[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/71038535[/vimeo]
PG : How do you see the future of animation and CG and of the industry in general?
There is a lot of turmoil going on in the animation industry. I think we are the victims of its success. The biggest openings on Box Office are by far visual effects movies or animated movies. The public is eager to watch more and more of this kind of movies. Unfortunately everything became knid of out of control. A lot of schools created too many artists to work in the field. On the other side, obviously, producers are always trying to get the cheapest deals possible. Between subsidies and underbid projects outsourced our jobs are becoming more and more unstable. To bring an optimistic point of view, I believe that things are always turning. When I started animation there was almost no one in the field, now it’s a bit over filled. I think that more and more students hear about these struggling, maybe they’ll start to think twice before paying for an expensive animation school when the work is scarce. Maybe companies will find a way to work together and not go against their own interests in underbidding projects. Maybe the technology is goings to change somehow, like when 3D became more and more popular. I also have the feeling that animation is reaching a very high level. Maybe that’s where a new standard will emerge where entertainment is not the only requirement.
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/66193918[/vimeo]
Maybe animated movies content will become more mature. I mean, maybe companies will hire animators like actors at a point to reach performances comparable to live action emotions. The level of quality required would be so high that they’d want this animator knowing he already worked on unforgettable actings with a great level of emotion. They would remember what the animator did for this or that movie he worked on before. It would be like hiring an actor for an animated movie. This would bring back experience in the balance. It would open some new challenges that only experience would allow you to reach. I hope that’s the future where we’re going. I try also to stay opened to everything being, interested in design, modeling and lighting. Overall like every animators my goal is to tell stories. I think working on a short movie during my free time is a good way to prepare the future. It keeps me excited to learn other disciplines and it could be the logic evolution from my animation job. So I would say the future is what we do with it, just stay aware of new technologies, new workflows, different software, different ways to tell a story, and prepare yourself to adapt to some new challenges by trying to learn everything you can…
IA : We all know it’s an always moving industry and what would kind of advices would you like to give to young people who would like to become animator?
PG : My advice would be to check twice if that’s really the job they want to do, to be sure they’re ready to put the necessary energy into it. I see so many animators paying for expensive schools caressing the idea of working for big studios when finally , schools don’t bring the essential. Nowadays, the competition is so big that to get a job in the field you need some good schools in your background, but also bring something unique a special talent that you’ll find only in a passionate person who only lives for animation. If a student feels he has this kind of mojo in himself, I would encourage him to stay opened to everything, learn everything on every matters, even outside animation. He will have to be interested in multiple departments from modeling to editing etc. We need to work with a lot of different artists and everything is bond together, it’s really important to have a strong understanding about what everyone do. This understanding will also help the student to know what field he prefers.
Being interested in everything is only part of the culture, while doing that; the second step would be to specialize in a department to be able to find a job. It’s pretty difficult to work as a generalist except if you’re really good into every department you’re working on. Being a good animator is more of a lifetime long experience.
The first thing to do to get a job as an animator would be to push as much as possible a few peace of acting. No matter here the modeling, the rendering, just playblast your animation. Then compare it to the best movie you like. Then ask for defined feedbacks from people in the industry. Always address the notes in an effective way. Don’t fix your animation with some subtle retakes, redo it if necessary. You could be hired just on a specific shot in your demo reel if it’s a reel excellent work. Always stay enthusiastic about what you do, even during tough times; it’ll help keep freshness to your animation…
IA: Do you think we can speak about art when we think about animation?
PG : Of course, we are here in front one of the purest way of art. We develop characters to be visually the most appealing possible. We push our acting performances to bring full emotion. We try to create unforgettable characters to the screen with scenes that people will remember their whole life. We try to bring to the audience stories, atmospheres that will inspire them, cheer them up. Everything has to be well balanced to be the most pleasing experience and touch the most in the best way possible. It’s a real tough task to bring a movie together so we need to be many actors to bring every tiny part of it to life. But that doesn’t mean we don’t breathe art into it. In fact that’s the only goal of our days. I’m not a fan of some journalists always criticizing animated productions firing they just try to make money. This is just a narrowed vision. We can’t be blind, we need to make a leaving and that’s a real job. But on the other side, there is no conspiracy about bringing to screen only money making useless movies. This is just a twisted idea. In fact that’s the reverse; everyone is trying their best to push the art form no matter what the constraints are. Everyone, including producers, directors and production team are pouring their heart during years to bring a concept to life over a full length movie. Of course we need the movie to bring people in front of the screen. That’s an industry always adapting, trying to define what the audience wants and how to artistically meet its expectations. The only thing is there could be a delay into what people expect and what they see on screen as it’s kind of long to create a movie and people get use to a style very fast. But I’m sure that for example if people want so bad to see more mature animated movies like Miyasaki’s style or Guillermo Del Toro or else Henry Selick. This will happen. It’s just a matter of time. There is room for every styles and the field is surrounded with ultra inspired artists getting inspired by what the audience is expecting. The public is the real client here. I have big hopes for the future of animation in term of style and creativity.
IA : What’s your own definition of art?
PG : I would say any creation that brings strong emotions to someone. I would define it as an elaborated and magic way to communicate.
Links
Patrick Giusiano Oficial Website
