Backstory
With Animation Mentor founders Shawn Kelly (left) and Carlos Baena (right) at Siggraph.
Growing up near Seattle, I loved drawing Disney and Marvel characters, and was completely mesmerized by the Star Wars films and the visual effects in each summer blockbuster. Junior high school introduced me to Photoshop and digital art, and in senior year I studied film at the local college and continued to research visual effects in every book I could get. I then enrolled in The Evergreen State College, where I dived deeper into filmmaking and film history, while studying in the graphics lab and designing print advertisements for the school paper. Things changed in a big way when I saw Toy Story 2 and realized the time had come to more directly pursue a career in 3D Animation and Visual Effects. I applied to the nearby Vancouver Film School where I attended their 3D Animation and Visual Effects program.
After graduating from film school I received a festival extension scholarship, which allowed my student film to be screened around the world. Soon after, I decided to accept a job offer to become an animator for a startup video game developer in Chicago. Working in the bustling metropolis was energizing and inspiring, and when I wasn't working on fight moves, I took Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu classes with the other animators, as well as numerous local standup and improv comedy shows, eventually discovering the thrill of writing and performing standup comedy.
Later, I moved out West to join Rockstar Games - San Diego, where I worked my way up to become Lead Cutscene Animator for the racing game Midnight Club: Los Angeles, and a Senior Animator on the Western genre game Red Dead Redemption. "Red Dead" was an enormous amount of work, but thankfully went on to become one the fastest-selling and most critically-acclaimed games of all time. It had been an eight-year climb to the top of the mountain of video games, and I realized that it was time for the next peak.
In 2010, I took an opportunity to use my animation experience in a new way, becoming a previsualization artist in Los Angeles. This new role allowed me to merge my foundation of 3D animation experience with my filmmaking and artistic knowledge to create shots and sequences for every kind of entertainment, including films that would thrill the world. Seeing my first credit on the big screen was a dream come true, and this line of work has continued to be a joy ever since.
After graduating from film school I received a festival extension scholarship, which allowed my student film to be screened around the world. Soon after, I decided to accept a job offer to become an animator for a startup video game developer in Chicago. Working in the bustling metropolis was energizing and inspiring, and when I wasn't working on fight moves, I took Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu classes with the other animators, as well as numerous local standup and improv comedy shows, eventually discovering the thrill of writing and performing standup comedy.
Later, I moved out West to join Rockstar Games - San Diego, where I worked my way up to become Lead Cutscene Animator for the racing game Midnight Club: Los Angeles, and a Senior Animator on the Western genre game Red Dead Redemption. "Red Dead" was an enormous amount of work, but thankfully went on to become one the fastest-selling and most critically-acclaimed games of all time. It had been an eight-year climb to the top of the mountain of video games, and I realized that it was time for the next peak.
In 2010, I took an opportunity to use my animation experience in a new way, becoming a previsualization artist in Los Angeles. This new role allowed me to merge my foundation of 3D animation experience with my filmmaking and artistic knowledge to create shots and sequences for every kind of entertainment, including films that would thrill the world. Seeing my first credit on the big screen was a dream come true, and this line of work has continued to be a joy ever since.
josh@joshlange.com