Ever since Lorne Lanning, a Rhythm & Hues veteran animator, broke into the gaming industry, Oddworld Inhabitants' games have been a very positive example for me of how Hollywood-style storytelling and animation in combination with immersive gameplay can create video games that are media experiences rather than pure geek fodder.
However, thanks to Mr Lanning's latest business decision, the studio is facing a fork in the road. The majority of Oddworld Inhabitants' production staff was laid off and the company's headquarters moved from San Francisco to California. With only a handful of core people left, Lanning's plan is to collaborate with other game and media companies in the future to be able to create even better projects, supposedly not limited to video games, faster.
Even though the Oddworld series has seen the release of 'only' four games in ten years since OI was founded, their products have always been top notch. Quality worth waiting for, so to speak.
So!
Is Mr Lanning's statement that outsourcing their production to 'broaden the company's creative horizon' genuine - or just big words to basically let the world know that he's dissatisfied with the cost and time it took him in the past to produce games and that he now thinks the brand is established firmly enough to start selling the brand name to outside studios, churning out mediocre games and maybe a cheaply 3D-animated TV series?
Hello Jabber,
It's probably money! When they say "creative" they mean MONEY.
"Outsourcing" means sending the work out over to Asia. The core folks will probably prepare the work and send it over.
By the way, San Francisco IS in California.
A side note - already have my tickets to Frankfort and my accomodation in Annecy for the festival ...and two house sitters. So we will see you!
Thanks.
Larry
web site
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Whoops, you're right! I cross-read another article while typing my post. What I meant to write was that OI move their facilities from San Luis Obispo, CA, to Berkeley, CA. Lorne Lanning's official statement: Berkeley provides more creative stimuli than their old home which, according to him, offers little more than Weird Al and Chuck 'The Iceman' Lidell. Yah, right. As good a reason as any other to send his hard-working staff to heck.
And yes, another one of my online sources tells me that Lanning's plans are indeed to outsource parts of their production to Asia and India. That's why I see another bad 3D show coming.
-sigh- Can't even old animators become their own bosses and strike it big without ending up making choices we'd expect from the likes of Michael Eisner?
BTW, what's in Frankfurt again?
I think it's another indication of the times. When the very people that create and bring to fruitition a novel idea and something that becomes popular, they are eventully considered expendable in the long run. A few people become rich, and the soul and creative heart of the enterprise is thrown aside for the bottom line.
And those that are thrown over are told they need to reeducate themselves and move on. We can't all be CEO's and how much education does it take to change bed linens and sweep. And those are the jobs left to most of the displaced.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
James Baxter has left Dreamworks and 3D to set up a shop in Pasadena doing 2D.
He feel he had lost his connection with the animation and art...now with 2D, he has regained it.
Larry
web site
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[/U] email:
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You just essentially told someone in another thread it wasn't healthy to make life decisions based off of money concerns, but here it makes it sound like you feel a person is defined by their occupation. All evil eventually fades from power and true persistence by definition cannot fail. Is the outlook for those laid off really so...dark?
That's exactly the reason I said for 18 and 20 something year old people not make their decisions on potential salaries. Nothing is guarranteed anymore. But if you love what you do you will continue to do it, even if you aren't employed to do it. Too, often these days I see people that have a lot invested in a product or the creation of something, get thrown over for lower cost outsourcing. If you base your life decisions on what you can potentially make, things change and potentials change.
And changing bed linens and sweeping are something that needs to be done, but don't tell the outplaced American employees, they were displaced because of their educations and skills....in many cases that's just not true.
I am a fan of Joseph Campbell: "Follow Your Bliss"
Pat
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
The particular problem I have with the Oddworld Inhabitants case is that Lorne Lanning's decisions came completely out of the blue. We see animation studios outsources their work all the time, heck, it's something those in the business have gotten used to a long while ago.
However, OI was an enthusiastic group of creators under Lanning's banner who created games they believed in, with characters and stories they believed in. They didn't create games about busty heroines gunning their way through ancient ruins, or games about badass gangstas behaving in a socially inacceptable manner, they created games about one tribe of butt-ugly aliens oppressed by another tribe of butt-ugly aliens - and it worked because they were beautifully designed in their ugliness and the stories were well told for video games.
OI's last game, Stranger's Wrath, was hailed by almost all gaming magazines as a revelation in terms of visuals and gameplay. OI's production designs are featured in prestigious illustrated books on CGI art. There was no indication whatsoever that Oddworld Inhabitants were facing severe financial problems.
In his statement on why he thinks his move is justified, Lanning says that he wants to be able to concentrate on characters and stories more and leave all the tedious, technical stuff to 'talents all over the world'. Funny that he was the guy who loudly criticised the technological shortcomings of the XBox after signing an exclusive deal with Microsoft, moping about how those shortcomings would eventually hamper him in bringing his visions to life. And now he wants to leave it all to people on the other side of the world? I've seen how that works: when I was an intern at a studio which sends almost everything to China, not a day went by when there wasn't some sort of trouble caused by logistics or the misinterpretation of material.
And quite apart from that, I don't think I'm alone in believing that those laid off would have preferred the 'creative wasteland' of San Luis Obispo to being unemployed.
Maybe they'll the pay the salaries of a few displaced workers for a limited period while they train the new folks in a country that doesn't pay a living wage. Once they are trained the trainers will be cut loose. But those that contributed to a winning idea will be cut loose for the bottom line, and told to retrain. Please, tell us for what to retrain. I wish the corporate gods would answer this one just once.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
Maybe someday some corporate identity will stand up and say we came up with it, you see if you can do better. But I am not holding my breath. We lost Levis, Stanley tools, the only one we haven't lost that I can think of is the Slinky people, but maybe they've sold out by now too.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
I'll take it down a step lower. When I was twelve, back in 1962, all of us in middle school went and got work permits to get the prune harvest in. The orchards won't even hire you now unless you can speak Spanish, because a lot of the workers are hired illegally, for less than minimum wage, and can't speak English. Should I learn Spanish so I can get a 6.50 hr. job? It's not that I can't or won't do the work, but I know the laws of this country and I think they should be followed.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
How about loyalty, respect and integrity for those that help get you where you are. Guess that doesn't count for anything in today's world of reality shows, where anyone can be voted off.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
They wonder about road rage and where it comes from.
Do not go gentle into that good night" - by Dylan Thomas
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lighting they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
Once I accepted the fact that most people lack common sense, the former comment was made no easier to deal with, but a little easier to understand. Some people are really more of sleepwalking robot people. I've yet to deal with someone who's awake and aware that's that brutal. They all have a sense of propriety. Just because they're currently in the minority doesn't diminish their existence. If anything, it makes them all the more desirable of a kind with which to surround one's self.
It does count for something, and it's even catching on; however, its relative proportion is infinitesimal, so for a time the world will seem as trite as a comment like that implies...Last I checked, that whole stupid fake-reality thing was was fading pretty quickly, which is a breath of fresh air. We cannot handle anything for too long as a culture, even trends...hence why we call them trends =) Of all the silly little aphorisms that stuck, "Change is the only constant" would be a good one that applies here...
I'm going to stop blabbing before I pull a Rupert and hijack the thread (kidding RP =)
Scattered you aren't hijacking the thread, if anything it's me. And I am done. Just had to "rage against the night". It's just who I am.
Pat
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
And what will he do if his new venture fails to take off? He does have a well-respected reputation to fall back on, of course. But if there are no 2D jobs, and his studio doesn't make it, what then? The "connection" to animation means little when you have to put food on the table.
James Baxter made the switch to 3D, he worked as a leading animator on successful features like Shrek and Shrek 2. If all he wanted was food on his table, he could've continued to help Dreamworks create Shrek 3, 4, 5 and pre-production material for the direct-to-video sequels 6-18. (Which would, of course, be animated somehwere in India.)
I don't want to end up as part of a generation of animators who learn the principles of 2D, do the odd pencil test but in the end it'll just be their excuse for slumping in a chair in front of a render station and finally be able to tell themselves, well, so much for the Stupid Ages. I don't want to have nothing else to worry about other than software glitches, bugs, rendering time and algorithms. Call me backwards but I also want to worry about things like squash and stretch, volumes and arcs and inbetweens of a good line quality. Technology changes so fast, animation technicians will end up chasing from one seminar to the next just to be able to keep up with the software.
If nothing else, it is at least a good sign that those who have experienced both sides see the differences, and that they're able to chose what they prefer.
You're missing the point, Jabber. It's the rare person who will follow their bliss entirely when the bills aren't being paid. Baxter has a great reputation within the animation community. I applaud his dedication and drive. But I'd wager that if his studio fails to take off, he'll be back to 3D pretty quick if that's the only game in town.
Of the five things you want to "worry" about, four of them apply to 3D as well. They haven't cracked line quality yet, but the Iron Giant looked remarkably hand-drawn, so they're on the right path.
I'll never understand why people are so quick to divide into camps over animation technique. 2D is not a thing to be revered, and 3D is not to be reviled. They are different approaches to the same problem - bringing something to life. If you prefer one over the other, great. That doesn't mean you have to have disdain for the other one.
As for what you want to worry about in your career, that's your call. Personally, I don't see the need to limit my career options by remaining blindly loyal to the technique I used when I started in this business. If Lasseter had felt that way, would we have the Pixar catalog today?
I don't doubt Baxter will go back to 3D in case traditional doesn't work out for him. If he wants to animate he'd be stupid not to. But if he had wanted to go the blissfully easy way he could've simply stayed at Dreamworks. Besides, the man knows the business. I don't think he'd have opted for a traditional studio if there hadn't been the faintest chance in his eyes that traditional still has the potential to appeal to a broader audience.
I think what many (me included, of course) tend to forget sometimes is that there's more to animation than just the question 'hand-drawn or computer-generated?'. There still is stop motion (I bought an Aardman Classics DVD on eBay this afternoon and I'm really excited about Corpse Bride), cut-out animation, frame-by-frame animation of real life footage à la Raoul Servais, heck, I've seen more than one short animated with sand, light rays - you name it.
So yes, you're right about me missing the point as far as 3D animation as a craft is concerned. There's nothing 'evil' about it, animation is, after all, animation, and I want to be struck by lightning the instant I'm caught saying I wasn't highly entertained by 'The Incredibles' and don't dream about doing something like it. What bothers me about 3D is the attitude toward it - not so much the artists', but the people's who fund animation these days. My initial gripe was that a successful entrepreneur in CG enterainment chose to walk the easy, cost-efficient way at the cost of gifted artists. I'm rooting for those guys who're great at what they do with computers. I'd hate to see it all reduced to push-button mass production. As do we all, I'd bet.
The latest rumour concerning the Oddworld Inhabitants case has it that Lorne Lanning is stopping the production of video games altogether to have only TV shows and animated features produced. For all we know, the majority of the production work will be done abroad. What this will mean to the standard of their products remains to be seen but I'm willing to bet money we'll experience a quality drop.