top of page
Hi, my name is Thomas Husband and I'm an aspiring Character Animator. From a young age, I have always loved animated film and television; the idea of bringing something to life has captivated me. Character animation specifically has always really interested me and has been something I have practiced and worked on since college. My dream career would be working on realistic character animation for film or game projects.
Specialisms:
Character Animation
SHOWREEL
GET TO KNOW THOMAS
What was your inspiration for pursuing a career in Animation?
Some of the things that inspired me to pursue animation as a career path include animated TV shows like "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and animated films like EPIC. I think both of these examples to me at least, are well-written and animated excellently. Seeing how well realised the action and story were for both films was something I always wanted to be able to replicate, but with my ideas and stories.
What hobbies do you have?
Hobbies of mine include playing games, rugby, animation and programming. I enjoy them all for a variety of reasons - for things like video games, it’s the ability to experience stories that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to. I enjoy rugby because of the team aspect, as well as its competitive nature. Animation is a hobby of mine as I get a lot of enjoyment from the process of building something up from nothing to a polished piece of work, working through each step is enjoyable to me. Programming is something I learn/practice in my spare time as I enjoy the problem-solving of it.
How would your peers describe you in 3 words?
Dependable, Fast and Kind
Do you have any industry experience? If so, please give a concise explanation of the experience.
While I don’t have any formal experience working in industry, I have done some small freelance projects for people I know, generally requiring the creation of small assets that I had UV unwrapped. As well as this, I have applied and corresponded with people in regards to more professional freelance work. On top of this, I have spoken to and attended lectures and spoken with members of the industry who have given me insight into the responsibilities and workflow of working in a team in the industry.
How would you describe your contribution to your group project?
In our current project, "The Fathers' Blade", my role has been Director, 3D Modeller, Previz/Layout Artist and Animator. As Director, the original idea of this project came from shorts like the "Overwatch Dragon" animated short, as well as TV series, like Blue Eye Samurai. Pooling from these sources of reference, I was responsible for creating the overall story of the project, as well as the shots we would use for the short, while also creating and working on multiple versions of the script. For 3D modelling, I was responsible for creating the first set, using references from feudal-era Japanese architecture, as well as creating the second set. being more of a training hideout. For previz/layout, I was responsible for planning and creating a rough block out for the fight segment at the end of the film. I did this by editing and taking inspiration from preexisting fight scenes from anime and film. After this; I would then go into Autodesk Maya and block the fight using stepped keys. When I got onto animation, I was responsible for four shots. For my shots, I used the reference I had recorded to multiple blocking passes before moving into spline and then polishing from there.
What lessons did you learn from undertaking your project that you'll take with you into your career?
I have learnt a lot in the course of this project. One lesson is definitely to seek and take feedback and criticism on board and act on it as soon as I can. My reasoning behind this is that, when I compare my previous project and my current one, I think we had a lot more feedback because 1) we were seeking it out and 2) due to additional lesson time during the first project, which led to problems in the story/timing and animation slipping under the radar because we lacked someone with fresh eyes looking at the project. In future, I will seek out feedback more and more consistently as well.
What would your ideal first role in the industry be?
A great place to start in the production department of a studio is as a Production Assistant/Runner. In this role, I would have the opportunity to learn about the various aspects of production within the industry while providing essential support to the team. I'm eager to be involved in all stages of the production process, from pre-production planning to post-production tasks.
What's an achievement from the past 3 years that you're proud of?
I think one of my greatest achievements was having the opportunity to direct the previous project I worked on, “Infestation”. I had the idea for the project with one of my colleagues the previous year and being able to bring the idea to life with the help of my team was something incredible for me. The project turning out as well as it did and seeing how invested people were in the idea, on top of it winning multiple awards at film festivals, is something that I will always look back on proudly and fondly.
bottom of page