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Saturn 7 - Science fiction animation

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Saturn 7 - Science fiction animation

Just a quick link here for my teaser trailer. It's me trying very hard to do a more detailed animation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr1jgjAa380&fmt=22

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Michael J Dowswell's picture
Michael J. Dowswell Independent Animator/Director http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk http://mikedowswell.blogspot.com

Michael J. Dowswell
Independent Animator/Director

http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk
http://mikedowswell.blogspot.com

nice atmospheric trailer, I like the lighting and shot composition.

I think the womans walk cycle is looking better than the mans, theres some glitches on his upper body and his arms are in an odd stiff position. the woman is looking nice and fluid though.

Do you ever put stuff into the film festivals Michael? I'm trying to finish off a short at the moment but am bogged down in rendering and environment. Looks like I'm going to miss submission for this year and put in next year instead.

websiteEzromation blog/doodlesDeranged Scratchings

That was a very interesting clip. I did see some things that looked me a little off but I do not know enough about this to say anything helpful.

nice atmospheric trailer, I like the lighting and shot composition.

I think the womans walk cycle is looking better than the mans, theres some glitches on his upper body and his arms are in an odd stiff position. the woman is looking nice and fluid though.

Do you ever put stuff into the film festivals Michael? I'm trying to finish off a short at the moment but am bogged down in rendering and environment. Looks like I'm going to miss submission for this year and put in next year instead.

Thanks :)

Bit of a confession here on the human animations...they’re actually purchased from a place that sells human animations (because my technical abilities have never / aren’t so good)...but absolutely everything else is by me...I conceptually design everything and build it all...even the boots and helmets and battery boxes (which you just drop on the animations...thank god that worked when they arrived!)

I’ve still got the whole submitting a animation to a festival to look forward to. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do...but still haven’t done.

Michael J. Dowswell
Independent Animator/Director

http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk
http://mikedowswell.blogspot.com

Bit of a confession here on the human animations...they’re actually purchased from a place that sells human animations

Maybe in the future I could give you a hand, I'm up to my eyeballs in render and film gubbins at the mo, but if you are willing to pay for animations I can certainly do you a better job than those two walk cycles. I wont be free till March next year, but if you like I can contact you then.

In terms of submission stuff, I'm looking at the submission guidelines at the mo. Worrying about getting my film on DVD and quality issues that may result. The japanese film festival only excepts spBeta... could be interesting.

Here's a list of film festivals that I've found very useful, with links to the specific websites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_animation_festivals

Some of the websites are bloody inscrutable. The Australian one is nice and easy, they except alot of different formats and the submission form makes sense (I cant even find the submission form on some of the sites)

Any way good luck with it and more power to you I like your style.

websiteEzromation blog/doodlesDeranged Scratchings

Maybe in the future I could give you a hand, I'm up to my eyeballs in render and film gubbins at the mo, but if you are willing to pay for animations I can certainly do you a better job than those two walk cycles. I wont be free till March next year, but if you like I can contact you then.

In terms of submission stuff, I'm looking at the submission guidelines at the mo. Worrying about getting my film on DVD and quality issues that may result. The japanese film festival only excepts spBeta... could be interesting.

Here's a list of film festivals that I've found very useful, with links to the specific websites.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_animation_festivals

Some of the websites are bloody inscrutable. The Australian one is nice and easy, they except alot of different formats and the submission form makes sense (I cant even find the submission form on some of the sites)

Any way good luck with it and more power to you I like your style.

On Saturn 7 it’s the very first time I’ve ever spent any money on a film (this is my 8th animation now)...it's not such a good life at the moment for me because I’ve now been unemployed for seven years...so there is literally no income at all. Thats pretty much why I’ve not submitted to festivals because of the high cost of plane tickets, hotel bills, taxi bills, submission fees and music licence fees.

I cannot spend any more money on the film at all. But I was impressed with your walk cycle on your alien!

Thanks for the list...and here is another list for you.

* Platform International Animation Festival, Portland USA
* Cortoons Festival, Rome
* 49th Bfi Times London Film Festival
* Nicktoons Network Animation Festival - Top 10 Film
* Pictoplasma Conference, Berlin
* Internationale Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart
* SAND, Swansea
* 16th São Paulo Short Film Festival
* Dallas Deep Ellum Film Festival
* Anchorage International Film Festival
* 4th Annual Miami Short Film Festival
* Izmir International Short Film Festival
* Raindance Film Festival
* Flip Animation Festival[1]
* Commonwealth Film Festival
* Bradford Animation Festival

Michael J. Dowswell
Independent Animator/Director

http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk
http://mikedowswell.blogspot.com

Some of them are free to enter usualy the international ones, I dont think it's mandatory to attend certainly not for all of them, I dont know a lot of independant film makers but the picture that springs to mind is very far from jet setters.

Thinking about it now I remember the student film I worked on was entered into a lot of film festivals, at the time we thought it was cool it was going to Russia.... none of us went to Russia, though we did joke about it.

Glad you liked the walk cycle, I'm planning on a trailer at some point too.

I'm getting by on a shoe string budget as well, this is my third attempt and the first time I've got through the animation and started on the render. I've been working on it for a year part time. My girlfried tells me off when I say I'm unemployed, I am self employed.....my boss just has'nt given me any money yet.

I've just forked out for a new computer......which translates to very shiny custom made shoe strings. I work for games companies for my day job, and then rebel with my attempts at making short films. Fingers crossed third time lucky.

websiteEzromation blog/doodlesDeranged Scratchings

Some of them are free to enter usualy the international ones, I dont think it's mandatory to attend certainly not for all of them, I dont know a lot of independant film makers but the picture that springs to mind is very far from jet setters.

Well that’s exactly what I’m going to have to do, not attend the festivals…but to be honest here, I’ve always felt that my animations aren’t good enough to be sent out. I still even to this day don’t like my end results...I love making my animations, but I don’t like watching them. I have a tendency to be very negative about my animations...which has some very bad reactions among people...that’s why I wasn't fully honest with you because I’m trying really hard to stop doing that.

I’ve been saying for years that I want to stop and try a completely different approach...miniatures or bigiatures...but of course that gets back round to the money problem again...money is a major problem with regards to making science fiction films.

Michael J. Dowswell
Independent Animator/Director

http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk
http://mikedowswell.blogspot.com

Well that’s exactly what I’m going to have to do, not attend the festivals…but to be honest here, I’ve always felt that my animations aren’t good enough to be sent out. I still even to this day don’t like my end results...I love making my animations, but I don’t like watching them. I have a tendency to be very negative about my animations...which has some very bad reactions among people..

Yeah I dont like mine either at times, I've had some criticism which confirms what I think is wrong with it.....I'm still going to enter it..... so long as I finish it. It takes me a while to like my films and animations, at times I hate them. I think it's pretty normal to feel that way certainly amongst the artists that I know.

I like my college films now, there's plenty wrong with them, but they have a kind of nostalgic glow that comes from remembering the journey of making them.

websiteEzromation blog/doodlesDeranged Scratchings

...I'm still going to enter it..... so long as I finish it.

Yes, this is the thing isn’t it….it takes such a HUGE amount of time to do these animations, that it seems ludicrous not to enter it into a festival or show it around online.

It takes me a while to like my films and animations, at times I hate them. I think it's pretty normal to feel that way certainly amongst the artists that I know.

I like my college films now, there's plenty wrong with them, but they have a kind of nostalgic glow that comes from remembering the journey of making them.

I gotto admit there is a truth in that….years after its completion you do arrive back at it and think “that’s actually not too bad”...but the everyday constantly looking at it doesn’t help at the time of making it.

The whole negative around people thing is a interesting one for me because I just had a thought now...If you imagine your in a disaster scenario and we’re all trapped in a lift….and there’s one man who just says negative things...everybody is not going to like that guy!….but...BUT, I like to feel that what I have to say on my own work is a realistic statement. I think a lot of people confuse a realistic statement with being negative. There is after all three things out there...optimists, realists and pessimists.

Michael J. Dowswell
Independent Animator/Director

http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk
http://mikedowswell.blogspot.com

This is my attempts at some DOF.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URdzpZfcd3s&fmt=22

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Michael J. Dowswell
Independent Animator/Director

http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk
http://mikedowswell.blogspot.com

I have also been critisized for negativity about my own work. Where it becomes a real problem is in terms of selling yourself, I hate doing it but some times you have to.

If you were selling a car you wouldn't go into where it falls short.

You have to get some distance from your artistic skills and think of them as a product you are trying to sell. This is very difficult as art is a very personal thing.

It's fine to have doubts about your work and question what your doing, this is simply being analytical and is a strength in many ways, but it has its place. When your tying to sell your work or services, it can help to make a list of all the positive reasons, why your the man for the job.

websiteEzromation blog/doodlesDeranged Scratchings

I have also been critisized for negativity about my own work. Where it becomes a real problem is in terms of selling yourself, I hate doing it but some times you have to.

If you were selling a car you wouldn't go into where it falls short.

You have to get some distance from your artistic skills and think of them as a product you are trying to sell. This is very difficult as art is a very personal thing.

It's fine to have doubts about your work and question what your doing, this is simply being analytical and is a strength in many ways, but it has its place. When your tying to sell your work or services, it can help to make a list of all the positive reasons, why your the man for the job.

I think that's a very good bit of advice.

Yeah I too feel strange about it but I think that I've now witnessed enough of the bad reactions from people that a change has to happen...but just in the forums and in emails...I dont think i could stretch it so that it was like that in my blog....mind you, maybe it has to be the same all across the board....hmm. However there has to be some venting somwhere...however...whenever I vent I get accused of being pedantic.

I reckon though that it might be quite harmful to your career...because they possibly see the negative talk as possibly somebody that they may not want to employ...but the strange thing is that i'm actually quite a jolly sort of a person a lot of the time...I just know that theres big problems with my work and that with the chance to do somthing big I would be able to do much better.

I like this quote...quite funny!

"If words and sentences are invariably misunderstood, why bother using them? (I'm in favor of gesticulation and grunting.)"

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Michael J. Dowswell
Independent Animator/Director

http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk
http://mikedowswell.blogspot.com