We connected with teams across our studios to share all you need to know about their role and experience at Technicolor. Betsabé Vera Alvarez sat with us to discuss her experience as a Production Coordinator at Mikros Animation. Find out how she got into the industry and what piece of advice she would give her younger self.
Tell us about your favorite project from Technicolor/Mikros Animation & why you’ve chosen it?
I have a special place in my heart for Asterix and The secret of the magic potion. It was the film that made me fall in love with animation, that taught me the basics and I think the result is great: it’s beautiful, it’s funny and it brought together such a talented team!
At that time, I was working as a runner, but every time I had spare time I was allowed to go to the reviews and spend time with the artists. I made the most of each opportunity and got to know great people who patiently answered my questions and introduced me to their best friends: Maya, Katana, Houdini… what a great gang!
Why did you get into the animation industry?
I got into animation almost by accident. I am originally a social worker who came to France (really close to Geneve) in the hope to get a stage at the United Nations as well as learning French. After a short period of time, I could see that it was not what I expected and I decided to come to Paris to live more the French culture, thing that it was hard to get in Geneve as it is an area more international.
As I moved to Paris, I learned about an opportunity as a runner at Mikros. I thought it would be perfect to improve my french, but I was not expecting to discover this whole new world and completely change my career.
I started as a runner, but soon enough I knew I wanted to be in production and be part of the fab. What is great about Mikros Animation and the Technicolor family is that if you want to improve, evolve or just try new things and learn how it goes in other departments, they help you to achieve your dreams. It has been my experience in the last 5 years so far, and for that, I will always be grateful.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
To buy bitcoin!
No, now more seriously, I think I will ask my younger self to be more patient and kind with herself and to trust that when you do things well and you work with excellence, in time the results will follow.
I would also tell myself to pay more attention in math class and learn everything I could about excel earlier!!
What excited you the most about working at TCS?
There are still some moments when I am in the middle of a review (I’m currently coordinating the Compositing Team on Ozi) and still think to myself: wow, I can’t believe they are paying me to see these beautiful images!!
I come to work every day to see how a group of incredibly talented people create different universes and bring life to moving stories and I feel it like a privilege. So I think all this was what excited me the most about working at TCS, being able to see how an idea came to life in a wonderful and colorful way, and oh boy, has it delivered!!
Are there any trends in the industry inspiring you right now?
I see how the industry is working restlessly to be more inclusive and to raise consciousness on different topics like gender equality, LGBTQ, climate change and the list goes on, and I feel proud to be part of it. Working on Ozi and being aware of the impact it may have to teach the new generation the consequences of our lifestyle and that we can and must change, that’s inspiring!
What are your predictions for the world of animation specialty in 5 years?
I have the feeling that everything goes faster now. I think in 5 years we will spend less time in production, hopefully, we will find a way to render shots in 5 minutes instead of four days (call me a dreamer, right?
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