This is my entry into the Aniboom/History Channel “The People Speak” animation contest. (I lost) Aniboom provided the audio tracks. I chose a piece spoken by Stacyann Chin from a speech by Marge Piercy. The music was provided by TESTOSTROGEN. I let Chins voice and Testostrogen’s music dictate the images. Being a child of the 70′s my “Miz America” was inspired by “School House Rock” and Kathleen Cleaver.
Not everybody is down with Aniboom and its animation contests. I remember when Aniboom announces its FOX holiday contest. Amid from Cartoon Brew summed up what a lot of seasoned vets felt about Aniboom. Why should professional animators basically use their talent for limited return on their efforts? Sounds right. But what about us amateurs who barely know what we’re doing? According to Amid —
(gullible, young and stupid artists who don’t know any better enter these contests by the legions inspired by years of conditioning from reality TV competitions that promise fame and fortune with minimal effort.)
Pretty straight shooting. We’re suppose to work for it, not try to break into the industry by winning some contest sponsored by corporate goons that want to feed off talented animators for free. And those of us who aren’t so talented, we shouldn’t cheapen the art form by submitting lame ass work, we should study the art and get some training and experience, then we can contribute to the animation community in a dignified way. I was feeling that. BUT — When Aniboom announced “The People Speak” contest, I was intrigued, especially with some of the speeches chosen and some the actors that read the speeches, people like Morgan Freeman, David Strathairn and Marisa Tomei.
Here’s the Wild Card winner.
David Chen, a young animator from Canada was the grand prize winner. Deservedly so.
This final version is a little more polished than the original submission, but has the same charm and sense of humor.
I ain’t gonna lie. I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to animation. But I’m fascinated with it and energized and inspired by it. If I keep working it can only get better. In the mean time, I say when it comes to these contest, don’t take them too seriously. If I were an experienced pro, I don’t think I would bother. But for those of us who are just putting our toes in the water, I don’t think it can hurt, as long as we understand that winning a contest like Animboom doesn’t justify a career in animation, only hard work will do that.
