If I Only Had More Time…

As we critiqued the final films from first semester our 3D Animation program today the students felt the the eternal unrest that haunts artistic ventures. “If I only had more time…” was the continual refrain. Each student felt the twin feeling of pride and disappointment. They felt pride at the obvious improvements in their work, pride in new knowledge made visible in more detailed textures, emotive lighting, compelling models evocative camera work and the controlled movement of budding animators. Yet each one of those could have been better. The knowledge gained by completing the second film made them view that work with eyes that saw the flaws they had when beginning the film, flaws they no longer have but still made it on screen nonetheless. It showed that, even with the visible improvement in each of them, not all the new knowledge made it to the screen. This disappointed my students but made me pleased, it means the starting point for their next work will be that much higher, even though it will end with the same phrase “If I only had more time…”, because it always does, each and every time.

- Bill Stout, New York Film Academy Instructor