The last lap

This is the beginning of my last year at Sheridan. In total I've been here for almost five years (one year of Art Fundamentals four years of Animation). It doesn't seem that long ago when I was new to the school and lived in residence. I've met so many people and there are a few that I still have close ties with since my first year in 2007. That's the way life goes: we meet people then sometimes drift apart but I wish the best for everyone regardless if we've lost contact or not. Everything has not been sunshine and roses and this journey has also had its trying moments with people I had an odd time working with but again, that's life.

During the summer, I was interning at an animation studio in Halifax. I was doing animatics in Adobe Flash for a T.V. show and I can't say much about the project or post any work since it hasn't aired yet (it's set to release late this year or next year I'm not sure). That in itself was an interesting experience since what we (the other Sheridan interns and myself) were doing was for an acutal production. I was a little stressed about the work load since deadlines were tight and the characters were...interesting, but not everything I'll get to work on will be the kind of stuff I'm into. That said, there is something that needs to be addressed and that is:

The nature of childrens progaming right now. I grew up with shows totally different than what is being produced today (by studios world-wide). There is this facination with Adobe Flash which I still am trying to understand. I realize that its cheaper and quicker (which is the part that baffles me) but it looks too out of touch with the original way the craft was handled (paper to pencil). Yes, hand drawn stuff takes time and a certain level of skill but I'm afaid that the Flash trend will give the wrong impression of animation. Kids today are growing up with Flash and CG toons and if a random strager asks me what I do for a living and I reply "animation", they say "oh like the computer stuff".

The good thing about Sheridan is the curriculum is centered around hand drawn work. We barely touched Flash in fist year which at first, annoyed me but now I'm greatful they don't pamper us with computer stuff. I had to learn everything I know now about Flash at work and it doesn't take that long to figure out. Its relatively easy to use. The great thing about where I worked over the summer, is that the artists there are really talented! Their in house productions are so amazing! So lesson learned: learn to draw first because anyone can point and click and make an "animation" on the computer.

One last thing I want to touch up on (this post is already long enough) is animation show content. It has come to my attention that there is a predictable trend among childrens shows happening now, worldwide. The shows geared to boys generally have monsters and aliens and robots, transforming, or taking over, etc. and has the default blue-green colour palett. The shows targeted for girls, generally, are about sparkly fairies or princesses or and are overloaded with pinks purples. So nothing is original and these shows are churned out quicker than you can imagine. As someone who will hopefully be working in the industry next year, I want to work on something different than the cookie cutter model shows that are now the standard. I want to read a script and be glued to the action or plot progression. I want characters to feel real and not a dry-comedy shell. I want kids to glare at the T.V. with their mouth open in awe and say to themselves "When I grow up, I want to make cartoons!"

To my classmates in all four years, to other animation students studying in other schools across Canada and the world, and to the animation enthusiasts, lets be the change we want to see in the world. Lets share our talent and what we want to say. Lets remind the younger generation why this is one of the finest artistic mediums. Lets. Make. Cartoons.