CLICKONDETROIT.COM/4FRENZY.
JASON?
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>> Jason: MARCH IS WOMEN’S
HISTORY MONTH AND AS PART OF THE
MONTH, WE’RE HIGHLIGHTING
MICHIGAN WOMEN MAKING
CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONTEMPORARY
SOCIETY THROUGH WHAT THEY DO ON
A DAILY BASIS.
YOU MIGHT CALL THEM A BOSS LADY.
A ROYAL OAK NATIVE HAS MADE A NAME FOR HERSELF.
NAME FOR HERSELF.
AMY SMEAD, TAKE A LOOK.
>> LOOK, THIS IS MY LITTLE
SISTER’S MAGIC.
I’VE GOT THE GLOW.
>> YOUR LITTLE SISTER’S MAGIC.
EVERY DRAGON HAS UNIQUE MAGIC.
>> WHAT IS YOURS?
>> I’M AN EXTREMELY STRONG
SWIMMER.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS,
RIGHT?
>> I NO LONGER NEED A NIGHT
LIGHT?
[LAUGHTER]
>> Jason: JOINING US IS ROYAL
OAK NATIVE AMY SNEAD.
HI, HOW ARE YOU.
>> Jason: I’M LIST A FEW MOVIES
YOU’VE WORKED ON.
SOME TITLES YOU MAY HAVE HEARD
OF, FROZEN TANGLED, WRECK IT
RALPH.
AMY WORKED ON ALL OF THEM.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE WRECK IT RALPH.
>> IT’S FUN, ALWAYS ARE.
>> Jason: AND THE SEQUEL, TOO.
AND THIS IS A DREAM FOR YOU TO
WORK ON ANIMATED FILMS FOR
DISNEY.
>> GROWING UP, I ALWAYS LOVED MY
ART CLASSES, I DREW AND
ESPECIALLY LOVED PAINTING.
AFTER I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, I
WENT TO WESTERN MICHIGAN
UNIVERSITY FOR A FEW YEARS AND
THEN I TRANSFERRED TO A FINE
ARTS SCHOOL IN CHICAGO.
I WAS STILL STUDYING A LOT OF
PAINTING CLASSES BUT TOOK MY
FIRST ANIMATION CLASS AND
TOTALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF BUILDING A
CHARACTER AND BRINGING THEM TO
LIFE.
WHILE I STILL CONTINUED TO TAKE
PAINTING CLASSES, I STARTED TO
CHANGE MY FOCUS INTO CHARACTER
ANIMATION. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU
AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU
CAN HAVE AN IS DEMO REEL AND I
DIDN’T FEEL LIKE MY REEL WAS
SUPER STRONG WHEN I GRADUATED
BUT I THOUGHT IF I COULD GET MY
FOOT IN THE DOOR AT DISNEY, I
COULD LEARN FROM ALL OF THE
INCREDIBLE ARTISTS AT THE
STUDIO.
I GOT MY FOOT IN THE DOOR AND
KEPT WORKING ON ANIMATION TO
WORK AND GROW.
>> Jason: I LOVE INDIVIDUAL
CHARACTERS LIKE KING CANDY IN
"WRECK IT RALPH" AND THE WAY HE
TALKS, SO GREAT!
[LAUGHTER]
>> Jason: TELL ME ABOUT THE
PROCESS TO PUT AN ANIMATED FILM
TOGETHER.
>> THE LAST FILM I WAS ON FOR
TWO YEARS.
AND THIS WAS UNIQUE BECAUSE WE
PRETTY MUCH CREATED ALMOST THE
ENTIRE FILM FROM HOME, SO I WAS
IN PRE-PRODUCTION FOR ABOUT A
YEAR.
AND THEN LAST MARCH WHEN WE WERE
SENT HOME, WE ONLY ANIMATED
ABOUT 5 SHOTS.
SO I SAT WORKING FROM HOME, ALL
THE ARTISTS DID.
IN PRE-PRODUCTION, THAT’S A
PROCESS WHERE WE’RE BUILDING ALL OF THE CHARACTERS AND WE’RE AN
OF THE CHARACTERS AND WE’RE AN
INCREDIBLY CLAB ARE A --
INCREDIBLY COLLABORATIVE.
AND THEN OUR RIGGING DEPARTMENT,
WHICH IS THE DEPARTMENT THAT I
THINK OF IT AS A DIGITAL
SKELETON, SO EVERY SINGLE JOINT
IN YOUR BODY AND EYES AND BROWS,
WE GET IT READY FOR PRODUCTION
AND START ANIMATING THE FILM.
>> Jason: THERE’S A LOT OF WORK
THAT GOES INTO THAT.
FINE TUNING THE WAY THAT HAIR
MOVES, THAT WATER SHIMMERS. THERE’S A POPULAR VIDEO GAME FOR
THERE’S A POPULAR VIDEO GAME FOR
COMPUTERS WHERE THE CARS HAVE
LIKE PHYSICS SPECIFIC MOTION, SO
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE DRIVING A
CAR IN REAL LIFE.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR
OTHER WOMEN OUT THERE WHO WANT
TO MAKE THEIR MARK AND CHASE
THEIR DREAMS?
>> I THINK FOR ME, PROBABLY THE
BIGGEST ADVICE I HAVE IS
BELIEVING IN YOURSELF AND HAVING
CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ABILITIES.
I MYSELF HAVEN’T ALWAYS HAD
THOSE TRAITS BUT LUCKY TO HAVE
THE SUPPORT OF MY FAMILY AND ALL
THE PEOPLE I’VE BEEN WORKING
WITH.
I’M VERY GRATEFUL AND I WAS
AFRAID OF TAKING RISKS,
ESPECIALLY IN A HEAD OF
ANIMATION POSITION, OUT OF FEAR
OF DISAPPOINTING THE DIRECTORS
OR EVEN OUR DEPARTMENT.
BUT I HAD THAT SUPPORT AND I
TOOK THAT RISK, AND IT WAS A
HUGE CHALLENGE FOR ME.
I LEARNED AND GREW SO MUCH, NOT
ONLY ABOUT FILM MAKING BUT ABOUT
MYSELF AS WELL.
SO JUST BEING WILLING TO TAKE
THOSE RISKS AND BELIEVING THAT
YOU CAN DO IT IS REALLY
IMPORTANT.
>> Jason: UNFORTUNATELY, THAT’S
OUR TIME.
NEXT TIME YOU’RE IN ROYAL OAK,
LOOK ME UP AND WE’LL TALK ABOUT
CHARACTER WORK, AND I’LL OFFER
MY VOICE SERVICES.
>> I CAN’T WAIT TO VISIT.
WE USUALLY GO BACK A COUPLE
TIMES A YEAR AND IT’S BEEN QUITE
A WHILE BECAUSE OF ALL THE STUFF
THAT’S HAPPENING.
HOPEFULLY WE’LL BE THERE THIS
SUMMER.
HI TO ALL MY FAMILY THAT’S