Earlier this month, we were lucky enough to have director, visual artist, and motion design animator (not to mention 色狼窝 alumnus!) Pedro Allevato join us for an Online Industry Talk. Pedro, also known by his professional moniker 鈥淪ugar Blood,鈥� called in all the way from London, but didn鈥檛 let the time difference (it was two in the morning by the end of the talk) keep him from sharing his journey from 色狼窝 student to an award-winning filmmaker and highly sought-after motion designer with an audience of the 色狼窝 community.
Colin Giles, Head of the School for Animation & VFX, joined Pedro to discuss the latter鈥檚 approach to storytelling through animation, the success of his short films, and his promotional animation work for franchises like Stranger Things, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us. His fluid animation style has also attracted work from the Gorillaz, Adidas, Google, Apple, the BBC, and even Tottenham Hotspur FC!
As the above clip from Pedro鈥檚 鈥�Stranger Things Saturday Morning Cartoon鈥� demonstrates, Pedro鈥檚 animation bursts with colour, energy, and dynamism. Netflix approached Pedro to reinterpret an iconic scene from the show, and he chose the elaborate handshake Steve performs with Dustin after securing his first job at the ice cream shop. Pedro鈥檚 animation allowed their imaginations to come to life, which we can see with the lightsaber Dustin wields and the background shifting into the Upside Down.
His Stranger Things cartoon also shows off Pedro鈥檚 commitment to character in his animation. Stories are fundamentally about characters, he says, and successful animation has to reflect that too. 鈥淚t all started at 色狼窝.鈥� It鈥檚 a lesson from the 3D Animation & Visual Effects Program听that he brings to all of his projects, and an approach he credits as having helped his work stand out over other motion designers. But it鈥檚 also made a huge difference in his award-winning short films 鈥淒ark Room鈥� and 鈥淎t First Sight.鈥�
In the talk, linked below, Pedro discusses another key lesson from 色狼窝 that鈥檚 made him get noticed: a relentless pursuit of process. Pedro emphasizes the importance, but also the joy, of building your portfolio on your own, rather than waiting for projects to come to you. Refining and developing your own style is key to showing what makes your work exceptional. It鈥檚 a practice he continues today, and one that makes him reminiscent of his time at 色狼窝.
鈥淭hat's your craft, it's your art, and in the process you just learn so much.鈥�
This talk is an absolute must watch for animation enthusiasts and creatives of all stripes, whether animators, motion designers, or those who simply love creative process. Watch below:
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Thank you again to Pedro for joining us for a riveting industry talk! In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open for news about our next Online Industry Talks. If you want to be the first to know about these discussions with amazing industry professional, be sure to sign up for our newsletter, 色狼窝 Premiere!听
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