Animation Mentor Newsletter





	Your Short As Your Demo By: Kenny Roy, AnimationMentor.com Mentor If you are an Animation Mentor student, you are probably looking forward to making a short film. Actually I haven't met an animator yet who doesn't have a script under their pillow, or at least an idea! As animators we are almost 5-10 second filmmakers - each shot we create has, in addition to staging and framing, full character performances that must come entirely out of our minds, as we get nothing for free in this medium. So when you consider the fact that your short film will be the main focus of your demo reel when finished, you must also consider that you are going to be judged on a few more levels than just an animator. Humor, originality, and direction suddenly come into play, so it is best to prepare. As a mentor, I give advice often about avoiding cliches when crafting a performance, but it's important to remember your short film is going to be your calling card. In fact, more so than a demo reel on its own, a short film is an entire packaged piece, a body of work that almost says "if you give me completely free reign with my shots, this is the best I will come up with." For that reason, you must be very careful to be original with your story. If you think that is an unfair perspective, imagine the scenario from a recruiter's point of view. After a long recruiting process, an employer is down to two candidates left. He sits down for his final decision as to who will be hired on as a character animator. When popping in the first DVD, well animated shots from a few features and commercials pass by. The second DVD reveals a short film as the focus piece. It is equally well animated, but the direction of the film is poor, the story is juvenile and insulting, and worst of all, it is predictable. I can promise that if coordinated enough, the recruiter will eject the DVD with one hand, and speed dial Candidate 1 with the other. The fact is, employers will want animators who they can trust to execute the director's vision consistently, well over somebody with equal skill who apparently when allowed to run free with their ideas sticks to cliches, vulgarities, and tired concepts. I will go so far as to say extreme originality will even make a reel stand out above other, better animated reels, to a certain extent. Brandon Beckstead gets major points in his film "Ahoy 'Ship Mite’", where a glutinous termite learns a lesson in moderation. Original, funny, not to mention G rated. His film exemplifies what I mean when I say that when given free reign, you must take extra care to put your best foot forward. This starts at the concept phase; with so many ideas out there that are classy, funny, and clean, I am unable to imagine how someone could decide on a story that is crass, vulgar, or cliche. This does not mean that it has to be geared towards 5 year olds. On the contrary, what you are really searching for is a well-rounded idea that appeals to all audiences. Firstly, no toilet humor. Just forget it right now. It's so awful I don't even want to go further into it. Second, do some research! When preparing to create your short film, part of your work should be watching as many short films as possible. With so many out there it would be a shame to tread the same path as another filmmaker, especially when even a cursory Google search will most likely reveal if your same idea has been done in recent past. There was an Animation Mentor student who recently came up with a story on his own that after working quite hard on refining it, found the exact same concept online. Gutting! Third, your film does not have to be based around a trick. By that I mean the audience doesn't necessarily need to go "Oh! THAT'S what was going on!" after watching. I see too many students stressing because their concept is not 'clever' enough. If your film does have an original twist, that is of course all the better. Lluis Llobera's film "Miss Clover" has an excellent little twist at the end that will leave recruiters chuckling long after the reel is finished. Again though, the real point of originality is to display your unbridled creativity. Dan Segarra does this to a T in his short "Sheep", in which the main focus of the piece is not a cleverly woven plot with an ingenious twist at the end, but a connection between characters that is lovingly solidified on screen. His film almost brings me to tears each time.So in the concept phase, don't settle for a drab concept only because a M. Night Shyamalan-esque twist isn't coming to you - start with a character connection and build from there. Finally, and maybe most importantly, when working on your film, take the utmost care. To students currently enrolled at Animation Mentor: a 60 second multi-character film is impossible to create in the 12 weeks you will have in class 6. My suggestion to my students has always been to choose 30 seconds from your film, no matter its length, to work on during your time here. With the skills you will attain (and can only attain when working on something that is not biting off more than you can chew), you will be able to finish the rest of your film in style when you graduate. Right down to the camera angles, your short film is the only proof you have of what you can handle as an artist. Since on some features the cameras are brought only to previz stage before the character animator begins work on a shot, you want to be positive your short film demonstrates a fundamental understanding of film language. This is the business you are in - it will pay to learn how it's really done. The box office may be crammed with summer sequels and congruent story lines, but that doesn't give any young filmmaker the excuse to create a cliche short film. First, avoid all vulgarity. It is insulting to a recruiter to have to sit through a bathroom joke. Second, consider being a short-film connoisseur your first step in creating a short film idea. Third, consider alternative foci's for your work; films with plot twists and high action are great, but an original angle on a heart-felt character moment is still as original. And last, do it right. Don't rush! Remember even without a completed film you can string together the best shots that are completed as your demo reel until the whole piece is finished. There is absolutely NO reason to do any personal animation half-heartedly. The competition is only getting harder out there. A short film makes a very impressive demo reel when done right. So do it right, and I'll see your name in the credits of the next greatest feature before I can say "cliche"! Look forward to working with you, Kenny Email Kenny: kennyskorner (at) animationmentor.com About Kenny Roy - Kenny has over 10 years experience in the animation industry. Starting at a very early age of 15 as a 'dustbuster' on a 2D animated feature, he discovered immediately a passion for great performance. Climbing the ranks of the industry since, Kenny has animated on dozens of projects, ranging from widely acclaimed feature films, to TV, commercials, and beyond. After a string of successfully supervised animation projects in 2006, Kenny founded his very own animation studio, Arconyx Animation Studios, LLC in sunny Santa Monica, CA. As director, Kenny commits his company to work solely on high performance character projects, and looks to the future of developing an in-house feature animation.