Lyon Lamb Video Animation System - a Revolution |
They still do! |
When I started to learn animation in 1987 on the set of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? I marvelled at the animators who could play their performances out in their head, without having to test their work. For me, starting out, I simply could not have managed to learn the craft of animation without the benefit of the video playback machine.
But old hands like Art Babbitt (who was then working at Soho Square) hated the new machine. "It's a crutch" snorted Art. The implication being, you should put in the hours and learn it the hard way. if you needed to see how the animation would come out, you weren't a real animator.
The reality was that the animators of old had in fact mastered their craft the hard way, by learning timing and spacing, for the simple reason that they had no choice but to do so. They could not test their work, and therefore it had to be right - or, almost right - the first time around.
Imagine sitting in animation dailies with Walt Disney and seeing your pencil test back from the film lab for the very first time. I mean, seriously, it's bad enough in dailies if you have already seen your work, and you know it works OK. To be seeing it for the first time without the benefit of a preview - I can hardly imagine how the sweat must have rolled down their backs.
So thank you to Don for taking us back to the 1970s. and reminding us that even back then there was new technology revolutionising our industry, just like today.
----Alex
To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link. For more information on finding work and surviving in the animation and visual effects business, read our post on how to find a job in the animation industry, and check out our post about what not to do at a job interview. Also see our post on starting your own small animation business, learn how to create an invoice, and see how we arehelping our students find work through our film co-operative Nano Films. Download the free Escape Studios Careers in VFX Handbook. Take a look at how awn.com can help you find a job, and read our piece about how to survive as a freelance animator. Also, find out what Cinesite look for in a student's demo reel, and read our post on setting up your own animation business. Also see our post about freelancers and taxes.
Lyon Lamb |
The reality was that the animators of old had in fact mastered their craft the hard way, by learning timing and spacing, for the simple reason that they had no choice but to do so. They could not test their work, and therefore it had to be right - or, almost right - the first time around.
Imagine sitting in animation dailies with Walt Disney and seeing your pencil test back from the film lab for the very first time. I mean, seriously, it's bad enough in dailies if you have already seen your work, and you know it works OK. To be seeing it for the first time without the benefit of a preview - I can hardly imagine how the sweat must have rolled down their backs.
So thank you to Don for taking us back to the 1970s. and reminding us that even back then there was new technology revolutionising our industry, just like today.
----Alex
To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link. For more information on finding work and surviving in the animation and visual effects business, read our post on how to find a job in the animation industry, and check out our post about what not to do at a job interview. Also see our post on starting your own small animation business, learn how to create an invoice, and see how we arehelping our students find work through our film co-operative Nano Films. Download the free Escape Studios Careers in VFX Handbook. Take a look at how awn.com can help you find a job, and read our piece about how to survive as a freelance animator. Also, find out what Cinesite look for in a student's demo reel, and read our post on setting up your own animation business. Also see our post about freelancers and taxes.
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