ARTIST STATEMENT
As an animator, my goal is to create artistic performance through expression, motion, dialog, and plot.
All of these elements are fundamental to the development of a good story. My work is narrative in nature
and relies heavily on my ability to maintain the viewer's interest throughout the duration of the piece.
To do this, I draw inspiration from multiple sources, ranging from popular culture, ancient history, dark comedy,
and personal experience. My work is an exploration of the human condition, characterized by suffering, war,
oppression, inner turmoil, insanity and disappointment. I recognize human nature as the arena where the desires
to do good and evil are in extended conflict.
My current project deals with the inability to determine the difference between right or wrong, the past and present, and fantasy and reality. The story is that of an old man who loses grip with reality, ultimately embracing his madness. It is important for me to defy conventional narrative structures by developing unanticipated endings. To me, a predictable story is an uninteresting one.
Before beginning to animate, I spend time researching all aspects of the character types and environments I plan to use. In my quest for believability, I focus not only on the information necessary for the performance within the piece, but also background information that may help me establish rational relationships. Aside from props, sets, and even plot, it is important for me to thoroughly develop each character outside of a storyline to determine physical characteristics, flaws, and habits. These aspects are often forgotten when making a short film, but it is precisely these mannerisms that make characters come to life. This is what sells a performance, and ultimately drives my work.
I spend months modeling, texturing, and rigging the characters using Alias|Wavefront Maya. It is during this period that I experiment with innovative techniques that may assist me with the animation process. For this project, I've created over 50 individually modeled items, 267 hand painted textures, and 5 fully functional character rigs, each with approximately 250 controls which allow me to effectively duplicate realistic human motion. After creating each character, I then animate them in a series of motion tests to make sure everything is working correctly. Extensive investigations into the procedures and methods used in industry have allowed me to utilize cutting edge techniques when creating my digital work. Among these are an advanced dynamic muscle simulation, a generic facial articulation set-up for use with multiple character models, and a dynamic clothing simulation. Also in development is a crowd simulation, and a real-world atmospheric effects simulator for dust and fog. All these elements build the foundation of believability on which I base the essence of my work. |
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