It's that time of the year again and we're all ready to hit the neighbor's houses as well as the mall.
Of course, I think we have the bestest costume EVAR! But I'll tell ya, I think we could get a run for our money in the "Best Group Costume" contest from these jokers.
It's no one I know personally, but some folks from a forum I visit. I thought the concept was just too good not to share.
Granted, having a Brock Sampson would give them the lock, but without a Brock ... Moriah's pure, concentrated cuteness definitely gives us the edge.
Next year, who knows? I say Cat and me as pirates with Moriah in a little parrot costume. But Cat seems to think Moriah will be speaking at that point and will be determining her own costume destiny.
No matter the age, I think I can still lean Moriah towards being an Ewok while mommy and daddy dress up as storm troopers.
If You're Afraid Of Being Ripped Off, You're An Amateur
As I mentioned earlier, I attended the Screenwriting Expo this last weekend in L.A. Thousands of screenwriters (and hopefuls) flooded the airport Marriott in an attempt to soak up knowledge (and sponge off contacts).
One session I wandered into was a real eye opener. Not so much for the topic, but because of what one panel member said:
"If you're afraid of being ripped off, then you're an amateur."
This was directed at an audience member who was concerned about telling his script idea to anyone or sending them out without "proper documentation and signed release forms".
The rest of the panel agreed with the sentiment of not being afraid to share your ideas because, yes, you will sometimes get ripped off. It's unavoidable. What do you do if an idea gets ripped off? Come up with ten more ideas. They mentioned that it is a good idea to get your finished script registered with the writer's guild when you can and to do the usual due diligence, but in the creation process, the more people who hear or read your idea/pitch/script the more feedback you will get. And something EVERY writer needs is plenty of feedback. Join writer's groups, ask your friends and family about what they think, hell ... accost people in line at Starbucks with a one of two sentence "pitch" on your idea. See if you at least have an interesting idea that hooks people.
And it's true. I heard so many stories, so many mini-pitches and there was a general sense of sharing ... especially odd amongst rooms full of potential "competitors".
And I thought about it, the same thing happens in the web comics community (and online in general like DeviantArt, Blogs, etc.). Constant allegations of plagiarism or "rip offs" are thrown around like beads at Mardi Gras. I've both accused and been accused myself of plagiarism. But you know what, it's that "just come up with ten more ideas" bit that intrigued me. I mean, sure, someone may take one of your strip ideas, or you may inadvertently use the same source material as another artist ... but they can't steal the entirely of your creativity. Hopefully people hinge their careers on more than one joke. Hopefully a persons whole body of work is what calls attention to them.
It was just something that struck a chord with me and I thought I'd share.
As any new parent will tell you, "I'd protect my child, regardless of my own well being." Well, naturally. But I think in every parent (and perhaps every person) there is a small shred of doubt that, come a crisis, "Would I do the right thing?"
Well, today I got my answer.
As me and Moriah's grandpa and aunt were taking her for a stroll, we made our rounds to the front of the complex. As grandpa and auntie spoke with the landscaper, Moriah and me toddled off a few more yards. Being fifteen months old, she is quite the toddler. Literally.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash and all the telephone poles started to creak and sway. I heard wires snapping and immediately swept Moriah up in my arms and ran and hit the dirt and took cover.
Well, I wish it were dirt. I actually dove into a concrete pathway between the fences. Needless to say, it was a bit messy. It could have been worse mind you, but wow, do I hurt.
Once things calmed down, I got up and surveyed the situation. A moving or delivery truck had struck a telephone pole a block away (and pretty much snapped it off at the base) and the impact (and weight of the pole) started bringing down wires. Right next to where we had been standing was a live wire across some parked cars. I was actually more concerned with snapping guide wires whipping around and telephone poles falling and hadn't considered electricity.
Actually, all that really occurred to me was get Moriah up, get her tucked under me (in case something was coming, I would take the brunt), get to cover (between the fences ... so I don't take THAT much brunt), and as I dove into the concrete, my thought were "keep her up off the ground, don't let her hit".
And I did.
But had I thought a little quicker, I could have turned sideways and taken the hit on some more fleshy parts (legs, shoulder, love handles ... God knows I need those scraped off). Instead my knees, tummy, and elbows took the impact.
We all collected ourselves and as people started streaming out from the surrounding houses I got us dusted off and limped back to the house. Moriah was very visibly shaken, but a quick inventory showed no bumps or bruises. I got her calmed down with a bit of song and bottle combo and she eventually had a nap.
I got myself cleaned up and settled in for a night of no power. Mommy got home and after I told her the story she told me "Well of course. I never had any doubt that you would protect Moriah, no matter what." Well, it's good to know that now we both don't have any doubt.
All in all, it wasn't the end of the world, but it at least let me put a check in the box next to one of the many fears all parents have. One down, infinity to go.
I will be returning home later today after spending the weekend down in Los Angeles attending the Screenwriting Expo (think Comic Con for screenwriters). To say that I am out of my element would be an understatement. I think I know now how my wife feels when I drag her down to San Diego for the occasional Comic Con.
I will provide a more detailed breakdown of my trip soon (so sleepy), but suffice it to say, after spending the day learning about story, talking to story artists, and learning about story work ...
As you have obviously seen, I have a little portrait of myself over there on my profile. It's a rather flattering, stylish picture that I've gotten a few compliments on. People ask if it was taken in a studio or done professionally.
Well, it is a few years old (back in my late 20's I believe) but it was pure happenstance that I got such a decent picture of myself taken. It was just a quick snapshot taken on the road when I first moved to the Bay Area.
You can click the picture below to see the full, uncropped picture.
Yep, not quite a studio setting. In fact, I am taking rotten apples we had in the van and dropping them on the LA freeway like little Granny Smith depth charges.
As Paul Harvey would say: "And now you know ... the rest ... of the story."
I thought this was just too funny (and sad) not to post. A few years back, Kevin Smith did a film called 'Dogma' and it's religious themes caused quite a stir in the Christian community. But really, it's a movie with a rubber poop monster. How seriously could anyone really take the film?
Well, when it comes to taking things out of context and overreacting, no one does that better than radical Muslims. According to this news report, residents of Sadr City in Iraq found "official" U.S. Military papers documenting their plan to overthrow the militias by terrorizing the local residents with assassinations, explosions and the rape and killing of their women. Of course the "official" strategy also came with an "officially" badly drawn military crest and color photocopies of ... that's right ... The "Buddy" Christ from Dogma.
They are incensed because apparently he is supposed to be a caricature of a Shiite holy figure, Imam Mahdi.
Or one of the Bee Gees. It's hard to tell with these folks.
Because, Allah knows it couldn't be a ham handed attempt by the local militia's (and Kinko's apparently) to discredit the U.S. Military.
In the vein if "tricking the eye" posts, I was pointed to this great little example of opponent-process afterimages. Just follow the directions on the screen. One thing to keep in mind that isn't mentioned though is to keep your eye on the center dot, even after the picture changes.
Oh, and don't worry. It's not one of those crappy "scream" things that pop up. Heck, turn the speakers off if you want. They aren't needed for this illusion.
Dove soap has a campaign now for "Real Beauty". It appears to be a self-esteem issue they are tackling where they emphasize that the womanly ideal presented in advertising campaigns isn't attainable and that women should be comfortable with their own real beauty.
To punctuate their message, they have created a short, time-lapse film that details a model's transformation from regular girl to super model billboard beauty. It's pretty interesting, especially after the photo shoot is done and they move into Photoshop territory.
It seems that some folks are up in arms over a corporation as large as Dove developing such a campaign. They feel that it is hypocritical for them to "dismiss" the very same advertising techniques they themselves have used in the past. Most feel it is just a corporate ploy of "Look, see what those other bad companies do to make you buy their product? You can trust us."
Personally, I see nothing wrong with it. Any voice, be it large or small, that can champion the normalization of body image to the public today deserves to he heard.
Surfing the web as much as I do, I tend to come across a lot of stuff. Videos, jokes, puzzles, games, etc. But this little gem has really got my attention.
This little puzzle game, called Funny Farm starts off as a word association game. Just make your guesses based on the clue in the center of the field (in this case, On The Farm). As you make guesses, you unlock new words to use as the jumping off point for your guesses.
Ahh, but it's not so simple. As you progress, your words get to the edge of the screen and unlock new sections to guess. For example, On The Farm > cow > holy cow > Hinduism > Religions and from there you are on another screen with Religions as your new jumping off point.
Plus, as you progress, the game is saved with cookies on your system AND you can share your game with another person to have your two games merged. A whole team of folks could continually keep guessing and adding parts as you roll along.
It is a great game and I heartily suggest it to those of you so inclined towards puzzle and word games. Heck, even for those of you who don't like puzzles, give it a try and see what you think.
I can honestly say that one of the most amazing aspects of being an Animation Mentor student in the Bay Area is getting to see some of the great animation studios first hand though the good graces of some of my mentors.
I have been blessed with some truly amazing mentors and have been doubly blessed when they allow us to stop by for lunch and give us a quick tour. Not to mention the fact that the school headquarters is in the Bay Area itself.
Matt, Bobby (co-founder) and myself at the AM headquarters.
Getting to actually visit the school has been really great. From just a few rooms in the beginning, the space has evolved to incorporate multiple floors, knocked out walls, expanded staff and production facilities. It has been great seeing the roots of AM take hold and flourish.
Doug (our mentor) and some of our class at Pixar.
Pixar is the closest thing to entering Willy Wonka's factory that I can imagine. The security, secrecy, and general attitude that so many people who want to see what goes on behinds its closed doors made the visit such an extra special treat.
Doug Dooley was such a great tour guide and a very gracious host, even while we freaked out at the Pixar store and took perhaps a bit too much time stuffing our shopping bags with Pixar swag.
Jason (our mentor) and some of the class having lunch at Dreamworks/PDI.
Jason Schleiffer was kind enough to let me stop by twice to Dreamworks/PDI and mooch some free food for lunch. Just getting to sit at a table with other animators and talk movies, games, animation and all the stuff that makes life worth living drove home to me one of the main reasons for my change of direction in life. That sense of common ground and camaraderie was like being wrapped in a warm blanket and is a driving force behind my redirected goals.
The sort of view typically seen on the beautiful ILM campus.
Today I was lucky enough to escort recent ILM hire and AM student (and friend) Matt Garward to his place of employment. After spending the weekend getting the Garward's accustomed to the roller coaster ride of Bay Area real estate (all part of relocation), we got to take a break at ILM for lunch and meet up with Shawn Kelly (another AM co-founder).
The campus was breathtaking, the people open and so friendly, and the food incredible. Overall it was just a dream come true. Luckily, Shawn was quite forgiving towards me and Matt geeking out every time we saw a matte painting, or spaceship model, or prop. Considering the place is absolutely packed with movie memorabilia made the geekfest that much more concentrated.
All in all I consider myself extremely lucky to have attended Animation Mentor and had access to such amazing people and places. It is all just fuel for the fire to keep my engines running full steam and keep me on course.
I read a neat little piece on acting technique in Ed Hook's book, "Acting for Animators". The book is useful for animators as well as those writing for animation and is full of great insights and tips.
The one in particular that caught my attention is not to set up "stereotype" acting. Now this is something quite new to me since I tend to come from a cartoon/comic strip background. Basically, in comic strips you only get a few panels to get the point across, so you use a lot of stereotypes. Robbers have striped shirts and carry bags with dollar signs on them. Heroes are strong jawed and dress in white. That sort of thing.
Now, while you may still have a stereotyped character type (Mr. Incredible, Bomb Voyage, Buzz Lightyear, etc.) there is no need for them to perform stereotyped actions.
Say, for example, I wanted to indicate someone was cold. How would I draw that? Just have them wrap thier arms around themselves and give them chattering teeth. There ... cold in a single panel.
But would I animate someone who is cold in the same way? No.
Since the point of animation is the motivation and the acting of the characters, you can indicate they are cold by having them react to the cold. They can go and put on a jacket, or go and turn up the thermostat ... any action that lets the viewer realize that the character is cold, and is now acting on that stimulus.
No one in their right mind is going to be cold and then just stand there and just BE cold. They are going to do something to alleviate their discomfort.
This simple point was quite an eye opener for me and hopefully I will carry this forward with me in my work. Cause you know, my stimulus is my desire to learn ... so I go and learn.
It's not like I'll just stand around with a ... book ... on my head ... or something.
I recently picked up two volumes of the "Modern Masters" series published by TwoMorrows. For those not familiar with the series, they are in-depth interviews with some of today's (and yesterday's) hottest comic book artists. But the beauty of the books is that they don't solely cover the comic book careers. Yea, that is a big part of it, but the volumes also cover how the artists got their start, what other art jobs they have had, and some nifty behind the scenes insight on the working of comic book companies.
Of the selection my local comic shop had, I picked two of my all time favorites, Bruce Timm and John Byrne. I picked John Byrne because he was such a huge influence on me back when I started collecting comic books. His work on The X-Men and Fantastic Four were pivotal in developing my love of comics. And I picked Bruce Timm on the influence he has on me now. His ability to simplify character designs cleanly is rivaled only by Stephen Silver. But where Silver has an almost Hirchfieldian grasp of the line of a character, Timm adds a certain dynamic to his drawings that really make them "pop".
It was quite interesting to read John Byrne's thoughts on the comic book industry, the collector's market, and such infamous characters as Jim Shooter and Rob Liefeld. It's always been know that John is quite opinionated and this book is not a let down. Along with great artwork and stories about this work, we get this solid gem about Rob Liefeld (in relation to bad work being published):
"...For example, everybody knows that I think Rob Liefeld is one of the worst artists ever to crawl out from under a rock, but I believe, I hope, I pray, that Rob sits down at the drawing board genuinely believing he is doing good work, and trying to do good work, and not trying to suck as much as I think he does."
Yea, I gotta agree with John on that one.
As for Bruce Timm, one of the most interesting things I learned about him is that he used to be a storyboard artist. Wow! Just another reason to love the guy. His stories about working at Filmation and Warner Brothers are just inspirational. It just makes me want to draw more and more.
It does sort of get me down a little bit how good these guys are and how much of their lives they have dedicated to their art and how I’ve sort of meandered around with my art background and have been diddling around with web coding for far too many years. I can take heart though that I am not a novice and at least I'm not learning to draw from scratch, I just need to dust off the old skills and get back to the business of drawing for a living.
School is essentially over, except for the last semester. The short film is in a good state and will most likely be completed by graduation. It has been a hell of a ride, with sleepless nights, and crunch time weekends getting work ready for posting before deadlines.
I should have a passable student demo reel at the end of all this. I could very well be an animator somewhere.
BUT...
Class five for us focused on the creation of the story for our short films. Idea generation, story pitches, storyboarding ... and GOD I did love it so! I received practically straight A's for the first time in my life. I ran a side project that was a mini-story department. We met in virtual space, face to face (that's to web cams and FlashMeeting) and tossed ideas around like fish at Pike Street Market.
I realize now that my "first, best destiny" (to paraphrase Diane Carey) is to be a story artist. Hopefully with a feature film or commercial studio where the story department has a strong hand in the story creation process.
I feel I have a natural grasp of the "art" of story, and through this website I will share my journey of honing my "craft" of story. Basically, I hope to learn more about cinematography, camera moves, and the more technical aspects of crafting a story.
Plus, I will use this time to hone my drawing skills. As comfortable as I am with a cartoony style, it has been years (near decades) since I have drawn a realistic person or everyday objects like cars and buildings. I've taken the occasional life drawing class, but it is time to get back down to basics and really flesh out my drawing skills.
Hopefully the combination of my story development abilities as well as (hopefully) improved drawing skills and technical knowledge will lead me on the right path towards a fulfilling career in story development.
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