INTERVIEWS

CHANG Ming-Chieh

2D Animator

PROFILE

CHANG Ming-Chieh

2D Animator/ Visual Development
Taiwanese/ Working in Japan/ Graduated from Gobelins

MingChieh CHANG portfolio site
https://mingchiehchang.portfolio.site/

How did you come to work with DP? Could you tell us what led to that opportunity?
I assisted David Production with some visual work while I was at Netflix Japan, and I was fortunate to have the chance to animate some roughs. After my contract at Netflix ended, David Production offered me a position as a 2D animator.
Before working with DP, what was your impression of DP from the outside?and did anything change after you actually worked with us?
I was already a big fan of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, so from the outside I had the impression that David Production was a very high-standard studio with strict rules. After actually working with the team, I found them to be quite flexible, as long as I communicated my needs in advance.
Was there anything about DP’s production workflow or culture that you found helpful or easy to work with? (For example: how directions are given, review timing, communication style, etc.)
I really appreciate that whenever there is a retake, the production managers clearly insert key frames to indicate exactly where revisions are needed. This saves me a lot of time because I don’t have to go through the timeline on my own, and I find it very thoughtful.

I’m also very grateful that I’m allowed to work fully remotely from home. It gives me the freedom to take references freely(I often act them out myself, so it’s a relief to act them without my colleagues nearby) and since my energy tends to come in peaks, the trust and flexibility they provide really allow me to bring out my full potential.
Was there any feedback from the episode director / animation director / director that was especially valuable to you? (For example: the way it was communicated, the perspective or point of view, etc.)
I enjoy animating, and I often find the animation director’s feedback very inspiring. Seeing different approaches and choices in animation helps me learn new techniques and perspectives. Another thing that was especially valuable to me is learning how to read and write notes in the Japanese anime production style. I hadn’t learned this before, so the episode director on my first project taught me a great deal. Even now, I still occasionally come across notes I’ve never seen before, and I’m always happy to learn from them.
For animators living overseas or from outside Japan, there can be concerns (language, time zone differences, retake handling, etc.). How was it in your experience?
Note writing was definitely the biggest challenge for me, since most education systems outside Japan don’t teach the Japanese-style production notes. Even though it’s something people can study online, I don’t think anyone can handle it perfectly at first, so it takes time and experience to get used to.

Language and time zone differences are actually my least concerns. With interpreters, translation tools, and some flexibility in scheduling meetings, we are always able to work around them.
What communication tools did you mainly use, and how often did you communicate? (Chat, email, online meetings, etc.) Any tips that helped things go smoothly?
We mainly communicated through Microsoft Teams chat. The frequency depended on my workload. When I was handling a large amount of work at once, such as an entire sequence, there wasn’t much day-to-day communication. However, when a title was nearing completion, I would receive retakes to help with about every two days, so I was on chat almost every day.

One thing that helped communication go smoothly was keeping messages short. When a message needed to be longer, I found that organizing it into a list worked well for most people.
How did you find DP’s scheduling and deadline planning? Were there any points that felt realistic?or particularly challenging?
Overall, the parts that concerned me were mostly practical. I am usually able to choose which sequence I want to work on, which makes the work more rewarding and manageable.

In very urgent cases, the team was also flexible and willing to meet halfway. For example, I could focus on completing the rough animation, and the remaining work would be passed on to another animator. This allowed us to meet deadlines without relying too heavily on overtime.

As for challenges, since I’m not involved in the overall scheduling process, it can be difficult for me to manage my workload from a broader perspective. There were times when I had very little work, and other times when multiple tasks arrived all at once. In those situations, some of my assignments had to be reassigned, even though I would have preferred to handle them myself.
In terms of quality expectations (required standards, how retakes were handled), did DP have any characteristics or tendencies? Anything that felt especially “professional” is also welcome.
Although Japanese anime productions often manage budgets by simplifying animation, I found that most of the episode directors I worked with were very open to more complex motion design when it served the scene. I really appreciated this open mindset, as it allowed me to experiment and push the possibilities of my animation.

When there were opportunities to reduce costs while preserving the quality of the animation, the directors would suggest adjustments—often by combining frames and leaving detailed notes. Being able to learn from those notes felt especially professional to me.
When trying to understand the “DP style” of our works (action, acting/performance, line nuance, etc.), were there any materials or advice that helped you?
Since I’ve only worked on one project at David Production so far, I wouldn’t say that I’m fully familiar with what “the DP style” means yet. However, one noticeable aspect of my current project is that many of the backgrounds are provided with 3D references. This helps save a lot of time, especially when it comes to judging character scale, and it means I rarely need to draw background layouts myself.
How did working with DP change your skills or mindset? (Areas of growth, habits you picked up, things you started paying attention to, etc.)
I had interned at several companies before, but working at David Production was my first experience being officially employed as a 2D animator at a Japanese studio. Through this experience, I picked up many new skills and working habits.

Some of them may be considered basic practices in Japanese anime production, but they were new to me. For example, I learned to draw my roughs with black lines, number my key frames, and avoid using multiple layers to build a single cel. These habits helped me work more clearly within this production environment.
For overseas animators who may work with DP in the future, do you have any tips on what’s good to know from the start?or what’s helpful to prepare in advance?
I don’t think anyone can be fully prepared before diving in, so I believe it’s very important to clearly communicate where you might need help. Asking clear questions is always better than pretending to understand and ending up submitting work that isn’t usable.

Another important point is to stay reachable. If something happens and you’re unable to continue on a project, that in itself isn’t necessarily a big issue—but disappearing without communication can be.
What kind of animator?or what strengths?do you think tend to do well in DP’s production environment?
I think many different kinds of people can do well at DP. Everyone has different strengths, and there’s room for all of them to grow here.

Personally, I’m confident in my sense of motion, so I’m happy working as a key animator. Someone who’s strong at proportions might make a great sakuga director, while someone who enjoys designing could become an excellent prop designer.

From what I understand, DP also has strong 3D and production management teams, so I believe that people from many different animation-related backgrounds can find their place here.