Category: UAL Personal Animation Journal

As I approach the end of my Master’s program, I find myself reflecting on the skills I’ve developed, the lessons I’ve learned, and the aspirations I have for my future in the animation industry. This journey has been challenging but incredibly rewarding, and I want to capture my reflections, plans, and preparations in this journal post.

Showreel and CV Development

One of the most important steps in preparing for my professional journey has been creating a showreel and CV that truly reflect my skills and ambitions. So far, I’ve made one version of my showreel that features my projects from last year, but I haven’t had a chance to include the shots from my graduation film yet. Here is the link: My Showreel 2025

This is something I plan to address for the upcoming Showreel Event on the 5th of June at the university. I know how important it is to present my strongest work at the beginning and end of my showreel—a valuable tip I picked up from one of the guest lecturers who visited our course. They emphasized that first impressions matter, and a strong start and finish can make a lasting impact on potential employers. After getting feedback from Christina, I realised I need to rearrange some shots because she gave me the same advice I’d heard before. I also need to replace some shots because I accidentally used weaker ones instead of better ones from my 1-minute animation, which had stronger movement and where I’d paid more attention to animation principles.

Regarding my CV, I haven’t yet tailored it specifically to animation, and it currently lacks my animation experience. I discussed this with Christina Nerland, who provided me with guidance and some helpful examples to use as references. I’m committed to updating my CV as soon as possible. I’ve been so focused on animating my grad film that I simply haven’t had the time to complete it yet. However, I know that a well-crafted CV is essential for landing opportunities in the industry.

Building an Online Presence

In today’s digital world, having an online presence is critical for showcasing my work and connecting with other professionals. I have Instagram and LinkedIn accounts, but I haven’t updated them recently. After graduation, I plan to refresh both platforms with my latest work, including clips from my grad film and any new projects I take on. Additionally, I’m eager to build my own website to serve as a portfolio hub where I can share my animation, concept art, and any collaborative projects I’ve worked on. A personal website will also allow me to direct potential clients or studios to a single place to see my work, contact me, and learn more about my creative journey.

Networking and Learning from Others

Although I haven’t had the chance to attend networking events recently, I have benefited greatly from the guest lectures and alumni talks that were part of our course. For instance, I remember learning about the Rive app, which is a powerful tool for 2D animation and interactive design, and the current trend of using dynamic typography in motion design. These insights have inspired me to expand my skillset beyond traditional animation and into emerging areas like motion design and interactive media. I know that staying on top of industry trends is key to remaining competitive and relevant as an animator.

Although I haven’t yet attended festivals or events in person, I plan to change that in the near future. Expanding my network is one of my top priorities, as I know that building relationships with peers, alumni, and industry professionals is crucial for finding opportunities and staying inspired. I did a bit of research on upcoming animation events and festivals in the UK, particularly in London — like the London International Animation Festival, In Motion London, SXSW London, and the British Animation Film Festival — and I’m planning to participate in some of them.

Applying for Opportunities

I had intended to apply for internships and job openings earlier, but due to time constraints—particularly the heavy workload of my graduation film—I couldn’t update my showreel in time to meet some of those deadlines. However, I plan to apply for the upcoming opportunities that Shaun informed us about. Once I finish updating my showreel and CV, I’ll be in a stronger position to apply both for internships and for roles in studios or on freelance projects. I’m excited about the possibility of working as a freelance animator on smaller projects to build my experience and expand my portfolio.

In the long term, my ultimate goal is to become a director and create my own independent animations. I know this is an ambitious goal, but I’m determined to gain the necessary industry experience to get there. My plan is to start by working in studios or on freelance projects, learning from professionals, and building my confidence and skills. I want to understand every stage of the production pipeline, from concept design and character development to final compositing and editing, so that I can bring my own stories to life one day in a more professional way.

Learning from Alumni and Mentors

Throughout this course, I’ve been inspired by alumni like Christina Nerland, Hannah Roza Fisher, and Daisy Evans. I admire their journeys and have reached out to them occasionally to ask questions and seek advice. They’ve shared valuable insights about the challenges and opportunities in the industry, and their support has motivated me to keep pushing forward. I want to continue nurturing these connections, as I believe that learning from those who have walked this path before me is one of the best ways to prepare for a successful career.

Festival Plans and Beyond

During my course presentation, I talked about my plans to attend and submit my film to festivals. After taking a short break to recharge, I intend to finalize my film properly and prepare it for festival submissions. This is a big goal of mine because I know that festivals can open doors, help me build an audience, and create opportunities for collaboration and exposure. I’m excited to share my work with a wider audience and see how it’s received. I also plan to attend festivals and events to learn from other filmmakers, expand my network, and discover new trends and techniques in animation.

My Future Direction

Over the course of this program, I’ve discovered a true passion for concept design, character design, animation, and directing. These areas excite me the most because they allow me to combine storytelling with visual creativity, bringing characters and worlds to life. While I still have much to learn, I’ve already taken important steps by researching tools like After Effects, Blender, and Rive, as well as by collaborating with talented peers and alumni on my grad film.

Looking ahead, I plan to strengthen my skills in editing and compositing, especially in After Effects. I know that mastering After Effects is essential for working professionally in the industry. I’m committed to learning the software properly, as I want to be able to handle every aspect of post-production with confidence.

In terms of roles, I envision myself working as an animator and director in the future. I’m passionate about performance and movement, but I also love shaping stories and visuals from the ground up. One challenge I’ve noticed is the difficulty in moving from rough animation to clean-up and tie-down stages. It’s easy to lose the energy and fluidity that makes animation special. This is an area I want to improve on through practice and by seeking advice from experienced animators or taking some courses.

Final Reflections 

Overall, I feel that I’ve grown tremendously during this course. My skills as an animator have improved greatly. My next steps involve finalizing my showreel and CV, updating my online presence, attending festivals, and applying for internships and studio roles. I also want to continue learning and growing my skills, especially in group and studio environments. Ultimately, my goal is to direct and create my own independent animations. I’m incredibly grateful for the support I’ve received from my tutors, classmates, and alumni, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.

In the end, animation is not just a career for me—it’s a passion that combines storytelling, design, and performance in a way that brings me joy. I’m determined to keep learning, collaborating, and growing so that one day I can bring my own stories to life on the screen.

Before starting this course, I would have likely mentioned character design as one of my primary areas of interest. Actually, one of the main reasons I was drawn to this course was its focus on “character” animation, encompassing elements like performance, emotions, expressions, and movement—areas I’ve always been passionate about mastering. However, as we progressed through the process of creating our one-minute film, where we were responsible for every step of animation production, I initially found it intimidating. I had no prior experience with tasks like storyboarding or creating animatics, which made the process seem daunting.

Despite these challenges, as I began learning and familiarizing myself with the workflow, I discovered a surprising enjoyment for the process. Storyboarding, in particular, stood out as a potential area of interest for me moving forward.

Initially, I assumed that success in storyboarding primarily relied on a strong grasp of story, narrative, and performance. While this is true, I quickly realized that a solid understanding and application of film language and techniques are equally crucial. I found my ability to tell stories visually to be quite limited, as I lack formal experience with filmic techniques and have never critically studied them in depth.

To address this, I began watching online courses on LinkedIn and learning from former Disney animators, which helped spark my interest in the craft. Having started this course with no background in animation, I’ve discovered a deep enjoyment for the craft and a strong desire to improve.

Working on my first animation project—a one-minute film—was especially challenging, as I struggled to tell a compelling, clear, and engaging story visually. However, through experimenting with camera angles and compositions and animating each shot, I experienced a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. This experience, combined with watching films and animated series, has instilled in me a habit of analyzing shot compositions, camera angles, and storytelling techniques. I’ve learned that instead of treating my characters as static figures on a fixed stage, I need to focus more on dynamic camera movement. This is an area where I recognize I lack experience and need to dedicate time to skill development.

According to the ScreenSkills website, storyboard artist roles are considered entry-level positions, and apprenticeships offer an excellent opportunity to earn while learning. Apprenticeships for junior animators and storyboard artists are currently in development. 

As described by ScreenSkills:

• Storyboard Artists “help the head of story create a visual representation of the animation’s narrative. They translate the script and the director’s vision into panels of images, planning shots and ensuring continuity. These panels form the foundation for animation in the next stage of production.”

Currently, I’m thoroughly enjoying animation itself, particularly the challenge of conveying a character’s personality and movement. Designing characters, exploring the best camera angles, and experimenting with composition are also areas of interest for me as I consider potential career paths in the animation industry.

https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/animation/pre-production/storyboard-artist/

https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/animation/pre-production/character-designer/

When I started this course, I had very little knowledge of the professional processes in the animation industry or the roles involved. I didn’t even know how to animate, let alone which roles or studios might interest me. All I knew was that I was passionate about 2D animation and dreamed of working at studios like Disney or Pixar. Watching Klaus by SPA Studio sparked my interest in the innovative use of 3D lighting in 2D animation, while Arcane fascinated me with its blend of 2D and 3D techniques and its unique artistic style. These approaches align closely with the kind of work I’d love to learn and contribute to in the future. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet researched which London-based studios adopt similar styles, though I do have a list of studios to investigate further, which I aim to complete by the end of this course.

During my research, I discovered a website that provides a comprehensive list of animation jobs, which I found to be highly useful. I plan to review each role and explore the associated studios in detail during my Christmas holiday.

Find a job in Animation or VFX

Working on the LIAF project and currently on my one-minute film has given me greater insight into the people, skills, and processes required to bring a project to life. However, I’m still uncertain about the specific role I want to pursue in this framework. During the LIAF project, I had the opportunity to act as an assistant director, contributing as an effective member of a client-based project. It was an intense, time-limited experience, which didn’t allow me to explore every part of the filmmaking process in depth. At the same time, I assisted second-year students with their final project, gaining some experience in pre-production by supporting in the character design development process, and in production by cleaning up and coloring some shots.

In terms of my drawing skills, particularly during life drawing classes, I’ve found that my strengths lie in character design, clean-up, and capturing movement—areas where I feel most confident. However, I recognize that my weakest skills are in post-production and producing/marketing, as these aspects were primarily managed by our director during the LIAF project.

Throughout this course, I’ve come to realize that I struggle with time management and need to develop the skills and mindset required to handle time-sensitive projects. This experience has motivated me to focus my research on roles where I lack familiarity or have skill gaps, as well as roles I’m more likely to pursue professionally. The roles I currently plan to explore in more detail include:

Pre-production:

• Art Director

• Storyboard Artist

• Character Designer

Production:

• Animator

• Clean-Up Artist

• Compositor

Post-production:

• Editor

This focus may evolve as my research progresses, but for now, these roles either align with my interests, represent areas where I lack knowledge, or both. I’ve been using resources like ScreenSkills’ animation job map to help map out potential roles and pinpoint where I’d like to gain further experience and understanding.

After reflecting on what I’ve enjoyed throughout this course and researching a few roles I’m interested in within the animation industry, I’ve realized that the path I’d like to pursue after graduation—at least initially—is to work as an animator.

Based on my research and understanding from the ScreenSkills’ Animation Industry Career Map, I’ve learned that in 2D animation— the medium I most enjoy and want to pursue after graduation—starting as a junior animator is the first step toward becoming an animator. This role, often referred to as an inbetweener or clean-up artist, involves filling in frames created by senior animators or adding the final ‘line’ to their drawing. I have some experience with this through a university project. While working on our LIAF project, I also assisted second-year students with their graduation film called Sea Silk. I contributed by doing some cleanup and coloring shots in Adobe Animate, which I found both challenging and rewarding. While my ultimate dream would be to work on animated feature films or animated series, I believe the most valuable step for me as a practitioner right now is to continue developing my skills and knowledge in a studio environment.

Having started this course with no background in animation, I decided to further my knowledge and develop my skills over the past summer. I spent time researching, taking online LinkedIn courses, and learning from renowned Disney animators like Dermot O’Connor and Aaron Blaise. I’ve come to realize that not only was being an animator my childhood dream, but it’s also the most fulfilling and exciting thing I’ve done—and something I’m eager to continue exploring.

Ultimately, I aspire to tell my own stories and create work I’m deeply passionate about. For now, though, my focus is on becoming the best animator I can be and learning from experienced professionals in the industry. I want to understand how they make creative decisions to enhance their storytelling and improve my own ability to do the same.

I came across an interview with Swedish animator Simone Giampaolo on the Zippy Frames website, which deeply inspired me to pursue the path I mentioned earlier. In the interview, he shared that he began his career as a junior animator and generalist at Blue Zoo Animation in London. Giampaolo explained that he didn’t join the studio—or the industry—with the goal of becoming a director. Instead, his primary motivation was to push his own story ideas forward, pitch concepts, and suggest his own creative visions. Blue Zoo fostered this drive through an inspiring program that allowed employees to pitch ideas for short films annually. In 2015, his idea was selected, and he was given the opportunity to direct a Christmas short. Over time, he directed three short films at Blue Zoo before moving on. He emphasized that being able to pitch ideas and collaborate with a team was a crucial step in his growth from a junior animator to a filmmaker and storyteller—precisely the journey I aspire to undertake. The chance to pitch ideas and turn them into reality, as he described, was transformative and made all the difference.

References:

https://www.cgspectrum.com/career-pathways/2d-animator

https://www.screenskills.com/job-profiles/browse/animation/production/animator-animation/

https://www.zippyframes.com/interviews/simone-giampaolo-interview

During our discussion about the second-year project and what my interests are, Hannah suggested that I could assist with the character design process. I was responsible for creating an expression sheet and pose sheet for the two main characters – a little girl and a granny. Hannah gave me a detailed Excel chart that included the number of expressions and the severity (from 1 to 5) of each expression. Initially, I misunderstood the severity section to mean the quantity and not the quality. As a result, I designed three different levels of curiosity for the character instead of level 3 of curiosity. Although it was a lot of work, it turned out that the expanded chart I created was quite useful as they could choose between the emotions for those specific scenes.

I spent a lot of time researching each emotion reference because they were not typical emotions and the ones I was familiar with. It was the most challenging part of the project, and I couldn’t manage to have more time for the pose list. I suggested to the team that we work on the pose list after the 6th of March because it can be quite challenging and interesting for me to experience.

Another challenge I faced was that the characters were made of basic shapes, and they wanted to have as little alteration as possible. For example, when the character is happy, the jaw will open, and the shape of the head will slightly change. Initially, I drew them that way, but after chatting with the team about their preferences, I found out that to stick with the base form of the character’s face. After watching the recommended reference animations, I got the idea and I challenged myself to design to the best of my ability. It was a valuable experience as I learned how to design characters for animation from their character design, color, hand, body, face, turnaround, and other essential sheets, which will definitely help me in the future. 

Life drawing and showing body movement through expressive lines have always been my passion. I feel that I can express myself and my thoughts through these drawings. During these first few months of studying at UAL, I learned invaluable lessons. However, the most practical lesson came from Vanessa’s life drawing session. She taught us how to exaggerate poses, which was not only challenging but also engaging for me. while she scheduled 4-minute poses, The first 2 minutes were to draw the pose itself, and the remaining 2 minutes were to exaggerate the pose. I challenged myself to quickly balance the squashing and stretching of body parts while drawing them expressively and correctly. (Fig.1). This session made a lasting impression on me. When I was creating keyframes for my body acting animation, I tried to exaggerate the poses as much as possible to express the action more effectively. (Fig.2) I used to rely heavily on references, trying to replicate them perfectly (recording myself performing a scene). However, after that session, I started manipulating those poses and making them more expressive.

Another valuable lesson was the perspective session. We sat on the floor and tried to imagine and draw the model from a low-angle perspective. Although I struggled with drawing the human body in perspective, I was happy with my results that day (Fig.3). Vanessa praised my work but also gave me advice on improving certain parts. This session made me realize that I could change the perspective of the body in my lip-sync project to convey movement better. For example, I adjusted the perspective of the hands when they came closer to the camera or made the upper body and face larger when the character approached the camera to speak. I was satisfied with the outcome.

I discovered that this is my strength in this field, and I want to explore it further in upcoming projects.

Importance of Performance and (some of) its challenges and limitations in animation

Barry J C Purves suggests that all animators need to have the sensibilities of a performer, as that widens the field and brings in dance, mime, singing, and a million related skills. We are performers who happen to be telling big stories on a small scale.¹ 

Through my research, I learned that performers should go beyond the lived human experience into the realm of the extra-daily. This applies to theatre, film, and animation. Performance involves connecting the onstage world with the audience’s thoughts, creating an exchange between the actor and the viewer. To clarify, Extremes (or contrasts) of emotion and behavior engage our attention because they provoke instinctive responses. Our engagement is often further increased when these extremes are presented in a stylized and exaggerated way, as Disney highlighted. 

The impression of life according to Lasseter and Disney, is created by the rhythm of the character’s movement, rather than their appearance or pose. Rhythmic movement, and the emotional tone of rhythmic movement, were considered most significant for appealing characterization. The action, they now believed, needed to be translated into the language of cartoon animation to produce an emotionally engaging performance. They needed to add a touch of artifice and exaggeration through the use of techniques like ‘squash and stretch’ to make it more ‘realistic’.²

I will briefly mention some of the challenges and limitations of representing human movement in digital animation I learned from Annabel Lagasse, PhD Thesis³. Additionally, I need to conduct further research to gain a better understanding of these challenges.

• In observing body language, it is important to study a wide range of people and behaviors. Not only do occupation, age, class, ethnicity, and gender profoundly impact physicality, but also contrasts between people highlight individuality as well as commonality. 
• Animators who are now trained with software, and work within a techno-centric culture, need to know the true limits of body mechanics. They need to understand how particular emotions are revealed dynamically through body movement.
• Perception of emotion behind any movement is often more important than the movement itself. (The training site Animation Mentor advises animators to not be afraid of stillness to accent rhythm or communication.)
• Sensory experience and sensory learning are critical to the animation process. We receive emotional cues through our senses. Digital tools remove the sensory stimulus from the artist (e.g. the feel of the pencil or clay), making it harder for them to develop a feeling for their craft and intuit.  
• When animators work on character, they may have a type in mind, but this is usually based on someone living (personal ‘sense memories’). A friend, co-worker, movie star, a mix, or ultimately themselves, informs their work. Building emotional details into gestures creates the illusion of life. (matching of inner feeling to outer expression)

I am excited to further explore and challenge myself in my animation journey, specifically focusing on the creation of group emotions through expression and determining the mood of actions through the expressive qualities of movement. These concepts are part of Wells’s sixteen basic movement themes of Laban, which represent various aspects of movement construction.

1. Purves, Barry. (2008). Stop Motion: Passion, Process and Performance.
2. Thomas,Frank, Johnston,Ollie. (1981). Disney animation: the illusion of life, 323. 
3. Lagasse, Annabel. (2015). An Exploration Of The Creative Challenges In Representing Human Movement In Digital Animation. PhD Thesis, Nottingham Trent and Southampton Solent University.