Check Out Hanna Cho’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hanna Cho.

Hi Hanna, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a kid, I loved to draw characters and stories of my own and enjoyed observing the world around me. I got into comics as I grew up, and I went to Korean Animation Highschool, which is one of the art high schools in Korea, and you get to choose your major and study it for three years. While I was studying and drawing comics, I got interested in animation and decided to change my future dream. Especially, I was interested in Animations from the US like Ratatouille, Monsters Inc, and I applied for Calarts and went to the states to study. Among the different roles that you can choose, storyboarding was the one that I wanted to pursue as a career because I can still do 2D drawings and get to be involved with the story-making process.

While I was working on the 4th year personal film, the directors from the Mitchells vs the Machines visited the school, and they were interested in my portfolio. Luckily, I got to work as a story artist on the MvsM, and after the project, I have been working on different animation projects such as We bare bears, Inside job, and upcoming Ninja Turtle movie.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has not been smooth all the time. I was working on the Mitchells vs the Machines on my OPT( Optional Practical Training), which is a type of work permit for a year after you graduate from college. But after a year, my visa expired, and I couldn’t get a proper work visa back then, so I had to go back to Korea. However, the crew kept wanting to work with me, so I started to work remotely from Korea for the same position.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have been working as a storyboard artist in the US animation industry both for feature and TV. As a storyboard artist, I get assigned to script pages from the director and translate those into visual representations. I tried to find the best images for each sequence to deliver the story in the most effective way.

I find myself very strong at overall draftsmanship and understanding of cinematic language, so I’m mostly confident to do various types of sequences such as action, drama, or even comedy. But I think I’m the most specialized in creating drama sequences. I’ve been interested in human emotions, conflicts, and the arc of relationships in general, so it was my habit to observe people around me and dig into the more deep knowledge of those. It definitely helped me enormously to create very specifically appealing sequences of drama.

In addition, I think basic drawing skills are always important, so I keep continued life drawings since high school. Understanding how the human body works and how to draw objects in a precise, personal way has been a core source for me. Because of consistent practice, I have been able to draw story panels quite fast and beautifully.

The proudest sequence that I did so far has been the ‘Homevideo sequence’ in The Mitchells vs the Machines. It’s the one that Rick, the father watches his family’s old home videos and reminisces about the old days, and decides to go on a road trip to rebuild the relationship between him and his daughter again.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
During the pandemic, It was hard to be locked in the house and see devastating news of loss on the media all the time. I’m sure it felt like a long tunnel for everyone. But I think I finally had enough time to know myself better. Because I couldn’t spend time with others freely, I tried to focus on a question like ‘Okay, what do I like to do by myself?’.

After a long time of not doing personal artwork, I found drawing is still fun again. Outside of art, Yoga has been so fun and happy to do and I was also able to read more interesting books. Also, I learned every friend and every little mundane moment together with people is precious and one of the most important things in our life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: hannahannacho

Image Credits:
Sony Pictures Animation. Hanna Cho