Meet Nicholas Manning | 3D Character Animator, CG Previz Artist, Writer and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas Manning and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, what makes you happy? Why?
What makes me most happy about the work that I do is that I get to craft compelling animated stories to entertain audiences and offer people new perspectives on topics they may be unfamiliar with. I also love bringing animated films to fruition in a collaborative environment; working with other artists and creatives that bring their own skills and expertises to the project that ultimately make the work bigger than any one of us could have done on our own. The combination of working in a medium that I love and growing as a collaborator with others is the most rewarding experience an animator can have, and I am lucky enough to live in that reality.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I got my BFA in 3D Character Animation at the Savannah College of Art and Design which revolved predominantly around bringing CG character rigs to life through the principles of animation and Stanislavski’s methods of acting. My favorite aspect of animation is its ability to mirror life and create new reality for audiences to see themselves in. Whether it be extreme exaggeration, dynamic character acting or subtle nuance that cues one into the mind of a character, I pride myself on using animation to tell compelling stories delivered by truthful performances from the characters I breath life into. Over the last two years, my art and creative approach have evolved during my time in my Sequential Art Master’s degree program at SCAD. I developed a new love of shot design and cinematography that supports strong narrative structures for animated storytelling. This love was sparked by my training program at The Third Floor Inc., a VFX previzualization studio that works to build dynamic and appealing animatics for block buster films. After my time at TTF, I was hooked on learning more about cinematography as it related to visual storytelling. While in my MFA program, I developed a thesis that studies the utilization of sequential art writing methods for animated short films. The writing structure of sequential art allowed me to methodically plan the shot design and cinematography for my film on paper and expedite the rest of the production process. I’m looking forward to opportunities to use both my knowledge of cinematography and character animation on independent and industry level projects.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a friend visiting Atlanta, I would want them to visit the must see sights and the best places to eat and drink. For site to see, I’d take them to the High Museum of Art, The Georgia Aquarium and Ponce City Market. These were my favorite places to go during my time at school. As for places to eat, Colony Square in Midtown is a great place to try a variety of cuisines, especially Rumi’s. For some fast casual food, I’d take my friend to Breaker Breaker in East Atlanta and Mambo Zombie for their extensive cocktail menu.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Someone who had a huge impact on my creative and professional goals growing up was my high school digital art teacher, Dan Cornell of Smoky Hill High School. My freshman year, I enrolled in his digital art program, “Digital Evolutions”, where I began learning the necessary skills to become a creative thinker, designer and animator. He provided an educational and creatively stimulating classroom environment where I could create any project, character and story I could dream of. This, coupled with his extensive technical knowledge, allowed me to develop into an animator with a passion for storytelling. Throughout my time in his program, I created three animated short films that achieved three consecutive state recognitions in the Technology Student Association SCIVIZ competitions. These accolades I achieved were proof that if I put my mind and energy into creating something that I know I can be proud of, then the opportunities that I reap from that effort will be unimaginable. Dan Cornell had a foundational role in my beginnings as a storyteller, and the best lesson he taught me was that one person can’t teach you everything. At some point, you will have to branch out on your own to find the answers you’re looking for. If you want to learn something, you have to go out into the world and research that topic yourself or surround yourself with others who know that topic better than you. It was this drive for knowledge and active growing that Cornell instilled in me, and I continue to work from his mentality in my current projects. I am grateful for all of the early opportunities I had through Cornell’s program and I would not be where I am today without his teaching and guidance.

Website: https://www.nicholasmanning.art

Instagram: @nickmanninganimation

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholaspmanning