ILM
Hello Aaron,
It sounds to me like you are doing exactly the right things. I'm 23,
and WISH I had taken way more art in school. You're right, computers
are easy to learn if you have a mind for. The problem with doing it
in school is, tomorrow, what you learned it out of date and the new
stream of even more amazing software is on the way. I'll except one
thing – the theory. It's easy to learn how to punch up a camera
track, or render a box – but understanding the theory behind
anti-aliasing, phong shading, NURBS, ray-tracing etc isn't so simple.
But I think it's essential. Having said that, a really good book on
graphics would go a long way, if no all the way, to explaining this
stuff.
I just picked one up. It's dense, full of equations and stuff that
means nothing to me (oh, why didn't I listen in Physics 11!), but the
theory is there. "Advanced Rendering and Animation Techniques –
Theory and Practice" by Mark and Alan Watt. About $50, but I think
it's all I'll need to get fully up to speed.
<<The ideas that your put into your stuff are more important than how
you actually do it.>>
Absolutely. You're right, a lot of comp. animation had been created
by engineers instead of artists and it has that "gee-wiz, look at
this amazing new technolgy!" I'm like you, and believe it's the idea
and the story, first and foremost.
Take art. Take film, without hesitation. Keep up with the computers,
and try and figure out how to apply what ypu learn to the computer.
I work for a production company in Vancouver. We've been making
traditional films for twenty some odd years, but are now looking at
the possiblities of making those smae films, but using computers way,
way more. I think the future is in this, especially if production
costs are a fraction of traditional film making.
Keep it up. I wish I were in your place, just coming out of high
school. Okay, okay, I'm only 23.
Keep in touch and let us know how it's going. Who knows, we may work
together in a few years… <g>
James
PS – Learn how to tell a story!!