Making films is the best "film school"

If you just want to learn something JUST to learn it....your desire and drive can be lacking... You need to know exactly WHY you need to learn it....

Just doing tutorials to learn new things isn't the best way IF you don't know WHY you would need or want to learn things...

I've always thought that the best way to learn is THROUGH NECESSITY...

So if you want to learn the ins and outs of 3d animation THEN MAKE A 3D ANIMATED FILM... don't sit around simply amassing tutorials and abilities you might use one day... as you don't know what your abilities are even worth UNLESS you put them through the paces of a real production...

We all have this "I'm not ready yet" thing going on... "when I'm ready I'll start" Well in my experience YOU NEVER FEEL "READY" you just have to go anyway...

If you make a 3d animated film with animated characters you will be FORCED to learn all aspects of production... AND you will have a reason to LEARN... when watching or reading tutorials you will be searching for the THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW to make your film... it'll save you time and it will be more fun!

I realize NOT MANY people will want to go through the hard work to make their own animated films as its much easier to just copy tutorials and make glorified demo reels or "short films" with a few cliche visual fx or scenarios these days... BUT all I am saying is...is that if you REALLY want to learn...make a film! It doesn't have to be the MOST EPIC THING EVAR... just make something...have fun and FINISH IT!

It's like right now I'm learning all the new stuff in Zbrush 4... I'm focusing on the stuff I know I'll use on a production and ignoring the rest... and as I see new tools I think about how I could use them to make things for my upcoming films... So it keeps me excited and learning... If I had no idea WHY I was learning this stuff it would be really boring 0_0

ALSO in my personal experience making 3d animated films IS THE BEST AND MOST EXCITING THING IN LIFE EVER! Nothing comes close to beating the challenge, fun and excitement for me... and you get to keep learning new and fun things for your whole life!

So if you've got any ambitions to be a 3d animated filmmaker and you haven't made a film yet... I say jump in and start today! Yeh you might not make THE MOST EPIC THING EVAR but you'll LEARN A TON

Now its not like I've mastered everything BUT I used to FAIL at everything when it came to animation and even back then it was still tons of fun ^_^Brought to you by professional weirdo M dot Strange.