Student Spotlight - Loris Vodeb

“The instructors have a wealth of experience within the industry and it’s great to be able to soak up some of their knowledge. I’m now more competent at facial animation and adding personality to my characters.”

Student Spotlight features Loris Vodeb, a creative and skilled 3D animator. Loris has been in the industry for years now and currently working at Outfit7 as a Full-Time 3D Character Animator. Loris is an exceptional talent who brings his passion and professionalism to every project he works on. He is professionally trained in both gameplay and cinematics and is an expert in the field of previz and camera work. Loris has a keen eye for detail and a competent understanding of scripting and engine implementation.

Loris has always been interested in telling stories and has come to love animation due to its increasing accessibility and the incredibly rich variety of styles and mediums it supports. After graduating, he decided that he wanted to continue to specialize in game animation and was inspired by a recommendation from Jonathan Cooper (video game animator and author of Game Anim: Video Game Animation Explained) to pick iAnimate.net. Loris still regards that decision as one of the best he has ever made.

Student Animation Journey

Loris Vodeb took the following Game Animation Workshops here at iAnimate:

• Games Workshop 1 with Victor Chavez (The Initiative)
• Games Workshop 2 with Jeremy Collins (Blizzard Entertainment)
• Games Workshop 3 with Ricky Wood (People Can Fly)
• Feature Workshop 7 with Richard Arroyo (Ubisoft Montreal)

For Loris, a well-defined workflow is critical for every shot he produces. Prior to creating his animations, he carefully gathers all necessary information, ideas, and references. This is the foundation upon which he builds his creative process, resulting in unique and polished iAnimate shots. Here is an overview of Loris's approach to animation.

1. Each assignment started with a brainstorming of different ideas - coupled with a preliminary Maya setup to allow for a more efficient workflow.
2. After thinking about the character's actions and the story behind them, I filmed reference videos and/or found them online.
3. The next couple of steps involved searching for the most compelling poses that would tell the story, and later how to best push and show them using cameras and staging.
4. During the polishing process, I placed special attention to making sure the performances felt connected and real.

"One of the most profound lessons I've learned was how to think about the characters I'm animating and my work within a studio environment. That is to say - sincerely contemplate my characters' thoughts, feelings, and decisions before ever opening up any software. In addition, I came to understand that the ultimate point of my work was to entertain the audience, the notion of which continues to encourage me to strive to be more attentive and objective about any constructive criticism I may receive from people around me.” Loris responds to what he learned from iAnimate."

Loris's Student Reel

You can reach Loris via:

Student Spotlight Q&A with Loris Vodeb Carroll

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

Loris: My experience with all four of my instructors was fantastic and I feel that each of them helped strengthen my animation skills and knowledge in their own unique ways. They were incredibly generous in sharing lessons and wisdom from their own successful animation journeys. From learning how to establish an efficient workflow to pushing my performances to the next level - they provided guidance, helped me grow incredibly fast, and build up my confidence as an animator.

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

Loris: iAnimate provided a perfect environment, which fostered my development, both through its passionate community and all the resources which were available to me (hours of learning material from other instructors, rigs, scripts, and forums). As funny as it may seem, I feel as if I became a sponge - trying to absorb as much information as I could from all these great sources. This abundance has helped put things in perspective and made me avoid becoming complacent - instead, opting to continue to actively seek improvement.

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

Loris: After taking workshops at iAnimate I see myself as a more well-rounded and confident animator, ready to take on new exciting challenges. I am passionate, hungry, and eager to constantly keep improving and adapting as new technologies arise and make our work more expressive.

“Most of all, I consider myself industry ready as a professional animator and storyteller.”

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

Loris: I currently lean into the direction of gameplay and cinematic animation and have focused most of my efforts on that path. I love stealth games with engaging and responsive second-to-second gameplay. Regardless of the medium, I'm primarily interested in telling compelling stories with unique characters.