STATUS UPDATE, STILL ALIVE, STILL COOKIN

So, I'm working my ass off to finish up my iphone app: Anatomy In Motion by the year's end.

But Fathoms is still cooking in the background; 2011 is full steam ahead! So I'm trying to clear the plate now of all of 2010's messy dishes.

I have cast both voice actors and will hopefully have all of the dialogue recorded (again) by mid January.

I have also been working on the character models with the little free time I have had, check up top for some current WIP of Sam!

Happy holidays, see you in 2011, the year of FATHOOOOOOOOMS!

and expect more frequent/regular posts as I pick up steam!

MYTH & REALITY

There exists a myth.

The idea that you can do everything you want,
That you can have perfection.


The reality is simple

Make some compromises or risk nothing.
If everything is the most important thing, nothing will truly matter,
Nothing will get done.


In the past I would start many projects in a given year. Most of these projects have never been (or ever will be) completed. This is because of scope creep, laziness, aiming too high, and lack of dedication.

Ideas are cheap...arguably free, but that only gets 1% to the finish line. Execution, dedication, planning, compromise, these things comprise the remaining 99%. These are the means by which you deliver on the promise of your idea(s).


As I grow as an artist, my biggest realization is that I have to do one less thing, one less project, one less tangent in order to become the artist I desire. This is a realization that it's far more important for me actually finish and deliver what I start, even if I hate it, even if it's only a few projects. It's the realization  that I have to mindfully shutdown tangential ideas and projects, creative distraction, if you will. Something small is never actually small, it always bursts and blooms into a jungle...it's like the tip of the iceburg....there's a mountain just below the surface.

So, you must ask yourself
Do you want to grow a few fertile gardens,
or do you want to leave behind many barren wastelands?


So I'm compromising,
I'm keeping the true goals in mind for Fathoms. I want to win the heart of Fathoms. Rather, I want Fathoms to be a nice girl, with a beautiful soul. She might end up being ugly, she might end up being Venus, but regardless, she will have a beautiful, shining heart.

Fathoms is about emotional authenticity and telling a genuine story, one that connects with the audience. The sci-fi setting is merely the backdrop for this play. The aesthetic is not to be overlooked (I am a visual artist after all), but it is very secondary to my goal, so, I have to let some things go here in order to accomplish this and still ship on time.

I'm doing Fathoms from start to finish, almost entirely by myself. So, If I want to get from (final) pre-production to completion in a year, while working full-time in motion graphics, I'm going to have to make some sacrifices...but that doesn't mean Fathoms has to be crappy, or unworthy of doing.


If I succeed in connecting with my audience, in a genuine, moving way, then it's a big win. I have to remember that perfect aesthetics are SECONDARY here.

I'm not making a demo reel
My audience doesn't care if I hand drew the frames, or did them in three-dee, or if I shot them on a 8mm camera. They only care if those things get in the way of, or detract from the story.

Happy Turkey Day

IT'S A DATE - DECEMBER 31ST, 2011!!!!

So, I am using Seth Godin's ShipIt Journal (let me know if you want one, I have 3 extras) to help document Fathoms. And I have set a do or die delivery date (well, two actually). The first is secret, but the final delivery date for the whole project is the last day of 2011.

I'm planning on finishing the film 2-3 months before that, and then working on bonus features like an art book to all be available by this magical 2011 new years's eve.

So, that's it! ...seriously!

I know it sounds like a long time from now, but I'm always amazed at how quickly time slips through the fingers.

Hold me to this date, this project has stretched over 5 years now (I know), so, wherever I am at December 31, 2011, it gets delivered (or it gets killed)!

2011 is gonna be a bumpy ride....but magic WILL happen!

RALPH BAKSHI

It's the doing it, not the doing it right. You can't compete with them, so don't. Do something different, hopefully you have a light inside you, uniquely yours, and you can trace some of its rays. Leave your mark, your signature, on the work.

ART IS WAR

From the gold-tongued (fingered?) Seth Godin:

No risk, no art.

No art, no reward.

Art is a leaders game.
Art is leaping, not stepping, into the void.
Look before you leap, but leap, jump...
FLY

INSPIRATION & INFLUENCE

I just took a trip to Bermuda. There was so so much inspiration and research through osmosis.

You will see influences in Fathoms, from my home - Brooklyn (and New York City), as well as Bermuda. Being on the open seas of the Atlantic Ocean as well as the mind-blowingly beautiful water, land, and weather of Bermuda....something that pictures on the internet can't replace.

We (as people, and as artists) need time to reflect, absorb, and redirect. Bermuda was much needed time to gather my thoughts.

I often overthink projects, and I'm working on streamlining my processes. I'm developing methods to limit myself, cut myself off before I get carried away. I have to keep in mind simple goals, and always align to those. I understand there has to be room for experimentation and exploration, but there also has to be some kind of deadline at which, good or bad, things must be completed. Otherwise I'll be long dead before I complete any of my great works, hah. Sometimes a vacation is reaffirming research.

I'm still finishing two other major projects before I go back into full-on production of Fathoms. To keep Fathoms fresh in my mind, I'm trying to work at least 15 mins a day on some aspect of design or pre-production.

EXECUTIVE DECISION

So I've made an executive decision - no more work in progress will be shown until Fathoms is nearing completion. [secrets]

Instead I will continue to focus on more conceptual entries related to progress, storytelling, life and art.

The big deal is that I have two major projects to complete by the end of 2010. Both are unrelated to Fathoms. After that I can fully focus on pre-production, and I have scheduled summer of 2011 for production time. I am still working on Fathoms in the mean time, but it has to go on the back burner until I finish more pressing obligations.

So, in summary:

2008 was the first attempt at production for Fathoms v1.0.

2011 will be the second attempt to be made for Fathoms v3.7.

I will get the software out of beta and onto store shelves!

Also, if anyone (someone) has any technical questions, I'm happy to answer. I'm not a fan of tutorials, but I'll probably make a few when the film is complete.

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

Fear is paralyzing.

Fear is demotivating.

Fear is isolating.


Or...

Fear is your greatest motivator.

Fear is a cheerleader, pushing you, shaking and sweaty, back onto the stage.

Fear is an epic equalizer.

Fear is something we all experience. It's not about being fearless, it's about facing the fear, embracing it, and pushing through. It's like waves on the beach. They are intimidating, but they are not impossible to wade, swim, and dive through...they can even be fun.

Part of this is about safety, familiarity, comfort zones. Doing new things means escaping predictability, which leaves uncertainty and fear...room for failure. But it's really the oppurtunity to find new invention, and even genuine success...of course failure is possible, but, failure is still a win if we learn something and apply it to future challenges.

We have access to the tools now, we have the time. It's all about who does the thing, who finishes (first), and then who does it better, fresher, with more humanity.

Fear raises the stakes.

Fear intrigues us. What are we really afraid of? Ourselves? Success?

I'm working hard to let go of the things in Fathoms that are not critical, and only embellish what's important.

I have to remember that "If everything is special, then nothing is special."

I'm making some compromises, but, if I don't finish, how will anyone know that it's a (hopefully) great film?!

WHO AM I DOING THIS FOR?

I'm making Fathoms for two people:

My father, and myself.

I am very much my father's son, for better, and for worse.

He died when I was 17.

So I have a very personal story to tell, and it relates to my father. Fathoms is part of my growing and healing process, to share my story. This is not the only influence, so, it colors the story, but it's not literally a story about a father and son.

In regards to anyone else, it's nice to have their approval, but, sorry, this story is not (expressly made) for you. This is a story I hope you can, and want you to enjoy, and relate to, but it's not for you. This is my art therapy.

LEVELING-UP IN THE REAL WORLD IS HARD

From the ever brilliant Seth Godin:

Are you a bullfrog in a china shop?

They make a lot of noise but don't break anything.

They're annoying but not dangerous.

They create a swirl but no impact.

They don't ship.

I hate to say it, but, unfortunately, I have been, and still am a bullfrog. I have shipped on some things, but my greatest works, I have not yet to ship. BUTTTTT, in my defense, I'm working on the shipping part.

I don't know if I care about being dangerous...though I do understand it as a tool to turn heads/get attention/etc.

I would say I'm in the middle of the ocean, I've made a lot of progress, but, it won't matter if I don't reach the other shore.

Where are you?

PS - I think it's important to talk about failure and doubt AT LEAST as much as success and positive motivation and victory. I would say I fail 80-90% of the time....it's so strange to me that our society doesn't acknowledge that most wins are built on the experience gained from tons and tons of failure....at least the meaningful ones.