Celebrating 20 Years with Animation Organization
This year SCAD’s Animation Organization turns 20 years old! Celebrating this milestone, the club brought together Professors John Webber, James Crossley, and Troy Gustafson. All three professors worked on the beloved Disney animated classic, Mulan, at the Florida studio of Walt Disney Feature Animation. As a treat, they showcased behind the scenes footage and gave insight into what it was like working on the film.
Missed out on the fun? Don’t worry, here’s what we got from the talk!
Take your own initiative.
Talking about how they got into Disney, Professor Gustafson emphasized over and over how important it is to take your own initiative. He talks about how aside from the work he got assigned, he would do other tests to hone his skills. By the time the studio was looking for an effects animator, he had enough to work to show.
It’s something we should all take to heart! We should constantly be practicing and should always strive to be better at what we do. Practice makes perfect!
What aesthetically makes sense?
As a 3D animator on a primarily 2D film, Professor Crossley said that this question was always on the 3D team’s mind. While they wanted to showcase what 3D animation could do, it shouldn’t overpower the 2D animation done. Sadly, a lot of the 3D assets Professor Crossley mentioned were eventually cut from the final film, but that does not discredit the hard work they put into them! 3D tools were nowhere nearly as developed as they are today!
As filmmakers, we should keep into account the overall aesthetic of the work. We should always make sure each element works in harmony with the others.
Thumbnail your shots!
On a more technical note, Professor Webber also gave some tips on how he himself improved as an animator. As animators, we are expected to draw a lot and work fast, and he himself admitted that he struggled with that. He suggests to thumbnail your shots before animating, to get your drawings to be looser.
Professor Webber quoted how Glen Keane says that animating is like a road map and that we can’t keep changing it until we reach the destination. It’s important to stick to an initial plan and in the end, we could end up with stronger animation.
Congratulations to the Animation Organization for celebrating 20 years and a big thank you to Professors Webber, Crossley, and Gustafson for their insights and advice!
