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I have to count my lucky stars for living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and having access to events like the recent local SIGGRAPH presentation of stop-motion animators.

The talk was inspired by the recent release of local authour Ken Priebe’s book, The Art of Stop-Motion Animation. A fantastic publication that enthusiasts like myself are lucky to have access to as it has proven to be a wonderful resource. Not only is there extensive discussion of techniques but also interviews with many of the industries leaders.

SIGGRAPH brought together an evening of discussion of some of the industry leaders with the likes of Anthony Scott, Peter Muyzers, and Larry Bafia. Each of their presentations involved a run-down of their careers to date and the changes that they’ve seen over the years. The evening was wrapped up with a discussion panel with the group open to questions from the audience.

Given the chance to ask a question of those who have accomplished what most in the field can only dream of, my hand was the first in the air. The words that came out my mouth went something like:

It’s clear that each of you have worked on projects that have involved huge budgets. Do you think it’s necessary to have those budgets and what advise to do have for individual stop-motion animators that are attempting to pursue their own projects?

The basic response from each of the pannel members was:

“focus on your story. Regardless of budget and a fancy set, the story is what needs to captivate the viewer.”

I can’t express how excited I am with this feedback. Above anything, the process of crafting the story is on the top of my list of things that I love about creating stop-motion animation. The medium frees the storyteller to express anything that can be dreamt up and have the will to build. It really is that simple and I’m ecstatic to hear this idea expressed by those who have devoted their life to the process.

Combined with the really positive feedback on the process in general, Junko and I also had the thrill of seeing our student films screened in a public venue for the first time! When Ken was discussing his work as an instructor, he displayed our class “Creature Comforts” short. The response was phenomenal; we both were in shock as the people around us laughed and commented on our work.

Note: Junko’s work is the second piece followed my work at the end.

When sharing this experience with a friend of mine, Julia, she had this to say:

I am bursting with happiness at that thought that you received such a moment of unbiased, “anonymous” validation, recognition and appreciation for your work from people in the industry who didn’t know you and therefore didn’t “owe” you that kind of praise. What you got was a pure and genuine response and I can’t imagine the value that holds for you.

I couldn’t have said it any better. The high alone will be enough to care me through to the next opportunity to display my work. Call it vindication if you like, for me it’s affirmation that I’m on the right path and that I’ve finally found a pursuit that sets my world on fire.