Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Prasad Narse. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Prasad, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I am from India, born and brought up in Mumbai. Becoming an animator was my life goal from the beginning. Back in India, it was hard to find a good school to learn animation. I began with Advertising design in my undergrad with a focus on Illustration at Sir J J Institute of Applied Arts in Mumbai during years 2005 to 2008. Soon after graduation I did a year-long diploma course in animation with Supinfocom college in India. That course didn’t really give me enough exposure to 3D animation. Soon, in the year 2010, I joined Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah GA. At SCAD, I graduated with MFA in year 2014 with a focus on Directing and 3D Animation. I feel lucky to get trained in animation from my professors Scott Wright, Jan Carlee and Dr. Charles Dacosta. At SCAD, I animated and directed a thesis short film ”I M Possible” which received 10 worldwide wins including a Student Emmy Award, a Silver Telly Award, and four nominations in the year 2014. Along with animation I learned basic techniques of camera staging and cinematography under the guidance of Prof. Jan Carlee. After I graduated I worked at number of studios including Laika House, Halon Ent., Luma Pictures, The Third Floor Inc. and Marvel Studios. Every studio and every project gave me experience to learn new techniques and to grow in the field of film, animation and VFX.

There is simply no short cut to learn the craft of Pre-visualization, one have to undergo 3 to 5 years of experience to became a successful visualization artist. Earning hands-on experience will speed up your learning process.

Apart from animation and camera staging one needs to develop a vision and problem solving attitude for an engaging storytelling through animation, camera staging and sequence of shots.

The biggest obstacle is stepping one’s foot inside the industry. Before joining Laika House I had to send out at least 5 emails every day to five different studios and then follow-up letters or reminders, but it was difficult to know the reason for a rejection or no response. If there is a connection in the industry, it does help artists to put their foot in the industry. I had none, plus being an international candidate things were difficult. Employers do think about visa support and honestly, no one wants to support visas, if you have a green card, then you will be hired without a problem. I was on Optional Practical Training status for two and a half years and then I have to obtain a visa in order to stay in the US to gain additional experience. So definitely, the struggle was real in the very beginning of my career.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I still remember I received a call from The Third Floor Inc. without any interviews, they were starting a previsualization production in May 2015 on a Chinese VFX feature called L.O.R.D. The show went on for about four months and I started looking up jobs as always. Due to my skills on this Chinese production, The Third Floor Inc. put me on a Marvel production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at Disney studios’ marvel headquarters. First time in my career, I felt accomplished. I worked for supervisor Jim Baker and were able to hear reviews from director James Gunn. I learned a lot from Jim and James, how to think in terms of shots and sequences or even be prepared to alter shot design. The process is more creative and every day at work feels new discoveries waiting for us to imagine. Since then, I become Marvel artist to be rolling constantly on Marvel features. Till now, I was fortunate enough to work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Thor Ragnarok, Avengers Infinity Wars, Avengers Endgame, Spiderman Far From Home, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. As a visualization artist, we give solutions to directors for developing the script and giving audiences an eye-opening sequence.

We work in a Visualization production or Pre-visualization production. It starts before the principal photography begins. As a Visualization artist, we work with VFX supervisors and film directors to shape their vision into an animated chain of events or sequences which tell the story in its early stage. It is good enough to understand any script in the earlier stage where you can also alter or modify certain aspects or events in it. The production helps directors in mapping out full CG elements, CG characters, and CG backgrounds and gives them more freedom to play with the script without increasing the budget. Our production also guides on-set production to prepare for an actual film shoot. We provide “techvis” which gives the exact idea of where the action is taking place, where the camera is capturing the action, and how far production has to cover background sets with green or blue screens for the post-production process.

Visualization art has unique importance. The visualization production is a faster way of blocking out feature film sequences. Previs also allows freedom to artists and give us a chance to pitch our own ideas when necessary. Here we are constantly involved in a creative decision-making process, I think that sets us apart from other CG productions.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

At work, the main motivator is the ability to entertain the audience through my work. Without the audience and their response an artist is meaningless! The best examples are the portal opening scene in Endgame and Spiderman’s halo jump off of the jet diving down to fight with Mysterio in ‘Spiderman: Far from home’, where I was able to develop previs and give solutions to directors in a short time. Portal opening scene from Endgame turned out to be the favorite moment among most Marvel fans and I feel proud to be able to develop these shots which laid the foundation of what we see in the movie.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think to be successful in a career, it is important to let go of self-judging; labeling, comparing, and criticizing yourself. Instead, try to solve challenges at work; it boosts our confidence. It reduces mental stress and prepares us to face any challenges. I always focus on finding answers at work technically or conceptually, I firmly believe that this is one of the reasons behind my success and happiness as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vimeo.com/prasadnarse
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prasadnarse/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prasadnarse/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/cri8iveprasad
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/sSMcB-2QYpw

Image Credits
Movie still frames have ©Marvel