Fresh-faced and eager to prove myself at Fortune Corporation in Mount Maunganui, my first animation was part of a compilation of sports animations.

Most of the animations at Fortune are structured as one short “Strike” clip that plays when someone wins the jackpot, and a longer “Play” clip that plays the rest of the time.

I very much enjoyed planning and animating these clips (the last being Crash Tackle) especially when things were constantly critiqued with feedback.

My first major clash of wills came almost straight away on this clip, after I’d animated and edited together the Strike (on the left). The part where the ball sails up to the green wasn’t well received but as there wasn’t a better alternative put forward, I stuck to my guns and that shot is still there today and remains my favourite in the whole piece.