to find a sweet spot between what looks real and what is stylized,” she explains. “I think most audience members are pretty reactive to things that look off or uncanny, so it’s our job to try to convince them that what they’re seeing is real.”
These days, the busy artist is working as lead animator on Tom McCarthy’s upcoming movie Timmy Failure, which centers on a young boy who believes he runs a detective agency with an imaginary giant polar bear. She says her future plans include improving her leading skills and continue growing as an animator. “There is always something to learn in animation,” she notes. “Eventually, I would love to become an animation supervisor.”
Her tips for newcomers are pretty straightforward. “Be open to feedback and input, and understand that it’s always a team effort,” she advices. “The other students or people you work with are a goldmine, so use them for second opinions or knowledge!”