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After high school, I got into the Ateneo
De Naga for their Digital Illustration and
3D animation course. I met Artists just
like me - people who knew more about
painting and drawing, who have seen
more films, and have read more books. Puppeteer Team: (Left to Right) Cjay Asedillo, John Aurthur
I believe I found myself through the Mercader, Song Moralde & Joshua Javier Raquitico
people I met. Everything they brought
into my life through their art and
imagination has made being an artist me think of home. It made me think of
how much talent we had, how many
something to be proud of. We all had stories are just waiting to be told and
this fire, and we’d huddle up at my
apartment as we teach each other new how much we brought to the tables of
the big Hollywood studios. They had
things about Photoshop, After Effects,
Maya, or whatever it was that we were Filipino animators, artists and directors
left and right - but no Filipino content.
into. Tutorial videos were shared and We had no voice. I was bent on making
passed on to people outside our circle.
Everyone grew and their competition sure that everything I did would be to
help create Filipino animation, bring it
was invigorating. Everyone wanted to
be the best. Eventually we called the to foreign audiences, and hopefully
inspire our talented artists to see that
group PUPPETEER, with a promise you don’t have to work in big Hollywood
that we’d all keep the fire burning and
that our art would make a difference studios or triple-A games to make
something great. I want people here to
someday.
know that there is much more their art
can do if we all strive to make OUR art,
But my stay at the Ateneo was short our voice.
lived. I got the opportunity to go to
Vancouver Film School and attend their
And that is what Puppeteer is built
3D animation course back in 2012. My
parents were on board too, so it was upon, that is how we got started, and
that is how we will keep on going. We
a no brainer for me to go to Canada. are here to show everyone that we
Film School taught me so much. As
an artist I grew exponentially in a year can make Filipino Feature animation
by Filipino Animators. We are here to
than I would have in five. But above
all else, Film School taught me to be inspire every kid who’s got their head
in the clouds, their pencils on their
passionate about Filipino animation. papers, and their notebooks thrown out
VFS was so diverse and everyone was
so well versed in 3d no matter where to stand up, pick up your notebooks
and create animation – OUR OWN
they came from. Almost every country
had their own animated films, games, ANIMATION.
short films, novels, comics, and it made
JOHN AURTHUR MERCADER is the Founder and Creative Director of
Puppeteer Animation Studios, Inc. His Geo won the Grand Prize Award,
and his Anito won the Best Professional Entry at Animahenasyon 2015 and
2016 respectively.
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