MEET THE ARTIST

News and views from around the international CG community

The senior animator at Jellyfish Pictures chats to us about his hectic work schedule, his career journey, and how he tackles a shot from conception to final animation

G raduating from Bournemouth University in 2015, with a BA in Computer Animation Arts, Arran has gained experience from a series of Londonbased animation studios including Blue Zoo and Axis Animation, working as a character animator on kids’ TV hits Go Jetters and Digby Dragon, as well as the live-action/animation hybrid Happy!

Since joining Jellyfish Pictures in 2018, Arran has worked on some of the company’s most high-profile projects, including DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming and, currently, as senior animator on an animated feature film for a major Hollywood studio. In his spare time, Arran tutors animation students at AnimDojo, an online platform that helps further careers in the animation and VFX industry for all. We chat to him to find out more about his work and career journey.

Do you have a background in 3D animation or are you self-taught?

I have a bit of both actually. When I was 15, a lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University taught me the basics of Autodesk Maya whilst on some work experience shadowing their course. I was left to my own devices for the most part and learnt simple new things like clicking tools to see what they did. Whilst studying at West Suffolk College, my tutor encouraged me to use 3D software even though it was not part of the curriculum they taught. If I produced work to the set brief, they were happy to critique it, no matter the medium.