Martin Connolly email

I also received an email back from  Martin Connolly from the background department in Boulder Media. Martin gave me a great insight into different ways to approach entering the animation industry.

Below is the email i received

Hi Michael,

Here are Martin’s answers on backgrounds.

How did you get into background animation industry?

Before I graduated, I applied for the Animation Bridge program run through the Skillnet courses. A number of animation studios were interested in taking on interns through the program, and after looking over my portfolio I was contacted and asked for an interview by one of the Irish studios. I also applied directly to a number of different studios, some of which I had the opportunity to meet during our graduate show. I completed a pencil test for Boulder Media after they contacted me, and they were happy to meet me for an interview. While they did not have any openings at the time, they told me that they would be hiring background artists in the near future and would contact me when they had work available.

What software do you mainly use for your backgrounds?

For backgrounds, in the studio we work exclusively in Adobe Photoshop. It is the industry standard and the most convenient for a larger company, since there are no compatibility issues between it and the other Adobe software that the studio uses for compositing. It also allows artists to share brushes and tools so that we can achieve a uniform look for the backgrounds in the show. For my personal work, I generally use Manga Studio from Smith Micro.

What was your favourite animated series to work on?

I have very much enjoyed working on the backgrounds for the Danger Mouse series. Part of that is because I used to watch it as a kid and now I get to actually make it, and also because we have a very talented art direction team here in the studio so there is a lot of variety in terms of locations and colour.

What kind of deadlines would you have for your backgrounds?

On the series we are currently working on, we generally complete the backgrounds for an episode within two weeks. This can vary depending on the art style of the show, for example backgrounds and layouts which include linework tend to have a longer turnaround than those without.

How much of a role does a degree play when applying for background animation jobs?

While a degree can help (particularly when applying for jobs outside of the country), it is not nearly as important as a portfolio of work which can show the studio that you are capable of actually completing work to a standard that they would expect. The ability to showcase a variety of visual styles in backgrounds is a big asset, since you will most likely be working in a variety of visual styles over your career as you work on different shows. The ability to adapt to the style used in thebackground is very important. You will rarely (if ever) be the only background artist working on a show, and so you need to be able to match the background keys you will be working from. Your work should not look obvious or out of place  next to the backgrounds done by other members of the department, instead it should be relatively seamless.

A good way to show this off in your portfolio is to choose a number of animated shows that you enjoy the art style of and replicate their style in an originalbackground you have designed.

Best of luck with the rest of your project.

All the best

Katie Miller Office Manager