October 17, 2009 by John Dickinson | 3,364 views | Comments (70)
Aharon Rabinowitz is widely recognized in the world of motion graphics but how much do you actually know about him? In this up-close and funny chat, we discuss how Aharon started in the industry and his years working with Creative Cow and now Red Giant Software. Aharon also speaks openly about the online tutorial phenomenon, copying tutorials and paying for training, plus Crowd Control and the soon-to-be-released Holomatrix plug-in.
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70 Responses to this post
October 17, 2009 at 7:49 pm |
This series has to be treasured forever…
MARS
October 17, 2009 at 9:54 pm |
Hi MARS, I’d better be sure and make a backup then
Best, John.
October 17, 2009 at 8:24 pm |
Another great one, John! Loved hearing Aharon being so passionate about his work and things AE. Kudos!
October 17, 2009 at 9:48 pm |
Thanks rev65, Aharon’s passion is truly infectious! Best, John.
October 17, 2009 at 8:54 pm |
I love how you guys talked about not slapping a tutorial onto your reel. We see this time and time again and it gets old. Learn from that tutorial and make some of your own! Great interview! Thanks guys!
October 17, 2009 at 9:52 pm |
Hi Gautch, thanks for your input. Best, JD.
October 17, 2009 at 8:58 pm |
Thanks for taking the time to talk with me!
On a personal note, I just wanted to thank John for being a great friend. we’ve known each other a long time, and though we don’t get to hang out too often, we do iChat a lot. He’s a truly nice and genuine guy, and someone I come to for advice and a good laugh. John – you rock!
October 17, 2009 at 9:53 pm |
Likewise Aharon, I’m lucky to be able to call you a friend
Best, John.
October 17, 2009 at 9:07 pm |
Fantastic, as usual. Thanks John! …and Aharon, of course! Where would we be without you guys.
October 17, 2009 at 9:51 pm |
Thanks Rob, without us you’d probably be spending less time in front of your computer and more time outside!
Best wishes, John.
October 18, 2009 at 5:18 am |
My son and I really, really miss being able to go to the AENY meetings. A live stream would be welcome and cool but I’m certain there is no way to capture on digital stream the energy that exists in that auditorium. Not to mention the the free give aways : – )
I was wondering when you would have Rabinowitz on this series and I thought possibly after AETuts beat you to the punch you might leave him off the list. Really happy that you didn’t. Aharon is the Butch Cassidy to Kramer’s Sundance Kid. Now we need to find a “nick” for you John. Suggestions anyone?
Rock on!
October 18, 2009 at 2:26 pm |
Hi Jim, there are interviews and then there’s Unplugged
Best wishes, John.
October 18, 2009 at 5:50 am |
Hey JD, thank you for spending you time and efforts of bringing us the industry leaders up close and personal in your unplugged series. In the interview, both of you mentioned free tutorials which I noticed are mushrooming all over the internet and I agree with Aharon that we should learn the process and not the end-results. There are also those who offer free templates to be scrutinised for the sake of learning which in my opinion is great! I wish you all the best and good health.
October 18, 2009 at 2:27 pm |
Thanks for your input Hussin, always great to hear from you. Best wishes, John.
October 18, 2009 at 9:56 am |
Two Motion Graphics Gurus.. Wow… Thanks John And Aharon for your efforts.
October 18, 2009 at 2:30 pm |
Hehe, every time someone calls me a guru I get this image of Mike Myers in the Love Guru! Thanks Ethan.
October 18, 2009 at 11:19 am |
This is an excellent series! I am far away in India.. but have been following you both for so long that it makes me feel as if I have known you both for ages… Thanks again John for bringing them closer to us..
Cheers!
October 18, 2009 at 2:32 pm |
Hi Naveen, greetings to you in India. I’m pleased that you are feeling more connected through Unplugged! Best wishes, John.
October 18, 2009 at 11:38 am |
Unplugged is the hottest motion graphics show on the net right now, hands down in my opinion. Thanks for your hard work and inviting such awesome guests onto the show. I will definitely RT this for you John.
October 18, 2009 at 2:32 pm |
I love that Adriel! Thanks for retweeting
Best, John
October 18, 2009 at 11:50 am |
I love these unplugged interviews.
Its a great way to learn about getting into the industry. Everywhere you see tutorials about how to approach something but this is definitely a great way to gain some information from the pro´s about their stories and working in the industry itself.
Thanks for that! Hope to see some more!
October 20, 2009 at 2:37 pm |
Hi Thorsten, thanks for your support, there are plenty more where this came from! best, John.
October 18, 2009 at 12:01 pm |
John, I really like your series and this one was very interesting. Thank you both for the great interview!
October 18, 2009 at 2:36 pm |
Thanks Mathias, you’re welcome.
October 18, 2009 at 3:32 pm |
man that’s was another Fantastic episode as usual. really i was for long time whiting for this interview .
thanks very much JD
best regards
October 19, 2009 at 12:12 am |
Glad you enjoyed it Ahmed. Cheers, John.
October 18, 2009 at 5:05 pm |
John, Thank you for this fantastic interview with Aharon Rabinowitz. I also want to thank you, Aharon, creative Cow and all the others who take the time to create tutorials and put them online for free. Each tutorial I go through I gain valuable knowledge. I’m sure I am one of many people around the world who greatly appreciate the time and effort you guys put into it.
You guys Rock, Thanks!
Steve in Sacramento, California USA
October 19, 2009 at 12:13 am |
Thanks Steve, I appreciate you taking the time to give feedback. Best, John.
October 18, 2009 at 5:32 pm |
I actually had to email All Bets Are Off with a technical question and I was very surprised to actually get a response back from Aharon himself.
I credit you and Aharon and Andrew for making me more than just an AE button pusher. Thanks Guys!
October 19, 2009 at 12:13 am |
Good to hear Dave!
October 18, 2009 at 7:38 pm |
When I went through your interviews and saw Aharon wasn’t on here, I thought maybe you guys were “on the out’s” with each other. He was the first person I ever saw doing a AE tutorial, on what I also thought was his site, Creative Cow(s). I am very happy to see you were able to get him on here, and to hear him just chat about the business. It’s really nice to see the camaraderie of the A&E peeps out there, working to help each other. I have many creative disciplines under my belt now, and this is the only one I have seen, where creatives are helping each other.
Thank you so very much for sharing.And thank you to everyone who creates!
October 19, 2009 at 12:14 am |
Hi James, it’s a pretty tight industry, most of use know or at least know of each other. Aharon and I met about 5 years ago. Best, John.
October 19, 2009 at 8:14 am |
Great show guys.
When it comes to charging for tutorials, I heard it best from someone speaking about open source software (it may have been Stu, but I can’t remember now). The beach and the ocean may be free, but that doesn’t mean that the guy teaching surfing lessons should just give away his time…
Keep up the wonderful work!
October 19, 2009 at 3:14 pm |
Nice one John, thanks for that. Best, John.
October 19, 2009 at 9:35 am |
Honest, Humble and Serious
. Thatz Aharon I guess !!! Super.
Also John, remember – “Unplugged with John” is still pending. I wish all these guys (Aharon, Andrew, Maltannon, Eran, Harry…) would interview you together. That would be some fun. Good day.
October 19, 2009 at 12:18 pm |
GREAT ONE!!!!
a hell of advise to those persons out there who claim to call their stuff original and all they do is copy a tutorial.
thanks to both of you guys for sharing time and knowledge.
I think something that I would like to hear more about him is what motivates him to get into AE and become a technical guy, (maybe more about his process).
October 19, 2009 at 3:16 pm |
Hi Johnny, I’m sure Aharon has read your comment and will keep that in mind. Best, John.
October 19, 2009 at 8:41 pm |
Johnny, if you want to ask me questions, check out this post in my blog: http://allbetsareoff.com/2009/08/its-all-about-me
October 19, 2009 at 9:11 pm |
John,
love the unplugged its fantastic!! Loved the section in this where Aharon and yourself talk about the importance of learning process of AE, as a beginner to understand the process of creating dynamic animations is vital to extend your own creativity. thanks again Nigel
October 20, 2009 at 12:14 am |
You’re welcome Nigel, I’m glad you’re finding it valuable. Best, John.
October 19, 2009 at 10:01 pm |
I certainly second (or third, fourth or fifth) what Aharon said at the end, JD. Your site is a pleasure to come to. It’s great learning about AE or C4D or other programs, but I love what you’ve been doing over the last year with BOD. Truly amazing tools!
Keep up the good work!
October 20, 2009 at 12:15 am |
Thanks Ben, much appreciated! Regards, John.
October 19, 2009 at 10:03 pm |
I am gettting addicted to your websbite John.
lots of great stuff here which is very useful as well.
to Aharon Rabinowitz, you are my first internet guru of AE
I still was thinking that creative cow is yout websiste.
thanks very much for this great unplugged.
October 20, 2009 at 12:15 am |
Thanks Abhay, glad you are visiting often! Best, John.
October 20, 2009 at 12:37 am |
UNPLUGGED! its real plugged me to get inspired…Thanks Bro John…Best Wished for You and Specially for your unplugged series….
October 20, 2009 at 4:33 am |
Hey John
thanks a lot for this Interview, I think so far it’s one of the best in the unplugged series, because somehow you feel that you and Aharon know each other.
For the thing about tutorials, I think right not the tutorials are kinda exploding, there are sooo many tutorials out there you can spend the whole week just looking at tutorials, but at the end you only get better if you do it on your own, try out effects and stuff on your own, don’t just copy stuff … of course you learn something from a tutorial but you forget it soon if you don’t use that technique.
your site is really growing and I hope it just gets bigger and bigger
thanks and greetings from Switzerland
Patrick
October 20, 2009 at 8:26 am |
I always enjoy listening to these while designing.
Excellent as always!
October 20, 2009 at 2:24 pm |
Hi Ryan, do you watch them from Motionworks or via podcast? Best, John.
October 20, 2009 at 2:34 pm |
Thanks again, John. Good interview.
:Steve
October 20, 2009 at 2:38 pm |
You’re welcome Steve. Best wishes, John.
October 23, 2009 at 11:53 am |
Dear John,
First off all, thanks for the unplugged series, they really contribute to my general knowledge of after effects and they are fun to watch.
I am so relieved to find out that even Aharon is a self taught graphic designer.
I started with after effects 2 years ago and seriously fell in love with. (even at 40!!!).
I taught I never was going to be able to compete with the youngsters who just got out of college until I found Aharon Rabinowitz at the creative cow. I think I ate a tutorial or two a day and made everything he was showing in order to get a grip in after effects: solids, nulls,
adjustments, expressions, time remapping,…etc., I all learned through Aharon.
Of course I had my specialized books on AE but those tutorials were my little university and I am Aharon very grateful for this.
Keep up the fantastic work, John
It’s been enjoyed in Antwerp – Belgium
Yours Sincerely,
Tim
October 23, 2009 at 2:07 pm |
Hi Tim, thanks for your feedback. I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the series. Best, John.
October 23, 2009 at 5:30 pm |
John, thank you for this interview. It has provided me with some more insight to the industry. I am very interested in special effects, 3d modeling and compositing. My website is just a test page that i haven’t really had anytime to work on, due to college work and also being in the process of teaching myself After effects, Apple Shake, and Maya. This was a really informative interview and i will be sure to keep checking back for more.
October 23, 2009 at 9:26 pm |
Well I must first say…
Excellent job to you both.
This was interesting in a Mograph Industry way,
and a awesome incite and inside look at Aharon
and how he got started and his opinions on the
internet tutorials “Industry” as a whole.
But if you think Andrew Kramer is doing repetitive styles
and his tutorials are flat and dull,
I need to say that you, and or your thoughts on
This Phenomenon of online tutorials sales
are lost in detail, you must understand
that Andrew has a business plan, and that plan was based
off the responses he received from his older tutorials
from the COW, and that his personality is what made him popular,
I.E this makes or breaks anyone who deals with the public
in a personable way like tutorials are.
My Big Tip of The Day for the rest of you who are trying
to sell yourselves and your products… is to be light hearted
and humorous, and most of you are, but when it comes to your tutorials it seems if you buy one, you need to buy another to continue where the first left off,
in order for you feel you had a complete
instructional lesson.
The bottom line is you are all leading the way for
all of us just entering this industry, you will never be forgotten
for your efforts, and you all have a personality to each his own.
But…
I feel you all have a competitive drive to out do each other
and that is fine, but remember that you all have a something to bring to the table, and that you all are incredible, but maybe not as popular, and that can not be taught, you are who you are!
Good luck to you all!
October 23, 2009 at 9:57 pm |
Welcome back to Motionworks. I’m not sure I quiet understand you, who said AK’s tutorials are flat and dull? Whose thoughts are “lost in the detail” Detail of what? Who are you referring to as the “the rest of you”? Your comment is greatly appreciated and would be even better if you could clarify yourself…
best, John.
October 24, 2009 at 2:28 pm |
To answer your reply John,
I’m the one who said they were flat and dull!
Now of course I was being facetious, I though it was funny while I was reading it before I posted it,
I thought I would ramble on
Not really knowing what I was trying to say
And as usual it seems I succeeded
Let me just say, Loved it good Job!
VFX-Anomaly
October 25, 2009 at 12:49 am |
Yeah, sorry VFX it kind of read like a ramble, with the humour somewhat lost. Thanks anyway. John.
October 24, 2009 at 10:56 am |
Yet another super interview!!
Thank you John and Aharon!
//Klas
October 25, 2009 at 12:47 am |
You’re welcome Klas, glad you enjoyed it. Best, John.
October 29, 2009 at 6:54 am |
Thanks for the AE in Toronto shout out!
October 30, 2009 at 11:55 pm |
You’re welcome Jeff. I think I’m going to make a guest appearance in November
Best, John.
November 9, 2009 at 12:38 pm |
Thanks so much, this stuff truly is priceless! I think we are seeing here on sites like this the future of learning.
November 9, 2009 at 3:02 pm |
Thanks Steve. Best, John.
November 26, 2009 at 11:46 pm |
I absolutely love this unPlugged sessions. So much information(free), information is is just widely available. Please Keep up the great work, I am definitely a fan of this site.
November 26, 2009 at 11:49 pm |
Loved it, absolutely amazing!
November 28, 2009 at 2:38 am |
Thanks Michael.
November 28, 2009 at 10:45 pm |
How in the heck did this get by me? Thank you so much for the shout out of our Toronto user group (http://www.aeto.ca) I can’t believe I didn’t see this earlier. It was great meeting up with you in NY in August Ahron. Really great interview guys.
November 28, 2009 at 11:21 pm |
Oh and Harry gave us a little demo of the Holomatrix plug-in. Very cool indeed.
November 29, 2009 at 3:02 pm |
Glad you caught up with this interview Chris.
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