Portrait in Linen

Taking Rocky and Steampunk to the Red Stick Animation Festival in Baton Rouge this week. Four days of screenings, lectures, and workshops with industry professionals from major animation companies.

Looks like the majority of the focus will be on 3D animation and television projects, but there will definitely be an abundance of relevant information to prepare Rocky for his future career.

3D may be where it’s at, but Rocky is a traditionalist (after my own heart), and he has a deep appreciation for old fashioned paper and ink methods. A lot like novelists who still write in longhand–allows the creativity to steep before it’s let through the rendering process.

He’s betting there are millions of other people out there who are die-hard 2D enthusiasts. It may be a smaller market, but it’s a market nonetheless, and he would prefer to remain loyal to his artistic sensitivities rather than make big bucks doing something that goes against his grain. The ideal outcome, of course, would be for him to be able to produce exactly what he wants and make good money doing it.

The first day, Rocky and Steampunk will both participate in a collaborative filming/animation project for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Says the Red Stick website, “Students will shoot all over Baton Rouge’s downtown, and create their own animated content in a single day!” He’s utterly amped about the opportunity, and I’m thrilled Steampunk was able to get in on it, too. Those two feed off of each other’s creativity, and morale is always exponentially higher when one has a close buddy with whom to create.

For Rocky, the highlight of the festival, though, will be the Portfolio Review, with Dan Lund and Tony West, both Disney veterans. Lund is currently working on Disney’s Frog Princess, and West is at Firefly in Orlando (epicenter of independent animation projects).

Rocky knows very little about creating an animation portfolio, but between his archival and current project material, my experience with novel pitching, and a bit of research, I’m confident we can get him prepared to present something that is organized and comprehensive enough to convince the reviewers to take him seriously.

The purpose of the portfolio review–I’m guessing–is to get some quality constructive feedback from people who are doing what Rocky wants to do one day. I told him to refrain from going in with unrealistic expectations (like a job offer, or a proclamation of artistic genius), but rather, do aim and expect to hear good suggestions on how he can improve his work, areas he may want to focus on in the next two years before college, and perhaps a hint on what aspects of his personal style that may set him apart or distinguish him for future employ.

He’s wildly nervous, just as I was the entire week before my novel pitch. But he has until Saturday to prepare his presentation. He gets exactly 30 minutes, so he’ll have an idea of what he can and cannot cover in that amount of time.

Having no experience with animation portfolios, we tried to come up with a presentation kit that seems to parallel what one might present in a novel review, but includes the key elements of his animation work that will give the most effective overview of his work thus far.

• 3 clips of best work
• storyboard for current project
• partial script
• synopsis
• business cards

I’d say that’s fairly complete for a 15-year-old. I think he’ll have a lot more confidence in himself if he feels organized and prepared. He’s definitely doing his research on the attending professionals, their companies, and current projects. It makes all the difference in the world to know who it is you’re speaking to, where they come from, and what they do.

There’s also the Red Stick Festival Pitch Contest, open to individuals and groups working on their own animation productions. Representatives from distribution networks receive and judge presentations. I didn’t find any specific information on what a “win” entails, but I’m guessing it has something to do with a contract.

Rocky got in too late to enter this year, but once he’s been to the festival and experienced all it has to offer, he’ll have a full year to prepare for next year’s contest. His competitive side is already baring itself in a furious way; I think he’s got his mind set on pitching next year, and I have no doubt he’ll give it his very best.

I’m sure all this is intensely euphoric for him. Exactly how I felt anticipating sharing my novel with an industry professional. He’s going to come away from this inspired and motivated. Then I can do what I do best: cheer him on. And make sure he has access to quality resources and supplies.