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Why Creators Must Think Outside the Box

By Terrence Walker

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Published: 04Jun2008
Word count: 556
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I am finding that creators, to this day, often still think inside the box. Unfortunately for those who are, thinking outside the box is the only way our projects will ever happen. Many acclaimed black directors still complain of problems in Hollywood, even trying to get a low budget drama financed. The creators of the very inspirational Hustle & Flow ended up going "out of pocket" to make what they knew was an amazing film, because no one at the studios believed in it. This is with name talent attached. The idea of a studio backing an unknown artist's first picture as a $100 million+ blockbuster movie is absurd. The truth of the matter is that the studios and their money are not necessary.

I like puzzles. There are puzzles all over the internet. One only needs to fid the pieces and start putting them together. One of those puzzles shows us what can really be done without millions of dollars or major studio backing. The day is soon coming, or already is, when full 3D animation is accessible to all at a quality that will astound. I have seen the puzzle pieces. Someone simply needs to put them together.

A quick look at the galleries on websites like Daz3D or E-On Software will show some amazing things people are doing with very cheap, or even free, of-the-shelf software. Although one may not be able to hire a large crew to model assets, there's so much content out there, for free or low prices, that an artist can have an incredible head start to getting their creation off the ground. The thing is that it takes a little imagination.

Too often when I mention the wealth of content out there, the 3D models at places like Daz, Renderosity or Content Paradise, people immediately ask, "Well, what if they don't have what I want?" That, to me, is a severe lack of imagination. They have everything an artist thinking outside the box could want. How you use it is what determines whether or not you get what you want. How you think about it is important too.

I have, in the past, bought a 3D costume model because it had a belt that I wanted, then another because it had a shoulder pad I wanted, and on it goes. The reason is because I think about it in terms of creating my own backlot with a wardrobe department and pieces from which to construct sets and environments. I would say this mode of thought has eliminated as much as 90% of the work involved building original content from scratch for my 3D animation projects.

Now some will say, "Certain things have to be exact to my design." Sometimes this is definitely true, but taking advantage of the wealth of available content out there can mean the difference between getting the project off the ground or never seeing it happen at all. An artist can wait for years for a studio to give them millions to make their dream script. I know some who have done that and they give up on a broken dream. Robert Rodriguez, on the other hand, looked at what he had and went out and got his first movie done. It's just a matter of how an artist approaches the project.

Terrence Walker is a published manga author, independent animator and online entrepreneur who helps other creatives realize their visions of digital content creation and distribution. To find out more information, visit: http://www.studioartfx.com

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