Between frames
A return to form and a reflection on insecurity
I started this newsletter at the tail end of 2022 and then promptly went radio silent for over a year. I'm back now, hopefully with some consistency. But no promises ;)
Part of the problem was I didn't really know what I wanted this project to be. Was it an opportunity to write in public? A way to connect with people? To showcase my work? I wasn't sure. I'm still not sure.
What I do know is that I still want to build this platform as a means of freeing myself from social media and to explore a different kind of creative expression and connection.
When I started this thing I was at a bit of a crossroads in my creative focus. I had largely pivoted away from filmmaking and sunk my teeth into game development. The last year and change has been a process of shifting back to movies, but this time, the CG animated kind.
Gazing backward
My earliest little movies and cinematic experiments were actually animated. As a kid I was obsessed with stop-motion and made videos with plasticine in my bedroom that I published on YouTube. I tried my hand at frame-by-frame hand drawn animation in Microsoft Paint and Movie Maker. I crafted worlds in drawings and sequential art.
Above: my first claymation video
Somewhere along the line, I gave up animation in favor of live-action filmmaking. I put down the plasticine and never picked it up again.
Over the years, I flirted with animation but held it at arm's length. Candidly, I was afraid of the medium's public perception as being unserious, and only for children. I didn't personally believe in those stereotypes, but I worried the rest of the world wouldn't take me seriously as an artist, which was (unfortunately) quite important to me for some time. I felt similarly about games. Looking back, this perspective was a reflection of my own insecurities, and my fear influenced my creativity more than I’d like to admit. It was misguided, and as I've gotten older I've worked to let go and lean into whatever forms of expression resonate most deeply within myself.
Returning to animation and working with Blender (my current tool of choice), has been one of the most liberating and creatively expansive experiences of my life. In CG I can attempt to create anything I can imagine. It's opened doors to new realms of storytelling possibility. It’s shrinking the layers that exist between me and a finished product. It’s raw and direct. Above all, it has been a profound reminder of the importance of authenticity in creative expression.
Above: two recent pieces of mine; CG animation
I'm going to continue to grow and evolve as an artist, with many more pivots to come. I'm still passionate about live-action, as well as games and software, and I have an interactive project planned for some time in the future. For now, I couldn't be more excited about the animation projects in my pipeline, and I'm going to work with the garage doors up, including you in the process.
Did any of this resonate with you? I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email.
Thanks for reading!
Reid
Some things I’m thinking about:
📄 It’s Not What the World Needs Right Now; by Andrew Norman Wilson
🎧 Podcast: Is A.I. already taking jobs? with Paul Trillo re: Sora