MAXI DIAZ Animation blog
01. Tell us brief fly about your professional background up to this day.
As many, I started at home. I bought a book from 3D Studio and taught myself. After years “playing” with 3D, I decided it was time to jump more and moved to Madrid to study with Dani “Pepeland” Lara. 5 months since I got my first job in England as an animator game. After several years of back and forth in different game companies, commercials and series ended up cheering for Ilion Planet 51. Hence already jumped to Los Angeles to work on Dreamworks Animation, in which I have already 5 years.
02. Did you work in any other field before animation? Did it help you in anyway in your professional career?
No. This has been my only professional trade. I have spent many things but on my own, hobby, how to write scripts, shoot short films and study theater. Whether it has helped me in my career, Of course. Especially theater classes, because animation is to act in a virtual character. Send “lifetime” As an actor makes his character.
03. Before working as animator . what drew your attention to this field?
Has always loved the cinema in general, but especially the animation, because they had something more “magic”. See drawn characters come to life was amazing for me.
04. How did you first land a job in the industry? What was the key to make it inside?
All work and especially attention to detail. I got my first job thanks to my reel, my belt with my school work. My goal was to leave school with a reel good enough to get a job. There were many hours, but worth it.
05. If you had to start froms cratch in this profession how would you go about it?
The easiest way would be if you could travel back in time and teach all that is now 🙂
Well, that would not change. Guess not procrastinate both. And I wish I had started earlier.
06. What’s the most important thing your work has contributed to your personal life?
Learn accept feedback in life. About anything. The only way to improve animation is if you let someone with more knowledge and talent you, “shred” your animation with constructive criticism. Saber take the hit, accept that you are not as good as you thought sometimes, and redo it again with these criticisms in mind is the only way to improve your animations. That's something that if you apply it on anything in life, piecemeal, you improve at all.
07. What would you change in the animation industry if you had the ability to?
Scripts. Hopefully best films were made. I think people do not value work so hard behind an animated movie if the movie did not like, and it's a shame. There are very well animated movies, modeled, illuminated, etc… but fail to script and history, and that makes anyone wants them, which affects box office, and often in layoffs of workers are not to blame.
08. What’s the project you’re the most proud of to have worked on?
“Kung Fu Panda 2” and “How To Train Your Dragon 2”.
09. What was the most discouraging moment in your professional career? What helped you overcome it?
There have been many times where I wanted to throw in the towel. Stress is a cause that. Sometimes you do not fit with your boss or supervisor, the project may not motivates, salary, rejection when you send your reel hundreds of studies and deny you entry, or not responding….. there are many times when you want to change careers…. but I always think, if this is what I like, Why am I going to leave by the circumstances? There are worse things. And all the bad things are temporary. Who knows, just around the corner there may be a better project, A study better, better people, but if you throw in the towel, you'll never know.
Just let the animation if I find another profession I like more, not because they have bumps in the road.
10. What part of the working process do you enjoy the most? What part do you enjoy the less?
The part I enjoy the most is to start. Then, the possibilities are endless. There is a “fear” at that time also because you will not know whether the animation, do not know what will be the result, yet, is that excitement that something big may be born. See how your character comes to life is a unique experience.
The least, because as many jobs, the technical part. When you have to do a lot of copy / pasting into other characters, or corrections, not by action or animation, but by technical departments. Not that I do not like, simply that are more tedious.
Like everything in life, There are good days and bad days. At the end of the day, remains a work. The important thing is to learn to enjoy.
11. Do you have any personal projects? Could you tell us about any?
Enough. Perhaps too many 🙂 try to combine short roll and screenwriting, to write stories for children. My first novel (My Monster Burrufu) has been well received by the American public and this has encouraged me to get it out and keep writing in Spanish. Now, I do not have is time. If you want to see something of what I do, Here are my short:
And here my book:
12. What advice would you give to someone who wishes to get in to this industry?
That never stop creating. To continue working on what he likes, and above all learn to accept feedback from those to which he or she admire. Accept criticism (only if they are constructive) and learn from them. And never lose the passion.
