Words of Advice from Ishu Patel.

Words of Advice from master animator Ishu Patel. These sage words first appeared in an article by Nikita Banerjee Bhagat in "Animation Reporter". Read the full article here. Mr. Patel quite openly tells about his research and production process. Each of his films is a unique innovative exploration of technique, held together by thematic exploration.

Here's hoping I can convince myself to follow this advice!

For those who are determined to go forward on their own, I would give the following suggestions when making a personal, experimental, independent film: 

1. If you plan to create your personal film using only software, avoid being “used” by the limits and look of the software, and instead put together original organic images using the software solely as the digital vehicle, much as celluloid film was used as the “vehicle”.

In other words, protect your creative process from the pre-determined results of a powerful piece of software. Lots of animators are now creating “under-the-camera” animation using SLR still digital cameras mounted above the artwork to capture the images. Appropriate software then makes it possible to pull it altogether as a film. The results are stunning.

2. Put your maximum effort into pre-production concepts, visuals, story boards, and make many animation tests before committing yourself. Don’t fall in love with your first efforts, rework it all, and often.

3. Don’t be satisfied with making a “thin” film, strive for richness, for levels. Push the boundaries of your music and sound ideas,your visual ideas, and even the concept itself. Completing a film is such a massively long and painstaking project, that you want it to be brilliant when it is finished.

4. Don’t be influenced by recent trends, software capabilities, TV shows, cartoon characters, etc. Go to the Primary Source – your own experience, thoughts and instincts.

5. When you are in production, turn off your cell phone, put up a firewall against intrusion of any kind and finish a full day’s work at one time, rather than interrupting your day to run errands. Be your own watch dog, be-cause no one else will be. No multitasking. Your mantra, written above your work table, can be, “Work hard. Talk less.”