I worked as a video editor at Titmouse Animation Studios for about 8 years. I worked alongside amazingly talented folks and had many unique experiences. And now I want to tell you all about it!
My connection and interest in animation
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I've had the pleasure of being around creative types throughout my entire life.
In 1998, my dad and I were invited to take a tour around the Nickelodeon Studios lot in Burbank, California. I was 7 years old.
I vividly remember playing mini-golf on their Nickelodeon-themed course. We went inside the studio and we saw animators working on 'The Angry Beavers'.
I was already a huge fan of cartoons, but getting a peak behind the curtain sparked a creative drive in me.
History and founding of Titmouse
Chris Prynoski and his wife, Shannon Prynoski, founded Titmouse Inc. animation studio in the year 2000.
With only a small team and a lot of talent, they began producing groundbreaking content that quickly caught the attention of major networks.
With a focus on edgy and unconventional programming, Titmouse quickly gained a reputation for shaking up the animation industry.
Role of the Animatic Video Editor
An animatic is a pre-visualization of an animation made using storyboards, scripts, and voice records. It is used to test and fine-tune an animated sequence before full production begins.
Animatic video editors gather and sort storyboards created by a team of storyboard artists. Editors work closely with the directors, producers, animators, and other creatives.
Editors use audio editing software to create a radio play, which consists of dialogue, music, and sound effects. This is created before storyboards are laid out.
Animatic editors are also in charge of running edit sessions with directors and producers. These sessions happen throughout each month and can be quite lengthy. While the sessions can be stressful at times, they can also be a lot of fun.
Personal interest and skills that led to the position
As I was going to university to earn my Bachelors in Video Editing, I had a growing interest in the bizarre yet genius style of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim program.
I'm quite a quirky individual myself, so these leftfield shows felt like home.
Landing the Opportunity
The semester before I graduated college, I reached out to about a dozen different entertainment studios, looking for an internship.
At that time, I was fascinated with a show that aired at 3 a.m. on Adult Swim, called 'Off The Air'. This was the first show I've ever seen to use a new video technique called data moshing.
I reached out to the creator and editor Dave Hughes. And he very kindly recommended me to a few studios in Hollywood, including Williams Street and Titmouse Inc.
The application and interview process
Since I had no portfolio outside of what I created in school and my personal life, I was more than willing to showcase my editing skills for free.
I believe the recommendation from Dave Hughes is what set me apart from the rest, and I got the internship.
Initial impressions of Titmouse
The first week of my Titmouse internship gave me that same feeling I felt back in 1998 when visiting Nickelodeon studios; it felt magical.
Overview of the work environment
Everyone I encountered at Titmouse was not only hardworking but extremely talented as well. It's a fast-paced work environment, with little time for breaks.
Collaboration with others
I was lucky to work with the best of the best.
My colleagues at Titmouse took their work seriously and that inspired me to produce my best work as well.
It was a joy working with kindred spirits.
Behind the Scenes: Projects and Processes
Projects felt like a well-oiled machine, and things often ran quite smoothly.
This was mostly due to the bullet-proof production processes that had been established long before I stepped foot inside the studio.
Specific projects I worked on
As a Titmouse intern, I got the opportunity to work on Adult Swim's 'Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem', 'China, IL', 'King Star King', and Comedy Central's 'Moonbeam City'.
I did a lot of assistant editorial work on the final picture animation, including separating and labeling background and character layers, color correction, color grading, adjusting dialogue, sound effects, and music, and exporting files for the showrunners.
I watched my video editing mentor run edit sessions with the producers, directors, and artists.
After my internship, I was hired as an animatic editor for Hasbro's 'Hanazuki: Full Of Treasures'.
Then, I worked as an animatic editor on Netflix's 'Big Mouth' for 5 seasons.
Additionally, I worked on the Big Mouth spinoff show 'Human Resources'.
Insight into the creative process at Titmouse
The production of a single season of an animated show takes about a year, from the pre-production brainstorming to sending the finished season to the distributor (such as Netflix).
On bigger shows like 'Big Mouth', there can be over 100 cast and crew members.
A season's schedule begins with the first episode. And after every two weeks, production on the next episode will begin. The previous episode will move forward to the next phase of production.
As each episode makes its way down the production timeline, it's passed from screenwriters to voice actors to musicians to radio play editors to storyboard artists to storyboard editors to timers to designers to animators to revisionists to final picture editors.
The directors, producers, and assistants are present throughout the entire process.
Memorable moments and highlights
Seeing billboard ads on buildings, busy streets, and bus stops of projects that I was a part of was a surreal experience.
Screening your finalized storyboard edits to all the writers, artists, and showrunners is a great feeling, especially when it's well received.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
Editors are the last ones in line before the finished piece is exported for the next phase or final delivery. So there's a certain amount of pressure to get everything right which falls on your shoulders.
As an editor, you must establish your keyboard shortcuts and create a custom user interface. Doing this will make you much faster at completing edits.
Advice for aspiring animators or animatic editors
Don't worry about learning everything before you get hired. The showrunners realize that there will always be a few who are "green" or new to the industry, and they will train you.
Conclusion
Titmouse Inc. is a great place to work, whether you're new to animation or a seasoned expert.