Student Spotlight - Gabriele Canepa

“I knew that surrounding myself with incredible professionals and friendly animators would make a huge difference in my growth and point of view as an animator, so I thought iAnimate was the best option.”

Student Spotlight features Gabriele Canepa, an exceptionally talented animator hailing from Italy, now based in the vibrant city of Montreal, Canada. Gabriele is fueled by his passion for bringing characters to life and allowing them to express their emotions through storytelling. His strong understanding of the principles of animation and experience working closely with directors and animation supervisors make him stand out in his field. He is known for his rigorous, autonomous, and organized work ethic, as well as his adaptability, resourcefulness, and team-oriented approach. Gabriele is also proficient in Maya and has experience in fine art, including life drawing and knowledge of human and animal anatomy. His unique blend of skills and expertise makes him a valuable asset to any animation team, and he is sure to continue creating stunning work for years to come.

Gabriele wanted to take his animations to the next level, he was looking for help to be able to approach complex scenes on his own and get a clearer understanding of how things work in studios. He knew that surrounding himself with incredible professionals and friendly animators would make a huge difference in my growth and point of view as an animator, so I thought iAnimate was the best option.

Now Gabriele can't wait to go deeper into the industry and experiment with narratives and mediums, giving his contribution to compelling and exciting projects.

Student Animation Journey

Gabriele Canepa took the following Feature Animation Workshops at iAnimate:

• Feature Animation 1 with Jim van der Keyl (Bungie)
• Feature Animation 2 with Mike Walling (Bungie)
• Feature Animation 3 with Mike Walling (Bungie)
• Feature Animation 4 with Tal Shwarzman (Pixar Animation)
• Feature Animation 5 with Jason Keane (Skydance Interactive)
• Feature Animation 5 with Brad Faucheux (Netherrealm Studios)

Gabriele believes in preparation before going to the software and just animating. He ensures that all details are well-placed. Here are Gabriele’ creative processes in doing his iAnimate assignments:

• I like to approach animations in the cleanest way I can since the beginning. First I think of ideas that can work in my shot, then I shoot some of them for reference and choose the best. I test the rig I'm gonna use to understand its capacity and the needs of my shot. When I'm all set I start blocking and proceed to show updates so that in each weekly review I would get notes to improve my scene. I keep iterating until the blocking is done and I start polishing the shot, adding details to make the character feel like it's actually alive.

“I think the most important thing I learned in iAnimate is how to deliver a good shot. Acknowledging what is really needed for a shot and the best way to approach it. During my period in iAnimate I understood how to be autonomous, I learned how to be flexible with my ideas, not getting attached to them in order to fastly make changes that work better with what I'm trying to achieve.” Gabriele responds to what he learned from iAnimate.

Gabriele's Student Reel

You can reach Gabriele via:

Student Spotlight Q&A with Animator Gabriele Canepa

iAnimate: What do you think of your Online Animation Instructor(s), and how do they help you?

Gabriele: It was an incredible experience learning from the best animators in the industry, for me personally it was great to see how animators from BlueSky and Pixar work, it opened up my understanding of how the animation pipeline is in a real studio and what is needed to work at their speed and with their quality. I learned how they dissect a scene to approach a complex animation that might involve mechanics and also emotional delivery. Every instructor has its own way of approaching a scene, and each one gave me plenty of knowledge that they acquired during their experience in various studios. This lead me to create my singular way of working, taking all these good habits I learned from the best of the best.

iAnimate: How did iAnimate help you to evolve your animation skills as a character animator?

Gabriele: After iAnimate and my first job experience in MPC, I can say that if I get assigned a shot I'm confident to take it and bring it to the end. I learned everything I needed to take on these challenges, might it be a dragon, an ice skater, a dinosaur, or a cat. I have the basics to understand how to make this shot with the quality needed for the project I'm in. In iAnimate I got used to showing updates of my work that prepared me for dailies in an actual studio, I no longer feel nervous to show a WIP because it means I can get feedback that will make the shot better. I also learned how to read notes even when they're not very clear and apply them.

And the most important thing I learned from iAnimate and my instructors is the work process that guides me today.

iAnimate: What kind of animator do you consider after taking your student workshop/s?

Gabriele: During the iAnimate courses I faced various difficulties, like the language barrier, and experiences that trained my eyes and mind to see where the real problems laid and where to put my attention, like how to understand the graph editor and modify it to my benefit. All of this prepared me to be versatile and gave me the tools that I needed to enter the field. My attitude towards animation has grown with the experience shared by other professionals, their point of view opened my eyes to the actual needs of a professional animator. I consider myself prepared and confident in all the fundamentals that are needed, I feel like from here I can grow in any direction I want, pushing my limits and being able to absorb the talent that surrounds me in the industry.

iAnimate: What kind of project do you want to work on?

Gabriele: I love great stories. I enjoy products that immerse their audience in a definite and original mood. I'm particularly attracted to feature films and their language but I'm open to trying and experimenting with every format that can convey emotion and passion.