WISDOM SHARING
Things I've learnt bumbling about in animation
For those folks new to the industry or mid-transition or just keen get more engaged with the Creative Industry, I've collated some of the things I've learnt into a pretty exhaustive list of resources. If there's important points I'm missing, let me know!
This is far from comprehensive. It started as email to send to my students once they finished their studies but it has continued to grow and evolve from there.
(Also, keep in mind I'm based in Melbourne so it's pretty localised)
Enter competitions and go to events!
There's heaps all over the globe and a bunch locally. It's a wide spreading community because the medium is so portable, so don't limit yourself to local stuff but definitely try and get to events whenever you can. You never know what you might see that inspires you or who your might meet. It could be your next collaborator, client, full time employer or new bestest bud. You just never know!
A lot of big events and conferences now are being filmed too so if you can't make it to some of the big ones, check them out online.
Here's a list of just a few to keep an eye out for:
Places and challenges to follow and get involved with:
ACMI
Melbourne's go-to place for all things moving image.
They've always got events and screenings on.
If you can afford it, become a member, you get the heads up on all the good stuff plus discount screenings and all sorts.
We're pretty lucky to have this here in Melbourne. It's a shame to waste!
Loop Bar - A bar that has heaps of special events, and a lot of animation content. Not just the Loop de loop competition!
They host the bi-monthly animation competition, Loop-de-loop.
They have screenings at the end of each comp which are a great way to meet other people in the industry and geek out about animation.
They also have screenings every other month of a bunch of cool animations they've stumbled on across on the interwebs, as well as all sorts of other special screens and talks from pros in the industry.
Character design competition
www.facebook.com/groups/CharacterDesignChallenge
Brilliant reference point and also a great place to get feedback on your work.
Help you get inspired and challenge yourself if you're keen on character design.
Monday’s Challenge
www.instagram.com/mondayschallenge/?hl=en
A weekly animation challenge where there’s a theme and colour pallete.
One week to complete then posted on Instagram.
11 second club
11 seconds of audio. Animate something to it.
Strong community in this one.
Lots of chatting and peer voting.
InkTober
www.mrjakeparker.com/inktober-1
Not a competition, more of a personal challenge.
A new ink drawing ever day of October.
Post it on your insta with the the hashtag and watch that recognition coming rolling in.
Get noticed!
Get online and share your stuff everywhere. You never know where a potential client might stumble upon your work. You can pitch your work to curated channels too. Get your work out to the audiences that are really looking for it.
Follow online communities and get involved there.
Keep an eye out for their specialist events too.
OzAnimate
Brilliant resource, showcasing a lot of local Aussie work as well as learning and job opportunities.
Motionographer
motionographer.com
OzAnimate is modeled on Motionographer. This is a global resource that everyone in the industry is getting all up in on. They've also got job listings from all over the place.
Wine after Coffee
vimeo.com/channels/wineaftercoffee
Inspirational content. All the time. Heaps of trendy, happening animation and motion graphics stuff.
Motion Melbourne
www.facebook.com/groups/melbournemotion
A little facebook group setup for animators in Melbs. Posts questions and jobs and new plugins.. all sorts!
Motion Hatch
Hugely useful resource. Specifically for motion design with job postings, technical support, podcasts, advice and sweet community in general.
Punanimation
www.facebook.com/groups/punanimation
A community of women, trans and non-binary friends working with animation and motion graphics.
Cartoon Brew
All sorts of animation news n stuff.
Animation Magazine
www.facebook.com/AnimationMagazine
More animation news and jazz.
Mixed Parts
Forum community with heaps of wizz-bang animators ready to share their wisdoms, answer questions, collaborate on cool stuff and generally share interesting work.
After Effects tricks
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a3ArTUHAJwVi-ObZofvz6IfrKbSGSENlaTIRTs8pAJU/edit#gid=0
This little document has been released to the world and filled with hand dandy tips and tricks for After Effects. Super useful!
Follow blogs and sign up for newsletters!
Some of the coolest studios give away their secrets through their blogs and newsletters. If you stumble upon animators or studios you like, follow them, check in on what they're up to. Even get in contact and tell them they're rad. Let them know you exist and you never know what might happen!
Some good places to start:
Holdframe
This site is full of real industry projects that you can download and reverse engineer.
Listen to podcasts!
Not all of them are about true crime! Who knew?!
It's a massively expanding realm at the moment and heaps of our favourite studios are popping out their own podcasts and interviewing all the fanciest folk about.
You can gain a wealth of knowledge from these. Incredible insights into the industry, issues people have faced and overcome, awesome opportunities that have arisen and how to cultivate such epicness in ones own life. I cannot recommend enough, the benefits of listing to quality podcasts.
Here's a few goodens:
Masters of Motion
Local podcast, run by a chap from Melbourne.
Women of Illustration
Watch tutorials!
There's constantly new things being developed for our favourite software. And old things being pushed into new directions. Keep an eye on dem tutes and work through then from time to time to help keep yourself fresh and inspired!
Flash based but really good break down of storytelling and the overall process of animation
Cinema 4D training
Learning in all sorts of fields plus interviews with awesome artists and creators.
But most important of all..
Keep in contact! Talk to your peers, your colleagues your friends, the lady at the newagency, the dude who makes your morning coffee. Talk about the thing you do, the thing that makes you tick. Random encounters have been some of my most fun and long serving jobs, and I never would have found them if it weren't for being a gas-bag.
I'm also always happy to have a chat. Shoot me an email if you want, we can get all nerdy about animation - I love that stuff! alyssasmedley@gmail.com
A spot of advice on quoting
I would like a one minute animation please. How much does that cost? *Insert snort laugh here*
There is no one answer for this question. It will very project to project and person to person. I've gathered some hot resources below to get your started.
Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA)
But most importantly, talk to your peers. You're not alone in this, your fellow creatives are all in the same game.
And be ready to negotiate, but remember your worth.
Check out this vid below by the one and only EC Abrahms