Saturday, February 25, 2006

"You're nuts...I applaud that!"

Following the ceremony for the first Texas Avery Animation Award last November, Reel FX hosted a private party at the studio for award recipient Brad Bird, Reel FX employees and their families, and selected other guests. I had my camera in tow, and shot a ton of photos and video throughout the evening. This is just the first of several posts I'll be making to share little tidbits from the event.

The focus of this first post is a comment that Brad made to a budding young filmmaker. Chuck Peil, our executive director of business development, told Brad that the young man wanted to be a filmmaker. Here's the entire exchange, which I was lucky enough to capture on video...


Quicktime - H.264 - 1.44 MB

I like Brad's final follow-up remark just as much as his initial reaction, because it really says a lot about this industry. There's nothing the least bit logical about making animated films. Where's the logic in taking several years to craft an experience that's over in an hour or two? Or in telling stories with characters that don't really exist except as drawings on paper, or as numbers on a computer? Logic has nothing to do with it. It's all about emotion. If you're willing to let your emotions -- and your desire to share those emotions -- carry you through the roller-coaster ride that is the creation of an animated film, you've gotta be just a teensy bit loopy.
Personally, I think that's part of the attraction. :)

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Gugulix and Sushipajamas online!

Quick note to plug a couple blogs. First is a new blog created by a friend of mine, Doron Meir (nickname: Gugulix). I worked remotely with Doron when I was at DPS a couple years back. He was the anim supervisor at DPSI (DPS Israel), so we got to chatting quite a bit online. He's quite an accomplished artist in both 2D and 3D, and his work has inspired me a lot. I was stoked to hear about his new blog, and I can't wait to see more of his work on a regular basis!

On another note, my friend Lydia Williams (latest nick: Sushipajamas) put up a blog not too long ago. She's currently a student at SCAD, but we first met several years ago when I was working at Big Idea. She's learning a lot at school, and is developing a really fun style with her artwork. In addition to studying animation, she and some friends started a program to teach animation to students at an elementary school near SCAD. Way to go, Lydia!

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Simplicity and story

Just read a great bit of commentary from a story artist on the beauty of simplicity when it comes to story. Well worth checking out!

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Ray Harryhausen coming to Dallas!

Got wind of this from a friend a couple days ago, and today the official announcement is online. Woohoo! Can't wait for this one! I've still gotta post some stuff from the Brad Bird event last fall. Not sure when I'll get to that...hopefully soon.