Last Week and a Half!!!

First off,
WE'VE ALL GRADUATED!!! WHOO-HOOO!!!!

Second, happy Tuesday! The past few weeks have been very busy; I've been working on a lot of animated sequences with After Effects and also developing an ad campaign for a local client with the studio designer and one of the partners of the company. The only programs I've been using my whole time here have been After Effects CS4 and CS5, Photoshop CS4 and Avid Editing Suite. Basecamp, online, is used to organize who does what shots, and what still needs to be finished for a completed animation. There has been talk of using Flash to develop a site for a client, but since a decent photo gallery can also be achieved with JQuery, so the whole Flash idea might be avoided all together.

I have really enjoyed working in a studio setting, under a director and learning from other animators. I have also enjoyed getting to work with After Effects to create animated sequences using character and effects animation. It's AWESOME!!!

FOR ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN ANIMATION AND WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE IT.

First of all, you have to be able to take direction. WHOLE SEQUENCES can be scraped, sometimes in a ruthless and insensitive manner, after you spent DAYS working on it. And there is NOTHING you can do about it. Your work will be critiqued beyond what it's tiny 2D lines can withstand, and then you'll have to take it back, add changes, and submit it to be critiqued again. And after all that, the final shot can still be cut entirely if it weighs the story down, fits awkwardly, etc. etc. That's just the way it is. Ego has no place here.

Second, there are many jobs in the animation industry. Concept artists, storyboard artists, modelers, character and set designers, riggers, lighting and render artists are just a few. The animators job is to make things move in a realistic manner appropriate to the characters, environment, etc. The only drawing I have done is to add a bit to characters to extend the art, THAT'S IT. If you like drawing, then you are probably looking at classical animation. But remember, you will probably not be designing the characters, especially at first, and it will be repeating the same character A LOT with minute changes. Just because you're a good artist, doesn't mean you can make things move or act convincingly either. A theater background helps, so will an understanding of anatomy and a wide range of art styles (ART HISTORY and CLASSICAL ANIMATION; who would have thought, huh?). You can't jump into 3D without doing classical; I've even heard people say that here.

Third, competition is STEEP. And I mean it. Once you're in the industry, you're up against Pixar-quality animators for jobs. And in Canada, Vancouver and Toronto are where the industry peaks are. I'm not trying to scare you; I'm just trying to spout facts that scared the hell out of me, but it's best to get used to them early. The best thing to work on (besides motion), is storytelling through motion (hence the theater thing; see?). This is one of the things Pixar looks for in a demo reel, and probably a lot of other studios too.

Fourth, you really have to be able to work on a team. Everyone works together and helps each other out. If you are a bit of a loner, a studio job may not be for you. No one is more important than everyone else; everyone has a role in finishing a production.

So if you want to be an animator (or bring stories to life through movement), then put in the extra effort! Digital video was very important, because you NEED to understand scripts and storyboards! These give you your direction when the director is not available. Understanding shooting with the camera is important too, because this teaches you framing, camera angles and continuity with positioning. Classical animation and 3D animation are also very important; art history helps knowing different eras and styles. But if you really want to do this you have to put in extra hours too. Sometimes A LOT of extra hours. And remember; medium isn't important if you can do something awesome and demonstrate that you know what you're doing (Amelia animated a stop-motion short using lego men last year; CHECK IT OUT if you can, it was awesome). But really, if it moves and expresses itself well, it doesn't matter what you animate (also sorry for pimping you out a bit Amelia!)!

I know I made it sound rough, and it can be, but the animation industry is awesome. I love it; I would love to spend all my time doing it!!! But you do have to be highly self-motivated, able to take rejection and criticism and sometimes have to work irregular hours (or a LOT of hours) to meet a deadline. Animation is part of the film industry after all; and Hollywood is brutal!!!

Apparently Owen Wilson biked by the building the other day. I didn't see him.

I'm sorry this is so long, but if anyone is interested in animation as a career and has any questions, feel free to email me! I'll answer as best I can; I'm very friendly!!

Have a good rest of the week!!!