Our local filmmakers are on a roll! From the legendary Michelle Yeoh taking the reins at the Oscars to Amanda Nell Eu making her debut at Cannes Film Festival, this year has been an exciting one for local creatives. Perak-born, Montreal-based lighting and compositing artist Sinyee Loke is about to leave her mark on the world with Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse.
Shouldering the role of a Lighter, the 31-year-old whose film credit includes Love & Monsters and Pinocchio is responsible for bringing colours to the picture and achieving the singular comic style through visual composition. It’s a task that she deemed challenging, as Spider-Verse is known for its inventive visual language and mixing a slew of new rendering styles with hand-drawn elements.
How did you discover your interest in art?
I have been drawing since I was a child. I remember watching all those animated shows on television and feeling so inspired by them. I often thought that it would be so cool if I could be part of that: to bring beautiful artworks and stories to life, inspiring the world, especially children.
How did you find your way into Spider-Man Across The Spider-Verse?
I had just started working in Montreal when I learned that Sony was hiring. I applied for the position—I didn’t think they were going to get back to me—but about a week after that, I found myself talking to the people who worked on the first Spider-Verse movie. It was like a dream!
What were the challenges you faced while working on the movie?
One of the biggest challenges is adapting to the ultra-stylised art direction and the advanced software. Thankfully, I managed to get a hold of it in the first few months. It was also a learning curve for me but I didn’t feel any pressure. I was having too much fun working on the film.
What was your favourite animated movie when you were growing up?
It would be Pixar’s Ratatouille. The whole story was just inspiring to me—if a rat can cook, I can work in animation. I was exposed to many animation styles but that was the standard when I was starting out. But as time goes by, the audience gets hungrier for more and the style evolves and so have I.
And before we let you go: Who is the best Spiderman?
Oh my God. It’s really hard to choose especially since there are so many different Spidermen in the Spiderverse. I love all of them! But I worked on Miles Morales, so, him? I like Gwen (Ghost-Spider) a lot too.
Spider-Man: Across the SpiderVerse swings into cinemas on 1st June, 2023 onwards.