Sup!

Hey guys. I've been busy all week lately so I haven't had the time to write or reply to comments. The year is about to end soon and we're trying to get the last few episodes of the cartoon done. But still I wanna give a shout out to all my pals here on DA, especially Kitty-Kat-Miao, heartlesslayer, anotakuami! How ya guys doing! Its great to be back!

During the near end of the year, less work comes in due to the holiday season. So I'm going to be free to do all sorts of crazy stuff. I already got a few plans in mind but most of them involve spending time with my friends and family. Maybe I'll start working on a new webcomic or flash cartoon.

Oh by the way, I participated and won in a Gaming Tournament last Sunday. Awesome huh?! Tell you more on that soon.   

Anyho, I bet you guys wanna know what its like in the animation business ey? Well I'll tell ya but keep in mind that whatever I'm going to say about being an animator maybe be different in other countries.

I won't get into the gory details but just so you know, being animator doesn't pay as well as it used to. It all depends on how much animation you've done, the length of your scenes, the cartoon and the clients. We are an outsource company so we are dependent on clients giving us work. So if you plan being an animator as your stable job than you may have to think twice about it.

But like I said, it could be different in other countries and we are an outsourcing company. We don't really "MAKE" our own cartoons, we just help animate them.

But don't let that discourage you. If you love cartoons, animation etc then its a great job. I'm having quite a blast. When I get enough money and experience, I hope to start my own studio and make my own shows.

One of the noticeable advantages of being an animator is being able to see the ENTIRE season of a cartoon before anyone else. Sure these are usual still-drawn images of the show but it looks great! You even see deleted scenes and little funny tidbits and easter eggs like Derpy from MLP (yes she was place there intentionally) who is spotted in several episodes. Its like watching a comic book.

Before we start a new cartoon we are all given an "Animation Bible" of the cartoon we're going to do. It basically series of documents explaining everything about the cartoon, from drawing style, details of the story/cartoon/world/characters, sample episodes etc. Every episode is discussed, planned and dissected to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Afterward, a number of scenes are assigned to each animator to ummm animate. After its done, all the scenes are piece together to make the Episode. These drafts usually don't have sound or music but it looks great to see the once still-image cartoon is colored and moving. The end product is the one shown on TV with sound, music and such. As you watch it, you get a sense of nostalgia because you kind of grew up with the cartoon. You'll noticed the change in dialogue, some deleted scenes, the subtle animations that people wouldn't notice etc. It always great to see what you've done and gives you a sense of accomplishment to see your scene on the TV screen even if you're probably not mention in the end credits. To see the character you animated move and express their feelings. And I guess that's what being an animator is all about.

So do I feel proud being an animator? Well Yes I do. Even if it doesn't pay so well and my name isn't going to be in the credits, I still think its worth it. Besides, it just fuels my desire to start my own studio and make my own cartoons.

Well I hope that explains a bit. Just ask if you want to know more. I wanted make it short and simple and not bore you all with details. Hope you got a little insight from this. CIAO!