Wayne Thomas
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SAG Profile – Wayne Thomas
How did you get in to the business?
In my last year at Newport Art School (1979) Richard Fawdry (now at Silver Fox) and I took our portfolios to London, in hopes of getting any kind of in road into the industry. Unannounced, I called in at Halas & Batchelor and Richard went to TVC. Looking back, I think we were very fortunate to both be offered trainee posts on only the second day of our job search. I trained under Harold Whitaker as an inbetweener for a year and then left do embark on another project as a freelance animator for the same company.
What kind of projects have you worked on?
At first I assisted on short TV ads at H&B, then animated on the feature Heavy Metal. After a short stint as a comic artist off Fleet St, I moved in to TV series at Siriol Animation, Cardiff in 1981. Here I worked primarily as a storyboard artist with Andrew Offiler on the Superted series and various TV Specials for S4C. As storyboard and layout artists Andrew and I worked on the feature Princess & The Goblin. As a Unit Director at Siriol I worked on the series Tales of the Tooth Fairies, (Sofidoc, France). In the late 80’s I began my long-term collaboration with storyboard artist and director Andy Janes. Together we worked on many series for studios such as Cosgrove Hall Productions, BBC Bristol and A productions.
Back at Siriol I accepted the role of Director on the series Romuald The Reindeer which was nominated for a BAFTA in 1995.
What brought you to Scotland?
Many times over the years at Siriol in Cardiff, the possibility of moving the company to Scotland was discussed. After contacting Sandy Ross at STV in 1996, producer Robin Lyons decided to set up a branch of the company in Glasgow. Andy Janes and I ran the studio from offices on Argyle St. The idea was to bring local talent into the industry.
Do you find there are different challenges getting work being based in Scotland?
As a freelance animator or storyboard artist I have found that it doesn’t matter where you live in the UK in order to secure work. Technology now allows the scanning and reviewing of work to take place over the Internet. Some producers will insist on staff working in house, but in my experience this is pretty rare. What matters is that you do a good job, then the producer will come back to you.
You also teach at Duncan of Jordanstone. What made you decide to take up teaching?
At various times in my career I have been asked to recruit talent from animation courses up and down the country. It was always a tough task to find anyone who new anything about the production process. Many students were leaving with degrees in animation but had never used a field key or even heard of a dope sheet. I was asked to bring my experience in the industry to try and change that. Together with other industry professionals such as Campbell McAllister, we are endeavouring to make sure that students who leave Duncan Of Jordanstone have the ability to compete in the industry.
Do you have any advice for anyone hoping to get in to the industry?
There have always been peaks and troughs in the industry. When you embark on your career it may be at a time when work is scarce, but don’t give up. Keep knocking on the doors of the production houses; take advice and act upon it. Aim high too. My first mentor was David Rees at Pentre Grammar. He always said ‘Reach for the sky and you may reach the ceiling. Reach for the ceiling and you’ll never get off the ground.’ I hope that doesn’t sound too patronizing!
What are you most proud of in your working career?
This is a tough one. I suppose receiving a BAFTA nomination, as it’s an acknowledgement of your worth from industry peers. Sort of helps you feel you fit in.
Wayne Thomas, Dunblane, July 2007