Chris Meyer-White is one of those creatives that has accomplished quite a bit in a short amount of time. He has worked in home entertainment for over 15 years, including projects for Warner Brothers, Disney, BBC, Paramount, and other studios. He spent a lot of that time with Abbey Home Media, the home to many well-known shows like the Care Bears, Topsy and Tim, Peter Rabbit, Fireman Sam, and more.

Chris graciously found time in his schedule to answer a few questions for us. You will find that like a lot of us… he is driven to create and has been since an early age. 

In general terms how do you use Reallusion products or what fits your production pipeline?

Cartoon Animator is an integral part of my production pipeline. I’ve been using Cartoon Animator (previously CrazyTalk) for over 6 years as my go-to animation software. It works flawlessly between Photoshop (and Illustrator), as well as After Effects which is where I do all my compositing.

What time in life did you realize you had to create things or at least had an interest in being creative?

I’ve always wanted to work in entertainment. When I was about 10, I auditioned for the classic Warner Brothers movie, The Secret Garden. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the role, but from then on I wanted to be a director. I’ve always loved animation, so from the rejection of not getting a child acting job, my love of directing and animation began.

Considering the answer to the above question, when did you realize that you COULD be creative in a real-world productive manner?

From the age of 10, I was fascinated with motion and movement - Aardman Animations in Bristol (which is where I live now) was a huge inspiration with their plasticine animation, and it’s something I wanted to do, so, I grabbed my Dads 8mm film camera, grabbed some plasticine and animated a 5-second sequence, and it was doing this where my love of animation and storytelling began, and anyone could animate - even me.

What would you consider your breakthrough moment in your part of the industry?

I would say that becoming Product/Production Manager at one of the UK’s leading children’s home entertainment company (Abbey Home Media) was my big breakthrough moment. I was fortunate enough to work as a home entertainment product manager on a number of well-known children’s shows such as Paddington Bear, Sesame Street, The Care Bears, Peter Rabbit, The Octonauts, Strawberry Shortcake, and many more. It also opened the doors for me to contacts in the children’s industry that I wouldn’t have been able to get access to before.

Do you always feel the need to create, or does it come and go?

I think that as creativity is all around us, you can find anything inspiring. In the groups I run, I see many talented people who share what they are working on, and that’s a great way to get creative, and also, hopefully, what I share helps others be creative too. I feel the need to be creative 100% of the time - it’s hard to turn my brain off, to be honest.

Can you see a story in just a glimpse like at a checkout counter or at the park or just about any ordinary, everyday event? Do random things trigger your creative streak? What inspires you?

Everything can trigger a story, I make up stories all the time, as I mentioned above, inspiration is all around us, you see a bench for example, and my brain starts to wonder who’s sat on that bench today, what would their story be, why were they there, and boom, you have a whole load of stories. But what inspires me? Other people inspire me, meet new people, and catch up with old - sharing stories and conversations are my biggest inspiration for stories. Being a big kid also helps.

What is your “stuck on a deserted island with a laptop and a solar generator” go-to creative software application? Your “I can’t do my job without software apps”?

That’s simple:

• Photoshop to design.
• My Rode microphone and Audacity to record audio.
• iZotope RX to clean up the audio.
• Cartoon Animator 5 to animate.
• After Effects to composite 

Are you always on the search for new creative tools to complement your workflow, are you satisfied with what you are currently using or a combination of both?

I think being creative, you’re always looking for new tools to help push your creativity - I can’t think of any more tools I would need in my pipeline, however, I’m always on the lookout for plugins to add something new to what I do.

What is your relationship with Qu Studios?

Qu Studios was set up 10 years ago by my husband, Mathew, and it’s grown to be one of the Southwest of England’s most sought-after boutique Film and Production studios - When I joined the business, I added Mixed Up Pixels to the umbrella of businesses we offer, and specialize in motion design, animation, and e-learning for pre-schools.

Do you have any advice to give to a new animator? How to prepare themselves to go to work with someone like you?

My advice is, you learn something new every day - I’m always learning, you will never be at the top of the tree, you’re always climbing the tree, so enjoy the journey. 

Recently on a shoot, a runner said to me, ‘I’m only the runner’, and I said, ‘no, you’re not only the runner, you are one of the most important people here’, everyone’s the same, no matter what the pay grade. Treat everyone how you want to be treated, and that’s with empathy, and not with an ego.

Also, sometimes a project you’re working on can go on the back burner for a while, and that’s ok, sometimes it’s better to let an idea or project stay on the shelf and come back to it when the time is right. 

With reference to ‘how to prepare themselves to go to work with someone like you?’ - that’s a hard one, to be honest - just be prepared to work as a team, and never be afraid to ask a question or share an idea.

In summary, is there anything you want the Renderosity readers to know about you and your work or a general closing statement?

I’m currently working on a new animated pilot episode for ‘Polly and Parrot’ so, keep an eye out for that (if you follow my Facebook page www.facebook.com/pollyandparrot) I’m making regular production and behind-the-scenes updates.

More Information on Chris and Reallusion is located at the links below:

• Interview with Chris at Reallusion Magazine

• How to Make Broadcast-Quality Children’s Animations with Cartoon Animator

Master Classes from Chris:

• A Fast and Intuitive Way to Mix 2D Animation with Live Action Video

• Make Broadcast-Quality Children Series

Mixed Up Pixels YouTube Channel