Can you learn from a Knucklehead?

Absolutely. The hardest lesson to learn in a creative life is to recognize that learning doesn't take sides. Even knuckleheads teach. They can teach us in a useful negative way, by showing us the bright light of what to avoid, what one should never attempt or do creatively. But there are those disturbing moments when the universe slaps you upside your silly head and gives an idiot a burning moment of creative revelation. Scary moments for they don't always know what they do.

I had a old high school football coach who taught an uninspired film class which mostly accommodated his need to snooze in a darkened room. He was truly a challenged individual and needless to say a waste of teaching flesh but he did display the first independent animated short film I had ever had the pleasure to see. This nightmare of a educator gave me the first breath of creative fresh air and forever changed my life. I am forever YIKED, bamboozled, and grateful.

So pay attention to the curveballs this universe so skillfully drills at your unexpecting head.

Beware of Client

Clients can be the strangest animal on this green, blue and brown earth. I had a client who came to us with a very simple concept for a 30 second commercial long ago. He asked us to add a bit of innovation to the spot and I thought we were well on the way to a good experience.

The spot had to do with an animated line which would transform and change creating new images as the voice track narrated. We came up with several new line styles (in the design stage) trying to give the line some character and texture. We felt good about the direction we had provided our new client and felt the style was cool and innovative.

REACTION: Client just wants a simple inked line, nothing fancy.

Okay, so we continued and began laying out the spot to the scratch track and began creating interesting image combinations and image sequences choreographing the line in a lyrical dance. The line would float above a ground plane casting a shadow of the various images the soundtrack illustrated, houses, cities, a couple dancing, etc.

REACTION: Client wants the line to just represent a graphic mouth talking. No morphing or changing images. Just a happy mouth.

Okay, so we have a simple graphic lined mouth lip syncing. This is getting boring but we will do our best to give it life. We finish the spot and present it to the client. We weren't thrilled with the end result, there was no shadow pass, no textured line, no transitioning animation dancing its 30 second story, only a simple mouth talking (on a white background, we had planned a graphic panel as a background)

REACTION: The Client thinks the spot is boring, nothing is really happening but a graphic mouth talking to you.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Don't work with idiots for clients.

Who was the Knucklehead this time?

Back in the early 90's, I was awarded a commercial from a very big soft drink company located somewhere near Atlanta. It was a big break, a fabulous coup for a small animation company. We were very excited about working in several innovative techniques we had developed and it was good money. The live action company (the commercial was a combination of live action and animation) in their great wisdom had issues with making the animation "king" and announced that the live action should supersede any animated character and began to lobby to get rid of the character all together. "It could be invisible", they stated. (to be continued.)

The dumbest comment ever.

An unnamed Cartoon Network Executive once said while rejecting the continuation of one of my cartoon concepts, "It's to smart, it's like the Simpsons."

Those who remain unnamed.

Ah yes, Knuckleheads, a wonderful breed of human of unsurpassed ability to make the wrong creative decision with all their might. Those wonderful creatives, creative executives, producers, agencies, and yes, even your Aunt what's-her-face who has a "great idea for you". Share the adventure of the most ridiculous stories from my storied past and of course, many of my associates. Please feel free to share some great knucklehead story from your storied past as well. Should be fun.