Gilson Junior

Animator

Killerjabuti is a Brazilian animator, who has worked on animated series for YouTube: Um Sábado Qualquer and Futeparodias. Lots of experience in various drawing styles but with a focus on manga. He currently lives in Argentina, where he studies animation cinema to begin producing animated shorts with black protagonists.

Q: Tell us about yourself and your journey as an animator (How did you get started? What inspired you to get into the animation space? Etc.)

I have been an animator for sixteen years. First, I was an illustration and manga designer. Over time I realized that animating could be a better way of expressing what I think. As I was very poor, I used my bedroom window as a lightbox to liven things up. Over time I got an animation book from a friend. There I learned the principles and started creating small animations. Until I decided to make an animation, in anime style, in homage to a famous podcast from Brazil. After they presented animation on the podcast, I started to feel more confident about pursuing a career as an animator. YouTube was where I had the most opportunity to create intro animations for gaming and pop culture channels. These animation jobs led me to leave my country to have a good life in Argentina, where I began the next phase of becoming the animator I want to be at an animation film school where I study today to be a director of short animations.

Q: What animation style/s do you animate in? How has your style evolved over time?

Nowadays I animate in many 2D animation styles. Comics, realistic, manga, cartoon and now I'm learning 3D animation too.

Q: Are there any animators, films or art movements that inspire your style?

Manga is one of the animation styles that most influences me. I'm a big fan of director Hayao Miyazaki and his entire philosophy about silence and contemplation in his films.

Q: What genre do you find most fulfilling or enjoyable to animate?

The genre I feel happiest animating these days is Cartoon. In this case, I can feel free to exaggerate in every way that my mind allows me.

Q: What tools and software do you use?

I use the Adobe Package to animate. Adobe Animate Cc, After Effects, Photoshop and Adobe Premiere.

Q: What does your creative process look like? What comes first?

In my creation process I like to think first about the end of the animation. Having the climax well idealized, I can better elaborate how everything will reach this point.

Q: Which part of the animation process is your favorite? (character design, storyboarding, animatics, etc.)

My favorite part of the process is the animation itself. At this time, I have a lot of fun thinking and developing the movement of what I'm animating.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring animators based on personal experience and industry insights?

My advice for beginners, have lots of real experiences. Looking for references is great for animation, but looking for your own experiences is what makes the difference in animating anything with more feeling. In the end, the real world is the same for everyone, but everyone experiences it in their own way.

Q: What did you enjoy the most about the latest story you animated for Storiaverse? What was the most challenging?

What I liked most was being able to make a horror story. And the challenging part was creating the transformation scenes, I wanted to create something that was very grotesque.

Q: What motivated your decision to collaborate with Storiaverse?

What drew my attention to working with Storiaverse was the content of the stories. I really liked that they weren't stories with a moral bias. But stories that don't just want to have a happy ending. But a good ending.

Q: How do you think animation can play a role in promoting diversity and representation?

Animation can be an incredible tool for diversity and representation, telling stories of places and lives around the world. My ideal in life is to create animated shorts with black protagonists and produced by black people.

Q: What do you love most about the animation space and what draws you to adult animation specifically?

What I like most about the animation space is the possibility of creating the fantastic and not being limited by reality. What I like about adult themes is the possibility of dealing with a much deeper range of feelings.

Q: Where do you think the animation industry is heading?

I think the future of the animation industry lies in productions created by independent artists.