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how much is it CG?

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how much is it CG?

Some people tell me that animation nowadays is all about CG? They say people who disagree that are just not willing to facing the reality.

1) So, I wanna know out of what percentage is the work of an animation (film/ TV program, etc.) consists of CG?

2) If I am not a computer person, could i start off well as an animator? Will anyone hire me? From what i know, most people have to start off as technicians, doing tedious boring jobs. If I were not performing well as a technician in the entry-level, does it mean i would have less chance to be promoted to show my creative side then?

3) I always think there are jobs that requires less computer skills, like storyboarding and character design or concept art stuff. How much computer tasks do people doing the above have to deal with? and how can you be promoted to those positions in a studio?

4) i am not a computer person at all. I am very much a hand-drawn type. Should i go into animation at all? Or does illustration suit me better?

Please tell me the honest blunt truth, the reality. Personally, i don't thinkk CG can completely take over one day, coz otherwise schools won't be asking for drawing skills instead of compu skills, but then when i look at a job requirement form in my country, they always require the compu knowledge. Anyway, just tell me the REALITY. I don't want to be told that i am just daydreaming about the 2D good old days again!

monica

its hard to say what % of work is 2d or 3d but most of the major films being made are 3d while most tv work continues to be 2d.
knowledge of 2d can only be an advantage. cant go wrong with that. althouh 2d isnt just about drawing on paper. a lot of major studios have gone and continue to go digital.
you should learn to use a computer and be well versed in its dynamics. why would you want to intentionally put yourself at the back of pack anyway

I spoke to a PIXAR animator that visited my school and he told me he can barely turn his computer on at the studio, and that the pixar tech support team gets calls from him really often. So to answer your question no, you don't need to be a computer geek, as long as you are an uber animator. However I would imagine people like that are somewhat rare in CG. Computer proficency helps... a lot....

More bad news for you too... 2d animation production done in the US is moving more and more to flash or flash like systems. So you're back to the computer.

3D might not ever fully replace 2D, but the computer is here to stay, so I say its time you go make friends with one, tell few jokes to each other, have coffee together... and in no time you'll hopefully warm up to it. :)

Oh, and the reason schools still require and teach traditional art skills to CG folks is because we STILL need to be artists and draw. A computer is just an expensive space heater without an artist at the controls.

www.MattOrnstein.com
Character Animator - Lucas Arts

hey guys, thanks for the replies. I think I can master the computer if i want to, but i don't think i will like it. So, does it mean I am not going to like being an animator if i don't like the computer?

Not necessarily. Things like the Cintiq go along way towards making the computer more accessible to non-computer users. Just keep an open mind and try to find the fun in it.

Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com

Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight

again. if you are really old and set in your ways maybe its harder but otherwise i dont see how it could be a problem. again thigns like Cintiq are fantastic but so are the related costs that come along with it. there is no real getting away from computers but that has nothing do with drawing. 2d skills are pretty important and if you can do it well then there is no stopping you. but the flip side is you dont want to get caught out just coz you dont know. so learn just dont use it (or maybe youll learn to love it)

what is Cintiq?

It's a computer monitor that you can draw directly on (with the proper pen). www.wacom.com makes them. They aren't cheap, but they are getting cheaper.

They also make a tablet without a screen that's significantly less expensive. Not quite as intuitive but still better than a mouse in many ways.

Producing solidily ok animation since 2001.
www.galaxy12.com

Now with more doodling!
www.galaxy12.com/latenight

In my studio, at least, there's a huge need for hand-drawing skills. All artwork is done by hand until it's scanned into the computer to be colored and assembled. In fact, when I hire people, I pay 95% of my attention to two things: their personality, and their portfolio of 2D drawings.

But honestly, it depends on the studio. I'm sure there are some studios that don't care about drawing skills, but in my opinion that's very short-sighted.