For our first major class this year we were told to bring one thing that captures what drives you in design. At first I was stumped, really, what did drive me? But then it clicked. What makes me happy and excited and gives me the creativity to design? Animation. Okay, so most animations these days are aimed at kids but have you ever looked at the details in them? The work that goes into one tiny little element? Some of them are just amazing, take Rise Of The Guardians for example.
It's all in the finer details that makes it so magical, while regular viewers may not notice the stitching in Jack's hoodie, or how Tooth changes colour as she moves when more of the blue under feathers are revealed, it's what makes the movie. When the movie first released back in 2012 I was one of many flailing on Tumblr about how amazing the details in the animation was. I recently went to the Dreamworks exhibition at Te Papa (twice) and through that I was able to see even further into the hard work and effort it took to create these amazing films. All the sketching, model making, and storyboarding that happened, even before the film started to be made. Tons and tons of research had to happen in order for the sketches and models to actually seem realistic. Then, when it finally made it to screen there were hours spent perfecting the lighting, special effects, and music, all in order for specific scenes to feel a certain way. The special effects involved layers and layers of editing to turn simple donuts into the fight between Sandy and Pitch. Simple moments took hours and hours to perfect and while the children watching may not know that, it all creates a magical aspect that they truly notice.
While I'm not going to be able to create anything as great as Rise Of The Guardians any time soon it's these sorts of films that drive me in design. I want to take this example and input it into every piece of work I create. I want to create something that has those finer details, and maybe not everyone will notice them but if one singular person notices that tiny detail and appreciates the work that goes into it then it will all be worth it. Linking back into the film North tells Jack to discover his centre, then he will understand who he is, I might not actually know for certain my centre but this is at least a part of it. If you haven't seen Rise Of The Guardians already seriously just watch it and discover it's magic.
