I tuned into a Live Virtual Summit, but what was it, exactly?
Since I’m looking to do an animated thesis project, focusing on 2D animation specifically, so I was on the hunt for potential events that might help give me some insight on how to go about production. I had actually found this event that was being premiered on YouTube, called the 2D Animation Virtual Summit that was hosted by animation teacher Tony Ross, under the user “imtonyteach” on YouTube. I did a little background research and found he was an animation teacher and a strong advocate for 2Danimation software such as Toon Boom. This virtual summit apparently started up last spring, where he gathered several professionals from different fields in 2D animation and interviewed them on their experiences in the industry. This Fall he held another summit in October as a week-long event, streamed on YouTube from the 5th to the 9th, where I was able to tune in at various times of the day to catch some of the interviews from various animator’s storyboard artists, art designers and directors.
Throughout the event, Ross had interviewed each of the panelists in around 30-minute sessions with a series of framed questions based on their general experiences working the industry, their approaches to how they work and their opinions on how the industry’s environment is currently. Each panelist had their own take on what working in 2D animation has been like for them, and they al had so much to say (I can make a separate post on the notes I’ve taken on some of the panelists and their individual insights that I was able to catch if anyone would be interested), but I tried to break them down to a few brief paragraphs to construct a general consensus on what most of the panelists had been talking about in their interviews. Hopefully that should be more digestible about the advice the panelists had given as well as overall how people are doing, feeling, and hoping for the 2D animation industry.
A short TL;DR brief of bullets from what the panelists discussed that I’ll be going over:
- There’s plenty of opportunity for jobs
- Nothing is impossible, you just need to know the range of what you have/want to do
- Industry is resurging, and is prepped to see more diversity/stories be told!
- Health is important (especially working in animation)! Be sure to monitor yourself and take breaks!
So, what’s it like working in 2D animation right now?
Various Job Opportunities!
Well, to start off, there’s a plethora of different jobs, takes, and roles in animation. I understood there more to just character animation of course, but there really is a plethora of things that go into a production. You have people working on environments, lighting, and audio, and that’s just the production phase. There are several positions people take in concepts and storyboarding that play a crucial role in fleshing out a project. When they say “teamwork makes the dream work,” they really weren’t kidding. A project can really fly with multiple facets of input and talent going into it, I’ve realized, which makes me excited (and relieved to divvy up the workload when I get to the point in life of putting this in true, professional practice) to try collaborating with others whenever the opportunity rises up wherever this path of animation takes me. Having an IMM background, it seems wherever I go, there’s something that I can contribute in, which is always relieving, and they’re always looking for more people to break into the industry! Animation, especially 2D animation, hasn’t been held back all that much by the pandemic, and has actually taken a resurgence of interest again!
Everyone started from somewhere!
Another relieving, and revealing, discovery is that many of these panelists claimed they had no idea what they were/are doing when they started their journeys. It’s a bit odd to say so out of context, but what I mean to say is that they’ve all started from a similar small upstart just like any young, aspiring artist. This really builds confidence, especially when faces with the looming dread of comparing your work to others (especially on social media! Yikes!), which many panelists suggested that you shouldn’t take too seriously. We all had to begin somewhere, and its inspiring to see how they’ve managed to build themselves up which means anyone can make it if they dedicate themselves and put their mind to where their goals are at. Many of these panelists mentioned budget, which both is and isn’t a hinderance to your projects. Of course, it’s always good to be backed by stable funding, but production more so depends on the quality that one is aiming or willing to put out there. Essentially, they had been talking about the scope here (something I REALLY need to consider for my project), and that nothing is impossible as long as you have an idea of what you want to do and what you have to work with. In a sense, there’s always a “workaround” if you have a clear path ahead of you that you’re committed to, which is always reassuring to hear. However, with many panelists disclosing this, time management is still as critical a resource as ever… but your time is also valuable! Many of these panelists have standards and limits as to what they’ll agree to work on. They are not one to work on nonsense or what isn’t comfortable for them, as no one should have to sell themselves out for anything – which is nice moral to follow.
A Good Portion of the Industry is Creatively “Monotonous”
Now, I don’t mean to say the industry is completely “starved” of ideas, but apparently a lot of studios and companies have been delivering content that meshes all too similarly, which for many of the panelists can make the industry feel rather underwhelming. They elaborate on this by mentioning the mediums many productions use. Cut out and vector puppet rigging seem to be a current staple in the industry right now, which is fine, but when everyone is doing it, it can take out the magic of individuality that comes in 2D animation, and make everything feel saturated. Many panelists were actually hoping to see older mediums such as traditional cell animation come back. Not just the original mediums, but panelists would like to see a blend of both old and new mediums. Many had seen and mentioned the highly praised film Klaus, which brought new ideas to the table in their animation and design from combining 2D and 3D in a new innovative way, which is what many panelists were really curious to see more of: experimentation. Everyone’s sticking to one thing or the other, but it would be revolutionary to see new forms of the medium of 2D animation to come to life in new ways, or at least to take risks that many studios refrain from taking. So many ideas with great potential rarely get to see the light of day, either getting shelved or scrapped entirely due to production “inconveniences” or the executive decision to stay on what’s safe, and what works. Many panelists thought this was a perfect time for upcoming creators to try their hand at the stories they want to tell, with many of the big brand studios taking somewhat of a backseat with their performances lately (some panelists gave a subtle but spicy outtake, calling out Disney and similar big studios for what they felt a lackluster output in recent years). One bit of advice from the panels that really stuck with me was to “start doing what you want to do,” since sitting around waiting for someone else to make will probably take way longer than needed, or just leave you disappointed, which I guess with how much of the entertainment industry has been managing themselves in recent years, is probably a more sensible route to take regardless, instead of hoping they get out of their flunks.
Take Care of Yourself!
A big theme for this Virtual Summit’s interview was Mental health and self-care. Apparently, and not surprisingly, animators and artists within similar veins of the industry are highly prone to health bouts! It certainly makes sense, since we’re sitting at a desk all day, sometimes hunched over, peering into a bright screen for hours throughout the day (and the night for night-owls like myself!) without a break… It can take a toll on the body if you don’t manage your work hours accordingly and appropriately! Many panelists advised taking significant breaks between work session (I know I definitely need to make better habit of this…). Your work isn’t going anywhere, and there’s no need to stress getting it done in one run (unless you’ve overtly managed your time poorly and have to meet a deadline in the next few hours, but you shouldn’t really let yourself get to that point that often). Taking an hour, even 15-30 minutes, to get up and stretch, go for a walk, take a nap, eat, etc. can-do wonders. The main idea is to get your mind off of work just for a bit, because it won’t do you any good frying your brain worrying about it every waking moment, and can even help you if you’ve got any creative blocks hindering your workflow. After all, we’re not machines! You’d never want to overwork yourself— set hours for working and once you hit that mark, move on to something else and relax for the rest of the day or before another work session. The idea, from how the panelists explained this, was to find ways to keep yourself from running on fumes so you don’t break down. This varies from person to person, but a little R & R helps refresh anyone not just in animation, but from any kind of work in general, which I can agree with wholeheartedly.
My Final Thoughts on the Event
I really glad I was able to find this event. It really gave me some insight and ideas I can research on how I can approach my project for thesis. While the event was streamed live in real time, I didn’t get the chance to directly ask questions in the chat as there were dozens of panelists and that were run through on schedule so there wasn’t really any time slot in the program to allow open chat (also some of the panelists I believe were prerecorded and were just presented that week as part of the event, since some panelists weren’t able to attend the immediate event) that specific week I tuned in, many of the panelist left contacts in their interviews in which I could reach out to them, to which some I did (two that really stuck out to me were Akiel Gusman and Irene Strychalski) to send my thanks for their advice and insight shortly after the interview. Hopefully if they are still around, I can reach out to them again with any further questions I might have, but overall, I think this was an enriching experience to have the chance to attend!
The 2D Animation Virtual Summit Recordings (saved on YouTube!):