[FRAMED] Senior Animator, Edwin Schaap, Los Angeles
If you could travel back in time, which film, TV series, advert, or immersive project would you love to have worked on?
Any Harry Potter movie, I LOVE those movies!
Which Framestore character do you feel you’re most like?
Groot. I’m a tall guy who sometimes has awkward moments while speaking! hahaha.
What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
Hogwarts. I’d love to jump on the turning stairs!
Your career highlight to date:
Paddington. What an amazing team, Supervisor and shots I was able to work with!
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in VFX?
The Mask and Jurassic Park. I actually talk about it on my YouTube Channel!
The DREAM project would entail:
To animate on a sequence, on a new movie series, as quality-written and popular as Harry Potter. A big blockbuster that no one easily forgets.
How do you explain what you do to someone who doesn’t work in VFX?
I get a character, like a stiff puppet in a T pose, and I have to move it to a pose that I like. Then I scrub through a timeline, and pose it again, so it starts moving. And if I do that long enough, with enough details it starts to become alive.
Describe your career journey into the exciting world of VFX.
As a kid, I was always interested in VFX and movie-making. I made my own videos in the backyard, recreating The Mask and King Kong etc. Then when I started studying 3D animation and Visual effects I won an internship with my portfolio, at Framestore’s London studio. I worked in the advertising department on the McLaren Tooned series. Then, after graduating Framestore invited me back to work in the Movies department where I worked on my first movie ever Jupiter Ascending which was a great first experience. After this, I worked on several movies like Dracula Untold, Paddington, The Martian and Fantastic Beasts. Then, I went to work at ILM and EightVFX for a bit, and now I’ve been working for almost 5 years at Framestore’s LA studio.
What does the day in the life of an animator look like?
For me, it starts off at 6AM, I do a walk around the block or a workout, then I work on my personal projects. Then at 9AM I start Animating on Projects. Often at around 10AM we have dailies, so I make sure I have enough to show by that time. Then after dailies I start addressing the notes from the cd or supervisor. Then at 1PM its lunchtime, and then I spend the rest of the day either working on the notes or giving updates to the supervisor/director to see if my work is improving. At 6 I stop working and then I often do a little more work on my personal projects, eat and then relax with a movie or series on Netflix.
Framestore is, to you, in three words:
My Beautiful Family!
Best thing about your work environment?
We have a fun little animation team here and we all work together really well, even though we work from home. (which I love!)
Framestore is great at:
Creating creatures within a world no one has ever seen before but make it so believable like you actually want to go there!
Favourite artform?
Film or Theater. I love going to a great musical as well, like Billy Elliot!
Favourite image?
Hmm, I can’t think of anything! I’m an animator, they have to move! haha
What’s your favourite movie/ series/ advert/ immersive experience and why?
Billy Elliot. I LOVE the story so much, the drama, the way his dad has to change. Both the movie and the musical are amazing!
What is the last piece of art (e.g. music, film, TV, writing etc.) that inspired you?
House of the Dragon. I would love to animate those dragons!
How do you unlock your creativity?
By watching a lot of stuff, and I used to also listen to classical music to get inspired for writing stories!
From where do you seek inspiration?
Movies, classical music, series, or real live stories! For example, I interviewed a lady about her experience during the Holocaust, and it inspired me to write and direct a short film.
Who in the industry do you admire most and why?
There are many, but to name one, Pablo Grillo is one that pops right in my mind! He’s so creative, so humble and a blast to work with! He was one of the reasons I loved working on my favourite project Paddington.
Share the best piece of advice you’ve ever received:
When you think you’re done, you’re not, call it blocking, and level up!
What tech/innovation could you not live without?
Working from home tech haha. I really love it!
What tech/innovation deserves the hype?
The virtual production/LED screen stuff seems pretty awesome!
What tech do you need that hasn’t been invented yet?
To be honest, as an animator, I’m pretty happy with the way everything works!
Edwin Schaap, you’ve been [FRAMED].
