People ask me all the time; “Do you miss the studios? Do you miss working on a big movie?” There are of course things I miss, being a part of the team, launching a film for an audience to see, getting excited as the film gets some recognition. All of those things are fun and energizing. And I still get to do them, but now instead of a team of professionals, I get a team of students.
In our Continued Animation Training class (C.A.T. for short), one of the things that we do is to work on a single collaborative film with a ‘crew’ of students. Each student fills a different role, just like in the studios. It’s a long process, but with a lot of time and hard work, we eventually finish the film and launch it. Just last year, we finished the film Life Isn’t Fair, a fun little back and forth between a grandfather and granddaughter about the kinds of things they think are unfair about life. About 30 former and current students created this film, and it’s been a joy to enter the film into film festivals around the world!
The film has been screened at WonderCon in Los Angeles, in New York City where it won Best 3D Animation at the New York Short Animation Festival, and in Illinois at the Anim8 Student Film Festival where it won an Award of Excellence. There are other festivals too, and in each of these festivals it competed with college student work. I’m extremely proud of what these students have achieved!
Click here to Watch Life Isn’t Fair
But there’s another reason I’m enjoying being away from the studios, and it’s one that I didn’t see coming.
Over the course of my career, I’ve had many short film ideas, and I would use some of these in class. When the students figured this out, they encouraged me to start finishing them. The idea kind of hit me upside the head that if my students wanted to see these shorts, then maybe others would too. So, I began chipping away, mainly because I could use the work I did for learning opportunities, but also because I got to work on ‘my own stuff’ and just have fun and fulfillment animating in different styles and at a high level. It had been a decade and a half since I truly animated with paper and pencil, and I loved doing it again.
I’m still working on many shorts in many styles, but I finished one tiny little film with pencil and paper. It’s been in some festivals, and won a couple of awards too.
I won Best Character Design at the New York Short Animation Festival, an Award of Excellence at the Best Shorts Competition, and the Golden Pencil Award at the Drawtastic Animation Festival.
Click here to watch Who Do We Appreciate?
So, with all of this going on, plus classes and a new grandson, there isn’t much time to miss the studios. Well, maybe a little…..Nah!