We were lucky to catch up with Thomas J Yagodinski recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Thomas J, thanks for joining us today. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.
In 2014, as a way to explore the medium of stop motion animation, I decided to animate a fan-made music video for the band Mastodon. I’ve had much experience in making music but had never animated puppets at 24 frames per second. The video took 9 months to create and was a huge learning curve. When I posted it to YouTube, much to my shock, it became a minor viral hit with metal music fans and the band itself. Since then I have received countless inquires to make music videos. They don’t often pan out, due to a myriad of reason, mainly the time it takes to create these animations. In 2017 I was contacted by a band called Four Stroke Baron. I was very inspired by their sound and they were agreeable to the budget and time frame I presented to them. I went on to work with them for almost two years, animating their music videos, Planet Silver Screen, A Matter of Seconds, their cover of the song Lungs by Chvrches and a slew of short promotional teasers.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Thomas J Yagodinski and I am a stop motion animator. I specialize in music videos, short films and short content creation. I came to animation as a life long film lover.
The service I provide to potential clients runs the entire spectrum of the animation process. Starting with pre-visual concepts and storyboards, to puppet design/fabrication, set design/fabrication, lighting, the animation/editing process and finally to sound design, if requested.
Animation is the harnessing and infusion of energy into an inanimate object to create the illusion of life. All my works are hand crafted with as little digital trickery as possible.
My artistic sensibilities tend to lean toward the dark and sinister, which even a brief look at my work confirms. So I’m perfect for Halloween content!!
I’m currently in production on an adaptation of HP Lovecraft’s The Beast in the Cave, starring the voices of Jim Titus, Russell Sams and Sara Cravens. It marks a milestone for myself, as I’ve made super short films in the past, but this is the first time I’ve worked with a cast and a narrative, three act film structure. The final product will have a runtime of approximately 30 minutes, which translates to approximately 43,200 still photos.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The freedom to explore, experiment, fail and learn. The only thing that equals that is a satisfied, excited client/audience.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I was 36 I made my first stop motion animation. It’s terrible, but I was never so certain of anything in my life, that this is what I want to spend the rest of life pursuing. Up to that point, I had been playing music and working odd jobs. I phased out most aspects of normal life and animation has become my everything. Even during challenging moments, I have a general happiness that wasn’t there when I was younger.
Contact Info:
- Website: thomasjyagodinski.com
- Instagram: @tjystopmo
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/ThomasJYagodinski