I first read Ed Hook's book, Acting for Animators, at the start of Character and Narrative during the start of second year when I found out that marks were mainly on the performance. So I was super impressed to find out that he would be opening the AVFX days of animex. Also when Rosy told me she was doing her COP essay on acting and performance analysis of animation, I straight up said she had to read his books, and told her to email him regarding his talk and see if he would answer her questions so she had a first hand source, so when she told me he'd emailed back and would love to talk to her on the tuesday, I felt like a real proud bear!!
I feel like for most people reading this blog, this man needs no introduction, but if you do please read his about me on his webpage: http://www.actingforanimators.com/about-ed.html
I loved his talk, everything he had to say resonated with me, and the bits that didn't I felt could be taken with a pinch of salt. He clearly was born to perform and his talk was far from inanimate. And just incase you can't read his t-shirt in the above photo, it does say #imazipster.
Notes from the talk:
Do films really need such large budgets? Films like Frozen had a 200million dollar budget, but the higher the budget the more you need to take at the Box Office and Home Cinema's have made this harder, some might even say unachievable. Triplets of Belleville was made with a budget of 8million.
If you're going to break into this industry don't go queue at a studio, you need to update your passport and attach yourself to projects.
Here's where I first take a pinch of salt, because although I appreciate what he's saying, home cinema's really are making it difficult for the industry, especially when animations feature length films take so much longer to produce, they have to make the budget stretch further which can be really difficult. And to get into your dream studio when there's so much competition also can be really really difficult but I think if the opportunity arises, then why not aim for the studio's and go with the ride and if other projects do come up then go with them too. I do however fully agree with the passport thing, you have to go where the exciting stuff is happening and just roll with it, and don't be afraid.
Look at what Walt Disney did, what he created, I'm talking on an individual level, not the company now. He put his life and personality into it, followed his heart and soul at all costs and he had nobody to follow, it looks that way with disney and pixar merging. Now is an exciting time to break into the industry because there's all these new way's to break into the industry, via Kickstarter, being funded by Amazon and Netflix. You guys are going to be the birth of a new generation of animators, and you'll look back in 20 or 30 years and everyone's going to be so jealous.
This is basically a summary of what he said in a good half an hour, I really liked it, it's so refreshing to hear that it's not a dying art, it's not stopping anytime soon, and we can do whatever we want to do, their isn't actually that many limitations. So motivating to come home and crack on with work and make your own mark.
What do you want to do? What do you want to say? Who do you want to work with?
Work with people that are good and talented. Good people find and attract good people.
This is something that my mum has actually said to me a lot, except it's not good it's happy. I think that's a really important thing to be, if you feel a bit down that's okay but you can't go into a crowd of new people feeling down otherwise you will just attract other negative people that will just make you feel worse, you have to be happy and charming even if you don't feel like it, because you're more likely to talk to someone else who is like that and in the end they will make your life happier. This is a lesson she taught me at a young age and has become a philosophy I live by so again it's so refreshing to hear it from someone who knows the industry and it just makes me feel good about myself to be told it again.
Confidence is vital in the industry. You need to know who you are. Even in training you need to wear it on your sleeve, it's no longer oh you might be an animator when you graduate, you're an animator now. And you are good enough for the industry you just need to be charming and show yourself off. Some will like it, the other's- to hell with them!!
I think this a major problem student's have is the confidence. I think this is one thing Elliot especially picked on, he turned to me and said I can't believe Mark's so nice to us, or Zach just stopped in the street to wish us a safe journey. But at the end of the day they started off like us and we are nice people and we've been up to them and spoken to them and had really cool conversations, even if that confidence came from a few pints (half a bottle of whiskey whos counting), it still makes their trip nicer, and it's made our's amazing, surely the exchanges are beneficial for both parties. I think this made him especially more comfortable next working, and to me, that made the trip more worthwhile that meeting the big wigs. Although I really felt for him when Weta cancelled. Back to Ed...
What is Art - Tolstoy
If you haven't read this you need to ! It changed my outlook! Before anything else art has to convey an idea, a meaning and in animation that's through the performance, but if you don't have an idea you can't have a decent performance. You need to surround yourself by all kinds of art and design disciplines and books and travelling to get these ideas.
I now feel bad that I haven't read this, I do as much as I can but where do you find the time to cram as much of it in!! I have now added this to my list of PPP blogs to get out of draft!
In conclusion Don't fall into line with the others you've got to step up and lead, the excitement might not come to you, go to it, be prepared to travel, don't assume though that it's all coming from America, there's just as much in Europe and the East, especially with these new platforms.
What an amazing start to the day. So inspired, he also suggested we watch The Congress, Ari Fulman's latest film (Waltz with Bashir), (note to self add both films to must watch list).
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