Becoming a mother made me an efficient VFX Animator - Part 2 | TVAP EP36

Part 2 of our discussion with Christina Mandia continues, with this last part focusing on Christina's VFX industry journey, going all the way back to her first interests and influence, education, as well as showreel and general advice for current and aspiring mothers and animators.

Christina’s journey as a VFX animator, begun with an entry into the VFX industry as a runner, following the completion of an animator degree at Ravensbourne university, leading on to a progression into the matchmove department, and finally into the much anticipated department she’d always been aspiring for - animation.

We hope you find this episode useful as we did.

Special thanks to Christina for kindly taking time out to share her experiences with us.

Subscribe and turn notifications on to be alerted when part 2 comes out!

Find Christina on




As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share!




00:00:00 Welcome to Part 2
00:00:05 What inspired your interest in Animation and VFX
00:09:26 Thoughts on Runner's positions as part-entry into the VFX industry
00:20:20 Filmography review
00:29:41 Advice for animators, and transitioning artists into maternal roles

#vfxartist #animation #vfxcareer

Becoming a mother made me an efficient VFX Animator - Part 1 | TVAP EP35

This week, we have the amazing Christina Mandia, animator at Cinesite London, giving us an insight into how she tackles her maternal role, whilst being a better, more efficient animator.

Christina goes on to share some very important information on maternity leave pay for employees and freelancers through the government schemes, as well as employee entitlements. Some really useful info for employees and freelancers in any career.

Christina’s journey as a VFX animator, starts with an entry into the VFX industry as a runner, following the completion of an animator degree at Ravensbourne university, leading on to a progression into the matchmove department, and finally into the much anticipated department she’d always been aspiring for - animation.

In this two-part episode, Christina shares her journey, her expertise advice as an animator & mother, and gives invaluable advice for aspiring animators and aspiring & existing parents in the working industry, more specifically, the VFX industry.

We hope you find this episode useful as we did.

Special thanks to Christina for kindly taking time out to share her experiences with us.

Subscribe and turn notifications on to be alerted when part 2 comes out!

Find Christina on:



00:00:00 Intro
00:00:38 How it all started
00:07:04 Becoming pregnant as an artist
00:09:23 Deciding to speak to HR at 26 weeks of pregnancy
00:16:33 Confronting HR and recruiters about pregnancy
00:17:29 Maternity leave and pay laws in the U.K.
00:20:36 iAnimate during maternity leave
00:28:22 WFH - Mother's opinion
00:35:15 School!
00:39:36 Prove yourself and know your worth!
00:43:56 Hesitancy & Pressure on women choosing between work and starting a family
00:56:24 Getting back into work after Maternity leave

What is Previs, and why it's important - with Jamie Bakewell, founder of Bigtooth Studios | TVAP EP26

On today’s episode, we have Jamie Bakewell in the hot seat to discuss all things previs and postvis, starting from his journey into the industry , to the decisions which led to the creation of his Previs studio in the midlands - Bigtooth Studios.

Jamie’s incredible first job with Aardman, soon after graduating in 2009 from Staffordshire University led him to work on The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!, spiralling a great friendship with Pawl Fulker, co-owner of Proof Inc, (before it was called Proof!), who then ended up inspiring Jamie to set up his previs studio.

We dive into what it takes Jamie to wear two hats on a daily basis, as an artist and entrepreneur, as well as what it took for him to transition into that role.

Of course, focusing the topic around previs, we couldn’t leave out what previs and postvis is all about and the use of Blender vs Maya for previs.

Strap in, and we hope you enjoy this episode.

As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share!




00:00:00 Coming up..
00:03:05 Episode overview
00:03:30 Jamie intro
00:04:43 Story behind the name
00:06:00 Industry journey before Bigtooth Studios
00:19:30 Shows worked on
00:22:39 Epiphany moment, leading to the creation of Bigtooth Studios
00:58:00 Runing and managing Bigtooth Studios during the pandemic
01:03:22 Advantages and disadvantages of running your business in the midlands
01:06:00 Tools and software
01:14:16 Why should anyone decide to work in the visualisation industry
01:15:55 Would you recommend working in previs and postvis before working in VFX studios to deliver finals?
01:17:52 Balancing being an artist and an entrepreneur on a daily basis
01:21:06 Best and worst decisions made as an artist and a business owner
01:24:21 What should be the key differences for anyone making a previs/postvis reel and a VFX finals reel
01:27:31 Unreal engine and Virtual Production
01:30:43 Conclusion

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How Animation Changed My Life - Michael Morgan - Part 2 | TVAP EP24

In this episode, we conclude our two-part episode with Michael Morgan, a U.K. based senior character animator and animation mentor about his journey into the industry and working with some of the most highly respected studios in the world.

Michael has over two decades of experience in the VFX industry, and has contributed to some of your favourite movies and characters on the big screen, ranging from Marvel's Black Panther, Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol 2, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Venom, Pacific Rim: Uprising and more!

In this episode, we discus his journey into the industry, his experiences leading and supervising teams. We also go on to discuss what qualities he looks for in animators, as well as the common practices and mistakes animators do, showreel advice, motion capture, and more

As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share!

You can find Michael on 


00:00 - Pre roll and what to expect in this episode
00:38 - Imposters syndrome
10:02 - Common mistakes animators make
16:16 - What transferable skills or knowledge can be passed on to a 2D animator or a stop motion animator?
19:32 - What advice would you give to anyone putting together an animation showreel
24:34 - Recommending good universities and courses
31:46 - What’s been a memorable highlight of your career so far
36:46 - As a family man, how do you organise things with loved ones, when you have to leave for work
44:04 - What are you aspiring for in the next few years?
48:57 - Working with Daniel Miller on Broken Toy short film
50:58 - How to engage with Michael online
52:02 - Conclusion

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How Animation Changed My Life - Michael Morgan - Part 1 | TVAP EP23

In this episode, we chat to Michael Morgan, a U.K. based senior character animator and animation mentor about his journey into the industry and working with some of the most highly respected studios in the world.

Michael has over two decades of experience in the VFX industry, and has contributed to some of your favourite movies and characters on the big screen, ranging from Marvel's Black Panther, Guarians Of The Galaxy: Vol 2, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Venom, Pacific Rim: Uprising and more!

In this episode, we discus his journey into the industry, his experiences leading and supervising teams. We also go on to discuss what qualities he looks for in animators, as well as the common practices and mistakes animators do, showreel advice, motion capture, and more

As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share!

You can find Michael on 


00:00 - Pre roll and what to expect in this episode
03:24 - Welcoming Michael on the show
05:28 - Did you always want to be an animator?
07:10 - Journey into the industry
14:20 - Doing 3D animation at home in the late 99's and 2000's
15:43 - Getting into the industry
17:07 - Preference between being a senior animator and supervisor
23:20 - Best way for animators to get in the industry or transition into, from different departments
27:05 - Traits you see in those who go on to be successful
28:31 - Qualities you look for in animators on your team?
29:52 - Why has 2D animmation mostly become redundant
37:31 - Will Maya remain the industry standard for animators?
39:05 - Would you hire an animator, if you liked their work but had never used Maya?
40:10 - Parents thoughts about your career choice
44:25 - Preference between animation for VFX and full animated feature
49:27 - Achieving realism in animation with/without motion capture
53:34 - Approaching a new sequence or shot
57:08 - Confidence with filming your own references
59:45 - Managing stressful days
End of Part 1

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What is Previs and Postvis vs finals animation, with Paris Marin | TVAP EP10

In this episode, I chat to Paris Marin, a U.K based animator about the differences between Previs, Postvis and finals quality animation.

I wanted to discuss and highlight an important department of the VFX industry, which is somewhat rarely understood or known by the broader audience.

Paris has been part of teams who have brought us films such as Dumbo, Men In Black, Artemis Fowl, Mary Poppings, Fantastic Beasts, The Kangaroo Chronicles, Jurassic Park and many more for studios such as The Third Floor, Trixter, and Proof Inc.

Animation