In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we spoke with Mikros talent about how they fell head-over-heals in love with animation, characters that hold a special place in their hearts, and artists that they admire.
Today we’re shining a spotlight VFX Supervisor, Manuel Souillac out of our Paris studio.
How and when did you discover your love for animation?
When I was a teenager in the early 80’s I discovered “computer generated images” by way of the ATARI 2600 and Space Invaders. I also started to read PIXEL Le magazine des Nouvelles Images, that famous French magazine about computer graphics. And I can’t forget Dire Straits music video for “Money for Nothing” from 1985. (It’s ugly now but I’m not ashamed to say I loved it!)
I first fell in love with computer graphics on a PC, an incredible machine, where we were able to make images. I started my interest in animation later when I was able to create my first pixel. Today, I still have the same love for animation as I did on day one.
What artists in the industry do you admire? Who is your biggest inspiration?
The artist I admired most was Michel Bret, my teacher during my studies at Art Technology Image at Paris 8 University in 1995. He taught us how to create images with various programs. Even if it was complex subjects like genetic algorithms or neural networks, the class was always a huge source of inspiration. He made me realize how powerful the help of a computer is. How this machine could become a great assistant in your everyday work and how the power of the computer can enhance your images.
We were completely free to experiment and create anything we wanted during that time, thanks to the open-mindedness of people like Michel Bret. It changed a bit when I started my career, but I still have this automation obsession today. If you want to do something manually, don’t use a computer.
What Mikros animated character are you most fond of?
At Mikros Animation, I had the chance to work on the first and second Asterix CG animated feature film. It’s not just one character that I love, but the entire gallic team. Those endearing, crazy, funny characters are like old friends. We were happy to see them again when we started the second Asterix film, Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion.
I guess the strength of those characters comes from charismatic actors and great dialogues.
Mikros, which was already known for commercials and VFX feature films, created the animation studio with the project Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods. Asterix has been a big turning point in the history of our company.
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