He came to talk to us about how he got started within the animation industry and the struggles he faced as an artist growing up alongside all of the success he has had. His journey was inspiring to me, as I could relate to his struggles and concerns, as I feel the same doubts he did, but it was nice to hear of his success and be reminded that it's possible to achieve what you want with perseverance.
Fraser started his artistic career in art college, studying fine art before moving onto graphic design. Being made to focus on life drawing, he pointed out that this is an important factor in being an animator, as it is essential to be able to draw, and it is what landed him a job later down the line. His first animation job however was a long time coming. The fact that Fraser and other professionals have explained that it took them a while to get their first jobs has done nothing but fill me with courage and confidence about moving forward with my own career, as it reminds me every time that I need to be patient and these things take time. Chances are, I won't begin to work in the area of animation that I want until I have gained a good few years of experience under my belt, but it is also nice to hear that real professionals have had to go through the same and that they were once in my position.
Fraser's first job was on the film Roger Rabbit, where he worked as a shadow artist, which literally involved him adding the shadows to the animated characters. Even though this didn't seem like a huge job, it was something he could put on his CV and it opened doors for him and helped him to continue to get jobs within the industry. However, despite finally gaining work with no other than Disney Studios, the road to success for Fraser was very bumpy. After Roger Rabbit, MacLean experienced a series of rejections from a number of producers and production companies and it wasn't until Disney were advertising down in London that MacLean landed his second significant job.
Even though it seemed hard, and it was hard to listen that it will be difficult to find work within the industry, it was also quite inspirational to hear that hard work and persistence pays off eventually. Fraser has since gone on to work on a number of different animations and has even written his own book on layout and the importance of background and design.
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