Recently, in the film school of my university there was a forum where several teachers from various schools around the world gathered to discuss contents and new ways of teaching filmmaking. Among the conferences, there was one that got the most atention: the dilemma of digital filmmaking versus good ol' film -photographic- making. Everyone, specially a teacher from a school in Brazil (whose name I can't remember) who seemed to me like a really great person and was the main conferencist (I don't know if this word exists, my english is so poor!!), insisted on the fact that now that digital means are available to anyone, everyone can 'buy a camera, take it out to the streets and say he is actually doing cinema, or call himself a filmmaker, without having any theorical background or responsabilty towards the medium'...
Anyway, I write this because this discussion -that's been around for quite a while now- made me realize how animation is in much the same problem: For what I've read and heard, a lot of people think that these days, when thanks to computers pretty much everyone can do animation without an 'artistic background' or without being seriously commited to the medium (I still don't understand what being seriously commited means), animation is becoming a tool for sillyness (I've heard complains relating specially to those parodies of movies and politic topics that 'aren't even funny' and flood the internet) and that could eventually mean the end of any possibility for animation to be taken seriously by all those out there who have prejudices about it and see them confirmed everytime they enter in a "funny" website or watch TV.
Is that true? :confused:
I want to know your opinions on this topic; even though I'm sure it's been discussed here already, I dont' think the discussion is over and I want to know what experienced people have to say about this before choosing a side, or whatever...
David Metzen
No, it's not true.
Ask yourself the same question about any other medium that has become more widely used, like photography or illustration or writing.
A few centuries ago, most of the people in the country were illiterate and didn't know how to write prose and were lucky if they owned one book, which was usually The Bible. Today, now that nearly all the population knows how to write, has the flood of prose brought about "the end of any possibility for [writing] to be taken seriously"? It seems like there's the same ratio of good and bad writers, just a few hundred million more of them.
Amateur animators and animation hobbiests are not going to destroy the animation medium. If anything, they'll bring more variety - thereby widening the audience - while raising the standards of animation quality.
Perfect response. What I wanted to say, but sans all the wordiness =)
Anyone can paint, draw, sculpts or make music.............but they are not going to do it well unless they have some skill.
Animation is just a medium, and the tools are just tools..............it still takes the artistry to makes something of it all.
Those who do it without any skill and call it passable art are...well, unsophisticated.
As long as audiences and clients retain some sense of what sophistication is in the medium then the un-skilled folks will never make any significant in-roads into it. Those that actually have talent and skills will make themselves known in due course.
"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)
I don't care if the person knows or doesn't know how to do some form of art, as long as the content is interesting. I think it's great that any idiot can make animation now, I think lots of people who never believed they could give it a try are now thinking seriously about pursuing a creer doing this, and the animation scene will probably grow a lot in the next few years.
Of course on;y a few of them will actually be doing great stuff, but the simple fact that the means are getting more popular means that the whole thing will grow stronger everyday.
Anybody remember super8?
danielpoeira.org
In response to that conference speaker, it shows a severe lack of understanding in the undeniable and neverending fluidity of art forms. Nobody anywhere owes the medium any responsibility whatsoever. That's ridiculous. ALL innovation comes from bending, breaking or ignoring the standing rules for anything. It's up to the end viewer to decide for themselves how they feel about it, but doing things differently is not in-and-of-itself inferior conceptually than something done by-the-book; everything had to GO IN the book at some point, where it was not there before.
Anyways, off-topic, but that line really tweaked me :) Carry on.
Hear, hear! I wanted to go off on my own tirade about elitist academics (snobby, self-important professors and students) in my original post, but held back. :D
It seems to me that pretty much everyone has some degree of success in their first movies. Look at all those early animators, like Winsor McCay or Otto Messmer or Ub Iwerks, who jumped into animation when there were no animation schools. Look at the first works of Hertzfeldt or Judge or McFarlane or Parker/Stone.
I think it's great that creating animation is so accessable these days. I know a few people who are amazing animators and never went to "art school" let alone and animation school. They are just natural animators with a great sence of timing and acting. On the flip side, I've met a lot of animators who went to dedicated animation schools, and aren't all that great. Oddly enough, some of those in that last bunch seem to have very snotty attitudes. :(
Yes there will be/is a flood of bad animation out there due to easy access to the medium, but the gems will still shine.
The Ape
...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."
Can anyone make animation (moving things around on the screen) nowadays?
Yes.
Can anyone make animation (breathe life into drawings/ graphics/models) nowadays?
No. This takes time. Doesn't matter in what mdeium one is animating.
But I am glad the medium is so accesible today so people who want to try can try.
By the way, did you remember the teacher's name? Where did you see this conference?
danielpoeira.org
Hello,
A couple of things:
First of all, JasonOsipa: I have never thought that those commited or those who owe a responsabilty to a medium are the ones that go along playing by the rules, I think that commitment is precisely about breaking the rules and trying to set new standards, rejecting the easy answers. I just wasn't sure what was it that everyone else thought 'being commited' was and that's why I mentioned it in my post. I just guess I'm right and everyone has a different opinion on that matter.
I also wanted to say that after reading your posts I understand that the problem is not as huge as I thought it was, perhaps my post was a bit paranoid... and after all you're right, or I hope you're right, 'cause sometimes you see so many crappy animation that it's hard to believe people will keep liking it and taking it seriously, but on the other hand it is true that now more and more people are watching animated shows without being judged as 'childish' or whatever...
Oh, I'll just shut up.
Thaks for your posts. :)
David Metzen.
"commitment:
placement in or assignment to a prison or mental hospital"
I know I said I'd shut up but...
Look Harvey Human, english is not my first language, so perhaps I used the wrong word. The equivalent word in spanish (which is my first language) I would've liked to use is 'compromiso', which means somehing like an 'engagement' or a very serious relationship with something; a link or a bond if you want. Thanks for correcting me though... ;)
That was a joke, BTW (or was it? :eek: )
Some random thoughts about "crappy animation" as may be done by the anyone, as in can anyone do animation.......
The worse thing about crappy animation is that it can give a medium a bad reputation like flash sometimes gets but....it is not a crime, no one gets hurt, we've all done it at whatever stage we're at, and those that continue to animate will get better.
Sorry Harvey, I didn't think it was a joke, I thought you were also telling me ,like JasonOsipa, that 'commitment' (I'm beggining to dislike using this word) is not such a serious thing, but now I get it. I must've seemed like an idiot to you for my latest reply...
Bye.
Not old enough to 'remember' it, but I do shoot it whenever given half the chance! :p