blog
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11. making art to not go in the void
2023-07-12 23:25:00 UTC
sometimes my brain is a toilet hole that goes towards swirling a black hole of death and anxiety
making and enjoying art helps. listening to music, audiobooks, podcasts while I draw, write or play piano. part of me makes art to feel seen and to make a career but the…
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10. movies are just crafts
2023-07-08 23:28:00 UTC
movies seem sort of impossible to make, right? there’s so much to do and 10 million dollars is a tiny budget
but movies are a craft, just like literal craft. like the stuff kids do.
it doesn’t have to be fancy or perfect, no stunts or anything. just a good…
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9. Contrast
2023-06-23 19:09:42 UTC
People view the world through contrast
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To show Aladdin is poor, put him outside of an golden mansion. Have him go to bed hungry while the Sultan throws extra food away.
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Spongebob is even more annoyingly naive when he’s standing next to the curmudgeonly Squidward.
Now that we have characters…
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8. One thing leads to another (but/therefore)
2023-06-23 17:15:00 UTC
A story is made up beats. In a satisfying story, these beats are intimately connected, each leading to the next
Ratatouille we meet Remi, a rat who loves food and idolizes a chef.
His father believes he should just eat garbage and focus on survival.
One day Remi finds a…
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7. Telling stories reveals you
2023-06-21 06:53:30 UTC
I am afraid of writing stories
as I reveal my character’s flaws, my own flaws are revealed. when my character changes, I am sharing my own desires
this vulnerability is an act of bravery, especially when there are skeletons in the closet. stuff that I am not comfortable sitting with.…
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6. Go in the hole with your audience
2023-06-15 06:27:28 UTC
A few years ago my friends and I got together for our first ever game of Dungeons and Dragons
As the Dungeon Master, I was so excited for them to get into the epic story and fight and solve puzzles! I drew maps full of characters and settings, I wrote…
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5. Art is a relationship with yourself
2023-06-09 10:17:30 UTC
Being dedicated to a project and seeking excellence is great but there is more
there is a deeper form of artistic creation where the piece is part of me. it mirrors my internal world, revealing my flaws and beautiful traits
in this state, creation becomes a relationship.
for example, when…
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4. Let meaning guide the design
2023-06-05 18:39:00 UTC
when I’m animating there is so much to keep in mind. camera placement, props, character design, set design, lighting, colour etc
These can be a little overwhelming and it’s easy to just launch in and see what happens, then play with everything as I work.
I’m learning to explore the…
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3. let go of rules
2023-05-31 04:46:00 UTC
at some point I decided that my animations should all be perfect loops. SO MUCH WORK!
I am liberated from loops!!
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(looping elements like a torch or walk are great but the whole film doesn’t have to start where it finished)
also a lot of my films are 1 minute…
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2. razzle dazzle em’
2023-05-27 17:32:00 UTC
animation takes a lot of time. i’ve learned the hard way that people don’t always notice the suuuper subtle stuff
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see these tiny pictures? each took me around 40-150 hours to make. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that but also proud? I had to take that time to learn…
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1. get inspiration first
2023-05-26 16:26:00 UTC
I love to just hop in and make stuff
it’s a great way to start projects quickly but i often lose steam or get distracted. a LOT of work that I do does not get finished or shared.
there’s something very wise about collecting inspiration and forming a vision before…
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Read my animation notes
2023-05-03 22:53:00 UTC
here is my behind the scenes log where I cuss and curse and figure out how to make decent animations
Here’s my 2022/23 notes
and my 2021/22 notes
© Jeremy Nir
