quicksand scene preference...

[jack c]

Live action for me, definitely. There is something of the consistency of mud/quicksand that just can't seem to be conveyed accurately in an animation. You need the real thing. Some artists come close, but there is not substitute for a real bog in my opinion. Having said that, all bogs are not created equal. I think that some of the recent Canadian bog material on MPV and others kind of captures the ideal natural experience.

[Billie Bonce]

Of all the scenes that I've seen, I can't remember any one that haven't disappointed me. I can't say for sure which scenes, animated or live action, disappoint me more.

In principle, quicksand is a part of my fantasies, and my fantasies fit better to animated scenes. I hope to see my most favorite scene one day. I definitely have no resources to make such a scene on my own.

[bbjohn]

I thought I'd contribute my two cents worth as someone who has made and is making animated quicksand scenes. I really have no preference between animated or live action. For me, it depends on the content of the scene. If a scene has what I like to see, then I like the scene. I've seen some pretty good live action scenes and some pretty lame ones. I've seen good animated ones and some lame ones.

I will say that, if the scene is animated, I prefer more naturalistic characters. They make a scene more effective for me.

I will agree that drawing convincing mud is not easy. I know, I've tried. I have found that using water colors to paint mud is better than almost any other medium I've used. I've also found using acrylics with pastels for shading can also be very effective.

As for animated character not getting muddy, this is probably an effort on the part of the studio involved to save time and money. Studios that produce cartoons for television often work on shoestring budgets and are often pressed for time. They don't want to bother with making a character who's been in mud look like someone who's been in mud.

Constraints of time and money also explain why so many cartoon characters never seem to change clothes.

Big Bad John

[A20]

Prefer live action. As for animation; I prefer Japanese animated quicksand