Interview originally posted in Portuguese by OtakuPT

OtakuPT had the opportunity to interview Joao do Lago, a Portuguese animator who was recently involved with the anime Revue Starlight as well as Castlevania 2, which will be available on Netflix on October 26th. In this interview we have a short biography of his career from his background to his first works, how he was able to be part of the anime Revue Starlight, future projects and some advice to people who dream to be animators.

First of all, tell us a bit about yourself, your name, how your interest in animation started, your path in becoming an animator, your background etc.

My name is João do Lago. I’ve always liked animation ever since I was young, but it never occured to me it was something I’d be able to do. Only in high school, when I had to think about the future and what I wanted to do with my life, was when I had the idea that animation was something I’d like to work with. At this point I had noticed a problem: the lack of animation courses in Portugal. Since studying abroad was not possible to me, I had to put the animation dream aside and started a design course. After that I joined an illustration and animation master but dropped out in the middle of it. By that point I was a bit lost, unsure of what I wanted to do. I tried 3D, concept art, I got to work on a videogame for some time until I heard about an Austrian animator called Bahi JD, who worked in anime from home. By then I was quite unhappy with my life and seeing what he managed to do inspired me and revived that drive I had to work in animation.

I decided I had nothing to lose if I gave it a try. I started to practice by myself, creating short animations and sharing them on the internet (specially on Twitter). Some of the animations I made went a bit viral (like this one,

for example) and people started to contact me to offer me work. One of these people was Samuel Deats, who is the director for the Castlevania series on Netflix. And that’s how my career in animation began, working on the second season of Castlevania.

Did you ever have any experiences with Japanese-style animation? If so, which ones?

Besides Revue Starlight, I’ve worked in Castlevania and other small projects with Studio Yotta, particularly a very interesting one, not yet announced.

Many animators, especially ones who come from digital animation, are self-learners, do you fit that definition too?

Yes. I’ve had animation classes when I studied design, in which we learned the basics, but most of what I know is from practicing and learning by myself, from books and studying animations I liked.

Any dream project you wish to be part of in the future?

My biggest dream ever since I got interested in a career in animation was working at Ghibli, on a Miyazaki movie (last year, I tried to apply, when they were hiring

I wasn’t selected, but it’s nice that they send you a physical letter to inform you still pic.twitter.com/3OUPvdw6yR — Joao 🌱 (@JonnyDoLake) 24 de agosto de 2017

), but I know the chances of that happening are basically zero. Something more feasible, that might be possible, is that I’d like to work on the second season of Made in Abyss.

What are your references in the animation world?

Directors: Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon. When I began to become interested in working with animation, still as a teenager, I saw their works as ‘where I wanted to go’. Today there are many other names that inspire me, but I still see those two as ‘what I want to reach’.

Animators: It’s hard to choose a favorite, but maybe Makiko Futaki, an animator from Ghibli who animated some of the most iconic scenes from Miyazaki movies (her work is seriously fantastic). In general I’m fascinated by animators who can draw slow and delicate movements, as I think those are the hardest movements to animate fluidly.

Works that inspire you the most?

Any work, be it a book, a movie, an anime, which makes me feel like putting everything aside and creating something of my own.

What project was the most fun to be a part of?

I obviously really liked to participate in Revue Starlight, since I really like the show and feel it was where I learned the most. But maybe what I had the most fun with was a project I was involved with Studio Yotta (I can’t say the name, it wasn’t announced yet), where I feel I’ve created my best work so far.

Favorite studios and why?

I don’t have much preference for studios. Perhaps Ghibli. I really liked the old studio Gainax, but it basically doesn’t exist anymore.

Favorite anime/series?

Movie: Spirited Away

Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion

REVUE STARLIGHT

How did you get involved with Kinema Citrus for this project?

Around July, when Starlight was already airing, the president of Kinema Citrus posted on Twitter that they were needing animators. I applied and they chose me, everything happened very suddenly (if you look at the comments on the tweet, you can see me asking if they accepted foreign animators, that was my first interaction).

What was your reaction when you were chosen to work in Revue Starlight?

I was really happy. Three episodes were already out when I started. I remember watching the first episode and thinking “I’d like to be able to work in something like that one day”. Two weeks later I was doing exactly that.

Was there any kind of preparation before you started drawing the scenes?

When I have to draw characters, to guarantee they stay on model, I usually draw them separately until I get used to that particular style.

What were the advices or tips you got from the staff during the process? Did you have any contact with the director/animation directors or storyboarder?

Not directly. All the direct communication was made with Ogasawara-san (Muneki Ogasawara, animation producer for Revue Starlight) or with one of the production assistants. The only contact with the directors was through annotations on the corrected drawings.

Which were the biggest challenges you faced in this project?

The biggest challenge was, perhaps, time. There were problems with the production and the deadlines were too short. I had to lose some hours of sleep so I could get all done in time. I think in general I’ve managed to do good work, but I feel that if I had more time some things could have been better.

How it is to work along a mostly Japanese staff?

I work from home and talk with them in English for the most part, so for me there was not much difference, it was like working on other projects.

Differences between working in Western and Eastern animation?

Having to draw layouts, where we have to indicate light, backgrounds and camera movements. Maybe the biggest difference is having to make timesheets. As today, in the West, basically everything is digital, I had never made a single timesheet, but since anime is still mostly animated on paper, timesheets are essential.

Ah, and deadlines are a lot shorter.

What have you learned by working with professionals from the Japanese industry?

What I have learned is mostly about the process itself, things I learned as I worked. The steps of prodution, writing annotations on the drawings, making timesheets, etc.

Many animators who work mainly with digital have been showing up to the anime industry from the whole world, do you think about making this transition to Japan or will you keep working on Portugal?

If any opportunity show up I’m obviously not refusing it. Working from home is very lonely in my opinion. There are people who like that better, but I prefer to be surrounded by other people working towards the same objective. I think it is a much more stimulating environment, so yes, I would like very much to work on a studio.

Today the most known animation softwares are CLIP STUDIO PAINT, Toon Boom Harmony and even Flash itself. Are there any of those you use more or that you have a preference for?

I utilize Photoshop with a plugin called AnimeDessin2. Technically it is not an animation program, but it works. Recently I’ve been considering changing to Clip Studio, as it works more or less the same way and, since the Photoshop plugin isn’t official, I’m scared of running the program one day and the plugin will not work anymore [translator’s note: that did happen].

How do the techniques used in Western animation differ from the ones used in Eastern animation?

Animation is animation. The art style might be different, but the techniques and the principles used are the same. What is different is the process itself, some things I have mentioned, like having to draw layouts, timesheets, etc.

ABOUT THE INDUSTRY

Opinion about the usage of CG in anime.

If you’re talking about 3D, I don’t have any problem with it. I think the stigma surrounding 3D comes from the fact that many times it is used incorrectly and the end result is not as good as it could have been. Coincidentally, my favorite anime from last year was Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) which is a 3D anime, and which in my opinion uses 3D to achieve really interesting results. I myself have been playing around with Blender a little recently. The new version has tools for 2D animation that allows drawings in a tridimensional space. The potential is huge.

Opinion about Netflix’s role in the world of anime.

I think whatever entity is interested in financing amusing projects is welcome, and I think that’s what Netflix is doing.

What do you think of Portuguese dubs in anime?

I haven’t watched Portuguese dubs in years. I don’t have anything against Portuguese dubs, it’s actually quite the opposite. My interest for animation began when I was really young, through the shows I watched, which were all dubbed. I think that’s precisely the target audience for dubs, the younger ones.

LAST NOTES

Advice you have for whoever aspires to someday enter the world of animation.

If you really want to create animation, my advice is to begin now, by yourselves. Start to draw, to practice. A very good book to start and learn the basics is “The Animator’s Survival Kit”. Start there and search for other resources. In the beginning what you make might not be that good, but as you make more and practice more you’ll get better.

This is something I wish I was told earlier, especially having grown up in Portugal, where an animation industry and education basically don’t exist, which led me to think that it would be something impossible to achieve. You don’t need any courses to work in this area and I can tell I was never asked for qualifications. It was simply that the animations I posted online were seen and well-liked, and then I received work.

Thinking about the future, do you have any projects planned or finished that you can reveal?

Recently I was part of another anime, which is airing this season, called Conception. The show itself is not that great, but it is work and it’s always good to get more experience. That aside, I was part of other interesting projects this year, but since they weren’t announced yet, I can’t talk about them.

Once again thank you for taking the time to this interview, all the staff from OtakuPT wishes you the best happiness in future projects.

Thank you, too.

You can follow João and his projects in the following accounts:

Twitter

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