Briefly today, I would like to talk a bit about the animation industry as a whole.
Animation has been around since film, even before film. People used to entertain themselves with simple animations spun in a cylinder, or projected onto a wall as phantasmagoria. There are many instances of animation being used to entertain, educate, and express.
Nowadays, animation is a huge industry, that is very hard to get into, and yet it has fallen on hard times. In this economy, companies are trying to do what they can to lower costs, often at the expense of quality or man power. While many industries in America have been hurt by outsources, animation is one that may be ending in this country if outsourcing is not controlled. It is far cheaper to hire a company in Korea to draw the in-between frames, or sometimes the entire animation, for a 2D animated series or film. No American can compete with the dirt-cheap prices Korea offers, and over the years, the quality of that animation has gone way up as well. Back in the day, Japan was one of the main staples of out-sourced animation. However, since anime took off, Japan realized they were great at animation, and now Japanese animators are high in demand. Now both America and Japan have started to go to Korea. At this rate, Korea will gain the same reputation and people will start outsourcing to India or China. Now I am not saying all outsourcing is bad, but I am saying it has hurt the American animator.
Earlier today, i met a friend of mine by chance, Roger, whom I have not seen in years. He has been busy working as an AVT manager, but his passion lies in education and expression through animation. He has built for himself a small 2D animation studio in his home, and animated a little here and there on the side. However, he originally worked as an animator. He and several of his friends have lost their jobs, partially (or perhaps fully) due to the outsourcing issue in America. He has forced to take other career choices because he can not find the time or energy to continue the struggle to make it in the animation world. It is not a big secret, but animation is a very hard industry to break into, by itself, but with the outsourcing going on, it only makes the situation worse.
I am glad to see he still keeps up the fight on his end, as an independent animator, song writer, and educator. He has taken up doing some political cartoons, and his skills and talent show brightly. I think he has what it takes, in terms of talent, to succeed. I can only hope luck finds him, and he can do what he loves to do for a living.
I would like to share his blog with you, Hand Drawn Revolution, which explores his struggles as a an animator and artist, but also his own personal struggles and discoveries in life, as well as a showcase for his talents and ambitions. I suggest you take a look, give him some support, and try to do your part in all of this. Go out of your way to see an independent film or animation. Look for those small art theaters in your area that show imported and small budget independent movies. Give us the support we need to revise this essential and wonderful industry.
My hope is that someday soon, the animation industry takes a notice more of the smaller independent artists. That people like Roger, myself, my friends at Tangent Artists, and more, are recognized for our ideas and talents, and can get the chance to do something for the world. It only takes ambition, time, skill, and a lot of computer and artistic know-how to make a decent short animation, but it also takes support, encouragement, and money, as well as connections, to really be a success. We may all marvel at the animations Pixar and Dreamworks and Disney can make, but remember those movies are made by professional animators who were once amateurs like us, amateurs who just want to make a difference, and show the world their joy in animation.
