Conversations with filmmakers selected to the festival.
Rafael Jimenez and Alejandro Álvarez came to HeadNoise through a recommendation and though they knew when they accepted the project that it would be a challenge, nothing could have prepared them for the job itself.
In this conversation, the directors talk about the special challenges of making the film, the growth of their studio to accommodate their largest production ever and share some of the insights they took away from making the film.
SPEAKERS
Rafael Jimenez
Animation Director // EPIX Studios
Rafael Jiménez Mesa is a Character Animator, Animation Supervisor and Director with a degree in Graphic Design and also an Animation Mentor alumni.
He worked initially in the motion graphics field but soon started mixing this with character animation, working for different studios in Colombia and also for foreign studios from the UK, United States, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Argentina among others. His work in film started as Senior Character Animator on the Argentinian film Metegol (Underdogs), an animated movie by Oscar-winning director Juan Campanella, and continued on feature films such as Savva (Russia), Pixi Post (Colombia/Spain) and Condorito (Peru).
He works as animation director for Epix Studios and director at Vamp Studio. Currently, he also works as animation supervisor for different studios, such as Gizmo (Argentina). A highlight of this collaboration is the short film Heart of a Lio (Gatorade) which won the YouTube Ad of The Year Award 2018 and on this project Rafael worked as Animation Supervisor.
Alejandro Álvarez
Character Director // EPIX Studios
Alejandro is a 3D Character Artist passionate for cartoons and good stories. He has a degree in Industrial Design and also in FX Animation (Barcelona - 2009). He has worked in feature films like Pixi Post y los Genios de la Navidad (Colombia/Spain), in TV series like Tin & Tan and SpongeBob Squarepants.
Some of his characters have been recognized in digital magazines like 3D Total and his work has recently been published in the front page of the Spanish 3D specialized magazine Renderout. During his career, he has worked with studios in the UK, Spain, US, Colombia, Argentina and Sweden.
Currently, Alejandro is the Character Director for EPIX Studios and works as a Senior Character Modeler for Stiller Studios (Sweden).
MODERATOR
Marina Antunes
Festival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society
Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction.
Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.
Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival.
Conversations with filmmakers selected to the festival.
Rafael Jimenez and Alejandro Álvarez came to HeadNoise through a recommendation and though they knew when they accepted the project that it would be a challenge, nothing could have prepared them for the job itself.
In this conversation, the directors talk about the special challenges of making the film, the growth of their studio to accommodate their largest production ever and share some of the insights they took away from making the film.
SPEAKERS
Rafael Jimenez
Animation Director // EPIX Studios
Rafael Jiménez Mesa is a Character Animator, Animation Supervisor and Director with a degree in Graphic Design and also an Animation Mentor alumni.
He worked initially in the motion graphics field but soon started mixing this with character animation, working for different studios in Colombia and also for foreign studios from the UK, United States, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Argentina among others. His work in film started as Senior Character Animator on the Argentinian film Metegol (Underdogs), an animated movie by Oscar-winning director Juan Campanella, and continued on feature films such as Savva (Russia), Pixi Post (Colombia/Spain) and Condorito (Peru).
He works as animation director for Epix Studios and director at Vamp Studio. Currently, he also works as animation supervisor for different studios, such as Gizmo (Argentina). A highlight of this collaboration is the short film Heart of a Lio (Gatorade) which won the YouTube Ad of The Year Award 2018 and on this project Rafael worked as Animation Supervisor.
Alejandro Álvarez
Character Director // EPIX Studios
Alejandro is a 3D Character Artist passionate for cartoons and good stories. He has a degree in Industrial Design and also in FX Animation (Barcelona - 2009). He has worked in feature films like Pixi Post y los Genios de la Navidad (Colombia/Spain), in TV series like Tin & Tan and SpongeBob Squarepants.
Some of his characters have been recognized in digital magazines like 3D Total and his work has recently been published in the front page of the Spanish 3D specialized magazine Renderout. During his career, he has worked with studios in the UK, Spain, US, Colombia, Argentina and Sweden.
Currently, Alejandro is the Character Director for EPIX Studios and works as a Senior Character Modeler for Stiller Studios (Sweden).
MODERATOR
Marina Antunes
Festival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster // Spark CG Society
Marina joined the Spark Computer Graphics Society as Festival Director in 2014. Throughout her tenure, the festival has grown into Western Canada’s premiere animation festival, featuring a number of specialty programming including the “Made in Canada” program celebrating Canadian creators, “Mother of a Medium” featuring works from female filmmakers, and “Spotlight on France” which celebrates the best of French animation. In 2019, the SPARK ANIMATION FESTIVAL became Academy Award ® accredited, the only festival in British Columbia to hold that distinction.
Marina is also a writer and podcaster with over 15 years of experience, first on a personal blog followed by a decade-long tenure on the now-retired Row Three. In 2008 she joined the writing staff at Quiet Earth, becoming Editor-In-Chief in 2014, a role she still holds. Over the years, she has also produced and hosted a number of podcasts including Before the Dawn, a long-running podcast on the Twilight franchise, Girls on Pop, a podcast on film and popular entertainment from women’s perspective and After the Credits, bi-monthly film podcast with nearly 300 episodes.
Marina is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and the Visual Effects Society is the President of the Vancouver SIGGRAPH chapter, and has served on juries for several film festivals including the DOXA, St. Louis International Film Festival, and the Whistler Film Festival.
