Stephen Ong

Stephen’s animation and motion graphics company Make it Move specialises in creating fun promotional short videos for use in web videos, apps and television. Their list of national and international clients include McDonald’s, The Economist, Nestlé, UPS and E.ON. Stephen is also a partner of Nicer than Nice, a creative design collective in Norwich, bringing together image makers and coders.

How has your creative practice evolved since graduating?

I do a lot more planning and pre-production work. Having commercial projects with specific budgets and deadlines means I need to keep a close eye on all aspects of a job. This has had an effect on my independent work, too. Time has become much more precious in my creative process.

What kind of tasks do you work on in your job?

Commercially, I mainly work on storyboarding, design, animation and production for motion graphics, with the occasional bit of scriptwriting thrown in. I usually make sure I have a couple of projects on the go at once. It’s nice to switch between different things, otherwise it can get a bit samey. When I get the chance to develop an independent project it’s a little more varied and I’ll work closely with all aspects of the production including sound design.

Do you have any tips for budding animators?

Learn to schedule your work realistically and be sure to maintain a standard of work you’re happy with.

What do you think was distinctive about your university experience?

University was a chance to be creative. It gave me an opportunity to produce work that I wouldn’t have been able to, had I just gone straight into the work place.