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Its not about the pixels or the polygons

I always laugh when I see "filmmakers" debating and complaining about current camera technology- making all these excuses like the technology isn't good enough to capture their grand, epic visions.

Acting like they're Kubrick shooting 2001 or some shit ^_^ You have to become a MASTER filmmaker/storyteller before technology becomes a limitation because until then YOU and your filmmaking skills are the weakest link-

I say this from personal experience- I am not a master filmmaker and I know that the technical things are NOT the weakest link in my work- I am- so I don't worry so much about the technicalities or use them as an excuse to NOT make my films-

I use what I can get my hands on and appreciate its awesomeness and low price compared to what filmmakers before me had-

Acting like the technology is their limitation- like the technology is going to make or break their project is just a lie people tell themselves-

Today at a time when filmmaking/animation technology is cheaper and better than it has ever been- the technology is NOT the limitation-

People's lack of imagination and lack of will power are the limitations-

In the world of cg animation a lot of wannabe's tend to look at their models the same way as live action wannabe's look at cameras- and I also get a laugh from that ^_^

If you want to make live action or animated films you have to remember first and foremost you are SUPPOSED to be a STORYTELLER-

A good storyteller should be able to intrigue people with his/her stories by simply speaking about them- if you can't do that yet the technology is NOT a limitation your skills as a storyteller are-

Again, this is from my experience- I focused too much on the technical side of filmmaking/animation and once I saw that it didn't really matter- it made filmmaking easier and a lot more fun and I believe it has lead to my best film yet in I am Nightmare

Also once you come to realize that the companies that make filmmaking/animation related hardware/software profit from making you believe that you are lacking as a filmmaker or not "pro" if you don't buy all the latest gear- you'll be able to see things much clearly-

It's just marketing- I know its exciting to believe some piece of hardware/software can make your films that much better-

Remember as much as it seems like its the other way around when surfing Vimeo videos- "films" are NOT demo reels!

Other filmmaker/designer tech whores love "films" masqueraded as demo reels and can watch them all day long giving them five stars and making comments like "most amazing thing I've ever seen" but the rest of the population doesn't give a shit what you shot/rendered it on- they don't give a shit about how nice it looks- they just want it to speak to them and connect to them in some way-

Cool looking imagery for the sake of being cool looking imagery works for adverts and bumpers- music videos as well- but if you want to cross the threshold and become a storyteller you can't keep caring so much about winning the tech whore game.

I've decided to put as little time as possible into making my models and trying to make cool looking imagery for the sake of looking cool- and instead I've shifted focus onto create compelling stories, realistic characters the audience will connect with, and a strong theme that carries over to the viewer- and I've never had more fun making a film ^_^

So get over trying to compete in the tech whore game- tell stories and have fun doing it ^_^



Comments

  1. Thanks for reminding us of the importance of imagination and storytelling above all. I get caught up in the tech whore thing and forget to just make fucking stories that are interesting.

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  2. I still want it to look good. :) I'm using Makehuman and Poser. It gives it some quality to the human aspect.

    I'm getting my more custom models done by a guy in Ecuador. LIke I said I still want it to look good and at the same time be different.

    I have two stories going back to back. Using my style I can do about 30 seconds to a minute a day and let render overnight.

    January 1st is the release date. Oh and by the way.....

    In other news I have been banned officially from a CG website 7xs and now I'm on the front page. :)

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