Insights by the Pros with Freelance Character Animator Rami Daoud

Freelance Character Animator and one of the first iAnimate Alumni, Rami Daoud, shares his stories and inspirations and how he succeeded in his animation journey.

"As animation was neglected in my country in my country, iAnimate helped me a lot to dive into the field of animation and discover the true world of animation."

Rami Daoud is an experienced 3D character Animator with a history of working in the feature animation industry. He is passionate about the illusion of life. Rami has been in the field for six years now and currently working for Mikros Animation as a freelancer on an animated feature.

Alumni Interview

Animation Journey and Inspiration

iAnimate: Tell us a bit about your animation journey and throughout your time with us. Who or What inspired you to become an animator? How did you become an animator, and when did iAnimate become part of your journey?

Rami: Since I was a child, I loved to play with action figures and imitate movements I saw on TV, I loved to create a world for them and animate them, but the result was instant. And when I started to watch Disney’s golden age animations like Aladdin and Beauty and the beast, I directly connected with the art, and I wanted to do this.

iAnimate became part of my journey when I first got introduced on the internet to Jason Ryan through a forum and communicated with him. A few months after, he informed me that he was planning to teach online and create iAnimate.

iAnimate: Can you tell us more about your role and responsibilities?

Rami: My role is to blow life in a still puppet. I try my best to make the puppet alive and believe that this puppet is actually there and acting in the role. I have to animate a shot from blocking to polishing, having in mind the idea of a believable world.

iAnimate: What do you think it was about your demo reel or interview that got you the job?

Rami: About my reel is the variations between body mechanics and acting, and it will be great if you have different styles of animation now. This is something I lack, but a demo reel should include what the production needs and are looking for. In the interview, you should be relaxed and show the recruiter that you are capable of delivering what they want and that you will be a good addition to the team.

[Rami Daoud]

Animation Lessons and Growth

iAnimate: How did iAnimate help prepare you for the industry? What were the most important things you learned at iAnimate?

Rami: iAnimate helped me a lot with the imitation of a professional environment. It’s actually like working in a studio, but with so much forgiveness and trial so you can do as many mistakes as you can to learn from them. That’s the perfect and best time for lots and lots of experiments, with great help.

iAnimate: What is the most challenging shot you’ve ever animated, and why did you succeed at the shot?

Rami: The hardest shot I animated so far was a very technical shot, an interaction between 3 characters. Not sure if it was successful enough, in my opinion, but what helped a lot was the planning I did.

[Rami shot from Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness]

You can reach Rami via:

iAnimate: Do you have any demo reel or interview advice you can share with animators on the job hunt?

Rami: In my opinion, your demo reel should contain a mix between good body mechanics and good acting (humanoid or creatures). It should show that you understand how the body moves and react, and it will also help a lot if you master different styles of animation. It will push you further and open more doors for you.

iAnimate: What other advice do you have for current or future iAnimate students?

Rami: Keep watching a lot of animations, study it, study it, study it and learn how the animator did your favorite part. Whenever you get stuck while animating, it means you need to learn a new thing to be able to move to the next stage, so do enough research and replanning before and while animating.

Animation Career Advice & Tips

iAnimate: If there’s one animation tip or technique you’d share with someone wanting to animate in a feature film, what would it be?

Rami: Study and learn your craft all the time and at whatever level you reach.

iAnimate: What makes a great animator or an animator a studio would hire?

Rami: An animator who is hungry for more and ready to prove himself.