Student Testimonial - Tamara Khrystenko
"I ended up being well-rounded and ready for a job as an animator. And I did get a job halfway through the course. And changed it to my dream job in a couple of years :)"
Before Tamara took Games 2 and Feature 4 and 6 workshops, she had been struggling with posing in general as well as pushing characters to their appealing limits. Her acting choices hadn't been the best either. She has had a tendency to make both too theatrical and non-believable at the same time decisions. As for the facial animation, Tamara was a complete rookie; the only thing she knew about it was that she had to buckle up and adopt a patient and open-minded approach to get to learn it!
“I was considering iAnimate, and other schools at that time. Having looked at the instructors' reels, I was really impressed by Jeremy's and Tal's ones, as they showcased exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up :D. Last but not least, me being from Ukraine and having a totally different market situation, the price did make a difference. iAnimate courses were 10 to 40 percent less costly, and I thought that would be the best ratio of money-value. I was not mistaken!
I was able to work on both my strengths and weaknesses, improving the level of skills I had. The body mechanics, acting choices, and the authenticity of performance received a booster. Not to mention facial animation, which I had zero knowledge about prior to enrolling in the program. As a result, I ended up being well-rounded and ready for a job animator. And I did get a job halfway through the course. And changed it to my dream job in a couple of years :).”
“As you are well aware, there is a war going on in my home country. Without all the skills obtained at iAnimate, I wouldn't be able to support not only myself but also my parents and grandparents. The three workshops I attended gave me a golden ticket, no exaggerations here. Right now, I'm in Vancouver, Canada, working on a feature-quality production that will blow the minds and inspire so many people! I'm extremely grateful to both Jeremy and Tal for not only their knowledge but also their ability to present it in a fun and easily digestible way.
“I would advise you to invest the money, the time, and the effort. Animation is all about thinking and working smart. As fabulous as my instructors were, it was I who kept making a conscious decision on a daily basis to sit down and work on my tasks, no matter how low on energy or motivation I felt at that moment. (And I don't regret a single one of those sessions!). Be mentally prepared that this way will be strenuous and challenging, and don't let it discourage you. As the fruit is definitely worth all the dirty work. Tamara’s advise to animators who wanted to join iAnimate.
Tamara Khrystenko is a full-time Intermediate Animator from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is currently a Senior Animator in ICON Creative Studio, and she is responsible for creating layouts and animations for a "Transformers - EarthSpark" series. Tamara originated from Ukraine, and with the skills she acquired from iAnimate, Tamara’s able to support herself and her family during the war that’s currently happening in her country.
Tamara took the following Feature Animation and Games Workshops at iAnimate:
- Tal Shwarzman (Pixar Animation Studios)
- Jeremy Collins (Blizzard Entertainment)
