The future of animation

The future of animation will be build around the artist. The days of large studios is coming to an end. Artist now have the ability to work from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Free and open software has also given these home based artist tools to do high quality work. Imagine the possibility of animation work force that can scale beyond the boundaries of the studio infrastructure to produce animation faster and more efficiently. Robert Valley a prominent animator,  character designer and comic author has embraced this new paradigm of creating animation. “You have an idea, you turn into a book, the book is a storyboard for the film.”  Robert continues on the say that the ultimate goal of his projects is to make a film, and that creating a book reflexes one part of the animation process. Robert Valley like many artist today art creating home studios to create their work, “Unlike 10 years ago, I can actually sit here with my computer and Cintiq and I can basically do the film here.” Microfunding services like Kickstarter and Indiegogo have also given artist a way of funding their projects that allow them to work outside of market research or corporate interest.
Technology and the internet have opened the channels for artist to create stories that are personal and cutting edge. Phil Tippett Studios has returned to their roots of stop motion animation with the project “MAD GODS” which is funded through Kickstarter. The proliferation of 3D forced Tippet and many other stop motion animators away from their preferred creative expression. Through independent funding sources, web based distribution channels these artist are helping to decentralize the control of animation production and return it to the individual artist.

One Small Task

7/15

3 pm: Phone conversation between Nick and I.

Nick: Hey Bethany can you do me a favor?

Bethany: Sure.

Nick: Can you post something to my blog that says I am without technology and will blog as soon as possible.

Bethany: Okay!

Ideas run through our heads. We decide that I will draw a picture of a cabin and explain the circumstances. I am overly excited.

I hang up with Nick and run to Fresh Friday's on Garfield St. (a gardener's exchange). The whole time I think about how awesome my post is going to be. I even plan a "shout out" section.

6pm: I help close down Fresh Friday's and head to Trinity Lutheran for their monthly meal. (It's always free and usually delicious). Throughout the meal I talk about Nick's blog, how awesome it is, and how I get to post on it. After eating I hurry home, overly excited to post to Nick's blog.

7pm: I get home. There's dogs. I forgot about the dogs. We take a long walk. I envision my drawing, a cabin on a cliff.

8pm: I clean off my desk and sit down to draw.

8:30pm: 3 drawings later and I have nothing good enough to post to the blog. I decide that since I have no drawing skills it will be best for me to draw directly into the computer using a program. I Google free drawing software and download SketchUp8.

9pm: After watching a few tutorials and attempting the cabin I decide that I should stick to something I know. I head into Google Docs and create a new drawing. (Thanks to note taking during Geo Science class I feel as though I can handle a drawing in Google Docs.)

9:07pm: I Google how to draw a cabin and find this website.

10:00pm: AHHHHH. Move object back, move object forward, line up lines. Why is there no snap in Google drawing?

11pm: I head into Photoshop to color my "not quite finished cabin." I'm tired, grumpy, and hungry. I am no longer overly excited. This simple task was not so simple.

12am: I have forgotten how to use Photoshop and decide that it's time to go to bed. I don't save anything.

12:17am: I can't sleep. I can't stop thinking about my cabin and this post. I jump out of bed and turn my computer back on. Now for some reason Photoshop is working. I quickly color my "not quite finished" cabin, place in a chimney, and save it as a jpeg.

12:45am: Time to post.

1am: Victory!

1:07am: Don't think you are getting something tomorrow. Well maybe. Maybe I'll just work on it all day long and get you a picture of our family, stick person style.