Recently I caught up with Dave Glanz to ask him a few questions about what it's like to work full time as a motion designer in the D.C. area.

 

1. Can you tell us where you are from and a little bit about your background as an artist via art school or are you self taught etc....

 

I grew up in Pittsburgh, and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a film studies degree. I had every intention of making movies for a living. Not very practical, right?  I was a huge film fan (after seeing "Goodfellas" in 1990), and made short films with an RCA VHS camera. My first video was an "Indiana Jones" short, in which there was a lot of running around on rooftops (without permission).

 

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to do something creative for a living. After graduating college in 1998, I was lucky enough to work on a few films that were in production in Pittsburgh - "Dogma" and "The Temptations (miniseries)" were among them. After spending too much time on film sets, I thought that editing would be more in tune with what I liked to do. In 2001, I had a short internship with an post house / interactive studio that exposed me to Flash for the first time. I ended up doing a lot of web design. At the time, this required some knowledge of animation. That's really what got me interested in motion graphics.

 

On the "About" page of my site (daveglanzproductions.com), I wrote that I taught myself to "design and animate at the school of Barnes & Noble." That's partially true. I did spend a lot of time reading books & magazine on design and animation. However, I would say I learned most of what I know on the job, having been lucky enough to work with some great animators and designers.

 

2. How did you decide you wanted to be an motion graphics artist?

 

For years, I was working as a web designer, and had a lot of experience editing video. I found that what I enjoyed most about each was the challenge of making things move and telling a story. I decided to focus my energy on learning After Effects (and later, 3D software) and studying the basics of design to see how they could make me better as an animator. I also found that I loved to watch how other animators and designers crafted their own work. You can learn a lot just by studying closely the details found in the work of really talented people.

3. Before you start a project can you talk us through your process. Do you look up influences or do you meditate before diving in?

 

Yes to both of your questions. I tend to look at things that influence(d) me, and continue to do so, to get started on a project. I love looking at how other people solve problems and how they make things look cool. My friends and family will tell you - I watch a lot of movies, so I often try to think how I can make something cinematic. A good example would be the TEAM Audio animation, with the microphone conductor character. I've always been a huge fan of old Looney Tunes cartoons, and was particularly fond of anything timed to music - "What's Opera, Doc" and "The Rabbit of Seville" and "Long-Haired Hare." I was thinking of those shorts the whole time I worked on the TEAM Audio piece.

My process usually involves meeting with a client or creative director, thinking about the project non-stop, looking for inspiration, designing styleboards using Photoshop + Illustrator + Cinema 4D and After Effects, getting approval on a concept, and animating the hell out of something.

4. We both have roots in Pittsburgh, PA but I came to LA to freelance while you stayed on the east coast and moved to the Maryland/DC area to work, can you tell us a little bit about the motion graphics scene in your area and how you have been able to stay so busy in a market most artists seem to overlook.

 

Staying on the east coast, closer to family, was always more appealing to me. The market for motion graphics isn't as huge in DC as it is in NY or LA - no doubt. The advantage is that there is less competition for mograph work. There are some great ad agencies here, like AKQA, and a lot of smaller ones that survive by doing advocacy work (and political ads, of course). On the broadcast side, most companies here tend to work with Discovery Channel, which is headquartered in Silver Spring, MD, as well as Travel, TLC, National Geographic, and the History Channel.

5. Your portfolio is very impressive, you seem to have found your own style which is very vibrant with bright colors and elegant motion. How long did it take for you to develop your style of work.

 

Thanks! I would say that classic animation shorts and films played a big part in the style I've become fond of. Disney, Warner, Fleischer Studios, etc are all really inspirational to me. "Fantasia" was always a favorite of mine. These days, I'm also drawing a lot of inspiration from photography, which has been somewhat of an obsession the past few years. I feel like every animator & designer should have a camera.

 

I also have to credit my former boss and friend, Jeff Myers at This is Red (www.thisisredagency.com), for giving me a lot of guidance years ago. Watching him work was a great way to learn how to make things bright, elegant, and entertaining.

I would say thanks to all the people out there taking the time to create video tutorials - Nick Campbell, Rob Redman, Aharon Rabinowitz, folks at Maxon & Adobe, and others. My hope is that designers and animators will take the skills that they learn from these guys, and use their own talent to make some great original work.

Thanks again Dave for taking time out with us. If you would like to view more of Davids work he recently updated his whole portfolio on his site.

David Glanz Portfolio