Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1573
June 2009 46 n n n n Careers at is what will inspire you to create ex- tremely good work and to keep growing as an artist, Gladstone notes. According to Coleman, the great Disney animators figured out a long time ago that acting and storytelling were the most im- portant parts of animation. "We've kind of lost touch with that and have a generation of animators who went right into learn- ing computer technology and never really learned the fundamental principles of ani- mation that are so well spelled out in Dis- ney Animation: e Illusion of Life," a char- acter animation book by two of Disney's Nine Old Men. Gladstone agrees. "ere is a bit of a pro- duction mentality in schools and studios, where they are churning out people who are technically proficient, but not artisti- cally proficient, and that is limiting to both the individual and the art form itself." At ILM, Coleman would pull the ani- mators away from their computers to act out scenes instead of thumbnailing them. "If you have a solid 2D background, thumbnailing is great, but not so much if you don't have that kind of background," he says. "In my opinion, there is no better way to figure out a scene than to stand up and 'live' it with other characters. You'll feel what's right when you move your body and shift your weight, and the poses you create will be right." To this end, Coleman highly recom- mends that animators take acting classes, improv classes, or clowning classes to get used to performing. Because animation is a collaborative endeavor, we are often working on some- one else's vision, not our own, comments Gladstone. "We need to find that nugget that inspires and motivates us to give it the best that we've got. Sometimes it will be the story, or the art direction, or the direc- tor, or the technology, or the adventure of working in a new place with new people. As artists, we need to find something posi- tive to connect with and keep us passionate about the project," he adds. Indeed, not every project will be the next blockbuster feature film. However, even when a project may be less exciting, it can be a positive experience if you learn something from it. Nevertheless, Glad- stone warns that it is important to trust your judgment when accepting work. "If a project goes against your personal integrity, it's important to turn it down," he advises. As a storyteller, it's important to remem- ber that people will see what you create and be influenced by it, Gladstone continues. If it's in poor taste, or will communicate something you don't agree with, don't do it. As an artist, it's important to feel good about the work you do. n Kris Larson writes for AnimationMentor.com, an online education and mentorship program focused on character animation. High�Performance CameraTracking Use SynthEyes for animated critter insertion,»xing shaky shots, virtual set extensions, making 3D movies, architectural previews, accident reconstruction, virtual product placement, face and body capture, and more. 32-bitonly�$399 Windows-32�/Windows-64�/�OSX-32/OS�X-64 See the website for details of the latest version!