http://www.11secondclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8264
Enjoy!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
3-13-12 Drawing
Hey! I promised that I would be posting drawings every day (or at least sum it up every few days). So here is the first one! Just basically drawing over stuff and defining the form in boxes and lines of action so I can understand its construction more. Nothing will be exciting for a few years, but here is the link to my inspiration.
http://www.11secondclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8264
Enjoy!
http://www.11secondclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8264
Enjoy!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Animation Marathons and The Iron Giant
Hey Folks! These past few weeks have been odd, but good. For one, while working as a Production Coordinator with Kenny Roy, I stumbled upon the opportunity to work with him on his 24 hour Animation Marathon. I also randomly got an invite to the re-screening of the Iron Giant, with a Q&A by the original cast & crew and BRAD BIRD himself (if you haven't seen my quote above, you'll notice how much respect I have for him). I decided to forego GDC this year, and based on the events of the week, I am glad I didn't mope around and stay home- the opportunities I had this week were priceless. Here's a quick summary of the events. I highly recommend- no matter how much you have going on, how tired you are, how far the drive is, or how useless you think it is- taking opportunities and making the most out of your day. You never know what will happen, what you will discover, or what ideas will be drawn from your experiences.
First off, KennyRoy.Com hosted a 24 hour Animation Marathon. If you are still waiting for the replay, don't fret, Livestream and Kenny are working it out. 24 hours of streaming was a bit of a record-breaker. We'll post that in a bit. If you haven't visited his Kickstarter Page or do not understand what the hell I'm talking about, go here. Kenny has been in the animation industry for years, is a mentor at Animation Mentor, and did this all to promote his Kickstarter, and to inspire animators around the world. At first, I was thinking about staying there for a few hours and then crashing so I could work the next day, but after seeing how dedicated Kenny was, and talking to the people on Livestream about how great it was to be a part of, I figured I would stick it out til the end. Seeing Kenny animate a scene from start to finish was a dream come true for many animators.
There were plenty of "a-ha" moments for them on workflow, and in being able to see why he is so fast and so good. His ability to soak in all the hot keys and shortcuts like a sponge helps him get it done that much faster. The community surrounding this event was just phenomenal. I got to help answer questions while he was animating (everyone knows that the best way to really learn things is to teach them, right?). Since I have helped him on his website before and practically seen the lectures while video editing (maybe a little too much... that song was stuck in my head for a week...), I knew the answers immediately when someone inquired. Kenny would elaborate and we would gain even more insight if my answer was a little too short (hey, I'm still learning...). It was also a great experience to be on the OTHER SIDE of the job inquiries. People were actually asking me for advice on how to do their demo reel and taking it seriously. I remember when I was just on the other side of the fence and completely clueless. It was nice to be there to guide them through their questions and be available to them. I've always like the idea of "paying it forward" and this was definitely one way to do that. Even if I increase their chances of becoming a part of this amazing industry by just 1 %, I will sleep better at night.
I think the biggest part that I took away from this was the camaraderie from the people who joined the conversation. We laughed, we cried, we joked, and most of all, we all had something in common- a love for the craft. It's the first time since I left Chico that I've felt like I was part of a community again. Being in LA keeps your focus on the bigger picture and rarely leaves you feeling like the people in your general locale are actually there for you. But everyone in that chat room was supportive, excited, curious, and hopeful, just because someone in the industry decided to become completely vulnerable and share the experience 100% from start to finish. And when I say vulnerable, I'm not just talking about giving them a peek at his screen the whole time. Kenny was sick and vulnerable physically, which really showed the community how much this meant to him, and how much he wanted to make it happen. It was truly inspirational.
Needless to say, we raised about half the funds, just in that one night. But more importantly, there were more animators out there that were about ready to give up because of the tough world we live in and the sporadic demand for animators, and his marathon re-lit the flame, even in someone such as myself that already has a career in something other than animating. I hope those that are reading this right now realize how much this meant to me, and that you are welcome to contact me any time with questions, even now that the marathon is over :)
The Iron Giant.
Yeah. I don't need to introduce this one much. And if you haven't seen it, you shouldn't be reading my blog. That's just inappropriate. So the LA Animation Festival decided to show the Iron Giant on the big screen once more since it didn't get a whole lot of publicity and love until after it was released on VHS (holy crap- I feel old!). Considering I had only seen the Iron Giant just a few months ago, I was a little lost on who all was in the cast & crew, so waiting for the event to start wasn't as social or network-oriented as it usually is as I had no idea who to look for or what the important people looked like. I'm allowed to be young and stupid, right??? Anyways, so we watched the movie. One of the friends who decided to tag along had never seen it before, so it was a joy to hear how excited he was after. I cried, of course, and I remembered how awesome it was and why it was getting so much recognition. And then the lights went on as the credits rolled, and people clapped almost the whole time (probably because they were all in the audience or just THAT amazing).
Finally, they brought everyone on stage. The insight they gave was just ridiculous. Brad Bird talked about how the film was a series of flukes and if 10 things didn't go exactly the way they did, the film never would have been made. Wow. And also that he changed the story of the original Iron Giant during the pitch- he had prepped a script beforehand and changed it before their eyes. The producers in the meeting were getting so into it that they started taking notes and writing their version of the screenplay as he was going. It's kind of amazing once you hear the whole story about how something so simple as making a movie was actually achieved. The Art Directors and TDs got their shot at explaining the new technology they got to play with (well, it was new at the time...) and how they solved their problems. The one thing that stuck out to me was when the TD (sorry guys, I'm blanking on names) described the process. Normally we render something with all the textures, lights, and fun stuff and then take it and composite it with the 2D if that's the mediums we chose. But for the Iron Giant, they partially rendered it and then took it back into 2D with the painters and let them color over it to make it match the environment, style, and look of the piece. THat's why it looked so seamless. The compositing was done to finalize the lighting and the aesthetics of the foreground and background. Amazing. The little boy (now grown up of course) talked about why this film will always be his favorite, and how Brad stuffed twinkies in his mouth and made him run around Warner's parking lot, and exchanged a few funny stories. It's funny how I just talked about opportunities at the beginning of this post, because Eli (the boy) literally was about to flake on the audition because he was too tired to go. He was so close to convincing his mom to turn around and go home, and it ended up being one of the most memorable roles of his life- he couldn't even remember the audition he had just come from before that role.
To finish it off, Brad decided to tell one last story. This one stuck with me. Brad graduated from California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) along with some other people you may have heard of like John Lasseter and Ed Catmull. They frequently look to Cal Arts for blossoming talent and to keep in touch with the program. One year, the program told Brad they were cutting out traditional animation from the animation program- they said basically that there was no need for it anymore and everyone uses computers now. Well, bless their hearts, they all stormed over there, being experienced and one trained only in 3D (Ed) and set them straight saying Traditional Animation is the foundation for all animation, and cutting it out would be detrimental to the industry. They listened, but my emphasis here is on the fact that anyone can click buttons- but the animators, or modelers, or whatever out there that are not focusing on the roots of where your craft come from are not doing themselves any favors. If you truly want to learn your craft, analyze what your fundamentals should be and don't stop pursuing it, even after you get a job. It's crucial that we all keep in touch with the roots of our craft. Drawing/ Painting/ Sketching every day is a good start.
Which leads into my conclusion. With all of this inspiration and talent-driven events around me here in Hollywood, I will be drawing every day. Since I haven't been drawing since I was 5, I figure drawing over things will jump start my muscles until I can let them run free. Sketches from Glen Vilppu, and of course, coffee shop drawings will be the bulk of my content until I can come up with a better idea. I will be posting them frequently, no matter how much they suck.
And with that, I'm going to attempt to cook an entire chicken today. This could be disastrous... Wish me luck!
First off, KennyRoy.Com hosted a 24 hour Animation Marathon. If you are still waiting for the replay, don't fret, Livestream and Kenny are working it out. 24 hours of streaming was a bit of a record-breaker. We'll post that in a bit. If you haven't visited his Kickstarter Page or do not understand what the hell I'm talking about, go here. Kenny has been in the animation industry for years, is a mentor at Animation Mentor, and did this all to promote his Kickstarter, and to inspire animators around the world. At first, I was thinking about staying there for a few hours and then crashing so I could work the next day, but after seeing how dedicated Kenny was, and talking to the people on Livestream about how great it was to be a part of, I figured I would stick it out til the end. Seeing Kenny animate a scene from start to finish was a dream come true for many animators.
There were plenty of "a-ha" moments for them on workflow, and in being able to see why he is so fast and so good. His ability to soak in all the hot keys and shortcuts like a sponge helps him get it done that much faster. The community surrounding this event was just phenomenal. I got to help answer questions while he was animating (everyone knows that the best way to really learn things is to teach them, right?). Since I have helped him on his website before and practically seen the lectures while video editing (maybe a little too much... that song was stuck in my head for a week...), I knew the answers immediately when someone inquired. Kenny would elaborate and we would gain even more insight if my answer was a little too short (hey, I'm still learning...). It was also a great experience to be on the OTHER SIDE of the job inquiries. People were actually asking me for advice on how to do their demo reel and taking it seriously. I remember when I was just on the other side of the fence and completely clueless. It was nice to be there to guide them through their questions and be available to them. I've always like the idea of "paying it forward" and this was definitely one way to do that. Even if I increase their chances of becoming a part of this amazing industry by just 1 %, I will sleep better at night.
I think the biggest part that I took away from this was the camaraderie from the people who joined the conversation. We laughed, we cried, we joked, and most of all, we all had something in common- a love for the craft. It's the first time since I left Chico that I've felt like I was part of a community again. Being in LA keeps your focus on the bigger picture and rarely leaves you feeling like the people in your general locale are actually there for you. But everyone in that chat room was supportive, excited, curious, and hopeful, just because someone in the industry decided to become completely vulnerable and share the experience 100% from start to finish. And when I say vulnerable, I'm not just talking about giving them a peek at his screen the whole time. Kenny was sick and vulnerable physically, which really showed the community how much this meant to him, and how much he wanted to make it happen. It was truly inspirational.
Needless to say, we raised about half the funds, just in that one night. But more importantly, there were more animators out there that were about ready to give up because of the tough world we live in and the sporadic demand for animators, and his marathon re-lit the flame, even in someone such as myself that already has a career in something other than animating. I hope those that are reading this right now realize how much this meant to me, and that you are welcome to contact me any time with questions, even now that the marathon is over :)
The Iron Giant.
Yeah. I don't need to introduce this one much. And if you haven't seen it, you shouldn't be reading my blog. That's just inappropriate. So the LA Animation Festival decided to show the Iron Giant on the big screen once more since it didn't get a whole lot of publicity and love until after it was released on VHS (holy crap- I feel old!). Considering I had only seen the Iron Giant just a few months ago, I was a little lost on who all was in the cast & crew, so waiting for the event to start wasn't as social or network-oriented as it usually is as I had no idea who to look for or what the important people looked like. I'm allowed to be young and stupid, right??? Anyways, so we watched the movie. One of the friends who decided to tag along had never seen it before, so it was a joy to hear how excited he was after. I cried, of course, and I remembered how awesome it was and why it was getting so much recognition. And then the lights went on as the credits rolled, and people clapped almost the whole time (probably because they were all in the audience or just THAT amazing).
Finally, they brought everyone on stage. The insight they gave was just ridiculous. Brad Bird talked about how the film was a series of flukes and if 10 things didn't go exactly the way they did, the film never would have been made. Wow. And also that he changed the story of the original Iron Giant during the pitch- he had prepped a script beforehand and changed it before their eyes. The producers in the meeting were getting so into it that they started taking notes and writing their version of the screenplay as he was going. It's kind of amazing once you hear the whole story about how something so simple as making a movie was actually achieved. The Art Directors and TDs got their shot at explaining the new technology they got to play with (well, it was new at the time...) and how they solved their problems. The one thing that stuck out to me was when the TD (sorry guys, I'm blanking on names) described the process. Normally we render something with all the textures, lights, and fun stuff and then take it and composite it with the 2D if that's the mediums we chose. But for the Iron Giant, they partially rendered it and then took it back into 2D with the painters and let them color over it to make it match the environment, style, and look of the piece. THat's why it looked so seamless. The compositing was done to finalize the lighting and the aesthetics of the foreground and background. Amazing. The little boy (now grown up of course) talked about why this film will always be his favorite, and how Brad stuffed twinkies in his mouth and made him run around Warner's parking lot, and exchanged a few funny stories. It's funny how I just talked about opportunities at the beginning of this post, because Eli (the boy) literally was about to flake on the audition because he was too tired to go. He was so close to convincing his mom to turn around and go home, and it ended up being one of the most memorable roles of his life- he couldn't even remember the audition he had just come from before that role.
To finish it off, Brad decided to tell one last story. This one stuck with me. Brad graduated from California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) along with some other people you may have heard of like John Lasseter and Ed Catmull. They frequently look to Cal Arts for blossoming talent and to keep in touch with the program. One year, the program told Brad they were cutting out traditional animation from the animation program- they said basically that there was no need for it anymore and everyone uses computers now. Well, bless their hearts, they all stormed over there, being experienced and one trained only in 3D (Ed) and set them straight saying Traditional Animation is the foundation for all animation, and cutting it out would be detrimental to the industry. They listened, but my emphasis here is on the fact that anyone can click buttons- but the animators, or modelers, or whatever out there that are not focusing on the roots of where your craft come from are not doing themselves any favors. If you truly want to learn your craft, analyze what your fundamentals should be and don't stop pursuing it, even after you get a job. It's crucial that we all keep in touch with the roots of our craft. Drawing/ Painting/ Sketching every day is a good start.
Which leads into my conclusion. With all of this inspiration and talent-driven events around me here in Hollywood, I will be drawing every day. Since I haven't been drawing since I was 5, I figure drawing over things will jump start my muscles until I can let them run free. Sketches from Glen Vilppu, and of course, coffee shop drawings will be the bulk of my content until I can come up with a better idea. I will be posting them frequently, no matter how much they suck.
And with that, I'm going to attempt to cook an entire chicken today. This could be disastrous... Wish me luck!
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