When watching an animated film, we are often amazed by the show which is not only pleasing to the eye, but also presents very accurate details, making it really come to life.
Name some of the world-famous animated films; The Adventures of Tintin which was released in 2011. Or The Hobbit. These two titles are films where one of the animators is an animator from Indonesia, Rini Sugianto. Realizing her interest in the field of animation after graduating from college majoring in architecture, Rini dared to change direction in her career to achieve her dream. Listen to Rini's success story in the article presented by KARENA.ID
Animators who are not good at drawing
Who would have thought that Rini Sugianto, who was involved as a 3D animator in Hollywood-scale films, initially admitted that he was not good at drawing? Having started studying architecture at Parahyangan University class of 1997, Rini said that she actually found a passion in the field of animation after graduating. Armed with a strong interest, Rini continued her studies in San Francisco and chose to major in animation. In three years, Rini succeeded in obtaining a bachelor's degree and a career as an animator. When we see Rini's work, we find it hard to believe that initially one of Rini's teachers advised her not to major in architecture, because her drawings were considered not good. However, by practicing, receiving 4 years of education majoring in architecture, Rini admits that it has helped her draw better.
Not long after graduating from college in San Francisco, Rini took an internship at a game company called Blurs Studio for one year. There, Rini was given the task of working on traditional and 3D animation. Traditional animation includes conventional drawing activities and making stop motion, while 3D animation covers the start to finish process carried out using a computer. For Rini, animator is a job that requires a high level of patience. Imagine, one second of a film contains 24 to 30 frames/images. Of course, an animator doesn't work alone. In making a film, Rini collaborates with story board, layout, model and character makers. The animator's job is to cover all of these elements. Rini remembers that the first project she worked on was a game trailer for the film Eragon.
From this project, Rini found a vacancy as an animator for the film Tintin in New Zealand, carried out by WETA Digital. Apart from the film Tintin, Rini also worked on the film Lord Of The Rings. Finally, Rini spent 4 years in New Zealand before returning to Los Angeles. Being involved in working on a film is Rini's dream. Being involved in these two films is not only seen by Rini as a dream come true, but also a big achievement that has been achieved from her hard work so far.
Rini was involved in making the films The Adventure of Tintin, Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit.
Making Hope a Strategy
Based on Rini's experience, the film industry in America applies a freelance work system, based on contracts. Everyone is required to be able to prove their quality and qualifications so that related companies can choose our services over competitors. Rini's advice, 2 months before the contact is complete, we should immediately start looking for other projects to work on.
Apart from that, when determining the price, we should also calculate possibilities related to the work situation, such as living costs, taxes and so on. Make sure the numbers we provide can cover all of this, because if not, you could be overwhelmed. When companies bid on the rates we offer, we also need to negotiate well. Qualified quality will make it easier for us to carry out these negotiations. Wouldn't it be difficult for a company to reject such an amazing work? Make sure your abilities are worthy of the price you give.
It is very important to consider fees as a freelancer, because the break from one film to the next can be around 1-3 months. A filmmaking project itself has two different work durations, for the films Tintin and The Hobbit it was worked on for 1-1.5 years. Plus the story work and pre-production took a total of 2 years.
As a junior, it might be difficult for someone to offer a high price for his abilities. Rini understands this, so she says that it is okay to choose projects that are interesting and can give you good value in your portfolio. Rini also admitted that she had come across several projects that might not be very attractive in terms of pay, but when she personally liked the project, she would decide to accept it.
Outside of the tariff system, Rini advises not to give up hope. Rini believes in the power of hope. Because when she hopes, Rini simultaneously uses all her abilities to make her dreams come true. From there, Rini then made hope a strategy she used in carrying out her work.
“When determining price, consider contingencies related to employment situation, cost of living, taxes, etc.” - Rini Sugianto
Never Feeling Like the Best
One of the challenges Rini encountered as an animator was presenting detailed character traits. Because every movement made must also represent the character's personality. Meanwhile, another challenge is software developments which must always be followed, but this is usually fully supported by the company.
Software developments, plus different projects have made Rini continue to feel enthusiastic about doing her work. Feeling bored is normal. Not to mention the schedule is filled with overtime hours. That's why, for Rini, a break between projects can be beneficial for her.
Reviewing her achievements, Rini felt that she had never felt like the best in her field, and she did not mind that. However, Rini knows her strengths and weaknesses and from there she chooses projects according to her abilities and qualifications. Because when talking about the best animators, Rini calls Glen Keane a role model. He is an American animator who was involved in the films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tarzan and Tangled from the Walt Disney production house.
To fill her free time, Rini opens an online animation class which usually holds two sessions. Apart from that, Rini also studied photography and did marathons. The highest record he has ever reached was for 46 hours in France. For him, a marathon is a balancing activity for a job that requires him to constantly sit in front of a computer.
As advice that can be useful for young people who want to pursue a career along the same path as Rini, he told us to focus on something that really interests us. Don't half-ass it. Don't consider the express route either, because that route won't take us anywhere.
From Rini's success story, you can learn many lessons to apply to your own life. Success, although difficult to achieve, Rini has proven that any difficulty can be conquered by hard work and high will.