I feel stuck in a rut, looking for direction
polycounter lvl 10
I thought I'd post some thoughts here, since I've been feeling sort of professionally lost, down and out of late, so bear with me as I toss out some thoughts. I have some questions intermixed with my thoughts, I'll try to bold them so you guys can find them, if you feel like offering some input.
I've been feeling that my professional level as an artist has been lacking of late, and that my job was stifling and monotonous, stuck doing graphics for cellphones and handhelds, feeling behind the curve in terms of artistic prowess. I've been desperately looking for a way out and step towards more front line gaming, however life isn't allowing enough time to do such. Then this weekend, I saw this seminar Adam Savage from Mythbusters did.
[ame]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_TrncK3NG8[/ame]
There's 12 parts to it.
Now he goes into a lot of what he does outside the show for the first bit, and more into his life in the special effects biz, a place that I dreamed of getting into many moons ago for CG. He mentions many times that he's butted heads with producers, executives, clients and directors, saying that for some reason, almost everyone in management seems to be an idiot.
Whether or not this is true or just a stereotype, it makes me feel extremely happy, that it seem that I was not alone these past few months. He mentions that these directors seem to have no idea what will work, and that as hard as he fights with them, he still has to end up doing what he's told, and polishing up the turd they asked him to produce.
That makes me happy. It seems that recently, that's all I've been doing. My artistic input has been ignored by game producers and even my art director and questionable artistic choices were asked of me. To hear someone from his level of production who worked at ILM voice the same issues that me, from a tiny mobile developer is voicing, goes a long way in soothing my ruffled feathers.
So I'd like to know, out of all you guys (alot of who are industry front liners) who here also can say they've had idiot directors on big projects?
He also goes into saying "Jack of all trades, master of none, though often better than a master of one" saying that many of these types of people often can fit in everywhere, since they tend to understand more of the bigger picture, and that he can teach them anything and they'll fit in. This also makes me happy, since it's more along the lines of what I try to do, understand the bigger picture and the entire process, so I can communicate clearly between the chain in which the work is done.
You guys are in the industry, does this also hold true, or would you rather see guys hit the ground running and do 1 job awesomely rather than spend time getting a guy who understands on a broader scope up to speed?
Unfortunately, I'm stuck at my current position now due to my lack of a strong portfolio, but there are things in my pipeline that will be driving new content to end up in a port in the coming months maybe year... But the main issue is that I want out.
I'm working on a personal project of sorts. When I was in tv animation, I got the chance to work as an animator in production and a compositor in post production, so I really got a good look and experience at production and post. I never got a chance to do pre production.
Well, having been through animation, one of my driving factors to get in it was that I fancied myself a strong hand with the pen to create worlds and stories. So eventually, whether it be professional or just for myself, I would develop my own show or comic concept, whether it sold was beside the point, and it still is. I do it because I want to do it.
So I've been working in my off hours to develop the concepts and scripts for a 12 episode @ hour each. After about 1 year, I have the entire outline which is always slightly tweaked as I go, plus 4 completely finished first drafts of scripts, plus another 4 half done.
I had originally planned to finish the scripts and do the storyboards and call it done, but I sense an opportunity here before I even get to the boards.
I'd like to develop in 3d, all the major locations and 'sets' that most of the stories take place. First as geometry to backdrop my storyboards, it would be easier to do the boards if I just had 3d sets to take shots of and fill in the hand drawn characters.
But I can go further now that I think about it. I can develop the textures with hand painted schemes to match my drawing style, and that would definitely look good in any portfolio.
What do you guys think? Would several kickass 'movie/animated' sets in 3d be an awesome addition to an environment port, even though they'd all be painted in the same texture style and be of a similar look and feel since it's for all one story?
I would have liked to have waited until the majority of scripts were done and finalized, but I can start now with the major locations I know that are going to be in the final.
My long term goal is to be in a steady 3d position somewhere, 1 or 2 years from now, so that means I need to step up the production schedule of my project, I had hoped to get the scripts done a year from when I started, but time is what time is but I'm most likely going to finish the last half quicker than the first, since it's already half written.
What do you guys think is realistic, I don't want to spread myself too thinly across so many projects just to get a varied portfolio. I've always felt a sort of single minded approach in big projects to be the most beneficial. Concentrate on it, get shit done.
Since this is a personal project I've been wanting to get done since before I started school (when I was in highschool... like 15 years ago) I know this will get done, and I'm driven to complete it, a lot like Adam's dodo and falcon projects.
holy crap, that turned out a lot longer than I anticipated, sorry if anyone tries to read it all
I've been feeling that my professional level as an artist has been lacking of late, and that my job was stifling and monotonous, stuck doing graphics for cellphones and handhelds, feeling behind the curve in terms of artistic prowess. I've been desperately looking for a way out and step towards more front line gaming, however life isn't allowing enough time to do such. Then this weekend, I saw this seminar Adam Savage from Mythbusters did.
[ame]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_TrncK3NG8[/ame]There's 12 parts to it.
Now he goes into a lot of what he does outside the show for the first bit, and more into his life in the special effects biz, a place that I dreamed of getting into many moons ago for CG. He mentions many times that he's butted heads with producers, executives, clients and directors, saying that for some reason, almost everyone in management seems to be an idiot.
Whether or not this is true or just a stereotype, it makes me feel extremely happy, that it seem that I was not alone these past few months. He mentions that these directors seem to have no idea what will work, and that as hard as he fights with them, he still has to end up doing what he's told, and polishing up the turd they asked him to produce.
That makes me happy. It seems that recently, that's all I've been doing. My artistic input has been ignored by game producers and even my art director and questionable artistic choices were asked of me. To hear someone from his level of production who worked at ILM voice the same issues that me, from a tiny mobile developer is voicing, goes a long way in soothing my ruffled feathers.
So I'd like to know, out of all you guys (alot of who are industry front liners) who here also can say they've had idiot directors on big projects?
He also goes into saying "Jack of all trades, master of none, though often better than a master of one" saying that many of these types of people often can fit in everywhere, since they tend to understand more of the bigger picture, and that he can teach them anything and they'll fit in. This also makes me happy, since it's more along the lines of what I try to do, understand the bigger picture and the entire process, so I can communicate clearly between the chain in which the work is done.
You guys are in the industry, does this also hold true, or would you rather see guys hit the ground running and do 1 job awesomely rather than spend time getting a guy who understands on a broader scope up to speed?
Unfortunately, I'm stuck at my current position now due to my lack of a strong portfolio, but there are things in my pipeline that will be driving new content to end up in a port in the coming months maybe year... But the main issue is that I want out.
I'm working on a personal project of sorts. When I was in tv animation, I got the chance to work as an animator in production and a compositor in post production, so I really got a good look and experience at production and post. I never got a chance to do pre production.
Well, having been through animation, one of my driving factors to get in it was that I fancied myself a strong hand with the pen to create worlds and stories. So eventually, whether it be professional or just for myself, I would develop my own show or comic concept, whether it sold was beside the point, and it still is. I do it because I want to do it.
So I've been working in my off hours to develop the concepts and scripts for a 12 episode @ hour each. After about 1 year, I have the entire outline which is always slightly tweaked as I go, plus 4 completely finished first drafts of scripts, plus another 4 half done.
I had originally planned to finish the scripts and do the storyboards and call it done, but I sense an opportunity here before I even get to the boards.
I'd like to develop in 3d, all the major locations and 'sets' that most of the stories take place. First as geometry to backdrop my storyboards, it would be easier to do the boards if I just had 3d sets to take shots of and fill in the hand drawn characters.
But I can go further now that I think about it. I can develop the textures with hand painted schemes to match my drawing style, and that would definitely look good in any portfolio.
What do you guys think? Would several kickass 'movie/animated' sets in 3d be an awesome addition to an environment port, even though they'd all be painted in the same texture style and be of a similar look and feel since it's for all one story?
I would have liked to have waited until the majority of scripts were done and finalized, but I can start now with the major locations I know that are going to be in the final.
My long term goal is to be in a steady 3d position somewhere, 1 or 2 years from now, so that means I need to step up the production schedule of my project, I had hoped to get the scripts done a year from when I started, but time is what time is but I'm most likely going to finish the last half quicker than the first, since it's already half written.
What do you guys think is realistic, I don't want to spread myself too thinly across so many projects just to get a varied portfolio. I've always felt a sort of single minded approach in big projects to be the most beneficial. Concentrate on it, get shit done.
Since this is a personal project I've been wanting to get done since before I started school (when I was in highschool... like 15 years ago) I know this will get done, and I'm driven to complete it, a lot like Adam's dodo and falcon projects.
holy crap, that turned out a lot longer than I anticipated, sorry if anyone tries to read it all
Replies
Probably at least 90% of people in management are stupid. You're not alone!
Sure.
But one shouldn't forget their "place" in the production. You can suggest, give feedback, etc. but if your vision doesn't align with those from your leads or managers I recommend
being flexible enough to stand down and just do what you're expected to do. Start bitching behind managers backs can hurt you come review time. And also you might unconsciously poison the moods and motivations or your co-workers.
Aim to become a manager if you want more control.
And if a day comes were you can't handle it anymore: call in sick, leave early, go on vacation or take a stress leave.
of course, maintaining the level of communication and getting the job done is priority 1, regardless if I disagree with it or not. It's what they want, I get paid to do what they want and if it's wrong, I get paid to fix it regardless, so it's not really a concern, I just don't like having to redo things that I know are wrong to begin with :P
well okay, idiot director might have been the wrong word, I don't think personally that this guy is an idiot, but he's definitely not a good fit to be in that job.
Dude, shoot for 3 to 6 months from now, get cracking!
That line is very true. We all hear "water-cooler talk", and we bitch about stuff in our lunch-time cliques. When the people doing the bitching have no clue WTF is going on and what a manager does. If a manager isn't being up to snuff, say something to him/her in a non-threatening/condescending way. If they are worth their salt (whatever the hell that means), they will take notice and do something. When I started in this industry I've just dealt with it and was more part of the problem by not saying anything to the appropriate people at the appropriate time through the appropriate channels (I'd bitch about it at lunch). There's a time and a place to bitch about stuff... it's called a blog. Hehehe just kidding!! If it threatens the project, it's an issue, that's all I care about. If a co-worker is feeling down, or pissed, help them up. I could care less about office politics.
It depends on WHEN that person is brought into a cycle. When things are being ramped up, sure I have time show someone the ropes and get them up to speed since the whole team is getting up to speed (either from comp-time or starting a new cycle). But if it's halfway through and the shit's hitting the fan, I really would rather have someone who takes minimal guidance and has the mind to figure things out, or shoots an email with a question that doesn't require me to walk over and show them. Only push the red button if there's an emergency.
I'd say many artist have the "start-many-finish-none" syndrome. Most of us just loose interest for some damn reason. If you're feeling like shit, stuck in a rut and no motivation, then part of the reason may be because YOU don't finish your work because you have too much on your plate. And it turns into a cycle. Take something, and finish it. Start small if you have to, don't let it drag on too long if you think you'll loose interest. There's mini-comps on this site or GameArtisans that will keep you focused and won't require too much outside time. If you keep it up, the portfolio will grow.
The person who hesitates, finishes last. Also, take pride in your position no matter what sector of the game industry you are in. You're on the "front lines" just as much as everyone else. I second this. Do whatever it is that gets you going and get the f*ck up. There's 1,000's of people across this board and GameArtisans that will keep you going, provided you are willing to do the work.
(damn that was longer than I thought...)
6 months would be possible if I were just doing 3d and I were to lock myself in a tiny room.. or not working at a job at all...
The bulk of the project is for myself, but of the elements that I would be doing for it in 3d would be for my education in learning modular environment design, a little bit of level design ish, how to play with unreal editor and then I'd be yoinking the best out of the bunch to put in a 3d portfolio.
I might play with characters again to try morph targets or more rigging, but I think at this point, I want to explore while I can. Since I'm fairly stabily employed, even though I'm not enjoying it a whole lot, a paycheck is a paycheck, and it's supporting me enough that I can explore my options.
As for tailoring to a specific job, I'm working on discovering what I like to do for now, then I'll go from there, but at this point, I want to keep my options open, so in going through the steps to my project, I'm hoping I'll have a good selection afterwards to compile a portfolio.
As for finishing... well.. because it's a personal project that I've longed to do since high school, it will be done. And the more people who tell me that I'm crazy and that it can't be done, the better, cause it will be done. You can quote me on it :P
There is a plan :poly142: and it WILL be done. :poly105: