Sinamation asks: Ray Chase

Hi @ all.
Here is my newest feature, "sinamation asks".
As promised I'll interview Animators around the world,
and the first one is:

Ray Chase - Raymation.net 
Lead Animator at ReelFX and
Mentor at Animation Mentor.

In General:

Sin: What's your name?

RC: Ray Chase

Sin: How are you?

RC: I am just fine!

Sin: What's the time?

RC: 4:45 pm

Sin: Where are you right now?

RC: I am at work

Sin: How's the weather?

RC: sunny and hot

Job:

Sin: What is your current job, and which company are you working for?

RC: I am currently a lead animator at ReelFX in Dallas Texas

Sin: Did you learn and fight hard for your job, or did your love and fascination bring you to your job?

RC: It took a lot of work and a lot of preserve-rance to finally have a reel good enough to catch the eye of a studio.  It took about 6 years for me to be good enough to land my first job.

Animation:

Sin: Why do you animate?

RC: I love to bring characters to life.  There is nothing I would rather be doing than what I do now.

Sin: Did you like the art classes back in school, were you good at it?

RC: Unfortunately I didn't have a lot of art classes when I was in school at least not a lot of fine art.  I was in several film and video classes and the computer classes I took where more concerned with us learning the software than the art of using it.

Do you sketch/ draw a lot?

RC: I do not sketch or draw as much as I used to.

Sin: If you had the choice for the next 3 big animated movies, would they be drawn or CG?

RC: I think it depends on the story.  To me a film like Lilo and Stitch would lose its charm if it was in 3D.  Conversely I don't think Toy Story would have been as magical in 2D.  The choice of hand drawn or CG should come down to which best services the story.

Sin: You have a big opportunity for the next movie: 1) leading animator/ director or 2) you get in front of the camera as the main actor. What would you choose? And why?

RC: I would stick with animating.  It's what I know and love.  Plus I don't think I could ever watch myself act in a film....ever.

Sin: What is your first advice for beginners/ students?

RC: Learn the basics.  The principles of animation are the foundation of animation.  If you don't take the time to learn them up front, the road ahead will be rough.  Also, if being an animator is what you truly want...never give up...keep trying and learning.

Sin: What is your advice for pros?

RC: I would say....keep pushing the art form.  Keep trying to make it better and better.

Sin: Do your friends/ parents/ etc. know what you are doing at work? What do they think about it, what are their comments on your work and which feedback do you get from them? How important is feedback from non-pros for your work?

RC: My family and friends know what I do and are pretty excited about different projects I have been involved in.  I don't generally get any feedback from them as I usually don't show them much until the project is over and done.

Sin: What is your favourite program/ application/ tool?

RC: I use Maya everyday...so I would have to say Maya.

Sin: Best animated movie/ short:

RC: I don't know about best....but I have favorites.  The Incredibles, Tangled,  Aladdin, Nemo, Kung Fu Panda, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and many many more.....

Sin: Best life-action movie/ short:

RC: Again I have favorites..... The Empire Strikes Back, Raider of the Lost Ark, The Dark Knight, Pirate of the Caribbean: CotBP, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Back to the Future, Who framed Roger Rabbit and many more that I know I'm forgetting.

Sin: Do you like today's animated movies more or do you prefer the old-school stuff?

RC: I generally like the animated films of today and the old school ones as well.

Sin: Do you hear music while you're animating?

RC: I only listening to music if I'm animating a scene that has no dialogue.

Sin: What was your favourite project/ movie/ game you worked on?

RC: There are a few.  The Jimmy Neutron movie was my first gig and I still remember how excited I was working on it.  I enjoyed working with Po on Kung Fu Panada: Secrets of the Furious Five.  And it was an honor and privilege to work on the Looney Tunes shorts with classics characters Daffy, Elmer, Road Runner and Coyote.

Sin: If your life would be made a film, what would be the title and who should be the actor?

RC: Since one word titles are the rage......”Chase” starring Robert Downey Jr as me.

Sin: Where will be animation in 50 years?

RC: Hard to say.  Animation might be all holograms that get beamed into our brains.  Technology moves so fast it's hard to say.

End

Sin: What's the time now?

RC: 5:11pm

Sin: Any question(s) you want to ask me?

RC: I can't think of any :)

Thanks Ray for this great interview,

watch his superb Ice Age Christmas reel, I love it: