Marc Sanz

Study: Animation
Internship experience: Scared Ghost

In the penultimate and final year of studies, each student carries out a compulsory internship in a company. And in his third year of training in Animation, Marc Sanz has joined Scared Ghost. An independent studio in Barcelona specializing in 2D Animation that has directed more than 25 TV series.

What has your work consisted of?

I have joined the animation team of a new 2D audiovisual production for adult audiences for Televisión de Cataluña, which will be released soon.

What kind of animation does it propose?

This newly created project proposes a hybrid 2D animation that combines traditional animation with the cut-out technique.

Could you explain to us what functions you have developed during these months in the studio?

At the beginning of my internship and in order to adapt to the needs of the production, I have gone deeper into the technical aspects of the rig, such as hierarchies and layer levels. Later on, I made character rigs that I then animated. In the final internship period, I was in charge of animating entire shots. In this sense, the knowledge I acquired at the school in terms of storyboarding and animation was very useful.

What do you consider you have learned during your internship?

At Scared Ghost I learned several things. On the one hand, how a production works: the team organization, the distribution of tasks, the production pipeline, the work schedule and the timing. On the other hand, I have learned that the artist has to know how to adapt. Depending on the style of animation, the project requires one methodology or another. And in the production I’ve worked on, I’ve been able to combine the life of traditional animation with the economy that the cut-out technique allows. The fact of drawing traditionally gives a lot of play and life to the animation, and the cut-out speeds up the production of the shot.
A studio has to be a fluid machine: the work of each artist helps the work of the next to finally generate the desired product. At Scared Ghost I’ve been made to feel like I’m in real working life. I’ve gone from the studio to the studio.

How would you evaluate your internship experience?

Scared Ghost is a studio on a human scale where everyone knows each other. Each professional has a different role, is focused on their work, but they are in constant communication with each other. There is a very pleasant working atmosphere in the studio, in which I felt very comfortable working. Although at the beginning as a trainee you might think that, when you join a studio for a short period of time, you will have little contact with the professionals in the studio, after a few weeks you feel like a member of the team.
I also liked the fact that Scared Ghost shares a workspace with the production company IMagic TV. And I found it very enriching to see how two companies work together.

After your first professional experience, what kind of projects would you like to be working on in a few years?

At Scared Ghost I have confirmed that my choice of specialization was the right one: I feel very comfortable as a 2D animator.

To conclude, how would you describe your education at school?

I value very positively the dedication of the teachers, the support they give to each student throughout their training. You can clearly see the passion they have for their profession.