Trust Your Creative Path: Brittany Biggs - No. 118

In this episode, host Taylor Gallegos sits down with creative generalist, previs artist, and filmmaker Brittany Biggs. Brittany shares an inside look into the world of pre-visualization (previs) animation, her transition to using Unreal Engine in major studios, and the cultural journey behind her independent short film, Mono. The two also dive into advice for aspiring artists, the impact of AI on the creative industry, Taylor's recent pivot into specialized sports murals, and their shared love for surfing in Southern California.1. INSIDE THE WORLD OF PRE-VISUALIZATION The "Cinematography" of Animation: Brittany clarifies that previs is less about character choreography and more about cinematography. Previs artists take 3D elements, characters, and rough environments to block out scenes, set up virtual cameras, and map out lens choices—similar to shooting coverage for a live-action film.* The Sony Freedom: Currently working at Sony Pictures Animation, Brittany highlights how exciting it is to work early in a project's development. Because Sony operates without a rigid "house style," artists enjoy vast creative freedom when jumping between wildly different aesthetic worlds, such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse versus K-Pop Demon Hunters.* The Real-Time Revolution: Brittany discusses shifting workflows from traditional software like Maya—which requires massive render times to view lighting and effects—to Unreal Engine. Unreal provides real-time graphics directly in the viewport, allowing for a faster, highly experimental back-and-forth process with directors and editors.2. CRAFTING MONO: A HAWAIIAN SHARK STORY* Inspiration & Culturing Trust: Driven by a childhood fascination with sharks and a dramatic diving incident in Fiji, Brittany set out to create an impactful story about shark conservation. Recognizing she is not Native Hawaiian, she partnered closely with the Nakachi family (descendants of kākū manō, or shark guardians) on the Big Island to vet designs, protocols, and narratives with utmost respect.* A Journey Through Time: Her 10-minute animated film, Mono, utilizes a unique narrative device where a tracking shark passes through massive waves of Hawaiian history every time it dips above and below the water line—spanning from ancient Polynesian settlement to Pearl Harbor and modern commercial shark finning.* Impact & Accolades: The film had a successful festival run, winning "Best Music in a Short Film" at the Oceanside Film Festival. Today, it is integrated into educational and youth curriculums across Hawaii.3. ADVICE FOR ASPIRING CREATIVES* Follow Your Gut: Brittany emphasizes tuning out the external "noise" and skeptics who question whether you can build a sustainable career in the arts.* The Reality of Art School: While an MFA (which Brittany earned at USC) is absolutely not required to secure a studio job over a stellar demo reel, she values it for the time it gave her to discover her style and keep the door open for university-level teaching.4. NAVIGATING THE FUTURE OF ART & AI* Another Tool in the History of Art: Brittany notes that while AI apps can feel threatening to standard industry roles, it is helpful to look at it through the lens of art history—paralleling how photography threatened painters, or 3D animation threatened 2D animators. Both she and Taylor hope it will swallow mundane, repetitive tasks so creators can focus on pure human expression.Brittany Biggs is a seasoned professional animation and previs artist currently lending her talents to Sony Pictures Animation, with past stints at industry giants like DreamWorks and Disney. She holds an MFA from USC and spent four years instructing future animators at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is also the independent director and writer of the award-winning short film Mono.