iAnimate (iAnimate.net) added James Bennett, a senior creature animator and lead previz artist, to its roster of instructors. Bennett’s list of credits includes Godzilla, The Hobbit, Avatar, King Kong, The Adventures of TinTin, Happy Feet, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Madagascar 3, Iron Man 2, and many more. Bennett, will join other instructors to teach the 14-week Advanced Creature Animation Workshop 2, which begins Sept. 8.
The goal of the workshop is to help students develop creature performance skills using quadruped behaviors for flying animals and creatures for creature animation. Bennett’s role in this course is to teach students how to create a dynamic action sequence with a fantasy creature, from planning to final polish.
“One of the first things that attracted me to iAnimate is the group’s burning desire to help the next generation of animators. They genuinely care about their success,” said Bennett. “My style leans more towards reality with an emphasis on real-world physics and an attention to strong, basic mechanics. I look forward to sharing some of my many experiences with the students at iAnimate to help them better understand the pressures and expectations that will be placed on them in the professional environment.”
Throughout his career, Bennett has reviewed show reels and demo reels from artists and animators and has a strong understanding of what recruiters and supervisors are looking for in a reel. One of his goals in the Creature Animation Workshop is to push students to produce work that can be included in their own reels that will help them showcase their strengths and get noticed by recruiters and studios.
