User Stories

Scott Minzy

How long have you been using Anime Studio?
I've been teaching high school students how to use Anime Studio for four years.

How did you find out about Anime Studio?
Interview for my first high school art teaching job:
Principle: " It is important to us to have an animation class, can you teach it?"
Me: "YES, of course." (panic)
Principle: "How would you teach it?"
Me: "On a computer?"
Principle:" Great."
Me: (gulp) "Great."

I'm a printmaker and book artist, I use 16th Century technology so at this point I had no idea what I was doing. However I spent the next few days on the internet looking at and evaluating software so I could fake knowledge. After looking at everything from Flash to Toon Boom, Anime studio came out on top, seemed easy to pick up in our time frame, flexible enough to scale depending on the project, and fit in a public education price point.

What software did you use before Anime Studio?
None, I had used PowerPoint to animate a project for my studio design class. However, I wouldn't call it a true animation. Currently, I use Gimp which is open source (read: free) to cut up my prints into different layers. Until recently, I had been using iMovie to fit all the scenes together, add audio and titles. I am just now learning to use Adobe Premiere and aftereffect, so they may figure in at some point.

What was your first experience with Anime Studio?
As I mentioned before I was almost forced into it and I was overwhelmed at first. I received the software and started teaching it a month later. With anything in life, you fake it until you make it. Let's say I faked it a long time. Not because it was hard to pick up and animate competently but because the tools are much more sophisticated than you would at first imagine.

How did your first creations with Anime Studio go?
Like anything you try for the first time, you have to pay your dues. I made lots of mistakes. Making a good animation depends on visual storytelling.

What was your inspiration for Dark Prints?
Well it was two incidents. Through the Internet I met another Sminzy who is an Italian Printmaker who told me that he was going to make a stop motion animation based on his printwork. This made me think of doing the same thing, except in anime studio. The real motivating factor was when a frustrated student challenged me very publicly. You know that saying, those can't do teach. So, I accepted his challenge.

As far as the content goes – I try to take psychological pain and represent it physically. My work is about fear, frustration, anxiety, alienation and regret.

What is one of your favorite features of Anime Studio?
It's not my favorite but I'm intrigued with the motion tracking feature of AS. I've been playing around recording myself and giving myself the features of some of the creatures in my prints. I'm not happy with anything I've done just yet, but I'm having fun. I also like that you added the preview option to AS Debut.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Believe it or not I have thought a lot about this and have found myself drawn (no pun intended) to super heroes who have no real powers. Growing up I loved super heroes like Captain America, Daredevil, the Black Panther, Dr. Strange, and Dead Pool. I know they have "powers" but they don't fly or shoot laser beams out of their eyes or fingers.

Where can we find out more about you?
You can visit my website: scottminzy.com. Additionally, I am currently showing my animation with a few prints in a group show at a gallery called the High Roller Society in London.

I'm currently working on an animated short (5-15 minutes) that tells the back story of the finger eye guy. (I won't give away too much but he's a rookie teacher on his first day. I haven't decided if the students will be larvae or tadpoles but in any case they will have sharp teeth. I'll be blogging about it at my website.) I'm also a printmaker and book artist. You can see a bunch of my work at my flickr site.