Recently, When Marnie Was There director Hiromasa Yonebayashi talked about how he got his job at the famed animation studio. The application process might surprise you. Maybe not!
As part of his application, Yonebayashi had to submit two drawings. Then, he had to go to Ghibli and take a rather simple examination. Then, at the final stage of the process, he had a job interview with Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki.
“I don’t really remember what I was asked,” Yonebayashi recalled (via Livedoor News). “But I do remember that in the examination, after sharpening a pencil, the pencil and the pencil shavings were taken back up by Ghibli. It seemed like the test was more like to see whether or not we could correctly do commonplace things.”
So, does that mean every hopeful who applies to Studio Ghibli should practice their pencil sharpening?
“No, each time, it seems like it changes. For example, like, they ask people to cut a watermelon.” And from how the applicants respond is how the studio can apparently judge if the applicant is a correct fit with these personality tests.
「試験で鉛筆削らされた」常識問うジブリの入社試験 [Livedoor News]
Picture: siro46 / Shutterstock
Comments
2 responses to “Getting A Job At Studio Ghibli Could Involve Fresh Fruit”
Thank goodness! I can’t draw but my pencil sharpening skills are top-notch and I dare someone to find a better fruit ninja than me!
So I guess I should “sharpen” up on my skills to stay a “cut” above the rest?
On a side note, why does the title make a reference to the fruit thing when that’s essentially a footnote and the article’s real focus is on the guy who was asked to sharpen a pencil?