Jean Hauptman
Forum Replies Created
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Have you tried reducing contrast. NTSC hates contrast and thin lines. Are your whites legal? 221 – 236 is as high as I go.
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Hi Dario-
The beauty of our field is that anybody who can afford a computer can hone their skills. That is what has given us such astonishingly interesting animation these days. 15 years ago, TV graphics were monopolized by good old boys on proprietary equipment. These guys mostly sucked. The kids coming out of design schools are super energizing motion graphics – this is a great thing. But it an overcrowded field – similar to the way video production got gutted around the mid nineties. But every location is different – and it’s sometimes actually easier to break in when you’re not on a coast. So you might have a lucrative and enjoyable career where you are. If this is what you want to do, hang in there, and good luck!
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Hi Dario-
Fortunately, the job market has improved since a few months back when I told another poor guy it wasn’t worth it.
I can’t answer all your questions now but will try and hit a few. But we all have different takes on the field, so these answers aren’t definitive :
Question 1. The work is where you find it. You just start scattershot hitting any and everywhere. Just don’t do work from your computer without getting a 50% deposit, or I guarantee you will be burned. At your level, an internship would be excellent. In either video or motion graphics.
2. Honestly, it just depends. Politics is heavier on the east coast. West coast mainly wants the goods. Some places like to hire guys just like themselves. It’s all about schmoozing. Other places only want speed, mediocrity is fine. Others, you won’t get into the door without a solid Uber demo, and some shops really do want good well-rounded designer/animators.There isn’t any one way of getting in. It’s kind of every man for himself.
Like all glamour businesses, there are hordes of people for every job, so naturally, there is
exploitation. Salaries have dropped in the past 8 years. Staff positions are still very few and very far between, and freelancing can be boom and bust.
In your area, you should try to connect with video production houses and local stations. If you are really good, you can probably find freelance work for local ad agencies.It’s fantastic that you are taking video courses. That will be invaluable.
The best advice I can give you is 1. Think about whether you really want to invest years to get into a field that is not particularly solid; and 2. be a nice guy. -
George – I hate hearing that Adobe is charging for Acrobat Reader. If so, that’s a mistake.
What I mainly meant by non proprietary is software available for both pcs and Macs.
Given all of the software that digital artists have to buy as well as update annually, Acrobat is
out of sight for what most people use it for.
Competition will be a good thing if the software isn’t just for one platform . -
A good place to answer this question is the IMUG list. You can sign up at media-motion.tv
There are a lot of dvd/video pros on that list. The broadcast video forum here at COW might also help as well.
Video installations I’ve worked on were always at 720×486, but don’t know if this would be correct in
your case. -
Dean is one of the very few AE artists who gets deep into experimentation to move into
uncharted turf aka alchemy. It looks like a lot of time and sweat went into these projects. -
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One good place for inspiration is the Reels and Portfolios category at
https://www.mograph.net/board/
Some people find that the chat forums at that site veer toward collegiate and
stick to the reels. -
Reels I’m seeing look more and more interchangeable. Everything has caught on and been done to death.
Cute plastic toys on student reels are getting old. It will be good to see another fad come in.
As far as day to day work, all clients want their 2-d in 3d space. I haven’t done a flat 2d animation in quite a while. -
That antecdote is classic. It’s going on my wall.
Staying in this field is seriously expensive – on the surface, it looks like you just load up a cheap computer with pirated software. Hidden expenses are enormous.
Way back, I used to charge around $1,500 per animation because it seemed like a fortune, yet we were going into the hole. At an MGLA meeting, Belief gave a talk and mentioned that they had a $5,000 minimum.
At that point, we raised the minimum and lost most of our base, but interestingly, picked up new clients who not only expected to pay professional rates, but were tremendously more considerate. I
would not have gotten these clients if I had given the old rate, because to a good producer, a cheapie rate instantly telegraphs that you’re B string or a neophyte.