Smudge Animation

Animated Thoughts: Academy Award Nominations

2012-01-24T09:47:00.002-05:00

Well, the Academy Award nominations have been announced!

For Best Animated Feature we have:

A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

And for Best Animated Short

Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Out of the previous two lists, I've seen Chico & Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Rango, La Luna, and Wild Life. Hopefully, I'll get to see the others before the awards ceremony as the Detroit Institute of Arts screens all the Oscar nominated short films (both animated and live-action) a couple weeks before the ceremony, so I should be able to see those. The only film that might be difficult to track down is 'A Cat in Paris', arguably the one film I want to see the most!

For pics of the short films as well as links to more info, I recommend this post on Cartoon Brew.

Congratulations to all the nominees as well as those who submitted films!

UPDATE: 1/25/2012
The Detroit Institute of Art will be holding several screenings of the Academy Award nominated short films in February (10th - 12th and 17th - 19th). This program will include both the animated shorts and the live-action shorts with an intermission between the two sets of films. Information including dates and time can be found on the DIA website.

Animated Inspiration: The Christmas Card

2011-12-25T00:00:00.007-05:00

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and an animated New Year (Monty Python style)!!

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat "Fowl Play"

2011-12-14T00:00:00.007-05:00

You know it's going to be a good day when you get to work and there's a new Simon's Cat waiting for you. Looks like we got an early Christmas gift from Simon Tofield: a hilarious animated short and a solid object lesson in character animation!

Looking at this short film, the timing in Simon Tofield's character animation keeps getting more and more solid. After watching the film through once, hit the replay button, then pay close attention to the motion of the cat from around :05 seconds to :20 seconds--where the cat shakes his head, notices the turkey and lunges up at the glass, then hides back down. The motion is smooth and expressive and the posing remains very clear and readable. It's the motion of Tofield's characters, coupled with the posing, that allow me to clearly read the cat's motives--even more than the actual staging of props in the film's initial setup. These key elements describe the cat's body language, which in turn allow us to subconsciously read beyond the cat's facial expressions and clearly see the motivation and thoughts behind his actions. As I proceed on my animator's journey, short films like "Simon's Cat" are valuable tools for training my eyes to look for the key elements in the motion of real-life animals, objects, and people before attempting to reproduce them in a visual medium.

Animated Quotes: Walt Disney

2011-12-05T00:00:00.006-05:00

I'd like to celebrate the birthday of Walt Disney by reposting a quote that I posted earlier this year--quite possibly my favorite quote from Disney as it highlights the man's faith:

"Whatever success I have had in bringing clean, informative entertainment to people of all ages, I attribute in great part to my Congregational upbringing and lifelong habit of prayer."

- Walt Disney

Source: "Deeds rather than words", written by Walt Disney in 1963

The entire article can be read on the Started by a Mouse website.

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat 'Catnap'

2011-11-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

Well, it's Thanksgiving here in the States and I'm thankful that another Simon's Cat was released!

Animated Inspiration: Kick Me

2011-11-11T12:00:00.002-05:00

So back in the early to mid-1980s, I saw a cartoon on PBS. It was basically a line drawing of a pair of legs (red, I think) on a white background. The legs did a little hop dance and then started walking around. Well, shortly afterwards the legs started running up and down a stairwell, got chased by a giant bouncing ball (which got eaten by a giant spider), got chased by a giant spider, and ran away from a bunch of little spiders that made a net with their spider-silk (which blocked a passage in the stairwell). Yeh, I know, kinda surreal. For the past four years, I've been wondering about this animation--who did it, how was it made, etc. After fruitless searches on the net, searching through film databases at the National Film Board of Canada, and asking on forums, I was no closer to an answer. Then, I wake up today and log in to Cartoon Brew (which I often do in the mornings after looking at my e-mail and checking Facebook), and there it is! Animation Historian extraordinaire Jerry Beck is tracking down this film for another reader. Within an hour, we have an answer: it's called "Kick Me", an academy award nominated film from 1975, produced by Robert Swarthe. With the mystery solved, you can now enjoy this 'direct-on-film' flashback from my youth.

Animated Thoughts: International Animation Day

2011-10-25T00:00:00.003-04:00

2011 International Animation Day poster

On October 28th, we celebrate the 10th annual International Animation Day.

From the ASIFA website:

"Since 2002, Asifa, celebrates and coordinates the « International animation day » (IAD), commemorating the first public performance of Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique in Paris in 1892. Such a celebration is an outstanding opportunity to put the animated film in the limelight and make this art more accessible to the public."

International Animation Day is another way that ASIFA chapters work together to share and foster an appreciation for the art of animated film. In many of my previous posts, I raise the issue of different countries developing their own unique visual style based upon their unique cultural voice or vision. IAD screenings are a perfect opportunity for viewers to witness this first hand. Most of the screenings show films from other ASIFA chapters from around the world and most of the films are 'shorts' (read that: usually under 20 minutes in duration). If you're looking to learn more about the world animation scene, then the International Animation Day screenings are for you!

Screenings local to Michigan and sponsored by ASIFA/Central are as follows:

Date: October 27 (Thursday)
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location:
Davidson Auditorium
Davidson Visual & Performing Arts Center

Kellogg Community College
450 North Ave.
Battle Creek, MI, 49017

Showing: "Princes and Princesses" and an overview discussion of Tim Burton's films starting at 7pm in the Davidson Auditorium. There will be pizza and cheese. Mmmmmmmm.

Map: Campus/Parking map available here.

* * * *

Date: November 1 (Tuesday)
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location:
Room 112
Lake Superior Hall

Grand Valley State University
Allendale Campus
1 Campus Drive
Allendale, MI 49401

Showing: Australian Animations

Map: Campus/Parking map available here.

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat 'Double Trouble'

2011-10-11T00:00:00.036-04:00

Well, it seems like I'm on top of it today. Two hours ago, Simon Tofield uploaded his latest film. Since I saw my Grandma's new kitten playing with one of her older cats (Sammy the Scottish fold) this past weekend, Simon's film is pretty timely.

Something worth studying in this film is the difference in how the characters are animated--differences between the larger, older cat and the smaller, younger cat. Slight variations in weight and timing can state the difference between two similar character designs far more than visual differences in their appearance.

This is one of the mistakes that I made in my R.I.T. Thesis film "Zero". In my film, all the characters looked identical, however, all the protagonists and antagonists moved with the same weight and timing. While it worked okay for background characters, there wasn't enough difference in the motion of the lead characters. In the end, while my story was good, my inexperience showed through in the character animation and muddled the final result.

Just like what Shamus Culhane did while animating the seven dwarves in Snow White, Mr. Tofield has provided us with a great example of how you can make characters (who have similar design features) stand out from each other by using motion to illustrate the differences in their personalities rather than rely upon physical characteristics alone.

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat

2011-09-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

This was posted last Friday on Simon Tofield's website, so I'm a little late with the repost, but here's the latest edition of "Simon's Cat" in a scenario that I'm sure a lot of cat owners can relate to!

Animated Inspiration: Festival of Drawn Animation

2011-08-09T00:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a promo for the 'Scribble Junkies Festival of Drawn Animation' started this year by renowned independent animators Bill Plympton and Patrick Smith. This event will feature and focus entirely on hand drawn animation. For those of you who are going to be in Brooklyn, the event will be held at the Nitehawk Cinema on Sunday night. Details for the screening can be found here. And the Scribble Junkies blog, where Bill and Patrick share their thoughts on animation, can be found here.

Festival of Drawn Animation Trailer.. from Patrick Smith on Vimeo.

(note: this trailer is probably NSFW)

Get Animated Workshop: Paint-on-glass

2011-07-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

Here is a compilation of the videos that we created at last week's paint-on-glass workshop along with a look at our animators as they create their films:

Thanks to the Grand Rapids Community Media Center for hosting this event at their monthly AniJam sessions!

Get Animated Workshop: Paint-on-glass

2011-07-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, July 16th, I'll be teaching a workshop on the Paint-on-glass technique of animation at the Grand Rapids Media Center.

WHAT: Animation using the paint-on-glass technique

WHERE: 1110 Wealthy St, Grand Rapids, MI 49506

WHEN: Saturday, July 16th, starting at 9:00 a.m. and running until 1:00 p.m.

WHO: For further information, please feel free to contact the GRCMC or myself, or you can visit the Grand Rapids Media Center's website.

HOW MUCH: Admission for this event is $20 for non-members and $10 for GRCMC members. Advance tickets can be purchased at the GRCMC event website.

ANYTHING ELSE: Yep! I've just received permission from Canadian animator Patrick Jenkins to show his award winning paint-on-glass animation "Labyrinth" (info is about half-way down the page).

Animated People: Erik Timmerman

2011-06-30T00:00:00.079-04:00

Erik Timmerman

It has been eleven years since Erik Timmerman passed away. So, in memory of Erik, I'd like to share a story from grad school that illustrates how Erik would teach larger lessons about life in the context of the smaller lessons found in our class assignments.

We were all first year grad students, sitting in the classroom. But, being budding artists, none of us had taken the time to develop a thick skin regarding taking criticism of our work. I think part of it was also due to the fact that none of us knew how to properly provide constructive criticism. But, during our classes, this would lead to the usual hurt feelings, snippy comments, and oversensitivity when hearing the thoughts of people whom we thought either "didn't get it" or had their own ideas of what "it" was.

So. The assignment was to create a storyboard that described a scene where Don Quixote tilted at windmills. We had all produced our storyboards and Erik was expecting us to show them to the class for peer (and instructor) review before handing them in the following week for a final grade. Well, when Erik asked who wanted to go first, no one moved. We all sat there with this deer in headlights look. Erik prodded us a little further, but no one made a move. So, understandably frustrated, Erik dismissed the class for the day so we could finish up our storyboard assignment.

Afterwards, Erik and I retired to the Graduate Student's lab as he had some work for me to do. It was nearing the end of the quarter so time was precious and the work needed to get done--he wanted to give me detailed instructions. When I sat down, Erik shook his head and said how he didn't understand why everyone just sat there.

"Don't they understand that this is a chance to fix problems with their storyboards so they can get a better grade," he asked me somewhat rhetorically. I responded with a truthful, albeit lame, excuse about how everyone put a lot of work into our storyboards and couldn't handle the criticism from everyone. Erik looked at me and said the following:

"When you were a child, you said to your mother 'I want a cookie' and she gave you a cookie. And when she wouldn't, you would cry with tears streaming down your face until she gave you one. When you get older, if you asked your boss, 'I want a cookie', and if you didn't get one, you started to cry, he'd look at you like you're crazy."

The point being that the things you did when you were a child are clearly inappropriate when you're an adult. Sort of an Erik way of saying that 'when I was a child, I thought like a child, spoke like a child, acted like a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things.'

I said that I understood what he was trying to get at. And I think that he believed me because when I asked him to take a quick look at my storyboards, he did so and then gave me some sound advice on how to fix a couple of problems. Then we went back to work on the lab.

Although I'm sure he didn't know it at the time, that was one of those moments where Erik, in his own way, helped usher me into manhood--one of those many moments where it all started to make sense in my head and I could almost feel myself maturing mentally/emotionally in a real, concrete sense.

Erik died eleven years ago. And yet when I reminisce about him, he's still there, giving me lessons about life.

Eleven years later, he is still my teacher.

Animated Inspiration: Sumo Lake

2011-06-21T00:00:00.025-04:00

Maybe it's because I grew up watching Godzilla movies and anime. Or maybe it's because I have a fascination with Japanese culture. But some films just make you sit there and go "Wow!" 'Sumo Lake' is one of those films. Greg Hofeld has constructed a fascinating new take on ballet that reminds me of how the elaborate fight sequences in Godzilla films were highly choreographed.

Sumo Lake from Panic Productions on Vimeo.
What endears me the most to this short animated film is that according to his website, Greg produced 'Sumo Lake' using the non-digital, Mark 1, pencil and paper. I smile inside when I hear the nay-sayers touting how traditional hand-drawn animation is dead. They obviously haven't taken a good look into the world of animated short films. Once you've watched this film, I urge you to visit the SumoLake blog and take a look into Greg Hofeld's filmmaking process.

Animated Inspiration: Food Zoetrope

2011-06-14T00:00:00.021-04:00

Y'know, sometimes you look at a short film and think 'I wish I had done that.' Normally, I get this feeling when watching the festival promo films for Annecy that the students at Gobelins produce. This time, it's a pair of Annecy promos that were created by Alexandre Dubosc. Within these two short stop-motion films, Mr. Dubosc displays a fresh take on old animation equipment--namely the Zoetrope (albeit, turned inside-out).

Animated Reviews: Kung Fu Panda 2

2011-06-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

skeedoosh!

I only have two minor issues about "Kung Fu Panda 2". So, I'm going to get them out of the way before the rest of the review.

First: there was a little too much of 'Jack Black' bleeding over into Po's performance. Black's screwball mannerisms and witticisms can be pretty funny and they do add a certain humanity to Po's character.(1) But sometimes it's just a little too much. (2) So, I feel that adding in too many of them runs the risk of the viewer getting tired of the Black-isms really fast especially when some of them either aren't funny at all or are out of place. It kind of reminded me of the second live-action "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie where it was clear that they were hamming it up due to still being on an emotional high from the commercial success of the first film. I guess I just don't want to be abruptly pulled out of the fictional world that they've created--I want to see "Po" not Jack Black playing "Po". A minor quibble to be sure, and certainly not enough to spoil the rest of Jack Black's very solid performance, but it was there nonetheless.

The second issue is that the first quarter of the film seemed kind of muddled. Like they knew where they had to go in order to get to the main conflict, but needed to eat up some screen time with Po and the Furious Five so they could catch up to the background events that were taking place at the same chronological time. Once they reached the city? Man it was on and it stayed on until the end of the film! And there were lots of lovely little Easter eggs: like hearing Jean Claude Van Damme do the voice acting for Master Croc.

I absolutely loved how they expanded upon the relationship between Po and his adoptive father (Mr. Ping--expertly voiced by James Hong) and revealed questions about his past that had lain dormant in Po's heart. Like "Despicable Me", the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise is a giant advertisement for adoption--and in both cases, they work spectacularly! Another thing that I really loved is how they gave a little more screen time to the Furious Five--it made them more than just a part of the background vehicle for Po (a common complaint that I heard about KFP1, even though I personally don't agree with it).

Yet another thing that DreamWorks got right was taking time to develop the villain's character, motivation and backstory. One of my pet peeves is when villains are little more than cardboard cutouts. Okay, the super powered alien race is attacking the planet. Why? What's their motivation? Why would they travel halfway across the galaxy just to pick a fight with a technologically inferior race of beings? In both KFP1 and 2, the villains make sense. Tai Lung and Shen, though they don't get as much screen time as the rest of the cast, have clear motivations and reasons behind their actions. Yes, the reasons may be simple: revenge against a perceived wrong from a parental/authority figure. But the single minded way that the characters pursue their goals coupled with the backstory revealed to the audience fleshes out their character and taps into that deep dark part of everyone who has ever been denied something that they believed was rightfully theirs. Even though their actions and motivations may be morally wrong, we can identify with the villains on some level. And that identification helps take them from the realm of just being a MacGuffin for the hero and plants them firmly into the realm of being an actual character who struggles against the hero in their attempt to achieve goals that are as real and as logical to them as the hero's goals are to the hero.

After that, there's not much else to say: the character animation, backgrounds, sound and voice acting were all top notch--and after both KFP1 and HTTYD, I really expected nothing less. Once again, DreamWorks shows that they are capable of giving Disney/Pixar a run for their money!

I'm going to leave you with the following video of the ending credits for Kung Fu Panda 2. This is one of the unexpected treats that we're seeing more and more in animated features: lavishly animated credits that are as beautiful and as artistic as the main film. Bravo to DreamWorks for continuing this tradition with KFP2!

1. To see an example where the 'Black-isms' work really well, review the scene in "Kung Fu Panda" where Po is trying to climb the stairwell and get into the temple!
2. To see an example where too many 'Black-isms' overload an otherwise solid performance, watch the often touching and brilliant film "Shallow Hal".

Animated Inspiration: Train of Thought

2011-06-07T00:00:00.026-04:00

Here's an enjoyable little student film that incorporates multiple animation techniques: Leo Bridle's 'Train of Thought'. A trend that I'm really enjoying is how animators (both students and independents) are putting together 'Making of' videos for their films. It's always interesting to see how people approach challenges during the production process as well as how they structure their films during pre-production. I'm a firm believer that these 'Making of' films provide us little seeds of knowledge that help us to solve our own production problems when the time arises on our own films.

The making of "Train of Thought"

Animated Quotes: C.S. Lewis

2011-06-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

"You are never too old to set another goal or dream another dream."

~C.S. Lewis

Animated Thoughts: Attitude of Gratitude, update

2011-05-30T00:00:00.138-04:00

May was a busy month. In addition to the forensic work for my day job and the two monthly Goldwork animations for Thistle Threads' online university, I found the time to give back and get energized.

Cherry tree next to R.I.T.'s Admissions office

During the third week of May, I returned to my alma mater: the Rochester Institute of Technology. For years, Stephanie Maxwell had been after me to come back home and talk to students about my life as an independent animator. In truth, I had been putting her off for years because I never thought that I had the body of work that would make it a worthwhile experience for them. Well, it took me fourteen years, but I had finally amassed enough animations and experience to provide an interesting look at life outside of "the industry."

My talk was part professional work and part biography as I tried to stay humble about my successes and brutally honest about my failures. The hope was twofold: one, show a wide range of examples so students would see that there is enough work to support yourself after graduation should you not get that dream job at Pixar. And two, be open and honest about my mistakes so that the students could either avoid making them or at least minimize the damage if/when they do make them.

I knew going into this presentation that the folks at R.I.T. would be first-class all the way and would treat me as such, so I tried to ensure that they'd get the biggest bang for their buck. Instead of recycling my forensic animation presentation from the 2009 Kalamazoo Animation Festival International, I wrote a brand new two-hour lecture that covered the entire breadth of my work -- from commercials to museums to court cases. Additionally, R.I.T. gave me the opportunity to teach an hour-and-a-half workshop on Forensic Animation where students could see what it takes to do an accident reconstruction and get a finished piece for their portfolios.

Preparing for my lecture was an exercise that will be the subject of an upcoming post. But by the time the presentation was completed, I had practiced the lecture--actually speaking through it slide-by-slide over ten times (including the night before I was to speak at R.I.T.). As it was a two-hour lecture, that put my preparation time at twenty hours--not including the time it took to compile my research, proof the videos, and write the slides. The prep time was invaluable as it showed me every place where I needed more info or was at risk for meandering off topic. I think that the best compliment I received was from a professor who said that he had three students who he wished had heard my lecture.

However, what I enjoyed most about the trip was the chance to hang out in a pub the night before my lecture and talk one-on-one with Stephanie. Whenever I see Stephanie (or Skip, or Marla) at festivals, we're usually so busy with workshops, screenings, and networking with other animators. There never seems to be time to sit down, and have a relaxing conversation with your mentors unless you make the time. Later that evening, I was left with the thoughts that I graduated 14 years ago and my professors still have so much to teach me--and how fortunate I was that they are still more than willing to share their wealth of experience!

On the way home, since it was right off the highway, I treated myself to an hour's visit at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory. I've been to Butterfly houses all around the Great Lakes region and I have to say that the Niagara Conservatory is the best (with Wings of Paradise in Kitchener a close second). At any rate, the Butterfly Conservatory was a very nice reward for confronting my reservations about public speaking.

My trip to R.I.T. was Monday through Wednesday. On Saturday, I drove up to Grand Rapids for the annual ASIFA/Central Midwest Animators Retreat.

Paired up with David Baker and Gordon Peterson, we spent four hours doing a couple stop motion animations using crayon on posterboard. David had this really cool organic vision for our animations that had us dividing up the posterboard into sections and each of us drawing abstract imagery that grew from multiple focal points on the page.

It's coming right at us!

After lunch (and a meeting), we retired to the little theatre and shared examples of our works-in-progress...

All-in-all, it was a very busy week but one that was filled with the excitement of connecting with old friends and meeting brand new friends. My lecture at R.I.T. put me in the best possible mood for interacting with the animators at the ASIFA meeting. I'm very happy to see so many professional animators and student recognizing the value of the community we're building through ASIFA/Central.

Animated Inspiration: Bird Box Studio

2011-05-24T00:00:00.018-04:00

Here's another funny short from England's 'Bird Box Studio.' This one is a commercial for Three Olive Vodka.

With their simple character design and limited graphic design for the backgrounds, the animators at Bird Box continue to let the motion and actions of their characters speak volumes. These commercials (and by extension, many of their short films) remind me of the old Pink Panther cartoons--animations where the motion of the characters carried the entire film since most of the characters did not speak. Additionally, they used the limited detail, monochromatic backgrounds seen in many cartoons from that time period. Whether intentionally or not, Bird Box Studio is providing us with a refreshing look into the style and substance of cartoons from the sixties.

Animated Inspiration: Redline

2011-05-17T00:00:00.006-04:00

'The Illusionist' may have been the best animated film I saw last year, but 'Redline' was both the most creative and the most insane! Screened at the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, 'Redline' is the story of an intergalactic race to determine who is the best driver in the known universe!

'Redline' was like the Wachowski Brothers' movie 'Speed Racer'... if it was on enough adrenaline to kill an elephant! Seriously, the visuals during the frequent and frenetic action sequences were enough to cause seizures. Add to that the creative use of camera work that I rarely see in anime.

I remember being a child, watching Saturday morning cartoons with wide-eyed enthusiasm after ingesting several bowls of cereal infused with sugar, preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors. Back then I didn't know anything about ADHD, all I knew was that I could barely sit still while imaginary characters danced across the screen in a ballet of color and cartoon violence--all for my viewing pleasure. 'Redline' brought back all those memories and feelings in a tidal wave of adrenaline and endorphins!

You see, 'Redline' is more than just your standard high octane anime--through it's creative use of color, distortion and camera lens effects, it becomes a cinematic treat that pushes the traditional visual conventions and stylings of anime into the realm of arthouse films and Hollywood blockbusters. The most exciting thing is that Anchor Bay Entertainment has just announced that they've acquired the North American rights from auteur animation studio Madhouse in Japan! So we'll be seeing 'Redline' available on DVD this Fall.

On Wednesday nights, several friends and I gather together to watch anime. 'Redline' will be added to the lineup this Fall and my friends will be introduced to the seizure-inducing experience that is Madhouse!

Animated Inspiration: The Illusionist

2011-05-10T00:00:00.001-04:00

To celebrate today's release of Sylvan Chomet's brilliant film "The Illusionist" on DVD and BluRay, here's the trailer to whet your appetite for traditional 2d hand drawn animation.

Since I'm not a fan of BluRay (due to it's increased cost and hardware requirements), I'm a little crestfallen that this film appears to only be available as an expensive 'combo pack' which contains both the BluRay and standard DVD copies of the film. However, this was the best animated feature film that I saw in 2010 and I know that it'll be worth the purchase (once I scrape the cash together and swallow my pride over buying a BluRay disk).

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat

2011-05-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well, Simon Tofeld has done it again. I found this a month late (I think he released it for Easter), but here is the latest Simon's Cat. As always, it's chock full of character and mirth and worth two minutes of your valuable time!

Animated Quotes: Joe Murray

2011-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

"Success" arrives when you find you no longer need it.

~ Joe Murray (Creator of Camp Lazlo and Rocko's Modern Life)

Animated Thoughts: Importance of Experimentation

2011-04-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

Something that I have found which is sorely lacking in professional life is the opportunity to experiment. Back in college, we had the opportunity to spend hours in the labs tinkering with our own ideas and projects. The sky was the limit because we didn't have the pressure of client-imposed deadlines or an employer breathing down our neck. College was that petri dish of ideas, inspiration, innovation and creativity. Yes, there were classes to take, homework to do, and projects to get done--all with their own deadlines. However, the difference between college and work--for me at least--was that college was dedicated to the discovery of information, be it problem solving or just knowledge for the sake of knowledge. But when you're on the job, you're expected to always know the correct answer at a moment's notice since 'you' are the expert. That expectation may or may not be realistic. While we should always continue learning about our career choice, the opportunities to continue learning and experimenting aren't always available.

My membership with the Toronto Animated Image Society continues to pay dividends as every year they host workshops that span a plethora of artistic styles, media, and instructors. Several times I've solved a rather vexing problem on client work by doodling, mowing the lawn, taking a shower, watching a movie, basically any activity that distracts my mind from the task at hand. So, these events where I can learn a new artistic technique, bookended by a four hour drive to and from Toronto, have provided a lot of tightly focused time to experiment, learn, and reflect upon what I have learned. They basically provide that college 'petri dish' experience in the space of a weekend. And by extension, they have provided many flashes of inspiration that have solved problems that I have faced on the job.

When I was in graduate school at R.I.T., I would spend a couple hours every Saturday at the local zoo, drawing the animals and reflecting on my classes. As the Summer months are almost upon me, I think that it's time to revive that practice by renewing my yearly membership to the local zoo and drawing the animals on Saturday mornings. In the past, that weekly act of experimentation (combined with quiet reflection) provided me with no shortage of ideas, inspirations, and solutions to my problems.

As time marches on, I am coming to the conclusion that if I want to progress both as an artist/animator and in my career, I cannot neglect the importance of experimentation. Funny how we tend to forget the lessons that served us so well in the past.

Animated Inspiration: Pub Dog

2011-04-19T00:00:00.002-04:00

Here's a hysterical animation from Birdbox Studio that showcases the dry wit of Britain. I've probably said this before, but one of the things that I like the most about these shorts from Birdbox Studio is that there's no dialogue. So, much like the Wile Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons of yesteryear, the entire film must be carried by the motion and emotion of the characters.

If you have a few spare minutes, follow the link to their website and check out their other films. I showcased 'Sketchy Playground' here last October (back when they were calling it 'Sketchy Ice Creams'), however 'UFO' and 'Sketchy Blues' are definitely worth watching. It's hard to pick a favorite since they're all so good!

Animated Inspiration: Neomorphus

2011-04-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

Here's a stop-motion animation that just screams 'Brothers Quay', however, it was actually created by Animatorio, a studio out of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

"Neomorphus"

Neomorphus from Animatorio on Vimeo.

I have to give it to the animators. No matter how much I like this creepy little film, they've gone the extra mile and published an additional short on the making of their film that displays concept sketches, sets, animation tests, and unused scenes.

"The making of Neomorphus"

Neomorphus Making Of from Animatorio on Vimeo.

What I find particularly fascinating with this film is that they're providing a behind-the-scenes look at production. So you can see all the guide wires, camera dolly, type of camera used, as well as the model guides set up to mark the last position of the models. It's things like this that appeal to my inner animation geek--a magical little film followed by a look behind the scenes into the magician's bag of tricks!

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat 'Sticky Tape'

2011-04-05T00:00:00.022-04:00

You know it's going to be a good month when Simon Tofeld releases another installment of his "Simon's Cat" series! As my current project is being produced using Flash CS4, it's always exciting--and humbling--to see what Flash can do in the hands of a master animator like Mr. Tofeld!

Animated Quotes: Tiffany Grant

2011-04-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

"No script ever survives contact with the actors."

- Tiffany Grant, spoken lecture at ShutoCon 2011

Women in Animation: Eiko Tanaka

2011-03-29T00:00:00.078-04:00

I'd like to end this month of profiles on Women in Animation by sharing some information about a great success story in the field of animation: Eiko Tanaka.

Eiko Tanaka founded her own animation studio, Studio 4°C (1), in Tokyo back in 1986 after working "as a line producer on Hayao Miyazaki's MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE" (2). In the past twenty-five years, Studio 4°C has worked on such films as "Spriggan", "the Animatrix", "Batman: Gotham Knight", "First Squad: The Moment of Truth", and two of my personal favorites: "Genius Party" and "Genius Party Beyond". Additionally, Studio 4°C has worked on television series, commercials, video games, public service announcements, and their own animated shorts (3). And if that wasn't enough, she apparently is also "the chief executive office of a producing company called Beyond C" (4).

Having had both Spriggan and the Animatrix in my collection, I hadn't given much thought to their production companies until I went to the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema back in 2008. It was there that I saw both Genius Party and Genius Party Beyond. Having been raised on a steady diet of anime (and it's ofttimes uninspired visual style), I was blown away by the wide range of story and visuals projected on the screen. It was fascinating to see such an established a studio break out of the 'big eyes-small mouth' stereotype of Japanese animation and push the boundaries of the artistic medium using the gift for technical precision and quality that is so prevalent in Japanese society. The following is a trailer from WFAC's presentation of Genius Party which clearly illustrates the skill and vision of Eiko Tanaka's company.

My last word for this month is to mention the professional organization "Women in Animation". WIA is a very affordable professional group for pros and students who work in the field of animation (5). WIA currently has chapters in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. If I had a daughter who wanted to know what it was like to work in the field of animation, WIA is probably one of the first places I would suggest she start looking for information--since their membership roster is a who's-who of animation studio creatives, executives, and independents. As networking is one of the best ways to gather intel about a job field (and a pretty good way to find employment and educational opportunities), I view this collection of women (6) as having one of the widest spectrums of job experience in the field of animation. The women of WIA are a resource that should be consulted by any girl wishing to pursue a career in animation at any level.

1. Although one source I found (Crunchyroll.com) lists her as a co founder along with: Koji Morimoto and Yoshiharu Sato
2. Source: Studio 4°C website - company hyperlink
3 Source: Wikipedia Entry - Studio 4°C
4. Source: Wikipedia Entry - Eiko Tanaka
5. Annual membership is currently $50 for professionals and $25 for students.
6. And no, you don't have to be a woman to join WIA. As my current membership will attest, 30% of WIA's membership happen to be men.

Women in Animation: Ellen Besen

2011-03-22T00:00:00.106-04:00

Ellen Besen

I had heard of Ellen Besen, but we didn't meet until 2009 when I was giving a presentation at the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International. Since I hadn't spoken in public for a while, she took me under her wing and helped me focus not on my discomfort but on the importance of the information I was presenting. Since then, Ellen Besen has been the angel sitting on my shoulder who quietly and patiently encourages me to become a better animator than I am. I think that my fondest memory of Ellen so far was when we were sitting at a pub in Toronto and talking about the style and structure of story in animated films. With that one discussion, Ellen made an elegant critique of "The Incredibles" (my favorite Pixar film to date) and showed me where the strengths and flaws of the movie were. Ellen continues to challenge my best ideas and shows me that I can take them further than I had ever dreamed possible. If you have the chance to read it, I cannot recommend her book "Animation Unleashed" highly enough. In it, you'll discover why that evening at the pub in Toronto listening to Ellen challenge my entrenched ideas was so valuable. Ellen tackles difficult abstract concepts with a very approachable style that cuts through the mist and shines a spotlight directly on the heart of the concept itself:

"Animation is particularly effective when it communicates with movement. But this potential can only be tapped when movement is given a meaningful role."

From page 16, Making Movement Matter, Animation Unleashed, Ellen Besen (author).

Two of Ellen's films, "Illuminated Lives: A Brief History of Women's Work in the Middle Ages" and "Sea Dream", are currently on display for viewing at the NFB's Mediatheque in Toronto and their Cinerobotheque in Montreal.

Here is our third interviewee in this year's Women in Animation series, Ellen Besen.

* * *

Q: What is your current job description?
A: Hard to pin down these days. I’ve played a lot of different roles in this field over the years and find that I return to all of them from time to time. I am still filmmaking, consulting on other people’s projects, both personal and commercial, teaching (private classes only) and writing about animation storytelling. Most important project right now is the new book- an in depth look at animation and hybrid storytelling techniques which I am co-writing with animation filmmaker/professor Aubry Mintz.

Q: How long have you worked in the animation industry?
A: Began my studies at Sheridan College in 1971 and have been in the field ever since.

Q: What roles have you performed during your career in animation?
A: Producer, director, animator, filmmaker (doing the whole thing), professor, mentor, event/festival organizer, curator, journalist and author

Q: Is there a book or film that you worked on that you are particularly proud of?
A: My three favorite film projects are Sea Dream, NFB 1979; Slow Dance World, Independent 1986 and Stroke, commissioned for 11 in Motion 2009.

Also proud of my book, Animation Unleashed, MWP 2008 and the new book, Whole Cloth Storytelling (working title), MWP- work in progress.

Q: How have opportunities changed for women pursuing a career in animation today as opposed to when you started your career?
A: A lot in some ways and surprisingly little in others. When I started, there were very few women involved in the field and there was some resistance to their participation. Now they are more accepted and participating in greater numbers but still way less than you’d expect- commercial animation is still a guy’s game in so many ways. Why is this so? Are fewer women applying to the schools or are they applying but not being accepted? If the latter, is this a bias among teachers, a genuine deficit in preparation or an orientation within the field itself which favours one set of skills, one approach to design, story, etc over another?

Worth noting, the substantial female audience for anime which is going to grow up with its leading edge generation may prove to be the true ground breaker for women in this field.

Q: What do you think is the biggest obstacle to women who want to pursue a career in animation?
A: Because of any or all of the above, you need even greater persistence and commitment, I think. It is a hard field by its nature- for anyone, male or female, wanting in, you have to dig in and you have to love the medium in order to be able to make the commitment required. But male or female, if you are talented, persistent, disciplined and comfortable in a team situation (not much room for big egos in the trenches!)- you stand a reasonable chance of advancing.

Q: If your daughter said that she wanted to work in animation, what advice would you give her?
A: That depends on her goals. if she wanted to work in the studio system I would suggest that she develop her art skills to a reliable level before tackling the animation curriculum. If she were interested in a more independent approach, developing a personal style to both visuals and story- and jumping right into the filmmaking would offer a real advantage. As would developing enough technical skills to be self sufficient from idea to finished project.

For all young women- be bolder- don’t be afraid to ask for a challenge and to take one on if offered even if you aren’t 100 percent sure that your skills are in place- a lot of learning takes place on the fly.

Q: What is the most important thing that authority figures (parents/teachers/professors) can do to encourage girls who are considering a career in animation?
A: Try to dig past the hype about the field and form a realistic picture about what it means to work in animation. Look for a genuine affinity with the medium- it’s not a field for dabblers. Encourage them to see a variety of animated works with different techniques, approaches to story and thus widen their frame of reference. Encourage them to observe movement in the real world and to develop their art in whatever technique suits them.

* * *

*The image and quote used is copyright Ellen Besen and used with her permission.

Animated Inspiration: Song of the Sea

2011-03-17T00:00:00.008-04:00

Well, today is St. Patrick's Day. So, while I do my yearly dance to avoid drunk MSU students while running errands in East Lansing, you can all enjoy this teaser for "Secret of Kells" director Tomm Moore's next animated film: "Song of the Sea."

Women in Animation: Jessica Bayliss

2011-03-15T00:00:00.100-04:00

Jessica Bayliss

I first met Jessica Bayliss at the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International. At the time, she had been teaching at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and had expanded this into a pair of lectures for KAFI. Jesse started out with a demonstration on Adobe After Effects then followed it up with with a lecture on stop-motion animation where she showcased her thesis film The Furry Revolt (available for viewing on her website). The model of grace under pressure, Jessica handled a room peppered with veteran animators with ease--including my gruff demeanor as well as Gary Schwartz quizzing her on what she learned about stop-motion during production of her thesis film. In the end, Jesse was the one who convinced me to upgrade to Adobe's Production Premium Suite and learn how to use After Effects (a decision that would pay for itself when I used it on the blackwork cap digital restoration project for the MET/BGC). Since then, I've read her blog and enjoyed following her adventures in California.*

So, there I was, sitting in a movie theatre on opening night for Tron Legacy, listening to the Daft Punk soundtrack as the credits rolled by. It was a rare treat to look up and see Jessica's name come up under Post-Production. A quick e-mail later confirmed that she did indeed work on one of my favorite films. While I'm sorry that she's no longer teaching here in Michigan, Jesse has made the most of her time in California. I'm looking forward to seeing what she does next at her new job for Toon Zone Studios.

Our second interviewee in this month's "Women In Animation" series is Wisconsin-native turned California girl: Jessica Bayliss.

* * *

Q: What is your current job description?
A: I am currently working at Toon Zone Studios. it is a small animation company in LA. I mostly do editing, but being a small studio we all have many jobs.

Q: How long have you worked in the animation industry?
A: I have only been in the entertainment industry for the past 4 years and it is just recently that I made the official switch from live action feature post production or animation. That was the goal all along and it just took a little while to get there.

Q: What roles have you performed during your career in animation?
A: It is still early in my career so it has all been some form of post production thus far, but we shall see what the future brings.

Q: Is there a book or film that you worked on that you are particularly proud of?
A: hmmm... ?

Q: If your daughter said that she wanted to work in animation, what advice would you give her?
A: Since I am so early in my career, this is really the only question that really struck me as something I felt I could answer. I am still struggling to get my own career off the ground. It was not that long ago that I packed up everything that would fit in my car and drove out from the midwest to LA with no job, no place to live, and knowing no one. I can tell you that was the best decision I ever made.

The best advice I can give you is to do what I did and just be bold. Be as bold as you possibly can. Take a leap. It is easiest to be bold when you start. When you are young, fresh out of school you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It makes it a lot easier to take chances and bold steps in you life and career when there is so much to gain. Just knock on every door and talk to anyone who will talk with you. It will be worth it. Eventually someone will remember you and give you a chance. It is all about networking. Talent is useful, but networking is what will make your career. It is all about who you know (and what they think of you). It might sound disheartening that it so frequently comes down to knowing the right person and being in the right place at the right time, but I think that is a good thing. It is something you can control and something you can change. It is completely within your power to go places where you will meet the right kind of people and put yourself out there. My dad used to say that its not about being in the right place at the right time, its being in the right place ALL the time. So go out there and meet people. Put yourself and your skills out there for the world to see and it will pay off eventually. Be bold. The more you gain, the more protective you get of it and the harder it becomes to be bold. So do it NOW! Be as bold as possible for as long as you can. You won't regret it.

* * *

* Talent apparently runs in the family. If you get the chance, check out Jesse's sister Jamie--a fine-artist and photographer

The image used in this blog entry was taken by Kevin White, is copyright Jessica Bayliss, and used with her permission.

Women In Animation: Jessica Borutski

2011-03-08T00:00:00.178-05:00

Jessica and the Star-nosed mole

My first experience with Jessica's delightfully quirky sense of humor and subversively cute character designs was her film 'I Like Pandas' which she showed on Channel Frederator. Since then, I've kept an eye on her work ranging from All Girl Arcade and Fairies and Dragons to her independent animation with her recently launched website: Foolish Kingdom (yes, I admit, I've spent lots of time playing 'Leaf Rider' and have two of her paper pandas on my desk). Jessica also worked on Dainty Production's trailer for last year's Ottawa International Animation Festival (one of the high points of the festival for me) which can be viewed on YouTube. Despite lots of near misses at the Ottawa Festival, I've never met Jessica in person. I basically 'cold-called' her with my blog request and found that she was happy to help out with lots of advice to future animators. I can't say enough good things about her. :)

So here's our first interviewee in this year's Women in Animation series, the bunny herself: Jessica Borutski.

* * *

Q: What is your current job description?
A: Storyboard and Lead Character Designer

Q: How long have you worked in the animation industry?
A: 7 years

Q: What roles have you performed during your career in animation?
A: Animator, character designer, storyboard artist and colorist

Q: Is there a book or film that you worked on that you are particularly proud of?
A: I am very proud of my work at Fuel Industries. All Girl Arcade and Mcdonalds Fairys and Dragons. Also I have redesigned the Looney Tunes which has been an amazing experience.

Q: How have opportunities changed for women pursuing a career in animation today as opposed to when you started your career?
A: I don't feel there has been a big change. It is a male dominated industry but I feel it's due to the nature of the job. More men are into cartooning. But I have noticed alot more students at Algonquin are female.

Q: What do you think is the biggest obstacle to women who want to pursue a career in animation?
A: I don't feel there is any obstacles. I feel men and women are treated the same in the industry. It's more about your artistic skill not if you're a man or a women.

Q: If your daughter said that she wanted to work in animation, what advice would you give her?
A: Work very hard at becoming a great artist. Study life and film. Take out of your environment and life things that excite you, and draw and make stories about it.

Q: What is the most important thing that authority figures (parents/teachers/professors) can do to encourage girls who are considering a career in animation?
A: Just keep drawing. If you love it you will get a job. People with a passion for animation will naturally do well because they practice it all the time. Always draw from life. Reference everything you draw. Never copy another artist's style, but be inspired and create your own unique style from your influences.

* * *

* The image used in this blog entry is copyright Jessica Borutski and used with her permission.

Women in Animation: 2011

2011-03-01T00:00:00.037-05:00

Since International Women's Day is in March, and last year saw me using my blog posts over the month to profile four prominent female animators who have had an influence on my career, I thought that I would take a different approach for March 2011's blog posts.

I have a sister who has a sister-in-law and a niece. I'm told by Tricia (sister) and Rose (sister's sister-in-law) that Gabrielle (niece) considers me to be one of the 'coolest old dudes that she knows' partially because I work on cartoons and partially because Gabrielle and I watch a lot of the same Anime. Visiting Trish in Boston is usually pretty fun for me because, even though I don't go to as many Anime cons as Gabrielle does--nor do I cosplay like she does*--we do speak the same language that comes from the shared experience of Japanese animated film. Needless to say, when I finally break down and have kids, Gabrielle is who I hope they'll turn out like. Would make things so much easier if they accept Dad's career choice. But, that's neither here nor there.

However, it does highlight the point that I don't have much experience with girls, be they toddler, tween, teenage, or anything in-between. Whenever girls come up to me and say that they want to get into animation (an experience that I have more often as I attend more cons and the influence of Anime extends further and further into the female community), I never know what to say other then to speak in generic advice that would work for both girls and boys.

So. Back to International Women's Day and blog posts in March dedicated to Women in Animation. This month, I came up with four biography questions and four career advice questions, then e-mailed them to prominent women animators who I have met in my travels--some work in the film industry, some are educators, and some are independent animators. My instructions were to answer any of the questions that spoke to their hearts.

Bio Questions:

What is your current job description?
How long have you worked in the animation industry?
What roles have you performed during your career in animation?
Is there a book or film that you worked on that you are particularly proud of?

Career Advice Questions:

How have opportunities changed for women pursuing a career in animation today as opposed to when you started your career?
What do you think is the biggest obstacle to women who want to pursue a career in animation?
If your daughter said that she wanted to work in animation, what advice would you give her?
What is the most important thing that authority figures (parents/teachers/professors) can do to encourage girls who are considering a career in animation?

Therefore, I'd like to dedicate my Tuesday blog posts this month to my sister's niece: Gabrielle and all the girls who see "Smudge Animation" printed on my badge at conventions and ask me about how they can become an animator. I hope that the advice that everyone shares over the next month helps them find their way as they embark on their own unique career path.

I would also like to thank all the women who helped me put together this series of blog posts. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your schedules to share your career experiences and respond so thoughtfully to my questions. All of your hard work and dedication to our craft continues to inspire me.

* Though I'm not into cosplay, I have debated the merits of getting back in shape and shaving my head so I can take Gabrielle to A-Kon dressed like Major Armstrong from Full Metal Alchemist. Not sure if that would make me the coolest old dude she knows or just the strangest! :)

Animated Quotes: Chuck Jones

2011-03-01T00:00:00.003-05:00

"The purpose of making films is to delight. The purpose of making films is to excite. The purpose of making films is to have fun. Not a bad set of rules for a marriage-which needs some sensible rules. Do these rules apply only to your expected audience? No, they only apply to you."

--Chuck Jones, page 62, Stroke of Genius, A Collection of Paintings and Musings on Life, Love and Art

Animated Thoughts: TAIS/NFB Elemental Magic Workshop

2011-02-22T00:00:00.254-05:00

Joseph Gilland and the author

I spent last weekend in Toronto. It had been months since I have seen my friends in TAIS, so when they announced the Joseph Gilland "Elemental Magic" workshop at the NFB Mediateque, well, it was time for me to make my quarterly trip to Canada. This visit was another shining example of why I travel to Toronto every quarter for screenings and workshops: community!

The weekend began around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning when I woke up, showered, threw my stuff in the car and drove to Toronto (arriving around 9:30 a.m.). After checking in to the Grange Hotel, taking a one hour nap, and changing some USD into CAD, I jumped on a streetcar and spent the morning enjoying breakfast at Movenpik, walking around the St. Lawrence Market and capturing images for an animation I'm working on. But, as the day approached 3 p.m., I got on the TTC and hiked up to the Labyrinth bookstore just in time to meet Joseph Gilland. I had only planned to spend a couple minutes there as I didn't want to monopolize Mr. Gilland's time or get in the way of other people's enjoyment. But, community has a way of changing your plans. As there wasn't a line when I first got there, I was able to spend some quality time with Joseph before everyone else started showing up (score one for Mr. "I'd rather be fifteen minutes early than five minutes late!"). As has been my experience with famous animators, Joseph was very energetic and easy to talk to. He answered my questions, showed an interest in the animation work I was doing, autographed my copy of his book (Elemental Magic: The Art of Special Effects Animation) and drew a picture on the cover page.

Autographing books with a signature and a drawing

Just like my experiences meeting Bill Plympton, Martine Chartrand, and J.J. Sedelmaier, Joseph is another animator who exemplifies the kind of person I want to be should I ever attain anything approaching their level of success. As I'm a little socially stunted from spending years behind the computer, I don't always get social cues or know how to keep a conversation going. But Joseph made it easy with his lively banter, stories of working at Disney, and tips & tricks for producing hand-drawn special effects. Best of all, he didn't have any problem with me (or anyone else for that matter) hanging out there and listening to him talk while he autographed books.

It was during this time when I met fellow TAIS member, Graydon Liang. Graydon had taught a stop-motion SFX workshop that I had hoped to attend but couldn't make due to a prior engagement. Thirty minutes of shop-talk later and I regretted missing his workshop even more than before, but decided to redouble my efforts to make it to his next workshop!

The workshop begins!

That night found me sitting at a table with around twenty other animators (and guests), sharing stories with fellow TAIS members like Patrick Jenkins, Tara Schorr, and Bryce Hallett. Ever the odd duck, I was seated next to a girl who was attending the 'dinner with Joseph' with her boyfriend. Turns out she was studying to become a lawyer. So, a lively discussion of forensic animation and the differences between Canadian and American law ensued (little sidenote: at the day job, we sometimes do vehicle investigations in Ontario). I'm always humbled by the attitudes of the animators I meet in Toronto. I sat next to a professor of animation from Max the Mutt Animation School, an animator from Nelvana, an award-winning independent animator, and Joe himself. During all the shop-talk, not once did I feel out of place. The sense of camaraderie was overwhelming in the Toronto Animation community. Although, honestly, as everyone shared what projects they were working on, it felt like the first time you got invited to sit at the adults' table at the family reunion. I'm proud of the work that I do, but when I hear about what gets worked on in broadcast media or independent film, it's easy to see how much else there is for me to learn about my craft. :)

NFB's display station for projecting hand-drawn animation.

The next day was filled with volumes of information. Joe started off by presenting an overview of his history as an animator--from his work on the Heavy Metal movie right through his time at the Florida Disney Animation Studio (working on films like Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Lilo and Stitch, and Brother Bear) and climaxing with his latest independent animation.

Next, he discussed his book and why it was needed in the animation community. During the course of the workshop, Joe showed examples of hand-drawn special effects compared to computer generated special effects--put into the context of lines of force acting on the physical world and treating said effects as an actual character that moves along those lines of force, the difference between the two became dramatic.

Demonstrating lines of force on water to create waves.

He then dove right into a visual demonstration of hand drawn special effects. Condensed from his three-day workshop, Joe did an incredible job of explaining the theory behind special effects while illustrating said theory under the camera. For me, the highest point of the lecture came when Joe brought up Adobe Flash on his laptop and demonstrated these techniques using the paint brush tool and symbols--proving that in the hands of a master, Flash is an amazing tool! Joe finished off his presentation with a look at the sequel to his Elemental Magic book (examples of which can be viewed on his Elemental Magic blog).

Well, afterwards, a snow/ice storm in Michigan kept me in Toronto for another night. While I'm sorry to say that I didn't partake of the Toronto nightlife, I did spend an evening in my hotel room re-reading portions of Joe's book and further clarifying my notes.

The TAIS Summer screening, with its annual Anijam, is four months away in June. It can't come fast enough for me. I'm already looking forward to being a part of that community once more.

Animated Inspiration: Tezcatlipoca

2011-02-15T00:00:00.015-05:00

Here's another film about felines. This time, it's from college student Robin L. George, who created this film as an homage to Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain.

According to Robin's website, the Jaguar is 'animated', however I'm not sure if that means its motion is keyframed or motion captured off of a real animal. Either way, the motion is incredibly fluid and realistic. Given what I saw on Robin's demo reel, I'm leaning towards keyframed animation. The editing, modeling, animation and timing in this films is indicative of a student who is dedicated to mastering their craft. I'm definitely putting Robin on my 'one to watch' list.

Animated Inspiration: 'Fuddles' and 'Lorenzo'

2011-02-08T00:00:00.003-05:00

Cartoon Brew just posted this trailer created by Disney animator Frans Vischer. Apparently, this animation is for a children's book that he created, called "Fuddles", which is due out in May.

Now, compare the motion of the cat in the "Fuddles" trailer with this trailer for the 2004 Disney animated short film: "Lorenzo."

Obviously, "Lorenzo" and "Fuddles" have two different takes on cats. Fuddles' action is more realistic and cat-like whereas Lorenzo's action is far more anthropomorphized. However, the acting in both animations hold true. There's no mistaking the weight and mass in the characters' bodies. And there are lots of good poses that illustrate the essence of their characters' motivations. Fuddles is the jolly old fat cat who remembers a day when he was a lot more spry but just can't seem to pull off those moves anymore. Lorenzo is having a supernatural experience with his big bushy tail and is freaking out over it!

Having had the pleasure of seeing the entire "Lorenzo" animated short at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, I truly wish that Disney would release "Lorenzo" like they did with "Little Drummer Girl" and "Destino." It's far too good of a film to keep in the Disney vault forever.

Animated Inspiration: Arktika

2011-02-01T00:00:00.004-05:00

Here's another nice short from Anatoly Belikov. While I like the contrast between the rigid, geometric icebergs and the soft, curved, rippling water, this whole animation looks like an exercise in special effects software (according to his Vimeo page notes, he created the animation using Maya and Nuke). The animation in the main character looks a little slow and stiff--kind of like what you see when a student is learning character animation and is starting to work out timing issues. Although based upon the motion of the thrown piece of ice, Belikov could be aiming for a slow-motion effect in his character sequence. Given that I'm a fan of the Mind's Eye films and that whole late '80's - early '90's style of limited 3d animation, Anatoly's short appeals to my sensibilities. The music and visuals mesh nicely and leave me with a feeling of nostalgia for those days when I was programming my animations in POVRay using graph paper, primitives, and limited boolean operations, while experimenting with writing my own ray tracing algorithms.

arktika from Anatoly Belikov on Vimeo.

Animated Quotes: Windsor McCay

2011-02-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

"Mankind's greatest disease is laziness."
- Windsor McCay

Animated Reviews: Foolish Kingdom

2011-01-31T00:00:00.007-05:00

As mentioned in my earlier post, I ordered a t-shirt from Jessica Borutski's Foolish Kingdom website and it arrived in the mail recently. The shirt showed up about a week-and-a-half from the day that I ordered it -- spectacular response time given that they had to print it (if there weren't any lying around in my size) and mail it from Canada. I have learned the hard way that, depending on customs, transit times can vary wildly when shipping between the US and Canada. Even though I live in Michigan, and Ottawa is about a ten-hour drive from my home, I honestly expected the shirt to arrive in three to four weeks.

Me and my bunny shirt.

The t-shirt material and stitching are both sturdy, yet comfortable. And the printing itself is slightly raised. It looks like a much higher quality printing process than the usual screenprinted shirt. Spreadshirt, the printing company that Jessica uses, even included a half-page of 'cleaning and wear' instructions to make my purchase last longer.

From a financial standpoint, given the quality of the manufacturing and the speed of the shipping, this was a good purchase -- and the fact that it has a cute, yet subtly obnoxious cartoon bunny on the front, well, that's icing on the cake for me.

From a marketing standpoint, I think that this shirt doesn't go as far as it could have for an advertising vehicle. Now, the following idea may have been Jessica's original plan and there could have been restrictions which prevented her from doing so with the final product. Or, she may have considered the idea and dismissed it for whatever reasons--financial, logistical, whatever, I'm not privy to her thoughts. So I'd rather discuss the advertising concept here than try to second-guess Jessica. This is just a 'how I would have done it' rather than a critique of what she produced, so please keep that in mind as you read on.

On the one hand, I love how she is offering her animation for free to anyone who wants to watch it and is using it as a marketing tool to drive merchandise and her own personal brand. But I think that she's missing out on an opportunity to use people as walking billboards to advertise her product. The only place where this shirt has printing on it is the front: the bunny with his speech balloon. However, unless you ask me what it means, you'd probably dismiss it as a bunny making a lewd remark (honestly, what do you think of when you see: "F*K" on a shirt). While I love the shirt, it doesn't drive customers to her website where they can get drawn in by her animations (no pun intended), download her free cut-out puppets (more on that later), and purchase her merchandise. I think that her t-shirts would work better as a marketing tool if she printed "www.foolishkingdom.com" on the back of the shirt or across either the right or left sleeve. That way, people standing behind me could be pointed towards her website.

And I can't claim ownership of that idea either. I've seen website addresses printed on the backs of company t-shirts and embroidered on company oxford shirts for years. Additionally, since opening his own screenprinting business (MichiganShirtWorks), my younger brother Ted has been printing his own logo, website address, and sometimes even contact information on the shirts he designs--in addition to many that he custom prints for customers. As he services mostly Michigan State University clubs and Greek organizations, having his brand and contact information on the back (or sleeve) of shirts is a valuable advertising tool that has enabled him to take a chunk out of the lucrative college student market. Ted routinely gets e-mail and phone calls every month from students and random people who saw one of his shirts, visited his website, and want a quote for their softball team or student organization. So, in my mind at least, this is a proven concept.

We live in a day of smartphones, tablet PCs, and netbooks, where people surf the internet, answer e-mail, and read books while waiting in line at the post office or grocery store. It's easy to envision that someone would see the back of my shirt and load up Jessica's website just out of momentary curiosity. At that point, they get sucked in by the animations, have a good laugh, and decide that they too want to live in the Foolish Kingdom that exists in Jessica's imagination. Just on principle alone, to spread the word of her website, I'm debating the merits of stenciling her website name on the back of my shirt (after I've washed it a couple of times and seen how Spreadshirt's printing holds up to moderate use).

'I like pandas...' 'Me too!'

In addition to her selling merchandise on her website, Jessica is also offering free cut-out puppets that you can print on paper and assemble using nothing more than scissors and a little glue (I used 67-lb cardstock and scotch tape for durability and ease of assembly).

Babysitters and parents take note: even if you don't think that "I Like Pandas" and "The Good Little Bunny with the Big Bad Teeth" are age-appropriate for your kids, Jessica's designs are cute enough that you can print them out for your kids and have a little rainy-day fun with crafts. Add a small shoebox stage and voila! Non-electronic-based entertainment for kids. Gasp!!! Kids using their imagination during playtime...the horror of it all! *grin* Of course, if your kids 'are' old enough, her two films make for nice teaching tools: "don't run with things in your mouth" and "don't be superficial."

Oh, and yes, you 'can' glue the front and the back of the arms together. Since they're going to end up on my television, I'm still looking for the right color lollipops to put in their hands before finishing the models. At the time of this blog post, Jessica only has one of the two pandas, the good little bunny, and the mole on her website, but more are coming soon.

Using Jessica's merchandising model as a foundation, I would take it a step further by offering her two animations for sale at higher resolutions via Tunes or on DVD (hard copy? yes, yes, I know). Vimeo and YouTube may be great vehicles for sharing videos, but there's something about being able to play an animation when not hooked up to the internet that is still appealing. Personally, I love streaming NetFlix videos through my iPhone to the television in my studio, but hate having to swap out cables whenever I want to watch a movie in the living room. Add to that, no one likes to have to wait for a movie to cue up halfway during the film due to Net congestion--hence, DVD and iTunes copies.

Another thing I'd do, assuming she owns the rights to the music, is offer the soundtracks on iTunes, for mp3 download, or on CD. On more than one occasion, I've found myself playing her animation in a web browser, minimizing it to the toolbar, and listening to Lights' uplifting, happy tune, only to restart the animation six minutes later, minimize the browser, and continue working. Both David O'Reilly (Please Say Something) and Annable Graham (Grickle) are experimenting using this distribution model with their own animated properties and soundtracks.

All-in-all, I've mentioned in previous posts how Jessica Borutski is an animator to keep your eye on. But with her current work towards developing a personal brand, Jessica is proving her business savvy as well as her animation and design skills. One can only hope that she starts to generate enough revenue through her merchandise that will allow her the freedom to continue producing independent animations outside of the restrictions that an employer might place upon her imagination. And for the up-and-coming animation student, Jessica's "Foolish Kingdom" model is a great foundation for using your own animations to turn a profit.

EDITOR'S NOTE: After doing a little research, Vimeo appears to be working on extending their videos to mobile devices like my iPhone. However, this is a feature that is only available to Vimeo Plus users who pay a flat yearly fee for advanced services which includes this feature. Recently, Jessica appears to have updated her account as Vimeo is now playing her animation on iDevices. Article has been updated to correct this information. (2/1/11)

Animated Thoughts: Resolutions vs. Goals

2011-01-25T00:00:00.003-05:00

Far too often in our lives, the urgent preempts the important and we are left looking back at the time we spent over the previous year wondering where the time went and why we are not closer to where we want to be. Since this is January and that's the month that everyone takes stock of their lives before hitting the 'reset button' on said lives by making grand life-changing resolutions, I'd like to take a moment and encourage everyone to think about resolutions and decide for themselves if setting goals might be a better course of action.

As I'm a firm believer that large successes are built upon smaller successes, I think it is more appropriate to set goals rather than make life changing resolutions. It is my opinion that well-meaning people who make giant, life changing resolutions will fail more often than not simply because they aren't being realistic with their resolutions. And I speak as one who has made and broken LOTS of resolutions! It's like being a couch potato all year and then deciding on January 1st that you're going to run a marathon 30 days later. The resolution is just fine: get into the physical condition necessary to run a marathon then, run the marathon. However the amount of time necessary to achieve that resolution is unrealistic. Show of hands: how many of us have started going to the gym in January only to stop going in February when life gets busy and our resolve starts to waiver?

This is why I think smaller, trackable goals give people a far better chance of succeeding. But in order to make them more achievable, and thus more likely for us to stick with them, we need to carefully evaluate our goals and assign a realistic deadline for them that takes stock of our resources--be they financial, chronological, or strength of character. This is where I find value in taking time out for assessment and introspection once every year (for me, it's in December). If you can take the time to assess your resources (current skill level, money situation, available time and current commitments, etcetera), then when it comes time to plan your goals for the year, you'll already know if you have the available resources to achieve said goal. That short period of introspection before you decide on your yearly goals tells you where you are--then you can decide where you want to go, decide if it's a realistic goal, and revise the goal to bring it in line with your resources.

In my own life, I have also found that written goals are far more likely to be achieved than unwritten goals. When we take time to put our goals on paper, we pull them out of the ether and make them concrete. We remove them from the misty world of dreams where we can get that emotional high when we think about them and live in that safe world of fantasy that we all have in our heads. But, writing down our goals pops that emotional bubble and forces us to decide whether or not we have the internal strength to make those goals real. Add to that, when we take the time to review our goals (daily, weekly, monthly), those written goals make us accountable.

Last year, I decided that I can't have caffeine any more. It disrupts my sleeping habits. It dehydrates me. It affects my memory and makes me jittery when I have too much or too little. In summary, the negative effects of caffeine far outweigh the short-term positive effects. So, after multiple failed attempts to stop drinking soda and caffeinated tea, I changed my angle of attack. First, I decided on a goal with a realistic deadline: no more caffeine in 30 days. Second, I wrote that goal (with deadline) on my calendar. Third, every day, I wrote the number of caffeinated beverages on the calendar that I had drank that day. When I looked at the calendar I was able to see, not only how much caffeine I was consuming, but was also able to set realistic daily goals to reduce my caffeine intake. Best of all, by looking at the calendar every day, I saw the numbers going down every day. So I was encouraged by tracking my progress.

I am currently living a caffeine-free existence and I feel better physically and mentally because of it. Next, is to eliminate soda and excessive amounts of sugar from my diet. And because I have that smaller success with caffeine under my belt, I now have no doubts that I can achieve my next goal of reducing my sugar intake as well as achieving my overall goal of getting healthy.

So, applying the previous lessons to my career: these are the goals for 2011 that I've come up with over December and January:

1. Get Certified
In 2010, I had some opportunities that I couldn't take advantage of. Namely, a couple of universities made some discrete inquiries about whether or not I would be interested in teaching classes for them. Unfortunately, due to time constraints between my forensic work and my historical animation consulting, I couldn't capitalize upon any of those opportunities. On the bright side, it did make me think about my current skill set. Y'see, in the past, I've taught both animation and computer programming classes (both professionally and as a hobby). However, while those classes highlighted how much I enjoy teaching, they also highlighted areas where I feel I need more practice. So, the big goal this year is to take a technical training bootcamp and get my CTT+ certification. While there may be more inexpensive ways to learn how to teach, CompTIA's CTT+ certification is THE teaching standard that Adobe recognizes for their Adobe Certified Instructor program. So I figure, if I'm going to learn how to be a better instructor, best to do it in such a way that allows me to turn this goal into a stepping stone for possible future goals. There are three bootcamps this year in the Great Lakes region and I already have the material. It's time to pick a date, get registered, and start studying.

2. Get Animated
Write, animate, and teach one class in animation, even if it's just a one day workshop. Back in 2004, I created and taught a class at the East Lansing Recreational Center on experimenting with animation. Unfortunately, a car accident and it's resulting physical therapy prevented me from teaching more that year. And over the past couple years, billable projects kept cropping up so my dreams of teaching animation classes were buried under the workload. And while I'm thankful for the work, it has prevented me from designing, writing, animating, and teaching the other classes that I wanted to. Since that class back in 2004, I've been driving to Toronto seeral times each year to learn new animation techniques from the Toronto Animated Image Society and the National Film Board of Canada. Those workshops have given me a lot of knowledge and ideas that I'd like to pass on. After bumping into Gary Schwartz at a film screening last November, I was reminded of a one-page write-up that he uses for his week and weekend animation workshops. Gary told me that if I ever found myself stuck for workshop ideas, then I should use his framework to spark my own creativity. At this point, I think I have enough experience, information, and resources. Now it's time to sit down and produce a series of workshops that cover one day, one weekend, one week, and one semester.

3. Give something back
In my career, I did not get to where I am by myself. So, in 2011, I would like to do one thing every month to every other month that will show gratitude to the people who helped me along my career. It could be making a donation to R.I.T.'s Erik Timmerman Memorial Scholarship for future animation students, speaking at a college, helping a local university evaluate student portfolios, teaching a workshop, encouraging a student, or just calling up a professor and saying 'thanks'.

While I have other goals for 2011, these three are directly applicable to my career and are ready for stage 2: breaking them down into smaller daily/weekly/monthly goals and assigning deadlines. More on that in a later post.

Animated Inspiration: Raspail

2011-01-18T00:00:00.003-05:00

Here's a student produced short clip from Gobelins. It was created as an exercise in special effects, but this little vignette displays far more than just completing an assignment. The students have included some camera movements that enhance the setting (at the beginning of the clip) and action at the end of the film. There's also good character posing and staging in the superhero's introduction and battle sequences. I also like how the students turned this assignment into a full scene complete with backgrounds, camera moves, and sound effects.

Raspail from raspail on Vimeo.

This clip reminds me of how important it is to experiment when you have the time--every technique that the students display in this vignette can be applied to future projects.

Animated Inspiration: The Good Little Bunny with the Big Bad Teeth

2011-01-12T02:30:00.003-05:00

I've been a fan of Jessica Borutski ever since I saw her animated short 'I Like Pandas' at the Ottawa International Animation Festival a couple years back. Well, it's taken her four years to finish her next animated short, but here's 'The Good Little Bunny with the Big Bad Teeth'. Oh, and if you haven't watched her first short, definitely watch 'I Like Pandas' first.

The Good Little Bunny with the Big Bad Teeth from Foolish K. Bunny on Vimeo.

Jessica's work displays a solid understanding of the animated medium and specifically character design. I just love the overly saccharine, cutesy, Disney-esque quality of her characters. It makes their absurd behavior all the more satirical. And you can see that her time working for John Kricfalusi's Spumco was very well spent when you analyze the backgrounds and motion of her characters. This film is an excellent example of what a talented director/animator can do with Adobe Flash. Throughout the film, with very few exceptions, the characters move as if they have weight and mass--and they appear as if they're a part of the scene instead of 'floating' above the backgrounds, a problem I see in a lot of animation (including some of my own!). There is also a lot of good posing--I didn't experience any situation where the characters' stances obscured the motives or emotions of the characters. Personally, though, I thought the best part this film (and the strongest) was the nightmare sequence which had a very nice "Dumbo 'elephants on parade'" sensibility to it.

The story has a kind of a darkly cynical quality to it-–much like what was in "I Like Pandas" (yes, I loved the panda cameo). Having watched this animation over twenty-five times since Jessica posted it on Christmas Day, I have to say that with each viewing, the film makes more and more sense. The day after she released the film, she stated this on her blog:

"Experience what it's like to be a bunny with nasty teeth in a world full of superficial woodland creatures. It playfully mocks our societies obsession with being perfect. This is also a tribute to classic musical shorts done by Disney studios in the 1930's."

The soundtrack was interesting. Jessica turned me on to Lights back when she had only released an EP of her work. So it's no surprise that the soundtrack has a similar light and fluffy feel to Lights’ first album. The first time I watched this film, I thought that the soundtrack got a touch repetitive towards the end before picking right back up during the credits. But the more I watched the film, the more I was able to pick out how a lot of the character animation was timed to the music.

The other interesting thing is how Jessica is branding her characters. If you take a look at her newly launched website "Foolish-Kingdom" you can watch both her films as well as print little cut-out models of her characters and purchase merchandise. I'll write later about the quality of said merchandise when my t-shirt arrives in the mail from Canada--but having previously constructed two panda cut-out models, I think she's on the right track. Hopefully, this will be a successful venture for her and we'll see more of Jessica's work real soon.

Animated Inspiration: Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-04T00:00:00.008-05:00

Here's a cute little Happy New Year's greeting animated short from russian animator Anatoly Belikov.

Happy New Year 2011 from Beatum from Anatoly Belikov on Vimeo.

According to his Vimeo page, the rabbit is saying 'New year had come! Old year go away!'

Thanks to Cartoon Brew for posting this short!

Animated Quotes: Walt Disney

2011-01-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

"Whatever success I have had in bringing clean, informative entertainment to people of all ages, I attribute in great part to my Congregational upbringing and lifelong habit of prayer."
- Walt Disney

Source: "Deeds rather than words", written by Walt Disney in 1963

The entire article can be read on the Started by a Mouse website.

Animated Thoughts: The Year in Review - 2010

2010-12-31T00:00:00.016-05:00

2010 was a good year for Smudge Animation, a very busy year, but a good year.

The year opened big with a new project for Thistle Threads/FabricWorks out in Boston. Building upon the 18th century goldwork project from 2008, we started a series of web classes designed to teach historic needlework techniques which would require me to perform both website development as well as animate twenty-eight silk and gold stitches using Adobe Flash.

In March, I had the pleasure of listening to my sister give a presentation at R.I.T., my alma mater. While driving Tricia around Rochester, hearing her speak, and showing her the initial animations that I created for the goldwork class was an enjoyable experience, the high point of that weekend was having the chance to spend an evening with my former professors – a tradition I hope I can keep to as often as possible.

April found me returning to Toronto and the community I have grown to love and be a part of. Having spent the past two years attending their workshops, I ended up becoming a full-fledged member of the Toronto Animated Image Society and followed it up with a workshop on Pixilation with animator, author, and instructor Bryce Hallett.

May saw me in England. Working with Thistle Threads, I took photographs and helped scout out museums for a tour that Dr. Nguyen was giving in September. Had a day off during those two weeks and spent the entire day in Paris. The tour was very nice, I loved the city and I understand why people save up their entire lives to take a trip there, but the Musee d’Orsay was really the best reason for me to be there. I have loved Monet and Renoir's paintings ever since high school, so to be inches away from the originals, close enough to examine the angle of the brushstrokes, well, it was as close to a religious experience as I have ever been.

In June, it was back to Toronto for the annual TAIS summer screening where I had a short film entered in their SummerJam. Then back home to continue working on the goldwork animations. In July, I spent some serious time in Washington D.C. photographing rocks and gemstones and butterflies at the Smithsonian--basically working on my photo reference library. Then I skipped back to Toronto to see the Best of the Ottawa 2009 festival. Toronto was entertaining, the films at the screening were decidedly less so.

August saw me driving back to Indianapolis for GenCon. I took some seminars to work on my painting skills, touched base with a couple clients (and delivered a CD catalog product), then a took quick walk over to the Indianapolis Zoo for some quality time in their butterfly house for the continuing work on my photo library. Then it was back to Toronto where I spent half a day taking care of my nephews while Dr. Nguyen worked with the curators at the R.O.M. The rest of the time was spent working on the Historical Needlework classes with Tricia. Thank you wireless internet access in the hotel room! Am confounded how much more efficient Trish and I are when we're working on this stuff in the same room at the same time. Might have to reconsider moving to Boston.

September was a truly busy month. I worked with Tricia to produce several videos for the Jacket Tour of England and Scotland while continuing with the web development and animation for her classes. The videos would be shown on the two tour buses while the attendees were on their way to the museums. It was some conversion to PAL work on a couple of her previous videos but the rest was putting together a lot of pan-and-scan slideshows. Given that Tricia took the women on the tour into the parts of museums that most will never see, many of them described the tour as a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience.

As Fall turned to Winter, things started to ease up. I took my bi-yearly trip to the Ottawa International Animation Festival and my yearly trip to the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema. November was a good month for animated feature films as I also go to run down to the Detroit Film Theatre to see “My Dog Tulip.”

When I look back at the year, I see a lot of work in the historical side of animation, but not a lot on the forensic side or teaching. Due to the recession, there just weren't a lot of forensic animations to do. And I was just too busy to teach. I wanted to kick start my 'Get Animated' program but it simply didn't happen. It seems that when one area is busy, the other sides of the equation are slow. It's good for my blood pressure, but leaves me feeling like I'm falling behind in the others. For 2011, I'd like to see the scales balance out somewhat--do some more teaching and practice more forensic animation. I'd like to achieve some balance in the new year.

Animated Thoughts: Attitude of Gratitude, Part Three

2010-12-25T00:00:00.024-05:00

NOTE: This is part three of a series. Part one can be read here and part two can be read here.

Since Erik Timmerman's untimely death on June 30, 2000 and Marla starting her own program at R.I.T. (with her taking up the role of Director of Visualization), Carl "Skip" Battaglia and Stephanie Maxwell fell into the role of being my mentors--whether they realized it or not. It started out rather casually with my seeing them every other year at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.

I'd always bump in to Stephanie either on the way into the Friday or Saturday evening screenings or in the theatre itself. We'd talk for about a half-hour about what projects we were working on as well as how the program at R.I.T. was developing, then I’d ask her for some advice for a project I was tinkering with, she’d give me her latest business card, I’d ask her when she was going to release a DVD of her work, and we’d part ways until the next festival. A DVD of her animated films was released in 2008 and is distributed by iotaCenter, by the way.

My path to Skip was a little more roundabout. Like with Stephanie, I only had one class with Skip during my time at R.I.T. but that class had an impact on me. Both of their classes opened my eyes to a broader range of animated film and developed in me an appreciation for non-narrative and abstract animated films. After seeing an obituary in a newspaper for Carl Battaglia, my heart sank as I thought about how I had lost another professor. Well, after checking in with R.I.T., it turns out that a different Carl Battalglia in Rochester, New York had passed, though Skip would later tell me of stories how random people would walk up to him and exclaim “Skip! You’re alive!” This, I think was the real wake-up call for me. Erik’s death had left me in a kind of stupor where I got on with my life, my work, and my hobbies. As the years passed, just like Stephanie, I’d see Skip at the Ottawa animation festival, we’d chat, I'd buy a DVD of his latest film, then we'd go our separate ways. Other than yearly Christmas cards and bi-yearly Ottawa trips, I drifted away from these three people who had such a profound influence on my life. So, in 2008, I resolved to do something about it. I started to e-mail Marla, Skip and Stephanie on a more regular basis, usually just to say ‘hi’ and tell them what I was working on or ask for a quick bit of advice on filmmaking. And in April of 2010, an opening presented itself.

I received an e-mail from my sister, Tricia. She had been invited to speak at the Rochester Institute of Technology about how she was applying Fourier transforms to her work in historical embroidery. Well, if my sister was going to speak at my Alma Mater, then I was going to be there. After taking some time off of work, I drove out to Niagara Falls for the night. The next morning, I made the ten minute drive across the border to the Buffalo airport and picked her up. After a hour's drive to Rochester (followed by a a lunch meeting where we shop talked about the online class we were working on together), I had the singular pleasure of seeing my sister speak about the Plimoth Plantation jacket project, in addition to the work we did for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Bard Graduate Center for Decorative Arts.

The next day, I dropped Tricia off at the airport and drove back to Rochester. That night, I did what I should’ve done years ago, and took Marla, Skip, and Stephanie out to dinner just to say ‘thank you for helping me get where I am now.’ At this point in my life, I may not be where I want to be in my career, but I’m further than I had ever dreamed possible that first day at R.I.T. when Erik stood up at the front of the classroom and said the phrase which would define the following three years for me: “Grad school is not about how little you can do, it’s about how MUCH you can do.” More than many other people in my life, it was this handful of professors at R.I.T. that showed me how to refine the tools that made my career possible—the tools that have gotten me this far and will carry me well into the future.

So we ate, we drank, we talked about our personal projects, what I was doing for my jobs, what changes had come to R.I.T. since my graduation, and we shared our memories of Erik. After dinner, we parted ways. Marla and Stephanie went home, Skip and I watched a film at the Eastman House, then we drove back to his home where he showed me his studio, we talked about his current film, and he showed me his production methods for animation. Between Tricia and my professors, I couldn’t have asked for a better trip. With all the great things that happened to me in 2010, the only event that surpassed that evening with my professors was a trip to England with Tricia two months later (but that's another story). The next morning, I checked out of my hotel and made the seven hour drive back across Canada to Michigan.

(Skip, Stephanie, Marla, and me)

So I guess the point of this three-part run down memory lane is just to encourage others (and to remind myself) to take the time to thank the people in your life who helped get you where you are. While I did thank Erik "for everything" before he died, I did not get to spend the future years with him that I wanted to--thanking him over and over again whenever the Spirit brought him to the forefront of my consciousness and reminded me to call him up, give him an update on where my career (and life) is, and say those two simple words: 'thank you'. I consider myself blessed that I have that opportunity with Marla Schweppe, Carl "Skip" Battaglia, and Stephanie Maxwell.

Animated Inspiration: The Deep

2010-12-21T00:00:00.017-05:00

I'm going to take a break from the usual holiday themed animations to share this video that illustrates the genius of stop-motion animator PES. Clearly influenced by Jan Švankmajer (watch his film Dimensions of Dialogue to see what I mean), PES has created a beautiful short film combining stop-motion animation, found-objects, and replacement animation with a moody, etherial soundtrack. This is one of those non-narrative short films that gets everything right, in my opinion. Would have loved to see this on the big screen at Ottawa this year. I think it would've fit in nicely considering the sensibilities of the typical animators who attend. I honestly wish I could say more about this film, but at the moment I'm just awestruck at how well each and every detail integrates into the whole film.

Animated Reviews: Tron Legacy

2010-12-19T12:05:00.001-05:00

I don't think that there's any way I can give an objective review of "Tron: Legacy" as the original "Tron" was the quintessential film of my youth. Back in 1982, my father took me to see "Tron" at the Meridian Mall East 4 theatres. The movie "Tron" is one of the main reasons why I became a computer animator--yes, there have been other inspirations over the years--"the Mind's Eye" series of films, for example, along with countless Anime and Disney films--but "Tron" remains the first.

I went into the movie theatre cold. Rather then read previews and look over spoilers, all I did to prepare for Tron: Legacy was listen to the Daft Punk soundtrack and read the graphic novel that describes what happened in the period of time between the first "Tron" and "Tron: Legacy". I have to admit, no matter how much I enjoy Daft Punk (and how excited I was to hear that they were doing the soundtrack), when I actually heard what they produced, I was uncomfortable, partially because it was so different from their "Interstellar 5555" album--"Tron: Legacy" has a much more heavy industrial feel when compared to the pop/disco/dance club feel of their earlier work.

So, knowing that there was no way that the sequel could ever live up to any expectations due to the impact that the original has had on my life, I was free to experience "Tron: Legacy" as more of a stand-alone film.

All-in-all, it was a good sequel. Like all sequels, it has its flaws. But the positives outweighed the negatives. I would have liked a little more time on the game grid, a story that was a little more solid, and even though it was handled very well, I don't like 3D films. But the acting, visuals, VFX and animation were very good. I liked the '80's culture references and the soundtrack fit the movie perfectly (the Daft Punk cameo was amusing).

I think that the original Tron was a roller-coaster ride because it broke new ground. But by the time "Tron: Legacy" screened, we'd already been through "Ghost in the Shell", "the Matrix" films, and "Technotise, Edit and I"--really, we've been set up to be a little deflated with that 'been there done that' feeling. That's kind of why I feel that if they made the script just a smidge stronger, it would've made a really big difference. But in the end, I feel I got my money's worth out of "Tron: Legacy". I'll go see it again several times before it leaves the theatres and Disney is guaranteed a DVD sale from me next year--I just hope they put a ton of 'making of' features on the disk. :)

Animated Quotes: Reg Hartt

2010-12-16T00:00:00.002-05:00

One journalist, writing a piece on me said, "I was told you are crazy: that you actually kick people out of your programs for talking."

I told them, "I do not think people go out to public events such as concerts, dance, lectures, movies and the theater to listen to members of the audience talk during the presentation."

"I never thought of that," the person replied.

~ Reg Hartt, quoted from his monthly Cineforum e-mail, dated Monday, December 13, 2010

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat 'Santa Claws'

2010-12-14T16:00:00.001-05:00

Christmas is right around the corner, so here's an early present from Simon Tofield: a Christmas themed 'Simon's Cat' animation. *<[:3

Animated Inspiration: Arctic Holiday

2010-12-07T23:06:00.000-05:00

Since Christmas is on the way, here's a Grickle!

Graham Annable has a twisted sense of humor that can sometimes meander a little too far into the abstract for my tastes. But with this animation, he shows off his good sense of timing with a solid set-up for a short little gag film.

Animated Inspiration: Paths of Hate

2010-11-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

Wow! Just based on the visual style of the trailer, here's an animation I can't wait to see! Made by Platige Image, the Polish studio that created 'Fallen Art'.
PATHS OF HATE long trailer from Platige Image on Vimeo.

The first thing that I noticed about this film's trailer is the similarities to the 'Gremlins' sequence from the original 1981 'Heavy Metal' movie.

Both films attempted (and succeeded) in portraying animation using a rendered-in-ink, comic book/graphic novel visual style. The interesting thing is that both films started from a 3d foundation. Platige Image's website states that they created 'Paths of Hate' as a 3d modeled and animated film and rendered as a 2d animation. The 'making of' section of the 'Heavy Metal' DVD illustrates how the B-17 sequences were filmed off of a detailed physical model and then rotoscoped in the 2d visual style. So, pretty much the same conceptual foundation, just two different technological approaches to the final product.

Animated Reviews: Tangled

2010-11-25T01:57:00.006-05:00

'Tangled' left me feeling like I was watching an olympic class swimmer holding onto the edge of the pool because he's scared of venturing out into the deep end.

I really enjoyed this movie, really enjoyed it--except for the the song-and-dance numbers. They seemed too forced and just didn't fit the mood of the film. Everything else was spectacular--story, voice acting, animation, sets, character design, everything! Like 'Princess and the Frog,' when Disney stuck to the story, I was hooked! However, as soon as someone started singing and dancing, I was bored out of my skull.

I hope Disney makes money with 'Tangled' and I hope they make more films, but I really hope that they return to my personal favorite period of time in their cinematic history: when they broke out of the "Disney mold" and made films like 'Atlantis,' 'Emperor's New Groove,' and 'Lilo & Stitch.'

One thing worth mentioning, something that I don't think is coming through clearly in my review, is that I'm not anti-musical. There's definitely a place for the 'Rogers and Hammerstein' animation--Disney has already proven that (which, for me, started with the 'Little Mermaid' since I don't remember seeing the pre-80's Disney films in the theatre). But just like comedy, song and dance numbers are difficult to pull off well--as anyone who has watched 'Anastasia' and 'the Swan Princess' can attest to. Both were cute films with relatively engaging stories, but the song and dance numbers either didn't seem to fit or lacked a certain spark.

The only song number in 'Tangled' that I thought was seamless was when Flynn and Rapunzel are sitting in the boat right at the time of the lanterns being launched. And I didn't have a problem with the dance scene in the marketplace (don't remember if anyone was singing during that dance number). All the other song-and-dance numbers felt jarring. Honestly, it felt like there was someone in development with a stopwatch, counting time between scenes with dialogue and scenes with story progression who was just waiting to say "okay, we've hit the five-minute marker. The quota for non-singing dialogue has been met, it's time to throw in a dance number." I felt the exact same way with 'Frog Princess' but didn't think much of it at the time due to the fact that I don't like Jazz. It wasn't until I saw 'Tangled' and had the exact same problem while watching the film that I realized there was a marked difference between Disney's older films and their current efforts. And I'm not exactly sure where the transition starts since I haven't seen 'Brother Bear' or 'Home on the Range'. As this transitioning issue is rather difficult to articulate at the moment, when 'Tangled' comes out on DVD (and I add it to my collection), I think I'll do a side-by-side comparison with 'the Little Mermaid' to see if I can pinpoint exactly what is bothering me about the recent Disney musicals as compared to their older films.

Animated Thoughts: Attitude of Gratitude, Part Two

2010-11-23T16:15:00.002-05:00

NOTE: This is part two of a series. Part one can be read here.

(Marla Schweppe)

If Erik Timmerman was my surrogate father during my time at R.I.T., then Marla Schweppe was definitely my surrogate mother.

Marla has two qualities that I quickly learned to appreciate:

1. No matter how busy she was, she always made time to look at my work and encourage me to do better and to be better than I was.

2. She was never afraid to point out that I was full of crap when I was.

It may sound flippant at first, but the older I get, the more I have come to appreciate honesty. I can easily find dozens of people who'll tell me what I want to hear, but someone who tells it like it is with the point of making you better at what you are attempting, well, that's an increasingly rare thing. Marla didn't just look at my work, she took the time to study it and she knew me well enough to know where I was cutting corners, or not living up to what I could produce, or just not pushing hard enough against my mental/emotional/artistic boundaries.

Marla has this little technique that would always snap me right back into reality. Whenever I got into that argumentative rut--usually about some task that I didn't think I was able to pull off--she'd just agree with me and follow it up with 'so what are you going to do?' Those two sentences turned out to be a surprisingly effective tactic. It effectively left me with nowhere to go and confronted me with the end result of what would have been an hour's worth of arguing in the space of one minute. And in almost every case, it provided a moment of clarity (as I usually stood there with that 'deer-in-headlights' look) where I could see the absurdity of getting worked up over an issue when I should have been brainstorming possible ways around the problem.

A major theme of my time at R.I.T. was unlearning years of learned behavior. Both Erik and Marla did a masterful job of shepherding me around those ancient emotional landmines that had stymied my efforts towards personal growth. As I look back over my notes from their classes, I have to say that I learned far more from those ten or fifteen minute, one-on-one meetings where they would close the office door and confront me about my learned behavior and point me towards a direction of maturity. To Erik and Marla, the role of a professor was always more than just teaching animation in the classroom, it was about being a mentor, surrogate parent, confessor, cheerleader and psychologist to a bunch of overgrown kids whose enthusiasm often outstripped their artistic ability and emotional maturity.

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat

2010-11-16T00:24:00.004-05:00

Just because, here are two more Simon's Cat short animations, one decidedly cat-like and one more cartoony:

Animated Quotes: Joe Murray

2010-11-15T14:09:00.000-05:00

"There's a show inside you that only YOU can do, that no one else can."
~ Joe Murray (creator of Camp Lazlo and Rocko's Modern Life)

Source: Interview, Jeaux Janovsky, November 12, 2010

Animated Inspiration: Simon's Cat 'The Box'

2010-11-09T08:00:00.081-05:00

Simon Tofield is back with his cat. Sometimes Simon's work makes me laugh out loud, sometimes it's just a chuckle, but I always find something amusing about this series--probably because I love cats.

Looking at this from an animation standpoint, I love the cat's smooth motion and split-second expressions. Watch when the cat tips over the box from marker :45 to :46. In one second, a maximum of fifteen frames if he's drawing this animation on twos, the cat goes from being compact with limbs tucked in to spread eagled to being compacted again, albeit in a box. The amount of motion, body language, and expression that takes place in just that one second is enormous--to say nothing of the timing necessary to pull off that gag. Mr. Tofield is simply a master at drawing these split-second expressions that parody a real-life cat's reflexes.

Also observe the layered actions at marker 1:33 when the cat pops out of the box--first one ear and then the other as the head moves and the eyes look around. Mr. Tofield draws the cat--moves the cat--not as a single entity but as a series of individual parts. Observe the motion of the cat's legs at marker 1:50. There's no symmetry in the motion, which is intentionally jarring to our expectations but breathes more life into the cat.

As an added treat, check out this animated commercial for Felliway, a diffuser spray for cats. Not a Simon Tofield production as far as I know, but amusing nonetheless.

Animated Reviews: Megamind

2010-11-06T08:00:00.005-04:00

Based on the trailers and the spoilers, I went into "Megamind" expecting to be disappointed. As I've probably mentioned before, Dreamworks films are really hit-or-miss for me (a similar experience to Disney's dry spell back in their early 2000's, "Home on the Range" era). However there was a lot in this film that was very likable. There were very few pop-culture references or excretory jokes. And though I'm not a big Will Ferrell fan, he gave a solid performance as Megamind that didn't seem influenced by his SNL or film performances, but rather was a new character he created just for this film. The animators at Dreamworks know their craft, so the modeling, animation, and special effects were done well. The timing on some the dialogue versus the mouth positions looked a little off in some scenes, but after seeing the same thing in Disney's "Bolt", I'm wondering if that's just a quirk of the sound system at the theatre. After "Kung Fu Panda" and "How To Train Your Dragon", I didn't really expect anything less from the animation--which leaves story. This story had some really nice surprises in it. While at the surface, it's a redemption story encapsulated in the Superman mythos. But if you dig deeper, it's really a morality tale warning us that what we want isn't always what's best for us--sort of a "it's the journey, not the destination" idea--or maybe just a fulfillment of the old adage 'God punishes us by giving us what we want.' In reality, He's probably just trying to get us to grow as human beings, but that's a discussion for another blog.

The only thing that fell flat was the overreliance on music. Some of it worked, since it highlighted Megamind’s pompous attitude. But it got old really fast. And the dance number at the end left me wondering if they didn’t know how to end the movie so they threw in a dance number. I was squirming in my seat when they did this with "Despicable Me", but at least there, it kind of made sense in the greater context of the film's previous scenes. Here, it just feels awkward and out of place.

Other than those two quibbles, I thought it was a very fun movie. Liked the character development. Thought the fish was very amusing. Enjoyed David Cross's voice acting. And really enjoyed the relationship dynamic between Metroman, Megamind and Roxanne. Don’t know if I’d go see it again in the theatre, but will probably pick it up on DVD.

Animated Inspiration: Fer Fer

2010-11-02T00:00:00.003-04:00

From the school that brought us Vladimir Kooperman's "C-Block", this rather touching animation is from Sheridan College student Chris Darnbrough. The sound levels are kind of across the board, so sometimes it's really hard to make out what the characters are saying, but the staging, character design/animation and pacing of this film is such that you don't really notice or need dialog. I think that he could have made the characters mumble intelligibly in a tone that was appropriate for the scene and it would've worked just as well--the characters' expressions and body language really carry their emotions and intentions.

All things considered, it's a quality film. And much like "C-Block", "Fer Fer" makes me look forward to seeing what this talented student produces next.

Careful, the ending is a real tear-jerker.

Animated Events: November at the Detroit Film Theatre

2010-11-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

This month, there are two animation programs coming to Michigan. The first is a series of animated short films and the second is an independent animated feature film. Both will be shown at the Detroit Film Theatre, the theatre attached to the Detroit Institute of Arts. So if you need to take a break from planning for the Thanksgiving holiday (or someplace to recover from the Thanksgiving holiday), take a couple of hours and support a local venue that is one of the few places we have in Michigan where we can see independent animated film.

Nine Nation Animation
Detroit Film Theatre
Screenings on November 6, 7, 12, & 14

Saturday, November 6 at 7:00 & 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Friday, November 12 at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 14 at 4:00 p.m.

Program Description from the DIA/DFT website:
"A cat and mouse carry on a dysfunctional relationship sometime in the future. Two blue collar workers dissect the meaning of “normal” as the world disintegrates around them. A matchbox succumbs – much to its regret – to the allure of a cigarette. A handful of people recall various encounters – triumphant or terrifying, euphoric or everyday – with a universally unforgettable human rite of passage. Nine Nation Animation presents a selection of imaginative and cutting-edge award-winning short films from some of the world’s most renowned festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Annecy, Clermont-Ferrand and others. Nations represented include Norway, Turkey, France, Ireland, South Africa, Sweden, Belgium, Croatia and England. This bracing, thoughtful, sometimes hilarious program is recommended for persons over 18."

My Dog Tulip
Detroit Film Theatre
Screenings on November 19-21 & 26-28

Friday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Friday, November 26 at 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 27 at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 28 at 4:00 p.m.

Description from the DIA/DFT website:
"Based on the celebrated 1956 novel by J.R. Ackerley (We Think the World of You), the deeply touching My Dog Tulip is the first animated film to ever be entirely hand drawn and painted using high-definition paperless computer technology. Though the middle-aged Ackerley had never previously been known for his love of animals, he nevertheless decided to adopt what he described as an “intolerable” 18 month-old German shepherd with whom he quickly fell in love - in spite of her erratic and often inconvenient behavior (sometimes seen in vivid detail), as well as her distinctly canine tastes, attitudes and appetites. Absorbing, visionary and bittersweet, My Dog Tulip comes as a gently breathtaking surprise, enriched by a memorable vocal characterization by the great Christopher Plummer as Tulip’s devoted owner. Featuring Isabella Rosselini and the late Lynn Redgrave."

Film program images and text descriptions are quoted from the DIA/DFT website, are copyright their original owners, and are used here for promotional purposes only.

Notes from the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2010

2010-10-25T15:30:00.007-04:00

Last week, I made my bi-yearly trip to the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Compared to OIAF 2008, this fest wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for, but it certainly had its moments. Here are some of the highlights:

Monday:

Going to Ottawa. Plan is to leave at 7 a.m. Have to wait for my brother. We don't leave Michigan until noon. Made it to Toronto by 7 p.m. Walked to dinner. Walked back to hotel. Got an e-mail from Skip Battaglia. Planning to meet up with him at the festival. Trip is off to a shaky start, but I'm okay with it. Turns out Mom needed to borrow my car while I was out of town. Since Ted was late picking me up, I was still in town to help out Mom.

Tuesday:

Bummed around Kensington Market before the final leg of the trip to Ottawa. Found a good book on the history of Canadian Animation in a used book store. Strangely apropos given where I am going and what I'm going to be doing when I get there. My brother and his girlfriend have been bitching at each other non-stop since we left Michigan. Think I might make the trip to OIAF 2012 by myself. Arrived in Ottawa at 10 p.m. I think staying at the Novotel Ottawa was a good choice as it's right across the street from the Arts Court Center. Going to seriously cut down on the walking. Will be nice to not be sweaty from walking all over Ottawa when I get to the screenings and workshops! The plan is to pick up my pass in the morning, spend the afternoon touring old hangouts in Ottawa, then watch 'the Illusionist' and a competition screening in the evening. Ottawa Fest, day 1 begins!

Wednesday:

On my way to breakfast, I watched a bunch of kids get into a mob fight over by the Rideau center before it was broken up by cabbies and onlookers. Can't shake the bad vibe that I'm getting off of this city. Met Jerry Beck on the way back to the hotel and Mark Simon at the evening screening. Got the chance to quickly tell them 'thank you' for the positive influence they have had on my career. Bumped into Gary Swartz and then had three nice students chat me up on a street corner. Turns out David, Angela and Brianne are Dave Baker's students and recognized me as I walked by. Really nice kids. Very polite. Was sorry to hear from them that there's not going to be any Kalamazoo Animation Festival International next year. Might be interesting to put something together in East Lansing if I can find some funding. Made a mental note to talk to Dave about the Cartoon Challenge when I get back into town. With Ted owning his own screen-printing business, it would be nice to help out with t-shirts for the students who show up for the competition.

Thursday:

So far, two lackluster screenings and two great screenings. Saw Skip Battaglia last night and met Candy Kugel. Had one fantastic conversation with former classmate Glenn Ehlers. After talking to him, I'm feeling a little better about my plan to get CTT+ certified and do some teaching. Maybe I can even get the 'Get Animated at ELRA' program off the ground. On the way back to the hotel, I bumped into a drunk animation student from Algonquin College. Helped him find his bus and we shop talked all the way. He encouraged me to find a way to enter my forensic animations or historical animations into competition screenings. Odd experience. I thought I was supposed to be helping him, not the other way around.

Friday:

The festival screenings continue to be hit-or-miss for me. There a lot less that interests me than I had originally expected. The Indie Japanese films have been pretty disappointing. I was expecting something like 'Atama Yama' or 'La Maison en Petits Cubes.'

Overall there's way too much of the pointless artsy-fartsy films in the program. In my sixteen years of going to Ottawa, I have never see so many people walk out of screenings halfway through the programs. Am hearing a lot of grumbling from people. The bad vibe is still going around. The two International animation screenings were pretty good and 'the Illusionist' was amazing. But the first two competitions were roughly 50/50 between good and tedious. However, my mood about the festival has shifted to the positive ever so slightly. Though I wish my brother and his girlfriend would stop the bickering. It's getting really old, really fast!

When I look at the people I've met so far, I can really see the hand of God guiding me on this trip and hearing Him quietly telling me to stay positive and soldier on. The one major thing I have gotten from this trip is that I should not let my current level of drawing skills hold me back. Yes, without question, work to improve them and work hard on improving them. But the number of films I've seen that look like they were made with skills at a level comparable to (or less than) mine is enormous. I think that the real difference is that they're doing it, whereas I am not. Am left wondering if I'm using all my billable freelance work as an excuse to not produce my own short films (and open up myself to to the eventual criticism that comes when you put yourself out there).

I feel like I'm suffering from a credibility crisis. Even though I've got some great work under my belt, I still feel strangely inadequate. Maybe it's just that I don't have work that I can show in festivals? Funny how I help out a drunk student who won a festival competition and he's encouraging me to submit my work. Hope Ben got home okay. Seemed like a nice kid. That whole event felt like one of those "you may not realize it now, but you're going to need to hear this for later on when the doubts creep in" situations.

Feels odd with all these students here. Heard that a college in Massachusetts brought 100 students to this festival! Skip said that there were thirty students from R.I.T. It's good that there's so much interest and that they're here--hopefully learning and networking. Seems bad that it might be harder to bump into people I know. Even worse that there doesn't seem to be enough workshops that would help the kids further their careers.

Tonight's screening was better. Bumped in to Heather Kenyon. Wish I had more time to talk to her, but at least I got that consolation prize after I didn't get to get into Jerry Beck's "Inappropriate for children" screening. The festival's new 'ticket system' is rendering my $200 festival pass worthless. They really need to find a bigger venue for some of these events! Another common complaint I'm hearing from people around the festival.

Saturday:

Am waiting for a screening at the National Art Center and had a creepy guy with this 'helter-skelter' look in his eyes ask me what government agency I worked for. I'm on my guard for the rest of the day as I have visions of stalkers carrying large knives following me around the festival. Still, it was a good day. The International showcase screening was enjoyable. Got some good info from the voice acting workshop. Even got to see the good parts of the Ed Norton version of the Incredible Hulk on television while I sat in my hotel room eating dinner. The best part of today was hooking up with Martine Chartrand, Madi Pillar, Patrick Jenkins and Steven Stanchfield at the Caroline Leaf workshop. I love the shop talk and camaraderie in the NFB/TAIS outfits. That membership and the time spent in Toronto has really paid off. Again, the competition screening was lackluster. Think the competition screenings three and four were the best this year. The most positive part of this trip continues to be the people.

Sunday:

Funny story: it's my last screening here in Ottawa before making the ten-hour drive back to Michigan. I'm standing in line at the Museum of Civilization wondering what the hell were they thinking holding an event THIS far away from the festival proper! But, this is the Disney/Pixar lecture on how they made 'Day & Night' and 'Tic Toc Tale', so it's sure to be a crowd pleaser. There's about twenty-five people in line before me and about fifteen behind me when the first busload of festival-goers arrive. I look up from my iPhone just in time to see Jerry Beck as he cuts in line right in front of me to stand with three of his friends. As he does so, remembering how polite he was to me when I met him on Wednesday morning, I throw him a smirk. He mouths the word 'sorry.' I then get to spend the next thirty minutes eavesdropping on one of the foremost animation historians in the world as he talks about the current state of the animation industry, how changes in technology are influencing animation production and distribution, and what new DVDs are coming out by the end of the year. I'm amused by how he whispered 'sorry' to me as if I was going to be pissed at him for cutting in line. Yeah, like I'm going to narc him out and miss the experience of a semi-private Jerry Beck lecture! Not going to happen folks! :)

As I made the ten-hour drive back to Michigan and reflected on this festival experience, I have to say that it was the people that made the difference for me. Pulling a number out of my hat, I'd say that 95% of the competition films I saw were completely forgettable--so I can't argue with those who have negative opinions of the competition screenings without being a total hypocrite. But the people that I met and talked to, the community that I'm a part of, that was what made this year's Ottawa International Animation Festival an experience worth having.

I go to Ottawa every other year knowing that Chris Robinson's sense of humor and the festival selections will be hit-or-miss for me. I accept the fact that my tastes are just not part of the mainstream animation festival culture. But I also know that there's always something there that I'll enjoy if I look hard enough. In this case it was the Illusionist, the International Screenings, the workshops I attended, and reinforcing the friendships that I've made with animators at the NFB and TAIS. In the sixteen years I've been attending OIAF, this was the first year I that I really felt like I was a part of the community--not just an attender who occasionally sees someone he knows from college. Perhaps I'm just looking for something different than everyone else, but that sense of community was easily worth the time and money I spent last week.

Animated Inspiration: Toy Soldier

2010-10-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

This animated spot for Cartoon Network Latin America was produced by Vetorzero.

Once you've watched this film, head over to their website and take a look at the wide variety of animation styles that they have produced and highlighted in their demo reel.

I'm constantly encouranged when I see studios producing professional quality animated films that are comparible to anything that we're producing here in America. This is doubly so because in many of Vetorzero's examples, they are bringing a distinct Brazillian voice to their productions. While some of their work is obviously for the American market, the rest has the feel of a production house that is successfully injecting their own unique culture into their productions even while working on commercial work for their clients.

Animated Inspiration: Ice Creams

2010-10-12T00:00:00.002-04:00

Okay, I just love these dialogue-free animations. This is due in part to how they are more accessible to a wider audience that doen't speak the language of the animator. The other reason is because they force the animator to really show off their skill at translating body language into their character animation. Definitely watch this animation by UK's Bird Box Studio in full-screen mode to get the most out of the character animation.

At its core, this is a short gag film, but what really sells it is the motion of the characters. Not only do they have mass but they have believable motion that is specific to the person. The little girl is slower and a little unsteady in her own skin, almost bordering on being overcautious. The little boy's motion is energetic and innocent, bordering on foolhardy. And the father is quickly overwhelmed as he tries to be everywhere at once. Just watching how the characters move, my suspension of belief transitions seamlessly into the animated medium and I'm left believing that the animator saw something like this happen in real life--and all it took was a few simple exaggerations to create a funny and absurd film.

Animated Inspiration: Animated Evolution

2010-10-05T16:03:00.002-04:00

Here's a bank commercial with animated origami animals. There's two things of note here--one that I focused on and the other that was pointed out by a friend.

One: the denominations of the bills are increasing through every stage of transition from one model to the next, so kudos to the animators for the attention to detail (and thanks J'Ben for pointing this out). It's a very nice and subtle touch to both the models and the film.

And two: after the first model, the animators use a series of moving camera angles and close-ups on a particular body part to mask the transitions from one figure to another. I'm assuming that this is done due to the excessive complexity of one paper origami figure folding and refolding into another more complex origami figure. It looks like one of those "we can do it, but not in the time and budget allotted for this project, so let's try this instead" moments in filmmaking. And I'm not knocking it. It works and works well for this animation. I have to think that the animators went through several renditions of this commercial as they had this incredible, very complex idea and needed to bring it down to the realm of what they could achieve with the resources they had. My first year film at R.I.T. was like that. I had a great idea for a motion comic (before motion comics were the big thing) but lacked the skills to pull it off in the time we had for the project. Ultimately though, through an honest evaluation of my abilities (and a little tough love), Erik helped me choose a concept for a short animation that was better suited for both my skill level and the time we had to complete the project. 'The Chameleon' ended up winning second place at that year's SMTPE/RAVA festival, so Erik's opinion certainly held true on that project.

Animated Events: International Animation Day 2010

2010-10-03T23:38:00.000-04:00

Free Screening of International Animation Shorts to celebrate

International Animation Day.

International Animation Day is a global event to celebrate the art of animation. In over 50 countries, on all continents, people mark October 28th as the birthdate of animation as they screen, share and celebrate international animation art.

At Grand Valley State University: Two Screenings:

Allendale Campus:
Wednesday, October 27, 3-4:50 PM
154 Lake Superior Hall

Holland Campus:
Thursday, October 28, 7-8 PM
Room 130

For more information: contact:

Deanna Morse morsed@gvsu.edu
Jennifer Peterson jennifer@petersondesignstudio.com
Gretchen Vinnedge gretchen@grcmc.org

Animated Thoughts: Outsourcing

2010-09-28T03:00:00.000-04:00

Fellow ASIFA member, Gordon Peterson, posted this link to a news article on the L.A. Times' website. While the full one-page article is worth reading, it basically says that outsourcing is one of the main factors that is killing Japan's anime industry. Lets set aside the fact that rampant piracy of anime properties is one of the other main contributors adding to the worldwide decline of anime (especially shows broadcast in Japan, where a show can be on television one night and be subtitled and streamed over the internet by the next day... y'know, now that I think about it, is it any wonder that the creators of "Cat Shit One" have blocked audiences in the U.S.A. from watching this series on YouTube--a series which they themselves uploaded!). Anyways, it would appear that the Japanese are suffering from the same effects of globalization that we American animators have been suffering from for years. Namely that production houses are going out-of-country to take advantage of cheap labor in an effort to increase profits through lowering costs, rather than coming up with better and fairer methods of generating revenue from their animated properties.

Now I freely admit, as an independent animator, I work outside of "the industry." So I have not experienced first-hand the trials and tribulations of working in either broadcast animation production or theatrical animation production. However, as someone who has lived and worked in Michigan for the better part of my life, I have experienced first-hand the economic downturn of the outsourcing that is rampant in both the automotive industry and the computer programming industry. I actually left computer programming for good when the industry shifted major assets to India in the late-90's/early-2000's. Having seen what outsourcing did to manufacturing in Michigan, seeing call-centers shutting down, and watching contracts for computer programming dry up, well, I saw the writing on the wall and shifted into another career while I could do so on my terms (for the most part).

Pundits on NPR are constantly saying that once manufacturing leaves America, those jobs won't come back. I don't know if that's true or not since we're seeing some call-center and computer programming jobs (two staples of the Indian service economy) start the long exodus back to America. Could we then expect to see a return of animation jobs to America and Japan? Well, I'd be willing to bet we'll see it in Japan long before we see it in the United States. Reason being: Japan has a history of protecting their cultural 'treasures' through their Cultural Property Preservation Act. There are currently a number of artisans in Japan (for example: potters, sword-forgers, and paper-makers) that preserve the historical Japanese techniques of producing said items of cultural value. These so-called 'living treasures' are really artisan-curators of the techniques that Japan wishes to preserve. Given the rich history of Anime, I can easily see Japan taking the necessary steps to preserve the history of their animation industry--whether it will cause a rebirth in the industry or just turn it into another niche market in the historical sector, only time will tell, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

As for here in the United States, where oftentimes profit is seen as preferable to preservation, it looks like private funding of historical and cultural preservation is far more prevalent than using public funds to save our history. While most of it wasn't directly related to animation, I did do a lot of travel this year--mainly to museums and locations of historical interest like the Smithsonian, Gettysburg, Stonehenge, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Musee d'Orsee (places that revive those creative juices and offer people like me opportunities to drum up some future business). I would encourage people to take time out to visit museums, particularly ones where you can see men and women practice production techniques that have historial and cultural value, much like those seen at Plimoth Plantation, a not-for-profit, living museum, which houses blacksmiths, embroiders, furniture makers and other artisans who preserve manufacturing techniques from the American colonial times.

Animated Inspiration: Nokia 'Dot'

2010-09-21T15:11:00.001-04:00

So those cool cats over at Line Boil posted this animation last week, and after watching it, I couldn't wait to share this film and its "Making of" video!

So here's the story: animation directors Ed Patterson & Will Studd (who both have worked for Aardman Animations in Bristol, UK) formed a company called Sumo Science. Recently, they took a Nokia mobile phone and a microscope adaptor (which was invented so that medical personnel in remote regions could take detailed pictures of blood samples and transmit them to hospitals for analysis) and created the smallest animation ever. One of the fascinating things about this animation is how they created the main character. As you'll see in the "Making of" video, the character was 3d modeled in a computer, then 'printed' using a 3d resin printer, hand painted, and mounted on wire so they could position it in the animation.

I won't spoil the rest of the story, but suffice it to say, both the animation and the "Making of" video are well worth the time spent watching them.

Nokia 'Dot'

Nokia 'Dot' from Sumo Science on Vimeo.

"The Making of Nokia 'Dot'"

The Making Of Nokia 'Dot' from Sumo Science on Vimeo.

Animated Inspration: Plankton Invasion - The North Sea Crab

2010-09-14T03:00:00.001-04:00

You got to love it when the little guy gets to work on a project of his own design. Joeri Christiaen (who was an animator on the Academy Award nominated film 'Triplets of Belleville') came up with an idea called "Plankton Invasion."

As the story goes, three villians (two starfish and a jellyfish) have left the sea in an effort to increase the world's temperature, melt the polar ice caps and cover the planet with water--thus enabling the sea creatures to take over the world.

PLANKTON INVASION, the web series : The North Sea Crab from THURISTAR on Vimeo.

The character design and animation in these short webisodes are both pretty solid, as is the editing. The vignettes are a pretty humorous series of gags that are usually dealing with the scale of the operation versus the size of the villains. This webisode, the North Sea Crab, is second in the series of five on the Plankton Invasion website, but all are worth watching.

The best news of all is that the creators of the show, are working out a deal with Canal+ and VAF! to bring this internet series to television. Hopefully, we'll see it in America soon.

Animated Inspiration: Garra Rufa (Doctor Fish)

2010-09-07T14:40:00.001-04:00

Normally, I highlight a lot of student films from Europe--mainly due to the quality of the films that the students are producing. However, this week we're coming back to North America with a film produced by a group of students from Ontario's own Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Sheridan has long been a bastion of animation studies, churning out talented individuals who enjoy careers at top studios in both the American and Canadian film industry. With the following film, you can see why.

What I love about this film is that there is no dialog and yet the intent of the story is clear. Timothy Chan and his fellow students animated the characters in 'Doctor Fish' using a visual language of motion and expression. As you look at the body language and facial expressions, there is no mistaking what is going on in the lives (and minds) of the animated characters. As you watch the film, take note of exaggeration in the characters' motion. This is a beautiful application of the principles of animation found in most textbooks. And while it may look like comical overacting in a live-action (or motion capture) production, it works perfectly in animation.

Animated Thoughts: Attitude of Gratitude, Part One

2010-08-31T03:00:00.001-04:00

I received a call in February from a student at R.I.T. He was making the rounds, calling alumni for donations. And while I wasn't able to give at that moment, I assured him that in March, I'd have a check sent out to R.I.T. for the Erik Timmerman Memorial Scholarship. But one of my statements surprised him greatly. When this young man asked me what I thought of my time at R.I.T., I simply stated that it was the greatest three years of my life before or since. Y'see, it was at R.I.T. that I grew the most as a human being. It was at R.I.T. that I met four people who would have a profound effect on my life--two during my time there and two afterwards.

I almost didn't go to Grad School. My grade in my major was a solid 3-point-something. However, my overall GPA was closer to 2.5-ish. But I had been working on little animated films with my friend ChuckBill and had written some short stories, all of which I sent on to Erik Timmerman. The story he told me when I started grad school was that there was some serious debate as to whether or not they would accept me in the M.F.A. Computer Animation program. Given my grades, the board wasn't sure that I could handle the workload--especially given that I'd be moving from a semester system to the high-pressure quarter system that R.I.T. uses. But, as Erik told the story, he said to the board: "I've talked to this guy and read some of his writing, he can handle it. Let him in." And I was accepted to the roller coaster ride that was grad school.

(Erik Timmerman, circa 1988)

Erik Timmerman was the first 'father figure' in my life who believed in me. Erik made me feel like I could accomplish anything. He was loud, in your face, and bombastic--but he never gave me any reason to think that he didn't love me, didn't believe in me, didn't think that I couldn't accomplish anything I put my mind to--and I loved him for it. Erik was honest with me about my failures. When I was overreaching, he'd tell me so and then would help me bring my imagination back into the scope of what my skills could accomplish (with just a little extra above the bar so I would reach higher, stretch, and grow both as an artist and as a person).

As I approached graduation, Erik paid me perhaps the greatest compliment he could have--he pulled me into his office and said that he was going on sabbatical for medical reasons. R.I.T. was looking for someone to take over for him while he was gone and he said that I should throw my name into the ring. Well, I'm ashamed to say that I never did. Although I knew the material, I didn't think that I was experienced enough to teach his classes. Erik said he understood and smiled at me in that way that he always did, the way that communicated, "you might not think you're ready now, but I think you are, and I think that when you're realize that you're ready, you're going to be excellent."

Erik once told a classmate of mine that Spring was a sad time of year for him. As Elouise would later write in her blog, Erik said that "Every year, all these students leave...and I am still here. I don't think they remember me."

Erik was the man who taught the first animation class at R.I.T. He was the man who started the computer animation graduate program at R.I.T. And he was the man who gave many students a chance to live their dreams. One day, Erik may well just be another name on a memorial brick and a footnote told to students on their first day in the animation program. But his presence will continue to be felt by future generations of animators who graduate from R.I.T., whether they knew him or not.

Animated People: Satoshi Kon

2010-08-25T03:00:00.000-04:00

It's always sad when people pass away, but it hurts doubly so when it's a gifted member of the animation community. Today, anime director Satoshi Kon passed away in his home at the far too young age of 46. Kon was the director of several animated films including "Perfect Blue," "Tokyo Godfathers," "Paprika," and "Millenium Actress."

I first encountered his work when I purchased the initial release of "Ghost in the Shell: Innocence" at Best Buy and it came in a shrinkwrapped 'double feature' package with "Millenium Actress." After getting my GITS fix, a few weeks later, I watched "Millenium Actress" and was transfixed by the ingenuity that I saw on the screen. The story is about two documentary filmmakers who are interviewing a famous actress nearing the end of her life--a time when her career had been over for years. Satoshi Kon found a way to integrate the actress and the interviewers into the flashback narrative structure that kept the story from becoming an endless series of flashbacks bookended by talking heads. While perhaps not one of his more well known films (due to it's non-traditional, non-typical Anime story), "Millenium Actress" set the stage for his 2006 film "Paprika," a mind-bending, visual feast of storytelling that proved how Hollywood should be looking East for inspiration and more complex storytelling.

Satoshi Kon died before completing his film "The Dreaming Machine" and the world of Animation lost more than a director, it lost a true visionary whose films rank on a level with Katsuhiro Otomo, Osamu Tezuka, and Hayao Miyazaki.

Animated Inspiration: Despicable Me

2010-08-17T03:00:00.001-04:00

I'm going to preface this review with two facts about myself:

1. For years, a running joke I've had with my friends is that when I grow up, I want to be a supervillan so diabolical that the U.S. Government would gladly pop a nuke on American soil to get rid of me. Yep, I grew up reading a lot of comic books (that are all currently bagged, boarded, and cataloged for the eventual day when I either give them to my kids or donate them to a library).

2. I have never had the desire to bring a child into this world. Ever. But rather, I have longed to be in a place where I could adopt a couple of kids. Don't know why I feel that way, that's just how it's been for as long as I can remember.

So. As I'm sure you can imagine by now, "I" was the target demographic that the directors were thinking of when they made this film.

I've watched 'Despicable Me' three times now--twice in 3D and once in 2D, once by myself, once with parents and sibling, and once with parent and two nephews under the age of 10.

Each time I watched the film, I laughed, I cried, I marveled, and I reminded myself that this film was animated by the same French studio that brought us the surprisingly decent 2008 film Dragon Hunters (based on the animated series of the same name). 'Despicable Me' is the first feature-length animated film from Blue Sky and Fox veteran Chris Meledandri's studio Illumination Entertainment and he opened with a strong success.

All told, as far as animated films went this summer, I liked 'Toy Story 3,' I really liked 'How to Train Your Dragon,' but I loved 'Despicable Me!'

One of the biggest surprises for me was that Mr. Carell's voice acting and comic timing in this film was supurb! I'll admit it: I'm not a Steve Carell fan. At all. Nothing against him, I just don't find him funny (and the fact that I lived through a real world version of 'The Office' for several years doesn't work in his favor). Needless to say, I was cringing when I heard who was going to do the voice of Gru for this film. But after the movie, I left the theatre extremely satisfied by Mr. Carell's performance and looking forward to the character and dark humor that his voice acting will bring to Gru in Despicable Me 2.

Another thing about this film that I loved was how Gru's three daughters weren't caricatures or exaggerations of children, they acted like little girls. I was giggling inside as I recognized bits and pieces of my friends' children in the dialog, mannerisms, antics, and actions of Margo, Edith and Agnes. And as the following trailer shows us: in the end, it's all about the minions!

At this point, enough people have posted reviews about 'Despicable Me' and it's story, so I won't waste anyone's time with another breakdown on character and plot points. Rather, I'm going to link to a pair of articles found on Animation World Network's website. Both interviews discuss the ins and outs of producing this film, which I hope students looking at a career in animation will find useful.

The main point that I think we should take away from these two articles is that there is no singular way to take your education and experience and get your films produced. As animation students look towards an uncertain future in an uncertain economy, we should be continually learning from the examples of others and using their experiences to forge our own paths--and hopefully, the end result will be to see our own ideas on the big screen.

Animated Inspiration: Fuggy Fuggy

2010-08-10T03:00:00.001-04:00

The Brothers McLeod continue to amuse me with the sometimes witty, sometimes slapstick mishap adventures of their short film character "Fuggy Fuggy" who continues on his never-ending quest to become a Ninja. Here we find our intrepid hero(?) coming up with an unorthodox solution to a difficult problem. As is usually the case, Fuggy Fuggy often finds himself in situations where, at first glance, the solution is straightforward. However, as is often the case, things don't turn out the way the progagonist expects and he either resigns himself to his fate and tries again, or gets comically frustrated and tries again.

In that regard, Fuggy Fuggy reminds me of the vaudeville-style Looney Tunes characters (Daffy Duck, Wil-e Coyote, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester the Cat, Porky Pig, etc), especially from the Chuck Jones-era of cartoons. While it's not a 'principle of animation' per-se, Fuggy Fuggy shows us how "characterization" is very important in animation. At their essence, the Fuggy Fuggy short animations are "gag" films. Like Wil-e Coyote and the RoadRunner cartoons, the story isn't deep, there isn't any major plot, just a series of jokes, gags, and pratfalls. However, it's the character that keeps us coming back. We identify with the main character and his frustrations and we cheer when he overcomes the challenges--laughing most when those solutions are as unorthodox as the challenges themselves.

Animated Inspiration: Roboto!

2010-08-03T03:00:00.001-04:00

Here's a cute little short produced by local Michigan animator Gary Schwartz and animated by a group of local teens. This film was created through ASIFA International's Animation Workshop Group and uses a variety of techniques from stop-motion and pixilation to hand-drawn animation.

Animated Thoughts: Always Give Something Back, Part 1

2010-07-27T12:05:00.001-04:00

Back in April, I was invited by Ferris State to review portfolios and give advice to students of their Digital Animation and Game Design program. The following is some advice that I gave the students (and some advice I wished I had the time to tell them):

You are going into a field where the competition is incredibly fierce, both locally and globally. So you need to stack the deck in your favor. The three best ways I have found to do that are: 1. know someone on the inside, 2. adopt a professional image, and 3. commit to mastering your craft.

1. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Go to animation festivals and get involved in animation societies. Just to name a few in the Great Lakes region: we have the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International, the East Lansing Film Festival, the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the Toronto Animated Image Society’s Summerjam, the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Branching out a little you can find dozens of animation festivals in other States and countries. While festivals like ELFF, AAFF, and TIFF don’t specialize in animated film like the others I mentioned, they do show animation and will often have special programs dedicated to animated film.

If you are serious about working in the industry, then there’s no excuse not to visit at least one festival with several copies of your portfolio and a stack of business cards. And that festival is the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Think about it: the second largest animation festival IN THE WORLD is only a ten-hour drive from Lansing. It will cost you $45 to get an enhanced Michigan driver’s license which will allow you to enter Canada by car, bus or train (in place of a passport/passport card). There are inexpensive youth hostels to stay at right down the road from the festival (or several of you can pitch in for a hotel room). The Ottawa fest is held every year, they’ve got student rates on their passes, and they’ve got a student category so you can submit a film for competition. They even have student portfolio reviews with some of the larger studios. When you’re there, you can meet industry professionals from Disney/Pixar, Starz, Nelvanna, Dreamworks, Laika, and many others—including dozens of smaller studios in the US and Canada.

Here’s the trick: while you’re standing in line to see the films (or waiting to get some grub at the animator’s picnic) you turn to the first person you don’t recognize and ask them one of the three most common questions:

1. So when did you get in? (translation: when did you arrive at the festival?)
2. What’s your favorite film so far?
3. Are you screening anything this year?

There’s your icebreakers.

So there I am in 2008, at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. I'm first in line to get into the evening competition screening and I'm standing there with my brother and his girlfriend. About fifteen minutes before the doors open, the festival organizers march a gentleman right in front of us and ask him to wait there. Eh, it happens. He had a film in the competition and they needed him to be in his assigned seat shortly before the program started. No worries. I glanced at his badge and the resulting conversation started out something like:

"Excuse me sir, are you THE J.J. Sedelmaier?"

"Why yes, yes I am."

Charles Wilson, J.J. Sedelmaier, Ted Wilson (l to r)

Over the next fifteen minutes, I had a wonderful conversation with a veteran animator who was genuinely interested in my forensic and historical animation work as we discussed our careers. When we were done, my brother asked for a photo, Mr. Sedelmaier graciously obliged, then he asked me for my business card and gave me his. Folks, it is THAT easy to meet people in these festivals.

If you want to work in this field, don't shirk those interpersonal skills. Take a Dale Carnegie course, join ToastMasters, take public speaking classes, spend time meeting new people whenever you are stuck standing in line at the grocery store. Interpersonal skills are often neglected by students as they focus on their studies (or are surrounded by people who just don't 'get them'), but they will pay dividends if you keep them polished, whether it's getting a job, talking to clients, or just communicating with co-workers.

One of the criteria by which I judged students was their presence. I asked myself one simple question: would I feel comfortable putting this person in front of a client? In our minds, we're larger than life. But looking at ourselves outside of the little worlds we construct for ourselves, we look a lot different--sometimes dramatically different. More on that in part two. For now, jump on the internet and start looking for animation festivals around you.

Animated Inspiration: Paint Chips by Buck

2010-07-20T03:00:00.001-04:00

Here's the second of two commercials for Sherwin-Williams produced by Buck. 'Paint Chips' follows the same format as 'Bees' did, however, I'm left with the distinct impression that this commercial was produced after showing Sherwin-Williams what their animators were capable of producing. Note the more complex camera movements, the seamless transitions from one scene to the next, and the greater complexity of the models and environment. As with 'Bees,' the quicktime format versions of this animation can be found on the Buck website.

Animated Inspiration: Bees by Buck

2010-07-13T03:00:00.001-04:00

Buck has produced two animated commercials for Sherwin-Williams: 'Bees' and 'Paint Chips.' I can't tell you how much I love how they've integrated something so flashy and yet so banal as paint chips into this vibrant imaginary world. This, and its sister animation, are worth reviewing frame-by-frame to study how Buck's animators have built their client's product into the environment. Worth comparing in both animations is how the color found on each paint chip is used. I'm interested in how they selected paint chips with shades of color that are very close together and used the external light source to simulate light and shading. It's not a complaint mind you, I'm just curious why they chose to go that direction instead of using paint chips with a more pronounced gradient to simulate the intensity and direction of light sources. I'm betting that there were probably a lot of time constraints when working on this project (as with most commercials, there are usually tight deadlines) so the external light source on less pronounced gradients was probably the more economical way to go.

If you follow the link at the beginning of this article, Buck has graciously posted several versions of this commercial on their website (in iPod, low-res, and hi-res quicktime formats) for students of animation to download, dissect, enjoy, and learn from.

Animated Inspiration: Azureus Rising

2010-07-06T13:57:00.001-04:00

With a fantastic, dystopian, cyberpunk feel reminiscent of Vexille or Ghost-in-the-Shell, this short is basically one big action sequence--which is both good and bad. On the good side, the animation is very solid and the visuals are simply gorgeous. I absolutely love the sterile, overly polished backgrounds--a nice contrast to the dirty, burned out Blade Runner motif. It makes me think of what ReBoot could've become with more recent technology. The down-side is that it does suffer from some of the usual anime flaws: for example, the villains are well-equipped, but instead of trying to shoot the main character when they obviously have the drop on him, they pretty much just stand there and wait for the protagonist to move first--at which point, they are easily killed by the protagonist. Stretches the 'suspension of disbelief' a little too much for my tastes. I think that the film stylization and animation does a good enough job showing that the protagonist is faster than the villains, so they really don't need the overpronounced pause there--although I do like how it serves the dual-purpose of staging. One of the things that I like about this animation is that it has a real cinematic quality in the shots and editing. You see a decent variety in the shot selection, one that leads me to believe that they were trying for a serious action movie feel rather than a lot of the simpler editing that we see in a lot of animation.

In any event, this film is a test sequence for a feature-length film being produced by Dave Weinstein. Just based upon what I've seen, I'll definitely watch it in the hopes that the feature will have solid dialog, good characterization, and a plot that is more than your usual video game 'shoot-em-up' story. With the loss of Imagi's U.S. studio, I'd love to see another studio pick up on the anime-influenced art style (and hopefully Japanese properties) and produce more films in the vein of Vexille and the 3D Appleseed relaunch.

Definitely watch this film in full-screen mode to get the full effect!

Animated Inspiration: Jason and the Argonauts

2010-06-29T15:16:00.001-04:00

To commemorate today being the 90th birthday of stop-motion legend Ray Harryhausen, here is a clip from the 'Talos' sequence of Jason and the Argonauts, the first film with Harryhausen's animation that I remember watching as a child.

A couple years back, I was at the Ottawa International Animation Festival (2002 or 2004, I think) and they held a special screening of Mr. Harryhausen's completed film "The Story of 'The Tortoise & the Hare'"--a film that he had started back in the 1950's but had never finished until recently. Yes, even back in the day, billable work took precedence over personal projects, as many animators well know. As he approached the age of 90 years, Mr. Harryhausen went back and finished a project he started half a century earlier. I've long admired his skill as an animator, but now I'm wondering if I should be admiring his persistence even more?

TAIS 2010 AniJam: Aquarium

2010-06-29T00:02:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday was the Toronto Animated Image Society's 2010 AniJam--an evening of animation from Toronto animators and animators from around the world. Every year, a new topic is selected and animators world-wide submit ten-second films. This year was 'water.' The following film is my entry, a spoof on the aquarium screen saver from the days of the Macintosh Plus.

I know I've mentioned it before, but last Thursday night was a perfect example of why I make the four-to-six hour drive to and from Toronto every couple of months. It's all about the community. Where else can you attend an animation screening and discuss concepts for pixilation films with an animation professor from Sheridan College, attend an art show and have a conversation about how the rich history of Eastern European puppetry affects stop-motion animation with an animator from Prague, and then have a roundtable discussion on animated film at a Chinese restaurant with renowned animators like Madi Piller and Patrick Jenkins, all in the same night?

I'm told by my friends that Toronto is a tough city to succeed in (due in no small part to the huge number of talented people there), but the community is one of those added perks that must really make the effort worth it. I'm doubly blessed that, not only do the Canadians tolerate my regular visits, but that over the past ten years I've been discovering the animation community here in Michigan through our local chapter of ASIFA. Animation, especially independent animation, is such a solitary pursuit. Communities like TAIS and ASIFA provide more benefits than just networking for business and learning new skills. Sometimes its just refreshing to be among like-minded people who understand your quirky vision of reality, can sympathize with the long hours you spend trying to breathe life into the inanimate, and understand all the inside jokes culled from hours of watching animated film from around the world.

Animated Inspiration: Gobelins l’école de l’image

2010-06-15T12:16:00.001-04:00

So I talk a lot about the Ottawa International Animation Festival--as it's just down the road and it's also the second largest animation festival in the world. Well, the Annecy Festival in France is the largest. And every year it seems, they have the students at Gobelins l’école de l’image produce the trailers shown before every screening. And every year, when I see these trailers I'm encouraged about the future of animated film. It is simply astonishing that students are producing work of this calibre. I only spent a day in Paris during June's research trip to Europe, but I think that on my return trip to France, I'll have to spend a day at the Gobelins school just soaking up the creative energy!

M. Eustache

Soapy Trip

Chaman

Animated Thoughts: Locale

2010-06-08T11:50:00.000-04:00

I finally got to see the Secret of Kells here in Michigan--though I had to make a two-hour, round-trip drive to Grand Rapids to see it. My first attempt was the previous night in Ann Arbor. I drove to the State Theatre only to find out that someone had updated the website incorrectly and the film wasn't being shown at 9 p.m. Two hours and over half a tank of gas wasted. So. The next evening, it was off to the Grand Rapids Celebration Cinema with my friend Jeff. This time, success! The screen was a little smaller than the first time I saw Kells in Waterloo, but I saw it one last time in the theatre.

Watching Kells on the big screen reminds me why I go to the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema every year. In Lansing, we just don't get to see animated feature films in our theaters unless they're from (or sponsored by) big Hollywood studios*. I can't help but believe that if the Odeon Theatre in Frandor was still around, I'd get to see films like Kells locally.

Growing up back in the 1980's, the Odeon was the place in Lansing to see independent film. And for a budding animator like myself, it was the place to see the International Tournée of Animation. Though I had never visited the Odeon before a girlfriend took me there to see the Tournée, viewing that collection of animated films took me from the world of 'watching cartoons' and opened my eyes to the wider variety of animated film that was out there--from hand-drawn to stop motion and, eventually, computer animated. I believe it was that experience at the first Tournée of Animation that became one of the driving forces fueling my desire to attend animation festivals around the Great Lakes area--from Chicago to Toronto and as far away as Ottawa.

Sadly, the Odeon Theatre shut down (despite being a moderately profitable venture, as I am told by a friend of the former owners). And even with the advent of the internet and online video, the animation festival remains the best place to see the majority of independent animated film on, for most of them, a screen large enough to show these films the way they were meant to be seen. And while I'm encouraged by studios like Pixar who are leading the charge to show shorts in front of their feature-length animated films and touring shows like The Animation Show and Spike & Mike, festivals like Annecy, Ottawa, KAFI are still one of the only places where you can see experimental animated film, student-produced films, and independent animated films.

The Ann Arbor Film Festival came one step closer to 'getting it right' this year (due in large part to local animator Gary Schwartz). AAFF took one Friday evening screening and showed a 1.5 hour block of experimental animated films, followed by a Q & A session with a few animators who had made the trip to Ann Arbor for the festival. While I would've preferred to see all the animated films handled this way, since I can't afford to spend an entire week sitting through live action films that don't interest me just to see the one or two animated films interspersed throughout the other screenings, I'm happy to see that AAFF is moving in a direction that is a little more friendly to those of us who want to see these animated films. And for the record, the theatre was easily three-quarters full. A good showing for a very esoteric segment of the animated film medium.

Well, the whole point of this post is not so much to rant about festivals, but rather to celebrate the following announcement: Secret of Kells will be released on DVD in the United States this October 2010. So this foreign-made, Academy Award nominated film, which proved hand drawn animation is still alive and well, will soon be accessible to the entire population--especially to those who didn't get to see it at a theatre near them.

* Props to NCG Cinema and Celebration Cinema for showing Ghost in the Shell: Innocence and Spirited Away...now how about showing the Evangelion relaunch films or Technotise: Edit and I! :)

Animated Inspiration: Fly

2010-06-01T17:16:00.001-04:00

Since I was in England over the last two weeks (and drove past Bristol, home of Aardman Animations), here is a rather amusing film by Alan Short. According to animation historian Jerry Beck, this film is part of a series that Aardman Animations is funding to showcase the talent of its directors. This animation is a very good example of the 'gag' film--there is very little in the way of character background and no dialogue. Rather what you have is a protagonist, an antagonist, and a problem to be solved. Much like the Wile Coyote and Road Runner films from Warner Brothers, you don't have a very complex plot nor do you have the use of dialogue to expound upon your characters' motivations. However, what you do have is a series of misadventures that the director/animator uses to develop the characters' personalities--mainly through their actions, reactions, and expressions.

Animated Thoughts: Resources

2010-05-27T03:00:00.000-04:00

I get a lot of questions from people who are starting out in their animation careers and parents whose kids are interested in studying animation. As most of these questions are about different resources that they can use to get ahead or get started, here is a list of the most useful books that I have found over my career. Additionally, I've included some the websites that I visit on a weekly and daily basis in order to keep an eye on the animation industry as well as help keep my career on track.

BOOKS:
===========
These are the books that I have gotten the most use out of in my career. In my opinion, these are the books that every animator MUST have in their library:

The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas

The Animator's Survival Kit--Revised Edition: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators by Richard Williams

The Animation Book: A Complete Guide to Animated Filmmaking--From Flip-Books to Sound Cartoons to 3- D Animation by Kit Laybourne and John Canemaker

Timing for Animation, Second Edition by Tom Sito

Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series) by Preston Blair

Character Animation Crash Course! by Eric Goldberg

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures ~ Walt Stanchfield (Author), Don Hahn (Editor)

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures ~ Walt Stanchfield (Author), Don Hahn (Editor)

Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animated Features and Shorts ~ Nancy Beiman

I'm still looking for the "quintessential" books regarding the nuts-and-bolts of scriptwriting for animation and directing/editing your films--the ones I use are from college and they are out of print. Am currently reading "How to Write for Animation" by Jeffrey Scott and "Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation" by Francis Glebas so we'll see if they are worth recommending. David Levy has an upcoming book on directing animation that I'm looking forward to, but that won't be out until November. You'll also notice that these books are either geared towards 2d animation or general principles. That's on purpose, partially because most of my experience is in 2d animation and partially because the lessons in these books are also applicable to stop-motion and 3d computer animation.

CAREER AND PRODUCTION INFORMATION:
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Animation Meat
Contains ready-to-print templates for storyboarding and dope sheets/exposure sheets. Also has some model sheets from classic animations for self study.

David Levy's Animonday blog
Current president of ASIFA/East, animator and director David Levy has written two very solid books on a career in animation ("Your Career in Animation: How to Survive and Thrive" and "Animation Development: From Pitch to Production"). Both are pretty solid reads where David discusses his career as well as the careers of prominent animators and weaves it into advice on managing your career in animation. His weekly blog is published every Monday and usually contains pithy stories with lots of advice that I personally find very encouraging. The man is pretty honest about his mistakes and doesn't shy away from using them as cautionary tales.

Joe Murray Studio
The creator of Rocko's Modern Life and Camp Lazlo has a good book that is due to be (re)released in print very shortly (Creating Animated Characters with Character). It started out as an e-book and is all about how to produce an animated series--and it's getting an information upgrade/update before being released in dead-tree format this summer. Joe is also getting ready to start a creator-driven animation channel (KaboingTV) where independants can create their series outside of the mainstream television networks and actually get paid for their work! Worth keeping an eye on.

Cartoon Brew
The site of Animation Historian Jerry Beck and author Amid Amidi, Cartoon Brew is a collection of animations, animation history, and current events in the worldwide animation scene. Jerry Beck is always a prince and a fountain of useful information. Amid Amidi is rather caustic. However, to his credit, Amid is very good at finding obscure animated films that are usually worth a look.

Scribble Junkies
This site is a partnership between animators Bill Plympton and Patrick Smith. It's basically a site where they discuss their take on the animation scene--posts usually fall in one of two camps. It's either Bill and Patrick expounding upon their inspirations and deconstructing their work or showcasing films that they're currently working on.

ONLINE ANIMATIONS:
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National Film Board of Canada
Just released the majority of their library online for free viewing--lots of classic animations as well as videos of their masterclass animators discussing their films and filmmaking techniques.

INDUSTRY INFORMATION:
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Animation World Network and Animation Magazine
Both of these websites basically do the same thing, however there are two major differences. On AWN, you'll see a lot of info on the independent animation scene and worldwide animation scene. And on Animation Magazine, you get more of a pulse of the big studio animation industry (Hollywood and worldwide). Worth reading both because there's a lot of good information that you won't get from the other.

FESTIVALS
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Ottawa International Animation Festival
Located in Ottawa, Ontario, this is the largest animation festival in the Western Hemisphere, second largest festival in the world. One of the best places to network with animators, see films you won't see elsewhere, and interview for jobs.

Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema
Located in Waterloo/Kitchener, this is the only festival in the world that is solely dedicated to feature length animated films from around the world. Joe Chen and his people put on a solid show that also includes retrospectives with shorter films. Last year's retrospective was a history of Russian animation. Joe also had several North American premieres including the latest Evangelion relaunch film and the Secret of Kells.

Animated Inspiration: Lutas

2010-05-18T03:00:00.001-04:00

Here's one of those foreign animations that I'm hoping they show at the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema this November. Lutas is a Brazilian production from LightStar Studios. According to the LightStar website, this story is the "Brazilian tale of an immortal 500 year old hero who is destined for the same woman through the ages, although he finds himself in troubled moments throughout Brazil's colorful history."

I'm always intrigued when watching foreign animated films because, while the animated medium may be the same (along with the principles of animation), each people group interprets film and story through their own cultural lens and (usually) creates a unique visual style. As the costs of software and equipment go down, I'm hoping that we'll see more foreign animated feature films like Triplets of Belleville, Secret of Kells, Technotise: Edit & I, and Metropia. One of the reasons why I make the trek every November to Waterloo Ontario is that Joe Chen (and crew) does a masterful job of finding animated feature films from around the world to show at his festival. Here in the midwest United States, the opportunity to view these films on the big screen just isn't there yet--whether that's due to a lack of money or a lack of mainstream appreciation for the cinema from other cultures, I guess that's up to the reader to decide. For now, I'll just be thankful that I'm within driving distance of Waterloo, Toronto, and Ottawa for my yearly animation festival fix.

NOTE: Due to some nudity and violent images, this trailer is NSFW.

Animated Inspiration: Frank Frazetta (1928 - 2010)

2010-05-11T09:40:00.001-04:00

For those of you who may not have heard yet, Frank Frazetta died of a stroke on Monday, May 10th at the age of 82.

Mr. Frazetta's work was an entry point into the art world for generations of people like myself. I remember being a little kid in the '70's and staring in awe at the covers of my mom's Conan and John Carter of Mars paperback novels--just marveling at the light and shadow, the posing, the definition of the characters, even if I lacked the artistic background at that age to verbalize what made his work so hypnotic. But while producing art of his quality has been a lifelong goal of mine, I must admit that it's the strength of Mr. Frazetta's character when facing adversity which is far more inspiring to my soul than his vast artistic skills. According to his documentary Frank Frazetta: Painting with Fire, Mr. Frazetta suffered a stroke in his later years which left him unable to paint or draw with his (preferred) right hand. Rather than hang up his brushes and retire, Mr. Frazetta trained himself to paint with his left hand and continued to create art. It is that determination that I find most inspiring. At a time when most people would take it as a sign that it's time to retire and rest upon a lifetime of achievements, Frank Frazetta fought both the odds and his infirmity to show the world that he wasn't finished creating art.

The following are links to two articles online that discuss Mr. Frazetta's work: Animation Magazine, Cartoon Brew.

Animated Inspiration: City Park

2010-05-04T12:18:00.001-04:00

A while back, I posted an animation by Courtland Lomax called 'House of Cats' (created for Swarovski Crystal). Here's the follow up, using the same visual style, titled 'City Park.'

City Park from Courtland Lomax on Vimeo.

One of the things that attracts me to this animation (and House of Cats) is how they use geometric shapes and color cycling to simulate crystal. Last year, I spent the better part of two days at the Royal Ontario Museum taking photographs of different gems and crystals. The purpose was to build up my photo reference library for an art piece I've been mulling over in my head. While my art piece isn't animation, per se, it does involve crystalline structures. So animations like this are always handy to give me that little nudge back to the drawing table--a nice patient little reminder that it's okay to work on the billable projects, but I still need to spend some time feeding the artistic side of my nature.

Animated Inspiration: Cartoon Saloon Showreel

2010-04-27T17:20:00.001-04:00

For today's inspiration animation, here's a showreel from Cartoon Saloon, the studio that made The Secret of Kells, currently screening in select theaters across America (shameless plug).

Throughout this showreel, you'll see a wide variety of animated styles ranging from computer animated, hand drawn, and stop-motion. Cartoon Saloon teaches us that you can't always specialize in one style of animation. Sometimes, in order to keep the business open, you have to apply your talents to a wide variety of projects with a wider variety of visual styles (usually based upon what the client wants or what the project dictates). I feel that the commitment to flexibility was one of the strengths of the animation program I went through at R.I.T.

During my three years in Rochester, I worked primarily in 2d hand drawn/computer assisted animation but I took every extra class I possibly could (ranging from 3d computer animation to stop-motion/puppet animation to experimental animation). I can't argue with the school of thought that says you should master your craft--as ol' Ben Franklin said 'jack of all trades, master of one.' But I consistently find solutions from a cross-pollenization of ideas from my other animation courses. That's partly why I continue to make the 10 hour round-trip drive to Toronto so I can attend animation workshops at the Toronto Animated Image Society. Even if it's something that I've studied before, there's always something new to learn and always questions that I have to ask their expert animators. This past workshop was no exception.

Earlier in the month, I attended the TAIS Pixilation workshop, again, expertly taught by Bryce Hallett of Frog Feet Productions (more on that in an upcoming blog). It was during said workshop that Bryce discussed several staging techniques used in Pixilation. On the drive home, I was thinking about how I could apply what Bryce taught us to my current animation project. Two weeks later, through a convoluted stream of logic, I decided to revisit masks in Flash--a tool that I had rejected at the beginning of this project due to the way Flash handles them. A little experimentation later and I had the solution to the problem that had ground my progress to a halt. Note that I'm working on animating needlework stitches in Flash CS4 (read that: 2d vector animation while simulating a three-dimensional workspace).

So what does that have to do with Pixilation, the art of stop-motion animation using humans as puppets? Absolutely nothing! And absolutely everything. Y'see, I'm one of those nuts-and-bolts people who suffer from "can't see the forest for the trees" syndrome. However, by moving to another animated medium, it takes my focus off of the problem that I can't solve and puts it on a series of problems that I can solve. In this particular case, it was that little break that boosted my confidence. And by reviewing the techniques that I had learned over the weekend, it led me to the correct solution to the current problem that had halted my work.

As I'm sure you can tell by now, I'm an advocate of having a side-project to work on while working on client-related projects. This is actually a concept that was given to me by my friend Steven Ford back when we were working through our M.F.A. Thesis films. Applying this advice has led me to a much wider range of solutions that I would not have figured out otherwise. And it doesn't even have to be an animation related side-project. You have no idea how many problems I've solved while mowing the lawn or folding laundry! It's all about taking that cross-pollination of ideas and giving your mind permission to use all of its available resources to find the uncommon solution to your particular problem.

Animated Inspiration: Dan the Man

2010-04-20T10:57:00.001-04:00

Today's animation is "Dan the Man" by Brisbane, Australia-based Studio Joho.

This is one of those animations where you can really read into it whatever you want. Some see misogyny. Me, I see it as underscoring the 'cult of consumerism' that is so rampant in today's society. The really poignant segment of this animation starts at the 3:15 mark as the hero/anti-hero of this story tries a very modern solution to solving his problems (one that I'm sure a lot of people can relate to).

Animated Quotes: Michael Maltese

2010-04-15T23:53:00.002-04:00

"We wrote cartoons for grownups, that was the secret."
~ Michael Maltese

Source: "That's All Folks! The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons" museum exhibit

Animated Inspiration: Her Morning Elegance

2010-04-13T14:34:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a Pixilation workshop at the Toronto Animated Image Society which was expertly taught by Bryce Hallett of Frog Feet Productions. So, for this week's animation, I'm going to post my favorite pixilation animation: 'Her Morning Elegance' by Oren Lavie.

Animated Inspiration: Easter Dinner

2010-04-06T09:26:00.001-04:00

Here's a little post-Easter treat from the Spiridellis Brothers over at JibJab.

Animated Quotes: Bill Plympton

2010-04-05T09:25:00.002-04:00

"Ambition is a large part of someone's success; if you have no ambition you probably won't succeed."
~ Bill Plympton

Source: Animation World Network, 'Cartoonal Knowledge: Plympton's School of Animation', April 2, 2010.

Animated Reviews: How To Train Your Dragon

2010-03-26T11:04:00.001-04:00

After seeing 'How To Train Your Dragon,' I'm becoming more and more convinced that there are three completely separate teams working on animated films for Dreamworks. I'm not really a fan of anything they've produced other than the first Shrek movie (kind of), Monsters vs. Aliens (sort of), and Kung Fu Panda. Shrek and MvA were cute films, but very flawed--story, over-reliance on pop culture references, unappealing character models, annoying sidekicks, and so on. KFP was by far their best film--one that succeeded on every level: modelling, animation, story, backgrounds, voice acting, music, etc. I left KFP wanting to see more. Rarely do I wish for a sequel, but KFP was one of those films where I wanted another film. When you look at the rest of Dreamworks' animated library (Shark Tale, Antz, Madagascar, Bee Movie, Shrek ad infinitum) you quickly see which films the second stringers are working on and which films they are saving the real talent for!

How To Train Your Dragon is one of those latter films (which only consisted of KFP and maaaaybe the first Madagascar film, in my opinion).

The story is about 'Hiccup' an engineering savvy blacksmith's apprentice who wants to be a great dragon-slaying Viking--but due to his physical shortcomings, he won't even be considered for dragon fighting training. So, he comes up with tools to fight dragons and actually catches one--the black, cat-like dragon 'Toothless', who he befriends and does the whole "discover-your-world-wow-we-now-understand-each-other" thing. I know, I know, a little simplistic, but in this film, it plays out very well and it works!

Okay, so far I haven't told you anything that you didn't see in the trailers. And that's on purpose. This film is chock full of little nuances that really make every scene special--from the little inside jokes that only lifelong Dungeons and Dragons players will catch to the little inside jokes (expressed in Toothless's cat-like movement and emotions) that only lifelong cat-owners will catch.

All in all, this film succeeded on pretty much every level without the usual Dreamworks flaws: over-reliance on pop-culture references, insipid sidekicks, juvenile dick-and-fart jokes, Eddie Murphy*, y'know, the stuff that makes you cringe and wonder if you should go and get a refill on your popcorn as you struggle through a scene where the scriptwriters obviously said "no no, let's leave that in, it'll be funny" and the director got pressured by the mob of executives to do so.

HTTYD told a simple story, and the twist at the end was pretty daring, but it wasn't a kiddie film, per se. This is one of those movies where there was enough complexity to the characters and the plot that most parents won't be squirming in their seats and looking at their watches. I saw this film at midnight with a small crowd of what looked like late teens/early twenties students. Usually, those crowds are filled with talking and annoying flashes of light as they text their friends. There was none of that in this crowd. As soon as the first scene hit the screen, everyone's attention was focussed on the screen and didn't leave it until the credits started to roll!

A lot of animated films have a tendency to throw in tons of sidekicks who are either little more than walking mannequins with no character depth or purpose other than to throw in puns for (supposed) comic relief OR they are obviously just there to reveal some great plot-point that the writers think the audiences are too stupid to figure out on their own. Pretty insulting really. In HTTYD, the secondary characters had enough personality to stand out from the background scenery, but they didn't overwhelm the relationships between the main characters: Hiccup and Toothless, and Hiccup and Viking clan leader Stoick (given a solid performance by Gerard Butler). Most importantly for me, the secondaries provided purpose without being annoying. Their performances weren't overwhelming. When they were there, it was amusing, you got a laugh, but they didn't detract from the foreground story, characters and action. Like the Furious Five in KFP, they weren't very deep, but they didn't need to be--and if they were, it would've been distracting from the primary characters.

The modeling and animation in this film was solid. The characters looked like puppets without being ugly or static (like in Antz or Shrek). The character design in both the vikings and the dragons were pretty inspired--they looked like they jumped off of one of Terry Gilliam's sketchbooks! If you've seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, then you'll know what I mean! The character animation was very fluid with a lot of subtle acting in the secondary motions. Indeed, it was those secondary motions that really brought out nuances in the characters' personalities and made their performances believable. The backgrounds were beautiful without being overwhelming. Visually, this film succeeded much like Kung Fu Panda did. It created a vivid imaginary world and everything functioned within that world as you expected it to.

If there was any flaw in this film, I would have to say it was the 3d filming process. During some of the night scenes, the screen wasn't as visible as I would've liked it to be. But, I don't blame the filmmakers or set lighting crew for that, as it looked like an artifact of the glasses required for 3d viewing. I'm going to see the 2d version of this film soon and I expect any issues that I saw in the 3d version to be resolved completely.

I wish I could say more about this movie--what I liked and what I loved, but I'm stuck. If I say any more, it'll ruin surprises in the film that are better enjoyed when you discover them yourself. Oh, and I sat through the ending credits all the way to the end--there's no surprise after or during the ending credits, so if you have to go to the bathroom, go, you aren't missing anything (other than seeing the names of a lot of VERY talented individuals).

All-in-all, if you have kids, you'll enjoy this movie. If you don't, you'll probably still enjoy this film in that kind of way that many adults enjoy Bugs Bunny cartoons. Personally, I walked out of the movie kind of wishing that I had kids to share my enthusiasm with.

Lastly, if you have the time, check out this series of How To Train Your Dragon webisodes on Animation World Network's website. They are a series of six cute little short films that describe some of the various dragons found in the film.

* Please note: no, I'm not a big Eddie Murphy fan anymore. Yes, his earlier SNL stuff was pretty good. But it seems that with the more success he had, the more his performances degenerated into a bunch of "hey, look at how cool I am" scenes strung together. Disappointing. One of the few bright spots in his recent career was his role as the dragon 'Mushu' in Disney's Mulan--a film where he seemed to leave the worst 'Eddie Murphy' traits behind and brought enough of his old SNL self to deliver a very solid performance. Mushu was one of those sidekicks who had a real purpose for taking up valuable screen time without being incredibly annoying. And I loved how he actually made a couple comments that poked fun at himself and his career. That's the Eddie Murphy I remember (and miss) from my childhood!

Women in Animation: Stephanie Maxwell

2010-03-23T03:01:00.000-04:00

Stephanie Maxwell was born in California. And it was there that she discovered a passion for marine biology while pursuing an undergraduate degree from U.C.L.A. However, she soon caught the filmmaking bug which moved her from L.A. to the San Francisco Art Institute where she earned her Master of Fine Arts in Film. During her career, she has taught film and animation courses in Washington, Florida, California and Vermont, and as far away as New Zealand, Norway, and France. Stephanie is currently a Professor in the Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Film and Animation where she teaches experimental animation, film history, and film/video/animation production. Along the way, she also took the opportunity to spend some time working for George Lucas on the first animated film he ever produced: "Twice Upon a Time".

Stephanie's films have been shown (and won awards) at festivals all around the world. A DVD of her current films (Stephanie Maxwell, Animated Works, 1984-2007), along with selected clips of her films, can be obtained at the iotaCenter website. Also, clips from her full filmography can be viewed on the "works" section of her website. In addition to her teaching and filmmaking endeavors, Stephanie is also the co-founder and co-director of the ImageMovementSound festival which highlights "collaborative multimedia works" combining multiple art forms between students from the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Eastman School of Music.

It was from her early studies in biology that Stephanie developed a unique vision of the microscopic that she carried over to her filmmaking. Stephanie uses a wide range of techniques to produce her films including painting and etching directly on film stock, pixillation, animating objects directly under the camera, and even using copier techniques. In many (if not most) of her films, she calls upon her broad knowledge of the microscopic world in order to accentuate and recreate both the textures and vivid colors found in this tiny realm that we may perceive on some unconscious level, but not perceive directly. This unique vision can be seen in the following two clips.

Clip from Runa's Spell (2007)

Clip from Fragments (2000)

Stephanie was one of my professors at the Rochester Institute of Technology. It was through Stephanie's instruction and films that I developed an appreciation for abstract animations. Before studying under Stephanie, I had only thought of abstract animations as, at best, screen savers with sound, and at worst, a chance to catch up on sleep at festivals. In her classes, and in subsequent conversations, Stephanie took the time to explain the history, processes, and theories behind abstract animated film. And I think that it was learning that theory coupled with the discovery of how much thought, planning and meticulous execution goes into producing her films that moved me from viewing abstract animation from the realm of 'festival annoyance' to an actual appreciation for a visual art form that melds the kinetic with the auditory into a fusion of form, color, motion and sound. I've highlighted the clips "Runa's Spell" and "Fragments" because, in addition to being two of my favorite films that Stephanie has produced, they're also excellent examples of what I learned about abstract animation from her.

The following two clips are from an interview Stephanie produced for her DVD. On them, she talks about her filmmaking process and collaboration with musical composers.

Interview clip, pt 1

Interview clip, pt 2

Will the real Saint Patrick please stand up?

2010-03-17T14:04:00.000-04:00

As I do my best to avoid the throngs of drunken M.S.U. students today, I'm reminded that this holiday we celebrate nowadays has very little to do with the life and times of Saint Patrick.

Paraphrased from the meticulously researched "Saint Patrick" by William J. Federer:

The boy who would become St. Patrick was born in Britain around 389 A.D. He was captured in his teens by raiders and forced into slavery, tending sheep in the pagan land of Ireland--a period of time where he would turn his heart to God and become a devout Christian. After his miraculous escape from Ireland in his twenties, "St. Patrick" described a vision he received from God telling him to return to Ireland. He did so and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ over the next 40 years. During this time, he was instrumental in converting all of Ireland to Christianity. At the time of his death in 461 A.D., "Patrick had founded 300 churches, baptized 120,000 believers and his followers re-evangelized Europe."

No pinching people who don't wear green. No drunken partying. No leprechauns and their pots-o-gold. Just a humble man of God with a passion for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, who would love his enemies regardless of what hardships he had to endure.

I think that instead of going down the pub and having a pint of Guinness, I'm going to watch clips from "Brenden and the Secret of Kells" produced by Ireland's animation studio: Cartoon Saloon. The story tells the tale of a young monk and his struggles to complete the "Book of Kells"--Ireland's greatest national treasure: a lavishly illustrated manuscript containing the four gospels of the New Testament. If you are near a theatre that is showing this film (N.Y.C. and Boston first, then the rest of the U.S. in April), I highly recommend taking your kids to see this Academy Award nominated film.

Women in Animation: Madi Piller

2010-03-16T03:01:00.002-04:00

Madi Piller was born in Lima, Peru. She graduated from the University of Lima with a degree in Communication Sciences before spending several years producing television commercials. She traveled to France and Colombia before finally settling in Toronto in 1998. Madi is the current president of the Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) and divides her time between mentoring budding filmmakers, organizing events for TAIS and producing her own films. Madi produces her films with a wide variety of techniques and subject matter ranging from the traditional stop-motion fare to abstract experimental slices of life.

Vive Le Film (Long Live Film)

Madi does a fair amount of work using digital rotoscoping. The original rotoscope technique had animators capture a scene in live action on film stock then project the film, one frame at a time, on the backside of a light table. The animator would then draw the character on paper, frame by frame, using the action on the film as a guide for the character's motion. Madi has taken this method of filmmaking a step further by combining both digital and analog techniques to create her films. For example: when creating her 2007 film 'Toro Bravo (Brave Bull)', Madi combined charcoal drawings, sand, cut-outs and photocopies with digital rotoscoping and editing techniques to produce the final film.

However, she is no stranger to traditional analog techniques. In her 2006 film "L'Etranger (the Stranger)", Madi printed each frame using a black-and-white printer before hand painting them and optically printing the finished film on 35mm film.

TAIS Christmas Cookies (animated by Madi Piller & Bryce Hallett)

2008 was the first time I attended the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International and that trip gifted me with several friendships. One of which is Madi Piller. I met Madi at the opening night party and was immediately intrigued with her stories of the Toronto Animated Image Society. Half a year later, I attended my first TAIS workshop (Martine Chartrand's Paint-on-glass). Since then, Madi has been instrumental in my joining TAIS and learning multiple animation techniques as well as encouraging me to participate in their summer screenings by finishing and submitting short films (sometimes you need some accountability to finish that film when you could be watching t.v. or surfing the web). It was due in no small part to Madi's influence that I joined the Toronto Animated Image Society this year. Having become sort of a fixture at many of their workshops and summer screenings, at my last visit to Toronto, Madi extended the offer that if I ever needed to use their equipment, then I was welcome to submit a proposal and they'd work me into the schedule--even though I wasn't a member at the time or even a resident of Canada. It was that welcoming attitude, which Madi consistently displays, that made the decision for me to join TAIS and make the move from being a supporter who attends their events to an actual member with a vested interest in supporting TAIS's (and Madi's) commitment to the art of animated film.