Mark Mayerson, a TV show creator, animator, and teacher, has written what may be the single best thing I've ever read about the contemporary animation pitching process.
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 4/5/2014
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mark Mayerson, Educational, Pitching, Add a tag
By: Jerry Beck,
on 11/2/2011
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mark Mayerson, The Karate Guard, Ideas/Commentary, Add a tag
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By: Jerry Beck,
on 4/5/2014
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mark Mayerson, Educational, Pitching, Add a tag
By: Jerry Beck,
on 11/2/2011
Blog: Cartoon Brew (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mark Mayerson, The Karate Guard, Ideas/Commentary, Add a tag
As much as I love classic animation, I rarely (if ever) enjoy modern-day revivals and tributes to classic animation styles. I shudder every time I see a Tex Avery “take” imitation, a stylized “cartoon modern” character design, a Milt Kahl-ish performance, or yet another rubber-hosed Fleischer-style animated piece. Of course, building on these elements to achieve something new is fantastic, but too many animators view the act of recreating and referencing past styles as an accomplishment in itself. It’s an artistic dead end, explains animator and teacher Mark Mayerson in this must-read blog post. He analyzes a relatively recent Tom & Jerry short The Karate Guard to illustrate his point. It all boils down to this, he says:
Creative works are not only the product of people, they’re also the products of a time and place. As the world keeps changing, it is impossible to recreate something from the past. While artists often wish to duplicate what they love, they can only approximate it. Paradoxically, the closer they get to it, the more they’ve succeeded in doing nothing more than an good imitation. And since the originals are everywhere to begin with, is an imitation necessary?
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Post tags: Mark Mayerson, The Karate Guard