Besides that, I wasn’t able to complete any more shots in full, though I did start another one which I’m a good amount (scientific term) of the way through. Next week that will be finished and then I’ve lined up a few smaller/ easier shots which I’m looking forward to animating.
Below is another one of those progress screen grabs from my DaVinci project (orange are the completed bits, ref footage underneath). I’m very happy with where I am in the project in terms of how much I’ve currently completed. Outlines finished by the end of May-be?! I would be extremely happy if I can achieve that.
Being as I’ve not got a lot else to say this week regarding the project progress, I thought I’d share some ways in which I’m staying motivated whilst animating this project. These may useful to anyone else reading this taking on a similar task. Or if not, then I guess you just get an insight into my life and my working methods!
• Firstly, I try to keep in mind the ‘big picture’ at all times. What I mean by this is that if I am feeling a little lost or unconfident in the project, I remind myself why I’m doing what I’m doing. For me, this is along the lines of: if I keep going I’ll have a completed short film in several months which will be an ambitious piece of work which will show who I am as a director/ filmmaker and the types of stories I want to tell. Which is one of the core reasons for making what I’m making in the first place. I revert back to this every now and again and it injects some new energy into what I’m doing.
• In addition to the above, I selected a story which I was really excited about and a film which I want to see. So I’d say even before you dive into something like this, ensure it’s something you want to make for your own reasons, not for anyone else(s). It’s easier to keep going on a project if you’re excited to see the end result and something which means something to you. Not saying every film needs to have a serious message or deep meaning (films don’t), but I’d say it needs to mean something to you as you’re the one making it. This is more of a choice to made early on, but an important one as you’re most likely going to be sitting with the project for a long time. If it’s something you don’t feel enthused about from the off, you’re going to lack the motivation to complete it, if things start to feel hard mid-way through.
• On a smaller, more day to day scale now we’ve got the big, overarching ones out the way, I have a strict but sensible work schedule. ‘Strict but sensible’??? Yes! I mean by this is that on the days that I have allocated to work on my film, I aim to get between 6-8 hours of animation done (7 or just over is ideal) and I don’t go over and don’t work weekends or evenings. Of course there are exceptions, but on the whole, I try to stick to this. Why? Burnout avoidance and trying to achieve a comfortable work/ life balance and putting time into the other things football I enjoy doing in life. At the end of the day, this is a self initiated project and whilst I am determined to see it through, I am not going to let other aspects of my life and my mental health suffer for something which is essentially arbitrary. It’s also a sustainable amount of work to do in a day, whereas 12 hours is not and I bet I’ll get sick of the project pretty quickly if I were to do that! Plus, on a creative level, if working whilst tired and unenthusiastic, my work will suffer as I’m not giving 100%. I bang on about the importance of this a lot in these posts, so I won’t go any further, but you get the point! Breaks and that are good!
• On an even smaller/ granular scale, I play back my work a lot when working on a shot. This is as a reminder of what I’m making and that each line I’m drawing is contributing to something in the film. It can feel a little monotonous at times, but playing it back breaks this up a bit and really gives me the motivation to carry on working as I’ve seen what I’ve achieved so far and makes me want to achieve more. This is especially apparent if working on a shot I’m not that confident with as it’s quite complex for example, then playing it and seeing the progress makes me think ‘oh yeah, it’s not that bad actually!’ and gives me the boost to carry on. Or at least most of the time!
• Finally, perhaps a fairly superficial one, but reminding myself of the amount of time, effort and money I’ve put into this project already. Why would I want all of that to go to waste and have nothing to show for it? I just wouldn’t. So if all the other reasons don’t work, then knowing that I’ve wasted several months and a fair bit of money will definitely be a motivating factor, if nothing else!
That’s all for now, I think. Hope it’s been useful and/ or insightful! See you in the next one xo
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