The Sandbox

I want to start off guys by saying thanks for sticking around the blog and reading my posts. I know it takes time from your work or day to read them. Admittedly the posts themselves can be pretty long from time to time. I love writing about animation because just as animating is my passion so is writing. Instead of being a diversion the blog has really sharpened my focus on the art form as well as inspiring me to animate my work along the way.

A little writing here and there can truly enrich the mind along with giving any person an outlet to express one’s views on any subject close to them. It can also give a person a little breathing room as was the case when I started working around the time I first set up the blog. And I always get a kick and a laugh in writing these posts...whether it be about my work, a films, TV shows, news stories, histories, or overlooked observations in the art form. So as I continue to write here I just wanted to say thanks again everyone for looking at my blog, I really appreciate it.

As for the video you see below is the subject of my post. It is the demo reel I compiled back during my last semester at UCF. And it was quite a difficult video to cut together to say the least. Just imagine combing through five years of work and having to edit all those movies together in a three and a half minute reel. It just gave me a headache trying to choose what scenes could stay in or what sequences worked out the best. In addition to cutting the scenes out I always had to keep in mind of maintaining the coherency of the plotlines as much as possible. And lastly it was challenging as an artist to complete the reel as I had grown an attachment to these films over the years.

I will be the first person on the street to tell you that my demo reel is not perfect by any means. Trust me on that one since I am a hardass on myself. Yet what makes me really enjoy this compilation is how the animation selections vary from one another. It has a bit of everything in what I like to refer to as the sandbox, from the traditional to the computer generated and even stop-motion animation. Scattered it may seem but in actuality it is very diverse in its content and style. This is why for me the demo reel...in spite of the imperfections, edits, or errors of my work...perfectly captures the passion I have not just for my animation but for the art form itself. And I couldn’t be any prouder and happier of the performance I put into those works as they clearly reflect my work ethic and world view. When I first enrolled in the UCF Experimental Animation program I never thought twice of getting into computer generated or stop motion animation. Why would I anyway since traditional animation was and remains my personal medium to work in. In the course of time however the two mediums have given me the same amount of satisfaction and creativity as I would get from traditional animation. Today I have a better understanding and appreciation of how each medium works in their own unique way. As a result I have grown and matured as an artist and as an animator in ways I did not anticipate five years ago.

Mind you there are more ways than one of going about a demo reel. Of course I’m not the expert...just plain old Mike Ryan so take what you will as this is just my personal view on which way I would prefer. One common way would be to showcase only one medium of your work. This is a fine way on its account as it has worked for those who have used it as well. Should you want to use that method than by all means go for it. However, by displaying only one medium of the art form you may consequently sell yourself short by not showcasing all of the talent you can bring to the table. If an animator were to for some reason ask me what he or she should put forth in their demo reel I would strongly recommend what I learned from my art and animation professors. Suppose you worked in other mediums beside your personal preference. Why not then present the other mediums to show how capable you are as a prospective versatile artist in the industry. There’s no harm or fowl involved, just go for it as others have done in the past. It will give you a leg up over anyone else competing in the field. An inspiring animator I believe should in their craft venture forth into different mediums in order to expand his or her knowledge of the art form. The passion for their work is measured not by a theory of one medium but by the performance they exhibited through any of the mediums of the art form. What an artist gains from one medium will naturally spill over like a spring to the other for influence in their performance. You really have nothing to lose as you can only benefit from the practice and experience you gain. And who knows, you might learn something new about the art form without even realizing it. Sure, our animation preferences will remain the same of course…but it is always good to have some diverse forms to complement the other. In the end you will have a well balanced portfolio that will better reflect your animation performance to any employer. And as I learned from my drawing professor Dennis Ahearn some years ago it is always a supreme misfortune when a theory outstrips the performance of any artist. Then again this is just my honest opinion on the subject.

On a final note I want to give a shout out to Scott Hall, who was my animation mentor during my last semester at UCF. His feedback and guidance was immensely helpful in the animation I made for his classes and when I was working on my demo reel. So thanks again Scott for all of your help.