Motivational Poster
Friday, April 4, 2008
So, another poll closed. This one about which animation software people liked the most. What scares me is that the poll says people enjoy using frosted buttz more than using adobe after effects and maya. Hmmmm, but on a lighter note, it seems that flash was most popular with traditional animation lurking up behind him... Gay unconcentual abuse of the sexual kind? or Ninja?
But yeah seriously. I can see that people are ejnjoying flash alot so I can understand that. But TRADITIONAL ANIMATION?!?! No offence everyone. But you don't exactly seem like the hard working, day in and day out, no life, about the pull out the shot gun from underneath your lightbox because of all the built up stress type... (apart from Ian. And thats why he's epic) lol but yeah. MAYBE I'm wrong, but I don't see too many people uploading anything onto their blogs unless its nessissary (apart from some people, which is REALLY good). I'm not having a go at anyone. It's just hard to link people who like traditional animation with people who only go for the minimal requirements in work.
Personally I find it a personal enrichment. Instead of playing the latest Wii game, reading the latest Death Note Manga, or even watching the digitally remastered version of AKIRA, I'll pick up the ol' Graphics Tablet and start experimenting. Using my imagination with Ian's, Jane's, and Terry's techniques to start creating my mark on the giant wall amongst all the other animators creativity.
If we're out of school and we've landed ourselves in tafe, the majority of us are around 2 years behind everyone else who's gone straight into Uni, of course we can fight that argument till the cows come home, but lets face it, a Bachellor's Degree in screen: animation sounds sooo much better than a Diploma of screen: animation, and if you're in this course, you've either found yourself in a financial pickle, OR you've missed the mark in landing yourself a position in the Bachellor's Degree.
Maybe it's just me, but I want to put in as much work as possible so I can catch up with the rest of life. I know it's a harsh veiw on life, but is it too far from the truth? I'm aware that this course has what others don't offer, like constant feedback from teachers and a healthier work environment, but it still wont give you the Degree. So instead I have a proposition for all those who actually bother reading my stuff.
***Compensate for the lack of a Bachellor's Degree and the years of work they throw at you at Uni, with the ability to kick animation ass. So every bit of effort counts guys. The Harder we try, the better the chances we have of being the best.***
Yes...No...Maybe? ... Frosted Butts?
Labels: Philosophy
7 comments:
Hooray! I'm Epic . . . . Is that good?
Change is a factor here, for years everyone has been drawing at home. Now to be told that you might not be drawing as you animate can be a shock.
First years are yet to even experience the entire traditional process, you will I think be surprised how technical and clinical cleanup and inbetweening are. It could be argued that you don’t have enough information to even compare as yet.
I what you are mainly dealing with here though, is that students often have trouble separating what they like DOING from what they are a fan of.
This is even why Flash is coming in at the top in my opinion. People see it as a way of staying true to traditional animation (of which they are a fan), while still getting the speed benefits of computer assistance. In a way they are right, it is a nice compromise, but a compromise works both ways, as you move towards more complicated projects you will become more aware of Flash’s limitations. If Flash is a way to have your cake and eat it too, how come Disney aren’t churning our Flash feature films, bottom line is that it can’t.
I was reluctant to embrace 3D at first, but now I love it. Once you get used to the tools (which I admit can take some time) it can allow you to focus purely on movement as no other form of animation can. Mmmm moooovement. You see I’m a fan of traditional animation, but I love working on movement.
Do you really want to turn the thing that you love and enjoy into a job anyway? Do you want drawing to become associated with a chore, with hard work. My initial love for and knowledge of drawing feeds my 3D animation every day, the link is strong enough to keep me enthused and engaged, but I still get to keep drawings as a precious thing I love to do for the fun of it.
It’s a case of be careful what you wish for, I know people that after a short stint in the biz have just walked away to a totally non creative career, bitter and sad. They have soiled their love of animation for all time (eeew).
Having had to have been pushed into 3D myself at first, I can’t get too agro about people not liking it at first. But I will keep pushing it and hopefully many of you will come around. You have to trust me, 3D animation software it is a wonderful, empowering tool, and what more exciting is that we have only just started to scratch the surface of what it might achieve. Its an exciting new frontier.
What’s it all about this animation thing, Its about telling stories, creating characters that seem alive to the audience, giving them actions and feelings, connecting with the audience in a way only animation can. Funny how I can sum it up completely without even mentioning how it is made. It makes no difference. Good animation is good animation, made by scratching two sticks together or using a complex piece of software, if you understand the craft you should be concerned with exactly the same things every day as you work.
On the topic of 3D animation, I think people are still looking at creating the character itself... and cringing at the very thought of it... for GOOD REASON TOO! I can't imagine any 3D illustrator saying "pfft, drawing in 3D is a piece of CAKE, I made 10 guys up the other week in my spare time."
But I've already noticed (fiddling around with some 3d characters on the internet) Animation is soooo much easier in 3D. It's like a puppet but you don't have your hand up it's ass to make it move.
In traditional animation if you want to make an arm move, you've got to go through the key frames, the rough line work, then a second rough, draw it in on another piece of paper, clean it up on another, and then draw another 10-20 pictures inbetween those ones.
In 3D, it's like... click and drag. whats that? you don't like the speed of it, well you're dear friend the graph will help you out there... DONE. and you're sitting back... and a wonderful feeling of power comes over you once you realise that you've done the work of about 3 other people taking them roughly an hour or maybe less, and you've done it in like 5 minutes.
I'm pretty sure for any animator thats a freaken gift from god. or his cartoon equivalent.
And to answer Ians question on his epicness... In a way yes, I can see that look in your eye of (I was in the animators equivalent of the holocaust, and I'm alive to tell the tail)
The way you have to think about character creation in 3D is that you only have to get it right once.
This means that its a huge amount of work if you only want to do 15 seconds of animation with a character and then never use it again.
But if you want to continue using the character for a long period of time then the tables turn. You can use a model for years, it may have taken a while to set up, but from then on its just animate animate animate. :)
1stly...great post mitch, I like it ^__^
And bad me for not voting in your poll.
But one thing is for sure, at this point in time, I prefer Maya over flash. For starters you have so much more control over Maya than you do with flash. Even though there's heaps of lines in the graph editor, it gives you more ability to make your character move properly.
That and Maya hasn't got dumb eraser tool like flash does. I hate the flash rubber with a passion (Ok, rub out that line. Why didn't it rub out? Ok lets try this setting...DON'T RUB OUT THE OTHER LAYER YOU ASS HOLE!!!) , mainly cause im used to photoshop.
At least the rubber in photoshop actually does what you tell it to. *grumbles*
Anway, I totally agree with you about Maya mitch. And what's so great about death note anyway? I watched 1 ep....and i didn't really care about watching any more.
Holy crapola. There's sure a lot of them word things.
I'll have to come back and read them when my eyes aren't so dry.
bah, the movies where cool Dana. Both death gods where made in 3D graphics. I'm not sure whether or not it was an animator who did it, or if it was just some dumb japanese guy in a ball suit (the ones that they used to animate smeagle in lord of the rings) Ian might know what they are called. I'll ask him tomorow or the next day.
When I talk about anime. I'm usually refering to it's greatness by it's storyline, not it's animation. The amazing transformation of a good honest student being slowly manipulated and corrupted by the powers given to him by a notebook of death. And just watching him play cat and mouse with the smartest and most cunning detective in the world.
SOME anime can be fantastic... and it seems, the further back you look, the better it is... Akira, has got to be one of the greatest cartoons of all times, let alone anime. Aachi and Ssipak is up there (although it's rather perferted in many different ways it's got some awesome scenes). Vampire Hunter D is definitly a good one, but ian might dissaprove, it's more about amazingly fine details in the character designs. OH, and if you're looking for something recent thats unbelievably amazing... Tekkonkinkreet. If you find if for sale on dvd, FREAKEN buy it.
I agree that some anime's are fantastic, heck one of my favourite series is Ouran high school....but only cause the show is damn funny.
But at this point in time, I have neither the time or the money to go out and watch a tone of episodes of anime. Also, anime was more of a phase for me than anything else. Besides, doesn't some of the great animators of the world tell us not to immerse ourselves in animation?
The less anime I watch, the more original idea's I'll have.
Post a Comment