Just got back from a GREAT symposium put on by SCAD-Savannah for Motion Graphics. Featured guests were Psyop, Troika, Brand New School, Digital Kitchen, and PES, and they did not disappoint.

The artists from Psyop were amazing in the amount and detail of their work in the creative process, but their presentation certainly needed some polish, and was quite scattered. Still, exploring the creative process is usually messy business. Troika put on display some of their branding projects, but the true standout, to be launched this summer, is the MHD branding :30 and :10 id’s, which were detailed, conceptual, and brilliant.

Brand New School put on a great display of their Adobe CS3 mural project, though their presentation was slow, boring, and (sorry guys) had too much “too cool for school” attitude, esp. with the suits and ties. Your work is great, now work on your people skills!

The standout presentations for me, though, were Eric Anderson, Creative Director at Digital Kitchen, and PES, world-famous stop-motion animator and filmmaker. Anderson had the most cohesive and expansive case study of the day, when he took us from concept to completion through the title sequence for “Dexter” of Showtime and now primetime fame. He was real and approachable throughout his preso, and actually seemed interested in explaining his state of mind while creating, while everyone else seemed more interested in putting on a front of “coolness”. And PES…….well, he’s just himself. No pretense, no bullshit, just honest, great work from a twisted mind. Even the dorky James Lipton-esque interviewer couldn’t ruin this one.

Overall, a great symposium was put on for all, and I’ll go to the next one as well.