Check Out Min Lee’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Min Lee.

Hi Min, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In my undergrad, I majored in sculpture. I enjoyed telling my stories and communicating with the audience through multimedia sculpture. I was also very interested in media aesthetics. These interests led me to make ‘time’ as an artistic material, and I was quickly fascinated by animation. In the winter of 2018, I made my first animation at CalArts as an exchange student. Then I realized I’d like to create animation and work in this industry.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Because my major was sculpture, I struggled to change the path at first. When I came to New York to start the animation, I needed to gain more fundamental knowledge of CG animation. I only had some basic 3D software skills that I learned while minoring in visual communication design as an undergraduate and some animation basics that I learned in the Calarts. So, after returning from school, I practiced CG animation daily. I thought I had limited time. It was a very stressful time, but I could survive as an animator because of this time.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a 3D character animator making CG animation. My specialty is character animation, acting the character inside the CG animation. I make them laugh, cry, mad, and happy. My position is quite similar to the actor in the film. I am strong at facial acting and love to work on subtle but emotional drama. I am very proud of my project <Birthday Wish>. <Birthday Wish> is a 3D narrative animated short film about a fairy godmother who works digitally. It was screened at various film festivals, including New York Shorts International Film Festival, Anchorage International Film Festival, and Athens ANIMFEST. It was also selected as a Finalist at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.

I enjoy turning childhood memories into artwork. Memory is a fascinating material because it is a plain truth that is easy to manipulate. Even though people have similar experiences, these experiences cannot be completely the same. So we can easily empathize with each other’s memory but have very different experiences because of our various backgrounds. Memories can be glorified, forgotten, or manipulated. In my own story, I can find elements that lead to where I am now. Childhood memories are both subjective and objective, as memories symbolize something for everyone. I find these points very amusing. So, my artwork often starts with my own memories, and I branch out with some imagination or what I’d like to talk about. Sometimes, that goes in a completely different direction from my earliest memory, but I still can express myself in a unique way.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was always interested in storytelling. My childhood drawings always had a big story, and I always imagined fantastic adventures. My favorite childhood game was playing puppet shows to tell my original story with my character. Because of this interest, I grew up an animator who makes stories.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @minleeanimation

Image Credits
Character Modeler: Ankitha Krishnamoorthy Character Rigger: Nicholas Christie