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GIANT ANT
everyone’s time and creative energy is to resolutely follow that process. Once we go through a gate—like the style frame phase—the intention is to never go back through that gate. So we stack our process with several phases where the client can see the work in progress and make approvals that move the project forward. That doesn’t mean we don’t iterate, but we make sure that when work or ideas need to be revised, the project still moves forward in a direction that doesn’t bring the morale of the team down or surprise the client.”
Part of Giant Ant’s success comes from deciding whether potential clients fit within its collective morality. The studio has declined lucrative projects with pharmaceutical companies and fast food chains. It can be hard, Grandin and Nelson admit, but being selective leaves Giant Ant open for projects the team wants to do. “Everything we put into the world is a statement of our taste, and we think about that when we’re tempted to take on projects that have large budgets or high profiles,” says Grandin. “We have criteria that help guide us when we choose projects. We ask ourselves, ‘Would we use this product or service ourselves? Is this a creative opportunity?’ ‘Would our moms be proud?’” If they’re still not sure, they will poll the team, and they also have been known to stage town hall–style meetings, at which they discuss the potential value of or moral aversion to a project. Nelson adds, “People do better work when they believe in the story they’re telling. It’s that simple.”
The couple’s marriage has not just survived the test of working and living together, but they have another
Left: “Men’s Health magazine asked us to bring this amazing infographic to life using simple, colorful 2-D animation.” Thomas O’Quinn, creative director; Rami Niemi, illustrator; Lucas Brooking/Jorge Canedo Estrada/ Matt James, animators; Cory Philpott, producer; Men’s Health, client.
“FITC, an annual design and technology seminar, came to us with the opportunity to make the titles for the 2016 event, which was held in Toronto, with the theme ‘LEVEL UP.’ We referenced 30 video games to create this minihistory of the evolution of gaming and introduce 75 speakers to the conference.” Rafael Mayani, art director; Nicholas Ferreira/Jorge R. Canedo Estrada, designers; Nicholas Ferreira/Shawn Hight/Matt James/Conor Whelan, 3-D modeling/3-D animators; Jorge R. Canedo Estrada, creative director; Nicholas Ferreira/Max Halley/ Shawn Hight/Matt James/Jorge R. Canedo Estrada, compositors; Henrique Barone/Nicholas Ferreira/Jay Grandin/Max Halley/Shawn Hight/Matt James/Jorge R. Canedo Estrada/Conor Whelan, animators; Antfood, sound design/music; Liam Hogan, producer; FITC, client.
This page: Personal project. “A modern samurai encounters a huge tentacle—they fight. We wanted to push our cel character animation in a character-driven piece. Cel animation works its way into most of our projects, but this is the first time we relied on it as the sole animation method through the entirety of a piece.” Henrique Barone/Jay Grandin/ Rafael Mayani/Jorge R. Canedo Estrada, writers/creative directors; Rafael Mayani, illustrator/animation editor; Matt James, compositor; Henrique Barone, animator; CypherAudio, sound design/music; Cory Philpott, producer.
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