Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
I was trained in architecture at Cal Poly, SLO and transitioned into film when I got my start at Industrial Light & Magic designing Rouge City for A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Eventually, I made my way down to Los Angeles to work as a set designer. Recently, I was an illustrator designing props on Westworld season four, and currently I’m art directing an untitled Gore Verbinski animated feature for Netflix.
Describe your role on 5 More Sleeps ‘til Christmas.
I was a set model designer brought in to help develop the look of the [main character] little boy’s house interior in 3D.
What are the challenges of working on a setting that’s already been illustrated in a book?
Staying true to the spirit of the book. The book was beautifully illustrated, and it gave us a road map as to how the look of the animation should feel. But we needed to elaborate on what was there to play into the larger story that we were trying to tell. There was a fine balance as to what details were to be modeled as opposed to being drawn in as a texture map. There was a lot of trial and error to find what was successful in capturing the look and feel of the book while giving it another dimension in 3D.
How was your approach different from bigger projects you’ve worked on like Mulan and Black Panther?
In some ways, they weren’t that different from each other because they both required a level of stylization. One could argue that Mulan and Black Panther were easier because they were grounded in “real life.” In those films, detail is needed to convey a level of credibility that this object could really exist. Whereas with 5 Sleeps, if you had too much detail, it would take you out of its believability.
What was your favorite part of working on this show?
I’ve always wanted to work on a holiday project that I could watch together with my daughter, turn into a holiday tradition, and reinforce her love for Christmas. I think this project will do that.
