Ed's Newsletter - October 2009

CHINA
The first time I visited Florence, Italy, twenty years ago, I knew within moments of arriving that the trip was going to be a life-changing experience for me. And indeed it has been, influencing my understanding of art, architecture, literature, friendship and city design.

Last month, I visited China for the first time, and I have a similar feeling. No amount of reading or preparation could have adequately set the stage for the reality of the country. I was there only two weeks, for the first Changchun International Comics & Animation Festival, hosted by Jilin (Province) Animation College in northeast China, and for two days of sightseeing in Beijing, but I know already that China will alter my understanding of global commerce, diplomacy, government and art.

I want to thank, first of all, Ron Diamond of AWN for initially suggesting that the event organizers invite me to Changchun, my many attentive hosts - far too many to name individually - and my beautiful and talented interpreters, Elaine, Yanbing and Shine. I had a marvelous time and look forward to seeing you again down the road.

For my Western subscribers who are curious about what is happening with the animation industry in China, take a look at these links:

2004 Good Overview of China's plan for animation
2006 Article from China Daily - very good
2009 Game Developers Convention/China

TWO NEWSLETTERS
I write two newsletters each month - one for stage actors and one for animators. The reason I do that is because animators and stage actors have different issues to deal with. Keeping that in mind, I suggest that you take a look at the Ed Hooks Newsletter September and October Craft Notes for actors. In September, I explained how actors use conflict/obstacle and, this month, I explain what an objective is. Again, remember that I am talking to people who practice their art "in the present moment". You do not do that. You must create an illusion of a present moment. However, the use of conflict and objective are the same in theory. And by the way, you can if you want receive both of these newsletters. They are both free. You just have to tell me.

ACTING FOR ANIMATORS WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Oct 24-25 - Taipei, Taiwan, SOFA Studio
Oct 27- 31 - Beijing, Aniwow! Festival
Nov 14 - Sunnyvale, California, Cogswell Polytechnical College

CRAFT NOTES
An open E-Mail to one of my students...

Hey Sven,
It is great to hear from you! FMX was awesome this past May, and I can't wait to be there next year.

I can tell that you are having a bit of trouble applying acting theory to your animation, and I think I know why. Let me try to help you out.

The first thing is to keep in mind that, as an animator, your natural inclination is going to be to work visually, figuring out how a particular movement or emotion should look. You are working with a blank piece of paper and a computer screen, so this makes total sense. You are, after all, aspiring to a career in animation, not a career in acting. The Acting for Animators workshop you attended is designed to show you how acting theory works and how it can strengthen character animation; it was never intended to turn you into a stage actor. True, you must learn most of the same acting principles that stage actors do, but you are going to apply them in a totally different way. To oversimplify the case, most character animators will work "outside/in", and stage actors work "inside/out". What I am doing with Acting for Animators is asking you to split the difference. I want you to use acting theory to help inform what you are illustrating externally.

You know, it used to be the case that animators learned their art through a process of apprenticeship, or under the guidance of a mentor. Many of today's premier animators and directors speak fondly of their time learning personally from some of Disney's Nine Old Men. The current generation of animators does not enjoy this option. Indeed, that is the niche that Animation Mentor organization tries to fill. But there is more to this than mentorship, regardless of how talented your mentor is. Character animation has evolved quite a bit since the days of the old Disney Studio, and audiences have come to expect stronger performance on the screen. There really is no going back to the way it was.

Yes, emotion does indeed tend to lead to action. I think the reason you are confused about this is that thinking can also lead to action. Your character can walk across the room to get a drink without being driven by a gust of emotion. The thing is that your audience will only empathize with emotion. They will actually tolerate information in order to have an emotional experience. This is one of the challenges game animators face because their characters tend to travel around a lot. Even if a character is moving from hiding place to hiding place, it is not terribly compelling after a while.

Now you told me something that I find very interesting. You said that your own personal way of expressing emotion is to become quite still and focused. I believe you, and I think that is just fine. However, your characters will not express emotion like that. Stage actors face this same problem. "How am I like the character I am portraying? How am I unlike the character I am portraying?" You don't want to make your characters all share your same value system. For me, part of the fun of acting has always been the opportunity to get inside somebody else's heart and mind.

So, the next time you come up with an idea for a short animation, I suggest that you make sure your characters hold up to an acting litmus test. Keep these important points in mind:

1) Thinking tends to lead to conclusions; emotion tends to lead to physical action.

2) A character should be playing an action in pursuit of an objective while overcoming an obstacle.

3) Scenes begin in the middle, not the beginning. Have the action of your story open at the last possible moment. We don't need to see a guy walk half a mile down a country road before the bear chases him. The emergence of the bear from the woods is the actual beginning of your story, not the walking on the road.

4) You cannot act emotion. What you want to do is expose emotion through physical action.

Thanks again for writing. I want to stay in touch. Please make me one of the first to see your next project!

Animated hugs -Ed