Tuesday, April 22, 2008

i met ed hooks!

When I was debating on purchasing Ed Hook's Acting for Animators a while back, the feedback on the AM forum raved about the value of his information. Many people mentioned they had attended his workshops and detailed how helpful that face-time proved to be. However, they always seem to be held outside of the US, with the exception of the work he does for studios in the states. So, I wasn't holding my breath about being able to attend one myself anytime soon.

I've been getting Ed Hook's newsletter for a while now, and a couple months ago he mentioned for the first time ever he would be hosting his workshop in his home town of Chicago. Living in the mid-west, it is very rare that I hear about opportunities like this so close to home. There is always stuff going on out in the west coast area. So, it was awesome that there was an event like out here.

I posted a message about it at AM before the end of the term but didn't get much feedback other then from people who had already attended one of his workshops and were talking it up. There ended up being one other AM student there, and it was cool to get to meet him (good luck with your short, Pat!)

The workshop itself was mostly information I had read in his book, but it really sinks in when you hear it from the author. Ed was just a great guy to meet. He isn't an animator (he is an actor), but you can tell he has a great passion for the art. There were a few game people there and he targeted them a great deal with his concepts. Ed seems to have a genuine respect for the 3d gaming industry and wants it to grow and develop to the level of story telling you see in animation and film.

Ed emailed before the class and suggested I bring my reel and we would talk about it. I hadn't considered doing that until he suggested it. So, I did. The workshop went over like 30 mins or so, and everyone said their goodbyes. I was the last person there. I had brought his book with me and he was nice enough to sign it. I mentioned I followed his advice and brought my reel and he asked to see it. We ended up talking for like 45 mins! It was awesome to get his feedback on my work. I had some concerns about some of the acting in my shots and he helped me work though them. His feedback was invaluable.

I hope Ed continues to offer his workshop in this part of the country, I would definitely return.

1 comment:

teresa said...

Wow! That sounds so cool!