Blender: The Final Presentation
March 8th, 2009 by Marijn de Vries Hoogerwerff
Blender’s final presentation started with announcing the coming of the new inteface. In fact, the Winter Camp event came just at the right time for them to work on the 2.5 release. By improving their interface they aim to be ready to attract the best designers, pushing the product to the next level. Referring back to the Winter Camp networks theme, Tom Roosendaal has four keys focus point to build up a good community. The first is to understand and facilitate people’s self-interest, that people want to also get something out of it or will leave. The second point is to not take yourself to seriously but, and this is point three, set ambitious goals. In Blender’s case this means saying to Hollywood… “up yours” and produce high quality animations without the dominating Hollywood business model. Point four is to stop the navel-gazing, to jump out of the ivory tower and get those feet wet, go where the things actually happen without thinking to much on a abstract level about who you are and how to do thing different and, and this is the last point, don’t listen to people who talk, but look at what they do
…so get to work!
Blender finished with a series of their productions, showing what they can do and how they have evolved during the last two years. Although they have set out to become a serious competitor to Hollywood, I did think it left a bit too strong of a Hollywoodesque feeling; differentiating from Hollywood might also be a good strategy. For now however, it seems a smart way to show there is an alternative to the big players and at the same time get a free ride in the slipstream of the Hollywood animated movies marketing apparatus.
http://www.vimeo.com/1084537
March 8th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Hi, this report seems to cover Ton’s presentation well however Id like to comment on the (only?) subjective comment in the post…
“I did think it left a bit too strong of a Hollywoodesque feeling; differentiating from Hollywood might also be a good strategy.”
From hearing Ton speak a few times, I think he is more interested in becoming successful – independent of what hollywood or anyone else does.
Aside from developing blender, the openmovie projects are more focused on taking existing blender artists and giving them freedom to create their own movie (without commercial constraints).
Differentiating from hollywood has some advantages but I guess this decision can be decided on per project.
If this happens to follow hollywood to some extent, then so be it. We still gain so much experience and improvements software that its worthwhile.
March 8th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
thanks for your reply. My subjective comment was indeed exacly that, subjective, for me the movies shown could have been more lets say…alternative…for I personally like that better and hope that the software will be used my many creative artist to produce wonderfull creations which another audience might relate to better. I however totally understand why they did a movie like Big Buck Bunny, as I also have tried to highlight in my post. I related his work to Hollywood because in interviews and presentations the past week he has used it as an example himself on many occasions, so independant or not, he uses it as a way to show they can do what they can, without the Hollywoond industry and apparatus…so in a sense better.
Not quite sure what you mean with “(only?)” though…i read it as you think the post is not subjective enough. I have tried to find a balance between documenting the event and my own ideas about it in this last post, but you are welcome to comment any subjective additions if you feel i’ve missed something.
March 9th, 2009 at 11:29 am
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