HTAnimation's Blog

NEW BLOG

2012-02-11T06:57:00.005-05:00

All right, let’s get the new blog started.

The old blog was dedicated to following my progress as I made a new short film. (I`ve deleted most of the posts, but kept a few of the ones that are still relevant.) I can`t stress enough that I WILL complete that film (there is way WAY too much of it done to not complete it.) but right now there are other things I need to take care of.

It was my assumption that completing a new film, while using my professional animation resume from New York (while studying Japanese) would be enough to land me a job in an animation studio in Japan. After all, I have worked on T.V. series (Superjail, Mad), PC games (Dora the Explorer and Go!Diego Go! games), music video`s (Mgmt and Ke$ha), as well as work for various websites and webtoons. (black20.com, slothvision.com, etc) … so I was not coming to Japan as simply a student or some random fan who “wanted to get into anime.” Certainly they would be impressed that an actual animator was interested in working at a studio in Japan despite horrible pay and long work hours ……. Right?

Wrong. Horribly wrong.

On the bright side I have met a lot of interesting people in (and around) the industry, and have gotten some good advice and have recently begun making a more appropriate illustration portfolio that the studio`s here do want to see.

---The studio`s here are not interested in seeing an animation portfolio, as your first job in the studio will have nothing to do with the actual motion of the characters. Rather they want to see sketchbooks and illustrations filled with characters drawn “as the Japanese draw them.” ….. I won`t go into details about that because I`ll end up writing a book, and no one wants to read a 10 page blog entry. But I will say that, simply drawing “anime style characters” is not what they want. It goes a lot deeper than that, and is more about the method Japanese people themselves draw pictures. If I can capture that … then (in theory) I might actually have a chance at getting a job.---

Round one (applications and a few interviews) this last summer was a miserable failure. Round two will commence in a few months. Until then I will be drawing a lot, and posting a bunch of my sketches here to track my progress as well as keep me motivated. Heres a bunch of the stuff I`ve been working on in the last few months:

今・敏　（Satoshi Kon）

2010-08-31T23:07:00.003-04:00

Well, it’s been a LONG time since I`ve posted anything. Sorry about that. Luckily, during this last summer (despite not posting updates) I have gotten a TON of work done on this short film. Pretty much every day from Monday to Friday all summer I worked full workdays on nothing but the film … and am feeling pretty good with where I`m at. (Although, realistically, I still have at least half a year to go. Probably longer.)

Next time I will show off some new images and storyboards and layout exactly where I am in this thing. For now though, there is something that needs to be mentioned, which most people probably know by now … but is still very important.

Satoshi Kon (director of Paprika, Perfect Blue, Millenium actress, etc) passed away of cancer last week. He was 46 and was working on a new film which I hope with every ounce of my body that they finish. I can`t recall the last time I was really emotionally hurt from someone’s death. I`m not particularly close to my family, none of my close-personal friend have ever died, and I usually feel that when a celebrity dies “hey at least they made a bunch of awesome stuff and lived a good life.” ….But this one is really hard. Satoshi Kon was, I believe, the single most person in this world who was progressing animation in the correct direction. By this I mean … yes certainly Pixar movies and new 2D Disney movies keep animation famous worldwide, and yes Miyazaki is the most famous “anime” director who makes academy award winning films … but Satoshi Kon was the one making REALLY Original, diverse, UNPREDICTABLE animated films.

Masaaki Yuasa and other directors (mentioned in my post about Japanese animation everyone should see) certainly also make brilliant and artistic films/series/etc … however none of them have the kind of timelines and budget that Satoshi Kon could get. When you go to a Disney/Pixar/Miyazaki movie … you know what you are going to get. (I am not insulting them at all… and I think there is a place and need in this world for widely accepted and high quality animation) With Satoshi Kon though, it was different. Perfect Blue was a murder mystery rated (VERY much) R, Paprika was science fiction, Millenium actress was a look at life and regrets, Tokyo Godfathers was a drama/comedy, His work in progress …. A kids film.

What has made me so emotional about this, though I am also deeply grateful for, is the last message that he left. It’s quite long, but unbelievably emotional and deep. Please do yourself a favor and read it. (I purposely didn`t fill this blog with quotes of his … in hopes that you will read the entire thing.) Here is a link to an English translation:

http://www.makikoitoh.com/journal/satoshi-kons-last-words

For one of the world’s best artists to die with SUCH dignity and grace, and who took the time to leave such a message to the people of the world… I have no words.

Thank you Satoshi Kon. At the time of my death …I hope that I have 1/4^th of the dignity and artistic vision you had.

"Story" vs "Character"

2010-04-19T01:28:00.006-04:00

The “Scribble Junkies” blog (run by animators Pat Smith and Bill Plympton) had an awesome debate/discussion about the importance of “story” in a film. What is more important? Story? Or Interesting Characters? Most people (Bill and Pat included) felt that the characters are far above and beyond the most important aspect, and if your audience enjoys and becomes involved with the characters … everything else is secondary. I DO AGREE with that sentiment … but after having just watched the “Samurai Champloo” series (Created by Shinichiro Watanabe who made Cowboy Bebop, one of the most successful anime`s EVER in north America) I think I can finally word exactly how I feel on this subject.

The answer is: “It depends on what kind of project you`re looking to make.”

Here`s what I mean: If you`re looking to make a shortfilm/series/movie (anything) with a goal of “giving the audience an entertaining/fun time.” Then Yes, I agree that CHRACTER`S are 100% (or at least 99%) of what is going to sell your idea. No one cares about the “plot” of SouthPark, the Simpsons, or Ren and Stimpy … but these shows are still freaking awesome. Just watching the characters do ANYTHING is amazingly fun … and I don`t expect (or particularly want) in-depth back-stories and arching plot-lines.

HOWEVER, if what you want to make is a shortfilm/series/movie (anything) with a goal of “getting a very specific ideology/adventure/experience/Epic” across to the audience, then you really DO NEED a fascinating plot to make your project work. Princess Mononoke was used as an example to say that CHARACTERS are what are important in a film… but I believe it shows just the opposite. I personally love Princess Mononoke. It along with Nausicaa are my 2 favorite Miyazaki movies. However I have to say, I really don`t care about a single character. I don`t think Mononoke`s character designs were particularly original (looked just like every other Ghibli film) and their personalities were not interesting enough to make me root for any particular character. In fact, if 30 minutes into the movie every character died instantly and was replaced by a totally new cast (who played out the same storyline) I would be just as satisfied with the movie. What made me so interested, and why I say I love it so much to this day … is because I was fascinated to see how the story would play out between the warring forest and human races. I couldn`t wait to see how the forest spirit would play into the plot and if one of the sides would be totally wiped out or not.

To quickly mention the source of inspiration for this blog post … I recently watched the 26 episode Samurai Champloo series. It, along with Cowboy Bebop are loved by many fans and show some AMAZING (even feature film level) animation in there series. They both also feature amazingly cool and lovable characters. (So the character aspect has already been taken care of! They`re awesome!) However, both series take a VERY VERY long time to flesh out the characters back-stories and final plots … and that disappointed me very much. The difference between the 2 series (to me anyway) is that at least Cowboy Bebop`s FINAL plot and ending was AMAZING, making the entire series worth it. Samurai Champloo`s final plot was not as amazing as it first seemed like it would be … and therefore (because of PLOT alone, no other reason) was an overall disappointment for me. I`m glad I watched it. It was well done, and the characters were funny and cool, but I will ultimately forget about this series faster than a different series (who`s quality and characters might not have been as interesting) but who`s story was spectacular. (The Shigurui series is a good example of this … I don`t remember a single characters name or what they did … but HOLY CRAP I remember that amazing plot …. Shit was CRAZY)

Nobuteru Yuki 結城信輝

2010-02-25T10:18:00.007-05:00

Next time I PROMISE to show actual updates from my film (which is the whole point of this blog) I`ve been sick the last week or so and haven`t gotten to work on it very much. A few more days though… and I`ll put some images and rough animations on here. For now though…

Nobuteru Yuki (結城信輝) as far as I`m concerned, is one of the best artists ever.

Yes, this quote which compares an anime character-designer/key-frame-animator/animation-director to DaVinci, Picasso, and famous animators like Richard Williams might sound insane, but here`s the argument:

I believe that animation is the greatest, most expressive, most entertaining art form the human race has to offer. Beethoven might please your ears, Michelangelo might please your eyes, a Shakespeare story might change your life, and watching one of his plays live might make you forget your worries. But animation can do ALL of those things at once. I don`t have a universal example of that, which everyone can agree on (in fact a piece of animation which surpasses all of those masters at the SAME time may not even exist yet) but never the less, with animation your EYES, EARS and BRAIN (while focusing on the characters and stories) are all attacked in REAL TIME. (thanks to the addition of “motion/time”)

Nobuteru Yuki has supplied me (and thousands of people) with the MOST entertaining and invigorating animation experiences in my life. Therefore, to not put him right at the top of my list of “best artists ever” is simple insane. --Works I`m talking about include Record of Lodoss War, Paradise Kiss, Escaflowne (TV series and movie), Heat Guy J, Toward the Terra, Noein (episode 23), and Battle Angel (James Cameron is planning a re-make of this BTW after he`s done with Avatar 2)--His artbooks cost a fortune (the most expensive that I know of is over $300, I still don`t own that one) but they have also been immensely useful for me. They often show every single (or many) of the rough key frames which he drew for a particular episode/shortfilm/etc. The fact that he works with Director Kazuki Akane frequently also helps his projects (thanks to this you are also usually treated to an emotional/character-driven story which you GENUINLY want to see through to the end) but the fact is, his gorgeous artwork makes pretty much anything he`s ever worked on worth watching, and very enjoyable.
Does he know about ease-ins, ease-outs, and squash and stretch? You bet ya. Is he as good at animation and REALLY understand those principals as well as, lets say, Don-Bluth? (who`s films by the way I freaking LOVE) … HELL NO! He`s primarily an Illustrator … but I think sometimes animators get too caught up in “ohh, this animation could use these other principals better blah blah blah.” Or “this characters reaction would have more power if blah blah blah” …. Look, the point of any art (animation included) is to provide thought provoking entertainment (or at least a specific message from the artist) to the viewer. If it does THAT correctly, then it was successful. The fact is, when I`m watching an animation Nobuteru Yuki worked on, and therefore my eyes and the screen are having metaphorical orgasms with each other, it`s of very little importance to me whether or not the characters final settle needed an extra 2 frames or not.

Anime (Part 2)

2010-02-10T02:13:00.017-05:00

This is a list of animation from Japan (Anime if you will) which should definitely be seen by everyone. The anime on this list ranges from short films which can be viewed entirely on online, to one 60+ episode series. (Which I don`t imagine many people will watch but I wanted to mention anyway)

YES, a lot Japanese animation has characters with big eyes and spiky hair (although you may find that most on this list do not) and YES many anime utilize the “still frame with moving mouth” technique… but what is animation? Animation is when an artist draws pictures that, when shot onto film, give the illusion of motion. Add sound/effects/etc and the final piece of art should convey emotions to the viewer.(whether that be laughing/crying/screaming with the characters, or becoming immersed in an amazing story.) If Japanese animators (or anyone for that matter) can SUCCESSFULLY (key-word) convey all those emotions and thrill in their film through a single drawing with its mouth opening and closing…. Then didn`t they FULLY succeed in the art of animation???

(Note: Everything on this list with one or 2 exceptions has AMAZING animation and art, I mention the above information for the other few though, who`s amazing characters and stories should not be overlooked due to a simple fact that the budget was not that big. That DESPITE the budget, they still made something amazing! Click on the titles to see a clip from each.)

Short films:

X music video:This is a short music video which was made as a trailer for the X movie which was released a few years later. The movie is quite good too (the story is iffy) but this music video is GORGEOUS. Nobuteru Yuuki (who is my FAVORITE anime illustrator and animation director) made this (character designs and key-frames) and should be watched RIGHT now if you have never seen it.

Comedy:

This 10 minute short was made at Studio 4C. (They are the “artsy studio” in Japan, I could pretty much suggest anything they`ve ever made and it would be enough to dispel any “anime stereotypes” one might have)

Usavich:

Right now the 1 minute and 30 second Usavich web-toon series is HUGE in Japan! (And for good reason!) I own a t-shirt and a bunch of figures myself. Just watch this first one and I can almost guarantee you`ll keep watching them until you`ve seen them all. (I think there’s about 40 right now)

Movies:

Mind Game:

Masaaki Yuasa is the KING of artsy animation coming out of Japan. I highly recommend everything he`s made including the Kemonodzume, Kaiba, and his segment from the “Genius Party” movies. (Genius Party and Genius Party Beyond are a collection of artsy shorts made at Studio 4c and should be here too, but I don`t want list getting obnoxiously long) This movie is his debut, and amazingly insane and fun!

Tekkonkinkreet:

Studio 4C animation yet again, This is the only anime ever directed by an American (Michael Aries) and based off the (amazing) comic book (Manga in Japan) by Taiyo Matsumoto. If you can watch only ONE thing on this list … make it this, I PROMISE you that in every way this movie will blow you away.

Angels Egg:

Illustrator Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D) has been involved in tons of animations, including artsy ones based on his illustrations. This movie has virtually no speaking and is just a collection of complex scenes as a girl wanders a post apocalyptic fantasy world. Very impressive and very different from any stereotype on “anime.”

Series:

FLCL:

If you have never seen the 6 episode FLCL series then you are a bad person. (just kidding … wait no I`m not) Fortunately you can redeem yourself by stopping whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW and go watch it. Characters: A+ (you will laugh and cry with them) Story A+ (Awesome, a quick explanation of things in the last episode justify ALL the strange stuff!) Animation/Art: A++++++ (Made by Production IG who did the anime segment in Kill Bill. Need I say more??)

Paradise Kiss:The 12 episode Paradise kiss series is a great example of how diverse Japanese animation really is. No fireballs, no fighting, (very little comedy) just SERIOUS and well written Drama. (The character designer was once again my Idol Nobuteru Yuuki) I have VERY rarely been moved to almost tears by…. well anything, but I was unbelievably moved with this series about fashion design majors during their final year in college. (Side-Note: This is a "Josei" series which most non-Japanese probebly don`t know about. It means it`s an anime series who`s target audience is specifically Adult women.)

Noein:Kazuki Akane is an amazing director. (Escaflowne, Heat guy J, Tetsuwan Birdy:Decode) This 24 episode Sci-Fi series not only has great production values but it tells an amazingly written, emotionally charged, INTELLIGENT story about time-travel and legitimate theories about dimensions. Last blog post I mentioned how hard it is to locate the great anime DVDs on the cluttered anime shelves in the stores. Well, this is one of the “great” ones which is mixed up in there. Go buy it now.

Hunter X Hunter:I hesitated to put this one here, but thought I should mention at least one stereotypical anime that is STILL GOOD. The fact is, just because characters have big eyes and spiky hair and shoot fireballs (the characters in this series do!) it can still be AWESOME AS HELL!!! Hunter X Hunter is a 62 episode tv series (one of the last series made with cels) which is followed by 3 straight to video mini-series. Honestly, it`s awesome and if you have time I promise you that you will have a blast following this awesome group of characters on there way through fighting tournaments!

(This list is horribly long, sorry … runners up include Dead Leaves (The Japanese Superjail) and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (hands down the most detailed anime movie EVER) both are feature films! Check them out.)

Anime (Part 1)

2010-02-04T10:50:00.004-05:00

I`m an animator who`s making a violent short film and I now live in Japan. Clearly Japanese animation (Anime) is a huge influence for me. In the animation community outside of Japan, critics usually fall into one of 2 groups:

Group A) Those who LOVE “Anime” and think everything else in inferior.
Group B) Those who hate anime (with the exception of a Ghibli movie here and there) and think it is boring and portrays terrible animation skills.

I`m certainly not saying everyone is fully on one side or the other, but admit it, you strongly lean in one of these 2 directions. (I admittedly lean towards group A and do need to remind myself of the following points sometimes) The fact is this: In Japan the word “anime” IS THE WORD for “animation.” There is no distinguishing between “Japanese animation” and anyone else`s animation. (In a debate among artists this point could certainly come up, but for example, Japan`s list of “top 100 anime ever” whenever a magazine does a survey almost always has Tom and Jerry on the list.)

To Group A) You have probably seen a lot of anime movies and TV series and have appreciated their interesting characters, the action sequences, and the (sometimes) well written stories. That however does not mean that the “animation” is superior. MOST anime in fact does not have that much impressive animation in it. Often character portraits with moving mouths and eye-blinks will sit on the screen until one very short (albeit impressive) action sequence. Also, DETAILED drawings are not necessarily GOOD drawings. Example:

Gohan from dragonball Z might have lots of shadows and battle scars all over his body but in reality this drawing of Aladin is FAR superior.

To Group B) If all American animation was judged by Saturday morning cartoons, then they would generally be considered “terrible” as well. (Instead of using Disney movies and Pixar as main examples) This is the point I really want to make in this post and I think can be very productive for people`s understanding of Japanese animation. Japan has amazing animators and animation studios who know ALL about inbetweening, arcs, ease-in and ease-outs, settles, etc. Not every project has a large budget or utilizes all the studios resources however. I can tell you for a fact that every episode of our 12 minute Superjail series got an equal to or higher budget then almost every 24 minute anime tv series ever made.

(Left: American Ninja Turtles TV series. Right: ANIME Ninja turtles ova series)

Enough defending though, here`s the point: There have been AMAZING animated series to come from Japan with very large budgets and/or an unreal staff of artists. Knowledge of these often get lost among the piles of dvds on store shelves though. Next time I`m going to go through a hand full of “must watch anime” that most people have probably not heard of… but should have.

Tenshi no Tamago (Angels Egg)