THE VERY FIRST

It's my first full day back on Fathoms (vs cramming it into whatever pocket of the day I can stuff)!

So here is the very first image of Fathoms (at far as I can tell).

I was cleaning my work space (and apartment) this past weekend and came across a very old sketchbook in a box I labeled "Hope".

Here's to 2012 being full of even more great stuff!

45 DAYS

Still going!

I'm working on some very slow scenes (a lot of characters and technical stuff all animating and interacting), but slowly making progress. So I'm estimating I can complete the animatic in January (fingers crossed).

Swim that mighty ocean!

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED - "OVER THE HUMP"

We did it!

Well, half did it....!?!

The animatic is over half-way complete!
This is a big deal. A HUGE DEAL!

This represents a ton of work of which I have never attempted or completed before (it's scary!). I've made some great additions to the story in terms of clarity (for the viewer) of my themes and story.


Nerd details - this represents about 200 SHOTS and aproximately 10 MINUTES OF ANIMATION...INSANE!

Now of course, some shots will not make it to final edit/animation, and a lot will be shortened (or lengthened) as necessary. A lot of shots are being added and refined, though, at this stage, animation remains limited and mostly loose.

PS - I'm at 16 days straight without breaking the chain (more on that in another post). I'll consider it significant when I've made it to 30.

Keep on swimmin!

DON'T BREAK THE CHAIN

Thanks to Norb for the great suggestion (and article) about working every day.
I think this is a great approach for the long term, so I'm using the calendar to make sure I'm working every day.

My current days are filled with lots of other work in addition to Fathoms. So I'm making my requirements for counting a day of work as - at least one hour of animation.

I'm only two days in, so, no major hurdles yet. My first milestone is 30 days...I know there's a ton of stuff coming up that will limit my working time, so, it's going to be a fun challenge!

I had a dream about my father last night...

He was still around, and he had set up a small work shop in an old concrete building.
I came to visit his shop one day only to find the door had been boarded up.
All of his things were in boxes outside.
I knew what this meant.

He was gone.



I have these dreams, these feelings of sadness, emptiness, around this time every year.

My father died on November 19, 1999.

It's not an arresting burden, but, it is a presence that colors my life.

I am lucky to have so much love and support in my life, and it makes me all the more thankful for all the opportunities I have, and the choices I get to make.

Now back to our regularly televised submersibles, already in progress.

GETTING CRITICAL ABOUT CRITIQUE

This used to be a face...oops!

When people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

~Neil Gaiman


'Nuff said! Meanwhile, work has been nuts, so, I've had almost no time to work on Fathoms the past two weeks...trying to move the ball forward this week though.

FWD: DEFEATING THE ENEMY WITHIN

From many, one

"We ALL have something we're trying to accomplish that lies outside the realm of basic human survival... whether it be some personal project or accomplishment... to get it DONE we've got to fight with and DEFEAT ourselves...

What will you do? Who/what do you want to become? Are you willing to fight for it?

How long/hard are you willing to fight?"

 ~MDOTSTRANGE from Defeating the enemy within

MY FATHER'S BROTHER

"focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish."

PRODUCTION UPDATE - PAIN & GAIN

I'm animating the first rough 3D pass - or animatic . This is mostly about blocking shots and getting a better sense of timing. Character animation is limited in this pass, the second pass is where I'll breathe dramatic life into the characters! So, in this pass, they will slide instead of walk, and behave a little bit like robots dancing.

I've animated about five minutes so far, of the roughly sixteen+ minutes that comprise the film...not bad (considering this is my first time), but not brilliant either.

A lot of the slowness is down to bug fixing, and making initial camera/style choices...so, this should not be a flat/linear curve of progress, but, in theory, I hope to get faster as I go along, though every scene presents it's own unique challenge.

Once I complete this pass, I'll really zero in on the edit - It should be much more clear what really works and what doesn't, vs the boardamatic, which is like a really nice figure study, but not the final work...this is like the linework for the painting.

Onward and seaward!

SHOW UP EVERY DAY, PART 2 - TALENT

I get so frustrated when people say 'You're so talented, I could never do that!'


This phrase has been repeated to me hundreds of times during my life, and you know what? It makes me mad. This is not about god-given talent, it's about showing up...EVERY DAY!

"80% of success is showing up"
~Woody Allen


You can tell how dedicated to a project someone really is based on just this factor alone. If you want to do something, or get better at something...show up. Every day. Even if it's a small amount of time. Regularity and consistency are far more important than qualitative results. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Keep showing up, you will get better.

You may eventually reach a plateau, a threshold, or a fork in the road. At that point you have to choose whether to stay on the same road, or to continue your artistic growth (challenge).


IDEAS ARE ONLY 1%!!!
You want a good idea, as you will spend most of your time laboring over it, but, don't get stuck on this, it's just a fantasy until you complete the journey.

THE OTHER 99%:
SHOWING UP (EVERY DAY): 80%
GREY AREA OF MAGIC AND MAYHEM AND INTERNAL/EXTERNAL REFLECTION: 19%

That 19% of fudge-space is where things are polished, modified, enhanced, edited, simplified, and distorted. This one I think comes down to you, this is human 'error'. This is where what makes you who you are takes over, this is where you own the work. This is where you bring your personality, your style, or not.

Now, that 1% is important, but I, like so many others was in love with the ideas...they are so easy, and so ambiguous and non-specific. It's easy to fall in love at this stage. It's like infatuation. But it's not love. It's not deep or fulfilling. It's a cheap thrill.

The great rewards don't come this way.

So, long ramble short....show up, every day