In part two of the interview Nik Ranieri takes us through his early years in animation and some of the lessons learned before he got to Disney.
Get it here: Show 5: Nik Ranieri, Part Two
(13.1MB, 28:33 minutes)
Continue for Show Notes…
- 00:00:00: The Intro Voice
- 00:00:05: Theme Song by DJ Sweettooth
- 00:00:48: Welcome
- 00:01:22: Starting at Atkinson’s
- 00:03:03: Working at Pascal Blais
Go to Site
- 00:06:12: Lightbox Studios
- 00:09:08: Animating with testing machines
- 00:10:53: Leaving Lightbox Studios
- 00:13:44: Looking for work in 1987
- 00:15:57: Bluth in Dublin
- 00:17:59: Richard Williams’ Studio
- 00:18:34: Disney UK
- 00:20:12: Conclusion of Part 2
Vote @ Podcast Alley
- 00:20:25: Animation on the Wikipedia
Go to Wikipedia
- 00:20:56: About me
My IMDB page
- 00:21:24: Voice Mail 1, 2
- 00:23:03: Voice Mail 3 – Advice for beginners
Go to Animation Meat
- 00:28:01: How to comment or ask questions
Great podcast as always Clay! Nik is a great personality to have onair, full of stories!!
Looking forward to the next in the series man! Keep up the great work!
Loved the advice you’ve given for Lexi’s question! You added some more reasons to my list of why I want to do most of my animation traditionally when I join the AnimationMentor program in fall. Somehow, there are a lot of people that don’t really understand my reasons to do so.
I’m also at the exact same place Lexi is right now. 18, drawing, watching animated films and hoping for a future in the bizz. And I’d just like to say, in case she reads this, that there are other options then CalArts, for example AnimationMentor.com. I’d definitly suggest looking into that, since I’ve heard (and experienced through forums) that it’s full of animation passion, has a really really strong basis and faculty, and on top of that it’s cheaper than CalArts. So if you can’t get the money for CalArts, which I’ve heard is about 40k a year, definitly take a look at AnimationMentor, which is only 14k, for an 18 months program.
I hope that didn’t sound too much like an AM.com commercial 😀
Great podcast once again, and I can’t wait to hear the rest of his story.
– Benjamin
I just stumbled across this site, & being very new to the 2D biz, there’s nothing more helpful than just listening to people chat about their careers in animation.
Hats off to you, my friend!!
Another great podcast, thank you! And thanks for sharing what you do at WDFA — I had been wondering.
Thanks a lot Shayne! I’m finding that most successful creative types sure know how to tell a story. I can’t wait to get more interviews and share them with you guys.
Benjamin, I agree that AM is a great place to learn. I’ve been looking at some of the Animation Mentee blogs and the stuff they are teaching in spot on. They hammer the fundamentals (I resist calling them basics, because they deserve more respect than that) in to your head at the start and that becomes an arsenal of tools that you will always draw upon. One thing I can say for a school like CalArts is that being in an environment like that, surrounded by like-minded people is invaluable. I didn’t go there, but all of my best friends did, and I can see the connection they all have with each other. Also, it’s a social environment and animators need as much social practice as possible before they get a job locked away in the isolation of a cubicle. You know, get out and see the world; have real life experiences. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
Corey, welcome to the site! I’m glad you found it. Tell all your friends!
Justin, thanks for the comment. I like to keep the spotlight focused on the guests (luckily they have been great storytellers), but I had to get that out there sooner or later.
-Clay
Yes, I definitly agree there’s nothing like actually being at a physical place with like-minded people. I’ve heard quite a lot of AM people that live near each other try to hook up because of that reason. I’d probably try to go to CalArts myself, if I were able to. I was mainly mentioning it because I didn’t want that an obviously passionate person like Lexi would let money stop her. In her message it seemed that she still hadn’t got everything to pay for a school like CalArts, and AM would be a really good replacement, so her passion wouldn’t go to waste.
Now let’s just hope she’s reading this 🙂
– Benjamin
Great one Clay! thanks a lot.
By the way, we’re still waiting for the second part of your notes on Animation Principles 🙂
hi clay, I downloaded this part two from itunes, but it only downloaded upto 9 minutes. its incomplete. I tried the download twice and still geting only 9 minutes of it. you should look ino this problem. Love your show! keep it up! thanks.
Yash – thanks for the heads up. I uploaded the file again and it should work. If it doesn’t, would you (or someone) please let me know.
no its till downloading to only 9 mins
Yash – OK, I’ve been told by the host that it’s been resolved. I’m going to test it but let me know if you are still having problems. Thanks again.
hi clay, I finally managed to download the complete episode,all 28 and a half minute of it. thanks for fixing it.
Nik is my dad’s uncle!
Stupore! ho una sensibilit‡ molto buona circa il vostro luogo!!!!