Outside View   "Aura at Work...a visit to the studio" Johan Klungel - Lawson&Whatshisname, Amsterdam

shaap-droom, by Noga Zohar   Picture a studio that looks more like a children’s playground than a business... All the furniture is made out of cardboard, with not a straight wall to be found.  But, instead of climbing around like monkeys, everyone is working, concentrating intently, eyes fixated on monitors -- drawing, animating.   And, no paper is used at all!  Everything goes straight into the computer! I’m barely noticed when I walk in.  Artist's pens are moving swiftly over tablets connected to computers. I tip-toe between them, at each desk peeking over tired shoulders to see what they are so intent on. On every screen the familiar Aura layout appears. Anxious to find out more, I timidly begin making inquiries, earning in reply no more then a few grunts.  Just then, the corner of my eye catches a movement. I turn to see someone getting up, dragging herself wearily to the coffee-machine. I sieze the chance to interrupt, and find her willing to explain her work (over coffee, naturally.)   "vork," by Noga Zohar   Noga Zohar is one of the numerous animators at the Lawson&Whatshisname animation-studio in Amsterdam. Visibly refreshed by the coffee, she begins her story:  "Aura is easy to understand. Even an idiot can learn it, but still it has many possibilities. Here in the studio we do almost everything in Aura. Some of it is traditional animation drawn straight into the computer. You can work fast and intuitively, without things getting too complicated on the timeline. But the good thing is that you can also mix different styles on different layers and still be able to draw in it. In one project for example, I started with some stop-motion footage which I imported into Aura. Then I could easily cut, paste and stretch it, and even draw directly into the source material. It’s really like creating a moving painting. All of the tools are adjustable to a large degree, so you can create a very personal way of working. It’s fast and it’s direct, that’s what I like about it."   "shap-poep," by Noga Zohar   "And is there anything that you don’t like about it?" I ask. She slowly swallows the last of her coffee ... "Hmmm…Sometimes when you save your data and the disk is full, it doesn’t tell you. If you want to load in that project again it’ll be corrupt. I don’t like that. And you can’t rotate your "paper"! That would be a good addition. For a compositing program it suits animating fantastically, but it could still use some adaptations to make it perfect for animators." She made it clear that my time was up simply by getting back to work. I finished my coffee and quietly made my way out of the studio.   Johan Klungel, Amsterdam. www.LawsonandWhatshisname.com   Inside View - click here