GET DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS

One of the reasons I wanted to move away from this blog is because... well, I'm blogging right now instead of working on my show! ;) Seriously though, one of the reasons was that I wasn't seeing the results I was hoping for. I wasn't seeing the indie animaton world change on the level I expected. In fact, the world of animation as whole seemed to be getting worse, with even major TV animation descending into cheap Flash cartoons.

Even though most of us here know that great quality can be achieved for next to nothing, if someone is willing to work for it, it's another story altogether to actually see it being done. To that end, I was extremely surprised to read this in the comments to my last post:

After reading your blog a year ago (A YEAR!!) I decided to do something similar - unleash the creative beast, create my 'masterpiece'. Now everyone claims they have no time or manpower or whatever to make their movie, so I decided to break it down into tiny chunks. I rendered one shot a day. One shot. Be it 2 seconds long or 20 seconds, I'd set up the scene in the evening and let it render overnight. Then the next day do it all over again. Not spending 2 weeks on a walk cycle or 8 hours modelling an ear... but just getting on with it.

That was the comment from Dave about his half hour mini-epic Merry Xmas Sick Puppy. In that comment, he goes on to say, "Yes, I know its not PIXAR quality, but hey, I dont think its complete crap either! With a bit of focus and determination its possible." He is absolutely right. That is the attitude I wish I saw more of in this industry. That is the attitude I also wish I saw more of in myself.

Working in the larger studios has done great things for me and my learning, but it also comes with a great detriment. Dealing with the constant notes and changes, multiple producers trying to push their, usually pointless, ideas starts to make one analyze things too much. Will this fly? Can this actually work? Shouldn't it be this way? Will it not sell if there's swearing? There's nothing wrong with the questions themselves. It's when the questions stop you from doing anything at all that it becomes a problem.

Over the years, I started and stopped a few projects for a number of different reasons. Some of them should never have been started at all. I was making what others wanted me to make. I was trying to make what was expected of me. I may have tried to make what I believed could sell. Basically, anything but just doing what I wanted to do. It didn't occur to me that it really was that easy. Just do what you want to do.

When I was working with TOKYOPOP I experienced a lot of the tweaking and notes, contant meetings with multiple editors, each with their own idea of how it should, everyone trying to craft the book into... I don't know, and all for what? I mean, the book did OK, but, in their own words, it wasn't "flying off the shelves." Who's to say it would not have done just as well had I went my own way and just did my thing?

Unfortunately, I let too much of that thinking seep into my own ideas of creating. This led to "analysis paralysis" as some would call it. Instead of just doing something, like Understanding Chaos, and putting it out there to see what happened, I would spend hours in my own internal "meetings" pondering the same types of things that I learned at the majors. The fact is, though, that the majors are often spending millions to make a project and must appel to the largest possible audience to even hope to make a profit. They need focus groups and testing because they have painted themselves into that corner. As indies we do not have that problem. We can literally make anything. If it doesn't fly, just move on. Not everything is going work, but we have the freedom to at least try and do that thing no one else would dare.

TOOLS

One thing the new site is not going to be about is tools. Let's face it. There are a hundred ways to get your show done and I certainly don't know all of them. There are dozens of great tools out there and, in the end, they all boil down to the same thing. They are just tools. These days, though, they are constantly changing and there seems to be a point upgrade every other month. They move menus out from under our noses and rearrange things to the point of having to learn all over again. Always thinking the next great tool was going to make me "good enough" to just do it has been another great hinderance.

I am done with tools. I am done talking about tools. I am done recommending tools. There's always a better tool out there. I found this out for certain yesterday when all my plans for the new site changed in a flash by someone recommending a web design tool that literall blew my mind. It's not about the tools. In fact, I was able to do what I did often because I used the existing tools in ways they were never meant to be used. I am starting to see why so many old school animators just stick with what they know.

In the early days of the Amiga Computer, when you bought a piece of software, you bought it because it did exactly what you wanted it to do and that was it. There was no thought of upgrades. Often times, the next "version" was a totally new program, based on the original, and had a completely different name. "Silver" became "Turbo Silver" which became "Imagine". They were as much as two years apart. Granted, the technology was new to everyone. Things like phong shading and texture maps didn't exist in the first 3D programs so the next version had to be completely different. Still, the paradigm was the same for many 2D paint programs. They would make it and just move on. One of the few companies doing upgrades like we have today was the makers of "Deluxe Paint". That was EA. You know, they make those Madden Football games that are the same thing every year.

Tools are a big part of why I don't want to do this anymore. I use a Mac now. The blogging tools I have here don't support the Mac very well. Everything you see, the images, the bold text, the color changes and formatting, the Youtube embeds, I have to manually type in the HTML code to make that happen. As is the case with all tools, there's always a better way to do things. The tools I'll be using on the new site are WYSIWYG, very powerful and actually fun to use. I will have more control.

There will be a blog on the new site. I can't say for certain what it will be about or how often it will be updated though. It will probably be about the life of the indie animator. Can one even make a good living at this? Where does the artist go and what things do they do when not animating? Well, that's just one idea. I don't honestly know what it will be for sure. That isn't the focus of the new site. The new site is about creating a world.

CREATING A WORLD

Websites like Homestarrunner and Megatokyo have created their own little world and been quite successful at it. It took time to build their empires, but the fruits of their labor are clear today. The world I am creating isn't exactly like that, though from the web standpoint it may be handled similarly. The world I am creating is more akin to the world Tolkien created, in which most of his stories place, or the mystical Jiang Hu world created by Chinese Wuxia novelists of centuries past. It is a complete world like the Hyperborean Age of Robert E. Howard. It also has its history like the world Lucas created for Star Wars.

That is what the new site is really about. Of course, I am starting small. I intend to let time do its work. Like Dave, the creator of Merry Xmas Sick Puppy, even one shot per day will add up to something great given enough time.

COMING TO A CLOSE

I think it's getting about time to wrap this blog up. It's been a good run over the years but things are very different now. I'm different. It's time to refocus. It's time to simplify. There's a whole world out there starving for good animation. It may not seem like it because it's been flooded with cheap flash cartoons and shows that barely pass for animation while relying solely on comedic writing. Some of these shows are good for a laugh, but they are not the dream I foresaw when I realized what the technology afforded us.

Over two years ago, in August of 2005, I wrote a post called Real Revolution about the great fantasy art of the 1980's. In it, I wrote that the real revolution will be when the artist in their living room makes the movie that could not be made before. When the lone artist or small team, through CG animation or low cost digital shooting, brings this type of fantasy art to life on screen, then will the face of Hollywood change.

Of course, no one has really done it yet, but that's what I really want to do. It's been said that Bill Gates gave us the words "Content is king." If that's true, then the time is now to really focus on content, creating real, quality content. A similar sentiment was uttered by George Lucas in the famous Wired Magazine interview, and he backed that up by setting up shop in Aisa, moving away from huge features and creating more shorter form content.

I've spent a lot of time, these past months, gathering my skills, gathering my tools, finding out what could be done, finding out how much could be done. I've learned a lot about what I really want to do, and what I really don't want to do. I've learned a lot about what matters, both to me and to an audience. I've learned a lot about spending too much time on things the audience will never see nor care about. I've learned that I want to be a real artist again and focus on art. I've learned that it's okay to focus on art, even over story, or perhaps without story. There's room for all types of creative media.

Here are some of the clips that came of all my learning and gathering.

Animarium Insolence - featuring Jillian Fontaine.

Animarium Film Noir - featuring Jillian Fontaine.

Animarium Fantasy - featuring Jillian Fontaine.

There are others, some which just show off technology like this clip, but you get the idea. I am moving toward something. For years we have seen these Nike commericals that tell us to "Just Do It", yet it is amazing how difficult it is to realize these simple words. This is not because of anything in the physical world stopping us. We have all the tools and technology. It's all in our heads. It's the little tales we tell ourselves to keep us from beginning. "Just Do It" means you don't have to have a buyer lined up before you begin. "Just Do It" means you don't need anyone's approval on your concept and story. You don't need notes. "Just Do It" means, you have an idea, you make it happen.

I decided to make it happen with a simple five minute episode. It is the ideal format for the web and yet it can be so much more far reaching. How far we will soon see when a new site arises here.

On another note, I am opening my special "Get Eyes on Your Prize" course one last time. For those who want to get in on that and be a part of that special forum, this will be the last chance to join. It's only going to be up for a matter of days. When this site comes down, that will all come down with it. The private forum will remain for that small group who wants to work together to get our projects seen, known and out there to larger audiences.

Things are changing quickly in this new media world. I just spoke with an expert in online, new media about who is really generating significant revenue through online efforts. The big players are all trying to get digital services up and running. Big name content is being pulled from iTunes while other players are scrambling to get on there. No one has all the answers yet, but if you don't have the content, and don't protect your content, then none of matters, and that is what I know for sure.

MODO 301 IS HERE!

Many have been following the developments of this newcomer to the major 3D market for some time. Each time they announce a release, users and studios alike, usually set in their ways, wonder exactly how yet another tool can possibly fit into their pipelines. Yet with each release, modo continues to grow increasingly more powerful and adding irresistable features that make it nearly a necessity. New thinking and new approaches to creating in 3D continue to make a welcome favorite to both studio and home users.


Now modo is advancing with version 301 and it seems to be the best modo yet. One of the greatest additions to the program this time around is a seemingly unbeatable set of full sculpting tools.

modo delivers the next evolution of 3D modeling, painting and rendering in a single integrated and accelerated package for the Mac and PC. And now, modo also includes true 3D sculpting tools, item animation and network rendering! More than just features, modo is a truly elegant integration of technology, raw horsepower and refined workflow.

You know, I've been doing 3D literally for 20 years now. It's actually been that long since the first Amiga computer came out and we were introduced to priimtive tools like Sculpt 3D. Then, just a short time later, in 1988, I was using more advanced tools from the very same creators of modo301! It's really been quite a run and the developments have been amazing. It seems like neither of our goals have changed in all that time.

On one of the modo pages there is a link to a John Carmack game demo of their new technology, showing just how far realtime 3D can be pushed today. It's funny to consider that when we look at graphics like this or trailers for the PS3, we see that realtime and machinima are fastly approaching the quality of Final Fantasy, yet in the highest end of 3D with advances like sculpting, radiosity, subsurface scattering and global illumination we are seeing a whole new level of realism, like in this modo image by popular movie monster maker Rick Baker:


Just this morning I was working with another incredible feature of this tool called surface baking. Imagine being able to take a model, like a set, and light it, even using radiosity and GI. However, when you render, you're not rendering a still image to look at, you are rendering a new set of texture maps for the object, which have all the lighting, shading and even radiosity baked into the textures. This effectively turns that set into a realtime environment allowing you to see it at full quality, with all its light and shadows, even in a preview window. Imagine what you could do, then, using that in your machinima work or even for speeding up a 3D film!

I suspect this is only the beginning for modo's road to stardom. With basic animation tools in place and the ability to import animation from other systems it could already be your last stop on the way to creating something new and great. I can't wait to dig in and find out more.

WHO WANTS TO WORK?

The CGSociety galleries are a place where you often see incredible artwork. Unfortunately, the attitude around the CGSociety can sometimes be a little cliquish and inclusive. Those who are in are in and those who ren't well... One thing I have personally noticed is that even though there are other galleries that have equally stunning and high quality artwork, at The CGSociety, the tools certainly do matter. They matter so much so that I would venture to guess that if you had two nearly identical images, but one artist used Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop and Deep Paint, while the other used Poser and Vue, the crowd would sing the praises of the former and the latter would be largely ignored. The reason for this, it seems, is that there is an aspect that is more highly valued than the art itself. That aspect is the struggle to get there.

You see, you could create the greatest image in the world, but if it was too easy for you, there are a lot of artists out there who will look down on that work and scoff. I guess they feel you didn't earn it. Those that struggle are met with comments like, "...well deserved 5 stars.. I can see a lot of work there..." Well, I am not of that school. Personally, when I have an image in my head, I wish I could just visualize it on canvas like Isaac Mendez, the guy who could paint the future in the hit TV show Heroes, throw down some paint and it's there.

The reality is that tools like Vue 6, Poser and Daz take away a lot of the monotony, struggle and boring aspects of creating the images you might want to create. Still, they re merely tools like any other. Used unwisely they can just as quickly create horrid results as they can beautiful. It still takes some effort to get great things out fo them. Go to any gallery for these tools and you will see good and bad images like anywhere else. Luckily, the good does come a bit easier when the tool is learned.

And why not? Why would anyone want to struggle and suffer to reach their artistic goal. I think it is a cultural thing in the US. "No pain no gain" and all that. We tend to think that if it comes easy it can't be worth it. That kind of thinking is to our own detriment. That same kind of thinking makes it impossible to do 10 minutes of anime in a month working part time. How could it not?

Until we break the chains that limit ourselves, we can't know just how much one artist can do when the right tools are leveraged. And yes, leverage is what it is really about. If you use a Mirage Nomad and draw directly to your final frames, how much faster is it than drawing on paper, scanning, inking and coloring? If you use Anime Studio, how much faster is it than drawing the same thing frame by frame? If you use Vue, how much faster is it than modeling trees and leaves in a 3D modeling package? The tools must be leveraged to vault the user to the goal. That is what should be respected.