Kevin worked on all the hand-drawn films ("Prince of Egypt" to "Sinbad"), clawing his way from the clean-up department to the animation department on "Spirit." Transitioned to CG for "Shrek 2" and then "Madagascar" and "Over the Hedge".
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Class 302 UPDATE!
Major development happened this week. I switched places with another student and my mentor now is Kevin Koch. A 13 year animation veteran who gave up neuroscience and doctoring to become an animator. There is something about Kevin' no nonsense approach of critiquing that attracts me. He dissects his students' work with the precision and detail of a brain surgeon. I am old school and his approach suits me fine. I learn more from a drill seargent style than I would from 'explore your options' type. I feel that I should only explore my options AFTER mastering the foundations and principles of acting and animation.
Kevin worked on all the hand-drawn films ("Prince of Egypt" to "Sinbad"), clawing his way from the clean-up department to the animation department on "Spirit." Transitioned to CG for "Shrek 2" and then "Madagascar" and "Over the Hedge".
Kevin worked on all the hand-drawn films ("Prince of Egypt" to "Sinbad"), clawing his way from the clean-up department to the animation department on "Spirit." Transitioned to CG for "Shrek 2" and then "Madagascar" and "Over the Hedge".
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Class 3
The Christmas and New Year holidays went by uneventful, which happens as one grows into middle age, I'm fine with. I actually took the time to do some illustration art that I put in a new blog. The start of Class 3 was tonight and the level of talent of my classmates went considerably up, which is exactly the kind of stimulating challenge that I need to improve my animation. Mike Stern is the mentor who is also one of the first graduates of Animation Mentor, which puts him in a unique position of knowing what the students go through. Mike is currently an animator at DreamWorks. Under his belt is an impressive collection of blockbuster hits such as Bee Movie, Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens. He is currently working on How to Train Your Dragon due in 2010.
Class 3 is an introduction to acting and this is where we get into the meat and potato of why I want to become an animator. Looking forward to learning a lot about acting in this class and how it is applied in animation. I already know what my idea will be for the first assignment. Stay tuned for the next post.
Class 3 is an introduction to acting and this is where we get into the meat and potato of why I want to become an animator. Looking forward to learning a lot about acting in this class and how it is applied in animation. I already know what my idea will be for the first assignment. Stay tuned for the next post.
Friday, December 19, 2008
End of Class 2
Class 2 ended this week. I polished my last assignment and put together a pogress reel for both classes 1 & 2. The concentration level increased dramatically in class 2. Next time I'll try to chose simple projects so that I don't stress for more time. Sandy proved to be a valuable friend when I needed help tackling the dreaded gimble lock - thank you Sandy.
One of our classmates from the first class, Casey McDermott, landed a job at Rhythm & Hues. Congratulations! Casey is a talented animator and a wonderful person who has a great potential to go far in this industry. He helped me rig the fishing rod in my final assignment. I wish him the best. I also owe him a lunch ;o)
Another friend of mine, Teresa Nord, graduated Animation Mentor - congratulations Teresa! I met Teresa at Martin Hash's get together a couple of years ago when we worked on The Tin Woodman of Oz, a volunteer film project of ameteur animators using the Animation:Master software. Teresa's dream is to work for Pixar and I believe she will ventually end up there because I saw in her a burning desire to succeed and a strong passion for the art. All she has to do now is polish her demo reel and gain as much experience as possible working in the industry. All the best Teresa!
My mentor, Peter Kelly, also got his job back at ILM, congratulations on that. I think ILM is the place for me because of the array of projects they work on, most of which are behind the scenes, which I like.
During the course I joined MySpace, Facebook, and Linkedin, just to keep on the up & up with the rest of the animators. I also did a small acting gig promoting a translation software being developed by the Stanford Research Institute. I'll post the clip if I can get a copy.
Anyway, that's all for now - I hope you enjoy the clip. And Happy Holidays.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Sleeping Beauty and Return of the Jedi
I watched Walt Disney's legendary Sleeping Beauty 50th anniversary platinum edition and was reminded of the sophisticated artistry and style of this unique treasure. Most notably, the background work of the artist Eyvind Earle
to whom Walt went in the hopes of injecting new life into what has become a predictable cartoony style aimed at children. This movie is Eyvind's. The infusion of Eyvind's style raised the bar for the animation industry to new heights and opened doors for imagination that later led to such classics as Fantasia. Geometric landscapes, art deco, gothic and even the characters were inspired by Eyvind, all contributed to produce one of Disney's first successful films.
But what struck me was the scene where we first see Malificent's goons in her castle as she expresses her frustration for not finding Aurora/Briar Rose. And in particular this guy (from a later scene in the film):
Immediately I thought "that's the character from Star Wars the Return of the Jedi!" The resemblance is unmistakable:
(Or should I say that the guy from Star Wars is based on him?) Could it be that George was, somehow, influenced by that image and reintroduced his own version for his film? I don't remember him saying that. It amazes me, however, when I saw ROJ I did not make the connection but now that I watch SB again the connection is made. And just to be sure that I'm not the only one making this connection, I asked my son when we watched it and he also immediately made that connection without hesitation.
So the next time your kid scoffs at Sleeping Beauty, it might be a good opportunity for an intellectual discussion about how history influences the future. And in my animation journey it certanly made me appreciate the contributions of of the artists of the golden age to the rest of the generations after them.
to whom Walt went in the hopes of injecting new life into what has become a predictable cartoony style aimed at children. This movie is Eyvind's. The infusion of Eyvind's style raised the bar for the animation industry to new heights and opened doors for imagination that later led to such classics as Fantasia. Geometric landscapes, art deco, gothic and even the characters were inspired by Eyvind, all contributed to produce one of Disney's first successful films.
But what struck me was the scene where we first see Malificent's goons in her castle as she expresses her frustration for not finding Aurora/Briar Rose. And in particular this guy (from a later scene in the film):
Immediately I thought "that's the character from Star Wars the Return of the Jedi!" The resemblance is unmistakable:
(Or should I say that the guy from Star Wars is based on him?) Could it be that George was, somehow, influenced by that image and reintroduced his own version for his film? I don't remember him saying that. It amazes me, however, when I saw ROJ I did not make the connection but now that I watch SB again the connection is made. And just to be sure that I'm not the only one making this connection, I asked my son when we watched it and he also immediately made that connection without hesitation.
So the next time your kid scoffs at Sleeping Beauty, it might be a good opportunity for an intellectual discussion about how history influences the future. And in my animation journey it certanly made me appreciate the contributions of of the artists of the golden age to the rest of the generations after them.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Class 2 update - 208
Since each assignment takes 3 weeks to complete, updates in this blog become few and far in between. Right now I'm working on the last assignment, but I thought I put up my last two assignments.
This one was done in week 4. The emphasis is on weight shift. This is also where we start shooting video references of ourselves as part of the assignment to study the different mechanics and forces that are involved in a simple turn around.
Mid term assignment is where we get to use Stewie without arms. The complexity of animating an added torso and head increased exponentially. I found myself going over the allotted frame limit. This is also the first time I add sound to my work.
This one was done in week 4. The emphasis is on weight shift. This is also where we start shooting video references of ourselves as part of the assignment to study the different mechanics and forces that are involved in a simple turn around.
Mid term assignment is where we get to use Stewie without arms. The complexity of animating an added torso and head increased exponentially. I found myself going over the allotted frame limit. This is also the first time I add sound to my work.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
An evening with animation legend Richard Williams
It was an exciting evening (Sunday, 11-2-2008). At the old Balboa Theater in San Francisco
I attended an evening with Richard Williams, a legendary animator best known for his work on Roger Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, sponsored by ASIFA SF.
He is the author of one of the mandatory animation books at Animation Mentor 'The Animator's Survival Kit', a book that I have referred to many times in my animation journey and found it to be very useful and practical. It has become one of the most popular animation books in the industry. Although Richard's main purpose of the seminar is to promote his tutorial DVDs (16 DVDs of 100s of clips that he animated to illustrate his lecture). I liked the fact that the format of the presentation was more of a Q & A than just a "shameless promotional". He began by showing the promotional clip which started with the animated logo http://www.theanimatorssurvivalkit.com/logo.html The rest of the evening continued with an equal mix of clips from the DVDs and Q & A.
When asked what can be done about animation as a medium to advance beyond the children and family entertainment so that it can be taken seriously not just as a form of telling high browed narratives but as a fine art; Richard replied "I'm making one of those!" His answer, in a nut shell, was to just do it. But the problem is 'the golden rule' (Whoever has the gold, makes the rule), so if you want to get backing from somebody, they want to make children stuff. This is the reason Richard is selling his work in order to be able to produce his own work.
He dodged a question about his opinion of The Thief and the Cobbler, I guess its a sensitive spot with him.
He didn't reveal much about his film other than he had the idea for it since he was 15. He does not want anyone else to help him with it. He mentioned how relieved he was when Spielberg took over his small company of animators. He does not like running the business side of animation.
Watched some incredible footage about lip sync. He relayed Milt Kahl telling him the secret of lip sync, he told him that Jim Henson, the Muppet guy, is the genius because he realized what no other puppeteer realized before him, he is progressing the action. The secret to lip sync is progression.
A good quesion was asked "How do you feel about the attitude that there is no point in animating human beings (realism) when you got action films?" In summation, Richard said that animators discovered how realistic animation does not work back in the 30s. It lookd floaty, unbelievable. They tried using a reference for Snow White walking. The important part of artistic animation is that you only show the essence of the idea. In realism there is so much detail being conveyed that the viewer will become detached from the subject.
Richard is not of the opinion that 3D animation is an outgrowth of 2D. He said that 2D animators are scribblers while 3D is hi tech marionettes. Different animals.
Another great clip about eyes. The eyes tell the story. We watch the eyes more than the mouth.
About facing frustration during animating, he advised to research your work before you animate.
He told some charming stories of his work with Milt Kahl, Art Babbit, Ken Harris and other animation legends and revealed some little golden animation nuggets of wisdom that he referred to as little secrets. They are no secret now, but his way of relaying them was funny and entertaining. He also relayed a funny story where actor Michael Caine gave an acting session where he said to his students "If you see something you like, steal it! Because they did" Of course Richard also said that he doesn't like it when people steal his work, but I took it in the context of inspiration.
The theater was full, 300 people attended. This is the first time that I was among so many individuals with similar interest as mine. Quite a few Animation Mentor students but the majority were SF State or College of Art students. Their enthusiasm to Richard's lecture tells me that this industry has a lot of steam in it. I am looking forward to what comes next in the future of animation.
I attended an evening with Richard Williams, a legendary animator best known for his work on Roger Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, sponsored by ASIFA SF.
He is the author of one of the mandatory animation books at Animation Mentor 'The Animator's Survival Kit', a book that I have referred to many times in my animation journey and found it to be very useful and practical. It has become one of the most popular animation books in the industry. Although Richard's main purpose of the seminar is to promote his tutorial DVDs (16 DVDs of 100s of clips that he animated to illustrate his lecture). I liked the fact that the format of the presentation was more of a Q & A than just a "shameless promotional". He began by showing the promotional clip which started with the animated logo http://www.theanimatorssurvivalkit.com/logo.html The rest of the evening continued with an equal mix of clips from the DVDs and Q & A.
When asked what can be done about animation as a medium to advance beyond the children and family entertainment so that it can be taken seriously not just as a form of telling high browed narratives but as a fine art; Richard replied "I'm making one of those!" His answer, in a nut shell, was to just do it. But the problem is 'the golden rule' (Whoever has the gold, makes the rule), so if you want to get backing from somebody, they want to make children stuff. This is the reason Richard is selling his work in order to be able to produce his own work.
He dodged a question about his opinion of The Thief and the Cobbler, I guess its a sensitive spot with him.
He didn't reveal much about his film other than he had the idea for it since he was 15. He does not want anyone else to help him with it. He mentioned how relieved he was when Spielberg took over his small company of animators. He does not like running the business side of animation.
Watched some incredible footage about lip sync. He relayed Milt Kahl telling him the secret of lip sync, he told him that Jim Henson, the Muppet guy, is the genius because he realized what no other puppeteer realized before him, he is progressing the action. The secret to lip sync is progression.
A good quesion was asked "How do you feel about the attitude that there is no point in animating human beings (realism) when you got action films?" In summation, Richard said that animators discovered how realistic animation does not work back in the 30s. It lookd floaty, unbelievable. They tried using a reference for Snow White walking. The important part of artistic animation is that you only show the essence of the idea. In realism there is so much detail being conveyed that the viewer will become detached from the subject.
Richard is not of the opinion that 3D animation is an outgrowth of 2D. He said that 2D animators are scribblers while 3D is hi tech marionettes. Different animals.
Another great clip about eyes. The eyes tell the story. We watch the eyes more than the mouth.
About facing frustration during animating, he advised to research your work before you animate.
He told some charming stories of his work with Milt Kahl, Art Babbit, Ken Harris and other animation legends and revealed some little golden animation nuggets of wisdom that he referred to as little secrets. They are no secret now, but his way of relaying them was funny and entertaining. He also relayed a funny story where actor Michael Caine gave an acting session where he said to his students "If you see something you like, steal it! Because they did" Of course Richard also said that he doesn't like it when people steal his work, but I took it in the context of inspiration.
The theater was full, 300 people attended. This is the first time that I was among so many individuals with similar interest as mine. Quite a few Animation Mentor students but the majority were SF State or College of Art students. Their enthusiasm to Richard's lecture tells me that this industry has a lot of steam in it. I am looking forward to what comes next in the future of animation.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Class 2
Class 201
The second semester Q&A started like the last semester, introduction time! My mentor this time around is Peter Kelly, a soft spoken gentleman and a talented animator whose latest work can be seen in Iron Man. He animated Iron Man so well I thought it was a suit worn by Robert Downey Jr.
Peter started with 2D animation, inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, he pursued Disney animation. A CalArts graduate of traditional animation, and an accomplished draftsman, he was further inspired when attending lectures by animation legends such as James Baxter, Andreas Deja, Glenn Keane, and Marc Davis. Hired by ILM after they saw his short film he went on to work on Star Wars Episode II and III, the Hulk, Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3, and Iron Man, among others.
Laid off from ILM during the writers' strike, Peter now is a lead animator at Cinematica, a game production company. The class students is a mix of different levels of experiences. Sandy Sze (pronounced Sea) is the only classmate from my previous class, which, I think, makes the transition into the new class easier - Sandy is an accomplished animator and a great person to be associated with.
The second semester Q&A started like the last semester, introduction time! My mentor this time around is Peter Kelly, a soft spoken gentleman and a talented animator whose latest work can be seen in Iron Man. He animated Iron Man so well I thought it was a suit worn by Robert Downey Jr.
Peter started with 2D animation, inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, he pursued Disney animation. A CalArts graduate of traditional animation, and an accomplished draftsman, he was further inspired when attending lectures by animation legends such as James Baxter, Andreas Deja, Glenn Keane, and Marc Davis. Hired by ILM after they saw his short film he went on to work on Star Wars Episode II and III, the Hulk, Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3, and Iron Man, among others.
Laid off from ILM during the writers' strike, Peter now is a lead animator at Cinematica, a game production company. The class students is a mix of different levels of experiences. Sandy Sze (pronounced Sea) is the only classmate from my previous class, which, I think, makes the transition into the new class easier - Sandy is an accomplished animator and a great person to be associated with.
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