Chloé Bonnet

A look back at your years at ESMA

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY CG ANIMATION & FX?

My passion is animation: 2D animation is my favourite medium, but for reasons of job opportunities and aware of my future job search, I decided to turn to CG, which is much more widely used and present on the market.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO JOIN THE ESMA TRAINING PROGRAMME?

I decided to join ESMA and its CG animation and special effects course after my training in digital techniques and 2D animation at LISAA Paris. The main reason was that I wanted to extend my skills beyond the 2D animation medium. What convinced me to join ESMA was the quality of the work produced by the students. The film Hugh from the class of 2007 blew me away and is still one of my favourite films produced by the students.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR TRAINING AT ESMA? WHAT DID THE TRAINING & THE TEACHERS BRING TO YOU?

My years at ESMA were the hardest working years of my life. The teachers gave me a philosophy of rigour and professionalism. The production of the graduation film in the last year was an excellent exercise both from a technical point of view and from a human and relational (professional) point of view.

WAS THERE A SUBJECT THAT YOU LIKED IN PARTICULAR?

Animation of course, as well as everything related to drawing (Photoshop, character design, storyboarding, etc.).

HOW WAS YOUR PROFESSIONAL IMMERSION AFTER GRADUATING FROM THE ESMA?

Honestly, it wasn’t easy! As an animator it can be difficult to get your first contract: you have to stand out from the crowd to get your foot in the door and show perseverance and open-mindedness: that’s how I was able to get my first position to become a Cinematic Animator at Creative Assembly (CA).

Creative Assembly uses a lot of motion capture to produce the animations needed for the game. I had to adapt quickly to this new workflow and to software that I had never used before!

Your career path

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOB AS LEAD CINEMATIC ANIMATOR? WHAT DOES IT CONSIST OF AND HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?

Currently, my role is to make sure that the animations produced by my team for the trailers and cinematics of Total War: Warhammer III are of the best possible quality.

I do planning, organising, managing, organising and directing motion capture sessions and animation using motion capture or by hand.

Because my team is small, I also take part in pre-production stages such as storyboarding and layout.

I like this role because I like to take a project from start to finish. I like being part of the creative process and working with people in different roles. It’s very rewarding.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS/QUALITIES REQUIRED TO DO THIS JOB?

To be a lead you need to have qualities in many areas such as organisation of course, being able to make creative decisions, being critical and listening. Being a lead is also about setting an example, being a mentor and helping your team to develop and grow. Being a lead also means being able to delegate tasks!

As a lead, you don’t necessarily do what you want to do, but mostly what you have to do! I think that’s a good adage.

YOU STARTED AS A CINEMATIC ANIMATOR THEN SENIOR CINEMATIC ANIMATOR TO BECOME TODAY LEAD CINEMATIC ANIMATOR. HOW DID YOU EXPERIENCE THESE EVOLUTIONS? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE POSITIONS AND MISSIONS?

Since I’ve been at CA, I’ve been able to participate in the production of over 40 trailers and as much in-game content for 8 different games. It is thanks to this seniority and experience that I have been able to grow in my career and have more and more responsibilities.

I was very happy with these developments because my lead and mentor understood my career ambitions very early on. He was able to identify my strengths and helped me to grow in my different roles as the years went by.

A cinematic animator is responsible for producing animations in accordance with the direction given, showing autonomy, having a good grasp of the principles of animation, demonstrating technicality and being pro-active in dealing with any technical difficulties. The role may also require mentoring of trainees.

A senior will need to be even more independent, an expert in their field, highly technical, able to solve complex problems, proactive and have a critical and attentive eye. He or she is also someone who is a role model for the less experienced members of the team. The Senior is also a support for the Lead.

The lead is a person who manages a team (it can be one person) and is responsible for the productivity of his team members. The lead is responsible for recruitment and career development. Also, a lead still produces animation but in smaller quantities, plans the work that his or her team has to deliver in accordance with given budgets.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE CREATIVE ASSEMBLY STUDIO? WHAT INTERESTS YOU ABOUT THEM? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE A VIDEO GAME STUDIO? ARE YOU A GAMER YOURSELF?

When I was looking for a job when I left school, I decided not to limit myself to animation and VFX. I wanted my first experience and video games were a field that I found just as interesting as the others. Creative Assembly was the first studio to offer me a stable position as an animator (a 1-year contract) where other studios were offering me a generalist position on a casual basis. I jumped at the chance because a friend of mine was working there and had spoken well of it: Creative Assembly is a very good employer. The prospect of working abroad was also very exciting!

When I got my contract, I didn’t play video games much anymore. Thanks to my colleagues, I was able to discover what a rich and varied industry video games are. The more time goes by, the more I’m grateful that I had the open-mindedness to apply elsewhere than in the big VFX companies.

I play video games a lot, yes: it’s an absolutely brilliant way to escape. Gamers can get caught up in such complex and detailed worlds! Quite honestly, I often find it more enjoyable to immerse myself in a game than to watch yet another blockbuster!

YOU’VE BEEN WORKING AT CREATIVE ASSEMBLY FOR 7 YEARS. WHY SUCH A LONG TIME AND WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THEM?

What I like about Creative Assembly is the respect the studio has for its employees. There is no overtime or crunch. The rhythm between my professional and private life is very healthy.

My team has grown up around me and we work together to tell detailed stories of the highest quality. My lead has always been supportive: he listens to me and supports me in my career development since day one.

The projects are very interesting, I’ve been involved in over 40 trailers for 8 different games and I don’t even count the cinematics made for the games themselves! It’s a great opportunity to tell various stories with colourful characters.

I am listened to and valued by my teammates and superiors: why would I change studios with such a position? It would take an incredible opportunity for me to make this very difficult decision!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING FOR VIDEO GAMES AND MOVIES/SERIES?

In terms of animation, the biggest difference is in the gameplay animation that is produced for the game itself: it has to work technically when the players interact with the characters. Also, the animator can’t cheat anything because there is no camera: the animations have to be clean from every possible angle!

Animating for games also means that you can take advantage of real-time rendering engines and see your animation in-situ directly and not have to wait for shots to be rendered by a different department! It’s very useful for cinematics too, I can see my animation in real time in a few clicks!

YOU WORK ON HUGE SERIES LIKE WARHAMMER. IS IT STRESSFUL TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE EXPECTED BY A BIG COMMUNITY OF FANS? DOES IT WEIGH ON YOUR WORK, THE WAY YOU WANT TO LOOK?

There is definitely pressure, but it’s a positive pressure. Warhammer is incredibly diverse and varied, there are so many exciting characters and stories! My team and I want to portray the characters in the Warhammer universe as accurately as possible. When we do it well and the fans react positively, it is very rewarding!

HAVE YOU WORKED (OR DO YOU WORK) WITH ESMA ALUMNI?

Yes, several of them!

Elliot Maren (class of 2011) is the lead animator on the Total War: Warhammer trilogy, he does all the animation for the game itself. We collaborate from time to time! Theo Bonora (class of 2016) and Rebecca Belle (class of 2020) are members of Elliot’s team too.

I also got to work with two other ESMA graduates at Creative Assembly, but they have both moved on to other studios since then.

YOU’VE BEEN LIVING IN ENGLAND FOR SEVERAL YEARS, HAS IT BEEN COMPLICATED? NEW LANGUAGE, NEW CULTURE… AND BREXIT?

It took me a while to adapt, yes! England is a very different country from France but I met some very nice people as soon as I arrived. I already had a good level of English, so the hardest thing for me was to adapt to the accents in the UK! They are very different from the American accents I was used to!

The Brexit was a hard blow morally yes! The people around me at work had voted en masse to stay in Europe so the mood was very sombre in the aftermath of the referendum! As far as my job is concerned and my ability to stay in England, the process is very simple as I arrived in England long before the Brexit came into effect. I have a settled status and I am safe!

YOU GIVE MASTERCLASSES/TUTORIALS. WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS SHARING / TRANSMISSION OF KNOWLEDGE? USUALLY STUDIOS ARE RATHER SHY ABOUT REVEALING THEIR MANUFACTURING SECRETS, WHY DOES CREATIVE ASSEMBLY AGREE TO THIS?

What I like most about sharing and passing on knowledge is being able to help students get a better idea of what the world of work is really like. Moreover, Creative Assembly has a team dedicated to education and transmission, called the “Legacy Project”.

Creative Assembly makes a point of pushing its social values and the Legacy Project team works to support aspiring game developers by sharing with them the tools and skills they need to enter the industry. The studio is aware that there is a disconnect between the industry and students in schools and universities; in general, new graduates rarely have the skills needed to get their first experience in the industry. Creative Assembly believes that we can make a difference by pushing for greater collaboration between studios and educational systems: this is what the Legacy Project is dedicated to every day, where I do these masterclasses and tutorials!

IS THERE A PROJECT YOU ARE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?

Each new project we release is a source of pride for me: it is always the result of the work of a team of passionate people. I make it a point to always put a little more ambition into what I do and the projects I take part in.

If I had to show you some of my favourite projects it would be these two, released 2 years apart:

The trailer for one of the DLCs for Total War: Warhammer II – Shadow and Blade, released in November 2019. The trailer features animations from the game, mixed with animations made by my team to tell the story. I was Senior Cinematic Animator on this project and was responsible for the delivery of the animations. I did the planning, motion capture direction, layout and managed an intern who helped me with the execution of the animations.

And one of the last trailers I could deliver as lead. You can see how much the quality of work produced by my team has evolved since Shadow and Blade too!

A Covenant with Chaos for Total War – Warhammer III released in November 2021.

(I even hid a wink to Montpellier in it!)

To conclude

HOW HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THE EVOLUTION OF CG AND THE INDUSTRY SINCE YOU GRADUATED?

The evolution of technologies in CG, and especially video games, since I left school is impressive and inspiring. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

WHAT IS LIFE LIKE IN LONDON?

I don’t live in London but in a small town 50 minutes away by train called Horsham. It’s a very peaceful place and very English. I like my peace and quiet here and the proximity of Gatwick airport makes visiting my family in the South of France very easy.

ARE YOU THINKING OF RETURNING TO FRANCE?

At the moment I am happy with my life in England. Being from Sète near Montpellier I think I will eventually come back to live in my native region and be close to my family yes. But it’s not for the moment!

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?

To continue to grow in my career and in my work. Grow as a lead and continue to push the limits of what my department can produce. The projects that Creative Assembly has on the horizon are promising, it’s very exciting!

FINALLY, ANY ADVICE FOR STUDENTS AND FUTURE STUDENTS?

Be humble, flexible and open to criticism: Criticism is not personal, it is there to help you produce better work. If you are asked to start something from scratch, take the opportunity to learn. Sometimes it’s easier to start over than to struggle and try to fix something that doesn’t work.

Don’t get too attached to what you are producing, think of the end result first before spending too much time on the details.

Most of the time, the simplest things are the best!