Did you know that WALL-E’s director Andrew Stanton originally intended to use 30’s French swing music as the unifying musical theme in WALL-E? Then the French animated film The Triplets of Belleville used French swing music to great effect and Stanton changed the theme to music he performed in high school theater. Thus we have “Hello Dolly!” songs in WALL-E!

Questions about the animation job market - animation tips and tricks with Animation Mentor co-founder Shawn Kelly

I'll Never Be as Good an Animator as So-and-So

  By: Shawn Kelly

Hello everyone!

I've been getting a few questions lately in the email (and posts on the blog) from animators concerned about their current skill level, especially as compared to their peers in school or at their studio.

I have news for you guys.  There's always going to be someone better than you. 

Always.

That's never going to change.  I bet I could line up my all-time dream-team of favorite animation heroes and ask if they are the best animator they know, and I could almost guarantee that they'd all blanch and point the finger to dozens of other animators they feel are better than they are. 

The art is simply too complex, too deep, too much in a state of constant evolution, and too global to ever "be the best."  It just isn't going to happen.

Can you become the best at your studio or school, though?  Sure, I guess, but not for long.  Sooner or later (usually sooner), someone is going to come along and blow you out of the water.  But that's a GOOD thing!  If you're in that situation, I sure hope you'd use it as an opportunity to refocus and learn what you can from your new peer in order to push your game to a whole new level.

I understand the concern a lot more at the student level, however.  It's scary enough to be an art student in any kind of art because again, someone is always better than you are, only now you're in an environment where you're already wondering if you'll ever be able to make a living at this, or worrying that you are wasting a lot of time and money on something you may never truly be outstanding in.

That's totally normal to feel that way, and I bet that most animation and art students have felt that way at some point.

What you need to realize, is that all the artists you are in school with are at different points in their learning path.  Some people are slower to pick up on certain ideas and techniques.  Some people have more experience than others, and come into a class with a much more developed background in the art.  A very lucky and very few people are just amazing prodigies right out of the gate.

The point is, we're all at different levels, and that's normal. 

I used to be pretty decent at drawing.  Now I'm awful and completely out of practice after a decade of drawing nothing but stickmen planning poses.  I've been thinking about going and taking a figure drawing class sometime to ease back into it, because I do miss it.  When I do, I will know without a shadow of a doubt that my drawings are going to be among the worst in the class.  There will be people who are incredible, there will be people even worse than me (if it's a huge class, maybe!), and the vast majority of us will be somewhere in between.

But I'll be in there to LEARN.  I'm not in there to compete with them.  I'm not going to let myself feel too embarrassed about having to hang my lumpy uneven shrunken-headed poor anatomy slightly-alien-looking figure drawing on the wall next to the masterpiece drawn in 2 minutes by the girl sitting next to me.  I'm there to learn, and any time you're learning ANY art, one of the most important things to get over is the fear of looking silly.  The fear that people are pointing at your work and giggling. 

The fear that you just don't measure up, and won't ever be as good as so-and-so.

I believe that drawing, like animation, is a learned skill.  With the proper motivation and dedication, ANYONE can learn to draw.  That doesn't mean just anyone can be Picasso or Glen Keane, because those are artists applying a piece of their soul to their technical skills to raise their art to a level far beyond what the rest of us will ever accomplish.  But anyone CAN learn to draw really well, and can learn all the techniques and so forth, just as anyone CAN learn animation. 

I have no doubt, that if I truly applied myself, I could someday be as good as the teacher in that figure drawing class.  It just might take me a lot more years to get there than that girl who was sitting next to me whipping out masterpiece after masterpiece.

But that's OK!  It's normal.  It's expected. 

And regardless of what you think, no one is giggling behind your back at your work...

They're all too busy worrying about everyone else's reactions to THEIR work!  :)

So, will you ever be as good as the best animator in your class?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Everyone is born with different skills, different dreams, etc.  Animation is a competitive field.  You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise.  School can feel very competitive if you let it, and it only gets worse when you graduate.  Jobs are very cyclical, sometimes everyone is hiring, sometimes hardly anyone is.  I understand the fear.  I understand the concern. 

The hard truth is that not everyone who reads this will have what it takes to sustain a career in such a competitive field.  But I really believe that "what it takes" has a whole lot less to do with natural God-given talent, and a whole lot more to do with tenacity, patience, dedication, and retaining a constant hunger to learn.

If that describes you, then someday YOU'RE going to be the one everyone complains about being so untouchable, no matter where you are at in your path right now.

-Shawn  :)


If you have questions, you can also email: tipsandtricks@AnimationMentor.com

Visit the Animation Tips & Tricks Blog: http://animationtipsandtricks.com/

 
Upcoming U.S. Movie & Game Releases

Your inside guide to U.S. movie & game releases and the visual effect companies who made movie magic.

MOVIES:

INKHEART

U.S. Release Date: January 23, 2009

Studio: New Line Cinema

Synopsis: When Mo (Brendan Fraser) reads aloud from books, he has the ability to make the characters come out of the book, into real life. Mo discovered his power when his daughter Meggie (Eliza Bennett), was just a baby. Mo read aloud from the book Inkheart, which caused several of the book's wicked characters, including Capricorn (Andy Serkis), to literally come to life. But while he read them out of the book, he accidentally read Meggie’s mother, Teresa (Sienna Guillory) into the story.

Meggie is 12 years old, but knows nothing of her father's bizarre and powerful talent. But Meggie is annoyed that Mo still refuses to read to her. Capricorn, a man who burns for pleasure and being so evil that he would "feed a bird to a cat on purpose, just to watch it being torn apart", has searched for Meggie's father for years, seeking to twist Mo's powerful talent to his own dark means. Finally, Capricorn realizes that the best way to lure Mo to his remote mountain hideaway is to use his beloved daughter Meggie as bait. While Meggie discovers Capricorn's ruthless plan, she too, can pluck people from pages and bring them to life, but it takes a while for her to realize her power.

GAMES:

The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

U.S. Release Date: January 13, 2009

Game Studio: Electronic Arts

Platforms: PS3

Synopsis: The Lord of the Rings: Conquest puts players into the thick of the tremendous battle over The One Ring, playing out battles from both sides of the confrontation! Conquest will let players take control of many of the characters and creatures from the series and pit them on any of the franchise's famous battlefields. From Cave-trolls to Oliphaunts to the Balrog and even Sauron, practically the entire universe will be available for battle with up to 150 characters on-screen at any one time. Up to 16 players will be able to clash online, with four players able to play cooperatively through the main campaign either online or via four-player split-screen. And with two distinct campaigns to play through, including an original take on what would happen if Sauron regained control of the One Ring, the game promises plenty of scenarios to wage battle through.


Star Ocean: Second Evolution

U.S. Release Date: January 20, 2009

Game Studio: Square Enix

Platforms: PSP

Synopsis: Space Date 366: A young Federation officer finds himself transported to a mystical planet, where he is suddenly anointed as the Hero of Light. He begins a journey to fulfill a prophecy and save a newfound race.

Continuing the franchise for Star Ocean fans, this PSP release of the classic RPG delivers the same epic storytelling and dazzling art style. Set 20 years after the events of its predecessor, Star Ocean 2 receives special treatment in its PSP incarnation to further entice gamers to relive the adventure. The title takes the next step with fully animated movies, all-new character designs, extra playable characters, fully voiced dialogue, and more.



Geek Game and Movie You May Have Missed
 (Great Media that Flew Under the Radar that Every Geek Should Play and Watch)

MOVIE:

The Triplets of Belleville

U.S. Release Date: November 26, 2003 (limited release)

Synopsis: An orphaned boy, Champion, is raised by his grandmother, Madame Souza. Her gift of a tricycle starts a craze for cycle-racing that becomes the cornerstone of their life together. After years of relentless training, Champion makes it to the Tour de France, the toughest cycling event in the world. Alas, Champion and a handful of other top competitors are mysteriously kidnapped by a pair of sinister crooks with hangdog expressions. Supported by her faithful sidekick, her fat and flatulent dog Bruno, Madame Souza sets off to rescue her beloved Champion. An epic adventure leads them across the Atlantic to a vast seaport metropolis named Belleville, headquarters of the notorious French mafia. Lost and confused in the threatening darkness of the great city, Madame Souza and Bruno encounter the Belleville Triplets, who, in their youth, were a glamorous close-harmony act. Now, these three batty old women are now a bizarre jazz combo. Mme Souza joins the band. At their very first gig, she discovers Champion is being held captive by the mafia Godfather himself! All hell breaks loose, and the chase is on! Do Mme Souza, her dim dog, and the Triplets have what it takes to outsmart the ruthless French mafia and release poor Champion from its clutches?


GAME:

Valkyria Chronicles

U.S. Release Date: November 4, 2008

Game Studio: SEGA

Platforms: PS3

Synopsis: Valkyria Chronicles combines strategy elements of conventional tactical role playing games with real-time action sequences. The game is set in a fictitious continent reminiscent of 1930s, Europe divided in two and ruled by the Empire and the Federation. The Empire has set its sights on invading a small neutral country called Gallia, which is situated in the middle of the two great empires. The game follows a hero named Welkin and his fellow soldiers of the Federation's 7th Platoon that are fighting against the Empire, who is intent on unifying the continent under its power.

Built upon the new "CANVAS" engine, Valkyria Chronicles' ground-breaking 3D graphics resemble a watercolor painting in motion. Gameplay is centered around a new type of tactical battle concept. Known as "BLiTZ," this battle concept gives players unique freedom to strategically move around the environment and attack enemies using real-time controls.


 



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