Pixar

Chris Sasaki  - character designer at pixar

We met one of the character designers at Pixar- something i thought would never ever happen-and it was awesome!! I was a little bit start struck as this guy has designed the characters in the up and coming Inside out which I am really looking forward to seeing!! He also had a part in designing the characters for monster university which is a great film! He said he was really pleased to be part of that project as it was monsters inc that inspired him to get into this.

Some of the things he shared with us was : theres lots of research involved in getting final look of characters- to try and make things believable- when you find the authernticity it makes the audience relate.
research drawing help you find out things that are consistent that you need to put in the final. 
have to do turnarounds and work with character builders to tell them how they can build it and to keep it how its supposed to be. 
try and bring your personal life into your animations and make it authentic
always has to be a reason why your doing something
clarity and strong silhouettes and strong gestures are very important

These are all really interesting points to consider especially as I am wanting to look more into character design next year. I have learnt that the silhouette is a very important thing from almost everyone we have spoken to and read about. Also the ability to relate to the characters.

It was so great to be able to meet someone who is working on the films you aspire to create in the future.

He told us he didn't get into Cal Arts which i thought was almost a must to work at Pixar, but he just showed perseverance and willingness to take on tasks and had a great portfolio and worked his way up getting experience.