Over the last decade, audiovisual technology became more and more accessible to the average household. Not too long ago, you would need giant renders farms, expensive software and even more expensive cameras, altogether running in the tens of thousands of euros. These days, it's possible to create stunning visuals with an entry cost that is -at least in comparison- marginally lower. Adding to the equation that systems got a lot faster as well, making you able to deliver better graphics within a shorter time (I still remember the days when rendering took as much as two hours for one second!), and a new type of parent arises: the super dads!
These kinds of super dads (or moms!) are people that work in the creative sector, have a serious knowledge of their medium, and use this knowledge to create something for and with their children.
And since everyone who can do something other people can't is generally called a super hero, these people become super parents in the eyes of their children.
A great example is 'Super Lion': "drawn, written and narrated by Elliot Worley, animation by his dad (Seth Worley), with music by his uncle Ben."
Animating the drawings, bringing them to life as you, a five-year-old envision them, there has to be some kind of metal for this. If not, I'll gladly send them one of my own hand crafted medals from when I was a kid in appreciation.
Another great example the father/son duo behind Action Kid. Daniel Hashimoto (who is a visual development artist at Dreamworks) films his son playing James and whenever something dramatic happens, it's visualised through special effects. Every child at one point pretends the floor is lava (I still do it sometimes), James' floor actually is lava, nice!
Another great example the father/son duo behind Action Kid. Daniel Hashimoto (who is a visual development artist at Dreamworks) films his son playing James and whenever something dramatic happens, it's visualised through special effects. Every child at one point pretends the floor is lava (I still do it sometimes), James' floor actually is lava, nice!
Why are they super dads? Just because they know how to create animation or special effects? Of course not, their medium is just a tool. When you scroll through the youtube page of Action Kid, it will be hard to claim that this dad doesn't spend a lot of quality time with his son. Even though his job will probably be a demanding one with long hours, which is the excuse fathers have been using since pretty much the dawn of jobs. Aside from the quality time, there's the stimulation.
Young children still have an untainted look at the world they live in. They haven't been wacked senseless with 5000 adds per day, movies that rely on VFX for about 99% of the shots, and the power of photoshop that transforms normal people into beauty ideals none will ever achieve (including said models). Everything new is magic, from the easiest peek-a-boo to pulling a rabbit out of a hat. This goes for film as well. Though 'Un home de têtes', by George Méliès would look like an outdated trick by now, for children it feels equally magical as for the cinema audience that first saw this film in 1898. It's this perception of magic and their surroundings that stimulates the active imagination with children. They playfully discover the world, and how it tics. They develop skills and learn to separate right from wrong. And it greatly determines the problem solving capabilities they'll need as adults.
Young children still have an untainted look at the world they live in. They haven't been wacked senseless with 5000 adds per day, movies that rely on VFX for about 99% of the shots, and the power of photoshop that transforms normal people into beauty ideals none will ever achieve (including said models). Everything new is magic, from the easiest peek-a-boo to pulling a rabbit out of a hat. This goes for film as well. Though 'Un home de têtes', by George Méliès would look like an outdated trick by now, for children it feels equally magical as for the cinema audience that first saw this film in 1898. It's this perception of magic and their surroundings that stimulates the active imagination with children. They playfully discover the world, and how it tics. They develop skills and learn to separate right from wrong. And it greatly determines the problem solving capabilities they'll need as adults.
Another great advantage is that, by doing this, these parents playfully prepare their little padawans for the world of fakery that lies ahead of them. They saw how dad brought their drawings to life, or remember not having an actual lightsaber at hand when they were at the toy store. So maybe, just maybe these kids learned the valuable lesson that much in the media is fake. And if this keeps them from trying triple backflips and setting the cat on fire just because they saw the Power Rangers do it, then that's every reason you'll ever need.
