Meghana Reddy: She visualised, she worked, she achieved

As we know, India is rapidly developing in the Animation industry and every single artist dreams of having their name credited in a film streaming on a platform like Netflix. Meghana Reddy, who is originally from Chennai, worked her heart and soul and stood in a place where she dreamt.

She started off as a 2D Artist but later given the opportunity to work on two 3D animated films 'Elf pets: Santa's reindeer rescue' and 'Elf pets: Fox cubs christmas tale' that were bought by Netflix. She was responsible for the 3D modeling of some environments, texture, lighting, rendering and illustrating.

About her journey Meghana Reddy says, "At a very early age in my life, I have been particularly fond of art and design. At the age of six, I began painting using watercolor, acrylic, and oil. I have always enjoyed creating and letting my imagination run free on a canvas. I chose to take up art lessons after school because there weren't many design or arts-related subjects offered where I studied. I have always been passionate about creating art and innovating new designs that are unique in the market. I love to keep myself updated with all the latest technology involved in the design industry."

Meghana was interested in animation since childhood only. She says, "I enjoy telling stories, so the idea of combining that love with the development of wildly imaginative characters that could bring the story to life always fascinated me. It was in college when I finally got into the fundamentals of design. I learnt everything from the history of animation, fine arts, design, packaging, printing, and filmmaking to learning how to create stunning visuals using various design software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and 3D Studio Max.

It took me a while to figure out these applications. But once I tapped into this world of digital art and design, it turned into an endless creative journey. I always looked at art as a hobby but the moment I decided that I wanted to pursue my career in art and in the creative industry was when I first laid my eyes on Peter Jacksons 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. For me, that was filmmaking at its best. I was in awe by the visuals and the concepts and dug a bit deeper on the making of all the 3 films after I had watched them. That was when I came across the brilliant Alan Lee."

Meghana talks about the difference between living in India and America, and says, "At first, I was a bit nervous because it was the first time, I was leaving home, I'd never been away before nor did I travel abroad. So, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but all I knew was I was excited to meet a bunch of creative folks and explore the city. Later I'd come to realise that I didn't need to worry or be nervous. I'd adjusted pretty much in the first month of my stay." "The biggest difference between living in India and America is the fact that you must do all your chores yourself. I didn't have my mom pamper me with a breakfast spread as soon as I woke up. I had to do everything myself and that really taught me how to be responsible and more independent," she adds.

She started working with the award-winning animation company Primal Screen, after moving to Atlanta. She says, "At Primal Screen, I started off as a 2D artist, where I worked on character and background illustrations for many kids' television programs that were aired on popular American channels such as PBS kids and Nickelodeon. Nick is a German free-to-air television channel, part of the international Nickelodeon brand. I worked on the seasonal intro animations that would usually appear with the Nickelodeon logo before the start of every show."

Elaborating about her challenges she says, "I think when you have a big idea or a goal that you want to work towards, it is going to be a bumpy ride. There are going to be many challenges along the way especially in the creative field. For me, it was the struggle in achieving a work-life balance. I would dedicate all my time to working and very little to my lifestyle, which I have fixed over the last couple of months. I have discovered a solid balance between my personal and professional lives and doing so has improved my decision-making and radically changed how I perform at work. I've found that I'm far more productive."

Talking about her experience working on the films, 'Elf Pets: Santa's Reindeer Rescue' and 'Elf Pets: Fox Cub Christmas Tale', she says, "When we started production on these films, I got to wear many different hats and learnt quite a bit from the entire journey. I was responsible for 3D modeling the environments, the character lighting, rendering, and I was also the sole illustrator on the team for all the 2D illustrated scenes. One of my biggest takeaways from working on these films was the dream team I had the pleasure to work alongside. This was my first 3D film, and the entire team were extremely helpful, and I learnt a lot from them. When we got to know that these films were going to bought by Netflix, we were all so excited because it is every artist's dream to have our names credited as a part of a successful Netflix film."

Meghana feels that the animation industry in India is rapidly growing. She says, "The animation and VFX industries are definitely growing at a fast pace in India. Infact, I also see a rapid development in the gaming industry. I love that a lot of filmmakers in India are experimenting with various resources to create and incorporate really good visual effects in their films. To pick a few, I loved Sabu Cyril's work for 'Baahubali' and 'Enthiran' , and Wasiq Khan's work for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Ram-Leela', 'Pallab Chanda' and Vinayak Joshi for 'Gangubai Kathiawadi', and many more. I would love to be a part of the films that have a combination of both live action and VFX."

Meghana wants to learn more, she says, "I am now working toward a Ph.D. in business because, despite my long-standing fascination and interest with the field, I have never found the time to learn more about it on my own. I therefore made the decision to enroll in a weekend-only executive program. The business world is a vast ocean and understanding how the entire system functions is mind-boggling. I want to navigate my career by combining my skills as a 2D/3D Artist with User Interface and User Experience Design and take up meaningful projects that positively impact the day-to-day lives of people."