Posts tagged Inspiration
Inspiration: Bill Watterson (Part 1)
1
Bill Watterson's process
My good friend Christian Reese pointed out a speech to me recently that I had not read in a long time. I looked on the article and struggled to recall anything other than a vague emotional reaction I once had after reading it some time ago. At that point I decided to drop whatever I was doing and surrender to inspiration.
The speech I read was one that Bill Watterson, creator of the famous comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, gave to the graduating class of Kenyon College in 1990. Watterson is very reclusive and there are very few interviews with him anywhere. The few times he does speak, his words are lean, with purpose and full of wisdom. I had to reread quite a number of parts of his speech to fully digest his meaning. Needless to say, I was inspired.
Here is the speech: http://www.serverunderground.com/2009/11/16/speech-by-bill-watterson/
Or on our server: http://www.speakingofanimation.com/storage/watterson.html
I also have pulled out a few select quotes that I thought were particularly poignant.
- If I’ve learned one thing from being a cartoonist, it’s how important playing is to creativity and happiness.
- Our idea of relaxing is all too often to plop down in front of the television set and let its pandering idiocy liquefy our brains. Shutting off the thought process is not rejuvenating; the mind is like a car battery-it recharges by running.
- To endure five years of rejection to get a job requires either a faith in oneself that borders on delusion, or a love of the work.
- We all have different desires and needs, but if we don’t discover what we want from ourselves and what we stand for, we will live passively and unfulfilled. Sooner or later, we are all asked to compromise ourselves and the things we care about. We define ourselves by our actions. With each decision, we tell ourselves and the world who we are. Think about what you want out of this life, and recognize that there are many kinds of success.
- …having an enviable career is one thing, and being a happy person is another.
- To invent your own life’s meaning is not easy, but it’s still allowed, and I think you’ll be happier for the trouble.
- Your preparation for the real world is not in the answers you’ve learned, but in the questions you’ve learned how to ask yourself.
Watterson’s words remind me of why I’m doing animation. Animation is what I love and for most of you I’m sure the same is true. Watterson speaks to a way of life that centers on loving what you do and following your dreams. While this comes across as cliche, I feel it speaks a very deep truth. Many times in animation, when we are lost in the principles and long hours at the computer/animation desk, it’s easy to lose sight of why we are doing what we’re doing. Remember why you fell in love with animation because it will show you how the “problems” you’re dealing with in your shot are the good problems.
“Ok Ben, that’s enough sappy stuff. Get to showing us those awesome Calvin and Hobbes strips.”
I hear you. 
I will get to some of the awesome Bill Watterson art that is Calvin and Hobbes in a later post, but for now I just wanted to touch upon the roots of why we do what we do. Animation, just like any artform, requires countless hours of work and dedication. It requires a level of love that is irrational and unwavering. I feel that if you begin with that as a base, you are that much more prepared to soak up inspiring material.
My last note is something that I am beginning to consciously think about when blocking out a shot. Watterson says,
“…it’s been liberating to put myself in the mind of a fictitious six year-old each day, and rediscover my own curiosity. I’ve been amazed at how one idea leads to others if I allow my mind to play and wander.”
The intent is to allow your mind to think unconventionally. So often our minds are bound by reality and we don’t think to explore the impossible. Sometimes thinking like a child can allow you to explore new and fresh opportunities in your animation.
|Ben
P.S. I implore you to read the whole speech. It’s completely worth it and you’ll be glad you did.
Inspiration: Victor Borge
2I want to take a moment to talk about inspiration. As an artist, you rely on inspiration to guide you and motivate you. Sure principles can guide you as well, but they are not always the best motivators. I recently found some inspiration that i wish to share with you. It also happens to correspond nicely with our upcoming podcast on comedy.
About a week ago I watched a PBS telethon which aired some clips of Victor Borge. I remember watching him when I was a child on the same PBS telethon. Not having seen him for a while, I was given an opportunity to watch his performance with a fresh, new perspective.
My conclusion?
Victor is a genius. His comedic timing is spot on and I couldn’t help but be inspired. While there are many things to take away from his brilliant performances, I found myself focusing on three particular aspects. These aspects are his truthfulness of character, setup and delivery, and pure mastery of craft.
Truthfulness of Character:
Comedy, in the same way as any type of performance, relies on the character being truthful to who they are in order to be believable. For example, Superman would never do anything unjust and/or unethical. He can never lie, cheat or steal. If you animate him doing any of these things, he ceases to be believable. While this example might be broader, character comes out in subtleties as well. If he even wavers one bit from being honest or upstanding, you will lose credibility. This is so important for great animation and for great performances.
Victor, through all of his productions, remains true to the character that he has created. He sets up rules for his character and never strays from them. You would never imagine his character to be mean, nor would you expect him to stay on task. While these aren’t complicated ideas, they are guidelines that Borge constructed to give the audience someone to empathize with. His believability and genuine nature keep you interested.
Setup and Delivery:
Central to comedy is the concept of setting up something to be one way and then delivering something completely unexpected. Borge uses this idea a lot in his sketches. In the quick clip of him playing on the piano and getting the notes wrong, you assume he is going to look up the score and find that he is mistaken. Then you find out that he as actually playing the music the right way according to his sheets. Now this joke works on two fronts that I can see. For one, you laugh at the unexpected outcome. Two, you laugh at the idea that he continues to play with music that is obviously wrong. This also points back to the truthfulness of his character in the way he displays a certain simplicity and naivete. As animators, we should remember this idea of contrast and misdirection. Delivering animation in a plain, straight-forward manner doesn’t make for an entertaining piece. In many ways, this encourages us to keep an open mind when looking at the world around us. There is never one way of looking at or approaching something. Remembering that is so very important. While I might not always be able to come up with something completely unique and different every time I animate, keeping my mind wrapped around this concept will most certainly make for better acting choices.
Mastery of Craft:
This last topic has less to do specifically with Victor Borge, but more in a general sense with anyone who is very good at what they do. Watching how comfortable Borge is performing and the amazing skill to which he accomplishes such is something that should inspire anyone in a skill related craft. As animators and artists, we must never become stagnant. We should always strive to learn and grow. To see another person master their craft always amazes me and drives me to be better in return.
Inspiration comes from anywhere as long as we are willing to acknowledge it. While inspiration many times finds us, it is also not lost to search for it ourselves. In fact, many times on our journey for one type of inspiration, another form of inspiration finds us anyway.
For some other good clips, search “Phonetic Punctuation” and “Inflationary Language” on YouTube for some other funny clips by Victor Borge. Also, his two part series with Marilyn Mulvey is hilarious and worth a watch.
Cheers,
|Ben
