Animation Exposé
Saturday, September 23, 2023 in the National Arts Centre
The OIAF presents, Animation Exposé, a series of daytime events curated to enhance your experience and understanding of the world of animation. While some programming is geared toward the animation industry, the Artist Talks, recruiting opportunities, and sketching activities are all interesting to anyone looking to learn what’s new in animation, meet inspiring creators, find a way to study animation, or even connect with their dream job at a leading studio.
Artist Talks
Canada Room, National Arts Centre (NAC), 1 Elgin Street
Get the ultimate animation experience at Animation Exposé! Meet the wizards behind the curtain at the Exposé Talk Series, showcasing artists from your favourite projects, including never-before-seen surprises and tips on a career in animation! Talks take place in the Canada Room of the National Arts Centre (NAC).
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Advice from Animators: How to Thrive in Tough Times
Hear from experienced animation industry professionals! Discover tips on professional development, networking, interviewing, and how to get hired in the future. This veteran roundup will help you feel relief, hope, and inspiration for the next phase of your career.
Speakers:
José Pou, Freelance Storyboard Artist
Brooke Keesling, Head of Animation Talent Development, Bento Box Entertainment
Emma Gignac, Supervising Director, Mercury Filmworks
Moderator:
Bradley Cayford, Storyboard Supervisor, Industrial Brothers
11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Behind the scenes of Nimona
Presented in partnership with Netflix
Nimona directors Nick Bruno & Troy Quane present a special behind-the-scenes “Making Of” session that illustrates the process of taking the NYT Best Selling graphic novel by ND Stevenson from book to screen while breaking barriers in feature animation storytelling.
Speakers:
Nick Bruno, Director, Nimona
Troy Quane, Director, Nimona
Moderator:
Ramin Zahed, Editor in Chief, Animation Magazine
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Hilda creator Luke Pearson in conversation with Andy Coyle
Presented in partnership with
Celebrated artist Luke Pearson talks with award-winning Director Andy Coyle about the art of Hilda, from its graphic novels to the multiple Emmy award-winning animated adaptation airing on Netflix.
Topics covered will include the series’ inspiration in Scandinavian folklore and classic comics, the process of page-to-screen visual adaptation with Mercury Filmworks, and the show’s highly anticipated third and final season, launching on Netflix later this year. The panel will be moderated by Hilda Co-Executive Producer Bryan Korn.
In addition to Hilda, Pearson worked as a writer and storyboard artist on Adventure Time and has done illustrations for leading publications such as the New Yorker and the New York Times. Pearson will be available for signings after the talk.
Speakers:
Luke Pearson, Artist & Creator, Hilda
Andy Coyle, Series Director, Hilda
Moderator:
Bryan Korn, Co-Executive Producer, Hilda
2:15 pm – 3:45 pm
Hisko Hulsing: Masterclass
With his short, dark animated films Junkyard and Seventeen, Hisko Hulsing caught the attention of studios such as Dreamworks and Disney. Since then he has directed internationally acclaimed films and series for HBO (Montage of Heck), Amazon (Undone) and Netflix (Sandman), for which he formed a creative teams of hundreds of artists. During his masterclass Hisko takes you on his path to an international stage through an overview of his animated films and series, his paintings, illustrations, music, scripts and storyboards and he will lift the curtain on some projects in development.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Mind Games: Diving into the work of Masaaki Yuasa
Presented in partnership with the Japan Foundation and Ottawa Tourism
A rare opportunity for OIAFers to dive inside the creative brainscape of Masaaki Yuasa, who will be on hand to talk about his unique and diverse career creating some of his mind-blowing cult classics (Mind Game, Night is Short, Walk on Girl, Devilman Crybaby, Tatami Express, and Ping Pong). Moderated by Chris Robinson, OIAF Artistic Director.
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Behind the Scenes of Disney Animation’s Once Upon a Studio with Directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy
Presented in partnership with Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios directors Dan Abraham (Baymax!, Story Artist, Encanto) and Trent Correy (Zootopia+, Animation Supervisor, Frozen 2) take you behind the scenes of their newest animated short film, Once Upon a Studio, in which an all-star ensemble of beloved Disney Animation characters come together for a joyful, entertaining and emotional reunion as they assemble for a spectacular group photo to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary. Abraham, a Sheridan College graduate, and Correy, a native of Ottawa, will take you along their journeys in animation, from story artist and animator, respectively, to the directors of the Emmy-nominated short film, Once Upon a Snowman.