-Guyanese creative Dorielle Retemyer reflects on her journey

By Akola Thompson
IN February, Dorielle Retemyer was able to see a short film she animated for Dreams in Vantablack, being shown on screens in downtown Dundas Square in Canada.

Loop Caribbean recently caught up with the Guyanese animator to hear more about her journey into animation.

Loop Caribbean: What first inspired you to get into animation?

Dorielle: I studied science at The Bishops’ High School and had intended to continue pursuing science upon migration. Days before I migrated to Canada, my friend Jubilante Cutting, the Founder of Guyana Animation Network, invited me to a youth conference and introduced me to Caiphus Moore, an EA animator at the time. I guess this was the first spark of interest where I thought, “That’s so cool!”

In Canada, I did 12th Grade, and there were a variety of arts and media subjects to choose from that were never available to me in Guyana. When it came to college applications, a classmate of mine who was applying to animation, told me about the course and encouraged me to apply. This reminded me of how I felt seeing Caiphus’s work. My father also encouraged me to choose a career that I am good at and like. That was the final push and what inspired me to try to get into an animation course at Seneca College.

In 2016, I did Art Fundamentals at Seneca, and from 2017-2020 I studied animation at Seneca, where I majored in 2D Animation. Even though I started learning animation in 2017, I technically consider myself to have been doing 2D rigging animation since 2019, as there was a steep learning curve I struggled to get over, that finally “clicked” that year. Since Graduating Seneca in 2020, I’ve been mostly doing 2D rigging animation with Toon Boom Harmony. I also have done a lot of hand-drawn limited-animation projects, but there are a few unreleased projects that include full animation.
Loop Caribbean: A short film you recently animated made its way into Dundas Square during black history month, what did this mean to you as an animator and as a black woman?

Dorielle: The short film called “I Spy”’ for the series “Dreams in Vantablack”, was actually my first somewhat solo project that I had gotten the opportunity to work on. Ian Keteku, the producer and director of the series had the vision to create a series that highlighted black voices through poetry and art, and somehow found and reached out to me with the opportunity to be a part of the experience.

I was asked to create a “limited-animation style” short to the amazing poem “I Spy” by Jenn Kasiama, and was given a lot of artistic freedom. The talented Fasil Douglas blessed me with an amazing storyboard, and I tackled the rest of the short from character design to final animation.

“I Spy” was the first solo animation project out of college that came to me at a time when I was struggling with self-confidence. It was an extremely meaningful project to me and it is amazing to see it come so far. I also think the poem by Jenn is meaningful to many black girls as it is highly relatable. Seeing our work proudly displayed on a billboard during black history month reminds me of my potential and to not be afraid to take on challenging things. Knowing that it can potentially resonate with a random black girl who’s probably walking downtown and struggling with being comfortable in their skin, and potentially boosting their confidence is amazing to think about. It’s an opportunity I am really grateful for, and it’s honestly cool to experience.

Loop Caribbean: What have been the main challenges and successes for you as an animator?

Dorielle: Most of my challenges have been dealing with my confidence in my abilities. I tend to overthink and stress over little things that I feel should not be stressed over which at times made me feel inadequate. But this has also allowed me to come up with unique ways to overcome those challenges, and with each project, I take on that gives me artistic freedom, I try to work on improving the thing that I was unsatisfied with in the last project. To date, there is something with every project so far that I am highly unsatisfied with, but instead of regretting the outcome, I will simply try to overcome the mistake in my next task. I also try to do something new with each project I take on.

Another main challenge for me personally, is a result of COVID-19. I have never had the experience of working around people in a studio setting outside of school. Being at home constantly sitting at a desk can feel very isolated and lonely, but the pros of that are that COVID allowed me to work on projects and make connections that I may not have had the opportunity to do if things weren’t shifted to a more remote work environment.

Loop Caribbean: As a Guyanese creative, what do you see as the main gaps within the animation industry?

Dorielle: The difference in the animation industry here in Guyana is incomparable. Unfortunately, as it stands, Guyana has a culture where creatives don’t feel valued for the work they put out, and are not given meaningful opportunities to progress their skill due to a lot of limitations. After speaking with a Guyanese animator’s experience and comparing it to that of a Canadian animator, I was able to see the clear discrepancies between the two environments.

There aren’t any educational institutions that teach animation, and the few studios that exist in Guyana are severely underpaid, have small teams and are given an unrealistically short time to complete projects. Also, if an animator in Guyana were to work freelance for an overseas client, they would have to climb over a lot of barriers simply to get payments from their clients, which could turn them away to seek a more convenient animator. Whereas in Canada, there are many opportunities available, and institutions that can give you the practical skills necessary to get started in the industry. There is an opportunity to grow and work on projects in and out of Canada with ease. The biggest gap in the animation industry in Canada may be that, in a huge studio setting, creators may not be recognised enough for the work that they put in based on what I’ve heard. Some may not even make it to the credits of a project and would be under their studio name.

A Guyanese creator in Guyana, based on my calculation, would probably make 1/10th of what an ‘underpaid’ Canadian animator is making in a month, but that Guyana animator would most likely have to do more work than that Canadian animator due to the size of the team, lack of knowledge and time allotment. But because of the unrealistic time given to complete projects, the work quality is significantly reduced and appears rushed which is also another huge limitation in terms of building a portfolio, which in turn limits your ability to learn how to do things the right way and reduces your clientele.

Loop Caribbean: What are your hopes for your future within the industry?

Dorielle: I hope to continue working and improving on my craft until I am able to create amazing and fluid animated pieces with ease. I would like to reach a level similar to that of Glen Keane, and to work on cool and fun projects. I would also like to, one day, try directing my own animated series. Also, I would like to see Guyana’s animation and entertainment industry flourish and be as valued as other countries. That way, young Guyanese artists such as myself don’t have to leave the country to get opportunities to pursue their dream while getting fair treatment and pay.