This morning, on my way to work, I received the most unlikely email.
Dear JD,
I am [name with-held] an aspiring animator from [hometown with-held]. I have heard a lot about you and your work. You are just perfect. Currently I am studying one of your rigs, so I thought it would be better to seek your advice regarding my future career. I am in a dilemma trying to choose between RIGGING and ANIMATION for my specialization. I am interested in both fields. Please guide me!
Sincerely,
Dilemma-Between-Animation-and-Rigging
The compliments, however far-fetched, made my day. I remember what I went through when I had to answer this very same question. Rigging or Animation? I recall the first lines of Romea and Juliet.
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents̓ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked love
And the continuance of their parents̓ rage,
Which but their children̓s end, naught could remove,
Is now the two-hours̓traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
It’s a fair question. Rigging or Animation. Both lovers and haters. They have one goal in the end and as they work hand in hand, they are still world’s apart. Yet, one would not exist without the other. They are kindred souls.
Dear Dilemma-Between-Animation-and-Rigging,
I am very grateful for your compliments! They are a bit exaggerated though. I am, after all, mere human, trying to make an honest living doing my part in the community, occasionally (and sometimes often) stumbling, but always stubbornly getting up to resume the journey. I’d like to help solve your dilemma, although the key is too far for my reach. They are, however, easily within yours.
You are trying to decide between rigging and animation. Cliche as it would sound, you really need to look deep within yourself. Advisers would ask you to assess three things.
I reproduced those three things here so just in case you are faced with a similar dilemma, you won’t be caught off-guard.
Three Things to Assess:
#1 Your Skills and Abilities
This should include not just your current set of skills but also your ability to grasp new knowledge–your learning curve. You should try learning from both fields first. Give them both a try. Try to see whether you are more comfortable learning animation or rigging. Check out a tutorial or two. It’s very hard to choose between the two fields without testing them out.
Something you might want to keep in mind regarding the topic is the difference between the nature of the two fields. One is obviously technical while the other gears towards artistry. Although one may argue that they are still both an art (including myself, staunchly of course!) still there are huge differences that need to be defined. Both may require a lot of observation, true. But the observing part of rigging is a lot more like that of the scientific method. While observing in animation is the same kind the artists did during the Renaissance.
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What makes both of them artistic is the fact that (this is arguable though) in both fields, to learn them, one must acquire a set of tools and techniques, much like an apprentice would in an atelier (workshop) during the renaissance. The art in rigging lies within one’s ability to choose which tools or techniques to use, which combination in which order, to reach the same end goal that animators strive for: to create the illusion of life.
Just like any other art, in rigging, you learn tools. But the tools don't do the work for you.
Having mentioned The Illusion of Life, you should read it. It will help you make your decision. Another book I would recommend is the Animator’s Survival Kit. When you read these books, try not to concentrate on the techniques just yet. There is a wealth of experience included from the authors of the books. You get to glimpse the kinds of lives they live and how and to what lengths they had to go through just to reach their status. Then compare it with the lives of scientists. That is if you have the time.
There is an interesting anecdote from A.S.K. about how both the author, Richard Williams, and his mentor in animation, Milt Kahl, after decades and decades of animating, being the select bests in the field, both still feel they don’t know how to animate yet. Mind you, they are both white haired at the time of the anecdote.
Very inspiring. But it also demonstrates another stark difference between the two fields. In rigging, technical as it is, if you know the answer to something, you know it. Just as if you know the answer to 10 + 10, you know it. If you don’t, no amount of contemplation or meditation could help. At the most, you might be able to get around a problem through research, employing a bit of alchemy here and there. But mostly the problems you’ll get would be of the type if-you-know-it-you-know-it-if-you-dont-you-dont.
On the other hand, in animation you try to mimic life. This falls under the same category of goals most creative endeavors would have. And because of that, there is a bit of subjectivity involved. What one might find awesome, another might find second rate. What would make one improve in this field is experience. And to get the most out of that you’ll need mentorship and practice.
I’m not trying to say that research is your sole driving force for rigging, while in animation it’s experience. Research and experience should compliment each other at all times. It’s just that in a technical field, research is your tool. In a subjective field, experience.
#2 Your Character or Personality
Once you’ve judged your strengths in regards to your abilities, you’d like to measure the results up against your character. Being good in something is only part of the game. I’m sure you’ve heard of the old adage: talent is overrated. Your skills would probably get you started in the industry. But what’s gonna keep you going is your character.
It doesn’t matter so much if you are exeptionally talented if you have no love for what it is you are doing, no desire to be the best in it. What usually drives a person to become better is the desire to be on top.
Specifically, what’s important is your character towards the two fields. Which one do you like better? Which one is more satisfying, not just to learn but to do. This is a very important question, cuz once you choose, you’d like to stick to that decision.
The best way to approach this query is to not look at things short-sightedly. It is very easy to say I want this now, and later (the same day) you’d like the other. Try to look at things in longer terms. Try asking yourself, am I willing to devote 2 years on this? In fact, I’d advise you to jump only once you could picture yourself doing something for a decade. Once you could answer that question, all of a sudden all your endeavors would be there to support your goal. If it is rigging you choose, learning animation would only be there to strengthen your rigging. In the same way, rigging might be able to give you an edge in animation. Whatever it is you decide, you must stick to it. Once, you go back on your decision, you’ll lose the number of years you’ve invested in your initial choice (maybe not fully, but partially).
#3 Your Environment
You are not alone.
This is the part I least like, so I’ll keep it short. This part deals with the practicality of the decision rather than the ideal. When you try to choose between the two fields, you’d want to be able to slant your decision to benefit from opportunities around you. In many ways, it goes against the things I’ve stated above. But because we all need to eat, we are after all looking for a job in the end, we can not completely rule out this important facet in the decision.
If there is a surplus of animation openings in the place where you want to work in (wow!!!), then it’ll be ridiculous to insist on going for rigging, especially if you are also inclined towards learning it.
Occasionally though, we can’t really tell the kind of opportunities we’ll get once the time comes. If you are gutsy, and in the first two pointers, your scores were biased towards a particular specialization, go for that. If you want to play safe, go for what’s immediately available.
If I were you though, I’d neglect this last pointer. You see, I’m a big fan of Alexandre Dumas. Read his books and adored his characters. I think my life as an adult is in more ways than one influenced by the books I’ve read. So although I recognize the practicality of things, I still operate in a way as if there is an author writing my life. One who is still constructing my character and thickening my plot. I make my decisions banking on the unseen provision my author made for me for what ever it is I’ll need whenever the time comes. It is a bit reckless, I know. I wish I could unlearn it. I even advise people against it. But that is who I am and who I am proud to be.
If you know me, you’d know that I eventually decided to spend my time on rigging. The decision behind that is a completely different story. This post is getting too long.
If you have a question to ask, you could send it to redesigndavid[at]gmail[dot]com. I’d be happy to help.
