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Two animators talk about how to be an Indie or Freelance animator AND have a life

Stephen BrooksSeptember 17, 20141 Mins read1.5k Views

With a slow news week, Rob and Stephen settle down and talk about something bugging Rob lately: “how to be an animator AND have a life.” We talk about productivity methods, past experiences, full time VS freelance, and of course — stories! And also… VIEWER QUESTIONS!! But we start it all off with a clip from earlier in the week when Rob called Stephen to practice his telephone script he had to read on behalf of the Brooklyn Bourough president. And you all know what happens when Rob tries to read aloud… under pressure.

Viewer Questions:

(1:32:45) J.K. Riki – “What would you be if not an animator?”

(1:37:39) Chris McEwan – “Process- We’ve seen how Stephen prepares for an animation, from initial ideas through to storyboarding, preparing sound effects and music. How does Rob prepare his work? He comes across as very laid back and I’ve heard it said on previous episodes how quickly he makes his stuff. Does he just jump right in and wing it?”

(1:42:17) Chris McEwan – “Showreels- How long should your showreel ideally be without it being blink-and-you-miss-it or being so long it gets boring? I’ve seen some as short as 40 seconds and some in excess of 6 minutes (although usually for programs, like Houdini, not for individuals)”

Stephen’s Animation Reel (referenced in question #3)

Rob’s Animation Reel (referenced in question #3)

Check out more of your hosts:
Stephen Brooks (@RubberOnion)
Rob Yulfo (@RobYulfo)
Pat Ryan (@TheBadPatRyan)

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Written by

Stephen Brooks

Stephen Brooks is a freelance animator in NYC that specializes in a hand-drawn style. Being a professional since 2005, he also produces indie shorts with self-made music, sound fx & voices. Lately Stephen has taken to introducing others to animation with production VLOGs, a podcast, instructional videos and is writing a book on traditional principles in a digital world. View his animation work www.rubberonion.com