Gavin Ball Explains His Ability To Stay Creative

Name: Gavin Ball
Position: Jr. Designer
Team: Direct DVD

Q: What was your impression of Rainmaker before you arrived?

A: My impression of Rainmaker before I got here was that it was one of the bigger studios in Canada, I knew they had worked on a lot of interesting projects like Spiderman, Beast Wars and Reboot. I also knew they had a feature film in development (Escape from Planet Earth), which I thought was pretty cool.

Q: How would you summarize your first project at Rainmaker?

A: My first project here was to design a small prop for one of the Barbie films. If I remember properly, I think it was a gingerbread man Christmas tree ornament. I remember going all out; I rendered it as well as I could, putting all the little details in. Ultimately, the prop was only going to be seen in the background of a shot for a couple of seconds. At the time though in my mind it was the most important thing in the world. I probably spent about two days working on it. I think it turned out pretty good though. It also set the tone for me in terms of the approach I would take to any new project I tackled.

Q: How would you describe the person you work closest with?

So far everyone I've worked with here has been extremely helpful, from my supervisor Pam, to all the producers and the people in the other departments that I've worked in. The design team in particular has been really helpful answering any questions I've had and doing their best to bring me up to speed. The person who sits closest to me is Dave D., and working with him has been a good experience, especially being able to share philosophies on design and art in general. All in all though, everyone has been great.

Q: When you started working at Rainmaker, did you ever think you’d be in the position you’re currently in?

A: Yeah, but only because my position hasn't really changed much (I'm still in the position I was hired for). Not that I'm complaining, my ideal has always to bring my ideas to life. Design and concepts for me are the starting point visually...that’s when everything gets worked out. I am also grateful and fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to work on some of the new properties Rainmaker is trying to develop. Stuff like that is always fun and interesting because you pretty much have free reign artistically.

Q: When your friends ask you what is fun about your job, how do you reply?

A: Just being able to be creative everyday, learning something new everyday and gaining understanding about how films are made from start to finish. It is all invaluable experience.

Q: How has your impression of Rainmaker changed since you started working?

A: I didn't realize how much Rainmaker had done and how much they are currently doing. How all the different departments work together to create one product. Rainmaker is not a studio that just does one small piece of something. I was impressed to see that the company is set up to carry an idea from it's initial concepts all the way through to production and completion.