[TOA] Expert Animator Unravels the Secrets to Creating Jaw-Dropping Animations

The School of Illustration from The One Academy organised an eye-opening sharing session for Illustration and Digital Animation students on the vast career opportunities and industry life that awaits them. Former Head of Production at renowned visual effects company Base FX who played a vital role in the production of huge titles such as “Monster Hunt 2” and “Hidden Man”, Teo How Jiann who is currently the Vice President of Hong Li Animation Studios was invited to share his experience. The professional production company based in Shanghai, China, specializes in making animated movies, series, game cinematics, original IPs and many more.

The introduction to his talk was magical as Teo took the audience on a journey into the world of animation by showing a showreel of his company’s projects. The students were on the edge of their seats and in awe as they saw projects from famous titles like “League of legends”, “Goodbye Monster”, “Arknights” and “Honor of Kings”. The entire video covered different art styles, scenes and perspectives. It showed the beauty of animation as well as concept creation, focusing on how different characters, angles, music and locations can change how the audience perceive the entire message of an animated short video. During the course of his sharing, students were blown away to see how Teo How Jiann, a fellow Malaysian has worked with well-known international clients while continuing to thrive in the animation industry.

After receiving a huge round of applause from the impressed audience, Teo shared his career timeline and progression. Coming from a small town in Johor with a background in computer engineering, Teo kickstarted his career by working for Sparky Animation in Singapore, famous for creating animated series for children. Once he gained some experience, he started working for Base FX in Beijing, China.

“Most of the projects in Base FX primarily focused on Visual Effects (VFX) where we had to superimpose CG elements and special effects onto a green screen with existing sets and actors. While it was a new experience to work on VFX projects, I still fell in love with animation because it allows you to create elements from scratch,” said Teo. In other words, animation is like being given a blank piece of canvas where concept artists and animators will have to work together to bring an entire storyline to life. As a result of his passion for animation, he became the Vice President and Executive Producer for Hong Li Animation Studios, a company that is solely focused on creating captivating animations.

He also said that, "when creating a storyboard, try to work with the music simultaneously and focus on the character's expression as well. Give them a personality." He then shared an interview of his company's Animation Director. In the video, the director mentioned the importance of re-enacting dialogues from a script in real life and translating that into animation to accurately capture facial expressions and body movements. Throughout this segment, Teo shared behind-the-scenes insights on creating the company's biggest project, "Deep Sea", an animated fantasy movie released in China’s cinemas this year, where they were one of the major production studios involved. The students were able to gain a clearer picture of the industry, such as working closely as a team, paying close attention to detail, and understanding the importance of the brief.

During an engaging Q&A session with the students, Teo was asked how long it took for his team to complete their latest project “Deep Sea” and his response shocked the audience. The process took up to four years. This was because they worked extremely hard on the details and each specific part of the movie itself. He broke down some major scenes explaining the several refinements and changes they had to make based on their animation director’s and client’s feedback. The movie however, turned out to be one of the most beautiful animations incorporating out-of-this-world characters and art style. Towards the end of the session, one of the students asked what was his most enjoyable project and he replied, “I don’t have a specific project but of course the best part of every project that I find enjoyable is when after all the hard work, the clients are happy and more than pleased with the outcome.”

Emphasizing close ties with the industry and its practices to keep up with the role of preparing graduates for the workplace, The One Academy is committed to building the bridge between students and distinguished industry professionals. By attending these impactful talks, students become aware of the abundant opportunities in the creative industry and are encouraged to aim high as they listen to these relatable, successful speakers who come from the same field. At the end of the day, behind every success it only boils down to one thing: passion. The students at The One Academy are constantly reminded that as long as they pour their heart and soul into every creation, they are able to make a mark in the creative industry.

The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its “Masters Train Masters” coaching philosophy, which has been practised for over 30 years, by providing diploma and degree courses in Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts, Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making, Computer Science and Game Design. For more information on The One Academy, visit www.toa.edu.my or call +603-7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].