Featured Mentor: Derek Friesenborg
AnimationMentor.com:
What inspired you to become an animator?
Derek:
When I was a little kid, my brother and I made animated flipbooks of stick-figures in action. Usually the scenes involved fistfights and/or gunplay, and occasionally the characters would swing into the scene on vines. I loved the fact that I could record a little story in motion, even a simple one, and watch it repeatedly.
And then for about a decade, nothing. Couldn't have been less interested in animation. I still drew a lot, and even sculpted a little during a prolonged interest in special effects make-up, but the closest I got to animation was watching He-Man after school. He-Man and, of course, the Masters of the Universe.
I went to RISD and became an illustration major, and quickly came to the conclusion that the career of an illustrator was, in a word, boring. I know it sounds like a fairly sweeping statement, but I felt like everything that could be illustrated, HAD been illustrated. I knew that I could always improve upon my drawing and painting skills, but it seemed so inherently limited. I saw a long, dreary future of designing textbook covers in gouache and thought, "Screw this!"
On a whim I took an introductory animation course and it started a slow burn inside me. There wasn't any "Eureka!" moment, but over time I came to some conclusions that I still stand firm on:
1) Adding the element of time to an art form makes it a far more interesting endeavor.
2) There will always be something that nobody's ever animated before.
3) There is a vast sea of learning ahead of me, which means it will always be a challenge, and always fascinating.
With that in mind, how could I not just dive right in?
AnimationMentor.com:
From your experience, what advice would you give to an aspiring animator regarding what NOT to spend his/her time or money on in his/her pursuit in becoming an animator?
Derek:
In terms of what NOT to do in becoming an animator, I'm hesitant to advise against any particular activity, because you never know if something, even indirectly, may benefit you in the long run. You never know what will trigger that revelation that pushes someone to a higher level of animation, like, say, the "Ninja" level.
The one thing I can definitely recommend not to do, is to spread yourself too thin. Animation is a wildly work-intensive activity, so you're probably gonna want to cut down on other artistic pursuits. I don't mean to stop altogether. Keep on drawing, taking photos, painting, writing, whatever you crazy kids like to do. But if you want to be an animator, you've got to have an almost unhealthy dedication to it. Be prepared to sacrifice.
Also, for those who want to be computer animators, try not to get too caught up in the peripheral aspects of the process, like rigging and modeling. It's great to be self-sufficient, and you may actually enjoy the mind-numbing drudgery of weighting a character's shoulder joint, but wouldn't you just rather be animating? Besides, at most big studios, if you know that stuff, and they know you know it, they might make you do it instead of animate.
AnimationMentor.com:
Who is your favorite animated character?
Derek:
Picking your favorite animated character is like picking your favorite song. There are so many good ones out there and it can change pretty easily depending on your mood. The one I got the biggest kick out of recently was Syndrome from "The Incredibles." One of the best villains ever. He was perfectly executed, from Jason Lee's voice work to the design, and his animation totally rocked. His performance was jam packed with unforgettable moments.
AnimationMentor.com:
Who is your favorite character that you've animated and why?
Derek:
My favorite character that I've animated is probably Elliot from "Open Season." He's absolutely hilarious and a lot of fun to animate. Ashton Kutcher does a great job, and makes it so easy to come up with ideas for your scene.
What inspired you to become an animator?
Derek:
When I was a little kid, my brother and I made animated flipbooks of stick-figures in action. Usually the scenes involved fistfights and/or gunplay, and occasionally the characters would swing into the scene on vines. I loved the fact that I could record a little story in motion, even a simple one, and watch it repeatedly.
And then for about a decade, nothing. Couldn't have been less interested in animation. I still drew a lot, and even sculpted a little during a prolonged interest in special effects make-up, but the closest I got to animation was watching He-Man after school. He-Man and, of course, the Masters of the Universe.
I went to RISD and became an illustration major, and quickly came to the conclusion that the career of an illustrator was, in a word, boring. I know it sounds like a fairly sweeping statement, but I felt like everything that could be illustrated, HAD been illustrated. I knew that I could always improve upon my drawing and painting skills, but it seemed so inherently limited. I saw a long, dreary future of designing textbook covers in gouache and thought, "Screw this!"
On a whim I took an introductory animation course and it started a slow burn inside me. There wasn't any "Eureka!" moment, but over time I came to some conclusions that I still stand firm on:
1) Adding the element of time to an art form makes it a far more interesting endeavor.
2) There will always be something that nobody's ever animated before.
3) There is a vast sea of learning ahead of me, which means it will always be a challenge, and always fascinating.
With that in mind, how could I not just dive right in?
AnimationMentor.com:
From your experience, what advice would you give to an aspiring animator regarding what NOT to spend his/her time or money on in his/her pursuit in becoming an animator?
Derek:
In terms of what NOT to do in becoming an animator, I'm hesitant to advise against any particular activity, because you never know if something, even indirectly, may benefit you in the long run. You never know what will trigger that revelation that pushes someone to a higher level of animation, like, say, the "Ninja" level.
The one thing I can definitely recommend not to do, is to spread yourself too thin. Animation is a wildly work-intensive activity, so you're probably gonna want to cut down on other artistic pursuits. I don't mean to stop altogether. Keep on drawing, taking photos, painting, writing, whatever you crazy kids like to do. But if you want to be an animator, you've got to have an almost unhealthy dedication to it. Be prepared to sacrifice.
Also, for those who want to be computer animators, try not to get too caught up in the peripheral aspects of the process, like rigging and modeling. It's great to be self-sufficient, and you may actually enjoy the mind-numbing drudgery of weighting a character's shoulder joint, but wouldn't you just rather be animating? Besides, at most big studios, if you know that stuff, and they know you know it, they might make you do it instead of animate.
AnimationMentor.com:
Who is your favorite animated character?
Derek:
Picking your favorite animated character is like picking your favorite song. There are so many good ones out there and it can change pretty easily depending on your mood. The one I got the biggest kick out of recently was Syndrome from "The Incredibles." One of the best villains ever. He was perfectly executed, from Jason Lee's voice work to the design, and his animation totally rocked. His performance was jam packed with unforgettable moments.
AnimationMentor.com:
Who is your favorite character that you've animated and why?
Derek:
My favorite character that I've animated is probably Elliot from "Open Season." He's absolutely hilarious and a lot of fun to animate. Ashton Kutcher does a great job, and makes it so easy to come up with ideas for your scene.