Meet Lauryn Anthony | Lighting Artist & Filmmaker

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

Hi Lauryn, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
There’s a part in one of my favorite movies, The Red Shoes, where after being asked why she dances Moira Shearer responds, “why do you live?”; which I think is the best encapsulation for why anyone with an artistic drive gets into their career field. I was a pretty shy and quiet child growing up in a fairly extroverted sporty family, but when I was given my free time I always felt compelled to draw or paint. I think of art as another way human beings communicate with each other, and it was how I’ve best expressed myself. When it came time to think about my career I knew it had to be something creative.

Film, the visual arts, and the way they come together in animation especially appealed to me. Like many children I was raised on Disney, Pixar and Ghibli. So I naturally found my way into the animation field. In college I was lucky to be trained in all aspects of the pipeline. I even co-directed a film with Anushka Tina Nair called “Period Drama” about how after getting her first period, a young girl’s imagination spirals wildly out of control. It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life and I’m extremely proud of the response the film has gotten. We were the only US finalists at the Student Academy Awards, and won Best Student Film at SIGGRAPH Asia, among many other successes at film festivals. Although, maybe the best reaction we’ve gotten is hearing and reading the responses to others on how it made them reflect on their own reactions to menstruation!

The experience also led me to figuring out what area of animation I’d like to specialize in: Lighting and Compositing. I love seeing the end result of the team’s hard work and being part of the final look on a project. It also gives me a chance to interact with artists in other pipelines who I enjoy learning even more from.

The art world is so important to my life and how I see the world. I don’t think of my career as stopping after I’ve left the studio for the day. Even when I’m not doing my day to day job I can usually be found reading, drawing, watching a movie, or walking while listening to music.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It definitely wasn’t easy. When people hear you want to go into the arts, even one with more of a corporate structure like animation, you get concerned looks. Luckily I had the support of teachers and family, as well as a drive within myself to just keep on going. The animation industry goes through ups and downs, so all you can do is try to hold on and focus on your own growth while waiting for the ups. Part of that is learning from others around you. I’ve learned as much from my peers and coworkers as I did from professors in school.
As for who I am and what else I’ve learned, one thing I finally came around to a few years ago was to indulge in my niches. For too long I was worried about what would be “popular” and looked too much at what the people immediately around me were doing. Some of this was fueled by people who didn’t “get” what I was pitching because it wasn’t something that was super familiar to them personally. When Anushka and I first pitched Period Drama we didn’t get a super enthusiastic response, but we were passionate and were sure that the audience would gravitate to that. And it paid off. I’m a bookish person who likes classic movies, reading about the female experience, and history. When I started incorporating that into my work I immediately enjoyed what I was making more and got more excited reactions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a history nerd, so if you’re there at the right time of year I definitely recommend taking the Warner Brothers Classic Tour! They take you around the lot and give a tour focused around classic hollywood. Most people want to go on the regular tour which is understandable, but more films were actually shot on the lot back in the day than they are now. And it’s so crazy to be thinking that legends like Judy Garland or Barbra Streisand were running around in this exact area. When I was there for Siggraph our party were the only ones that had signed on for the classic tour time slot so we got kind of a private tour. Which was very cool!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s so many people I’d like to mention! Firstly, My co-director, Anushka. She’s the greatest creative partner, and maybe the only person who completely gets my weird references. Also, my younger brother Dylan, who I have to thank for supporting his weird sister, and who’s fearlessness I’m in awe of. I can’t wait to see where he goes in life.

I have to give a final shoutout to the art department of my high school Memorial in Madison, Wisconsin. It’s been many years since I’ve been there, but my teachers were some of the first people to encourage my interest in art which was invaluable to me. Funding for art programs in public school is so important. I found out my abilities and who I wanted to be in those classrooms.

Website: https://laurynanthony.wixsite.com/portfolio

Instagram: @laalu_art

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauryn-anthony-277222158/

Twitter: @LaaluArt

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0K1T86ueg0&t=14s