---

Issue #85 | February 08th, 2026

Hey Reader 👋
​
​This week started with a small but important milestone: the first session of the Freelancing for Animators cohort. Module One — all about the freelance mindset — went live, and something clicked.

I’ve been thinking about this for months now. But there’s a difference between reflecting on what you’ve learned over 20+ years of freelancing… and actually structuring it, writing it down, teaching it out loud. And while prepping the slides and shaping the content, I kept stumbling on gold.

Little things I took for granted. Big ideas I hadn’t fully named before. And suddenly it all felt… solid. Real. Like the kind of thing that can genuinely help someone make the leap into freelance life — for real, sustainably, with courage and clarity.

So yeah. That’s my good news this week 😊

We’ve officially kicked off this 12-week cohort, but there are still a few seats left — and since every session is recorded, you can still catch up. It’s every Thursday at 4pm (GMT), and it always spills a little over time, because I end up answering tons of questions and wandering into rabbit holes (the good kind).

If you’re interested in building a real career, not just waiting for the next studio job to maybe fall in your lap — this is for you. You’ll find the info and sign-up link just below. Come join us.👇
​
​👉 YES! I'm interested in building my freelance business!​

And — quick side note — thanks so much for the support after last week’s issue. I shared some vulnerable stuff, and I braced myself for the usual flood of unsubscribes… but only one person left. One! That means a lot. I want this space to be honest. Open. A place for animators, but also for human beings trying to navigate a weird industry in a weirder world. So, thank you 💛

On the learning side, I’ve been diving deeper into Unreal Engine — and it’s a time machine.

25 years ago (yep 😂), a friend handed me a 1000+ page book on 3D Studio, and I was instantly hooked. It wasn’t even the animation that grabbed me — it was the idea of building worlds. Wandering through them. Creating spaces no one else had seen before.

And here I am, full circle. Opening up Unreal, feeling that same spark. It’s honestly incredible what this tool can do today — the realism, the lighting, the atmosphere. I’ve been tinkering with Nanite, Lumen… but yeah, my poor Mac isn’t loving it 😅

So I’m probably going to pull out my old Windows PC and set it up next to the Mac — at least that way I can plug in a proper GPU and keep going. I’ve been looking at the RTX 4070 Super, which seems like a good option. If you’ve got any tips for a solid GPU under €700, I’d love to hear them!

Alright — let’s dive in.

This week’s short film is a quiet little marvel. Let’s go.

---

The Spotlight

Some films don’t need to shout to leave an impression.

The Dying World is one of them.

It’s a short one — just under five minutes — and clearly made with a modest budget. But here’s the thing: it never feels cheap. You can tell it’s a small production, yes. The sets are minimal, the runtime is tight, the world is deliberately contained. But the direction? Super smart.

​

Lauren Tsai knows exactly where to put the effort. The visuals are dark, moody, and incredibly cohesive — a sort of hand-crafted monochrome that pulls you in. Some of the shots genuinely look like paintings. And once you see the behind-the-scenes vlog (linked below), it all makes sense: she’s a painter herself.

Astrid, the main character, walks a fine line between dream and decay. The story isn’t clearly spelled out — and normally I prefer a tighter narrative. But here, the vagueness feels intentional. Poetic, even.

There’s a Wednesday Addams vibe to Astrid. A quiet, Burtonian look that suits the world she’s in — haunting but never overdone. You’re never quite sure if she’s wandering through a dream, a memory, or a post-apocalyptic landscape. But somehow, it works. The ambiguity becomes part of the charm.

This isn’t a film packed with assets or complex scenes. But that’s the magic of it. It proves you don’t need big budgets or high-end tech to make something visually powerful. Just strong direction, smart choices, and a clear tone.

Give it a watch. And if you have time, check out the making-of video below — it’s a beautiful glimpse into the craft behind the camera.

​

🎞️ Credits

Director: Lauren Tsai
​Production: Nicolas Cinelli - Studio Linguini​
​Sets: Alastair Fleming
​Animation: Tobias Fouracre, Adrian Leung
​Camera: Daniel Morgan
​Music: Jim Williams
​Sound: Ines Adriana
​Compositing: Ysabel King

---

The Job Fair

• ​Lead Animator - Twinkl Educational Publishing
  ​We’re looking for an experienced Animation Team Lead to evolve our animation team, helping elevate the quality of work produced on a daily basis, while streamlining the team’s processes based on industry best practices. You will be responsible for managing a team of 7 animators and asset creators with different skill sets, while occasionally contributing to projects yourself.
  ​
• ​Stop Motion Animator - Loveday Social​
  We’re looking for a talented stop-motion animator to join the Loveday Social crew - someone who lives for tiny movements, perfect frames, and the joy of bringing products to life.
  You’ll work across a mix of client shoots (big brands, indie brands, everything in-between) and internal studio content. Expect fast-paced creative days, tidy timelines, and lots of opportunities to help shape the visuals our studio is known for.
  ​
• ​2D Animator - FEER Mc QUEEN​
  The 2D Animator provides creative animation and motion design support across a variety of media formats for the agency’s campaigns and content. This role involves producing high-quality 2D animations for videos, digital platforms, print, and web, supporting brand storytelling and enhancing visual communication. The 2D Animator collaborates closely with designers, producers, and creative leads to bring ideas to life through dynamic and visually engaging motion work that meets client objectives.
  ​

---

---

The Random Stuff

📺 Movie Update
​
​Finally got to watch this one — I’ve been chasing it for a while. The Substance (2024), starring Demi Moore and Dennis Quaid, is honestly one of the most visually stunning films I’ve seen in a long time. It won Best Screenplay at Cannes, and for good reason. The themes are bold, the story is intense, but what really blew me away was the direction.

​

There’s a huge Wes Anderson and Terry Gilliam influence in the way it’s framed — symmetrical shots, ultra-calculated compositions, bold color palettes, crazy wide lenses. Every scene feels hand-placed, like a diorama. And that yellow coat? Instant icon status 🟡
If you’re into stylized cinematography and bold storytelling, this one’s a must. I still need to check out the director’s first film, Revenge — will keep you posted once I do.

---

📕 AI-assisted short film by DeepMind

I stumbled on this and had to include it. Google DeepMind just dropped a short animated film called Dear Upstairs Neighbors — an AI-assisted project presented at Sundance 2026. And honestly? It looks wild.

​

The story follows Ada, a young woman dealing with mysterious torments from above — but it’s really the how that makes it fascinating. The team behind it included 45 people, with Pixar veterans like Connie Hay and Marsha Mayer, plus Academy Award winners, researchers, and engineers.

It reminds me of when Google brought in top animators to explore VR back in the Oculus days. Now they’re doing it again — but with AI, and the result is something both technical and deeply artistic. I have no clue how half of it works (probably none of us do 😂), but the ambition and craft are super inspiring.

Definitely worth keeping an eye on.

---

😡 Damn it, Adobe

So Adobe is doubling the price of my Creative Cloud education plan — from €16 to €33/month. I know... It’s still technically “cheap,” but honestly? I barely use it anymore. These days I do most of my design work in Figma. After Effects is the only Adobe tool I really rely on. Photoshop? Rarely. Illustrator and Premiere? Almost never.

And what bugs me most is their attitude. After two decades of using their tools, I don’t feel rewarded for my loyalty — I feel squeezed. They had the monopoly, and now they’re just making all the wrong moves to keep people in.

I think I’m gonna cancel the subscription entirely next month and just keep After Effects as a standalone (if that’s even possible). If you know a solid alternative to After Effects, send it my way — I’d love to test it out. But honestly, I’m so fast and fluent in it, switching feels almost impossible for now.😊

---

Philippe Duvin​
Founder, Animator NOW

Follow Me

Follow Animator NOW

PS. Some links in the newsletter are affiliate links.
PSS. Was this forwarded to you? 👉 Subscribe here​
PSSS. Hit reply any time. I reply to every single email.