cyfle week 1

Here we go again! Almost a year to the day that I started on the Bristol animation course, training has commenced on the Cyfle digital animation training scheme.
So far we have been getting to know each other and settling into our new environment.

A general health and safety in the work place workshop with David Ellis Jones was nice and relaxed.

The creative thinking workshop with Barry Michael Jones was interesting in that it was designed to make us think in different ways. How we act/think is based mainly on how our parents act and how we must try and look outside this way of thinking, however, I did have a problem with his theories on banana peeling,

"Why not bite from the other end of the banana as this is where all the glorious sweetness lives, this is how the ape eats it?"

In my opinion the banana has one of natures great handles and it seems to me that there is only one sensible way to get to the tasty fruit. I am not a monkey but I sure do like them.

We have been to Calon studios where we were given a tour of there 3d puppet animation studio and, although I am on a digital course, I can't stop thinking about puppet animation. I think I will have to find a way to incorporate plastercine into my new digital world.

Friday

End of the week has come quite quickly. The early mornings are getting a little easier to handle.
Went on an industry visit today to Dinamo Studios and had a splendid talk with Aron and Owain. Interesting to see the amount of work that is expected of an animator in industy. Some great computer animation and live action compositing also nice to see a little corner of 2d traditional animation, we will always need pen and paper... also fishing rods.

Had an introductory talk about computer generated animation today. Had forgotten how much computer animation has in common with puppet animation, really looking forward to getting going with this.
Given first assignment today. We are to give a presentation on a CGI animator. Six names went into a hat, one for each of us, and I managed to draw the one I wanted, good times.

In addition...

Started reading a Charles Hawtrey biography today entitled 'The Man Who Was Private Widdle'. Its quite interesting that such a small man could be such a deviant, I like his style.

Ben