Lloyd of the Flies Spotlight: Rediat Abayneh - Animation Coordinator

Welcome to the our Lloyd of the Flies x Spotlight Series takeover, where we'll be profiling some of the crew who worked on the show.

First, we spoke to Animation Coordinator Rediat Abayneh about her role on the series, proudest achievements and what she loves most about working at Aardman...

How did you start out in the industry and what role or roles have you had while working at Aardman?

I got introduced to animation in a youth club while I was at college. That inspired me to study Animation in higher education. I then studied Animation at UWE and graduated in 2016. Since then, I have been working in the Animation industry in various roles. In the first three years after graduating, I have been freelancing as a digital artist which includes making and exhibiting digital illustrations, editing short films, running creative workshops for young people and directing my short live-action and animated films.

From 2019, I started working in kids animation as a production assistant. I joined Aardman as an asset coordinator on Lloyd of the Flies in 2021. My role involves working closely with the Co-Director and Heads of Department in assigning assets for re-use or re-purpose, in line with the production’s creative assumptions and episodic needs. We have now come to the end of production for Lloyd of the Flies so I have adopted a new role which is lighting and rendering stills for marketing. 

To date, what has been your biggest professional achievement?

In 2019, I went back to Ethiopia to make a short film I've written.  There were so many challenges in making the film but it was finally completed and has been included at more than five international film festivals, and I won 'Best Emerging Artist' award in NDIVA women's film festival in Ghana.  

Name two people who inspire you and why:

David Hockney - I got into digital art after finding out about David Hockney's digital paint exhibition. Painting digitally has led me to the world of animation and virtual reality so I would say he is my initial inspiration to become a digital artist.

Betelhem Abayneh (my sister) - She has completely shaped the way I see the world. She is the most positive and deeply peaceful person I have ever met in my life. She is the person who taught me to be okay with failure and that has been a crucial part of who I am today. I think I would be a completely different person if she wasn't around. 

Tell us what a typical day is like for you…

A typical day for me would be walking to the studio in the morning. I tend to have Zoom meetings most mornings. During lunch, I go down to the canteen with my colleagues or to the supermarket for shopping. I don't have a shop near my house so I tend to do my shopping at my lunch break!

My afternoons are quiet in terms of meetings so that's when I get on with tasks. That will mean going through ShotGrid status to make sure outstanding tasks have been picked up, check through my emails to see if I have any requests that needs addressing, rendering and comping marketing stills and so on. End of the day, I will head home and cook while on a video call with my husband 🙂 

What do you like most about working at Aardman?

The people! The feeling of being welcomed and well looked after. I also enjoy seeing people's reaction when I say I work for Aardman 🙂 

What advice would you give to your younger self about getting into the industry/your field?

My main advice would be to keep making new art pieces! Keep working on creative projects whether they are your own or someone else's, paid or unpaid, and it doesn't need to be perfect.

If you feel like your portfolio isn't strong enough to get you into the industry, start working in production instead of doing a regular job while developing your portfolio. It is a lot easier to improve your skills if you are working in a creative environment. 

Who is your favourite character from Lloyd of the Flies?

PB is my favourite character. I love her voice especially when she gets excited.