I've been lucky enough to be invited on several paid for speaking/screening engagements all over the world in the past year thanks to WATS.... I got to talk about aliens and mind control in front of bewildered Brazilians in Sao Paolo... I got to start a presentation in Amsterdam with a slide that read "Brief pretentious intro"... In Warsaw, Poland an old man who was a musicologist was all teary eyed after seeing WATS when he said "I think in colors and this is the only film that has spoke to me in colors"... I got to act like a maniac when I got wasted and crashed the Berlinale closing party with rogue Dubliners in Berlin... there were some other great times in other countries I'll write about later....
BUT while on those trips I was thinking to myself...This is fun but I have to get back to work.... and I kept saying to myself I should say yes to these trips because there will be a point in the future when I stop getting invited...
So I already have speaking engagements in Oct/Dec in Berkeley, London and Rome... then this week I get invited to speak in Bratislava, Slovakia and Waterloo, Canada... the before and after I return from Europe for those other trips...AND I also got invited to take a "VIP" ^ ^ tour of Pixar?! Like 3 days before I leave to London.... So again its awesome that they invite me and pay but sooner or later I'm going to have to decline the offers right?
In October I start the Construction phase of HSM... so I will start modeling stuff in 3d.... actual work.... So right I'm like Ok I'll take my laptop and Wacom and model everyday while I'm on these trips... It seems tough but doable... will i really do it?! We're going to find out how hardcore I is or NOT?! haha... So right now I'm mapping out the amount of work I'll have to do in OCt/Nov... Its 1.5 3d models per day... thats one point five... seems doable right? Second option is to work like a MADMAN before the trips so I will be ahead of my work schedule... that almost seems like the smarter thing to do...
I will practice what i preach... i always say "You can't have a "life" and make films the way I do" I mean you can but your work will suffer... I don't want to have some crap models I made with the excuse...I was in Rome...I was wasted... haha
But I will decline invitations once I get into production... there's no way to do that on the road... I wish there was! Would be awesome to have my render farm in a suitcase... SHIT I already spoke too soon! I forgot that I already agreed to go to Limerick, Ireland in March to put on workshops for filmmakers under 18.... Ok ok that will be the LAST ONE.
BUT while on those trips I was thinking to myself...This is fun but I have to get back to work.... and I kept saying to myself I should say yes to these trips because there will be a point in the future when I stop getting invited...
So I already have speaking engagements in Oct/Dec in Berkeley, London and Rome... then this week I get invited to speak in Bratislava, Slovakia and Waterloo, Canada... the before and after I return from Europe for those other trips...AND I also got invited to take a "VIP" ^ ^ tour of Pixar?! Like 3 days before I leave to London.... So again its awesome that they invite me and pay but sooner or later I'm going to have to decline the offers right?
In October I start the Construction phase of HSM... so I will start modeling stuff in 3d.... actual work.... So right I'm like Ok I'll take my laptop and Wacom and model everyday while I'm on these trips... It seems tough but doable... will i really do it?! We're going to find out how hardcore I is or NOT?! haha... So right now I'm mapping out the amount of work I'll have to do in OCt/Nov... Its 1.5 3d models per day... thats one point five... seems doable right? Second option is to work like a MADMAN before the trips so I will be ahead of my work schedule... that almost seems like the smarter thing to do...
I will practice what i preach... i always say "You can't have a "life" and make films the way I do" I mean you can but your work will suffer... I don't want to have some crap models I made with the excuse...I was in Rome...I was wasted... haha
But I will decline invitations once I get into production... there's no way to do that on the road... I wish there was! Would be awesome to have my render farm in a suitcase... SHIT I already spoke too soon! I forgot that I already agreed to go to Limerick, Ireland in March to put on workshops for filmmakers under 18.... Ok ok that will be the LAST ONE.
This was a good post.....this is the kind of thing you need to talk about in your book, haha, the kind of things you did and continue do promoting WATS and talking to other animators and film makers. I am sure you have some great stories!
ReplyDeleteLike you saida long time ago, social life now and complain about gas prices later, or be a shut in now and great later (my fav quote of all time btw ^ ^), I think that right now you're finding a good workaround to get work done without blowing off your previously scheduled engagements, but once those are done, gettin down to buisness is #1.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see that your success with WATS hasnt clouded you principle ideaologies that you've been talking about ever since I started following your work. You truly are the definition of hardcore and continue to be an inspiration to me.
OK, ass kissing over ^ ^;
What date are you coming to London, and where...
ReplyDeleteI'll have to pop down... :)
It's tough trying to maintain a balance. I relate 'coz i'm also the type of person who is full-on with my obsessions to the detriment of having a 'life' I even forget to eat..
ReplyDeleteIt's cool that you are getting these opportunties though and I think that you'll be glad that you took them in the long run (awesome news about Pixar!).
One thing i've noticed (by being a 'shut-in') is that everything we do or every system we make is arbitary and only holds whatever meaning that we ascribe to it.
Therefore, it is better to come up with your own 'system' or 'reality' than to blindly follow someone else's.
I'm going to be in London for 'Power to the Pixel' (not that I want to tear you away from your work on HSM, or anything ^ ^) but it'd be cool to say 'Hi!'
im having a hard time getting away from my life because my dad says its unhealthy, and my mom hates that my movie is "anti-socially weird". this pisses me off. eye deekay. im still working hard at night on my movie, and hard during the day on homework(i just want to do the bare minimum in homework so my mom doesnt bug me) whatever. its good to look at you and see okey. this is the bar i have to reach above... whatever. im such an ass kisser, but i just think you rock
ReplyDeletethanks for being an inspiration
Render Farm in suitcase? I might be able to hook you up with some promo time. We're prototyping some software to do just that. rperez [@] renderRocket.com
ReplyDelete