Greg Clark and Tyler Cruz sat down with Colin Cunningham, a CGI animator who has worked on such film as Spawn and The Cell.

Greg Clark:

Hi Colin! Glad you could be here. So, how hard is it to keep up with the different computers being used in the field of CGI? What's the industry standard for the things you do?

Colin Cunningham:

It kinda depends, some o' the big places prefer UNIX machines (SGI) and some prefer INTEL boxes. I know a lot of places are switching to LINUX instead of Windows. It's not really up to the animator to keep up to date since the companies are the ones forking out the cash for the machines.

Greg Clark:

So, working on bigger projects like Santa Clause 2 lets you try newer stuff?

Colin Cunningham:

Again, it depends. On Santa 2, the company was Windows-based so the majority of the machines were dual-processor Pentium 4 2-gigs

Tyler Cruz:

Can you describe where you work? Do you work in a small, cramped, area, do you have little toys and pictures around you to gain inspiration?

Colin Cunningham:

Well, since last year I've been freelance, so you don't necessarily have to decorate your workstation since you'll probably be out of there a few months later. When I was full-time, the stations were ridiculous. Exactly what you'd expect, with Elvis busts, McFarlane toys and hot wheels tracks everywhere. The offices I've worked at are defintely not cramped. None o' that cubicle shit...

Greg Clark:

How does communication lines work between animators? Do you openly converse with other animators on your projects to get outside input, or does each animator do his own thing?

Colin Cunningham:

Communication is a must. I'm a CG Supervisor, so I'm always making the rounds, talking to the guys and seeing where they're at and giving them direction. Basically, the client has the final say, but internally, the CG Supes have to make sure that the client's needs are being met and must steer the animators towards that. Of course if the animator has a great idea, we'll pitch it to the client but nobody ever works alone. I always prefer working in a group environment where people throw out ideas. It gets a big stagnant if it's only one person telling people what to do.

Greg Clark:

Have you ever had an idea come up that you thought was really good but found it to be a tough sell back to the client?

Colin Cunningham:

Absolutely! There have been SO many times where everyone has just LOVED an idea, but the director just won't go for it because it doesn't fit into their vision. Like I said, they have the final call and sometimes it's really upsetting, but you gotta suck it up. After all, they're paying your salary.

Greg Clark:

Are there any directors you've worked with that you would like to work with again?

Colin Cunningham:

YES!! I worked with Guillermo Del Toro on a movie called 'Mimic' and he was absolutely fantastic to work with. He wasn't that well known back then, but he has since become my directing hero. His commentary track on 'Blade 2' has to be the most entertaining one I've ever heard. He's so down to earth and is SO passionate about his work. I can't wait to see how 'Hellboy' turns out.

Colin Cunningham:

Tarsim, the director of 'The Cell' was good too, but a little strange. He was VERY easy to work with and accepted pretty much any idea we'd throw at him. The weirder the better for that guy.

Tyler Cruz:

Speaking of people in the industry you admire, which CGI animators impress you? And please name some films that you believe have the best special effects (for their time).

Colin Cunningham:

Well, I'm sure nobody would recognize the names of the CG animators I admire, just 'cause CG guys aren't that well know. But, Steve 'Spaz' Williams is an old friend of mine and probably the most famous CG guy ever, I'd say. He got me into this industry and I'll always be grateful for that, he's just a really kind hearted guy and a good Canadian! As far as CG movies, go, T2 was definitely the one that got me interested in CG as a cereer. Blew my ass away when I saw it in the theatre. Then Jurassic Park came out and that was it. The T-Rex attack in the rain scene STILL blows me away. It still holds up to this day!

Tyler Cruz:

I see that he has worked on Spawn with you, how was that experience?

Colin Cunningham:

As far as 'Spawn' goes, Steve called me at home one day when I was woeking at a place called CORE. He wanted to know if we were interested in soing some stuff on Spawn 'cause they'd just had a great test screening and New Line gave them more cash for FX. We eventually did work on the motorcycle scene. It was probably the most grueling experience of my life 'cause of the deadline, but great all the same. It got to the point where we were up for as much as 4 days without sleep. You start hallucinating at that point (seriously). I started hearing shit and my friend started seeing things.They eventually had the world premiere in Toronto and everyone wad there. Got to meet McFarlane and Marylin Manson sat behind me at the show. Too cool!

Tyler Cruz:

Aside from the fantastic work in Jurassic Park and Terminator II, what older films impress you with their special effects? (such as 2001: A Space Odyssey).

Colin Cunningham:

Good question! You'd be surprised how many CG guys aren;t familiar with movies before 'The Abyss'. They think practical FX (models, animatronics) don't really factor into what they do, but I LOVE older films. 2001, of course, rules. Absolutely flawless FX. 'Bladerunner' also blows me away. Don't tell anyone, but I'm a HUGE fan of models and shooting stuff practical. I say only use CG when you absolutely have to, but others will ralley for CG every time. Mainly 'cause they don't understand the benefits of practical. Lord of the Rings was a perfect example of when to use CG and when to use models. The "bigature" cities and environments just floored me. I assumed they were CG (being a computer dweeb), but when I saw the making of, I was a model fan forever. Here I am talking about Bladerunner as an old movie. What a loser.

Grek Clark:

Do you think there's such thing as using too much CGI? I've heard that criticism before on films like Star Wars Episode II. Do you have a point where you say "There's no reason for this to be done on computer"?

Colin Cunningham:
Well Episode 2 also had a tonne of model stuff. CG was mainly used for character stuff and space sequences. I've definitely seen some horrible CG that makes me think 'Why the hell didn't they do that practical?" It generally comes down to cost. Producers are generally cheap and sometimes if a studio can create a CG enviroment cheaper than another studio can produce a practical model, then the producers will choose the cheaper solution. It doesn't mean it'll be a BETTER solution, but sometimes producers could care less about quality. Hurts to say it, but it's true. Some producers really can't tell the difference between good work and shit. If it's cheaper, it appeals to them more.

Colin Cunningham:

I see a LOT of people slagging CG and a lot of them don't know what the hell they're talking about. A lot of self-appointed "CG Experts" complain about how the Agent Smith fight in "Matrix Reloaded' looked fake, and YES there were some uncovincing Neo shots, but they forget that EVERY single fucking shot from the halfpoint on was 100% CG. They never credit the good stuff, but they'll NEVER forget the bad stuff.

Colin Cunningham:

And they lay blame on the entire CG industry. On an 'Aint It Cool News' talkback forum, one guy said (and I quote) "All CG animators should be shot dead" How the hell am I supposed to take that?

Tyler Cruz:

Ain't it cool news? what's that? :)

Colin Cunningham:

I dunno, some site nobody's ever heard of...

Greg Clark:

Something far inferior to our site, even though Harry Knowles is a really nice guy.

Colin Cunningham:

I just think, how else are you supposed to do a 15 foot Cave Troll? Stop Motion? Animatronics? You HAVE to use CG in some instances. Some people are purists and will NEVER like CG, so I dunno what to tell them. 'Get used to it!". Harry is a cool guy, yes.

Greg Clark:

How do you take criticism on your work? I've heard many of the films you've worked on get a wide variety of response, does it affect you personally at all?

Colin Cunningham:

To tell you the truth, I haven't liked many of the films I've worked on. Actually, MOST of the films I've worked on, so I'd agree with most critics. As far as my work goes, it's hard to say. Most people don't understand what happened behind the scenes, so when they say "That shot sucks!' they don't necessarily understand that maybe the producer was being an asshole and kept changing things until the last minute, or that we only had 2 days to do a shot. Sometimes it's disheartening when you slave away one something, knowing that it's a MIRACLE anything made it to the screen 'cause of all the crap behind the scenes, only to have some guy walk in off the street, slap his $8 bucks down and say 'What a piece of SHIT!" A lot of times, the animators hate the shots as well. They see us as these pompous fools, sitting back in our big chairs saying, "Now THAT is awesome!" I've NEVER been satisfied with any of the shots I've delivered. There's always something you want to fix, but there's never enough time...

Greg Clark:

Are there any particular effects house you've always wanted to do some work for?

Colin Cunningham:
Not really. I used to think places like ILM or Digital Domain were the places to be, but I really like working for the smaller shops. As an animator, you really learna lot more at the smaller shops, because you learn about every aspect of the production. The bigger shops tend to pigeon hole you into doing one certain thing for the rest of the your life. That doesn't interest me. I've had many chances to move down south, but I've never left Toronto. I guess I'm a homebody.

Tyler Cruz:

So what you're saying is that what you really want to do is direct? Right? :)

Colin Cunningham:

Hahaha, actually yes, but then everybody does. I actually directed a music video, but I'm still working on the FX.


Greg Clark:

Did you find it easy to become employed inside the movie industry, or did yo have to use connections? I've always heard the saying "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Is that saying true for anybody wanting to break onto the scene?

Colin Cunningham:

Not necessarily. I didn't know anyone in the industry back in '93, but I sent some of my work out on the net and the FX Supervisor on 'RoboCop: The Series' happened to see it and hired me. So I guess then I was officially "in the industry". It's probably harder for directors, though, especially if you're trying to break in. It'd maybe be easier for me now, since I've gotten to know a lot of people over the years in various aspects of the film biz.

Greg Clark:

So, do you think having met these people over the years will help give you the freedom and ability to try other things, like directing or editing or whatever it is you might want to do?

Colin Cunningham:

Abolutely. When I was working at a company a few years back as an animator, I met editors, colorists, cinematographers, producers and writers and started hanging out with them. These guys directed music videos all the time, so I started asking questions and seeing how they got things done. I eventually asked a few of them if they'd help me out on a video and they agreed and we shot it. I don't think I'd WANT to go into editing or cinematography, but if I did, I'd certainly have enough connections to work my way into that. I really love hanging out with creative types 'cause you learn a lot and everyone's so into what they're doing that you can't help but be inspired. And you meet SO many people with the same interests! These people LOVE movies and comics and all the same stuff I do and video games too. Can't forget video games...

Greg Clark:

Have you noticed a blurring of the line between video games and movies? Do you tihnk digital actors will ever come into being?

Colin Cunningham:

I think digital actors already HAVE come into being. Look at Gollum. Bloody amazing! If you mean HUMAN actors, then that's different. It's certainly not practical at this point to create human actors with CG. It's WAY too expensive and personally, I don't think we're there yet, technologically. The 100 Agent Smiths from 'Reloaded' looked great, but let's see them deliver dialogue and "act" in a closeup. Look at Final Fantasy, for instance. I HATED that friggin movie. The CG was amazingl, but the movie SUCKED. Basically, they're trying to make photoreal people, right? People you've never seen before. So if they succeed, you end up with photoreal CG actors being voiced by popular REAL actors. What's the friggin' POINT?! It's like hiring unknown actors, filming them and having well known stars dub their voices!! Waste of money, if you ask me. Why did that movie have to be CG!?! Why not film it live action and do CG FX? The whole thing was one big effect, so I'm sure using real actors would've been WAY cheaper. If the CG is stylized, then yes, you can view it as an animated film, but if your goal is 100% photorealism, then why not use real people?! They did an AMAZING job on the CG, but there was nothing beyond that to hold the audiences attention and it just became an expensive gimmick. And it tanked at the B.O., so hopefully they'll spend more money on the script next time.

Greg Clark:

We can only hope.

Colin Cunningham:

Well thankfully Hollywood ALWAYS learns from their mistakes.....(SARCASM MODE: OFF)

G-Dude says:

Well, of course they learned their lesson, I mean, look at Tomb Raider 2...oh, wait...

Colin Cunningham:

Hehe, or SPEED 2. Hollywood's mentality is, "Well if it worked the FIRST time..."

Greg Clark:

Well, Colin, thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to talk with us. Before we call this thing ka-put, though, do you have any fond memories of that time long ago, when you used to write for Movie-Vault yourself?

Colin Cunningham:

You bet! Writing was one of my first loves before I got into CG and movie reviews expecially. Of course I've noticed my old reviews are no longer online, 'Hollow Man'? "Legend of Drunken Master" anyone?

Greg Clark:

I had nothing to with that, my guess is your reviews vanished along with the Days of the Yellow Background.

Tyler Cruz:

They were lost when we upgraded our site from flat file to mySQL as the prefered medium of database.

Which Drunken Master did you review, the 1974 or the 1993 version? I loved both, but 1974 took the cake.

Colin Cunningham:

Excuses, excuses! Are you saying my reviews were as bad as the old 'Yellow Background'? Jeez, thanks, heh!

Greg Clark:

Nah, I just actually remember when you were still here, I was here then as well. I liked your reviews.

Colin Cunningham:

Drunken Master 2, re-released as Legend of Drunken Master. Jackie rules!

Greg Clark:

Speaking of the Yellow Background, how do you like the new format of the site?

Colin Cunningham:

Love it! I told Tyler I couldn't belive how much things have changed since last year! You guys really pulled it off!

Tyler Cruz:

I'd like to thank the acadamy..

Greg Clark:

Well, I didn't do much on the design for the site, I just make sure the Message Boards keep running, Tyler's the mastermind behind the awesomeness of the site.

Colin Cunningham:

This is where you thank God and start tearing up...

Greg Clark:

and kiss Halle Berry...

Colin Cunningham:

More like "make out".

Tyler Cruz:

I haven't taken out my prepared speech yet..

Colin Cunningham:

You've gotta say "I don't have a speech prepared 'cause I never expected to win."...THEN you pull out the big speech

Greg Clark:

And quick! you've got 12 seconds to read it!

Colin Cunningham:

Before they start playing the theme from 'Forrest Gump' and the chick drags you off stage.

Tyler Cruz:

Then the unfunny host is back.

Colin Cunningham:

Whoopi Goldberg?

Tyler Cruz:

Steve Martin is much better.

Colin Cunningham:

Yes, he'll make fun of ANYBODY.

Greg Clark:

Give me Billy Crytal any day of the week.

Colin Cunningham:

He's busy filming "City Slickers 9: The Legend of the last City Slickers movie to make Money".

Greg Clark:

Hehe, or maybe "Analyze this, that, and the other thing".

Colin Cunningham:

Oooooooo, forgot about that one.

Greg Clark:

But at least he's not dressing up like a white-boy wanna be gangster, unlike some used-to-be-funny comedians I know of.

Colin Cunningham:

Jamie Schmennedy, right. Too bad 'bout him.

Greg Clark:

Also Steve Martin, although he at least has a chance for redemption.

Tyler Cruz:

Bowfinger was hilarious.

Greg Clark:

It was.

Colin Cunningham:

Agreed.

Greg Clark:

I'm talking about "Bringing Down the House".

Tyler Cruz:

Let's not talk about such things.

Colin Cunningham:

The death of cinema. Or was that 'Charlie's Angels 2"...

Greg Clark:

Nope, Judgment Day was delayed when "From Justin to Kelly" bombed.

Colin Cunningham:

Thank GOD!