This month we get super visual with Vanfolk Jen Morgan. The face behind animation-based company Leaves Turn , Jen is turning heads with her captivating videos for local bands and other special events.
1) Short and Sweet:
What describes you?
Jack (Jill?) of all trades
What is the basis of your business?
Pixel-pushing
Who is your community/friend circle?
Diverse
Which neighbourhood do you live in?
Fraserhood
What do you like about your specific hood?
Walkability
Name three favourite local neighbourhood haunts you frequent.
The Lido, The Whip, Matchstick
What are three things you absolutely adore about your city?
Natural beauty , Bike lanes, Foooooood
What are three things that drive you crazy about your city?
Unaffordabilty, Impermanence, Soullessness
What are your favourite places to go/experience things in the greater, surrounding area?
Anywhere along the Sea to Sky and North Vancouver for outdoorsy things
Describe what "home" means to you
Ocean, Greenery, Rain
2) Back to full sentences:
When was the first time Vancouver felt like home? What was a proud moment for you, living in Van?
With some determination and a good dose of lucky timing, I was able to buy a small home of my own. I feel like this is a rare feat in this town, especially for creatives.
Do you plan to stay in Van for a long time?
I just got back from visiting a friend who was frustrated with Vancouver and fled to Paris. Just before I left, some close friends had moved away for similar reasons. I've always lived here, and even though I have my little home in Van, it's hard to imagine that I won't escape on some grand adventure at some point. I think that the west coast will always feel like home, though.
What are some lessons you learned being an artist in this town?
Be connected and tenacious. This place is very rich with talent. Surround yourself with a variety of people that inspire you and you can do no wrong.
How do you feel supported as a business woman / creator in this town?
The friends and contacts I've made over the years through friends, Emily Carr and the games industry represents a wide network of folks from all sorts of disciplines. With any given project, I can usually think of someone who can help me figure things out or recommend a friend to lend a hand.
How often do you "hone your craft"? What are the hours or efforts put in with your art?
If I had to sum up my craft, I'd describe it as multidisciplinarism (which spell-check informs me is not a word, but whatever, I like it). My day job in the video game industry is demanding, and requires constant growth in technical knowledge, collaboration, problem solving and creativity. So whenever I set out to complete a personal project that involves new skills, I feel confident I can deal with whatever challenges I may face. That being said, when I take on a personal project, it consumes my evening hours and displaces the time I'd usually be recharging or connecting with friends and loved ones. So I'm careful not to take on projects that have really tight deadlines.
You've recently worked on a project with one of the VanfolkVicfolk writers. Can you describe the project and your vision with it?
A couple years back I met Mel beside the stage where she had just performed with a friend of my boyfriend. We corresponded over email about collaborating with her band Familiar Wild and settled on the song "War". We had a super fruitful lunch meeting, aligning inspiration and also determining what was logistically possible with our resources.
When I hear a song that resonates with me, a clear course of imagery reveals itself almost instantly. So in this case I cut a rough animatic that reflected the fractious relationship described in the lyrics as well as the languorous mood of the song. We set a date, pulled together a small team of super talented folks and shot for 12-ish largely improvised hours. Then I set out to edit and composite in the evenings after work when I had the time and energy. Given our budget was basically a box of pizza and some beers, I'm pretty proud of what we produced.
(you can see the video here)
You also worked with past feature Vanfolk artist T.Nile on a music video for her. What inspired the animation style you chose for her video?
In the summer of 2014 I started getting the itch to take on another project. I had this idea to create a music video using abstract digital animations with 3D software. I had been to a T Nile show with my boyfriend some time ago and felt her music would be a good fit for what I envisioned for the video. I showed her a couple of animation tests that I came to call digital mandalas, and she was on board! We shot her performance in front of a green screen in the videographer's living room. It proved challenging to animate the kaleidoscopic mandalas to match the pulsing, rising and falling energy of the song, and also to match the organic filmed performance to the digital backdrop. My After Effects file became a byzantine mess that I'm unsure I could navigate if I were to open it today. It evolved somewhat from what I initially envisioned, but I'm pretty happy with it.
(you can see the video here)
What's next for you in your creation? What are you excited to expand into? Do you have any other collaborations lined up?
I'm the lead environment artist at a video game studio called Phoenix Labs (www.phxlabs.ca) and I'm taking a hiatus from side projects for a bit so that I can focus on shipping our upcoming game. When that cools down though I would absolutely love to direct another music video! The Familiar Wild War video got me very excited about dance. I have access to a motion capture studio and a bunch of cool ideas percolating, but any big side projects will have to remain on ice for a bit. In the meantime,
www.leavesturn.com/verytardy
is a blog where I periodically share little projects and things that inspire me.
This is a blog about Victoria and Vancouver. Do you notice any areas of overlap between the two cities? What about differences?
I don't spend nearly enough time in Victoria, but every time I go there seems to be more cool things to do. I think it's sort of like Vancouver in that way. I can't even keep track of all the brewpubs and coffee shops and boutiques that seem to be popping up like mushrooms.
What do you like to do when you visit Victoria, if you go?
Pretty much the same thing I like to do in every city: eat, drink, wander and if I'm lucky, check out some live music.
What do you show people in Van when they visit from other places?
All I ever want to tell visitors to do is get their butts on a bike and explore. Biking is my favourite way to see any new city. It just so happens that we have amazing bike routes that are easy to navigate and can take you to some beautiful places.
What do you hope for the next generation of people in your city?
That they can actually stay here. I saw a lot of my peers from Emily Carr take off for places like Montreal and elsewhere because it just wasn't working, both financially and culturally. Obviously as a city we stand to lose a lot if creatives and young people can't make it work here.
Lastly, is there anything about Van that makes you go "aww, my home!"
When I was flying back home a couple weeks ago I was totally gobsmacked at how beautiful the mountains were coming into BC. As we got closer, the clouds were some of the most beautiful fluffy clouds I'd ever seen. Then we slipped below the clouds and everything was cool, wet and grey.. But oddly comforting and mysterious. That moody, cool feeling of the Pacific Northwest, as much as I curse it in the winter months, is definitely home.
