By Brenda Malley
What comes to mind when you hear Disney Studios? California? World-class? What about the name Brian Finlay, our newest member of the New Brunswick Film Co-op?!
This quiet, thoughtful, and humble man has been working in animation for 20 years at production studios in Nova Scotia and British Columbia, as well as remote locations around the world.
Born and raised in Saint John, New Brunswick, Brian's fascination and love for the Micky Mouse cartoons at age five resulted in a lifelong love of the craft of animation and a personal reverence for the world of Disney.
Although he barely graduated from high school and had no specific goals in mind in the 1990s, Brian was freelancing as a Cartoonist when he read an inspirational article about Miramichi animator Ricky Knowles, who Disney Studios had hired.
Brian had considered his dream of working for Disney impossible to achieve until that point. To this day, he attributes Mr. Knowles' employment at Disney as what made him realize that his dream might be attainable after all.
Call it serendipity! Within weeks of that article, NBCC Miramichi advertised their inaugural 2D Animation program. Brian immediately applied and was accepted. That was in 1997. There, he was trained under a prolific instructor, the late Harold Duckett, an Alumni of Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. When Mr. Dunkett left the program, Brian decided to go too even though he had another six months to completion, a decision he characterizes as misguided and foolhardy at that time.
He also revealed that his past obsession with Sheridan College, and the belief that all the best animators studied there, was another of his misguided beliefs. He now thinks differently, stressing the steady application of one's craft as the basis for a good animator.
Brian describes the time he spent at Sheridan as highly intimidating. Sheridan is selective in who is accepted and attracts the most talented people. Because of that, students were constantly in fear of being cut from the program, which was done without hesitation. Having accepted one of many job offers during his second year at Sheridan, Brian left the program with only six months left to complete to avoid incurring any further debt.
Brian's first job was at Collideascope Digital Productions in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he worked two seasons developing one of the first digitally animated television series in Atlantic Canada.
He then opened his own animation studio, a decision that would prove detrimental to him and his family's financial security, not because they were lacking work but because they had grown so quickly, and he lacked the necessary business skills to anticipate and avoid pitfalls. Brian describes the demise of his studio business, which operated for 3- 4 years, as one of the lowest points of his life. Nevertheless, he is philosophical about that experience, pointing out that the best way to learn is to fail. He stresses that he learned a great deal and resolved to never make the same mistakes again.
For the next eight years, Brian operated as a freelance animator at various locations, describing it as fun work, and met many interesting people in the process. His only disappointment was the fact that, though he produced some quality artwork, over 80 percent of his work was developmental and never made the "finish line." Therefore, it has never been seen by others.
In 2011, Brian reached the point that he was considering leaving the animation business when his sister in Kelowna, British Columbia, managed to persuade him to apply for a job with Disney there, despite his concerns that his portfolio was not good enough. To his surprise, he was screened in from a pool of 150 applicants. An 8-week interview process that included animation tests ensued. He credits his wife for getting him through this stressful experience as she was consistently supportive and encouraging. He cannot express in words how excited he was that his dreams of being a Disney animator as a 5-year-old child were being realized, just as it had years earlier for that other New Brunswick animator, Ricky Knowles, his inspiration.
He moved to British Columbia and worked at Disney for the next four years as a Senior Storyboard Artist, as well as directing and animating commercials. One of his highlights was receiving a guided tour of Disneyland, the Disney Studio Lots, and Disney Vault in Los Angeles. During that time, he was made to storyboard in front of many executives at Disney Records for a music video that they wanted to make. Though a stressful experience for him, the video was approved and made.
While he describes behind the scenes at Disney as "awesome," when faced with the opportunity to work on a feature film, The Henchmen, at BRON Studios in Vancouver, he decided to do it. He had reasoned leaving Disney would be a temporary measure, and he would eventually return with even more experience and skills, possibly resulting in him becoming a full-time Director. Unbeknown to him, however, Disney Studios shut their Kelowna office within six months of his departure. After one year at BRON Studios, Brian worked for a couple of television studios and remotely for a client in Montreal. The following 4-5 years were a struggle to get freelance work, and, given the enormous cost of living, it was impossible to get ahead in Vancouver. Brian and his family decided it was time to return to their native Saint John for a better quality of life and to be close to family.
Since returning to New Brunswick, he has taught 3D animation at Eastern College in Saint John (2017). Also, freelance remote opportunities have increased for him since the pandemic due to the loosening of restrictions associated with tax credits.
Brian has produced a guided, behind-the-scenes tour of the 2D process through his company, Drawn to it Studios, for Bell Fibe TV.
Currently, he is in pre-production for a 7-episode show (each 10 minutes in duration, also for Bell Fibe TV) called Ug-Wug, about a legendary 30-meter-long part seal/part monster that resides in Reversing Falls. It is said that Ug-Wug has a big appetite, and with a full moon and a quart of moonshine, one can summon it. Ug-Wug is a somewhat complicated production involving both 3D Animation and visuals to bring to life a friendly, adorable version of Ug-Wug (akin to a happy puppy). It stars Brian's eight-year-old daughter, whose character is on a girls' summer vacation with her mother (played by her real mother/Brian's wife).
As the story goes, while beachcombing one day, the girl stumbles on Ug-Wug, and they form a deep connection. When Ug-Wug faces the possibility of being exploited by the antagonist, Mr. Green (played by Comedian James Mullinger), the girl ends up having to save him. Principal photography is scheduled for April 2022, with completion set for November 2022. They've already done a few teaser releases and an interview with his daughter.
Brian stresses that Ug-Wug is the type of production never done before in the province as it will be 3D with live actors produced at a broadcast level quality. If not for corporate sponsorship, including Ivan's Camera Limited in Moncton, he would never have been able to do it. Brian hopes that more corporate sponsors will invest, which will improve the quality of the production further.
Brian is excited and appreciative to be a part of the NB Film Co-op, something he wishes he had done a long time ago. He considers it to be a fantastic source of support, assistance, and mentorship for which he has already benefitted. He also is excited to be a part of the creative community and hopes to contribute to it in some way in the future.
website: www.dtistudios.ca
