From the course: Creative Inspirations: Renegade Animation, Animation Studio

Sources of inspiration

(Music playing.) Ashley Postlewaite: It's fantastic that I could co-own an animation company because I cannot draw to save my life, and that's a source of much good humor for everybody around here. But I feel like I have a good eye and I have sort of grown a good eye over the years of working with Darrell and working with Renegade. Darrell Van Critters: I think if I had to say one thing that really inspires me is the chance to, because I don't think Flash is there yet, is to keep exploring with the tool. I really have a hard time with saying, okay that's as far as it is going to go, so let's just crank it out. That's not inspiring me. That doesn't make me want to get up and come in the morning; it's telling you stories with characters, that's really the thing that's inspiring. And the best of them, Disney Films, Pixar Films, I mean any of the great films, that's what inspires me. I have a great deal of traditional animation art here up on the walls that I use for inspiration and just to remind me of my roots. This particular piece was done for The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo back in mid 60s, and I like this one just because it shows some of the steps, quick studies of the environments, all done with colored pencil that was really, really strong draftsmanship, really strong shapes. This one, who doesn't like character's smoking cigarettes? I know I am big fan of it, so that was the joy of that one and what's even better is he's a full color cel, smoking a black and white cigarette, really cool. This one is from Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. That's always been one of my favorite animated Christmas special. In fact, so favorite that I just finished writing a book on it which would be coming out this summer. And that was another case of where, yeah, the animation isn't great. In fact it probably would have been improved had been done in Flash, the actual animation. But there is lot of great design in it, great color, and more importantly, great story telling, great characters. The songs in this are outstanding. Ashley Postlewaite: My inspirations are more about the people. I mean I love our product but I really love taking care of people, and whether that's our clients or employees, I feel my best day is where I feel like I have done a good job at that. And I think that's just sort of the core of my personality is I feel great joy when I see somebody who works here doing really great work. I mean I am actually fed by that in some funny ways. Darrell Van Critters: Who was it that said dying is easy, comedy is hard? I mean really comedy is hard, and I think that's part of what the joy of it is. When you pull something off and you make somebody else laugh, that's pretty cool. That's hard to do because you can do a lot of things for people where just go, huh? A smile, they will chuckle internally. But to actually make somebody break out laughing, that's tough to do. And I think that's one of things that keeps me going too is working on these kinds of project where we can pull that off.

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