Poetry Friday: “The Search”

For today, I thought I’d stick with the more serious tone I had taken with last week’s poem…although this is definitely a little livelier!  Much of my children’s poetry is humourous, but I’ve been working on a collection of poems that deal with inspiration, dreams, and encouragement – and this just sort of popped out of nowhere and almost
wrote itself. (Yes, I have multiple poetry collection manuscripts I’m writing simultaneously; I figure if one of them gets picked up, at least I’ll have plenty more where that came from!)

Hope you like it. Speaking of ‘more where that came from’…make sure you visit this week’s Poetry Friday hostess, Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe, for the complete, poetic round-up!

“The Search”

I went on a journey
Of faraway places;
Travelled new roads,
Discovered new faces,
Saw the Great Pyramid,
Walked the Great Wall,
Spoke in strange tongues
I barely recall,
Sheltered in catacombs
Rarely explored,
Rode a king’s horses,
Laid down his sword,
Sailed around islands
In tropical climes,
Caught up with pirates,
Paid for their crimes,
Crawled with the sidewinders,
Swam with the rays,
Ran with a cheetah,
Sang with the jays,
Danced with the dolphins,
Scaled rocks with a ram,
Slept with a lion,
Lay with a lamb,
And though there are tales
That are yet to be penned
Still, my adventures
Have come to an end
And I have to concede
Where I may have been wrong…
What I thought had been lost,
Was here all along.

- © 2013 Matt Forrest Esenwine

The Importance of Doing

While sitting in church this past Sunday, something occurred to me:  “how” we do something is not nearly as important as actually doing it.

Let me explain…

No matter where you go in the world, one of the most – if not the most – important parts of a Christian mass is what is termed the ‘Celebration of the Eucharist,” or, as most people refer to it, receiving Communion. As part of this ceremony, each member of the congregation takes a piece of bread (or, as Catholics call it, a ‘host’) as a symbol of the bread that Jesus Christ shared with his Apostles on the night before he was arrested, and eats it in remembrance of that Last Supper.

But it’s not so simple, you see.

Breaking bread can get complicated

Some Christian religions, like the Catholic faith, perform this ritual during every mass – whether it’s a regular Sunday morning, a wedding, a funeral, a Holy Day of Obligation…you name it. While some Protestant faiths do the same, many only do it on Sunday, or even just one Sunday each month.

Jehovah’s Witnesses, in fact, only do it once a year, during what they call The Memorial, which is their version of an Easter mass.  Yet, although all congregation members are offered the ceremonial bread, only a very select few actually partake of it.

There are other differences, too. Some churchs serve traditional unleavened bread; others prefer leavened.  Some churches only allow the priest to serve it; others allow ordinary folks designated as ‘lay ministers’ to serve it. While one church may require you to stand, another may have you kneel, while another has you sit.

Some churches are quiet during the ceremony; some play music.

No matter how Christians do it, though, the important thing is…they do it.

What’s keeping you from doing?

So as I sat there in the pew, I began thinking about all the variables we encounter
in our lives, and all the roadblocks we put in front of ourselves. When we fall in love, we wonder if we should tell the other person our feelings. After a date, we wonder whether we should call or text the other person back too soon, or not soon enough. We see a job position available that we’d really like to apply for…but we doubt we’re qualified.

Parents worry they don’t spend enough time with their kids. Actors and voice artists question whether we should audition for a gig. Poets agonize over which adjective is best to describe a mountain.

It feels like we all spend so much time debating with ourselves over whether we should do something, or how we should do something…that we end up never doing.

In fact, as I write this post, it’s 10:16pm EST on Monday night, and the reason it’s so late is because I spent the last two days wondering if I should use this idea as a blog post!

“Worry is a misuse of the imagination.” – author Dan Zadra

I’m not sure why so many of us, myself included, come up with so many reasons to not do something we want to do. Perhaps it’s because of fear of failure. Perhaps it’s the fear of the unknown.

Perhaps it’s because maintaining the status quo is also the path of least resistance.

Whatever the reason, it seems to me that there’s a lot more worrying in this world than there is doing. Granted, if you want to skydive, you can’t just go jump out of a plane. If you want to quit your job to spend more time with family, you need to assess your finances. If you want to be an author, you need to learn how to write.  (Although these days, it seems that requirement is sadly becoming less and less necessary)

But if you’re not doing anything to achieve these goals – why worry or complain about your lack of ever reaching them?

“If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?”  -Śāntideva, Buddhist monk

Bottom line: worrying, debating, and stressing are not doing. The Christian churches don’t worry about whether they should sit during Communion or stand, whether they use unleavened bread like Jesus did or a loaf of regular whole wheat, or whether they should do it daily, weekly, or monthly.

They just do it.

Why don’t you? If you want to have a particular career, don’t just talk about it – do something to get yourself there. Parents, leave the dirty bathroom for another day and go outside and play with your kid. Poets, write the damn line about the stupid mountain and then go back and revise.

If you love someone, tell them! It’s time for all of us to get things done!

I, for one, am going to stop worrying, debating, and analyzing every decision I make. And that’s something I know I can do.

Poetry Friday: “Stone-Kicking”

I’ve been having fun the last few Poetry Fridays, writing about all sorts of things, from chocolate spleens to where to find inspiration.  So I thought I would offer up something different this week (I seem to do that a lot).  As you may know, I write primarily children’s poetry – but now and then it’s nice to sit back and write something geared to a slightly more mature reader.

I’m providing a recitation of the poem, as a number of my visitors have suggested to me that I should record more of my poetry.  Bbeing a voiceover artist, one would think I’d record poetry more often than I do! For all of today’s Poetry Friday posts, please visit Julie Larios’ blog; she’s hosting the festivities today.

“Stone-Kicking”

I kick my dreams
like stones in the road
watching them bounce
happily ahead
while I dawdle
behind.
Dirt road, still damp
from yesterday’s storm
smells of pine and mud.
Gravel softly
sticks to slow feet
while sunlight tries
through thick poplars
to warm a meandering path.
I kick another stone, watching it
quickly skip
aimlessly
away.
The joy, of course, comes not
from picking it up,
carrying it,
keeping it…
but from watching
where it goes,
how far it rolls,
and, when it veers
to the slick road’s edge,
setting it aright
with my foot
and flicking it
back
to the center.

© 2013 Matt Forrest Esenwine, 2-23-13

The No-Resolution New Year

(The original title for this post was, “The No-Resolution New Year, or How the Portable People Meter Can Help You Not to Stress Over Your Resolutions.”  But that was a bit wordy.  Read along and it’ll all start to make sense.  Perhaps.)

For two weeks now, I’ve been reading and hearing about everyone’s new year’s resolutions.  Most folks want to lose weight.  Exercise more.  Eat healthy.

Some have very ambitious, specific resolutions, such as resolving to publish a book or to make a specific more amount of money each month.  Others are a bit more ambiguous, like trying to be a better person – which is nice, but what does that mean?  Are you only moderately tolerable now?

Believe me, I appreciate why folks make new year’s resolutions…but if you ask me for mine, I’ll tell you I have none.  And it’s not because I don’t think I can’t make improvements in my life, or don’t see the value in setting goals.

I simply don’t see the point in setting a date to start on those goals.

Why wait?

A few years ago, I was talking to some friends about wanting to leave my place of employment and strike out on my own to work for myself as a voiceover artist.  It was autumn, and I recall explaining to them that there were a number of things I would need to do in order to make that change possible.  I would need to build up contacts and clients.  I would need to make sure my finances would be able to handle the initial reduction in pay.  Most importantly, I would need to have the physical tools available to work from home, such as a new computer and editing software, a better quality microphone, and sound dampening equipment to prevent ambient noise and echo in my recordings.

One of my friends suggested it would be a good new year’s resolution to work toward that goal.  I agreed - although I saw no need to wait until the new year to begin setting the plan in motion.  So I began auditioning more, prospecting for clients, and connecting with more people through social media.  I also started buying some new equipment.

I knew my finances were not going to allow me to leave work that following year, but at least I had begun moving forward.

Eventually, I got more gigs, built up a clientele, and this past summer was finally financially able to leave my position as production director for a 5-station radio group and work for myself.  A month later, I began this blog – another item on my to-do list.

And you know what?  The 2010 new year, 2011 new  year, and 2012 new year had nothing to do with any of it.  It was done through sheer determination, and determination is available 365 days a year.

Image courtesy of Music Row

The Portable People Meter

The Portable People Meter (or PPM) is a small device developed by the company Arbitron to measure how often a person listens to different radio stations.  You may have heard of Nielsen ratings for TV?  Well, Arbitron is the radio equivalent of Nielsen, and ratings are very important , because they show how many people are listening to different stations, how often they listen, what times they listen, etc.  Radio and television stations then use this info to sell advertising and set rates.

The way it works is, a random person is equipped with a PPM and it automatically keeps track of which stations he/she listens to throughout each day over several weeks.  (Back in the day, people were asked to keep written diaries, which can obviously be fallible – although some still do use them - so the PPM was a huge breakthrough in radio station monitoring)

Ratings are broken down into ‘Average Quarter-Hours,’ which simply means a minimum of 5 minutes for every 15-minute block, if you divide your clock at :00, :15, :30, and :45 minute increments.  For example, if a listener tuned in at 6:00am and tuned out at 6:07am, that would count as one quarter-hour, because he/she had listened for at least 5 minutes.  If that listener tuned in at 6:10am and tuned out at 6:20am, it would count for TWO quarter-hours (5 minutes in each quarter-hour block).  However, if he/she tuned in at 6:11am and tuned out at 6:19am, that radio station would receive NO quarter-hours, because the 5-minute minimum per quarter-hour had not been met.

“Your point, Matt??  Get to the point!”

Ok, ok.  You see, the PPM blew away a rock-solid radio programming axiom that nearly everyone in radio obeyed.

Before the PPM, radio stations believed that each hour’s first quarter-hour (from :00 – :15) was the most-listened to of all the quarter-hours.  This is because the hand-written radio diaries often had the first quarter-hour listed.  So if that’s what people are writing down, it must be the way it is, right?

Wrong.

With the advent of the PPM, the number-crunchers at Arbitron realized that each quarter-hour was more or less equally listened-to.  People were tuning in to radio stations not at the top of each hour…but whenever they darned well felt like it.

Shocker, I know.

Thing is, it was a shocker to a lot of radio stations, who for decades had deliberately played their hottest songs, or some other type of important, exciting must-tune-in elements, at the top of each hour.  Turned out that that people were writing down the top of the hour on their hand-written diaries not because they were tuning in at the top of the hour, but because it was easier to say “11am” if they happened to tune in at 10:55am (which, you’ll notice, is an all-important quarter-hour!).

No time like the present

I’m explaining all of this to show that it’s irrelevant when to begin improving your life.  The important thing is that you have a vision for that improvement.  And if you don’t have the determination, that’s ok – take some time to find it!  It doesn’t matter if it’s the top of the hour or the beginning of the year – a radio station needs to have good programming every minute of the hour, and you make changes to your life every day of the year.

My wife and I met in September 2007, were engaged that following Christmas, and were married in August 2008, one month before we’d known each other for a year.  While some might say we rushed into things, I say we seized an opportunity.  We knew how we felt about each other, we knew our feelings would not change…so we figured, why wait?  One never knows what might happen tomorrow.  Carpe diem, and all of that!

Whether it’s the top of the hour or the beginning of the year…it’s just a spot on a clock or calendar.  You can make those resolutions whenever you feel like it:  losing weight, making more money, being more tolerable.

And if you do make a resolution that fails or for some reason doesn’t come to fruition…

Today is as good a day as any to start again.

2012 – Looking back

I’m writing this on New Year’s Eve, to be published on New Year’s Day – so I’m not sure if this is my final post of 2012 or my first post of 2013.  I guess it doesn’t matter, really…the important thing is the fact that I’m still posting at all!

When I started this blog in August, I honestly had no idea if I’d be able to keep it going.  I was a voiceover artist, writer of poetry, unpublished children’s author, and dad; what could I add to the plethora of information out there on the web?  I doubted I had enough to say that enough other people would care to read.  I was determined, however, to try to make a small mark on the world.

I was shocked when I discovered the world was willing to be marked.

Just the stats, ma’am…

Now, before I get too far, let me say that, although this post is about my blog, it’s really about you.  After all, you could be watching TV, reading a book, plotting a scheme to get back at your no-good boss for not giving you that holiday bonus you were expecting…you could be doing a lot of things right now besides reading this blog.  But you are reading it – and because of that, I have something to write about!

You see, the statistician folks at WordPress.com emailed me an annual report for this blog, and as I read through it, certain things jumped out.  One was the fact that this blog received 3000 views over the course of the year – which may not seem like a lot to many of the more experienced bloggers out there, but considering I only started 5 months ago, 3000 is a pretty good number to me.

It was also interesting to learn that the post that received the most views was one of my first: The Stand-Up Comedy Rule That Can Make You a Better Writer, from August 13.  I’m still getting views of that post as recently as a couple of weeks ago.  The second-most-viewed post was on the blog’s busiest day of the year: September 28.  That was the day I shared “The Grossest Poem Ever,”  The irony of this lies in the fact that it was not necessarily one of my best or favourite poems, but one that drew considerable responses.  It was hard keeping up with the comments that day!

Perhaps one of the most surprising, meaningful, and thought-provoking stats was the sheer magnitude of scope the internet allows poor little unknown writers like me.  WordPress.com’s report provides a world map highlighting each country from which my blog received a visitor, and how many visitors there were.  While most views came from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., I learned my blog was also being visited by folks from countries as diverse as India, Peru, Russia, Spain, Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, Kyrgyzstan, and all three Scandinavian countries (wonder if they were searching for my Pepparkakor recipe?).

People from a total of 63 countries, popping into my little home on the web.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.

“Tying together poetry, parenting, and advertising in a neat little package”

That was the goal and theme I set for myself when I began this blog 5 months ago.  I think I’ve covered a lot of ground, too, touching on everything from radio drama and childhood to dog breeding and minimalist art…along with plenty of poetry.

2012 has been a big, busy year for me, too:

- I left fulltime employment in July to work from my home studio and be a stay-at-home dad to my son who just turned 3

- I completed the manuscript for my winter-themed collection of children’s poetry, which is now in the hands of one of the top children’s poetry editors in the country (still waiting to hear what she thinks!)

- Thanks to Steven Withrow and Poetry Advocates for Children and Young Adults (PACYA), I had the opportunity to interview children’s poets Lee Bennett Hopkins and J. Patrick Lewis

- The Young Adult Review Network (YARN) published several of my poems in their online journal

- And my wife and I gained a new member of the family - Rosie our puppy - in addition to finding out we’re expecting!

All this, plus I’m in the process of writing my follow-up book, an autumn-themed collection, in case the winter-themed collection gets picked up.  (What can I say, I’m an optimist.  A very busy, sleepless optimist)

I’m honoured and touched that you have been a part of this.  I hope you’ll continue stopping by and leaving your comments and sharing this blog with others.  There are bigger, fancier, more extensive blogs out there, so believe me when I tell you that I truly appreciate your support and look forward to sharing 2013 with you.  I have some fun, exciting things planned – including hosting Poetry Friday THIS Friday – so stay tuned!

If you’re interested, feel free to click here to see the complete report...and have a safe, prosperous, and VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I wish you all the success and joy you can stand!

Putting the ‘civil’ in civil discourse

By definition, “civil discourse” refers to a conversation intended to promote understanding between those involved.

Unfortunately, these kinds of conversations seem to be getting rarer and rarer.

I’ve noticed that many people of late are falling out of relationships with those with whom they disagree about the upcoming presidential election.  I’ve read articles about company employees of one political persuasion trying to keep their opinions quiet, so as not to upset other employees of an opposite persuasion; I know folks who have been saddened to discover friends of theirs ending their friendships, refusing to talk to them over differing political ideologies.

I’ve come to the realization that too many people in this country have forgotten – or possibly never considered – that we’re all in this together.

In the wake of last night’s debate, and in light of the fact that Election Day is coming just two weeks from today, I felt it might be worth a reminder.  And while I make references to politics, civil discourse is something that should be practiced in everyday life.

We’re all on the same side…

I never get into politics here; and really, today’s post is more about human decency than anything else.  It doesn’t matter which ‘side’ you’re on…we’re ultimately all on the ‘same side.’

Most of us want the same thing; the problem is, we don’t always recognize this, and even if we do, we disagree on how to get there.  Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives, libertarians, independents, and most of the other parties out there all want the same thing:  a bright, promising future not only for ourselves, but especially for our children.  Rare is the person who wants the country’s economy to collapse and bring about an end to the nation’s system of government as we know it.

We are so passionate about our own personal beliefs, though, we forget this.  Indeed, that passion proves how much we love our country, our families and friends, our cities and towns; after all, if we really didn’t care, why would any of us be so vociferous?

I recall a conservative friend of mine once saying, “Liberals just want to tear this country apart!” while in a separate conversation, a liberal friend posed the question, “Why do conservatives hate this country so much?”  Now, knowing these two individuals as I do, I can tell you that neither one hates this country, neither wants it to fall apart, and both are good, upstanding citizens with homes and families and hope for the future.

Both are genuinely good people.

But it really took me aback to think that, even though they didn’t know each other, each had such a negative view of the other.

Beyond The First Amendment

We shouldn’t need to fall back onto the First Amendment as ‘protection’ for what we say.  We should be willing to listen to an opposing viewpoint simply because it’s the decent thing to do, and not fear retribution for our own beliefs.

My wife and I, for example, are nearly polar opposites when it comes to politics.  We always say that if we had used eHarmony.com when we were single, we’d have never met - the computer algorithms they use would have either never matched us up, or would’ve crashed trying.  You know how some couples say they never talk about religion and politics?  My wife and I talked about religion and politics on our first date.

And believe me, we have some great arguments at our house, too - heated, loud, impassioned – but never mean-spirited.  We love each other, and we know each of us wants what’s best for the country, as well as our kids’ future.  Just because we disagree on how to get there, doesn’t mean we don’t have the same goal.

We’ve opened up each other’s minds, too – I think each of us is a better person because of the insight we’ve gained from the other.

I also have plenty of friends I’ve known for years who are at complete opposite ends of the political spectrum – but we’ve remained friends for so long because we respect each other.  (The preponderence of a growing lack of respect towards others in general could make a whole OTHER blog post)

Civil ≠ Dispassionate

You’ve probably heard plenty of politicians asking for more ‘civil discourse’ over the last few years.  How has that turned out?  I think people assume that one cannot be passionate about something and still be civil.  The pervasive rationale is that one has to be mild-mannered and timid in order to not be offensive.  I don’t buy it.  Personally, when I get riled up about something I’m passionate about, my voice rises, my speech starts picking up, and my pulse quickens.  That doesn’t mean I’m offensive or disrespectful.  I’m just animated!  I’m excited!

But I’m still civil.

So the next time you start discussing the merits of one candidate or the other, or one policy over the other, remember that everyone in the conversation has the same goal: the improvement of our lives today and the security of the future of the generations to follow.

Remember that we’re all trying to get to the same place:  a place of happiness, prosperity, peace.

Remember my wife and I, who debate economic policy as we’re getting ready to go to sleep!

Differering opinions can coexist within a household.

And if they can exist in the bedroom, they should certainly be able to exist on the campaign trail.

Things worth doing, worth trying, and not worth your effort

Lord Chesterfield, 1765

“Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.”
- Lord Chesterfield (1694 – 1773)

“Anything worth doing, is worth doing right.”
- Hunter S. Thompson

“Don’t half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.” 
- Ron Swanson of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation”

No matter how you look at it or to whom you look for a great quote about it, we humans strive for excellence.  Throughout history, we as a species have faced innummerable insurmountable odds – floods, plagues, sabre-toothed tigers, the Kardashians – and have always managed to not only survive, but thrive.

It’s that innate drive, coupled with our intelligence and curiosity, that has propelled us from drawing on cave walls to writing Elizabethan sonnets, from discovering fire to sending men to the moon.  It is our constant quest for knowledge, wisdom, and self-discovery that has allowed us to create life-changing inventions like vaccines, automobiles, computers, and Moxie.

So why do some people just not bother?

A couple of months ago, I came across a book-review blog (which shall remain nameless).  The most recent posting, dated July 2012, was a review of the book, The Hunger Games.  Now, considering the fact that the book was originally published in 2008, the fellow writing this review seemed to be a tad late to the party.  The movie, of course, just came out earlier this year – so a book review at this point was, to say the least, overdue.

But then I read it.

Paraphrasing – but almost word-for-word – the review went as follows:  “I’ve heard alot about this book; if it’s anything like the movie, this is probably pretty good.”

I was dumbfounded.  I actually started yelling at my poor computer for wasting the 40 seconds or so of my life that it took to find and read that insightful and eye-opening ‘review.’

The question I kept asking this faceless ‘book reviewer’ was…”Why bother?!?”

If you’re not going to even try to make an effort, why waste the time?  Maybe it’s because I value quality, perhaps it’s because I value my time…but I simply cannot wrap my head around why anyone would voluntarily undertake a project they have absolutely no desire to actually DO, much less complete.  Am I missing something?

The $5000 idea…that wasn’t:

Here’s another one:  A businessman I know recently told me about his wife’s idea to sell crafts at the local fairs and flea markets; she knew what was popular and trendy, she had researched what she’d need, and thought it would be fun and profitable.  So my friend and his wife agreed to go forward with it.

That was three years ago.

At the time of this writing, nearly $5000 worth of merchandise remains packed away in their garage, waiting to be brought somewhere – anywhere – and be sold.

According to my friend, his wife became disinterested in the idea before she ever got the idea off the ground.

Again I ask, “Why bother??”

Is it laziness?  Apathy?  Disillusionment?

Forget, “if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well”…how about, “if something’s worth doing, it’s worth trying to do well.”  Or, “if something’s worth doing, it’s worth making an effort to try to do well.”  Or even, “if something’s worth considering doing, at least try to pretend to do it well, so others don’t write blog posts about you.”

I can understand if someone poorly performs a task they don’t actually want to do; I may or may not respect that, but I can understand it.  I can also understand a less-than-stellar performance from someone who is still learning the task.  Failure isn’t always a bad thing – it’s the best way to learn, in many instances.  But in these cases, we’re talking about people who voluntarily decided to not even attempt a goal they set for themselves.  If you don’t want to review books, don’t!  If you’d rather not hit the flea market circuit, don’t purchase enough inventory to start up your own mall anchor store!

Quitting = Liberating

Don’t get me wrong; if you don’t want to do whatever you’ve decided to do…it’s ok to change your mind.  But isn’t it better to simply cease whatever you’re doing rather than turn in a half-baked performance?

Are you struggling to get that first or second book published?  Ask yourself if you really enjoy the process:  the writing, the revising, the querying, the rejection.  If you find it difficult to be motivated to do the work…the work is probably suffering.  No one said you can’t stop.

Are you getting frustrated with the number of auditions or casting calls you’re being passed on, and wondering if you should keep at it?  Again, ask yourself if you enjoy what you’re doing – and if the answer is no, find something you do enjoy.  The only person putting pressure on you…is you.

Talent = Overrated

The difference between excellence and mediocrity is not necessarily talent.  Very often, tenacity beats brains, practice beats natural ability, and hard work beats luck.  (For the record, that last one is almost always true).  Nothing against talent, it’s certainly important – but it’s not the be-all and end-all.  I frequently play soccer and basketball with some of the folks in town, and although I’m one of the least-qualified players on any field I step onto, I hold my own.  Why?  Because, as I’ve told them, what I lack in talent I make up for in hustle.

Do you have hustle?

Are you making an effort?

Take a look at your life and see if there are projects, activities, or responsibilities you have taken on that you would rather not deal with.  Are you doing them well?  Are you trying to do them well?  Are you doing them at all?  There are probably plenty of folks out there who can and will do them – better than you.  Are you ok with that?

It’s your call.

Finding inspiration, one pie at a time

As you probably know by now, my day job is voiceover work.  As a professional voice talent, I get paid to read radio and TV commercials, narrate videos, and do on-hold telephone messaging and voicemail.  But because I’m the type who likes to help others when I can, I also lend my voice occassionally to student projects.  Because of the nature of these things, there is usually no budget, so the only thing I receive in return is the satisfaction of having helped someone trying to break into the entertainment business and perhaps my name in the credits.

And I’m ok with that!

For most of us, at some point in our lives someone gave us a helping hand to get to where we are now, and I like to be able to ‘pay it forward,’ so to speak.  Earlier this year, I did some voicework for a group of Ringling College of Art and Design (Florida) students working on their final project - an animated short - and it was just completed about a month ago.  I thought this might be a good opportunity to follow up on an earlier post I wrote about what spurs us to do what we do, and how we begin our career journey…as well as to get a glimpse of how computer-animated films are made.

Keep in mind, this was not produced by professional animators; it was created entirely by three film students, Adam Campbell, Elizabeth McMahill, and Uri Lotan, looking for their first big break!

When Elizabeth sent me this final version, I couldn’t believe how professional it looked…and sounded!  She and her partners managed to rope in not only me, but also well-known voice actor D.C. Goode (you may not recognize his name, but you’ve heard his voice – trust me!), among others.

I asked Elizabeth to talk a little about the project, to get her perspective as a student filmmaker:

- What made you decide to get into animation? 
I have always loved art and creating.  I had never really animated or done any film work at all before college, just drawing.  I thought about going into Illustration or some other design field but at the time animation was more of a challenge and a mystery.  I had drawn and painted before, but I had never brought a character to life.  I was drawn to animation because it was new and exciting ground, built upon the same foundations of the other visual arts but taking it in entirely different directions.

- What, exactly, was this project?
This was our graduation thesis – the capstone of our four years at Ringling.  It is a requirement that all students in the computer animation major create a short film.  We spend the second half of our junior year in pre-production on our films and then our entire senior year in full production.  Most films are created entirely by one student but Adam, Uri, and I decided to team up for our film.

- How did you & the team come up with the concept for this project?
We came up with the idea of a western town full of pie citizens late one night for a side project.  We had a day off from school and instead of working on homework we decided to use the time to make a 24 hour film, just for fun (we didn’t even come close to finishing it).  The night we got together to plan out the film for the day ahead one of Adam’s residents had given him a pie.  Somehow that turned into us making a bunch of western themed pie puns and jokes.  Months later, when the time came to pitch ideas for our thesis film we pulled out the pie western and reworked it into a full story.

- Goes to show you never know where the next great idea might come from.  So briefly, what was the process you used to put this all together?

That night of us sitting around making jokes and silly drawings was the real birth of the film.  Later in the production of the film we’d get together every so often like before for gag sessions to brainstorm new lines, events, changes to characters, and other ways to make the film better.  In the concept stage we reworked the story, characters, and camera quite a bit through our team meetings, script, storyboards, and ultimate animatic.  Alongside story we worked on development art for the film, exploring the look of the characters and environment.

- And that was just pre-production, so that was your entire junior year.  What did you do after that?
In our senior year came the actual production of the film.  First was modelling our characters, roughing in our sets, and texturing and rigging our characters for movement.  It was during this time too that we set out to find our voice actors so we could lock down our dialogue before we hit animation.  Then came Layout where we create an edit of our film in 3D from the animatic with rough posing and timing of our characters so we can lock down our cameras.  From layout we entered a period of about eight weeks of animation.  Once animation and our edit was pretty locked down we began working with our sound designers and composer.  At this time we finished up building our sets, texturing them, and planned out our lighting.  The last few months of work on the film were spent in lighting the shots, rendering them out, fixing things, and tying up any loose ends that were still hanging around.

- Wow, what a lot of work for a senior project!  Where do you go now with the film?  Is there a future for this project?
The future of this film is to get it in front of people and seen!  That’s really all there is.  We worked on it, had a great time, and now we’re all working on other things.  We’re just trying to share it with the world right now!

- What is your personal career goal?  What would be your ultimate dream job?
I’m always the worst person to ask about explicit goals or role models, because I don’t have them!  My goal really is to make cool things with great people, to constantly be challenged, learn, grow, and make a living doing it.  I’m excited to see where that takes me.  (ED. NOTE:  Adam is now an intern at Pixar, Uri is apprenticing as an animator at Digital Domain’s new Tradition Studios on their first feature film, and Elizabeth is in LA working as an intern at Syyn Labs.)

I want to thank Elizabeth for taking the time to answer my questions; I find it interesting and inspiring to learn how different people work towards their dreams.  And even though she says she doesn’t have them, Elizabeth’s goal to make ‘cool things’ and be ‘constantly challenged’ are good enough goals for me.

Since I spoke to her, this film short has been accepted to the LA Shorts Fest and will also be shown at Siggraph Asia, a huge computer graphics and technology conference to be held in Singapore.  All I can say is good luck and best wishes to the three of them!