ANIM 345 Blog 10 "Funny tags and recommendations"

The main thing that I would change in this course are the sample animations. If this course does become a history course then I'd like to see smaller clips from films or maybe just shorts. Long DVD films are great, but they take up so much time and you miss a lot of great work from previous artists such as Chuck Jones and Tex Avery.

Along with the history of animation I would like to see the animation being produced, maybe even explore job opportunities and discuss the many different roles that are needed in animation. We discussed the broader film roles such as producer and director, but what about the smaller entry level jobs? Producer and director are goals, but what is needed before you can reach those goals?

Being a diehard fan of animation already, here are some animation clips that I feel would help the course in the future:

"Your Face" by Bill Plympton

The extras in Karas: the Prophecy. The first movie shows a lot more of the earlier work, from staging the skeletal frames to adding backgrounds and light.

Linebarrels of Iron: has a generally unremarkable plot compared to the manga. Contains some of the most amazing and expressive 3-D mechas I've seen yet. Would have made for a good study on the 12 techniques if they didn't move so damn fast.

The Triplets of Belleville: A strange piece of animation from France. Has some very interesting character design and supports an unique view of the 1930s (If anything watch for when Fred Astaire's shoes come to life and eat him).

"Duck Amuck" by Chuck Jones. Breaks every fourth wall imaginable. A great piece for studying what is possible but impractical in animation.

Hopefully at some point in the future the animation programs will be able to run smoothly. Maybe after Comm gets the new building they can hire an on-site IT guy.