Demo Reel Feedback

The other day when we presented our demo reel ideas to the Dreamcrusher, I and I’m sure all of my classmates were somewhat unsure as to what his opinion of them would be. I thought everyone came up with something that very much suited them according to their interests and animation skills. I didn’t think any person’s demo concept was too far fetched or simple at all. However, Mr. Crusher did happen to drop the hammer on a few people but thankfully I wasn’t one of them. He did mention my Japanese village idea had been done before but that I can make it stand out from others depending on the camera shots I choose.

I won’t lie, I’m sure my concept isn’t anything new to the animation world but for me, it’s something I’m passionate about making come to life in a demo reel. I did a lot of research on it both online and in the library and the more I was able to find, the more I wanted this to be my demo reel. For my Japanese village, my main goal is to try to make it as 19th century as possible without any hint of North American ideals involved. I’m aiming to portray something outside the realms of American influence. This will be a great challenge because not only will it require countless research hours but especially given that I’m about as North American as people come, it will force me to see things I’m not used to viewing in an artistic, 3D manner.

Thanks to my classmate Angelo, he’s given me a few leads on references which I’m sure will be very helpful. One is a Japanese anime called Samurai Champloo and the other is an old movie from the 70′s named Seven Samurai. Both are very much outside of the norm for me. I was never a kid who watched many Asian cartoons growing up, I was always the Transformer type. And as for classical movies, I just could never get into anything without color. So I think doing a demo reel of this kind will allow me to learn new things by looking into references such as these.

With this reel, I’m working towards making it look as authentic to the Edo period as possible because in no way do i want false items or information in it. The last thing I want is for a simple research error to stick out in my reel such as a sword from a different era. Hopefully I’ll be able to incorporate everything I want; an environment, a character and some props. I’m also considering the presentation aspect just as much. I haven’t ran my ideas by any of the teachers yet, but I think a haiku and the bushido character would very much tie into the whole Japanese samurai theme. With the right time management, I’m positive it can be accomplished. If not, I’m sure a certain crusher type of person will voice his opinion and let me know.

Time for me to crash as I’m writing this on very little sleep due to my weekend getaway to Toronto. Apparently, that little known women’s magazine and tv show based out of T.O. called Cosmopolitan thinks I’m worthy of being one of their 12 finalists for Canada’s most eligible bachelor. Very flattering and quite an honor I must say. Good night!

During My Break

It was our spring break from school this past week. I’m sure my classmates will agree that it was a much needed time to rest up and re-gather ourselves for the next few weeks to come. Since we had a fair bit of time off, I had planned to not only catch up with a few friends I haven’t talked to in a while but to also get as much work done as possible and celebrate my birthday to the fullest.

During the first few days, I took an entire break from animation altogether. I didn’t touch any of my assignments at all. Come Monday, I treated each day as if it were a regular school day and made sure to finish every assignment accordingly. Unfortunately for me, by Wednesday, I fell victim to the flu that’s been going around the Lower Mainland. Both my father and brother have been hacking away the last couple of weeks and zapped of energy due to fevers. Naturally, being in the same household, it was only a matter of time before the bug hit me; and it got me hard. Only now, as I write this, am I starting to feel a wee bit better. It’s the type of cold that just won’t go away entirely; you feel over it one hour and then it’s back the next. So when it came to staying on schedule with my work, this cold threw me off entirely. I have yet to fall behind but I’m nowhere near the point I want to be at. This next week appears to be one fully loaded with work for me.

Amid my ever-present flu, I was able to take a tour of the EA Sports facility in Burnaby on Wednesday. A friend of mine offered to show me around since he knows I’m studying digital animation and perhaps may one day, hopefully work there. He’s been there for 3 years now and doing quite well. Without any prior experience in the field, he started out as a game tester and worked his way up to being a team leader in the programming department. As we walked through each building at EA, I was extremely impressed with the design and atmosphere. Every inch of those facilities looked as though they were carefully planned out and catered towards the younger generation. It felt as though there was freedom to do as you please without too much stress or pressure placed upon its employees. People were wandering in and out constantly but in a brisk manner; not in a do or die strut. Others were taking advantage of the many sports facilities there; from the producers doing research on the next boxing game by dawning the gloves themselves and sparring a few rounds to others letting loose in the weight room and working out. My friend and I also hit the basketball court and shot a few baskets. We’re both very into the sport and he told me how it was pretty crazy when a few of the professionals visited and had a game there. Apparently people were crowded all around the gym, trying to get a glimpse of just how good a million dollar player is. He said one all-star player, Gilbert Arenas, was there one time and casually shooting jump shots from almost 40 feet from the basket and not missing.

We ended up going to every area possible at EA. From the food court like cafeteria, to the game testing room, the sports facilities, the media and sound rooms and even the basement where the hundreds upon hundreds of servers are located. I got a true sense of what an EA employee’s day is like and it wasn’t difficult to see why so many people want to work there. My friend told me that while it’s hard work, he’s happy where he is and that it’s been all worth his while at EA.

Besides a brief road trip to the Premium Outlets and a small birthday luncheon, the rest of my break was spent trying to get rid of this flu. I enjoyed myself as much as I could but it surely would have been a lot better both from a productive and pleasure stand point, without a nagging illness. No matter, it’s now time to turn in early and get some rest to prep for the first day back to class. See you in the BCIT labs!

Animation and Music

While both traditional 2D and 3D animation is most commonly found in movies, television shows, commercials and of course video games, there is another area its gaining popularity in; music videos. The two very much go hand in hand since every piece of animation nowadays has some type of music included or a separate sound track altogether for those big budget films. For whichever reason though, animation in music videos doesn’t seem to be as well recognized as in the other formats.

There are many reasons for animation’s lack of recognition in music videos, most notably the artists themselves and the song they’re singing. Simply put, it’s not hard to reason that if the song and artist aren’t very appealing, then who’s going to want to view their animated music video. It’s a lot easier to hear a song by chance on the radio or in the background while you’re at the mall, but to come across a music video by accident is a bit more difficult since you make the decision to skip to the specific music channel.

On the other hand, animation greatly contributes to the appeal of a song. Since music is something many people relate to emotionally depending on experience, it’s not difficult to figure out that a song’s sales figures and popularity may increase even more with an image to go along with its lyrics and sound. A good example of this is Kanye West’s video of his song Good Life. I’m very much a Kanye fan because of his well rounded ability to rap not only about the partying lifestyle but about social issues as well. Throw in his production skills to create his own beats and he’s one of the best in the music industry today as both an artist and producer. On his latest album The Graduate, Good Life was a song that didn’t appeal to me much at all. It had no depth in its lyrics other than what it’s like to be rich and famous. Being a full time student, wealth and fame are the last things that are a part of my life at this time. It’s very much a commercial song that’s clean cut, evenly toned and prime for air play on the radio. And the beat to it, wasn’t exactly making me want to replay or listen to it after its first minute for that matter.

However, once I saw the music video with animation included, it changed my opinion of it, just a little. With a song such as this that is very flat in appeal, the traditional animation in it’s video definitely made the song. Since the animation was colorful and fun, the video and song took on the same qualities. At the very least, if viewers still didn’t care for the song, it ingrained a visual picture in their minds that was easy to recall due to the animation.

I’m sure this was the effect Kanye was going for. Perhaps more artists should consider a step in this direction. Especially with a lot of music today being meaningless and more solely for entertainment and retail purposes, with some animation, songs can at the very least be fun. How I wish the quality of a Tupac or Biggie Smalls album would come back though.




Digital Animation Bachelor/Graduate Programs

With the cost of education increasing all the time, I was surprised to hear from a fellow classmate of mine that there does indeed exist bachelor and graduate programs for digital animation. First off, I’ve been told by a few of my friends and associates working in the digital arts industry, that with the technology available today, one could very well learn how to use the software on his or her own. I’m sure a very talented and computer, techy type of individual could do this, but unfortunately for me, I’m not in that category. However, the point is, if such a thing is true, is a graduate school for digital arts necessary? Secondly, with the cost of BCIT’s tuition being considered very fair and perhaps even cheap in comparison to other digital arts schools and programs, I could not imagine what the price of a bachelor or graduate program for digital arts would be. Seeing as how I’ve paid a few thousand dollars already for my current program and invested many hours and effort thus far, I was curious to know what else was out there when it came to such programs.

After a little internet research, more like browsing, I came across a few of these so-called bachelor and graduate programs of the digital arts genre. One I read about was at the SAE Institute. They offer both a 3D animation degree and diploma. After reading through both descriptions, including a few spelling mistakes and poor punctuation, I really couldn’t see the difference between the two. Nor am I able to see why anyone would want to pay to attend classes at a place that cannot even spell and punctuate correctly. It left me not only skeptical but also wondering what in the world a Digital Media Entrepreneur is; as they have listed as a possible career position upon graduation. To me, it’s the educational title for someone who’s in search of work after graduating from their institute. Here’s their link if you’re interested yourself:

http://www.sae.edu/courses/3d_animation_degree

A more well known university, DePaul, in Chicago, offers a bachelor of science in animation. It’s a full-time , 4 year program consisting of everything from the necessary basics to cinema and history. No where does it say the words demo reel anywhere in the program description. And honestly, I have never really heard a person consider animation to be a science of any sort. I doubt the physics equations of inertia and energy spent by Bloke to lift a heavy object are important factors to worry about when animating such a scene. Then again, America is the land of opportunity right.

http://www.cti.depaul.edu/academics/Pages/BSinAnimation.aspx

Lastly, I read about USC’s Master of Fine Arts program. The lucky students who are accepted and can afford to take these courses get to study in classes with names which are at the 500 level, such as CTAN 501; which is Interactive Animation, some might call it acting. Anyways, this is a 50 credit course that includes some more history, theory and even some survey study. There is also a demo reel included where a student has to submit a proposal, which has to be approved by the MFA faculty committee. This proposal has to include a thesis, research paper, budget, and synopsis among other criteria. Sounds a little too serious for me; it’s almost as though all the fun has been sucked out of this animation program. I’m much more for the ask my BCIT teacher for his or her opinion and go from there. What’s more, a gpa of at least 3.0 must be maintained to continue in the masters program. Have fun!

http://anim.usc.edu/about_curriculum_MFA.html

No where in these three programs was I able to find a tuition cost but I’m sure it’s through the roof. If you ask me, I would much rather stick with my 1 year technical school program and Digital Tutor tutorials.

Demo Time

At this time of year, university and college students are almost done their semesters. Finals are upon them and thus, I’m sure they’re counting down the days and getting ready to let loose and party. For other students like us, at technical schools such as BCIT, it’s very much the flip side of things. In our classes this past week, our instructors have reminded us about the upcoming third and final term; the demo reel term. It’s the term where all the knowledge and skills we’ve learned is put on display in demo reel format for industry professionals to determine whether or not we’re worthy of being hired.

By now, I’m sure and hope most of my fellow classmates are in the concept stage; some without a doubt are even further along. As for me, I’m making progress; I’m where I’m supposed to be at this point but by no means am I ahead. As it stands, I’ve chosen to do an environmental demo reel. The decision to do such a reel instead of the many other types, comes from my knack for detail and my picky personality, that my sister claims I have. Even more so, I think it’s a carryover from the environment final assignment we did for our 3D Design class. Even though I wasn’t able to finish it to my satisfaction, I had a lot of fun modeling and not once did it feel like a work assignment. When something is that enjoyable and I desire to spend time doing it, that’s when I know it’s for me. At this point, I’ve narrowed my decision down to 3 possible environments to model. I’m trying to consider all the opinions and knowledge my instructors have to give me about. At the same time, I want to be able to portray my creativity, originality and my own personality into this piece. Even though digital animation is extremely subjective, it’s not difficult to see what boundaries not to cross and what isn’t a good idea.

Our program instructor has informed us of how important it will be to stay on schedule and work diligently. Apparently, with graduation around the corner for the April group, a few of them haven’t started rendering. Hopefully with some organization and thinking ahead, I won’t be stuck in any kind of position similar to that one. I can’t imagine the stress which comes along with being in such a situation. After having spent a few late nights in the computer lab during the first term, I’ve gotten to know a few of the guys from last April’s program. They showed me what they have thus far on their demos to give me an idea of what to expect in my third term. A couple of them chose animation demos and I thought they looked really good. I’ve heard an animator is quite a difficult position to land in the industry but I’m sure if they keep working hard, they’ll be fine. I wish those guys well in the next few weeks.

In a few of our classes, we were able to see some demo reels from past students. There were a mix of both the good, the bad and the in between. It wasn’t hard to see who got a job and who didn’t just by the quality of work put into the demos. I’m fairly sure that the students who spent many hours working hard and staying on top of things were the ones who were rewarded in the end. I’m hoping in the future, should my demo reel be shown to future BCIT students, that it isn’t in the “other pile.” One thing’s for sure, I certainly plan on working my hardest to make certain that doesn’t happen. I guess we’ll see come October.

’98 Animation Days

Over the past weekend, it was a close friend’s birthday. He invited us all out to join him for a Korean dinner to celebrate his 31st. Since I hadn’t been out to any kind of social event in quite some time and given the occasion, I made an effort to drop by on a break from that weekend’s homework session. Another good friend of mine, who calls herself my “sister,” went as well. Like most people who haven’t spoken or seen one each other in a while, we got caught up about what’s going on in our individual lives. I mentioned to her how hectic school is for me and that I don’t get to see everyone or do much of anything, outside of attending class and completing the assignments. Of all the people I know, she could relate the most.

Back in 1998, it seems so long ago now but I can remember it fairly well, my so-called sister attended Vancouver Film School. As you may be able to guess, she participated in the digital animation program. I was just getting to know her back then, so we didn’t talk as much as we do now. I remember meeting up with her during her demo reel days, where she was staying up all night and downing coffee as though it was her only means of survival. After she had finished, she showed me her demo reel. Sadly enough, as talented and creative as she is as a drawer and animator, it wasn’t evident in her final work at all. Anyways, we got to chatting more about animation as we ate our seafood pancake and she began telling how much animation and technology has changed since she last studied.

At first, she told me how tuition is still about the same as it is today; an arm, a leg and perhaps even a foot and that it took her time and more time to do assignments. However, one major difference was her demo reel being cut on VHS cassette; not a mini version but one of those big, thick, black, plastic tapes that’s probably found in most antique stores by now. She also told me how back then, she didn’t have separate classes for different aspects of animation such as compositing or production. At this point, my chuckling is beginning to pick up pace, not only for sarcastic value but pity as well. After a few minutes we came to discuss unwrapping since I was working on such an assignment. Unfortunately, my sis did not know what I was asking her about at first. As I described it further, the light bulb clicked on in her head. To her, it was known as wrapping; must be one of those 1998 animation terms that’s been phased out with the use of VHS. During this trip down memory lane for her, even though she didn’t end up working in the field, she did enjoy the school and still loves to draw when she’s not changing her newborn’s diapers. Apparently, her favourite teacher was “Adam someone,” in her own words. I ran the last names Garland and Sales by her and the latter rang a bell. Yet another moment of just how small a world Vancouver is and how even smaller the local digital animation community is. She said his class was really fun because of how much he loved his work. Even back then as well, Softimage XSI was used during his teachings.

Imagine doing your demo on this…

By now my laughter has given me the all too familiar stomach cramps because of her prehistoric but entertaining times in animation. However, I was stumped as to what in the world my sister called a jaz drive. She explained this was the device she used to store and transfer her files during her VFS days. It cost her $600 and the maximum capacity of information it could hold was just 2 gigabytes! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing at first. Believe it or not, there were no usb external drives back then.

I think I’d need about 30 of these by now…

It sure sounded to me like she had it a lot more harder than I do now. I couldn’t imagine doing a program as intense as digital animation with equipment and technology with those types of limitations. Times sure do change and I’ve come to appreciate the advantages I have now. Well, at least her jaz drive was smaller and easier to carry around than her VHS cassette.

Something of Interest

As the second term is in full swing for us animation students at BCIT, demo reel ideas have been wandering about my mind and others’, I’m sure. It’s hard to believe the program is almost half over; time sure whizzes by you when you’re busy. I have found the digital animation program to be very challenging thus far but at the same time, as I’ve told many others this, it’s the first time I’ve actually enjoyed attending school and studying. That’s right, you read that previous statement correctly, I do like studying this stuff! It sure makes a big difference when you have a passion for something versus doing it for some other reason, such as just to get a degree or certificate. Hopefully, after completing studies this time around, unlike my past graduation experiences, I’ll have a career in this field to look forward to.

At the very least, I can say I feel as though I’m on the right pathway to achieving this goal. Never have I worked this hard, for anything. When one of our instructors simply said, “it requires you to put your life on hold for a year”; I could not agree more. Even before beginning classes this past October, I had quit most recent job, as well as my voluntary position at the Children’s Hospital. As classes got underway, I found myself not being able to play basketball as much as I wanted or go for a workout 6 times weekly, as I had done before. Nowadays, I’m unable to hoop at all, my workouts have dwindled down to 4 a week and just recently, my significant other decided there wasn’t enough time for us to share, given my workload. As for a social life, I’ve pretty much forgotten what that entails or feels like. So, would I say my life is on hold? It’s very much not only on hold but undergoing a vast makeover and under construction. I figure there’s not much else to do when it comes to dedication to this field, other than continue to work hard and remain optimistic.

With demo reel time quickly approaching, since it’s the key to employment in this field, I decided to look into the job rates for aspiring animators after graduation. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any useful information outside of the realms of working hard, staying positive and creating an imaginative demo reel. Then I remembered a classmate mentioning at the start of classes, that she took a peak at a BCIT survey of former students who had graduated and are now in the working world. I was able to find it online as it consists of 54 digital animation graduates who completed their studies between 2005-2007; with an average age of 24. Out of the most interesting statistics, it showed the following:

Typical hourly wage: $17

65% employed full-time with 38% employed in a field related to digital animation

39% of the people took 1-2 months to find employment

89% were satisfied or very satisfied with their education

Of the program related jobs:

11 people became creative designers or craftspersons; making typically $22/hr

Less than 10 became photographers, graphic arts techs, etc.

Here is the link if you wish to view this survey further: www.bcit.ca/files/irp/gp/6430cert.pdf

From this survey, I came away feeling that while attaining a job will be somewhat on the difficult side, it is not impossible. Even though I still consider myself a rookie who’s learning the ropes when it comes to all aspects animation, I think and certainly hope that with a lot more work hours, improvement and a some luck, it will all pay off.