Animator Maurice Argiro says that while making animated movies and TV shows is fun, the process can be "brutal". As the animation creator/director and co-creator of TV cartoons Monster Beach and Exchange Student Zero, Argiro was part of the team at Melbourne animation company Bogan Entertainment Solutions on hand to conceive the productions' original concepts and see them through to fruition.
Expanding embryonic ideas into feature-length productions can be a years' long process of slow and incremental developments, adds Argiro. All in the face of tight deadlines, seemingly-insurmountable workloads and responsibilities to oversee and ensure the team of artists behind the productions are all on course.
"We've all been in situations where we've worked all day here and then we've gone home and worked all night and then all weekend, and it just goes on and on and on," he says.
Exchange Student Zero, a story of two boys who incarnate an anime character through a card game and adopt him as fake exchange student, was a 10-minute pilot prior to screening as a TV special in 2012. Featuring voice work from Rove McManus, it's now slated for global distribution and a premiere on Foxtel's Cartoon Network as a fully-fledged TV series in 2015, making it just the second Cartoon Network series to be made outside the USA.
According to Bruce Kane, Bogan Entertainment Solutions' executive producer, although the green lighting of Exchange Student Zero is indicative of a vibrant animation scene in Australia, it only takes more than one or two major local productions happening at the same time for demand for domestic animation talent to outstrip supply.
"There is a big demand for designers, animators and, in particular, strong story board artists," Kane says. "The reality is we have had to augment local staff by heading overseas.
"Our first preference is to employ locally but this is not always possible." At Victoria College of the Arts (VCA), inroads to bump up the pool of Australian animation talent are in motion. Having recently introduced a three-year bachelor of fine arts (animation) course, it's presently focusing on expanding the course and increasing the current intake of 21 to 30 next year, says animation lecturer Paul Fletcher.
"There will also be the possibility of seriously world class larger animation productions in honours or masters by coursework in a few years' time," he adds.
Argiro completed a multimedia diploma through RMIT in 2000, picking up skills in graphic design, Photoshop, 2D and 3D animation. At Bogan, he worked on a series of small projects – including video clips, short films and short sketches for TV – before branching into feature-length productions and TV shows.
Fletcher says recent VCA animation graduates are finding work in diverse areas.
"Recent graduates from our previous courses have found work locally and internationally, having worked on international big budget animation features through to shorts, web series, animated advertising, artist-in-residences and even animation for corporate training." According to Kane, one of the keys to transitioning from aspiring animator to established animator is nominating a specialisation.
"If story boarding or design or whatever is your thing, then be at the top of your field in your chosen area and you will get work whether it be in Australia or internationally.
"Don't worry too much about being stuck in that role forever if you have other ambitions, as success in these roles will lead to other opportunities."
