Meet Shravya Shetty | Visualization artist & Animator

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

Hi Shravya, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
That Visualization as a field in itself exists for animators. Pre-visualization is the planning of the shots, scenes and sequences before the actors are filmed for any movie. A lot of the planning and ground work is done in previz, the stronger the foundation and ideals implemented the better the movie is. Plus its super fun to do without having to delve into refinement but more to do with the concept feel and idea.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art comes from my love of story telling. The field I’m in, that being a visualization artist in the movie and TV industry, helps me amplify that skills and reach a vaster audience. I consume a vast number of stories be it from books, comics, mangas, TV or movies. My knowledge extends to mythology and history as well. Brilliant camera work is a artform that is so understated yet so powerful that it had captivated me immediately and that is what I do. I choregraph the camera, characters and action in the foundational stages and figure out how to tell the story the writer wishes to tell the audience as well as where the audience should look at any given time in the visual media of the project I’m working on.

Art as a field in India is looked down on. I was always artistically inclined and knew I would do something the field I love. My family was very supportive and I pursued commercial art and let me say this, the advertainment industry was soul sucking. I was floundering and I hated just layouting a page for just a product. However, I had had a brief stint in a studio and I used tutorial to learn how to create models in Maya and liked it very much.
I took a gamble when deciding what to study for my Masters. With the application page for Academy of Art open, I remember saying to myself “I have learned 3D Modeling enough, time to learn something new.” In that split second I had decided grow or fail it’s all up to me and I sent the application.

Graduating in the middle of the pandemic was harsh, I had interviews lined up but 2020 COVID hit the was a hiring freeze almost everywhere and they stopped the interviews. The job market was bad but worse was I would not network, getting your foot into the industry is hard. I was so stressed for so long, I had a job to hold me over but not in the field I wanted to be in I was creating 3D Models and doing some menial stuff rather than working in a grandiose film as I had imagined. I was grateful but not satisfied with all the freelance I was getting. That’s when Halon approached me for a VAD job and I was reluctant but they didn’t go ahead with me but said they might have an opening in a month for their animator roles as they though I would be more suited to that. Low and behold, 1 month later I followed up with them without any expectations and there you have it I was hired! I absolutely loved it cause I wished to tell stories rather than just move puppets around like an animator does, I wanted to not only animate but also be part of planning out a shot to tell a story and that’s exactly what I do now.

If you had to learn anything from my story know that never become complacent and never give up, life is about growth and discovering yourself and I have the privilege to do what I love day in and out and you can too if you only give yourself a chance. Follow through with what you love and success will follow after you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Francisco I amazing! There is an art fair or an event or just 18 and over night time museum visits. Have to het a bit and movie at the Alamo Draft house or an outdoor movie at Hayes Valley. Definably grab some clams at Chez Maman West in Hayes Valley and if we get lucky attend an art fair there. Taking a day trip to Sonoma to be wined and dinned is great but also Looking at the Golden Gate bridge on a ferry across to Sausalito grab a bite at the Barrel house and watch the bridge on during sunset and get desert at Ghirardelli Square and play some mini golf there as well. Visit the Botanical garden and The California Academy Of Sciences and head to Japan town and have sushi at Izumi or ramen at Hinodeya. For a day of relaxed shopping go to Stanford shopping center and end with a SPA day at cacoon.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would be nowhere without the love, support and guidance I received from these people in my life. My first supervisors on a project Fabio Tovar is a brilliant mind who helped guide me through how the industry works, helping me expand my skills and growing my talents towards becoming a generalist. A great leader that I truly admire. James Gammans for leading the very first project that I took all the way through the production pipeline. I learned and grew as the project grew and I attribute so much of my success to how much I learned with him the helm of the project and allowing me the opportunity to learn and reach beyond what I know and taking the time to teach me what I did not know.
My fellow, co worker Sormeh Behbahani for showing me that being courageous and asking questions is will always help you grow more than being quite and taking your lot. Her curiosity is inspiring and she is exceptional as an artist and a person.
Last but not the least my family and friends that encourage my love for art and being my steadfast pillars of support.

Website: https://shravyashetty3295.wixsite.com/shravya

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shravyashetty3295/

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14882788/