Making Waves Through The Art Of Storytelling

He has worked with the glitterati of the international corporate entertainment industry and strategic consultancies, Sony Pictures Animation, Hartbeat Productions, Lokusdesign, Designit, just to name a few. The patterns, designs and the art of storytelling that Jay Thakur, has weaved for these bigwigs have helped him evolve as an artist. From sharing the canvas with Patrick O’Keefe, Art Director to Clarence Major, American poet, painter, and novelist to several other veterans of the animation industry, this animator’s work has rendered, conceptualised and integrated so immaculately that within no time it has made him the go-to artist to work with. Currently Jay is working with Sony Pictures Animation as their Visual Development Artist. Jay shares his story with Corporate Citizen

Corporate Citizen: Tell us what got you hooked to the art of visual designing and its aspects?

Jay Thakur : There are a string of events that led me to become what I am today. As I was born in the cultural capital of Maharashtra, Pune, my eager mind was exposed to a broad range of stories and artists at a very young age, by my parents. These stories would transport me into different realities and mindsets. My childhood revolved around four languages, Marathi, English, Hindi and Tamil which allowed me to see things with multiple perspectives. To become empirically inquisitive, fearlessly curious, but mostly, generously empathetic. The classics like ‘The Sound of Music’ to comic books by the French writers Goscinny and Uderzo, I was surrounded by creations from all over the world. All these aspects have moulded me into an artist.

However, when I reckoned that my story based artwork helped a lady bring closure to her father’s death, I knew that it was now my responsibility to heal others by dedicating myself to this art form. And here I am today making the most of the opportunity to tell stories and design visuals for a living.

CC: Could you tell us about the education you gardened that landed you jobs with such bigwigs of the corporate entertainment industry?

As a fifth-grader, when I painted a 50-foot mural depicting a forest scene which later made the rounds in the local newspaper, I knew I had to invest in my talent. After completing my higher education from Fergusson College, Pune, I completed my foundation year from MIT Institute of Design, India. It was a newfangled experience where I learnt to manage a college fest and tackle rural design practises. It was at DSK International School of Design, India, where I was introduced to unique and unorthodox design education. The blend of French and Indian faculty and students encouraged a more accommodating viewpoint. I was enamoured by the process of product design. The concept of art and visual development simply blew my mind. A masterclass, conducted by designers from BMW design works and Renault paved the way for my future endeavour.

As I moved to the ArtCenter College of Design, Pasadena, California, I knew that studying there would most assuredly allow me a path into the industry. On the contrary, what I did not know was that I would receive so much more than education. There, I was exposed to the new aspects of storytelling other than designing. From screenwriting, neuroscience academics, cinematography to acting, the experience has helped me evolve as a whole.

As I moved to the ArtCenter College of Design, Pasadena, California, I knew that studying there would most assuredly allow me a path into the industry. On the contrary, what I did not know was that I would receive so much more than education. There, I was exposed to the new aspects of storytelling other than designing"

- Jay Thakurbeautiful

CC: How did you make your way into the corporate world?

While I was studying, I got a chance to work with ToughMagix Media, where I worked on the development of an interactive motion capture 3D game for promotion. I even worked on the script, environment design, character design and gameplay along with an electronics engineer. At the end of my degree, I was able to land a Product Design position at Designit, Denmark. Designit is one of the largest strategic consultancies in Europe, with 18 offices in over 14 countries. Moving to another country with completely new cultural norms and work hierarchy, taught me a great deal about survival, work ethic and networking. The work opportunities were, of course incredible, but it was their questioning nature and punctuality that I took back with myself.

There I worked on insulin pens, car seat designs, headphones, beer labels, storyboards, etc. The clients included Novo Nordisk, Google, Scandinavian Airlines, NTT, Cisco, Danske Bank, and I even got the opportunity to work for the Prince of Riyadh on a railway project. Meanwhile, I also participated in a creative contest called The Rookie Awards which saw over 3500 entries from 90 countries. The work was judged by an incredible panel of professionals where I was ranked as a finalist. Soon after, I was offered to illustrate a movie poster for a Warner Media film, Fragile.

CC: You also worked as a freelancer, right?

Yes. After the response I got from my peers for my storyboards, I knew I had to explore the world of storytelling, characters, and visual development. Everything began to make sense and fit into place. I began to tweak my work portfolio more towards concept design and visual development. As a freelancer, I got several chances to explore this beautiful field which simply broadened my horizons. Having worked as a cover illustrator with Penguin Publications India, Graphic Novel Artist with Lokusdesgin and Art Production Assistant with Hartbeat Productions, I was simply stunned by what all this field had to offer to me. All this experience got me well-versed with the storytelling process and it also got me familiarised with the different ways to negotiate with clients.

CC: Coming to the game-changer event of your career, could you share the anecdote of how you get through Sony Pictures Animation? And how was the experience of working on the movie ‘Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse’?

It was a personal project ‘The Aporia’ that landed me the job at Sony Pictures Animation. The Aporia is a story about prisoner rehabilitation and the incredible ability of humans to adapt and persevere. The inspiration for this arose from the need to find a better system of rehabilitation for prisoners unlike the current structure of captivity and punishment. With that, I always wanted to highlight the importance of empathy. I spent nearly a year, working on the nuances and details. I wanted the arc of the character to feel very authentic and rooted in real cognitive behavioural therapy and neuroplasticity. Research in both the visual language and neuroscience was critical. In the end, I created a script, a character journal, and an ‘Art Of’ book, to explain his process and thought behind the designs.

Tell us about the Aporia Project which landed you to the bigwig corporate industry?

The Aporia is a story about the prisoner’s rehabilitation and the incredible ability of humans to adapt and persevere. story. It was intended to be experienced as a live-action science fiction film. I worked on the visual development, character design, world-building and script for the story. The inspiration for The Aporia arose from the need to find a better system of rehabilitation for prisoners unlike the current structure of captivity and punishment. Aporia also highlights the importance of empathy.

Movie of a lifetime

This project caught Dean Gordon’s, the Art Director of Sony Pictures, eye. He was present at the show while I was presenting my project at my alma mater. And then, it was simply no looking back. While at Sony, I witnessed something truly extraordinary about the employees. Every single one was so accommodating and humble, and they were the finest in their field. The atmosphere was very conducive to creativity. I was learning something new almost every day. The chance to work with Academy award-winning art directors and directors, and being surrounded by artists whose work I used to follow as a student, pushed me to work beyond his limits.