http://www.hatchstudios.net

Richard Rosenman started his childhood in Caracas Venezuela before migrating to Toronto Canada with his family. Son to his mother and father who were both architects he quickly grasped the idea of art and design and began experimenting with different mediums before becoming interested in computers. After graduating from Sheridan College where he learned all about design, art & animation history, anatomy, and painting he knew what direction he wanted to go in life. A few years later after gathering some experiences and then working at Topix and Redrover Studios, Mr. Rosenman now is the co-founder of Hatch Studios LTD in Toronto Canada where they continue to create high quality work in computer graphics using state of the art technology combined with traditional art techniques.

By Paul*PabloGrca*Hutchens

SQ - Hello Mr. Rosenman, first of all tell us a little about yourself. Where you were born, and at what point in your life did you become interested in 3D and why? I was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1973. I spent my childhood years there and then immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1980 because my father was a Canadian citizen. Since both my parents were architects, it was no surprise that art and design played a major role in all of our lives. From a very young age I was encouraged to experiment with all kinds of artistic mediums and I therefore learned a great deal about what I know today through extensive hands-on experience. I immediately became interested in computers as soon as I was first exposed to them in my grade school years. I starting with basic programming on the PET computers, then went on to gaming applications on the Atari, Commodore 64 and Intellivision, and finally to computer graphics on the Atari ST and Amiga platforms which, at the time, were far more graphically advanced than the current 286 PCs. At first my use of computer graphics was limited to user applications but within a year I was coding basic computer generating software for 2D, gaming, and even 3D applications such as a sphere rendering program capable of shading according to a user specified light source. Jump ahead to high school and the film industry begins adopting computer generated imagery for visual effects in feature films. “Tron,” and more specifically “Young Sherlock Holmes” both played a significant role in my career as these films opened my eyes to the full potential of advanced 3D computer graphics and animation. During this time, the first consumer 3D software applications were also entering the desktop market and I was immediately captivated by these programs, spending many of my lunch hours mastering them. By the end of my high school years I was quite certain I wanted to pursue a career in the computer graphics and animation industry and since my parents were both very creatively minded, they encouraged my decision in this matter. I did some research regarding schools and it was suggested by various professionals in the industry that I take the 3-year classical animation program at Sheridan College as a pre-requisite to the post-graduate 1-year computer animation program. Sheridan College had some very tough entry requirements but I was accepted and I eventually graduated from the 3-year course with a high grade average. I learned a great deal of important aspects while studying at Sheridan and those that were most significant were color theory, design, art & animation history, anatomy, painting, etc. Once graduated, instead of continuing with the planned 1-year computer animation course, I decided to work in the classical animation industry since I had developed a great liking towards it. I immediately landed a job in Vancouver, BC where I moved to and lived in for about a year. Afterwards, several work opportunities led me to various other areas such San Francisco and eventually back to Toronto. Having returned home, I obtained a job at TOPIX producing animation for commercial production using Softimage 3.7 on Unix SGI Octane workstations. I began as an animator but within a few years I was directing a team. I left TOPIX in 2000 and shifted over to Redrover Studios Ltd., where I was responsible for building, managing and directing the 3D department. During this time I also co-directed a computer generated short film called “Plumber” that was later nominated for a 2004 British Academy Award. I left Redrover in 2006 and opened up Hatch Studios Ltd., with two other partners (and close friends.) We’ve been running Hatch for over a year now and we’ve been fortunate to land fantastic projects as well as create some extremely unique commercials. Our goal is to continue creating the highest quality work possible, while pushing the limitations of computer graphics using state of the art technology combined with traditional art techniques.

SQ - You and a couple of friends, Larissa Ulisko and Randi Yaffa started Hatch Studios in Toronto, Canada. Can you tell us exactly what you do there and what services you provide? Hatch Studios Ltd. is a full-service animation and motion graphics production studio. We have a 3D department led by myself and a graphics department led by Larissa, as well as a core staff of about 10-15 people. Randi is the studio’s Executive Producer and we also have additional artists and employees who are working on a contract basis. I generally take care of directing any 3D related commercials and Larissa takes care of directing any projects involving motion graphics, broadcast design and typography. Occasionally, we work together on spots that may require both aspects. I also tend to be very hands-on with my projects and since I particularly enjoy lighting, rendering and compositing, I often take this on my own shoulders, among various other tasks. Larissa particularly enjoys graphics work so she will often work on this feature for her projects. Since the purpose of creating Hatch was to be able to work on our own jobs, our way, it is very important for us to be able to personally contribute to our projects instead of limiting our responsibilities to strictly directing.