Stellar Grads | Animator gets chance at real-life passion
Published:Thursday | October 31, 2019 | 12:00 AMJudana Murphy/ Gleaner Writer
Lilo and Stitch, Looney Tunes and Static Shock were some of the animated series Raynaldo Marchalleck watched as a child.
It’s that affinity for cartoons that piqued his interest in the lucrative and expansive animation industry, Marchalleck, who will graduate on November 1 as the highest achiever in the Bachelor of Fine Arts Animation programme, told The Gleaner recently.
“When I was growing up, I was always fascinated with cartoons and TV shows and although I did well in all the major fields like science, maths, and social studies, I always had a passion for art and being creative. When I discovered that there was an educational route for learning how to create television shows and the cartoons that I grew up watching, I wanted to be a part of that industry,” an enthusiastic Marchalleck explained.
He described his three-year journey at the Caribbean School of Media and Communication as amazing.
“Just by being there, I was connected with so many people who are active in the industry internationally and even in Jamaica,” he said, adding that it was eye-opening to see the creativity that goes into show production before it goes on air.
When a popular video game company would release a video promoting their product, he and his colleagues would dissect what is generally seen as entertainment by analysing the techniques used as well as identifying the trends.
Marchalleck was fortunate enough to intern with film-maker and animator Kevin Jackson at Night Vision Media. While there, he aided in the production of a Propella film, which went on to win an award at the Kingstoon Festival.
School involvement
He was an active member of The UWI, Mona, Debating and Public Speaking Society and president of Digital Media and Animation Club, formed by the previous cohort of students.
“We spoke about the importance of what actually went into animation, how to begin creating your own animated characters, how to start telling stories, and integrating what you know as your everyday life into your work and how to pull from different media, and based on what you see around you, to be able to start telling your own stories.”
He commended the Government for programmes such as YEDAI, Youth Employment in the Digital and Animation Industry, which position Jamaica to become a major player in the industry.
“The industry right now is already being utilised to do outsourcing for international projects, and, thankfully, corporations like Listen Me Caribbean have been taking Jamaican content and putting it in the public arena so Jamaica can have a better stake in the larger international scene,” he said.
Marchalleck, who is contracted to CVM as a graphic artist with a focus on graphic editing and animation, believes he can contribute to the industry just by being part of the Jamaican experience. He urges creatives to hold on to their passion in their bid for success.
“I’m trying to build my portfolio and my résumé to go out internationally. Hopefully, one of the major industries in Canada or the US.
“Having more voices in the Caribbean who are telling stories, creating animations, and bringing forth ideas is what gets us recognition, and through that, international players can start to experience what we have been living,” he said.