#internship project

[Internship Project] ข้าวสาร Story Chapter : 7 ข้าวสารกับคำสาปแห่งฟาโรห์ (Khaosan Story Chapter : 7 Khaosan and The Curse of Pharaoh)

I had opportunity to take part in this internship project at DIN Animation Studio. I have participated in storyboard, lining, coloring the comics, and making the cover art for the chapter. (The comic is a fruit of multiple individuals)

Read the comic here ↓ (Comic is in Thai) Part 1 - Readawrite / WEBTOON Canvas / Facebook Part 2 - Readawrite / WEBTOON Canvas / Facebook

Under the cut contains storyboards and other sketches

[Internship Project] Storyboard for teaser animation for ข้าวสาร Story Chapter: 7

Watch the animation on Facebook Page or Youtube

At first I was at a loss of what to do, looking into a few companies in order to figure out what or who I could possibly contact. I was promised contact with someone from one of my parents (through suggestion) knowing someone from the animation industry, but when that eventually failed, I tried to search for more places and people to contact. Places I considered contacting or trying to make contact with involved BLINKINK (due to the content they posted) and a few other smaller companies (including HOPE that one of my classmates suggested to me), but in the end I was guided to someone who could give me more insight into the industry work even if I didn’t end up with an internship by the end of this project. They are the co-founder of a small film/animation company in Asia [hence the absurd time zones in order to message them] and I took the time to look at their content before deciding on messaging them.

They gave me a lot of helpful insight as to how some of these companies worked in the industry, but I’ve included a few screenshots to show the content of some of the conversation I had with them. It was really fascinating to learn from them and hear what their values and working process was like. It was also nice to see how down-to-earth they were and open to answering questions despite the intimidation factor being in play.

Things that I learned through this experience includes:

- There is no ‘perfect’ company - every company has its ups and downs and ways to deal with everything.

- Being flexible with the way you deal with people will be advantageous in the long run.

- Teamwork chemistry, co-operation and creative freedom are always important when it comes to working in the industry. 

- Communication and collaborative skills are definitely good and a key skill regardless of the kind of drawing skills you might have already.

- Going out of your way to actually contact people is intimidating and kind of scary, but also necessary in order to find the things you might want to do.

Here’s my research on the internship project, I would’ve liked to have done more on this project but I think I left it a little late as I was prioritising the 2 minute film. However, I’m very happy with the artists that I was able to reach out to. They’re all so kind and very talented and I’m more than grateful that I was able to have a conversation with them. I also contacted Hamish Steele and Vivian Nguyen but they both have very busy careers so they weren’t able to respond. Overall I’ve learned so much from this project, I’m not sure I’ll ever feel ready for the industry but I really want to put into action everything that these artists in the industry have told me!

Things I’ve learned:

.Don’t think about making a comic, just make a comic! You might not feel like you’re ready but you never will be if you don’t start. You’ll learn and improve along the way!

.Kindness is important, treat people how you’d like to be treated! There’s no use having good skills if no one wants to work with you

.Being a story artist isn’t just about storyboarding, you need to work on lighting, atmosphere, illustrative storytelling, perspective, acting, animation. So much goes into it! See it as one of many skills that you want to be the best you can be at! Studios want to see variety and how you can grip viewers into a story

Catherine Prowse

I really wanted to look at another stop motion animation so I went back to Blinkink and found Catherine Prowse. I saw her ChildLine advert on YouTube and really wanted to look in to her. I went to her website and looked through all of her work. She had taken pictures of different parts of the set she had been filming in. So I spent a long time just looking at all of the little models she had made. I also, watch a few o her film that weren’t one the Blinkink website. I sent her few question some the same as the other emails I had sent and some just about stop motion. She took longer to reply than the others but, sent some really informative answers for me. 

Here is the email that Catherine sent me 

Hi Freya,

So sorry it’s taken me till now to reply. Apologies if you’ve missed a deadline for this information - hopefully some of it will be useful anyway!

Thanks,

Catherine

While I was at uni I worked as a paper cut assistant for Hattie Newman and Owen Gildersleeve. I was still figuring out what I wanted to do and it was a really good opportunity to apply my interest in making stuff to a professional context. So much of what you do at uni feels like it exists in a weird bubble that’s about getting grades, so it was my first taste of using my skills in the creative industries. I was considering doing an MA after I graduated from my BA, but I actually ended up model making on various stop motion animation projects, as well as working as a paper cut assistant for Owen and Hattie again.

There are lots of entry level jobs in model making within stop motion animation. Lots of people who end up as animators or directors get their start that way. Model making is a really good way in to stop motion animation because every production always needs a whole new set and props to be made. You get to see how different directors and art directors approach a project and get loads of quick-turnaround practice in the industry. A production company like Blink might need to build a whole art department of people with varying skill levels so it’s worth getting in contact with loads of people and just showing them some relevant work.

I’ve always liked making small things, and that’s what lead me into animation in the first place, so stop motion has been a natural fit for me. I actually didn’t go into my degree with a clear idea of what I wanted to do. I was initially on the illustration pathway on my course at Kingston, and I spent the first two years a bit lost. I had a project at the end of my second year where we had to make stuff out of paper and that was a real turning point for me. I had always liked making miniature objects but hadn’t really connected it to my practice before. Even through my third year I wasn’t fully committed to making and directing films until I was thinking about my final project. Until then I was mainly interested in making props, making animations from them just seemed like the next logical step. As I expand my practice I’m really excited to try out other types of animation too, I’d love to be able to direct anything eventually! I have also used a few different styles within the same film. Childline, for example, used stop motion puppets and backgrounds with 2D animation for the facial expressions. It’s worth being familiar with certain digital animation styles so you know how to best enhance stop motion anyway. There’s lots you can’t always do in-camera because of budget and time restrictions.

Alisha Liu

I found her when I was looking through vimeo to find some people to contact and also to past the time. When I first started looking at Alisha I didn’t realise that she was still in her on uni course but, I chose to contact her because I thought her films where just so cool. Also, her portfolio was really lovely to look through. She had worked with companies so I still wanted to ask her some questions about what it was like for her and to get tips about making a portfolio. 

Here is the email that Alisha sent me 

Mark Waring

When looking at Passion studio’s I came across Mark Waring. I was very interested in him because of the fact he worked as the animation director to Tim Burton and Wes Anderson, and worked on the ‘Isle of Dogs’. I have always loved stop motion and really what to ask some questions to someone who had worked on feature films to see if it was similar to working on shorter ones. I first went to his website to contact him using his email and also to look at more of his work. He gave me some really helpful answers and replied really quickly which was really cool of him. 

Here is the email that Mark Waring sent me