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!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Upward and Onward...
Hello all. One of my goals of 2012 is to write more, so that I am inspired to do more. I have been slightly unavailable for writing lately because of this move, but I am happy to say that not only did I move, but I can feel some lifestyle changes coming.
Playa Del Rey has to be one of the best places I could have moved to. It's still close to work and in West LA, (not to mention right on the beach!), and we landed ourselves in a really, really nice neighborhood surrounded by really, really nice people. We are only a few streets away from the Airport, but the building we are in dulls the sound with the double windows we had installed. Besides, seeing the planes take off while I'm at Togo's with a friend talking about animation and watching the sun set isn't all that bad anyways.
So why does moving indicate that lifestyle changes are about? Well, let me tell you. Living in "the city" really created a submissive person inside of me. I was either too scared or too upset to go running in my "neighborhood" because of who I was surrounded by, or the traffic, or the fear of some asshole not watching where he's going (if you've never been to LA, it's not all it's cracked up to be in terms of trying to live a relatively stress-free life). When it came to food, I would have rather just gone across the street to Jack in the Box rather than cook or throw together the salad I had waiting for me in the fridge. I've been trying to figure out why environment has such an impact on me. Why I would rather do the things I know I should be avoiding so I can live a better life, instead of just fucking doing them. The closest conclusion I can come to is why I moved here in the first place: Survival. I moved to LA to find a career and to give myself all the things I've ever wanted in independence and stability. The new apartment functions just as well as the older place, but the purpose of this new environment was not to survive anymore. It was to enjoy life and live with little obstacles toward any spontaneous things I choose to do. Granted, it hasn't been an easy transition. I find myself going back to old habits frequently and without hesitation. And you know why?
Because it's all about attitude.
Environment, locale, money, clothes, makeup, shoes, new couch, the beach... none of that will make a difference in your attitude. I went from almost living on the street to living in one of the most successful cities in the world and I am still making the same choices. It's all about attitude. I have to stop making excuses for the little things, because they all add up to the big picture. "Oh, it's just this time, once I go grocery shopping, I won't be eating that anymore." "I'm too tired to work out today, I'll delay the start of my routine until I'm feeling up for it." "Once I get paid next, I'm going to make the change."
Bullshit.
They say money can't buy you happiness. I'm still spending a few dollars that aren't changing my attitude. The shopping trips I take don't make a difference when I get home. For a while, I was opposed to this quote, mostly because "well, whoever wrote that hasn't been poor or in debt with student loans." Then how is it that when I was living in Venice, in a small bed sharing a room with a coke head, off of $50 a month for groceries, I had to have been the happiest person I knew? There was a good week or two where this wasn't the case... but it's amazing how much an environment doesn't matter when you have a positive outlook on your future. I had just gotten one of the most amazing jobs I could think of in only a few short weeks, I was in an amazing town, and I was meeting all these wonderful people. I'd say attitude is everything.
Now, for the changes. After doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING this weekend, and complaining about how I might have to find a job again soon, it occurred to me... there are always going to be these times where things will go downhill again. Always. It's what you do to prepare for it, and how you choose to approach the days to come that makes the difference. I keep putting my career ahead of my life. I don't feel comfortable taking care of my health and fitness until my career is taken care of. So when is it ever going to be stable? Never. There's always a chance of you not having a job at any given moment. Putting your life on hold until something completely unrelated happens is stupid and pointless. End of discussion.
I'm going to attempt my first pull up in a very long time tonight.
And I'm going to look for part-time jobs to increase my chances of not being jobless... when I become jobless.
If you stuck around long enough to read this sentence, I am thoroughly impressed. Thanks for listening.
Playa Del Rey has to be one of the best places I could have moved to. It's still close to work and in West LA, (not to mention right on the beach!), and we landed ourselves in a really, really nice neighborhood surrounded by really, really nice people. We are only a few streets away from the Airport, but the building we are in dulls the sound with the double windows we had installed. Besides, seeing the planes take off while I'm at Togo's with a friend talking about animation and watching the sun set isn't all that bad anyways.
So why does moving indicate that lifestyle changes are about? Well, let me tell you. Living in "the city" really created a submissive person inside of me. I was either too scared or too upset to go running in my "neighborhood" because of who I was surrounded by, or the traffic, or the fear of some asshole not watching where he's going (if you've never been to LA, it's not all it's cracked up to be in terms of trying to live a relatively stress-free life). When it came to food, I would have rather just gone across the street to Jack in the Box rather than cook or throw together the salad I had waiting for me in the fridge. I've been trying to figure out why environment has such an impact on me. Why I would rather do the things I know I should be avoiding so I can live a better life, instead of just fucking doing them. The closest conclusion I can come to is why I moved here in the first place: Survival. I moved to LA to find a career and to give myself all the things I've ever wanted in independence and stability. The new apartment functions just as well as the older place, but the purpose of this new environment was not to survive anymore. It was to enjoy life and live with little obstacles toward any spontaneous things I choose to do. Granted, it hasn't been an easy transition. I find myself going back to old habits frequently and without hesitation. And you know why?
Because it's all about attitude.
Environment, locale, money, clothes, makeup, shoes, new couch, the beach... none of that will make a difference in your attitude. I went from almost living on the street to living in one of the most successful cities in the world and I am still making the same choices. It's all about attitude. I have to stop making excuses for the little things, because they all add up to the big picture. "Oh, it's just this time, once I go grocery shopping, I won't be eating that anymore." "I'm too tired to work out today, I'll delay the start of my routine until I'm feeling up for it." "Once I get paid next, I'm going to make the change."
Bullshit.
They say money can't buy you happiness. I'm still spending a few dollars that aren't changing my attitude. The shopping trips I take don't make a difference when I get home. For a while, I was opposed to this quote, mostly because "well, whoever wrote that hasn't been poor or in debt with student loans." Then how is it that when I was living in Venice, in a small bed sharing a room with a coke head, off of $50 a month for groceries, I had to have been the happiest person I knew? There was a good week or two where this wasn't the case... but it's amazing how much an environment doesn't matter when you have a positive outlook on your future. I had just gotten one of the most amazing jobs I could think of in only a few short weeks, I was in an amazing town, and I was meeting all these wonderful people. I'd say attitude is everything.
Now, for the changes. After doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING this weekend, and complaining about how I might have to find a job again soon, it occurred to me... there are always going to be these times where things will go downhill again. Always. It's what you do to prepare for it, and how you choose to approach the days to come that makes the difference. I keep putting my career ahead of my life. I don't feel comfortable taking care of my health and fitness until my career is taken care of. So when is it ever going to be stable? Never. There's always a chance of you not having a job at any given moment. Putting your life on hold until something completely unrelated happens is stupid and pointless. End of discussion.
I'm going to attempt my first pull up in a very long time tonight.
And I'm going to look for part-time jobs to increase my chances of not being jobless... when I become jobless.
If you stuck around long enough to read this sentence, I am thoroughly impressed. Thanks for listening.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Holiday Laziness
It's been a while since I've worked on my animations or eaten well, since not everyone in my family is particular about how healthy holidays need to me. But I don't care. After a year of being away from my family, I have finally gotten to spend time with them. Sometimes it's nice to take a step back and realize that although you have ambitions and want to complete goals that you have for yourself, it's also nice to just be lazy and enjoy the company while you're home.
I've been reading The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson, and finally finished today. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their diet and even looking to educate themselves on the effects of processed foods on our bodies. He also has a great blog that I check almost daily (among others), called MarksDailyApple.com which is very inspirational when it comes to improving your health and looking for alternatives to modern life. One of his primary laws is to Play. It's that simple. Whatever you do, just make sure you play every once in a while. If that means taking a hike, going to the zoo, play a game of beach volleyball, whatever. Take time out of your day to play and release those feel-good hormones so your stress levels are reduced. That's all you gotta do.
The holidays really hit home for me, and put a little perspective on life as it is for me right now. Although, I was incredibly determined to get a job and become stable in LA as fast as possible, I have been so focused on this concept that I forgot to set money aside for doing the things I love and taking time out of my day to enjoy... Los Angeles!
Next stop: FUN! I'm going to loosen up and focus on having fun in cooking, fitness, learning, work, and my environment. Meeting new people, learning new tricks, get back into being a musician... All the things a young person should do. Stoked!
I really don't have a point to this blog, except to say, I can't wait to get back to LA so I can get back--- off-track! What will you do to have more fun in your life???
I've been reading The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson, and finally finished today. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their diet and even looking to educate themselves on the effects of processed foods on our bodies. He also has a great blog that I check almost daily (among others), called MarksDailyApple.com which is very inspirational when it comes to improving your health and looking for alternatives to modern life. One of his primary laws is to Play. It's that simple. Whatever you do, just make sure you play every once in a while. If that means taking a hike, going to the zoo, play a game of beach volleyball, whatever. Take time out of your day to play and release those feel-good hormones so your stress levels are reduced. That's all you gotta do.
The holidays really hit home for me, and put a little perspective on life as it is for me right now. Although, I was incredibly determined to get a job and become stable in LA as fast as possible, I have been so focused on this concept that I forgot to set money aside for doing the things I love and taking time out of my day to enjoy... Los Angeles!
Next stop: FUN! I'm going to loosen up and focus on having fun in cooking, fitness, learning, work, and my environment. Meeting new people, learning new tricks, get back into being a musician... All the things a young person should do. Stoked!
I really don't have a point to this blog, except to say, I can't wait to get back to LA so I can get back--- off-track! What will you do to have more fun in your life???
Sunday, November 20, 2011
November Thoughts
This has nothing to do with animation. However, I think it's necessary as an artist and animation "producer" to step back from the art and just focus on life for a while. I'll blog about the new job once I start on Monday. But for now, I think health and fitness is a good thing to focus on. Bill Maher has a great rant about how America is addicted to "drugs" and people should look to health and fitness as the cure to all their problems. Here it is if you haven't seen it:
What I wanted to bring up, though, is all of the resources we have as humans that can essentially put us into the best health possible are 100% available to us outside of a pharmacy, and none of them will get us addicted to anything or cause anything else to go wrong in our bodies that may need more medication to fix. It's called DIET. Crazy concept.
Now, I know most of the people reading this probably aren't the ones who need telling about diet and exercise, but it needs to be said nonetheless.
Here is a plan I've set in place in order for me to sort of "up my game" in achieving maximum health the more natural way:
-I have poor eyesight (nearsightedness). I am still researching, but I'm going to increase my intake of carotenes and zinc that are possible contributors to healthy eyes. I also read somewhere that if you want to improve your vision (if you're near-sighted), you can get rid of your aids during the exercise (glasses, contacts, etc.) and poke a small hole in a piece of paper. Then for about 5 minutes a day (I believe this is a starting point, you can increase to longer if your eyes get used to it) look through this holewith one eye, then switch. Maybe try to read some large text in front of you or something. I will also try to decrease my use of glasses or contacts while I am at home, all while decreasing the prescription I order for my aids so that will compensate (hopefully) for the better vision I may get. Our bodies were made to adapt, maybe it's time I put it to the test.
-I bought The Natural Health Bible, I'm going to start reading through different foods and nutrients that solve common problems I have. My goal for all of this is to never need anything from the drug store. Clearly, getting sick is a result of poor diet, too much alcohol, and potentially lack of sleep, and I may need some things to last at work, but hopefully, the colds will be few and far between from now on. I always try to get 8 hours of sleep, I haven't been inebriated in who knows how long, and I am slowly becoming more responsible about meals so last minute fast food is always more inconvenient than cooking at home (I defrosted the meat, had the broth cooking overnight, fresh vegetables go bad fast, etc.). But as far as the health bible goes, I look forward to discovering what plants I can grow in my house as natural remedies and what can replace ibuprofen or anything else most people have a dependence on.
-Another note related to diet, I have found that understanding the psychology of humans is a very important thing when you are setting goals. Knowing what your personal weaknesses are can definitely help you reach a goal, you just have to be creative in your process of achieving it. I find it fascinating how I didn't understand why I was late up until around high school. I could never plan enough time to get somewhere on time. I started setting my clock about an hour fast so that I would always arrive before I needed to be there. That started giving me a more accurate way to measure time in terms of traffic, parking, driving to a new place, registering for an event, setting up events, etc. I basically tricked myself into being early and quickly learned how much time is appropriate to accommodate for every situation, even the ones I'm not familiar with. So what I'm trying to say is you can find your weaknesses and try to trick yourself into being healthy. My problem at first when I decided to change my diet was that if I had money in my pocket, I would be able to plan for a "treat" and go to Inn N Out, which was ruining my progress. So I would intentionally leave my credit/debit cards at home, knowing I wouldn't need to buy anything for the day, and force myself to make a sandwich in the morning. BOOM. You have no choice but to be healthy. Spending all my money on groceries so I had no money left for going-out food was also a good way to do that, as well. But hopefully that won't be the case forever :)
-I bought some roller blades at The Salvation Army, I'm going to start going to the beach again before work, because I start at 10am now. That should be pleasant. I can't decide what activities I should plan for morning workouts, but if I do 80%, that's more than nothing and I'll figure it out as I go.
-I am buying less and less packaged goods. I'm avoiding all the aisles in the grocery store that have little to no nutritional value. I pretty much fill up my cart with veggies, fruit, meat, and sometimes dairy and that fulfills my weekly quota for the pantry.
My last random thought... I've been in LA since May and the longer I'm here, the more I realize how stupid people can be here. In driving, finances, materialism, general responsibility. Please be respectful, responsible, and make intelligent decisions every day. Don't add to the chaos. There are already way too many people in this city, so if it's going to get bigger, I would prefer it be people that actually make conscious decisions based on reason and logic. Thanks.
"Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline." -Jim Collins
Until next time!
What I wanted to bring up, though, is all of the resources we have as humans that can essentially put us into the best health possible are 100% available to us outside of a pharmacy, and none of them will get us addicted to anything or cause anything else to go wrong in our bodies that may need more medication to fix. It's called DIET. Crazy concept.
Now, I know most of the people reading this probably aren't the ones who need telling about diet and exercise, but it needs to be said nonetheless.
Here is a plan I've set in place in order for me to sort of "up my game" in achieving maximum health the more natural way:
-I have poor eyesight (nearsightedness). I am still researching, but I'm going to increase my intake of carotenes and zinc that are possible contributors to healthy eyes. I also read somewhere that if you want to improve your vision (if you're near-sighted), you can get rid of your aids during the exercise (glasses, contacts, etc.) and poke a small hole in a piece of paper. Then for about 5 minutes a day (I believe this is a starting point, you can increase to longer if your eyes get used to it) look through this holewith one eye, then switch. Maybe try to read some large text in front of you or something. I will also try to decrease my use of glasses or contacts while I am at home, all while decreasing the prescription I order for my aids so that will compensate (hopefully) for the better vision I may get. Our bodies were made to adapt, maybe it's time I put it to the test.
-I bought The Natural Health Bible, I'm going to start reading through different foods and nutrients that solve common problems I have. My goal for all of this is to never need anything from the drug store. Clearly, getting sick is a result of poor diet, too much alcohol, and potentially lack of sleep, and I may need some things to last at work, but hopefully, the colds will be few and far between from now on. I always try to get 8 hours of sleep, I haven't been inebriated in who knows how long, and I am slowly becoming more responsible about meals so last minute fast food is always more inconvenient than cooking at home (I defrosted the meat, had the broth cooking overnight, fresh vegetables go bad fast, etc.). But as far as the health bible goes, I look forward to discovering what plants I can grow in my house as natural remedies and what can replace ibuprofen or anything else most people have a dependence on.
-Another note related to diet, I have found that understanding the psychology of humans is a very important thing when you are setting goals. Knowing what your personal weaknesses are can definitely help you reach a goal, you just have to be creative in your process of achieving it. I find it fascinating how I didn't understand why I was late up until around high school. I could never plan enough time to get somewhere on time. I started setting my clock about an hour fast so that I would always arrive before I needed to be there. That started giving me a more accurate way to measure time in terms of traffic, parking, driving to a new place, registering for an event, setting up events, etc. I basically tricked myself into being early and quickly learned how much time is appropriate to accommodate for every situation, even the ones I'm not familiar with. So what I'm trying to say is you can find your weaknesses and try to trick yourself into being healthy. My problem at first when I decided to change my diet was that if I had money in my pocket, I would be able to plan for a "treat" and go to Inn N Out, which was ruining my progress. So I would intentionally leave my credit/debit cards at home, knowing I wouldn't need to buy anything for the day, and force myself to make a sandwich in the morning. BOOM. You have no choice but to be healthy. Spending all my money on groceries so I had no money left for going-out food was also a good way to do that, as well. But hopefully that won't be the case forever :)
-I bought some roller blades at The Salvation Army, I'm going to start going to the beach again before work, because I start at 10am now. That should be pleasant. I can't decide what activities I should plan for morning workouts, but if I do 80%, that's more than nothing and I'll figure it out as I go.
-I am buying less and less packaged goods. I'm avoiding all the aisles in the grocery store that have little to no nutritional value. I pretty much fill up my cart with veggies, fruit, meat, and sometimes dairy and that fulfills my weekly quota for the pantry.
My last random thought... I've been in LA since May and the longer I'm here, the more I realize how stupid people can be here. In driving, finances, materialism, general responsibility. Please be respectful, responsible, and make intelligent decisions every day. Don't add to the chaos. There are already way too many people in this city, so if it's going to get bigger, I would prefer it be people that actually make conscious decisions based on reason and logic. Thanks.
"Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline." -Jim Collins
Until next time!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
"XRay" Update
I think this process is just as important (if not more) than the piece itself. The whole purpose of doing this piece "XRay" is to not only show that I can complete something that I start (believe it or not, it rarely happens with my own work that only depends on myself), but also to really break down the figure when it's in motion and seriously analyze what happens to the line of action, the body's composition, and how that all interrelates. I also want to understand how the physical and accurate movement of a person directly relates to if it was animated, what can be pushed, what shouldn't be pushed, and what the audience sees vs. what is actually happening. I find all of this fascinating and usually an artist is either exposed to one or the other in extremes, very rarely both- unless it's motion capture. And even then, it's not drawing.
So in taking this opportunity to learn all of this, and I think it's imperative that I share my findings with the public since most of you probably won't do anything to this extent.
First off, I have to get out of the way that I am my most creative when I have obstacles in my way. For this project, namely, it's drawing. Haven't been drawing my whole life and it definitely shows. So I am using a combo of photoshop brushes that I manipulated to create the splatter effects. And instead of drawing these out as they are thrown against the canvas, I'm using a method I have very commonly used before... erasure. I take the final image and erase backwards frame by frame to make it appear as if it's being painted when it plays forward. Mind you, it's not JUST erasure (I'll usually manipulate it a touch to breathe life into what's happening), but that's the basic principle. And since it's only 15-30 frames or so each, that doesn't have to be as accurate as another project would require.
I also haven't been doing figure drawing my whole life, and it took me until recently to fully understand the meaning of an "Action Line". At first, I didn't quite get it. I literally drew the entire piece (extremes only) about 3 times before it really started to click for me. I started out pose by pose following only the spine, and then I switched to just the weight and energy, but neither of those will accurately display what is physically going on with the figure until you combine the two. Now this is where it gets good... animation helped me understand that because figure drawing is static and relatively lifeless. They put the model into a pose, and you have no idea how they "got there" in context, where they are going, or where they are transitioning their weight. Clearly, in the figure drawing, this doesn't matter because it's based on the energy of the pose, but ultimately, it took a moving figure for me to really get this. Now when I apply it to a static figure, it makes WAY more sense, and I can pull from that idea when I'm lost. Another key point is you should keep the line going through the middle of her torso, and incorporate the head. Ultimately, it looks like just a line, but there is a lot of thought and analysis that must go into it in order to capture the essence of the pose. Here's an example of my lines thus far:
Another handicap is anatomy... I never took the class and I barely understand it. I can tell when something looks weird, but I can't tell you why. So for the part where I turn her into a skeleton, clearly there is a lot that I don't know and I don't want the piece to be about how inaccurate the anatomy looks since it's solely based on live movement. So I have a 3D skeleton, and I'm going to very loosely take renders of it in those positions and draw over it. I don't want to draw all 250ish bones, but the basic ones should do the trick (large and defining bones). But, this will serve two purposes: I can learn about how the bones will look relative to the body position (if the rig's integrity holds), and I will learn a little about perspective.
I'll upload more with transition tests, screen shots, and some more updates when I have them. Next stop is the boxes, however, I have the feeling (due to my complete lack of talent in perspective, it's going to be a while). I am really happy with how far I've come with this piece, and I can't wait to see the final product!
Let me know what you think so far! Thanks!
So in taking this opportunity to learn all of this, and I think it's imperative that I share my findings with the public since most of you probably won't do anything to this extent.
First off, I have to get out of the way that I am my most creative when I have obstacles in my way. For this project, namely, it's drawing. Haven't been drawing my whole life and it definitely shows. So I am using a combo of photoshop brushes that I manipulated to create the splatter effects. And instead of drawing these out as they are thrown against the canvas, I'm using a method I have very commonly used before... erasure. I take the final image and erase backwards frame by frame to make it appear as if it's being painted when it plays forward. Mind you, it's not JUST erasure (I'll usually manipulate it a touch to breathe life into what's happening), but that's the basic principle. And since it's only 15-30 frames or so each, that doesn't have to be as accurate as another project would require.
I also haven't been doing figure drawing my whole life, and it took me until recently to fully understand the meaning of an "Action Line". At first, I didn't quite get it. I literally drew the entire piece (extremes only) about 3 times before it really started to click for me. I started out pose by pose following only the spine, and then I switched to just the weight and energy, but neither of those will accurately display what is physically going on with the figure until you combine the two. Now this is where it gets good... animation helped me understand that because figure drawing is static and relatively lifeless. They put the model into a pose, and you have no idea how they "got there" in context, where they are going, or where they are transitioning their weight. Clearly, in the figure drawing, this doesn't matter because it's based on the energy of the pose, but ultimately, it took a moving figure for me to really get this. Now when I apply it to a static figure, it makes WAY more sense, and I can pull from that idea when I'm lost. Another key point is you should keep the line going through the middle of her torso, and incorporate the head. Ultimately, it looks like just a line, but there is a lot of thought and analysis that must go into it in order to capture the essence of the pose. Here's an example of my lines thus far:
Another handicap is anatomy... I never took the class and I barely understand it. I can tell when something looks weird, but I can't tell you why. So for the part where I turn her into a skeleton, clearly there is a lot that I don't know and I don't want the piece to be about how inaccurate the anatomy looks since it's solely based on live movement. So I have a 3D skeleton, and I'm going to very loosely take renders of it in those positions and draw over it. I don't want to draw all 250ish bones, but the basic ones should do the trick (large and defining bones). But, this will serve two purposes: I can learn about how the bones will look relative to the body position (if the rig's integrity holds), and I will learn a little about perspective.
I'll upload more with transition tests, screen shots, and some more updates when I have them. Next stop is the boxes, however, I have the feeling (due to my complete lack of talent in perspective, it's going to be a while). I am really happy with how far I've come with this piece, and I can't wait to see the final product!
Let me know what you think so far! Thanks!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Going In For The Kill...
Hey guys! I've been promising for a week that I would post my progress and elements of the project I'm working on, so here it is! The exported video so far is too big to upload, and wouldn't make much sense because it's a rough of certain layers, but I'll post what does make sense, and hopefully you guys can get an idea of what I'm going for! Enjoy!
First of all, this was all inspired simply by a "So You Think You Can Dance" piece choreographed by Sonya Tajeh. Now, even if you're not super into dance, it's great reference material for acting choreography, artistic interpretation, and the movement in the figure. The choreography in and of itself is an art, not to mention the talented dancers that allow them to push their creativity every season. Here is the video I'm using as a template.
I wanted to go more literal and with this piece, so I'm literally drawing over the video. It's to aid my handicap in drawing and also so I can learn with this project about movement, anatomy, and perspective. That's usually how I learn best anyways... by taking something that is accurate (what could be more accurate than the figure itself?) and breaking it down backwards to fully understand it. My layers, so far, include triangles that represent the silhouette of the girl, action lines to define the extremes of the movement, and I am now beginning the box forms of her chest, pelvis, and limbs. It may be a bit overkill since none of that will literally be seen in the silhouette, but I think it will definitely help make the piece more dynamic. Here are some examples:
<--Drawn by Jenny Kong
<--Taken from Google Images
I'm taking my box form studies from Glenn Vilppu who has classes in Burbank for artists and animators regarding figure, basic, and anatomy drawing.
So, to give you an idea of the piece, after watching the video, it will make more sense. There is a lot of fluid movement with very staccato moments (the dance style is jazz). Where it's fluid, I want to take the basics of the silhouette and push it to be a very dynamic and push the figure past realism, yet keep a simple form like the one below. I would like to thank Jenny Kong for helping me with defining this style. The knees, elbows, hands, and feet will only be drawn when absolutely essential. Otherwise it will just be the core.
<--Drawn by Jenny Kong
So when the movement is fluid, it's the same form constrained to just the silhouette. When she hits a pose and throws her body into the beat for that jazz staccato movement, however, it's going to be a bit different. I haven't fully defined the transition yet, but she is going to throw paint up against the "canvas" (screen) and with each time this happens, it adds on the paint to the time before. Imagine her painting a picture. This is what she's doing. Whenever she swipes her leg or her arms, it's going to smear the paint and create a clearer picture. Eventually, when the piece is over, she will have painted a picture of a skull, and I'm going to fade on the paint dripping down the canvas. Here are some snapshots of what I have so far (with a few smears as tests):
Now, mind you, it's difficult to paint a picture all at once because it has to make sense with her movement. Much of what I have right now is thanks to a diagram I created- an instance, really- that represents the location of where she "throws" the paint.
As you can see, there are areas where the skull should be defined, and it totally is lacking in paint, so I'm going to go in and find minute movements that she does that could potentially add paint on in those areas, or smear it into the correct form it needs to be. So far, she has smeared the bridges of the eyes. I have considered the concept of her smearing AWAY the paint to kind of create more identifiable attributes of negative space, like the teeth and the nose cavity. The diagram was mostly necessary due to the fact that I didn't know TV Paint Pro takes PSDs and puts everything nicely into layers, so now I can paint it all in real time. Although, I need to make some new brushes for paint splatter and translate them to TV Paint >_<
Here are some problems/concerns/questions I'm running into that maybe you could help me with:
-The video was edited, so the figures are cut and reappear in different parts of the canvas, get smaller and bigger with the zooming in/out, etc. So I'm thinking a simple fade effect with the silhouette (to take it more literally with the video) will do the trick.
-Negative space. The figure isn't very big, and I need to consider maybe some sort of a backdrop to fill the space. Maybe once the "canvas" is established, the anticipation of seeing what she's painting will be enough?
-The man. As gorgeous as he is, he is a support, in my opinion, for this piece. She's "going in for the kill" and he's there to support her and "not let go of [her] hand". I don't think he should be ignored, so Jenny and I discussed the possibility of him being some sort of a shadow. Interpreting him not only as a support, but a looming figure over her, sort of egging her on to be this evil side. I'll draw him sort of as a black cloud that moves literally as he does in the video, but when he is closer to her, he feeds off her and becomes stronger (also symbolizing a literal shadow, which is more crisp when closer to the object casting it). This would also solve the next problem.
-Transitions. From silhouette to her throwing the paint, there needs to be some sort of an emphasis on her when this happens (almost like an Adam West Batman episode with the comic violence stars BIFF! BOOM! OOOF!). I came up with the idea that it could be her turning into a skeleton, almost like she gets hit with lightning, the whole canvas goes black, and you get a glimpse of her white, glowing bones. Almost like a light is shining on her and you see her true intentions, she's transparent, there's nothing about her motives that can be hidden. Still deciding on if it should be a literal skeleton or a graphical one (the silhouette isn't literal, so I'm leaning toward graphical). But, I'm wondering if the skeleton is too much and I should just go for a white-on-black silhouette instead. To solve this, since the canvas turns to black, I was thinking the shadow would sort of consume her, bleed into making the canvas black, and then fade back into his form when the moment is through.
-The canvas. How much of the overall picture should the audience be seeing when she throws the paint? All of it? Only the paint? Only the section of the canvas where she is occupying? I want the audience to get that she's painting a picture early to peak curiosity, but I don't want them to see it until she is done. So maybe only the section she's painting would be the best idea. Leave the rest a mystery?
Anyways, I'm glad you took the time to read through this (and I thank you in advance if you comment or send feedback!). I'll be posting a few more updates before I upload it to YouTube for the world to see. I'm kind of excited that Sonya and I share the same name. I'm crossing my fingers that it makes its way to her and she can see what she has inspired :)
First of all, this was all inspired simply by a "So You Think You Can Dance" piece choreographed by Sonya Tajeh. Now, even if you're not super into dance, it's great reference material for acting choreography, artistic interpretation, and the movement in the figure. The choreography in and of itself is an art, not to mention the talented dancers that allow them to push their creativity every season. Here is the video I'm using as a template.
I wanted to go more literal and with this piece, so I'm literally drawing over the video. It's to aid my handicap in drawing and also so I can learn with this project about movement, anatomy, and perspective. That's usually how I learn best anyways... by taking something that is accurate (what could be more accurate than the figure itself?) and breaking it down backwards to fully understand it. My layers, so far, include triangles that represent the silhouette of the girl, action lines to define the extremes of the movement, and I am now beginning the box forms of her chest, pelvis, and limbs. It may be a bit overkill since none of that will literally be seen in the silhouette, but I think it will definitely help make the piece more dynamic. Here are some examples:
<--Drawn by Jenny Kong
<--Taken from Google ImagesI'm taking my box form studies from Glenn Vilppu who has classes in Burbank for artists and animators regarding figure, basic, and anatomy drawing.
So, to give you an idea of the piece, after watching the video, it will make more sense. There is a lot of fluid movement with very staccato moments (the dance style is jazz). Where it's fluid, I want to take the basics of the silhouette and push it to be a very dynamic and push the figure past realism, yet keep a simple form like the one below. I would like to thank Jenny Kong for helping me with defining this style. The knees, elbows, hands, and feet will only be drawn when absolutely essential. Otherwise it will just be the core.
<--Drawn by Jenny KongSo when the movement is fluid, it's the same form constrained to just the silhouette. When she hits a pose and throws her body into the beat for that jazz staccato movement, however, it's going to be a bit different. I haven't fully defined the transition yet, but she is going to throw paint up against the "canvas" (screen) and with each time this happens, it adds on the paint to the time before. Imagine her painting a picture. This is what she's doing. Whenever she swipes her leg or her arms, it's going to smear the paint and create a clearer picture. Eventually, when the piece is over, she will have painted a picture of a skull, and I'm going to fade on the paint dripping down the canvas. Here are some snapshots of what I have so far (with a few smears as tests):
Now, mind you, it's difficult to paint a picture all at once because it has to make sense with her movement. Much of what I have right now is thanks to a diagram I created- an instance, really- that represents the location of where she "throws" the paint.
Here are some problems/concerns/questions I'm running into that maybe you could help me with:
-The video was edited, so the figures are cut and reappear in different parts of the canvas, get smaller and bigger with the zooming in/out, etc. So I'm thinking a simple fade effect with the silhouette (to take it more literally with the video) will do the trick.
-Negative space. The figure isn't very big, and I need to consider maybe some sort of a backdrop to fill the space. Maybe once the "canvas" is established, the anticipation of seeing what she's painting will be enough?
-The man. As gorgeous as he is, he is a support, in my opinion, for this piece. She's "going in for the kill" and he's there to support her and "not let go of [her] hand". I don't think he should be ignored, so Jenny and I discussed the possibility of him being some sort of a shadow. Interpreting him not only as a support, but a looming figure over her, sort of egging her on to be this evil side. I'll draw him sort of as a black cloud that moves literally as he does in the video, but when he is closer to her, he feeds off her and becomes stronger (also symbolizing a literal shadow, which is more crisp when closer to the object casting it). This would also solve the next problem.
-Transitions. From silhouette to her throwing the paint, there needs to be some sort of an emphasis on her when this happens (almost like an Adam West Batman episode with the comic violence stars BIFF! BOOM! OOOF!). I came up with the idea that it could be her turning into a skeleton, almost like she gets hit with lightning, the whole canvas goes black, and you get a glimpse of her white, glowing bones. Almost like a light is shining on her and you see her true intentions, she's transparent, there's nothing about her motives that can be hidden. Still deciding on if it should be a literal skeleton or a graphical one (the silhouette isn't literal, so I'm leaning toward graphical). But, I'm wondering if the skeleton is too much and I should just go for a white-on-black silhouette instead. To solve this, since the canvas turns to black, I was thinking the shadow would sort of consume her, bleed into making the canvas black, and then fade back into his form when the moment is through.
-The canvas. How much of the overall picture should the audience be seeing when she throws the paint? All of it? Only the paint? Only the section of the canvas where she is occupying? I want the audience to get that she's painting a picture early to peak curiosity, but I don't want them to see it until she is done. So maybe only the section she's painting would be the best idea. Leave the rest a mystery?
Anyways, I'm glad you took the time to read through this (and I thank you in advance if you comment or send feedback!). I'll be posting a few more updates before I upload it to YouTube for the world to see. I'm kind of excited that Sonya and I share the same name. I'm crossing my fingers that it makes its way to her and she can see what she has inspired :)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Career Change. Yeah...
Hey guys! I've massaged out my tension for this city... just a little, but it's kind of growing on me. I think one needs to be financially fortunate in order to truly appreciate what LA has to offer, but I'm on my way to a more forgiving attitude with the more industry experience I get.
I find myself consistently looking to the future and forgetting to enjoy the present. I suppose this is in my nature, but I can't help but overlook the fact that I am just not happy with who I am right now. I keep telling my parents "I can't wait for this confusing and frustrating part of my life to be over" and they keep reassuring me that this part of your life is one of the toughest since you haven't quite paved the path to your career and haven't quite left the "student" road. They are right. But I'm doing everything in my power to make sure that it happens sooner, rather than later.
To cut to the chase, I recently had a very moving experience. It wasn't any moment that was easily recognizable by anyone but me (if you passed me within 5 minutes of this realization, you would have hardly noticed). However, it did happen, and I'm very thankful for it. It started about a month ago, while I was reading Sir Ken Robinson's "The Element" (I highly recommend this book to everyone, btw). I was doing a very tedious task while at work, and I kept going over and over in my head "Sonya, yes, you love animating. But why are you kidding yourself? Can you really sit down and animate for 8+ hours a day? If you wanted to be an artist and it was in your blood to be one, it would have happened already. Stop fighting it. Do what you're good at."
I looked up from the cutter board. "Do what you're good at." Simple, yet powerful. I stared at the wall, realizing I was fighting who I was because I went through school with the only image in my head of being in the industry was being an animator. I had never really considered combining what I was good at with what I was passionate about. BOOM.
I need to be a project manager.
Without any hesitation whatsoever, I packed up my bags (I had been thinking so hard, I didn't realize it was time to go home) and I went home to call my parents. "Yeah, we were worried about you trying to be an animator when you weren't as experienced as the other artists." Thanks, Mom! Why couldn't you have admitted this sooner???
In any case, the last couple weeks I have been emailing people and asking them questions of how one would go about this sort of position, looking up websites for certification (and inquiring as to whether it's necessary), consulting current coworkers about my position in the company with my newfound goal, etc. I have to say, this option is less daunting than becoming an animator. I felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders and there was nothing standing in my way of being successful. Once I wrote up my resume, I found myself struggling to CUT OUT qualifications, whereas before I was struggling to find the phrases that sort of showed that I was qualified enough. I found myself changing my website and listing off projects that were 100% relevant rather than ones that I sort of could make a case for. In addition to this, I concluded more and more often that this was right for me, and the best part is, I still get to be around the same group of animated (tehe) people and I still get to be a part of the most fascinating art I have encountered. WIN.
So, my current goals right now are to pursue an animation/film studio that I am comfortable with that I can settle in as a Digital Coordinator/ Project Manager/ Whatchamacallit. I think I would be the happiest there and I can't wait!
If any of you are still struggling with what you want to be in the industry, or in general, consider these delightful questions I was consistently asking myself and didn't have the answers to until now:
-When you are emerged in a project, what seems to be the most appealing to you? Have you tried it? If not, you should. If you find yourself wanting to do something else, it's probably too late and you've already lost interest. Also consider the lesser-known options and explore those. Not everyone is fit to be an animator, but if you find that aspect appealing, consider rigging/scripting or even producing.
-What is it about that task that is the most appealing to you? Is it the math of it? Is it the art? Movement? Your ability to take charge? When you get this answer, this will point you toward what portions of the task you should focus on. There are Technical Animators for the more physics/math/programming oriented people. There is environmental modeling for the less organic designer. There is pre-visualization for the 3D cinematographer and story-teller. Storyboarding for the 2D cinematographer and story-teller.
-When you are working on something that you supposedly want to pursue in a career, does the time go by fast? If you are constantly checking the clock or switching to Facebook, you may be in the wrong place... If this "something" is playing games in general and you are actively engaged in analyzing how the design/assets/strategy fit together while you play, consider being a playtester/QA (yes, that is an option).
-Lastly, if people are constantly suggesting a certain career path for you, it might be a good indication that you are good at something. Listen.
Just remember. There are THOUSANDS of people that have been in the industry before you. And they have all gone through this same process of knowing what they generally love, and finding their place in this business. There are roles that need to be fulfilled, and plenty of people that suit those roles. Ask around. Research. Look at the credits of movies and research what those unknown titles are...
You may just be surprised as to how right you are for something you've never really considered...
I find myself consistently looking to the future and forgetting to enjoy the present. I suppose this is in my nature, but I can't help but overlook the fact that I am just not happy with who I am right now. I keep telling my parents "I can't wait for this confusing and frustrating part of my life to be over" and they keep reassuring me that this part of your life is one of the toughest since you haven't quite paved the path to your career and haven't quite left the "student" road. They are right. But I'm doing everything in my power to make sure that it happens sooner, rather than later.
To cut to the chase, I recently had a very moving experience. It wasn't any moment that was easily recognizable by anyone but me (if you passed me within 5 minutes of this realization, you would have hardly noticed). However, it did happen, and I'm very thankful for it. It started about a month ago, while I was reading Sir Ken Robinson's "The Element" (I highly recommend this book to everyone, btw). I was doing a very tedious task while at work, and I kept going over and over in my head "Sonya, yes, you love animating. But why are you kidding yourself? Can you really sit down and animate for 8+ hours a day? If you wanted to be an artist and it was in your blood to be one, it would have happened already. Stop fighting it. Do what you're good at."
I looked up from the cutter board. "Do what you're good at." Simple, yet powerful. I stared at the wall, realizing I was fighting who I was because I went through school with the only image in my head of being in the industry was being an animator. I had never really considered combining what I was good at with what I was passionate about. BOOM.
I need to be a project manager.
Without any hesitation whatsoever, I packed up my bags (I had been thinking so hard, I didn't realize it was time to go home) and I went home to call my parents. "Yeah, we were worried about you trying to be an animator when you weren't as experienced as the other artists." Thanks, Mom! Why couldn't you have admitted this sooner???
In any case, the last couple weeks I have been emailing people and asking them questions of how one would go about this sort of position, looking up websites for certification (and inquiring as to whether it's necessary), consulting current coworkers about my position in the company with my newfound goal, etc. I have to say, this option is less daunting than becoming an animator. I felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders and there was nothing standing in my way of being successful. Once I wrote up my resume, I found myself struggling to CUT OUT qualifications, whereas before I was struggling to find the phrases that sort of showed that I was qualified enough. I found myself changing my website and listing off projects that were 100% relevant rather than ones that I sort of could make a case for. In addition to this, I concluded more and more often that this was right for me, and the best part is, I still get to be around the same group of animated (tehe) people and I still get to be a part of the most fascinating art I have encountered. WIN.
So, my current goals right now are to pursue an animation/film studio that I am comfortable with that I can settle in as a Digital Coordinator/ Project Manager/ Whatchamacallit. I think I would be the happiest there and I can't wait!
If any of you are still struggling with what you want to be in the industry, or in general, consider these delightful questions I was consistently asking myself and didn't have the answers to until now:
-When you are emerged in a project, what seems to be the most appealing to you? Have you tried it? If not, you should. If you find yourself wanting to do something else, it's probably too late and you've already lost interest. Also consider the lesser-known options and explore those. Not everyone is fit to be an animator, but if you find that aspect appealing, consider rigging/scripting or even producing.
-What is it about that task that is the most appealing to you? Is it the math of it? Is it the art? Movement? Your ability to take charge? When you get this answer, this will point you toward what portions of the task you should focus on. There are Technical Animators for the more physics/math/programming oriented people. There is environmental modeling for the less organic designer. There is pre-visualization for the 3D cinematographer and story-teller. Storyboarding for the 2D cinematographer and story-teller.
-When you are working on something that you supposedly want to pursue in a career, does the time go by fast? If you are constantly checking the clock or switching to Facebook, you may be in the wrong place... If this "something" is playing games in general and you are actively engaged in analyzing how the design/assets/strategy fit together while you play, consider being a playtester/QA (yes, that is an option).
-Lastly, if people are constantly suggesting a certain career path for you, it might be a good indication that you are good at something. Listen.
Just remember. There are THOUSANDS of people that have been in the industry before you. And they have all gone through this same process of knowing what they generally love, and finding their place in this business. There are roles that need to be fulfilled, and plenty of people that suit those roles. Ask around. Research. Look at the credits of movies and research what those unknown titles are...
You may just be surprised as to how right you are for something you've never really considered...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Technology
I've kind of become obsessed with new technology lately. Ever since I got my iPhone, I've been finding ways to make my life easier, such as EverNote and now Google+. I just love the idea of being able to combine all of the ways I share information into one big thing. I've been following a lot of new and innovative companies with great ideas on Twitter and it just excites me to know that I get to be a part of this revolution. My only concern is I love how companies competing with each other pushes the technology further, but at the same time, we could be so much farther if it weren't for everyone out for doing it for their own company. If you think about us as a species, we are ALL OVER THE PLACE with our progression in technology and making the world more efficient, and if we just got together and focused, we could really be awesome. Although, I think that defines us as humans, as well. Maybe in 20-30 years Google will take over and we don't have to worry about all these crazy road blocks :P
What does everyone else think?
What does everyone else think?
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Preston Blair- Update 1
Finished a few more pages. I'm starting to understand structure a little better, but I'm not taking the training wheels off :P Maybe in a few more lessons I'll begin to do some freehand work. Until then, enjoy!
And the originals :)
And the originals :)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Preston Blair- Intro
Followed ASIFA Hollywood's blog and came across a post that was recommended in John K Stuff's blog. I started the Preston Blair challenge. I'll say no more, check out the characters I practiced with! It's straight off of Preston Blair's "Cartoon Animation", I started with the intro, and will continue toward construction of the head in a few days. And the blog link for John K Stuff is below :) Enjoy! Comments welcome!
John K Stuff's Post
and here is the original (below) in case anyone was curious.
John K Stuff's Post
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Officially there!
I am writing to you live from Venice Beach, CA, where I have just completed my first week in the industry. I cannot tell you how much this experience has been a blessing for me and more. I am so thankful that I worked as hard as I did when I moved here, and I'm so thankful for all the people who helped me along the way. I also want to thank all of my friends who dealt with me as I was an emotional wreck dealing with such major changes in my life and not knowing whether or not I was making the right decision. I now know, that it was all worth it, and you were all my support. Enough about that!
Venice is a great place to live. There are artists and people with ideas all around me. Although, parking is the worst I've ever seen since it's a tourist area, I still am very excited to have a place to stay here. I am literally a 20 minute bike ride away from work, a 5 minute ride to the beach, and close to all the studios around here so I can begin making friends in and out of the industry. I understand the importance of diet and exercise (especially in this business!), so I'm purchasing a bike and planning on riding up and down the coast every day that I can. If anything, I'll be saving on gas and riding to and from work. The weather isn't too bad, except for an occasional coastal storm, so I should be able to make a habit of avoiding lazy days. Also, just because I have a job, doesn't mean I can't stop working on the portfolio! I'm going to constantly be reading, looking at tutorials, and finishing scenes, so expect updates weekly from me! I hope to find a life drawing class somewhere around here to go to once or twice a week. My drawing skills are inexcusable! Also, plenty of salsa and martial arts in this town. Can't wait to be active again!
So that's an update on what's going on. I hope everyone who is reading this gives thanks to the people that made them who they are today, and I recommend setting a goal for yourself to make your dreams come true! Persistence and a dream is all you need ;) Bye!
Venice is a great place to live. There are artists and people with ideas all around me. Although, parking is the worst I've ever seen since it's a tourist area, I still am very excited to have a place to stay here. I am literally a 20 minute bike ride away from work, a 5 minute ride to the beach, and close to all the studios around here so I can begin making friends in and out of the industry. I understand the importance of diet and exercise (especially in this business!), so I'm purchasing a bike and planning on riding up and down the coast every day that I can. If anything, I'll be saving on gas and riding to and from work. The weather isn't too bad, except for an occasional coastal storm, so I should be able to make a habit of avoiding lazy days. Also, just because I have a job, doesn't mean I can't stop working on the portfolio! I'm going to constantly be reading, looking at tutorials, and finishing scenes, so expect updates weekly from me! I hope to find a life drawing class somewhere around here to go to once or twice a week. My drawing skills are inexcusable! Also, plenty of salsa and martial arts in this town. Can't wait to be active again!
So that's an update on what's going on. I hope everyone who is reading this gives thanks to the people that made them who they are today, and I recommend setting a goal for yourself to make your dreams come true! Persistence and a dream is all you need ;) Bye!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Jobs in the Industry
A lot of people have been requesting that I provide them with a little inside information on how to succeed down here (basically via moving down here and just starting to apply to industry jobs). I was unemployed for a month and ended up getting hired before my funds ran out (thankfully). Now, I can't say that this will be your ticket to fame and fortune, but some of things have helped me out along the way and actually aided me in my search for a job. Most I heard from word of mouth, or in forums. Read my previous post for all the websites I go to, but without further ado, here's a list of things I've learned (grab some coffee and donuts... this may take a while):
1. Do NOT try to walk into the studios and introduce yourself. You MAY be able to get away with it in the the bigger studios, but you'll only get as far as HR or the secretary, and they can't help you much. Yes, there are exceptions to this (well this ONE person got a job by walking in... etc). But for the most part, it's considered a little unprofessional and most people will just get annoyed because they have deadlines to meet. Also, good luck finding most of the studios. My first three studios the first day I arrived in LA were relatively close to where I was staying, and I printed out resumes/ cover letters and dressed to impress. The first studio was in the building across from Target and "on the fourth floor". So I get in the elevator and press 4. Nothing happens. Press it again. Nothing. Press 3, takes me to the parking garage on 3. No one in the Lobby to help, and clearly this studio doesn't want you to get in. On to the next studio, it was in a random residential neighborhood and had a "Beware of Dog" sign on the fence. No way to get in unless you have the gate opener. The next studio wasn't even on my GPS. Moral of the story? They don't want you walking in. Period.
2. Keep in touch with people. That one person you met on the plane that one time might know a thing or two, or know someone who can help you. Email everyone you know and let them know you are looking for work and just want to get your foot in the door. They can either direct you to a studio, give you a direction on where your resume and cover letter stand, or get you in touch with someone that can help you. Assuming you made a good impression on this person in the past, it's very likely that they will want to help you out. Pay it forward. When someone contacts you and asks for your help and you're all rich and famous, remember when you were in their position and help them out- or post pointers on your blog ;)
A huge emphasis on this: people love helping people. Everyone in the creative industry only wants to work with people they are familiar with or are very comfortable with. No one likes having to deal with the hiring process, they would rather hire a friend of a friend. On that same note, though, when you refer someone, you are officially credible and "responsible" for that person. If you recommend someone that is a total lazy butt and pisses off the director, they are going to associate that person with you. No bueno.
3. Emailing studios you weren't referred to is a toss up as to whether or not you're going to reach them. Put your cover letter in the body of the email, because honestly, no one wants to open an attachment from someone they don't know. That is your introduction and what makes them want to find out more information about you. Once they read the very short, concise, packed-with-qualifications cover letter you sent, they might want to read your resume you've attached (if it did its job, of course). Make sure your website is somewhere in the email as a link or on your resume so they can just keep getting more information about you. I have been contacted based on positions that have or have not existed, so it really depends on their mood, your qualifications, and their openings on whether they will contact you. Make it very clear what you are interested in, and always cater your cover letter to the company. Make them feel like they are the only company you're interested in and this is what you want to do there (telling them you moved down specifically to apply to their company helps, too, but not everyone was in my position!)
So you've emailed all these companies and a week goes by and you hear nothing (you should be applying to a good 10-20 a day if you are going to hit your 1 "Yes" to every 99 "No" ratio). After a week, you can safely assume they've had time to check their email, and either forgot to email you back or didn't have time (generic emails like jobs@thisonestudio.com are flooded with so many emails in a day), so it's time to follow up. Send a short email and attach your original email and resume/ letters of rec at the bottom. The email should basically restate that you sent an email a week ago and you are interested in hearing back from them on the status of the position. By this point, most of the time they will email you back and let you know. The benefit of this email:
-You get a response, so that means that they probably read through your information. You're on the radar and you have officially stepped above all the other applicants who were too lazy to follow up.
-You get the name of the person who you should contact in the future if you have questions or position inquiries (and their email!).
-They will usually give you an idea of when to follow up (either a specific time to email back, or just that nothing is available right now). If they aren't specific, the follow up rules I use are as follows: 1 week, 4-6 weeks, 3 months. Enough to be persistent and keep you in mind, but not enough to get the "stop emailing us" message. If you don't feel comfortable waiting that long, some people have been known to be hired so they would stop bugging HR, but I'm not sure that I personally would want to be THAT guy.
-They might give you more information about an internship or another job opening that you may qualify for and then continue emailing from there.
-Keep this person in your records for future reference even after you get a job. The industry is cyclical and you may find yourself doing the same thing 6 months later, and it's nice to know you don't have to start over. I have a spreadsheet that has all the local studios, their contact info/ address, website, position I applied for, contact person, and when I sent an email so I know when to follow up. Clearly not everyone wants to do this (I think it's fun...), but find a way to keep track of who you have already established contact with.
4. Resume and portfolios need to be very clear with each company. If you have skills in multiple areas, you are going to want a reel for each skill. Cater everything you have to that company or that position. Most companies don't want to see all your animation skills if you are applying as an EnV Artist or a render wrangler. If you have it on your website, that's cool, but the reel and resume you send to them should show all the skills and qualifications you have for that specific position. If the position is "Maya Generalist", then clearly put all of the Maya experience you have, because that's what is relevant. Now, let's say you are TOO general and you haven't polished off your skills enough to be hired for one artist position or another... Here's where you have to get your foot in the door. Now, this isn't a time to beg, but it IS a time to be honest. When you write your cover letters, don't talk yourself down, but DO explain that you are a recent grad, you are interested in the company, and you want to help out in any way you can. Be prepared to set aside your pride for a little while just so you can get in the door. Apply as an intern, a Production Assistant, in the Mail Room... Anything to get you in and working hard for that company. I just interviewed as a PA for a large corporation and although they explained to me that a PA's job is to take out the trash and prepare the rooms for clients, they also mentioned that employees get free tutorials from the artists if they choose to attend <----- Ummmm, yes please! So keep in mind that, yes, you are going to be at the bottom... but, a hard-working person that they already know (and has decent skills) is more likely to get hired than that random applicant they get a couple months later. Most industry peeps understand that working your way up is part of the game, and they will be mindful in helping you out if you are humble and dedicated to your position. Another Interviewer (who ended up offering me the job) asked me what my passion was and where I wanted to be in 10 years, so they could educate me and help me get there eventually.
5. So let's say you've done all this and you get a call for an interview. Research the company, everything they've done, how they got started, who started it, what they've personally worked on, etc. You should already know this because you applied to them, but brush up on the details. Also, double check your connections on Linked In. You may know someone that works for them or know someone who knows an employee. It may work in your favor. As far as the actual interview, I would say prepare just like any other job (practice those stupid questions that everyone hates), but also keep in mind that they are looking for someone who they want to work with. During this interview, like I've experienced, they may not ask you ANY of those questions you prepared for (or even why you're qualified). So, in this case, you'll want to make the best impression you can. Lay everything out on the table and let them know who you are and how awesome you are to be around. Be light and friendly, confident, and be interested in everything they show you, even if it's not your department. Pretend like you already got the job (if it calms the nerves) and you are just meeting new people around the office. I personally think my real interview was the tour, when they introduced me to all the artists to see how friendly I was. I tried to make an impression on everyone I met, and even threw in a few jokes like "Hey.... Hopefully I'll see you guys again!" I wouldn't be surprised if they were introduced to a new PA potential like me every few months and I want them to remember me (at least at the corporate offices). It's very likely the person interviewing me went back and asked everyone what they thought of me.
In general, be more prepared than they are. They have so much going on, they might forget to print your resume or even to read over it before your appointment. Bring 2 copies of your resume and cover letter (in case another executive wants to join) and any letters of reccommendation. Maybe even a notebook to take notes on when they answer your questions (good idea for PA's, too).
If you're not sure you got the job, or you get an email later saying you didn't, make sure the person who interviewed you knows that you are very interested in working for the company and helping any way you can. Be willing to do unpaid work or an internship for a few weeks and prove to them that you are worth hiring. Don't say "I'm willing to do anything", but be humble about it and let them know unpaid work is an option for you. Clearly, keep your priorities. If you can't afford unpaid work for more than a month, make sure they know that. You don't want to be taken advantage of. A lot of people have worked there way up by doing unpaid work. If you need to get a side job or part-time, do so. But try to be as flexible with the unpaid work as possible.
6. Keep your chin up. This is going to be a roller coaster of emotions: "I wonder if I'm good enough", "Wow, their work is so much better", "I need money, but I'm not getting any interviews!", and "Should I be working on my portfolio or applying for jobs?!". Just make sure that you are always talking to people about what you can do better and always improving your skills. Take a few hours to apply for jobs, but it's exhausting so give yourself breaks. Jump on Maya and animate 10 seconds, or watch a tutorial online, or browse CG Society. Always try to improve your method of applying (look over your resume, be harsh about things that should change on your portfolio and reel). If you are getting better at fluid particles while you're waiting for follow up emails, update your website and add some WIP shots. WIP shots that are recent are a great way to show that you are trying to improve yourself and your knowledge base. If you're a character modeler, showing sketches of anatomy isn't a bad idea. EnV artists... maybe start taking high res photos of random things and create your own texture library. Start a blog :) Try to keep busy because the down time is when the unemployment depression kicks in.
7. Have some fun. You ARE in Los Angeles, after all! Meet up with industry peeps, go to industry events, and enjoy the sun. You won't get much time to do these things after you are working 70 hour weeks :)
8. Once you get the job, keep in mind that if what you got hired for isn't what you ultimately want to be, work on your reel on nights and weekends, and always keep an eye out for mobility. You'd be surprised how many opportunities to move toward you ultimate goal will arise once you prove that you're awesome to work with!
So, I hope this helps. In the meantime, feel free to comment if you have anything to add or an experience that contradicts anything I've said. Everyone has a different method, but this is what I've found to be most useful so far. Hope to see you all down here soon!
1. Do NOT try to walk into the studios and introduce yourself. You MAY be able to get away with it in the the bigger studios, but you'll only get as far as HR or the secretary, and they can't help you much. Yes, there are exceptions to this (well this ONE person got a job by walking in... etc). But for the most part, it's considered a little unprofessional and most people will just get annoyed because they have deadlines to meet. Also, good luck finding most of the studios. My first three studios the first day I arrived in LA were relatively close to where I was staying, and I printed out resumes/ cover letters and dressed to impress. The first studio was in the building across from Target and "on the fourth floor". So I get in the elevator and press 4. Nothing happens. Press it again. Nothing. Press 3, takes me to the parking garage on 3. No one in the Lobby to help, and clearly this studio doesn't want you to get in. On to the next studio, it was in a random residential neighborhood and had a "Beware of Dog" sign on the fence. No way to get in unless you have the gate opener. The next studio wasn't even on my GPS. Moral of the story? They don't want you walking in. Period.
2. Keep in touch with people. That one person you met on the plane that one time might know a thing or two, or know someone who can help you. Email everyone you know and let them know you are looking for work and just want to get your foot in the door. They can either direct you to a studio, give you a direction on where your resume and cover letter stand, or get you in touch with someone that can help you. Assuming you made a good impression on this person in the past, it's very likely that they will want to help you out. Pay it forward. When someone contacts you and asks for your help and you're all rich and famous, remember when you were in their position and help them out- or post pointers on your blog ;)
A huge emphasis on this: people love helping people. Everyone in the creative industry only wants to work with people they are familiar with or are very comfortable with. No one likes having to deal with the hiring process, they would rather hire a friend of a friend. On that same note, though, when you refer someone, you are officially credible and "responsible" for that person. If you recommend someone that is a total lazy butt and pisses off the director, they are going to associate that person with you. No bueno.
3. Emailing studios you weren't referred to is a toss up as to whether or not you're going to reach them. Put your cover letter in the body of the email, because honestly, no one wants to open an attachment from someone they don't know. That is your introduction and what makes them want to find out more information about you. Once they read the very short, concise, packed-with-qualifications cover letter you sent, they might want to read your resume you've attached (if it did its job, of course). Make sure your website is somewhere in the email as a link or on your resume so they can just keep getting more information about you. I have been contacted based on positions that have or have not existed, so it really depends on their mood, your qualifications, and their openings on whether they will contact you. Make it very clear what you are interested in, and always cater your cover letter to the company. Make them feel like they are the only company you're interested in and this is what you want to do there (telling them you moved down specifically to apply to their company helps, too, but not everyone was in my position!)
So you've emailed all these companies and a week goes by and you hear nothing (you should be applying to a good 10-20 a day if you are going to hit your 1 "Yes" to every 99 "No" ratio). After a week, you can safely assume they've had time to check their email, and either forgot to email you back or didn't have time (generic emails like jobs@thisonestudio.com are flooded with so many emails in a day), so it's time to follow up. Send a short email and attach your original email and resume/ letters of rec at the bottom. The email should basically restate that you sent an email a week ago and you are interested in hearing back from them on the status of the position. By this point, most of the time they will email you back and let you know. The benefit of this email:
-You get a response, so that means that they probably read through your information. You're on the radar and you have officially stepped above all the other applicants who were too lazy to follow up.
-You get the name of the person who you should contact in the future if you have questions or position inquiries (and their email!).
-They will usually give you an idea of when to follow up (either a specific time to email back, or just that nothing is available right now). If they aren't specific, the follow up rules I use are as follows: 1 week, 4-6 weeks, 3 months. Enough to be persistent and keep you in mind, but not enough to get the "stop emailing us" message. If you don't feel comfortable waiting that long, some people have been known to be hired so they would stop bugging HR, but I'm not sure that I personally would want to be THAT guy.
-They might give you more information about an internship or another job opening that you may qualify for and then continue emailing from there.
-Keep this person in your records for future reference even after you get a job. The industry is cyclical and you may find yourself doing the same thing 6 months later, and it's nice to know you don't have to start over. I have a spreadsheet that has all the local studios, their contact info/ address, website, position I applied for, contact person, and when I sent an email so I know when to follow up. Clearly not everyone wants to do this (I think it's fun...), but find a way to keep track of who you have already established contact with.
4. Resume and portfolios need to be very clear with each company. If you have skills in multiple areas, you are going to want a reel for each skill. Cater everything you have to that company or that position. Most companies don't want to see all your animation skills if you are applying as an EnV Artist or a render wrangler. If you have it on your website, that's cool, but the reel and resume you send to them should show all the skills and qualifications you have for that specific position. If the position is "Maya Generalist", then clearly put all of the Maya experience you have, because that's what is relevant. Now, let's say you are TOO general and you haven't polished off your skills enough to be hired for one artist position or another... Here's where you have to get your foot in the door. Now, this isn't a time to beg, but it IS a time to be honest. When you write your cover letters, don't talk yourself down, but DO explain that you are a recent grad, you are interested in the company, and you want to help out in any way you can. Be prepared to set aside your pride for a little while just so you can get in the door. Apply as an intern, a Production Assistant, in the Mail Room... Anything to get you in and working hard for that company. I just interviewed as a PA for a large corporation and although they explained to me that a PA's job is to take out the trash and prepare the rooms for clients, they also mentioned that employees get free tutorials from the artists if they choose to attend <----- Ummmm, yes please! So keep in mind that, yes, you are going to be at the bottom... but, a hard-working person that they already know (and has decent skills) is more likely to get hired than that random applicant they get a couple months later. Most industry peeps understand that working your way up is part of the game, and they will be mindful in helping you out if you are humble and dedicated to your position. Another Interviewer (who ended up offering me the job) asked me what my passion was and where I wanted to be in 10 years, so they could educate me and help me get there eventually.
5. So let's say you've done all this and you get a call for an interview. Research the company, everything they've done, how they got started, who started it, what they've personally worked on, etc. You should already know this because you applied to them, but brush up on the details. Also, double check your connections on Linked In. You may know someone that works for them or know someone who knows an employee. It may work in your favor. As far as the actual interview, I would say prepare just like any other job (practice those stupid questions that everyone hates), but also keep in mind that they are looking for someone who they want to work with. During this interview, like I've experienced, they may not ask you ANY of those questions you prepared for (or even why you're qualified). So, in this case, you'll want to make the best impression you can. Lay everything out on the table and let them know who you are and how awesome you are to be around. Be light and friendly, confident, and be interested in everything they show you, even if it's not your department. Pretend like you already got the job (if it calms the nerves) and you are just meeting new people around the office. I personally think my real interview was the tour, when they introduced me to all the artists to see how friendly I was. I tried to make an impression on everyone I met, and even threw in a few jokes like "Hey.... Hopefully I'll see you guys again!" I wouldn't be surprised if they were introduced to a new PA potential like me every few months and I want them to remember me (at least at the corporate offices). It's very likely the person interviewing me went back and asked everyone what they thought of me.
In general, be more prepared than they are. They have so much going on, they might forget to print your resume or even to read over it before your appointment. Bring 2 copies of your resume and cover letter (in case another executive wants to join) and any letters of reccommendation. Maybe even a notebook to take notes on when they answer your questions (good idea for PA's, too).
If you're not sure you got the job, or you get an email later saying you didn't, make sure the person who interviewed you knows that you are very interested in working for the company and helping any way you can. Be willing to do unpaid work or an internship for a few weeks and prove to them that you are worth hiring. Don't say "I'm willing to do anything", but be humble about it and let them know unpaid work is an option for you. Clearly, keep your priorities. If you can't afford unpaid work for more than a month, make sure they know that. You don't want to be taken advantage of. A lot of people have worked there way up by doing unpaid work. If you need to get a side job or part-time, do so. But try to be as flexible with the unpaid work as possible.
6. Keep your chin up. This is going to be a roller coaster of emotions: "I wonder if I'm good enough", "Wow, their work is so much better", "I need money, but I'm not getting any interviews!", and "Should I be working on my portfolio or applying for jobs?!". Just make sure that you are always talking to people about what you can do better and always improving your skills. Take a few hours to apply for jobs, but it's exhausting so give yourself breaks. Jump on Maya and animate 10 seconds, or watch a tutorial online, or browse CG Society. Always try to improve your method of applying (look over your resume, be harsh about things that should change on your portfolio and reel). If you are getting better at fluid particles while you're waiting for follow up emails, update your website and add some WIP shots. WIP shots that are recent are a great way to show that you are trying to improve yourself and your knowledge base. If you're a character modeler, showing sketches of anatomy isn't a bad idea. EnV artists... maybe start taking high res photos of random things and create your own texture library. Start a blog :) Try to keep busy because the down time is when the unemployment depression kicks in.
7. Have some fun. You ARE in Los Angeles, after all! Meet up with industry peeps, go to industry events, and enjoy the sun. You won't get much time to do these things after you are working 70 hour weeks :)
8. Once you get the job, keep in mind that if what you got hired for isn't what you ultimately want to be, work on your reel on nights and weekends, and always keep an eye out for mobility. You'd be surprised how many opportunities to move toward you ultimate goal will arise once you prove that you're awesome to work with!
So, I hope this helps. In the meantime, feel free to comment if you have anything to add or an experience that contradicts anything I've said. Everyone has a different method, but this is what I've found to be most useful so far. Hope to see you all down here soon!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
11 Second Club WIP
Finally got some time to settle down and stop looking for jobs today (after applying to like 20 :P). So here is my WIP. Any crit will be received and noted as always! This is the first pass on splines. Next I plan on doing the second pass, taking care of the basics that I glossed over or skipped on the first pass, and incorporating dialogue and facial expression. I'm hoping to have this polished within the next few weeks and put it on my reel. Stay tuned!
LA Update 4/26
It's been a little over a week, and it's going pretty good so far. I actually had a response this morning from a studio about the Production Assistant position (it was a "no", but a response in any case). So we're making progress, I suppose. I've been sending out a good 10-20 emails with resumes and cover letters a day since I got here. It turns out just walking into studios and introducing yourself is not the best way to go. I thought it would be bold, but according to a lot of industry people I've been talking to, it's a little too bold. Luckily, I have a lot of friends that are helping me in the right direction and it shouldn't be too long before somebody says "yes" to my inquiry at a studio. In the meantime, I'll keep animating and checking out job forums. For people that are local, or planning on moving down here, I made a list of websites that have been recommended to me (a lot of the industries are intermingled, so look on all sites for your line of work). Note: STAY AWAY FROM CRAGISLIST and you'll be fine. While looking for jobs, keep improving your skills and be open to accepting unpaid or other jobs that will get your foot in the door (motion-tracking, roto, Production Assistant, internship, etc.) Once you get your foot in the door, work your a$$ off and eventually you will prove yourself enough to work your way up to a position that you have wanted all along. Good Luck out there, and I'll continue to post tips that I have learned along the way!
http://creativeheads.net/
http://www.2-popforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=180
http://motionographer.com/jobs/
http://www.gamasutra.com/jobs/
http://jobs.cgsociety.org/
http://realitystaff.com/pages/view/Jobs
http://mandy.com/place/uscs.cfm
http://www.krop.com/
http://www.entertainmentworkers.com/
There ya go! Keep at it!
http://creativeheads.net/
http://www.2-popforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=180
http://motionographer.com/jobs/
http://www.gamasutra.com/jobs/
http://jobs.cgsociety.org/
http://realitystaff.com/pages/view/Jobs
http://mandy.com/place/uscs.cfm
http://www.krop.com/
http://www.entertainmentworkers.com/
There ya go! Keep at it!
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