Motivational Poster
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Hahaha my reply to Ian's post on Anime was so long I decided to make it into my own post ^_^ I hope you don't mind Ian.
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Wow you've really thought about this long and hard, and I've got to admit, it's different hearing this from the teachers point of view. But a good different.
And through the few weeks I've been in this course I've been judging cartoons more on their movement rather than their looks.
Having said that, theres nothing wrong with having both happy pretty icing with a nice portion of cake in the center.
"Blame Ian for the cake reference, if you don't get it, ask him ^_^"
Which is why I still stand by my earlier stance of defiance by using both quantity AND quality ^_^. There's nothing wrong with giving yourself extra work, so long as you are willing to put in the same amout of effort in the more important details, which in my case at the moment is movement. I'm aware that its unnessisary, and so is the human appendix, but there it is all the same.
And I guess in a way, Anime is helping teenagers not look so much like losers. Haha, bare with me because I know this sounds rediculous. There is nothing cool "to the majority" about using "around the world with Timon and Pumba" as a conversation starter. Let's be honest, you don't come across as an intellectual. But more mature cartoon's are coming out and are becoming more and more socially acceptable. Evangelion has probably one of the biggest philisophical story lines easily accessable to my generation of cartoon lovers. And let's be honest, I'd rather see Alucard from Hellsing devour his next prey than watch Roadrunner slap Mr. Coyote with another dose of ANVIL IN THE FACE.
Slapstick will always be close to my heart, but seeing drama and suspence in cartoons creates more of a sympathy factor for me.
But yes, you do have a very good point about watching a still picture of Yugi on the screen at 7:30 in the morning whilst he goes through about half the season's plot in his head. Every now and then they put masses of streaming lines and colours behind these still faces to make their thoughts more intence.
I guess we're looking at a new era of animation. Scientists say that the first possible evolution of man was distinguished by his ability to find humour by watching other's hurt themselves in a minor fasion. Maybe we're just evolving into wanting a little bit more out of life than just slapstick humour.
I personally believe that Anime is alive today because real people are just too boring to look at.
Labels: Philosophy
8 comments:
Some interesting thoughts Mitch, but I’m afraid your still wrong about the quantity and quality thing.
You Say, “There's nothing wrong with giving yourself extra work, so long as you are willing to put in the same amount of effort in the more important details” but this premise allows for there being as much time as you want available. Do you realise that you are almost one eighth of the way through your course already? Like it or not time is limited, and like it or not, someone who puts in the same amount of effort as you but focusing 100% on quality for the duration of that limited time will learn more and produce better work.
In one way it is a shame you didn’t post this comment on the ARC, because I’m 100% sure our industry friends like Lisa and Kristi would back me up on this one. Its not just an arbitrary statement for the sake of being a pain or authority figure, we are trying to share the benefit of our experience. Trying to save you the pain that we and our peers have endured.
ha. im too hung over to read the whole thing, but the last sentence was awesome,
respect mitch-diggity
Damn I hate being wrong. But I'll definitly throw away my ego for a second on this one.
Obviously I can't expect to know it all so early in the game. From the sounds of things I never will. You keep telling me that you've been in the game for around 10 years and you still don't have it right. Just enough to put me in my place. Which is fair enough because it's your job.
Perhaps others will learn from my mistakes. hahaha. Let good ol' Mitch take the bullet.
But cheer up on the whole short course thing Ian. In the short amount of time you've gotten to know me, do you honestly think I'd not seek more knowledge after this course. Not that I don'd doubt your abilities to teach. I will make a career out of animation, and I've set that goal in stone, but as much as I might come across as someone who thinks he knows it all. I'm constantly trying to learn more and more about the world. I'm just very good at contradicting myself.
Having said that, your right. Not focusing 100% on quality is just holding myself back from learning more and more about whats most important. I realised this the other morning when I made a comment on the ARF forums about women in cartoons. I took a page out of your book talking about the quality of the women versus the quantity. Which then slapped me hard in the face once I realised what you ment. and then felt awfuly imbarrased but none the less triumphant in passing the Ian test of begginers knowledge, which by the way I believe a trophy is in order. I figured I should stop being wonderwoman for a while and try something a little more absorbant like Spongebob.
Let's see where this goes.
And in reply to Courtney's comment. thanx dawg.
Hi Mitch. I liked your post. One thing I found interesting was that the thing that appeals to you most about anime is its courage to tackle more serious dramatic stories. The problem is the assumption that these kind of stories can only be told by using the standard anime style of animation. No one wants you to avoid serious anime-style stories, they just want you bring that same sense of depth and maturity to the animation style.
When you talk about the new era of animation, i see it as being the combination of mature original storytelling with full animation. Right now there seem to be three dominating styles: The Western Cal-Arts Pixar/Dreamworks style, The Cartoon Network style, and The Japanese Anime style. Right now they are all victim to their own cliches and formulas. The only way to start this new era of animation is to draw from the best aspects of each and create something truly new and original.
Still on the subject of mature stories, this is a good example of seeking inspiration outside of the medium of animation. While anime seems really grown-up compared to the Lion King, most of it (especially Evangelion) doesn't get beyond the typical 15-18 year old level of angsty existential philosophy. (Ghost in the Shell 2, I'm looking at you too).
If it's deeper themes and characters you want, you really need to look further afield, to things like good classic and modern literature.
If anime creators only look to other anime for inspiration, their ideas will never get out of puberty.
And sorry to rant all over your blog, I'm gone now. *vanish*
haha not at all sam. I use evengelion because (to my knowledge) it was the first of its kind.
I think it was back in 1994 when Evengelion came out as a manga, and I don't know much about the history about animation but I haven't seen too much main streem cartoons back then with the same amount of depth. I watched this for the first time when I was 12... and for a 12 year old. It was freaken mind blowingly intence. lol.
and I guess if you look around at whats happening these days. if you're looking for mature stories tied in with animation. You need to turn to the games industry.
I'm playing Lost Odyssey at the moment, and my god is it deep. well I'm still only on the first disc so far and it seems really damn good.
Yes I do agree though. We need more refined animation AND good story lines. Maybe it should be compulsary for all animators to do a writers course ^_^.
Oooor, maybe I'm just not looking in the right places and haven't found the right stuff yet. :( Such is the unfortunate truth of a animation newbie.
Sam left the course 2 years ago with something like 30 seconds of 3D animation to his name. But 30 seconds of gold. Surprise surprise he is the only student we have had so far to pretty much walk straight out of tafe and into a 3D animator job.
We've had students since who have produced much more, but they are still trying to get a foot in the door (some will intime I'm sure), but it was Sam doged determination to make every second of animation count that set him apart.
Who the heck is Yugi?
I know Yogi (Bear), and he was disturbingly, limited animated by Hanna Barbera, Saturday morning cartoon schlok, that was fresh and graphic in a Darren from "Bewitched" kinda 1960s way.
And Chuck Jones directed the frenetic background style in "Aristo Cat" (1943, I think) in the @ Leon Schlesinger Studios.
Even though he may not speak, the Coyote has a lot to teach (check out Chuck Jones's autobiography and what he says about the coyote in relation to animation).
Anyway, someone named Hayao Miyazaki responded on the ARC blog to the Anime post, and he's got some interesting things to say about Manga comics and the Japanese film industry.
When you start inbetweening, you may find a small globe of enlightenment form on the internal viewscope. I did.
The more you resist the stronger the lesson. Keep questioning Ian's teachings. You're absolutely correct about, when you challenge a teacher, everyone around you (who's paying attention) will learn more than they expected.
*varnish*
Argh, dagnamit, wrong blog spell. Yerk, it's sticky.
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