Masters of Motion

After working in London for five years James established Studio Hackett (formerly Hackett Films) in the early 2000s, and has gone on to build an incredibly diverse portfolio of work. The studio’s work has won multiple awards – there’s even a couple of Arias sitting in the office. James and Studio Hackett have carved themselves a unique place in the Australian production industry. James’ skills and experience have enabled Studio Hackett to work in sectors that range from broadcast TV to educational games. His expertise is the lynchpin between story and design. James loves getting to the heart of a character and is happy directing live-action talent or animated characters. He has recently written a young adult science-fiction novel, Ectogen, to be published soon.  www.studiohackett.com

Topics Discussed

- Working in the industry and getting a job in a studio

- Essential must haves for freelancers

- Mastery of skills versus balance

- Tips for creative directors around creating ideas 

- Managing your studio in times of heavy workloads

- Being a good manager / creative director

- The benefits of mentoring and how to make mentoring work for you

- Creative writing has a passion project

- Benefits of writing to a creative professional or studio

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Topics Discussed

We discuss the viability of the 2-D cartoon animation industry in Melbourne and what it takes to work in an animation studio, as well as, take a detailed look at Peter’s epic career.  Peter explains how to to come up with the concept and then develop, find funding and produce the production. We have a detailed discussion about his most recent series Jar Dwellers 2.  We also talk about outsourcing and the international market. Peter reflects on what it takes to have a life long career in animation as well as his work ethic and balancing a career and his family life. 

Peter Viska 

Peter has been a major part of the Australian animation industry for 38 years, where he has kept abreast of technology to be a content creator and producer for global television networks, international advertising agencies, online games and small businesses. Steeped in a history of loving satire and cartoon humour, Viska graduated to animation from a career as a political cartoonist and illustrating the famous Far Out, Brussel Sprout!, All Right, Vegemite! and Unreal, Banana Peel! series of books.

As head of the MICKEY DUCK Animation Co., he directed and produced animation for the advertising industry (Freddo Frog, Target, Telstra, Bloo Loo, Heinz, i-select and the TAC) and for 15 years was major supplier of animation for The Australian Children’s Television Foundation (The Greatest Tune on Earth, The Hedge and Mr Snip, Lift Off, Kaboodle). The association culminated in the production of Li’l Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers, which was his original concept and the first Australian – French animation co-Production.

A global presence necessitated a name change to VISKATOONS. He co-wrote and directed the hugely successful MonsterChef for ABC3. Peter was also the Art Director for the award winning casual game, Jolly Rover. Peter is the Creator, Director and Executive Producer of Jar Dwellers SOS. Peter was Executive Producer of Film Victoria supported Suspect Moustache (SBS). He received the Australian Cartoonists Association Stan Cross Award for Animation Cartoonist in 2014. He leads a team of award winning animators and designers who push the boundaries of animation and fun.

Masters Of Motion Christmas Message by Masters of Motion

Grant Freckelton : AnimalLogic

Grant has been working in the Visual Effects and Animation industry since 1998, as an Illustrator, Art Director, VFX Supervisor and Production Designer. Most recently, Grant was Production Designer on The LEGO Batman Movie and The LEGO Movie. Prior to this, Grant served as Art Director on Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, Directed by Zack Snyder, for which he won an AFI ACTAA award for Best Visual Effects. This followed his previous collaboration as Visual Effects Art Director on Snyder’s 300, for which he won a Satellite award for VFX.

www.animallogic.com

Gareth is the Creative Director of Buck’s Sydney studio. After studying design at Massey University he freelanced in Wellington New Zealand for a few years before moving to New York. Here he joined an eager 4 man crew at Buck NY which he saw grow to a team of 40 odd artists. In 2015 he moved with his family to Sydney to open the doors to Buck’s 3rd studio.

Tim is a multi-award winning Creative Director, Designer, Compositor and Editor. He brings over 20 years experience in the creative industries and is the founder of boutique production house Resolution Design. Tim is a unique Directorial talent able to combine performance; animation and visual effects work in a confident and fresh approach. Tim’s creativity expresses itself in many ways, through photography, architecture and as a keen collector of art. Tim has received local and international acclaim for his imaginative visual work and direction.

James is Founder and Creative Director of Yes Captain, a design led motion studio based in Melbourne. With 20 years experience across feature films, television, advertising, music videos, shorts, events, documentaries and digital, James takes a no bull shit approach to creating entertaining, narrative driven, emotive design and animation. James is also Co-Founder of NodeFest - Australia's dedicated motion design event.

With a background in design and traditional 2D animation, Glenn has refined his skills over the last 28 years and now oversees many of Iloura’s film projects as the VFX Supervisor. With his vast knowledge of film production and his commitment to creative excellence, Glenn supervises Iloura’s projects from concept to completion. Most recently, Glenn oversaw the Iloura team that delivered a significant suite of work for the Emmy Awards winning “Battle of the Bastards” Season 6 Episode 9 crescendo of HBO’s tentpole series Game of Thrones.

Chris Morris

Photoshopping from the age of 12, Chris (Moe) Morris is a self-taught genius with experience in everything from live action and lighting to complex animation, compositing and effects work. At Breeder, Chris directs, animates and films to tell stories and create authentic motion content for clients like the World Economic Forum, the SyFy Channel, HBO and many more.

Alex Gee

Alex is a motion director with expertise in animation and editing, and he draws on his experience to craft motion design with an emotional pulse. In 2012, Alex joined Breeder, one of the industry's leading motion design boutiques, where he works for clients such as the World Economic Forum, SyFy Channel and many others. In late 2017 Alex moved to Toronto, Canada where he now works as a freelance motion designer.

Robert is an expert at bringing ideas to life and has an extensive background in design and visual effects. He has 20 years of industry experience across Melbourne, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Sydney working across a range of global brands that include MTV, CNN, Comedy Central, Nissan, Miller, VW and Fox Sports, CBA and Foxtel.

His passion to direct beautiful pieces can be seen in the variety of projects he has crafted. Whether it’s live action, broadcast design, channel branding, or character animation, the detail is inspired by his love of storytelling. NOTE : Since we recorded this interview Rob has left engine to work freelance.