Gary Roche

My name is Gary Roche and I am passionate about everything film and TV, especially the potential that I see in animation. It can take storytelling into territory that is incomparable to other mediums. I am most interested in pushing my knowledge of storyboarding and finding my voice within the specialism to help translate a Director's vision with what I have to offer, as well as my own and what it is that I want out of the medium, which is to entertain an audience.

SHOWREEL

GET TO KNOW GARY

What hobbies do you have?

Drawing, reading, watching movies and TV shows, love a good game of chess.

What three things would you take to a desert island and why?

Fish net to catch food, hatchet to cut wood and coconuts, and matches to light a fire. If there was a forth one it would be a friend to talk to.

Tell us an achievement you're proud of.

I orchestrated and directed an independent animated short with a small crew of Animators which has won 18 awards in the independent festival circuit.

Describe a challenge that you had to overcome in your group projects.

The biggest challenge I had to overcome was when I was offered to be a Producer of one of the group projects and trying to organise and find a work flow between the Animation and VFX specialisms. With a group of students, who most of them I have barely met or worked with before, and trying to make it work by having the group work as a unit.

Which animated movie inspired you the most to choose this career path and why?

The very first animated movie I recall watching when I was 1 years old, a short film called 'A Grand Day Out', the first Wallace and Gromit short, which I owned a VHS copy to. I remember constantly watching it throughout my infancy until I was 8 years old when I became curious about how it was made which was when I got bitten by the artistic bug that set off this spark in me and drove me to wanting to get into the realm of animation.

Describe your favourite animated sequence.

The train chase scene in the second Wallace and Gromit short, 'The Wrong Trousers', where the duo pursue the sinister penguin, Feathers McGraw, while aboard a toy train set that takes them in and around the house. That scene is just pure genius, and so well done, and, if I say so, one of the greatest sequences to ever be adapted onto our TV screens.

What was your crowning moment of your time at Escape?

Having set a challenging and hefty task of creating a detailed 15 minute animatic that I made as my end result of my storyboarding portfolio towards my specialism module. I showed it in front of the year and got a positive response to it from both students and tutors, as well as industry professionals. It gave me a sense of relief of having all that hard work pay off, with a visual and literal documentation displaying my process of my learning that I can be proud of. A real microphone drop moment.