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chluaid
Adam Phillips @chluaid

Age 94, Male

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Hard Knocks

Bitey Castle, top floor

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Tank thanks

Posted by chluaid - June 1st, 2008


I feel honoured, blown away, light-headed, nauseous and proud to have taken the first NG tank for Waterlollies. If it weren't for Newgrounds I've no doubt I'd still be working in a studio churning out crap.

Everyone who has congratulated, commented and shown their support for the win, I truly appreciate it and this has inspired me to make more Brackenwood shorts in Flash (I had previously said that Waterlollies was the last Flash Brackenwood).

Ever since I submitted hitchHiker there has been a feeling in certain people that, having professional experience in animation, I should somehow be disqualified from the site. This seems to intensify whenever I win a daily, monthly and now annual.

In the beginning of my time here on NG, I was mortified that a handful of people felt this way so I spoke with Tom about retiring some of my movies. He convinced me that the community benefits from having high quality submissions (whether from professional or maverick) as it helps everyone lift their game a notch or two.

I don't think I've ever responded to the people who think I shouldn't be here, but here's what I have to say:

---

Short Version: I developed my skills in my own time. Disney hired me because of this.

---

Long version: My skills weren't handed to me on a plate at some elite studio. I only have a high school education which meant I worked in kitchens, factories and farms. In my free time though (every day after work and entire weekends), I worked my arse off to improve my drawing skill. I had big dreams of becoming a famous comic book artist, just like many people here have their own big dreams of becoming highly skilled animators.

I was employed by Disney only because I had worked hard to improve. If I had never worked on my skills on my own time, I never would have been employed by Disney, it's that simple.

When I was at the studio, I was an inbetweener (the starting point for a career in animation). I desperately wanted to become a character animator.. I did loads of tests to prove myself but they were rejected and I wasn't accepted. Meaning? I had to improve first.

I had also done some tests for effects animation and the FX supervisor was impressed with my test. So once accepted, I worked hard in order to graduate from the 3 month probationary training period.

Much of this work was in my own time. Whenever I was on holiday or just a day trip to the mountains or something, everyone else would be enjoying the sights while I'd be taking photos and video of water, wind, fire or smoke. My hard work paid off and I graduated from training. Once out of training though, every drawing, every scene and every day was a battle to prove that I was improving. Stagnation means you're out.

Finally, I WANT to be here and the numbers (and awards) tell me that most people want me here. Numbers aside, it's the best thing in the world for me to see someone else's work who has been inspired by my own and any of my characters making cameos in other people's films. I love helping people improve and offering advice (which admittedly is almost impossible to do 1-on-1 nowadays) and I will always be completely willing to help people get up to and beyond their goal standard.

You cannot fail if you can commit your life to your craft. I haven't stopped drawing or thinking about drawing for most of my life and as a result I landed a dream job where I was paid, not to sit back and go 'aaaah', but paid to improve.

You can do that too.

---

-Phillips

As a final thought, I was never a professional background artist, storyboard artist, layout artist or character animator. These are also skills I taught myself and am still working on improving.


Comments

By "studio churning out crap" you mean the special effects department in Disney?

Words aren't enough to describe how much you must work to come up with these animations, do you think you'll ever get paid for the Brackenwood animations

P.S I have troubles finding your early work

you are a true inspiration man

i can honestly say that one of the first animations i ever saw that TRULY inspired me into animating is littlefoot. i can remember perfectly (at my inocent age of 14) how i watched it over and over again, amazed of the magnificent art and flawless animation. i just couldnt believe my eyes.

Ever since that day and even to this very moment, i know i'll never be half as good you, but someday i hope to have a glimpse of your talent and maybe, just maybe, inspire a some kid, like you did with me.

with all my respect and total appreciattion, YOU DESERVE IT, not just for waterlollies, but for all of those other kids that you may have touched (in the heart dude) with the greatness of your animations.

- Otto Ruink (WAaAzZAaA)

I'd really like to see you become a bigger part of the Newgrounds community. You're a huge inspiration and idol to so many people, I'm sure they'd like to hear from you a bit more. (Posts and news updates =)?)

Well, congrats and good luck on that film!
I'd be the first to see it in theaters...

congragulations on winning your recent award, im glad you did and you earned it, ive always been impressed and inspired by your work .

Its people like you who keep me drawing constantly trying to improve myself and for that i thank you, without people like you I would have never started drawing let alone animating . So I guess im trying to say keep animating becuase alot of people depend upon you :)

Maaan...! you most definitley deserved the Tank award... and you will be deserving all of the awards you win in the following years (and I bet they will be an awful lot, only that not really awful, but awesome :) ) Anyway, you rock, you inspire us. Congratulations.

Your beautiful animations will just make people try harder to beat you next year.

Brackenwood feature film?! You have to tell us all how we can help, internet petition, Disney protest, whatever. That Tank Awards was yours and we must have your movie! Please.. I'm just a fan. We are all. Don't let us down.

just tell everyone you know about Brackenwood.. that should do it :D

You deserve it man.

Congratulations on the win, and I cannot wait to see this Brackenwood movie you speak of.

Keep up the amazing work, you are an inspiration to us all.

Damn! You got hired by DREAMWORKS?!?!?! Good going!

not that I know of :O

Well youre definitely not working at a studio anymore.

Thanks for posting this! A lot of these brats need to realize that you win all the time because you are super talented and you deserve it. :)

Congrats!

(I mean no disrespect to the other nominees, but to be honest, I was hoping that one of them would blow me away so that it "wouldn't just" be your's in my #1 spot because it seemed like such an obvious shoe-in. But that didn't happen, no one really came close and the talent and execution in your movie was so superb it deserved #1 without question.)

Not to make you feel embarrassed, but, you're one of my few heroes. You and your amazing animations were the final stroke in my decision to become an animator. I someday want to do what you do now; create worlds and bring an audience there. We definitely need to have a one-on-one someday. I need to know all about the dark underbelly of the industry(You worked for Disney. You know it well).

I'm Canadian. My name is Caylex Thompson. I'm going to be a great animator. It's all because of you. Congrats on your Tank, I'll keep my ears open for that movie(DO IT. NO BUTS).

You really deserve it man.
I'm happy your here on NG.
Because both your work is great, and you really inspire me.
Just keep up the great work.
I'm looking forward to the rest of your work.
Have fun with the award.
And thank you for being here!

Excellent work and well earned. Could I please have a pic your waterlollies guy for an avatar? I need one he's awesome. Regardless of the answer congrats on your award.

feel free to grab a screenie from any of the movies.. that's what others do, i got no problem with it. Thanks for comment!

Congrats dude. You have made a epic video and won the newgrounds award. Damn your great skills. Well heres to you. You damn genius.

Hey chluaid I was just wondering if you got your chance to make a Brackenwood movie would you direct or would you get someone else to direct?

Also would you make it with flash, animation or CGI?

ideally I'd be attached as writer/director but I'm prepared to make sacrifices within reason :P
As for animation, i'm open to doing it in CG but it's too early to say for sure. If I do it in 2D, it's more than likely I'd use ToonBoom Digital Pro instead of Flash.

Hehe, well, why are you so surprised? Have you even watched your own movies!? XD

I could see it coming, Waterlollies was on the front page for the longest time this year! (thus far)

Also, and I mean this as a compliment, I think we should have a best movie award and a best movie other than one made by Adam Phillips award XP

just want to say i love ur work. will there be a following episode anytime soon? by the way, i just watched the yuyu (again) and was thinking that a brackenwood game would be awesome. free roaming, tree jumping etc. if possible that would be amazing.

I've decided to release a teaser or two and a series of short (1-2 min) back-story eps. They'll be my next NG projects.

omg disney hired u?! how did u imporve u skills tell me ur secrets :3

im so jealous... tank award looks so awesome lol

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