Spotlight Series: Deborah Ihonor - Trainee Junior VFX Artist

This week, we're shining the spotlight on Trainee Junior VFX Artist, Deborah Ihonor, who shares how the experience gained during her traineeship - and the creative energy at Aardman - is fueling her career aspirations.

What is it like working in the CG Team at Aardman?

So far, it's been great! Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly; I've really enjoyed working with them. What I really like is that they encourage me to ask questions and reach out for help, especially if there's something I can't figure out. 

Describe your typical day

I usually like to come in for 9am so I have enough time to prep myself and make my morning tea or coffee in the canteen. I check my emails and Shotgrid to see if I received any notes on the shots I've worked on. We tend to hold dailies at 10, so we get a chance to give and receive feedback on our work. I usually stop for lunch around 1pm and sometimes there are events that happen in the cinema in the studio and I sometimes I like to go to them. After lunch, I continue working and go home around 6:30pm.

What new skills have you learnt during your traineeship?

I'm currently working on the new season of Very Small Creatures and working on this show has taught me how to work efficiently and know what to prioritise. This production is very fast-paced so we need to deliver shots as soon as we can. 

What are your career ambitions?

I hope in the next couple of years I will have progressed into a more senior or lead compositor position, but one of my biggest aspirations is that I would like a chance to direct something. I always have this tiny little itch to tell a story. But who knows, we'll see what the future will bring.

What was your study route, and which course or training did you take?

I studied art and computer science before uni. But the funny thing is that despite me being a massive film nerd forever, I initially wanted to go into the games industry and become a 3D modeller. I studied at the University of Hertfordshire but I was on their Games Art pathway in my first year there. Luckily one of the benefits of the course was that in the first year, you get a chance to try everything - we were given a taster session of compositing in Nuke and it was something that I clicked with and enjoyed doing so I switched to the VFX pathway and stuck to compositing ever since. 

Are you part of any CG/VFX Communities?

During uni, I signed up to Access VFX. I may not be active on the platform that much now, but it really helped me during uni. I was assigned a lovely mentor who helped me a lot by giving me feedback on my work and insights into the industry.

How did you start out in the industry?

While technically this trainee role is my first artist role out of uni, I did spend some time as a runner at Framestore while studying at uni so it gave me a taste of what the industry is like and I also now know how to make a nice flat white. 

If you could give one bit of advice about getting started in the industry, what would it be?

I'll say it's good for you to reach out and connect with people in industry, whether it be over Access VFX, LinkedIn or even at in-person events. It could just be a simple interaction like asking for feedback on your work or asking how they got started. It's important to build a good portfolio but it's also important to network as it can open so many doors. 

What do you like most about working at Aardman?

I have to say at the moment the studio! I'm the kind of person whose mood is affected by the environment I'm in. I enjoy coming in every day. When you enter the place, you can tell that you are in a building full of creatives. One of my favourite moments so far at Aardman would be when they were celebrating Halloween. It was an amazing shock to see the whole place spookified overnight and be greeted by a massive vampire Shaun as soon as you walked through the front door. Even the lift got the spooky treatment. 

What is your favourite animated character and why?

That is such a tough question. I would say Bob Belcher from Bob's Burgers. It's is my comfort show and I absolutely adore it. I can see a bit of myself in him, I appreciate a well-crafted burger and I tend to worry about things a lot.

Also, I'm going to be cheeky and I'm going to give another favourite animated character, Caesar from the recent Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy. Yes, he's from a live-action film but technically he is animated so it counts? He's such a well-written character; Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of my favourite movies of all time and most of that credit goes to Andy Serkis of course.