Stay Tuned For…

Remember when animation was hand-drawn? Those were the days of classic films like Jungle Book, Peter Pan, and Aladdin – to name but a few. But gone are the days of hand-animation; of brilliantly conceived backgrounds and facial gestures. With the advent of advanced graphical rendering software, animation is becoming more and more lifelike – but at what cost? If art history has taught us anything, it is that the most beautiful art isn’t art that mimics reality, it’s art the suggests it or improves on it. Computer animation, for all its awesome realism, fails to capture any of the spirit of what makes art great. And then there’s the loss of the animator. When animations had to be hand-drawn, there was actually a culture of lifelong artists – craftsmen, almost – who devoted themselves to pictorial depiction of narrative Now, there’s just a lot of computer experts with some visual arts training clicking away at their 3D interfaces to produce the next tweenie blockbuster before movies go out of style altogether.

Emerging from the rubble of hand animation are just two major animation companies – Pixar and Dreamworks. While their accomplishments in producing entertaining narrative are commendable, who is to say that any of the films were enhanced by their use of high-tech animating software and celebrity voices? What’s obvious is that Hollywood figured out along the way that they could save a lot of money by drawing everything digitally and could sell more tickets by hiring celebrities to do cartoon voices; not that they were looking to improve cinematic status quo, as the public has been suckered into believing.

Yet there are still some smaller animation companies that blend the realities and capabilities of new technology with the sense of style that accompanied the now-romanticized pencil and paper. Smaller animation companies will produce animation for websites, advertisements, corporate videos, or just about any other purpose that could use a more ‘animated’ twist. These small companies have hired many of the former animators to make true animation accessible to those who appreciate its integrity; and they’re able to produce some stunning pictures for a lot less than you’d think.

So next time you’re considering employing media for your company, consider doing a good for the cause of real art while you do good for your company’s top line: employ an animation company to help you convey your message to customers in a manner they’re sure to appreciate.

I was looking to learn one of the most effective martial arts so that I could protect myself from the increasing number of violent attacks that seem to be taking place here in Dallas. Jui Jitsu training looked like the best option for me because jiu jitsu is viewed by many to be one of the deadliest martial arts, along with krav maga and muay tai. But as the saying goes, ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ In terms of Jiu Jitsu training, that meant long hours of literally backbreaking training. The instructor repeatedly asked us to do things that could have seriously harmed ourselves – jumping shoulder-first from a 10 foot height in order to practice breaking falls, for instance. I was always acutely aware of having had to sign a waiver of liability, and yet also acutely comforted by the fact that our instructor had the confidence to push us to such limits of physical and psychological endurance.

Anyway, here are some of the pros and cons of jiu jitsu training in case any of you from the Dallas area are considering taking up jiu jisu.

Pros: Increased strength, increased flexibility, increased confidence, increased self-defense skills.

Jiu jitsu will make you stronger than you’ve ever been, regardless of whether or not you life weights or body build now. Because much of training employs plyometric exercises to build speed, small muscles that don’t get worked by traditional weight training get a serious workout and make you stronger and fitter than you’ve ever been. Your flexibility will also increase as a function of regular exercise and a regular stretching routine; moreover, flexibility is required for the execution of higher-level forms and moves. Increased confidence comes by way of a sense of accomplishment and increased fitness/better body, in addition to its correlation to the new knowledge that you can kick the big guy’s ass.

Cons: Bruises, sprains, commitment.

Learning jiu jitsu isn’t like learning other martial arts; it’s much more physically intense as you will often deal with grappling, throws, and fall-breaking. Stretch marks and bruising from sparring are a generally occurrence, and sprains can happen – part of the steep learning curve. Speaking of the learning curve, it is very steep, but learning jiu jitsu requires a serious commitment – one that will make you willing to endure all the cons I’ve listed in pursuit of the pros.