It's definitely a strange time for the world right now (I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!), but I am trying to make the most of it by reaching out some of my favorite stop-motion artists and making some new (internet) friends! Today's very special interviewee is Polina Kutukina, a stop-motion animator and director based in Russia.
I found Polina on Instagram and was BEYOND impressed by her animation skills. I immediately messaged her and asked her to be a part of the blog! She is a talented animator and director who has worked on short films as well as advertisements. I am so thankful to Polina for being so friendly and taking the time to share her experiences with stop-motion. I hope I am able to meet her someday! ♡
Anisha: Tell me your story – how did you get started in film and animation, to how did you end up here? What inspired you to work in stop-motion?
Polina: Hi everyone! My name is Polina Kutukina, and I’m a stop-motion animator and director from Russia. I am 25.
It seems to me, that the animation industry is such a specialized mix of culture and art, that to succeed you must take a few risks and not be afraid to look eccentric. Everyone has their own path. Mine was like this…
When I was a little child, my parents attempted to train me for competitive sports, but instead of winning any competitions, I was always just drawing in my notepad. Eventually when my health could not stand the training, they quit this venture. I quit ordinary school and at 15 went to study at the Theater College in Moscow. This is a very old college which trains specialists for theater and has a small department for animation. I studied classical animation art based on Soviet production experience. This is a laborious process of implementing 2D animation on tracing paper without the use of computer technology. Oh Lord...a million hand drawn frames, without the capabilities of pressing ctrl + z, ctrl + c or ctrl + v! MUCH later, I learned about the more advanced features of animation using new technologies.
"It seems to me, that the animation industry is such a specialized mix of culture and art, that to succeed you must take a few risks and not be afraid to look eccentric."
In my third year, I got out from under the rubble of paper and met with the teacher and students of the class of theatrical props. This teacher made decorations for different performances in Moscow, puppets for theatrical shows, and all kinds of props (such as false swords).
They were all great, so I decided to make a stop-motion film in my final year with his help. There were people who could make puppets, costumes, and decorations, and they were all interested! Why not?
And so I spent the entire 17th year of my life in the college basement with a team of like-minded people. Right there at that moment, I became a director, screenwriter, production designer, and to my own wonder, a stop-motion animator.
"I spent the entire 17th year of my life in the college basement with a team of like-minded people. Right there at that moment, I became a director, screenwriter, production designer, and to my own wonder, a stop-motion animator."
From that year came the film, Welcome, and I became the person I am today.
Anisha: I saw on your website that you are based out of Russia! What is the animation industry like there?
Polina: Oh yes, I live in Moscow, Russia, and usually work here. I think that Russia considers any industry in terms of efficiency for the country as a whole, so the animation industry is not a sought-after segment. The commercial sphere of animation is based on the low quality of cartoons serial production, which stream on television.
Small animation studios partially work independently, but are financed to a greater extent by fulfilling government orders and orders of the Ministry of Culture. This is the only accessible, but rather specific area for the production of animated films, with a high degree of censorship and a long hierarchical chain of corruption. All of the above refers more likely to a system, through which the animation industry is generally possible in Russia. The system is not perfect, and we are not its perfect servants.
For the production of a seven minute film, the budget is about $12,000. This amount includes the salary of all team members and all equipment for seven to nine months of work. People who are willing to work in such conditions are extremely hardworking, talented, and sacrificial. Thanks to such funding, I have made two of my films. This is wonderful because often the most valuable thing we need is experience.
"Today I work as a teacher of one student...and that's me!"
Anisha: What is your current job? Did you ever have an internship?
Polina: No, never. I have received some interesting proposals, but they are in limbo due to the current situation in the world. I believe that when the epidemiological situation becomes clear, things will change quickly. Therefore all that remains to do is wait.
At the moment, I have taken a break to breathe and improve my skills. Sometimes I work on advertisements so I can pay my bills. It may seem weird, but when I stopped loading myself with work, I realized that I had not had enough time to learn how to shoot a decent quality stop-motion product.
Therefore, today I work as a teacher of one student...and that's me!
Above Video: First LAV (live action video) exp - "White Nights" 1985
The original choreography, including Mikhail Baryshnikov’s solo to Vladimir Vysotsky’s song, Finicky Horses, was created by the American choreographer Twyla Tharp. The film also shows the ballet of Roland Petit, Young Man and Death, performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Florence Faure.
Above Video: LAV - "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" (2017) Music - Julien Rey - Bubble
Anisha: What is your process while animating?
Polina: The process can occur in completely different ways. It all depends on the complexity of the tasks. Accordingly, the harder the requirements, the more likely I am to be dancing with a stopwatch all day long. I think I'm pretty old-fashioned. When I initially get acquainted with the hero or the subject of animation, be it on a large project or a small author’s film, the first thing I do is very carefully act out that episode or that scene with a stopwatch. Sometimes I even shoot live action video reference. I put on black clothes and begin playing a game that animators call “shy actor” in which I act out the scene myself.
I listen mostly instinctively and very carefully to what needs to be animated. Before I listen to any external opinions from the director or producer, I make sure I understand what the essence of the movement is. I believe that in many ways, my instinct was formed and reinforced while studying in classes of improvisation and acting, and now it works subconsciously.
"I listen mostly instinctively and very carefully to what needs to be animated. Before I listen to any external opinions from the director or producer, I make sure I understand what the essence of the movement is."
There are a huge number of well-known methods of immersing oneself in imaginary situations, such as the techniques of Stanislavsky, Laban, or Meisner, and many different ways to use and transfer existing choreographies to animation.
The process is more like a one-man show, and everything else is just the mechanical work of hands.
Anisha: Do you fabricate your puppets and sets yourself, or do you get them from somewhere?
Polina: I know how to make puppets, but not so well. In general, I do not have the experience. I believe that each part of stop-motion has its own specialists. Armaturists and prop makers are completely different, separate specializations with their own secrets and tricks.
I run a great risk of degrading the quality of the animation if I make bad armatures or rigs for myself. So I leave it to the experts to construct excellent puppets while I, in turn, perform brilliant animation. Teamwork!
I only have two puppets, and they will soon turn four years old!
Anisha: What are some past projects you have worked on? Any favorite memories?
Polina: During my studies, I took any work in order to gain experience in the production environment. I worked with 2D and 3D with cut-out technology. All of them were interesting, but I was drawn to stop-motion.
Then work began on my debut film, Welcome. This project collaboration was madness...a crazy dance that took half a year to complete!
Welcome was a six minute story about a young priest and an elderly nun that collide while working at the same church. Many people asked me why, at seventeen years old, I was interested in making a movie about the church. I always answer that the church is just the scenery in which the story takes place. It’s a very ordinary situation. It can happen anywhere.
My first stop-motion film was the most time-consuming because I had to quickly learn everything on my own. But I learned a lot about what stop-motion is, how to make scenery, and repair armatures, as all was how to be a director and production designer. I had to organize the procurement of materials and understand the specifics of their diversity. Managing a team of people is hard work. The director is responsible for the work performed, and at the same time for the general mood on the set. This makes everyone else on set feel more comfortable.
"Managing a team of people is hard work. The director is responsible for the work performed, and at the same time for the general mood on the set. This makes everyone else on set feel more comfortable."
My next project, The Way to School, was experimental for me. It was made using a computer cut-out technique. I was the director. It was easier professionally, but was clamped by the rigid framework of censorship. Therefore it was not possible to fulfill even a small part of what I really wanted to make.
From such a difficult period, I was snatched by the next project for which I went to work in another city, St. Petersburg, the Northern Capital of Russia. It became my favorite project!
It was a stop-motion short film called Miracle of Misha, which was invented by the wonderful sculptor Liza Chernobay. We shot it together in just 2 months. The story is quite simple, cheerful, and bright. It’s about how a lonely boy on New Year’s Eve finds a friend.
It was a couple of months of very speedy work. Every week I shot 30 seconds of animation, and despite the fact that I was in one of the most beautiful cities in Russia, I still have no idea how it looks in the light of day. I was rarely able to be outside the filming pavilion.
This was undoubtedly an interesting experience because it was the first time in my professional life I shot a stop motion animation at 12 fps. I was surprised. It was not so bad! Such animation has positive aspects. Shooting happens very quickly, and with the correct accent poses, it does not lose the quality of 24 fps animation. It was hard but fun! If someone asked me if I would like to be in such a fantastic workflow again, I would immediately say, "Anytime!"
In the intervals between the above-mentioned projects, I shot advertisements for restaurant chains or for various equipment stores. That's all I’ve done so far, but I hope that the most interesting is still to come!
Anisha: What’s the hardest thing about your job/the industry?
Polina: In my opinion, the most difficult thing for a stop-motion animator is to keep yourself in good physical shape. This may sound weird, because the work of an animator does not involve physically hard work, but in reality it can be an extremely traumatic experience.
It often happens that filming sets are built without taking into account the stop-motion animators’ work process. Usually you will be unable to change anything. It may turn out that you will have work in an uncomfortable position every day for at least eight hours. Objects to be animated may hang high above you, and from frame to frame, your hands could get tired from being constantly above your head.
For example, on set you may have only a small space between the location, camera, and lights. Most likely there will also be something hanging over you, and something under your feet (like cables). The greatest challenge of this game is not to move anything, not even an inch.
If you work for a long time without warm-ups, back pain and osteochondrosis will become your best friends. (Hahaha)
In addition, the animator is in some ways a "tool", and sometimes it is really useful to stay in good shape and be able to jump high or even fight a little, to get good video references (LAV).
I have a funny story about the success of the entire scene, when the arrangement of the shooting space and the good physical shape was important at the same time. Once I worked with a very friendly team, and despite the complexity of the locations in the film, my own small chair was situated right in the center. It was very difficult to get there, but after all, you did not need to bend your back all day which made it more comfortable while animating, just sitting on your fluffy pillow. So I didn’t mind.
"The animator is in some ways a "tool", and sometimes it is really useful to stay in good shape and be able to jump high or even fight a little, to get good video references."
One morning, on the day off, I came to the studio to finish the scene in silence. I climbed into the very center of the scenery, put my legs between the lights so that they would not be threatened, and began to animate. After 6 hours, I accidentally dropped a miniature model of a sword that the main character had to keep in the frame on the floor. I thought that there was absolutely no problem. The sword fell quite far, but I had no choice!! The studio was empty on the day off, and the director would arrive only in an hour. So... I decided to get it myself. I gripped my legs on the legs of the chair, bent to the floor, I put one hand down under my body to keep my balance, and the other with all my might begin to reach for the sword…..and I got stuck! I got a sword, yes, but I just couldn't get back out of my position, if I tried I would definitely hook something or break something...oh god. It was ridiculous, after half an hour, by a fluke, the director came to the studio and heard me screaming. With the help I got out of there and did not forget the sword. But that day I sensibly assessed my capabilities, forever.
So, our body should be our friend, not our enemy. I think that it could be hard sometimes, but it is important to constantly do a set of exercises for the back, neck and arms, and in a big production process, visit the massage.
Above Video: LAV - Tim Burton Interview: "Big Eyes"
Anisha: I saw on your website that you have made some stop motion advertisements! I love the Burgers one! What is directing/animating for an advertisement like?
Polina: Oh thank you very much! Yeah I worked with a chain of burger restaurants.
I think working in advertising where you need to animate products is a separate type of stop-motion, and is challenging. Probably because for the shooting the advertisement of one sandwich, I had to use three different beef cutlets, a million bread rolls, and the devil knows how many vegetables. This is also the struggle of working with food, it spoils and loses its appearance and shape, so you need to do everything quickly!
I finished all three commercials, totaling 59 seconds, and took only seven hours. The advertisement was shot at 24 frames per second, and totaled 1416 photos.
The directing and animation of advertising projects resembles a race. In an enormously short time, sometimes with a missed deadline, the customer wants to get the best result. Therefore, it is necessary to be prepared for advertising, and I'm not talking about a certain plot, I'm talking about the process.
"The directing and animation of advertising projects resembles a race."
Most likely you will be paid well, but you need to accept the fact that something will not be done as well as you would like (for example you wanted 24 fps, but in time you managed to do only 12 fps). You need to have enough rest time before the start of the shooting process, because soon you will most likely go 24 to 48 hours without sleep. Shooting advertisements is a very quick process without days off, so it is important not to burn out. It is very stressful, but it is extremely important no matter what happens, remain nice to the crew to keep everyone in a good mood.
Anisha: Anything else you would like to add? Any advice for someone like me who is interested in stop-motion?
Polina: Yeah, I will say what I would say to myself at the very beginning.
If you want to study stop motion, do not rely entirely on courses, webinars for teachers. The main resource for achieving knowledge you will find within yourself.
Do not expect results the next day, or even after a month. Give yourself time to study. Become better than those who you follow and move onto the next goal.
Do not rush to extremes. You don’t need to buy expensive cameras or powerful computers, but you can’t learn how to make good animation from wire armatures. Puppets are our main tool. Nowadays there are a huge number of affordable, anatomical good armatures. Respect your work and it will respect you.
That's all! Good luck and I hope one day we will meet on set!
"The main resource for achieving knowledge you will find within yourself."
If you would like to learn more about Polina Kutukina, check out her links below:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polina_kutukina/
Website: https://www.polinakutukina.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paprika.polina
Comments