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

SHOW UP, EVERY DAY

I Just finished watching Zombie girl on Netflix streaming. Watch it, it's good stuff.

A great takeaway from the documentary:

"You're not a filmmaker until you finish the film"

F*** the quality. F*** the doubt. F*** the possibilities of making it better. F*** the new and better ideas you have while your doubt is screaming at you to do something else....anything else. F*** it all.

Just make it. Set some constraints, and do it!

If this is something you will continue doing, you will get better, but, if you don't complete it, it's not art. It's not anything.

Now, I'm not saying leap blindly into a busy intersection. Use your wits, your human instincts to survive. Rely on those things, and just make the best s*** you can.

In summary:
Show up, every day.

Q&A #1

Thanks for bearing with me...I will try to find adjectives for the word "incredible"!

COOL STUFF FROM PEOPLE I KNOW

Let me nerd out for a moment here cos I like tangents:

kickstarter, fathoms, me, thornberg, kyle, gel 2011 conference, kickstarter...it's a small (cyclical) world after all!

GEL 2011


GEL 2011 DAY 2 Intro from Thornberg & Forester on Vimeo.


PS - I only did a little bit of work on this, most of the credit goes to Kyle Miller and the magicians at Thornberg & Forester.

VICTORY!

Thank you so much everyone! Seriously! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

The Kickstarter project finished at a resounding 261% with nearly $20,000 raised! We had support from communities all over the world, from friends and family, from mysterious anonymous sources....it has been an honor and a privilege to say the least.

Tons of crazy stuff will be happening. The real (painful but joyous) work begins now, so, GAME ON!

I DO BELIEVE

( headphones on / speakers turned up )

It's truly inspiring. I can't begin to describe how thankful Hippo and myself are for everyone's amazing support. So we put a video together.

So, we have just over a week left to go on the Kickstarter project. And I have one more thing, one more thank you I want to offer. So let's keep it steady rolling, and then onward to the big show!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!