It
came to this, he thought. Me, Steve Ziolkowski, a senior
animator at Rhythm and Hues. Who would have guessed- no, who COULD
have guessed that his humble beginnings thirty years in the past
would have led to this. Certainly, those midnight excursions to
Spike and Mikes animation festivals in La Jolla had their place,
as did Wile E. Coyote and company, Robotech and Battle of the
Planets. CalArts too had a major influence.
But
where did it start?
He pondered this question, brow furrowed, deadlines looming, and
then it a all became clear. Why, as a young child those crayons,
and the infinite possibilites they presented, were the start of
it all. And yes, from out of the cacophany of multicolored wax
the desire to create, draw and animate came pouring forth. Steve
thought hard about the nostalgic memories associated with the
simple crayolas, and then decided that inspiration would best
be found elsewhere. In retrospect, he figured, the REAL inspiration
was probably Star Wars.
Like
so many others born in the late sixties to early seventies, when
that friggin' Star Destroyer came hurtling over his head, pounding
the crap out of that Blockade Runner, he was hooked forever. Of
course, he ruminated, it wasn't just Star Wars, or Raiders, or
Aliens that he found so cool. It was also the classic Disney flicks.
Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Pinochio. Back then, he really
wanted to work for Disney, so it was off to CalArts when he was
old enough. However, when he got there he realized that he would
never be as good a draftsman as some of the others there, like
the Andrews brothers or Jill Culton or Craig McCracken. They were
just so damn good.
So,
reading up on what Einstein once wrote about inspiration and perspiration,
and the percentages thereof, he threw himself into mastering the
principles of traditional animation and applying them to the computer.
Wow, Steve thought wistfully. That was fun! 72 hour days, eight
hours of life drawing three times a week AND fully functioning
as a caffienated human being, moonlighting as an artist! It was
an amazing experience.
Fast
forward to his senior year, where he lucked into a job at Rhythm
& Hues. It was the first time they hired someone who didn't know
what he was doing. And not only that, they were willing to pay
him to do the kind of thing he'd be doing, even if he wasn't getting
paid to do it! They took a chance on Steve, and he's still hoping
it paid off for them. For almost eight years he worked there,
growing creatively and enjoying the folks who worked there. He
was able to animate the Coke Polar Bears, dancing flowers, excited
cereal boxes, thirsty lizards, nervous candy, sea monsters, topiary
people, bugs galore, flying french toast, and a host of other
anthropomorphic characters.
After
so much time at one place, Steve wanted to see if the grass was
indeed greener in other studios, so Dreamquest took him aboard
to animate the sand weanie in Mission to Mars.
While
the movie was not the box office smash they were hoping for, the
people there were wonderful and the experience was worth the price
of admission- especially watching the model crew blow stuff up.
Months went by. Shots came and went. Scenes got cut. Months passed
into a year and an opportunity came along to work for a small
studio in Hollywood as an animation director, so Steve jumped
at the chance. And like everything else, it was an experience.
The small venue is similar to the large one, only much more intense.
And now, he's back home at Rhythm & Hues. It's the circle of life
and all that. It's been an interesting path, and for all that
animated nostalgia, Crayons are still pretty damn cool.
Steve's
thoughts on production:
1. The clients are always wrong, AND always right. They are paying
the bills, after all.
2. Just because they pay the bills, doesn't mean they have good
taste.
3. It's not over until the film is delivered. Sometimes, not even
then. 4.
Don't fall in love with your first pass. It won't be the last.
5. The Animation director is the two faced monkey. He's got to
please the client and his animators. Don't take it personally.
6. Never burn your bridges. It's a small industry and it will
always bite you in the ass.
7. Take whatever you can from every job you get. Even the stinkers
can teach you stuff you didn't know.
8. Never cop an attitude. Someone always knows more than you.
9. If you have the knowledge, spread it around. See #8
10. Caffeine is your best friend.
