Paul Allen, CG Animator

Ghostbusters: The Video Game released this week!

2009-06-18T13:12:00.003-06:00

The game is out, and being favorably reviewed at Kotaku and other sites, which is always nice. I enjoyed working on Ghostbusters, it is a franchise with a long history and a ton of fans and recognition world-wide, not too often you can work on a property like that.

I will try to post some more thoughts on it soon.

Ghostbusters Game Footage

2009-03-22T07:57:00.002-06:00

Here's a compilation of new footage from the game. (video)

It's all coming together, we are working long hours, but the end is near!

The Natural History of Cars

2009-03-06T23:03:00.003-06:00

I love the whole thought behind this post, how he is creeped out by living cars, why do then need carseats? I'll have to send this to some friends over at Pixar and get their thoughts on it.

The Natural History of Cars

A disturbing question from my son: “Daddy, is Lightning McQueen a robot?”

I’ve had actual nightmares about the automobile-populated world of Cars. Thinking in terms of evolution, imagine some kind of micromechanical start to life. Instead of clay hosting self-reproducing crystals of increasing complexity (or however earth-based biology got bootstrapped), imagine gear-and-spring level origins, with currents of water or wind supplying wind-up energy; later refinements might have involved burning fuel, taking advantage of solar power or natural radioactive sources, and cannibalizing the power sources of other mechanicals.

Obviously there are plants in Carsworld. Parallel development of a DNA-based biosphere solves the problem of the source of the mechanical’s fossil fuels (they get it out of the ground like we do) and where their oxygen comes from (plants make it).

But separate-but-equal evolution doesn’t solve the anthropomorphic issues. Why do cars have windows and seats and locks on doors? It’s like the people stepped out just before the film was made. It’s spooky.

So I don’t think that Cars evolved on their own. It’s just too much coincidence. We made ‘em, that’s obvious."

(link to rest of post)

Tips for Students - The House of Curves

2009-03-01T19:08:00.001-06:00

Saw this link in an Ed Hooks email today, some great advice.

In September 2008, Imagine Magazine released our 2 sided poster, aimed at giving animation students a helping hand with their studies and some advice whilst they prepare for their careers within the industry.

We’re delighted to announce that the full pdf document is now finished and available for downloading.
The full resolution posters are also available.

We’d like to thank FRANK GRIMSHAW editor of Imagine Magazine, for making us follow this through, as well as JAKOB SCHUH of Studio Soi for the amazing illustrations.
SUGGESTIONS / FEEDBACK
If you think we’ve left out a CRUCIAL tip that should be added to version 2.0 of our pdf OR if you have any feedback OR spot any typo’s we’d love to hear from you. Please let us know at tips@thehouseofcurves.com

Film/Animation/Effects potential jobs listing

2009-02-15T10:55:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine, Alex Fleisig, posted a ton of potential job links on a list the ex-DNA folks inhabit, thought I'd share it. Times are definitely tightening in the animation industry, so passing info along and networking is really important.

FILM/ANIMATION/EFFECTS
- American Zoetrope <http://www.zoetrope.com/> | Film | San Francisco
Unknown
- *GONE*ESC <http://www.escfx.com/> | Digital Effects | Alameda
http://www.escfx.com/jobs/jobs_main.php
- Giant Killer Robots <http://www.giantkillerrobots.com/> | Visual
Effects | San Francisco
Click on "JOBS" <http://www.giantkillerrobots.com/>
- ILM <http://www.ilm.com/> | Visual Effects | San Rafael
http://www.ldlhr.com/jobs.html
- Lucasfilm <http://www.lucasfilm.com/> | Film | San Rafael
http://www.lucasarts.com/company/job/
- Matte World Digital <http://www.matteworld.com/> | Visual Effects |
Novato
http://www.matteworld.com/hr/index.html
- Palma VFX <http://www.palmavfx.com/> | Animation and Visual Effects |
San Francisco
Unknown
- Phoenix Edit, Effects, & Design | Editing and Visual Effects | San
Francisco
Unknown
- The Orphanage <http://www.theorphanage.com/> | Animation and Effects |
San Francisco
http://www.theorphanage.com/jobs/
- PDI/Dreamworks <http://www.pdi.com/> | Digital Animation/Effects | Palo
Alto
http://www.dreamworks.com/jobs/index2.html
- Pixar <http://www.pixar.com/> | Digital Animation | Emeryville
http://www.pixar.com/companyinfo/jobs/index.html
- Sony Pictures Imageworks <http://www.sonypictures.com/imageworks/> |
Digital Effects and Animation | Novato (Culver City)
http://imageworks.com/hr/index.html
- Skywalker Sound <http://www.skysound.com/> | Sound/Post-production |
San Rafael
http://www.ilm.com/jobs.html#sound
- *UPDATED* Tippett Studios <http://www.tippett.com/> | Visual Effects |
Berkeley
Current Openings <http://www.tippett.com/index.php?pt=3&bc=120&tt=12>
- *UPDATED*W!LDBRAIN <http://www.wildbrain.com/> | Animation | San
Francisco
http://www.wildbrain.com/careers.html
- Zealot Pictures <http://www.zealotpictures.com/> | Film | San Francisco
Posts on craigslist.org<http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/jjj?query=%22Zealot+Pictures%22>
VIDEO GAMES/COMPUTER GAMES
- Activision <http://activision.com/> | Games | Novato, San Francisco
(Santa Monica)
Careers @ Activision<http://activision.com/en_US/corporate/hr_jobs_frames.jsp>*
Also has listings for Shaba, Toys for Bob, and Vicarious Visions
- AiLive <http://www.ailive.net/> | Artifical Intelligence | Palo Alto
http://www.ailive.net/careers.html
- Atari <http://www.atari.com/> | Games | Sunnyvale (New York, France)
http://corporate.infogrames.com/corp_hrmain.php?action=showjobs&locat...
- Bay Area Sound <http://www.basound.com/pages/home.html> | Sound/Voice
Acting | San Francisco
Unknown
- Blue Shift <http://www.blueshiftgames.com/> | Games | Palo Alto
Unknown
- Capcom <http://www.capcom.com/> | Games | Sunnyvale (Japan)
http://www.capcom.com/jobs/
- Cryptic Studios <http://crypticstudios.com/> | Games | Los Gatos
Current Openings<http://crypticstudios.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=sectional...>
- Double Fine <http://www.doublefine.com/> | Games | San Francisco
http://www.doublefine.com/jobs.htm (bonus points for funny)
- Electronic Arts/Maxis <http://www.ea.com/> | Games | Redwood City
http://jobs.ea.com/<http://jobs.ea.com/pljb/global_jsp/applicant/SearchAgentMgr/SearchPro...>
- Eidos <http://www.eidosinteractive.com/> | Games | San Francisco, Menlo
Park
http://www.eidosinteractive.com/corporate/jobs.html
- Factor5 <http://www.factor5.com/> | Games | San Rafael
http://careers.factor5.com/<http://careers.factor5.com/layout1.asp?Page_id=6867&published=1>
- *UPDATED* Flagship Studios <http://www.flagshipstudios.com/> | Games |
San Francisco
http://www.flagshipstudios.com/jobs_main.html
- Global VR <http://globalvr.com/> | Arcade Games | San Jose
http://globalvr.com/company_career_opportunities.html
- Hyperpia <http://www.hyperpia.com/> | Games/Platforms | Fremont
http://www.hyperpia.com/jobs.html
- Konami <http://www.konami.com/> | Games | Redwood City (Japan)
http://www.konami.com/gs/jobs.shtml
- KRU <http://www.kru.com/> | Games | Santa Clara
Unknown
- LindenLab <http://lindenlab.com/> | MMOG | San Francisco
http://lindenlab.com/employment
- *NEW* Lamplighter Studios <http://lamplighterstudios.com/> | 3D
Models/Animations/Enviros for Games | San Francisco
Posts on craigslist.org
- LucasArts <http://www.lucasarts.com/> | Games | San Rafael
http://www.lucasarts.com/jobs/
- Namco Bandai <http://www.namco.com/> | Games | San Francisco (Japan)
http://www.namco.com/pane_single.php?res=careers
- *NEW* NCSoft <http://www.plaync.com/> | Games | Mountain View (Korea)
http://www.plaync.com/us/jobs/jobs_norcal.php
- Nihilistic <http://www.nihilistic.com/> | Games | Novato
http://www.nihilistic.com/careers.php
- Nintendo <http://www.nintendo.com/> | Games/Hardware | San Francisco
(Japan)
Taleo.net Job
List<https://nintendo.taleo.net/servlets/CareerSection?art_ip_action=FlowD...>
- Page 44 <http://www.page44.com/> | Games | San Francisco
http://www.page44.com/employment.html
- Perpetual <http://www.perpetual.com/> | MMORPGs | San Francisco
http://www.perpetual.com/jobs/
- Planet Moon Studios <http://www.planetmoon.com/> | Games | San
Francisco
http://www.planetmoon.com/contact_2.html
- PopCap <http://www.popcap.com/> | Games | San Francisco (Seattle)
PopCap Games -
Careers<http://hostedjobs.openhire.com/epostings/jobs/submit.cfm?company_id=1...>
- Pronto Games <http://www.prontogames.com/> | Games | Emeryville
Jobs<http://www.prontogames.com/developer/index.php?option=com_content&tas...>
- ROBLOX <http://roblox.com/> | Games | Menlo Park
http://roblox.com/info/Jobs.aspx
- Secret Level <http://www.secretlevel.com/> | Games | San Francisco
http://www.secretlevel.com/main.php?page_type=item_pages&page=jobs_li...
- SEGA <http://www.sega.com/> | Games | San Francisco (Japan)
http://www.sega.com/corporate/corporate.php?item=corporate_jobs
- Slipgate Ironworks <http://www.slipg8.com/> | Games | San Mateo
http://www.slipg8.com/
- THQ <http://www.thq.com/> | Games | Santa Clara (Agoura Hills)
http://careers.thq.com/thq/cc/Home.ss
- Three Rings <http://www.threerings.net/> | Games | San Francisco
http://www.threerings.net/jobs/
- TikGames <http://www.tikgames.com/> | Games | San Mateo
http://www.tikgames.com/Jobs/tabid/60/Default.aspx
- Totally Games <http://www.totallygames.com/> | Games | Novato
http://www.totallygames.com/jobs/
- UbiSoft <http://www.ubi.com/> | Games | San Francisco
http://jobs.ubi.com/
and here's a list of animation studios up here
http://www.wickedsunshine.com/Animation/AnimationLinks-SanFranciscoSt...

YouTube Doubler | Worf, Theory of the Mobius | Star Trek

2009-02-08T13:17:00.003-06:00


YouTube Doubler

“Mykonos” Video by Sean Pecknold | Cartoonbrew.com

2009-02-08T01:00:00.001-06:00

Mykonos from Grandchildren on Vimeo.

Full video credits, along with a ‘making of’ short can be viewed here.
(full post at cartoonbrew.com)

C'mon Sea Legs by Immaculate Machine. Animation using printed photos

2009-02-07T14:09:00.002-06:00

Nice effect, I like how some of the cut-out images still have white areas around strands of hair where they didn't cut it out, just adds to the handcrafted feel of the video.

http://www.immaculatemachine.com
Official music video for C'mon Sea Legs by Immaculate Machine. A stop motion animation using photographs printed on paper. A collaboration between Kimberli Persley, Geoffrey Tomlin-Hood and many others.

Calvin and Hobbes animation | wallyanimations

2009-02-07T13:37:00.002-06:00

Saw this while cruising around YouTube, made me laugh. Calvin is up to mischief, but at least he isn't peeing on a logo, the auto industry has it tough enough as it is.

"Click here for a bit of the pencil test: http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs23/f/200...

Made this in my third year of my animation studies, here in Belgium.
Based on the characters and story of the comic 'Calvin and Hobbes'.
Copyright Bill Watterson.

This is just an animationexercice. I don't claim to make the 'perfect Calvin and Hobbes film'. I know the voice isn't very suitable, but i am a Belgian animationstudent. I did what was in my capabilities.

These are about 300 drawings handdrawn with pencil and all inked by hand. All scanned one by one and made the sound."

Saw 'Coraline' today

2009-02-06T21:23:00.007-06:00

I definitely recommend everyone see it, and see it in 3D if you can. In the past I have shied away from initially viewing animated films in 3D, but this was really nicely done. A friend of mine, Ray Chase, told me that he saw 'Bolt' in 3D and loved it.

The look of the movie is gorgeous, and the animation was top notch! This is a film I can't wait to get on DVD to frame through and study different bits of motion. The music was great (go to the main movie site, you'll hear it looping), the choir voices lent a lot of magic and tension in all the right places.

Cartoon Brew has a good opening day write-up on Coraline. Rotten Tomatoes is scoring it very high, close to 90%, and I think it is well deserved.

One thing that impressed me was how far they pushed the stylized look, very distinct characters and the movements fit the body types. Coraline's new friend in the movie, Whybie, has a really interesting way of moving, a slouching, head-tilted, head down sort of posture that I really liked.

A lot of times in animated features I catch myself pulling out of the story experience trying to figure out how certain things were done. I did that, of course in this movie too, but it didn't distract me at all like it usually does. There were a couple of spots where it felt long for me, pacing-wise, but nothing that made me squirm.

(*UPDATE* Oops, I don't know why I thought Burton was a producer on this, must have been a mental wire crossover from watching the '9' trailer right before 'Coraline. So I thus remove that bit. The cat in 'Coraline' did make me think of the black cat in 'Vincent', though...) I won't be a spoiler for the visual nod from the past from Selick, but if you have seen 'Slow Bob in the Lower Dimensions', you'll immediately get it when you get to that part in 'Coraline'. I'll leave it at that.

Kudos to everyone at Laika for such an excellent movie. It is not for little kids, and I'm glad they pushed the boundary and didn't knuckle under and pander to the '4 and younger' market. It's a critical success so far, hopefully it will do well financially. I did see a few young children in the audience, they were pretty quiet during the movie, so I wonder what they thought of it, if some of the spookier moments really creeped them out or not.

I'm looking forwards to seeing this on the big screen again, I think I'll watch it next time without 3D, see how my perception of it changes.

UPDATE: By the way, stay all the way through the credits! This won't ruin anything, at the end, the text says: For those in the know: JERK WAD

I asked Jenny Macy about it (she is credited in the movie, did some wire/rig digital removal) and she said that JERK WAD is a password that can be entered in somewhere on coraline.com to get put in a drawing for a free pair of Coraline Nike Dunks. (image downloaded from sneakerfiles.com) I couldn't find the link in the site, it has crashed my browser 3 times now, so I'll just pretend I found it. :\

Acknowledging the upcoming Ghostbusters video game | cinemassacre.com

2009-02-06T10:43:00.003-06:00

He runs a video of cuts from the FMV material for the Ghostbusters game we are working on. The gist of his commenting is to get people to stop emailing him that the game is coming out.

Of course, I imagine people will now email him even more now that they know it irks him a bit. I like how he rips into old video games, like the old Ghostbusters game.

The Handmade Tale: Coraline's Inventive DIY Effects

2009-02-04T09:47:00.004-06:00

Very short article on Wired, so I found a much longer interview at shocktillyoudrop.com:

"Some of the costumes are constructed from scratch. There's one woman who was brought onboard who specializes in miniature knitting, making sweaters as small as an inch big. Equally impressive, though, are the costumes made from everyday objects. One of the models - a background townsperson - sits on the desk with an outfit made from an ordinary tube sock, recognizable only when it's pointed out as anything other than a sweater."

Also, RottenTomatoes has some 'behind the scenes' footage on crafting the film. Something interesting I had read a while back was that there were visible seams on the faces of the characters, those sections can be swapped out for facial animation. The director, Henry Selick, supposedly was in favor of leaving the seaming visible, but it was eventually decided to remove the seams digitally.

You can see the seams on the Mom at the 1:42 mark on the 'Crafting the World of Coraline' video at RottenTomatoes, I would love to see some longer scenes before/after the seam removal, perhaps they will show it on the DVD when released.

Waltz With Bashir - I got some Academy Award screeners, Part Four...

2008-12-22T20:16:00.002-06:00

And just when I thought the river o' screeners had dried up, 'Waltz With Bashir' (movie website) shows up in the mail from Sony Pictures Classics.

Here's a synopsis from the site:

One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari Folman about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life.

Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images …

I enjoyed some of the 'Production Notes' on the website, sounded like a Herculean effort on a small team's part:

4. After the final version of the video film was decided upon, Ari, together with animation director Yoni Goodman, broke down the video film into a basic storyboard. This process took another four months. After the storyboard phase, the pioneer animation team was established and included six animators who began the animatic stage, or as it is known in the USA, the video board – the most basic illustrations of the future film in the most basic motion.

5. The animatic stage took another six months and was followed by another round of screenings. This time on a big screen. The central objective of this round of screenings was to make changes to the largest extent possible at the animatic stage in order to avoid corrections at the final animation phase, which is several times more costly.

6. After final approval of the animatic, the art team began sketching the film based on the reference of the final video copy and the storyboard. In total, four illustrators drew close to two thousand individual illustrations and 80% of the illustrations were drawn by the film’s super designer David Polonsky.

7. At the same time, the animation team, comprised of 10 animators, began animating the illustrations. If at the beginning the production forecast was that the team would complete 6 minutes of screen time per month, the intricate and Sisyphean technique developed by animation director Yoni Goodman caused the production to be 50% arrears as opposed to the plan and the progress rate was 4 minutes per month.

8. The average progress rate of an animator on the film “Waltz with Bashir” was 37 frames per 9 hour work day, which are a second and a half. When an animator finishes such a work day, he returns home and does not have the mental stamina even to watch a pathetic football game on TV.

9. The animation work in the case of Waltz with Bashir became especially complex due to the man who developed it: Animation director Yoni Goodman. They say he developed it according to his abilities, which are absolutely phenomenal and do not represent human beings what so ever, which means it took an animator on the film one month to establish a normal work pace.

10. Yoni Goodman not only possesses phenomenal skills, he is considered the “eutopic man” by the team. He is extraordinarily talented and was born with an incorrigible optimism. He is also a “deadline freak” who can exist for days and nights on end on an excellent diet of coffee, cookies and the lowest form of junk food. He is also a great admirer of the Rambo films, especially Rambo 3, which serves as tremendous artistic inspiration for his animating skills.

11. Illustrator and artistic director David Polonsky drew 1720 illustrations for three whole years all by himself, and these comprise 80% of the film’s illustrations. At the onset of production, David was an introverted fellow, who drew two drawings a day and did everything he could to justify his reputation as a talented artist and Russian immigrant who is ill at ease in Israeli society. After three years, we found this same David performing at exclusive karaoke events and dubbing with a powerful and loud voice the main character of Bridget Folman’s next animated production “Atomic Family”.

I'll watch this over the break, it's definitely not a mainstream affair.

Laika Layoffs Reported

2008-12-22T19:36:00.003-06:00

From 'The Business of Animation: A Commentary' blog:

"I knew it would happen sooner or later. Today, it was announced that Laika is laying off 65 (or 75 depending on your source). It seems that Jack and Ben has been shelved and those working on it are getting the axe.

When Coraline completely wraps, we may see more pink slips. This is par for the course in the animation industry. The difference is, since this company is on its own little island up there in the Pacific Northwest, they'll have a harder time bringing in new people next time around." (full post)

I just hope that the people laid off land somewhere quick, this is a horrible time of year to chunk people out the door. I understand it from a business point-of-view, but still sucks.

I'm hoping good things for 'Coraline' when it releases February 6th, the behind-the-scenes stuff is great, and I love Selick, so fingers crossed for this stop-motion production.

Disney's Bolt and Glaco's Guest short film... I got some Academy Award screeners, Part Tres...

2008-12-22T19:28:00.003-06:00

Well, got my last batch of screeners (I think) for this year. I really enjoyed Bolt. I am interested in hearing some behind-the-scenes stuff from guys that worked on it how much it was re-tooled from 'American Dog', I know the scoop is probably already out on a bunch of sites but I'm too lazy to go dig. Disney also sent out a nifty 2009 calendar and soundtrack disc.

Madagascar 2... I got some Academy Award screeners, Part Deux...

2008-12-13T07:53:00.004-06:00

Got another screener in the mail. I love getting these! The cardboard package is ok, but the insert that holds the DVD really sucks, very flimsy and the DVD keeps popping out, ended up slightly scratching the disc. That's why I put it in another holder. Oh well, who am I to grouse, it's a freebie, so all is good.

I took my 3 year old to see this movie in the theater, he really enjoyed it, the penguins were his favorite, I think.

Next, I'm hoping for a screener of Bolt!

Wall-E, Presto, Kung Fu Panda... I got some Academy Awards screeners...

2008-11-26T23:01:00.003-06:00

This is always a cool time of year for me, I get Academy Awards screeners of animated films! So far I have Wall-E, Presto (Pixar's short film by Doug Sweetland), if you haven't listened to the interview with him at Spline Doctors, I highly recommend it!

Spline Doctors - Doug Sweetland Part 1
Spline Doctors - Doug Sweetland Part 2

I held up the the casings of the screeners to my Class 1 students at Animation Mentor tonight, they ooh'd and aaah'd, which made me laugh. I'm such a nerd with these screeners, I get excited this time of year when I see a padded tan envelope in the mail for me, I know the goodies are here!

It's a great treat, and a good reminder of the hard work that goes into these films.

Everyone have a great holiday season!

Muppet designer Bonnie Erickson on puppet storytelling and inspiration

2008-09-27T14:39:00.002-06:00

Good article. Whenever I get ready to pre-plan for animation, I will always get in front of a video camera, even if it is just my webcam, and act out several versions of whatever action or acting I'm going for. That instant feedback is important to me, and that is what I find appealing about puppetry.
--

Bonnie Erickson designed and built the inimitable Miss Piggy in 1974 for an early "Muppets" television special, produced by Jim Henson. Puppets, props and storyboards from Henson's prolific career are featured in the traveling exhibit "Jim Henson's Fantastic World." Anika Gupta spoke with Erickson.

You've been designing muppets and mascots for years. What attracts you to them?
The creation of worlds—the whole process of designing characters, putting together a back story, giving the characters an environment in which they can thrive and casting performers who can bring them to life.

Why do puppets appeal to adults as well as children?
They've been a tradition across the world for thousands of years as a form of storytelling. But, until recently, they have't been appreciated in the United States. Now, however, puppetry is finding a niche in the arts—dance, theater and even opera. I think people appreciate the performers' skill as well as the artistry of the puppets themselves. We owe a lot of that to [Muppets creator] Jim Henson's vision.
(full article smithsonianmag.com )

Original Ghostbuster Harold Ramis Confirms Reboot | Wired

2008-09-08T22:13:00.001-06:00

25th anniversary of the original 'Ghostbuster' movie next year, like anyone should be surprised that Sony wants to capitalize. I do like how they are being coy about it.
--
Original Ghostbusters scribe Harold Ramis has clarified rumors regarding the revival of the '80s paranormal franchise.

"Columbia is developing a script for [Ghostbusters III] with my Year One writing partners, Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg," Ramis (pictured, right) told the Chicago Tribune. "[Dan] Aykroyd, Ivan Reitman and I are consulting at this point, and according to Dan, Bill Murray is willing to be involved on some level."

Ramis also backed up rumors that Judd Apatow regulars like Seth Rogen, Steve Carrell and Jonah Hill could lend their star power to the third installment.

"Judd Apatow is co-producing Year One and has made several other films for Sony, so of course the studio is hoping to tap into some of the same acting talent," said Ramis. "The concept is that the old ghostbusters would appear in the film in some mentor capacity." (link)

I think Youtube might be advertising Spore..

2008-09-07T17:32:00.002-06:00

They are very subtle.

VOLTRON movie in the works?

2008-09-03T22:42:00.003-06:00

This definitely could be somewhere on the 'awesome' scale, please don't nuke the fridge!

(actually, don't think that phrase really works with the Voltron property, but I haven't used it in a while, suck it Indy!)

Bill Melendez 1916-2008 | cartoonbrew.com

2008-09-03T22:28:00.003-06:00

Man, I grew up tracing 'Peanuts' comic strips, love those specials. RIP.

(more at cartoonbrew.com)

Bill Melendez, the Mexican-born American character animator, film director, and film producer, best known for his animation for Warner Bros, UPA and the Peanuts specials and feature films, has passed away.

In 1938, Melendez was hired by Walt Disney to work on animated short films and feature-length films such as Bambi, Fantasia and Dumbo. Three years later, he joined Leon Schlesinger’s team at Warner Bros. studios, where, as a member of the Bob Clampett and Art Davis units, he animated on a number of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck shorts. Among the classic Warner Bros. shorts he animated on are Book Revue, The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, Baby Bottleneck, and The Big Snooze. UPA put him on their payroll in 1948 to work on many television commercials, as well as the Gerald McBoing Boing and Madeline shorts.

After a decade working on commercial and industrial films at studios like John Sutherland Productions and Playhouse Pictures, Melendez founded his own production company in 1964. Bill Melendez Productions helped produce the annually broadcast Christmas special A Charlie Brown Christmas, for which he won an Emmy Award and the George Foster Peabody Award despite having to work on short notice and with a tight budget.

Melendez has gone on to do over 75 half-hour Peanuts specials, including the 1989 miniseries, all with partner Lee Mendelson. In 1979, he directed a made-for-TV animated version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game... the controversy continues...

2008-08-02T15:39:00.002-06:00

I can't talk about the tempest kicked off by the recent Activision announcement, but Terminal Reality is still moving forwards with the game. It's looking great! There was a hands-on demo of one of the levels at this year's Comic-Con, and it was a smash hit. Lots of very positive feedback from the fans.

It is a lot of fun to animate with the voice cast of the original. Next year is the 25th anniversary of the original 'Ghostbusters' movie, so opportunities like this don't come around often. On my slate of 'to do' for this game is a couple of nice cinematic shots with Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and a lil bit I came up with for Slimer.

Pixar’s Brad Bird on Fostering Innovation

2008-05-05T13:08:00.003-06:00

This was circulating at work, I very much subscribe to the notion of getting everyone into a room and looking at the work that is being generated. Get comments on it. Does this work? What if this was simplified? This isn't working, try this instead.

Getting notes from the director or person who has final say is generally always preferable. Maybe not always convenient, but definitely cuts down on situations where there is misinterpretation. It also fosters a creative atmosphere and allows the artist to ask questions that an intermediate person might not think of.

--

Pixar’s Brad Bird on Fostering Innovation

This week The McKinsey Quaterly asks: what does stimulating the creativity of animators have in common with developing new product ideas or technology breakthroughs? Apparently, a lot.

In Innovation lessons from Pixar, McKinsey writes:

Brad Bird makes his living fostering creativity. Academy Award-winning director (The Incredibles and Ratatouille) talks about the importance, in his work, of pushing teams beyond their comfort zones, encouraging dissent, and building morale. He also explained the value of “black sheep”—restless contributors with unconventional ideas.

Steve Jobs hired him, says Bird, because after three successes (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and Toy Story 2) he was worried Pixar might struggle to stay innovative. Jobs told him: “The only thing we’re afraid of is complacency—feeling like we have it all figured out,” Bird quotes his boss as saying “…We want you to come shake things up.” Bird explains to McKinsey how he did it — and why, for “imagination-based companies to succeed in the long run, making money can’t be the focus.”

The piece is behind McKinsey’s pay wall, but we extract its 9 key lessons below.

Lesson One: Herd Your Black Sheep

The Quarterly: How did your first project at Pixar—The Incredibles—shake things up?

Brad Bird: I said, “Give us the black sheep. I want artists who are frustrated. I want the ones who have another way of doing things that nobody’s listening to. Give us all the guys who are probably headed out the door.” A lot of them were malcontents because they saw different ways of doing things, but there was little opportunity to try them, since the established way was working very, very well. We gave the black sheep a chance to prove their theories, and we changed the way a number of things are done here.

Lesson Two: Perfect is the Enemy of Innovation

The Quarterly: What sorts of things did you do differently?

Brad Bird: I had to shake the purist out of them—essentially frighten them into realizing I was ready to use quick and dirty “cheats” to get something on screen… I’d say, “Look, I don’t have to do the water through a computer simulation program… I’m perfectly content to film a splash in a swimming pool and just composite the water in.” I never did film the pool splash [but] talking this way helped everyone understand that we didn’t have to make something that would work from every angle. Not all shots are created equal. Certain shots need to be perfect, others need to be very good, and there are some that only need to be good enough to not break the spell.

Lesson Three: Look for Intensity

The Quarterly: Do angry people—malcontents, in your words—make for better innovation?

Brad Bird: Involved people make for better innovation… Involved people can be quiet, loud, or anything in-between—what they have in common is a restless, probing nature: “I want to get to the problem. There’s something I want to do.” If you had thermal glasses, you could see heat coming off them.

Lesson Four: Innovation Doesn’t happen in a Vacuum

The Quarterly: How do you build and lead a team?

Brad Bird: I got everybody in a room. This was different from what the previous guy had done; he had reviewed the work in private, generated notes, and sent them to the person… I said, “Look, this is a young team. As individual animators, we all have different strengths and weaknesses, but if we can interconnect all our strengths, we are collectively the greatest animator on earth. So I want you guys to speak up and drop your drawers. We’re going to look at your scenes in front of everybody. Everyone will get humiliated and encouraged together…

Lesson Five: High Morale Makes Creativity Cheap

The Quarterly: It sounds like you spend a fair amount of time thinking about the morale of your teams.

Brad Bird: In my experience, the thing that has the most significant impact on a movie’s budget—but never shows up in a budget—is morale. [what’s true for a movie is true for a startup!] If you have low morale, for every $1 you spend, you get about 25 cents of value. If you have high morale, for every $1 you spend, you get about $3 of value. Companies should pay much more attention to morale.

Lesson Six: Dont Try To “Protect your success”

The Quarterly: Engagement, morale—what else is critical for stimulating innovative thinking?

Brad Bird: The first step in achieving the impossible is believing that the impossible can be achieved. … “You don’t play it safe—you do something that scares you, that’s at the edge of your capabilities, where you might fail. That’s what gets you up in the morning.”

Lesson Six: Steve Jobs Says ‘Interaction = Innovation’

The Quarterly: What does Pixar do to stimulate a creative culture?

Brad Bird: If you walk around downstairs in the animation area, you’ll see that it is unhinged. People are allowed to create whatever front to their office they want. One guy might build a front that’s like a Western town. Someone else might do something that looks like Hawaii…John [Lasseter] believes that if you have a loose, free kind of atmosphere, it helps creativity.

Then there’s our building. Steve Jobs basically designed this building. In the center, he created this big atrium area, which seems initially like a waste of space. The reason he did it was that everybody goes off and works in their individual areas. People who work on software code are here, people who animate are there, and people who do designs are over there. Steve put the mailboxes, the meetings rooms, the cafeteria, and, most insidiously and brilliantly, the bathrooms in the center—which initially drove us crazy—so that you run into everybody during the course of a day. [Jobs] realized that when people run into each other, when they make eye contact, things happen. So he made it impossible for you not to run into the rest of the company.

Lesson Seven: Encourage Inter-disciplinary Learning

The Quarterly: Is there anything else you’d highlight that contributes to creativity around here?

Brad Bird: One thing Pixar does [is] “PU,” or Pixar University. If you work in lighting but you want to learn how to animate, there’s a class to show you animation. There are classes in story structure, in Photoshop, even in Krav Maga, the Israeli self-defense system. Pixar basically encourages people to learn outside of their areas, which makes them more complete. [and more creative].

Lesson Eight: Get Rid of Weak Links

The Quarterly: What undermines Innovation?

Brad Bird: Passive-aggressive people—people who don’t show their colors in the group but then get behind the scenes and peck away—are poisonous. I can usually spot those people fairly soon and I weed them out.

Lesson Nine: Making $$ Can’t Be Your Focus

The Quarterly: How would you compare the Disney of your early career with Pixar today?

Brad Bird: When I entered Disney, it was like a classic Cadillac Phaeton that had been left out in the rain… The company’s thought process was not, “We have all this amazing machinery—how do we use it to make exciting things? We could go to Mars in this rocket ship!” It was, “We don’t understand Walt Disney at all. We don’t understand what he did. Let’s not screw it up. Let’s just preserve this rocket ship; going somewhere new in it might damage it.”

Walt Disney’s mantra was, “I don’t make movies to make money—I make money to make movies.” That’s a good way to sum up the difference between Disney at its height and Disney when it was lost. It’s also true of Pixar and a lot of other companies. It seems counterintuitive, but for imagination-based companies to succeed in the long run, making money can’t be the focus.

Boing Boing: Quirky human behavior

2007-05-10T20:09:00.000-06:00

Boing Boing: Quirky human behavior

In 1988, psychologist Fritz Strack of the University of Würzburg, Germany, a sked two groups of people to judge how funny they found some cartoons. In one group, each person held a pencil between their teeth without it touching their lips, which forced a smile. The other group were asked to hold the pencil with their lips (not using their teeth), forcing a frown.

The results revealed that people experience the emotion associated with their expressions. Those with a forced smile felt happier, and found the cartoons funnier than those who were forced to frown...

Anthropologists and psychologists have long been interested in superstitions. One of the key categories of superstitious thinking is the "law of contagion", which says that when an object has been in contact with someone, it somehow acquires their "essence". Psychologist Paul Rozin and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania have investigated how common such thinking is today.

They asked people to rate how they would feel about wearing a nice, soft, blue jumper that had been freshly laundered - but previously worn by someone else. As they varied the fictitious previous wearers of the jumper, it became clear how strongly people follow the age-old belief in magical contagion.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the volunteers were unhappiest about wearing the jumper if they were told it had previously belonged to a serial killer. On the whole they would rather have worn a sweater that had been dropped in dog faeces and not washed - raising genuine health concerns - than a laundered sweater that had been worn by a mass murderer.

Even in the 21st century, we are far from being the rational creatures that we like to think we are, as a final part of the experiment made dismayingly clear. When asked to imagine that the laundered sweater had been worn by someone who had contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, most people once again said they wouldn't wear it.

Animators expanding their lines of work - Los Angeles Times

2007-05-10T10:24:00.000-06:00

Animators expanding their lines of work - Los Angeles Times

One of the students in my Class 1 at Animation Mentor sent this link out last night after Q & A. Good article, definitely something for everyone to keep in mind: Diversify as much as possible.

The Happiest Monster - by Jonathan Kim

2007-03-14T21:53:00.001-06:00

Saw this on YouTube today, I laughed.

Long Flicks: to Cut or Not to Cut?

2007-03-04T13:49:00.000-06:00

I think a lot of films could do for cutting out of about 20 - 40 minutes. If you can maintain pace and interest at that length, that's fine. But any time you notice people starting to squirm or fidget in their seats, yeah, go ahead and cut something already.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Director David Fincher knows some people may think his serial-killer saga "Zodiac" is too long at two hours, 40 minutes.

He's wondered the same thing himself but decided the film needed that much space to tell the story he wanted.

"Zodiac" and other recent epic-length films such as "The Good Shepherd" reflect an age-old Hollywood balancing act: satisfying filmmakers' artistic desires without causing audiences to squirm in their seats.

"I would have loved the movie to have been shorter. I just couldn't find a way to dramatically do that," said Fincher, whose previous films include "Fight Club" and "Se7en." "Nobody wants to wear out their welcome, but you want the audience to have a meaningful and varied experience.
...
"`The Godfather' merits all that time and more," said critic Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times and TV's "Ebert and Roeper and the Movies." "But 80 to 90 percent of the films I see could benefit from 10 to 15 minutes in cuts." (full story)

Cartoon Brew » Mickey Like You’ve Never Seen

2007-02-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

I love the look of this.

"Based on a Neo-comic style, Mickey exists in a world of translucent imagery, shape shifting creatures and detailed patterns. With the help of a power-packed Neo-Suit full of gadgets, Mickey encounters extraordinary creatures from many new worlds, with stories and adventures that extend way beyond our galaxy."

Cartoon Brew » Mickey Like You’ve Never Seen

Technorati Tags: mickey mouse, cartoon, walt disney, anime, video, cool

The Living Animation Festival: Blog with lots of animated shorts listed

2007-01-31T17:05:00.000-06:00

The Living Animation Festival:

Eye candy!

YouTube - Ishu Patel - The Bead Game

2007-01-12T14:14:00.000-06:00

YouTube - Ishu Patel - The Bead Game:

YouTube - The Grandfather of Soul by Keytoon Studios

2007-01-12T10:07:00.000-06:00

YouTube - The grandfather of Soul:

A crazy character dressed in the style of the sixties comes into a room and plays his favourite mom's old phonograph

Another nice one here showing off some water physics schtuff from RealFlow.

Rest in peace, Joe Barbera | MetaFilter

2006-12-18T20:54:00.000-06:00

Rest in peace, Joe Barbera | MetaFilter:

The last of the great animation directors has died. Joe Barbera was half of the Hanna-Barbera Tom and Jerry cartoons for MGM. When that studio closed, they learned how to do cartoons for television on a much smaller budget, and gave us so many memorable characters. Mark Evanier worked for Barbera, and is sharing his memories on his always excellent blog. duo that created the Oscar-winning

posted by evilcolonel (14 comments total)

YouTube - Frosty the Snowman -Original UPA 3 minute short film

2006-12-07T13:01:00.000-06:00

YouTube - Frosty the Snowman:

In 1954, the UPA studio brought "Frosty" to life in a three-minute animated short which appeared regularly on WGN-TV. This production included a bouncy, jazzy version of the song. It has been a perennial WGN-TV Christmas classic, and was most recently broadcast on December 24 and 25, 2005, as part of a WGN-TV children's programming retrospective, along with their two other short Christmas classics, "Suzy Snowflake" and "Hardrock, Coco and Joe".

MIT sketching - MIT's Assist Sketch Understanding System and Operation

2006-10-09T12:30:00.000-06:00

It's called MIT's Assist Sketch Understanding System and Operation.

MIT Assist Sketch Understanding System and Operation works by sketching a simple mechanical device onto the drawing board and then demonstrating how the system understands the sketch through movement. (Magic Paper: drawing out ideas) (http://rationale.csail.mit.edu/projects.shtml)

ASSIST: A Shrewd Sketch Interpretation and Simulation Tool

Draw objects like ramps, carts, wheels, baskets with springs, then hit run and this program MIT is developing will process physics-based simulations on what you drew. I could spend hours messing with something like this, I need it! Give it to me, MIT!! :>

YouTube - MIT sketching

CGTalk - Sugar Rush, short by Guillermo Careaga

2006-10-09T09:50:00.000-06:00

Really nice work by Guillerrmo Careaga, Ringling has a reputation for graduating top-notch candidates.

Hi everyone! I graduated from Ringling School of Art and Design this past May, and I had meant to post my animated short months ago but I just didn't have the chance. Here it is though (you need the DIVx codec to see it):

http://webspace.ringling.edu/~gcare...isFinal_web.avi

CGTalk - Sugar Rush, short by Guillermo Careaga

Mayerson on Animation: The Grosses

2006-10-06T09:58:00.000-06:00

Got this link from Ray Chase this morning. Interesting numbers, I'd like to see how many 'butts in seats' there were per film, just to get a better picture of how popular films were w/o shuffling increasing ticket prices, etc...

Mayerson on Animation: The Grosses

YouTube - The Fool Looks At The Finger That Points To The Sky (computer animated music video)

2006-10-04T22:25:00.000-06:00

Great computer animated music video, by Aaron Bradbury, music by musicians Little Explorer.

YouTube - The Fool Looks At The Finger That Points To The Sky

Ringling School Portfolio - Christopher Cordingley

2006-09-19T21:42:00.000-06:00

Nice short! Simple is good.

Christopher Cordingley

Ringling School Portfolio

Annie Awards 2006

2006-09-18T10:59:00.000-06:00

Annie Awards will celebrate the best in animation during the 100th year of animation

Nominations are currently being accepted for the 34th Annual Annie Awards: Honoring excellence in the field of animation, the deadline for ASIFA-Hollywood to receive entry forms is October 6, 2006. ASIFA-Hollywood must receive materials for nomination judging October 27, 2006.

To access all forms, including the Official Entry Form, visit the Entry Forms page.

Call for Judges: ASIFA-Hollywood is looking for individuals interested in serving on the 2006 nomination committees. Click here for more information.

Rules and Categories: The Rules are now available online on the Rules/Categories page

Key Dates: Be sure to visit the Key Dates page for important deadlines.

This website will be updated in the next week. Be sure to check here often for the latest up-to-date information on animation's highest honor.

Annie Awards 2006

shh-LIFE! - REPOST: The Fear of moving past blocking..

2006-09-06T14:34:00.000-06:00

Good advice for newer animators.

"The more you know, the more fear you have.

Seems to be a rule true of many things.. tree climbing for example. Before you know about gravity and how much breaking an arm can hurt, you really don’t worry that much about falling out of the tree, you just sorta climb on up there and monkey around. It isn’t until you see your friend slip and fall and break her arm when you think “ohh.. wait.. this can be painful…” and you start to worry.

The same is true about animation.

When many animators first start animating they just move things around willy nilly, making things go this way.. that way.. etc. They have no fears, they just move things.

Granted, their animations may looks like ass squished up against a large pile of roadkill, but at least they have no fear." (full article at link) shh-LIFE! - REPOST: The Fear of moving past blocking..

Cloud Boy, Oh Boy! >>Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog » Blog Archive

2006-08-27T21:36:00.000-06:00

"Tantalizingly short, and oh so sweet, Cloud Boy is a wonderful little children’s book by previously blogged cartoonist/ illustrator Rhode Montijo. That last link takes you to some cute craft ideas for the classroom, if you’re interested. I just keep loving Rhode more and more." (more)

Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog » Blog Archive » Cloud Boy, Oh Boy!

gezfry.com - online gallery

2006-08-27T21:35:00.000-06:00

gezfry.com - online gallery

Picasso, Paula Scher, and the lifetime behind every second - Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals)

2006-08-27T21:32:00.000-06:00

Picasso, Paula Scher, and the lifetime behind every second - Signal vs. Noise (by 37signals)

Charging By the Project or the Hour

2006-08-27T21:28:00.000-06:00

Charging By the Project or the Hour: "What are you worth? How much do you charge for the wonderful work that you do? How do you communicate your value to your clients? Do you quote an hourly rate, and then present a tally of hours and expenses at the end of a project? That's typical of many IPs, who find this the simplest way to charge their clients. Or do you quote an up-front, flat rate for a project? This eliminates the sphincter-tightening moment at the end of the job when you present your bill. You run the risk, however, of seriously undercharging if the project turns out to be more complicated than you thought it would be."

Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown - CalArts 1986

2006-08-17T13:44:00.000-06:00


Charlie Brown is on the run from the Peanuts Gang after the Great Pumpkin puts a bounty on his head in this wild animated student short by Jim Reardon.

FLATLIFE (2004)

2006-08-08T13:11:00.000-06:00

"Jonas Geirnaert graduation project "FLATLIFE"(2004), selected for Short Films in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2004."

YouTube - FLATLIFE (2004)

"Zemeckis' ImageMovers moving to Disney?"

2006-08-08T07:45:00.000-06:00

from animated-news.com:

TMZ.com breaks the news that Robert Zemeckis may be moving his ImageMovers production company to Disney, in a multi-year deal. In fact, the online publication calls the action "a cat's breath away" from occuring. Specializing in motion-capture technology, ImageMovers has been involved with such films as The Polar Express, Monster House, and next year's Beowulf. According to an insider, Disney CEO Robert Iger believes Disney's acquisition of Pixar last January was only the first step in the company's move toward leading the animation industry.
Supposedly, the deal currently being arranged with Zemeckis will have John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Feature Animation, consulting on all ImageMovers productions. Thus, the word is that Disney may very well be aiming to own all areas of animation: Pixar, for computer animation; Walt Disney Feature Animation, for traditional animation; and ImageMovers, for motion capture animation. The article ends with a notice that an official announcement, either confirming or denying the news at hand, could arrive as early as next week.

08/08/2006: "Zemeckis' ImageMovers moving to Disney?"

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D - ComingSoon.net Film Database

2006-08-07T15:45:00.000-06:00

Oooooo... I wanna see this on the big screen!

Release Date: October 20, 2006
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Henry Selick
Screenwriter: Caroline Thompson
Starring: Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, Ed Ivory, Susan McBride, Debi Durst, Greg Proops, Kerry Katz, Randy Crenshaw, Sherwood Ball, Carmen Twillie, Catherine O'Hara
Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Musical
MPAA Rating: PG (for some scary images)
Official Website: Nightmare3Dmovie.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: Not Available
Production Stills: Not Available
Plot Summary: Enter an extraordinary world filled with magic and wonder -- where every holiday has its own special land ... and imaginative, one-of-a-kind characters! "The Nightmare Before Christmas" tells the heartfelt tale of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, and all things that go bump in the night. Bored with the same old tricks and treats, he yearns for something more, and soon stumbles upon the glorious magic of Christmas Town! Jack decides to bring this joyful holiday back to Halloween Town. But as his dream to fill Santa's shoes unravels, it's up to Sally, the rag doll who loves him, to stitch things back together.

Trailer:
QuickTime, Super Hi-Res
QuickTime, Hi-Res
QuickTime, Med-Res
QuickTime, Lo-Res
Windows Media Player, Hi-Res
Windows Media Player, Lo-Res
Real Player, Hi-Res
Real Player, Lo-Res

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D - ComingSoon.net Film Database

PIKAPIKA: in kitijoji. Animated light pen gifs

2006-08-01T10:18:00.000-06:00

What is the "PIKA PIKA" ?

Hello ! I'm takeshi. I go by TOCHKA with Kazvon.
Now I tell you what the "PIKA PIKA" is.
Thank you!

We took a photo of each image using long exposures and put them together to make them look like one animation.

To work on this project,we went out to various places in Japan:parks,under the train track,the Tokyo Bay,school hallways,and so on. (Quicktime movie here)

We got all sorts of friends in different fields together to work on this project.
During the process,they got to know each other and discover new things. This is also about "communication". People can meet new friends as they create a piece art very easy which brings every one happiness. We spend a very enjoyable evening at the workshop and the party through this animation.

--
Really neat, animating on the fly like that is amazing, has a magical quality to it.
More at the link.

PIKAPIKA: in kitijoji

big gulp - flash animation

2006-07-28T12:43:00.000-06:00

Neat shape shifting animation. Kafka would approve.

biggulp

Comic-Con Audio: The Ant Bully - ComingSoon.net (audio interview mp3)

2006-07-26T10:19:00.000-06:00

ComingSoon.net talked to the team behind Warner Bros. Pictures' animated-comedy The Ant Bully--writer-director-producer John A. Davis, art director Chris Consani, concept artist Bob Eggleton, concept artist Sarah Mensinga, and lead character H. Buck Lewis--at the San Diego Comic-Con and you can now listen to the audio interview here! (right click to download mp3)

Comic-Con Audio: The Ant Bully - ComingSoon.net

WARNER BROS/WEINSTEIN COMPANY - CON: WB Animation

2006-07-26T10:16:00.000-06:00

Comic-Con 2006 had a Animation Panel for the feature film I worked 'The Ant Bully'. Here are some highlights of the panel from the article:

Participants:
John Davis – director
Sarah Mensinga – concept artist
H.B. “Buck” Lewis – character designer
Chris Consani – art director
Bob Eggleton – concept artist

At first they tried a realistic design with the protagonist but realized that was too creepy so they skewed his proportions and gave him somewhat of a caricature head.
They modeled Paul Giamatti’s exterminator character after Giamatti with initial designs ranging from a more comedic look to a “what would Henry Kissinger look like as Satan?” look.
They wanted to strike a balance between the ants having slight human characteristics yet remaining decidedly insect-like.
One of the more interesting things they did was after they showed the process of rigging characters, they showed how they test-animated characters by putting them through an actual obstacle course to see how well both the ants’ and human characters’ behavior and movements conformed themselves to their environment.
They showed a few sequences where they cycled from the book illustrations to the concept art to the final sequence in the film. The sequences included when the kid first becomes ant size to when he’s sentenced to work in the colony.
It was important to Davis to create an alien-looking civilization for the ant colony and for the ants’ biology to be accurate but still be able to function on six legs and two legs.
When Davis was asked about whether he was worried about parallels to A BUG’S LIFE or ANTZ, he mentioned that initially he was but realized that there was room for more and used the abundance of “cowboy movies” as an example (where he also managed to sneak in a BROKEBACK reference – what you got against gay cowboys, dude??!)
Davis modeled the alien-type of civilization after tribal and aboriginal cultures. He felt that, like aboriginal cultures, ants were connected to Earth and communicated with odor cues.
Interesting side note – ants apparently have antibiotics on their bodies so if ever you’re in the jungle, get sick and have no medicine, rub some ants on you and you’ll be set!
They differentiated the ants’ world from the humans’ world by spatial cues – for example, things are round and small in the human world but large and cavernous in the ant world.
Since the entire film is in IMAX 3D, the production faced more challenges as they had to do everything in real 3D space and couldn’t do any 2D cheats.

CON: WB Animation

Animation Nation Bulletin Board: Drawing for the Sake of Drawing

2006-07-26T09:48:00.000-06:00

Thread started by Michel Gagne, lots of interesting responses at link:

A couple of months ago, I was in Calgary doing an animation panel with some animation folks. The hugely talented Stephen Silver was on the panel with me and he mentionned that to become of good draughtman, you had to draw, draw and draw. He advised artists to carry sketchbooks wherever they go, and practice whenever they get a chance. This got me thinking... I never carry a sketchbook. In fact, I don't even own one.

I was going through a huge pile of rough drawings the other day and realized that every single one of those was done for a specific project (90% being my own personal projects). It seems like whenever I draw something, it's always with the thought of creating a bigger whole than the drawing itself, whether it's animation, comics, books, a gallery project etc... A lot of those drawings will never materialized into projects, but that was the intention when I created them. I've now come to the conclusion the even though I spend lots of time drawing every week, I never do it for the sake of it. I never have and probably never will.

I love creating art projects, that's my passion.
Drawing to me is a mean to an end but rarely the end into itself.

Animation Nation Bulletin Board: Drawing for the Sake of Drawing

Japanese Classic Cartoon(1933)

2006-07-25T14:24:00.000-06:00

(From YouTube)

UGOKIE-KO-RI-NO-TATEHIKI(1933)
(Moving picture -Fox and Asian racoon's cheats each other)
Director:Ikuo Oishi

In the temple that became ruins, the fox that disguises as the samurai does the fight of magic with Asian racoon's parent and child.

It seems that it was influenced from the style of Max Fleischer's Cartoon.

http://www.n-eigashinsha.jp/kori.html

Article on pioneers of early Japanese animation.

YouTube - Japanese Classic Cartoon(1933)

The Ant Bully - Film/Movie Previews - LatinoReview.com - The Latin Perspective On All Films!

2006-07-19T13:25:00.000-06:00

Tons of great pics and movie trailers (all the pics are at the bottom of the site) at latinoreview.com.

I noticed latinoreview still has Alan Cummings listed as a voice, but he got yanked from the film and now the voice of Fugax is portrayed by Bruce Campbell (IMDB) of Evil Dead fame. Bruce did a gread read for the movie and really brought a lot to the role.

The above pic (click it for larger version) is from a shot I did where Lucas (the boy hero of the film) lands on a human scalp loaded with head lice. YUM!

(via raymation.net, w00t Ray!)

LatinoReview.com - The Latin Perspective On All Films! - Film/Movie Previews - The Ant Bully

Jan Svankmajer's Food Trilogy (videos) - WFMU's Beware of the Blog

2006-07-19T13:18:00.000-06:00

Jan Svankmajer's Food Trilogy (videos)

From WFMU:

"If you've got the stomach for a heavy dose of gastronomic surrealism, here is Czech animator Jan Svankmajer three part movie called Food (Jidlo). Svankmajer made it in 1992, employing his trademark stop motion techniques with human actors and clay prosthetics.

Part One, Breakfast: A tale of food and automatons in which Mr. Babicky, Mr. Cecil and Mr. Albert take turns eating from, and providing the services of a food dispensing machine not unlike the kind that used to be found throughout the US at Horn and Hardart's Automats. [download mpeg video, 15 megs or youtube it]

Part Two, Lunch: The best of the three parts, in which an inattentive waiter forces two diners to partake in lunch without food. They eat everything on their table - the flowers, the tablecloth, their plates, their clothes, and in a nod to Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush, their shoes. But it doesn't stop there. [download mpeg video, 18 megs or youtube it]

Part Three, Dinner: The cannibalism continues at a higher end establishment, but unlike at lunch, the diners now have all the necessary garnishes and sauces to flavor their own body parts. [download mpeg video, 8 megs or youtube it]

More info on Svankmajer's Food here and here, and you can purchase it on DVD here. And if you like Eastern European stop motion animation, don't miss Mike Brent's Dark Strider site. via parumo"

WFMU's Beware of the Blog: Jan Svankmajer's Food Trilogy (videos)

PistolWimp - Stop-Motion Human Space Invaders

2006-07-18T14:08:00.000-06:00

PistolWimp - Stop-Motion Human Space Invaders

SCIFI.COM | The Amazing Screw-On Head

2006-07-14T11:52:00.000-06:00

"In this hilarious send-up of Lovecraftian horror and steampunk adventure, President Abraham Lincoln's top spy is a bodyless head known only as Screw-On Head.

When arch-fiend Emperor Zombie steals an artifact that will enable him to threaten all life on Earth, the task of stopping him is assigned to Screw-on Head. Fortunately, Screw-On Head is not alone on this perilous quest. He is aided by his multitalented manservant, Mr. Groin, and by his talking canine cohort, Mr. Dog.

Can this unorthodox trio stop Emperor Zombie in time? Does Screw-On Head have a body awesome enough to stop the horrors that have been unleashed? Where can we get a talking dog?

All these questions (O.K., maybe not that last one) will be answered when you watch the thrilling tale of The Amazing Screw-On Head!" (more) SCIFI.COM | The Amazing Screw-On Head

Interview with John Davis about 'The Ant Bully'

2006-07-13T09:45:00.000-06:00

Great 8 minute interview on CNN with John A. Davis, writer and director of upcoming 'The Ant Bully' feature I worked on while at DNA. We had our studio premiere in Dallas last weekend, movie looked great, kudos to all my friends that made a solid film!

Link to CNN interview

Talking with Molly Crabapple, founder of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School - village voice > people > The Interview by Rachel Kramer Bussel

2006-07-12T11:24:00.000-06:00

What a fun idea.

"Didn't get into Pratt? Work on Wall Street but secretly long for a gallery show? Local illustrator Molly Crabapple wants you! Using burlesque performers, roller derby girls, and hunky topless men as models, she hosts Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School on alternating Saturday afternoons. For three hours, you can wield the implement of your choice to immortalize these bodacious beauties. Want to draw a feather-laden, half-naked girl hunched over a toilet? No problem for the tipsy curiosity seekers who pack the Lucky Cat saloon with their sketchbooks. Expect to find snarling clowns, glitter, pasties, swords, hula hoops, and more to inspire your next masterpiece." (more) village voice > people > The Interview by Rachel Kramer Bussel

CON-CAN Movie Festival / Web Film Festival

2006-07-12T11:06:00.000-06:00

"CON-CAN Movie Festival is an online international short film festival connecting creators and viewers all around the world. (Win/Mac compatible)" CON-CAN Movie Festival / Web Film Festival

YouTube - dodolook_MV飛行戰隊

2006-07-07T08:59:00.000-06:00

Fun style to this music video.

YouTube - dodolook_MV飛行戰隊

YouTube - The Ant Bully remixed with head photos

2006-07-06T09:12:00.000-06:00

Bizarre. No idea if this is a "viral" ad or just some fan.

"This is an editted version of the 'The Ant Bully' preview. All added heads are that of myself (Ant#1) and co-workers. The antbully character is played by a Vice President, Cary B., at the company I work for. Enjoy...fyi, best viewed in original size. *Click the 1st resize button*" YouTube - The Ant Bully

(via email Andrew Burke w00t)

Muscle and bone bring animated characters to life

2006-06-30T09:17:00.000-06:00

"A system that automatically generates a biologically accurate skeleton and muscles could help movie and games animators create characters who move more realistically.

Computer animators working on video games or films such as The Incredibles usually start with a virtual wireframe model of a character's outer appearance. The wireframe moves using preprogrammed limb movements, which in turn allows the animator to work out how the character's outer layer should bend before overlaying skin and hair." (more) New Scientist Breaking News - Muscle and bone bring animated characters to life

How to draw a pixel head - Flip Flop Flying

2006-06-30T09:10:00.000-06:00

Neat. Tutorial at link.

Flip Flop Flying

Stumbling on Happiness - NPR : Sharing One Secret to Happiness

2006-06-18T20:18:00.000-06:00

Psychology professor Daniel Gilbert has spent a lot of time thinking about what makes people happy. He shares one of the secrets he has uncovered. Gilbert is the author of the new book Stumbling on Happiness. (Link to audio at NPR) NPR : Sharing One Secret to Happiness

Dog neurons in a dish control video game (Quake 3). Skynet unavailable for comment.

2006-06-17T22:27:00.000-06:00

The video links are spooky yet cool. Robot military, no draft.

"When the brain is first hooked up to the game, it doesn't know what it is doing so it randomly moves around," Thompson said. "After enough data flows to the brain it begins to change the neural network, it starts to control the character in a progressively more intelligent way."

Though the brain can successfully compete with a bot, the goal is to gain better understanding of how brains function, Thompson said.

-30-

Videos of the brain controlling the game are available:

Video 1: early stages of learning about 4 hours of learning

Video 2: slightly advanced, about 13 hour of learning

Video 3: more advanced, notice the collision detection and change of direction, about 42 hours of learning

Video 4: most advanced with combat, over 9 days of learning

UT SCIENTIST: DOG NEURONS IN A DISH CONTROL GAME

Hoffman to be 200th ‘Actor’s Studio’ guest - TELEVISION - MSNBC.com

2006-06-17T22:17:00.000-06:00

68? Wow, I didn't realize he was that old.

"James Lipton interviews Dustin Hoffman in an episode 'Inside the Actors Studio,' which airs on June 25. The 68-year-old Hoffman, who won best actor Oscars for 1982's 'Tootsie' and 1979's 'Kramer Vs. Kramer,' is the 200th guest on the program." (more) Hoffman to be 200th ‘Actor’s Studio’ guest - TELEVISION - MSNBC.com

Throwback Throwdown - The Austin Chronicle

2006-06-17T11:57:00.000-06:00

"Retro gaming is adjunct to everything that's going on right now," says Billy Cain, vice-president of Critical Mass Interactive in Austin. Cain has been designing games for 14 years; his company recently finished some of the graphics for Jaws Revenge. "The retro games are cultural memory," Cain says. "Other countries that we work with never had those games. Countries like India started with Lara Croft from Tomb Raider; they have no reason to buy a retro game."

On the other side of the card is David Kaelin, owner of Game Over Videogames in North Austin. His business is in the sales of vintage used games and their respective systems, knocking on the door of gamer nostalgia. "Statistics say the average player is 30 years old. They don't want the newest and greatest game. They want something that's easy to learn, something their kid can play that's not too violent – like a cartoon."(full article at link) The Austin Chronicle: Screens: Throwback Throwdown

"Digging For Worms: Why Doug Tennapel Doesn't Care What His Fans Think"

2006-06-06T22:20:00.000-06:00

"Occasional game developer and character designer Doug Tennapel is probably most often remembered for his work creating the Earthworm Jim franchise. In addition to EWJ, The Neverhood, and other fan favorites of the 16-bit era, Tennapel is an accomplished comic book artist, and is currently working for Nickelodeon on the show Catscratch.

Gamasutra took some time out of Doug’s day to catch up on Earthworm Jim, get some thoughts on character design, and wax philosophical about the state of game creation today." (full interview) Gamasutra - Feature - "Digging For Worms: Why Doug Tennapel Doesn't Care What His Fans Think"

Animation ID - Identifying animators from Golden Age of cartoons

2006-05-25T09:49:00.000-06:00

Neat site, bunch of YouTube videos embedded at this page with some great old cartoons, check it out.

"The goal of this blog is to help people identify the many wonderful (and then not so wonderful) animators from the Golden Age of cartoons. Check back every day for more fun!" Animation ID

Cynicism in feature animation? - CGCHAR -- Animation News + Community + Forums

2006-05-25T08:44:00.000-06:00

Pixar focuses on making stories with heart and broad appeal, largely due to the creative forces at the heart of the company. Lose the heart of your company and it makes it hard to rebuild.

"The new issue of Fortune Magazine includes a nice article on John Lasseter and, parenthetically, some comments from Bob Iger (Disney) about why Disney thinks Pixar is so special a company. In those comments, Iger observes that Pixar movies 'do not have one bit of cynicism.' I think he's on to something, how about you?

DreamWorks, for instance, has made at least two movies that I suggest come from a cynical core: 'The Road to El Dorado' and 'Over the Hedge'. Each of them begins with lead characters that are ethically-challenged scoundrels. RJ in 'Over the Hedge' is propelled into the action of the film because he was caught trying to steal food from a sleeping bear. During the course of the movie, he tries to trick the other animals by faking friendship. Finally, RJ learns that living life as a scoundrel is not the best way to go. This is the same kind of setup the studio had with 'Road to El Dorado'. Ethically-challenged scoundrels discover that friendship and honesty are the best ticket.

I suggest that this forumla faces trouble going out the door because nobody in the audience considers himself to be ethically-challenged. When presented with these kinds of characters in the opening moments, they RECOGNIZE them, but they don't particularly EMPATHIZE with them." (more at link) CGCHAR -- Animation News + Community + Forums

New Job Alert: I am going to KingsIsle Entertainment!

2006-05-24T18:40:00.000-06:00

I went down yesterday to get an apartment in Austin, this Saturday I move down to the Hill Country to start at KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc.!

DNA underwent a massive round of layoffs just recently, but I am fortunate to roll into a great new gaming company, the Creative Director is Tom Hall of Commander Keen, id Software and Ion Storm fame, so I look forward to exciting projects. :)

Pikachu`s Secret Life (QT vid from Robot Chicken)

2006-05-22T19:58:00.000-06:00

LOLOLOL.

Pikachu`s Secret Life

Evolution of Dance - YouTube

2006-05-18T22:47:00.000-06:00

Andrew Burke threw this link out, I saw linkage a few days ago but never sat down and watched it. Damn RSS overload.

The transitions are the thing to watch for in this video, animator friends...

YouTube - Evolution of Dance

Peanuts Meets Marvel!

2006-05-18T21:42:00.000-06:00

Quite possibly one of the best mashups I've seen, I grew up copying Peanuts and Marvel comics! (see link for tons more pics)

Statue Forum - Peanuts Meets Marvel!

PS3 games: Plunging deeper into the "Uncanny Valley"

2006-05-18T20:12:00.000-06:00

The concept is simple: When we look at a cartoon-like drawing of a person, like Charlie Brown, our brains fill in the missing information, and the cartoon seems warm, cute, and lifelike. But when an animated version of a human becomes incredibly close to being real, we start focusing instead on the tiny details that aren't right: The slack skin, the not-quite-dewy-enough eyes, the stiff body movements. Paradoxically, the more realistic the human becomes -- the worse they look. Sure, enhanced graphics look terrific when lavished on static things, like scenery or smoke or bullets. But the human face? Our video-game graphics aren't up to it -- and, if you believe the Valley theory, may never be. (more)

collision detection: PS3 games: Plunging deeper into the "Uncanny Valley"

John Lasseter at French premiere of 'Cars' - Cartoon Brew: May 2006 Archives

2006-05-18T07:58:00.000-06:00

Videos at link.

From Cartoon Brew: "John Lasseter sat down and answered questions at the French Premiere of CARS last night. Our friend Kinoo (of the French website, Pixar's Room) has posted video and pictures from the event.

I had the luck to be at the premiere of CARS yesterday in Paris and attended the discussion with John Lasseter following the digital projection of the new movie (and the well received Ratatouille teaser). I was able to ask him a question about his future, as he has many resposibilities now following the merger with Disney, and if he will be able to direct another movie soon? His answer can be seen on the first video clip."

Cartoon Brew: May 2006 Archives

Digital Domain Sold to Bay - CGCHAR -- Animation News + Community + Forums

2006-05-17T09:42:00.000-06:00

“At a time when every top grossing motion picture is relying on digital visual effects to help tell compelling and entertaining stories, we believe this translates into a bright future for companies in this field, and we believe Digital Domain represented a unique opportunity to invest,” said Stork, whose accomplishments at Microsoft included leading the development of Windows® 95/98. “The creative and talented team at Digital Domain has a great reputation in both the feature film business and in the commercial advertising community for high-quality, award-winning work. Adding the expertise, business acumen and diverse relationships of the Wyndcrest principals will allow Digital Domain to capitalize on the rapidly expanding opportunities in the entertainment business. (more)

CGCHAR -- Animation News + Community + Forums

Deviation: Machinima about a game-character's existential crisis

2006-05-13T12:56:00.000-06:00

Synopsis:

The short film ‘Deviation’ was shot using an online game engine with the virtual actors and director never having met one another.

Macintyre, an online-game character and member of a four-man counter-terrorist squad, attempts to break out of the cycle of futile violence that has been his sole existence.

Dropped into the middle of a mission and faced with the prospect of climbing into an ambush at the end of a manhole tunnel, Macintyre strives to convince the other squad members that there is another way...

Boing Boing: Machinima about a game-character's existential crisis:

Animation School Lesson 2 -Squash and Stretch on heads - blog of John Kricfalusi - all kinds of stuff

2006-05-13T11:29:00.000-06:00

He is going over Preston Blair's book, yesterday he posted a great article on Squash and Stretch pertaining to heads.

Definitely worth checking out.

all kinds of stuff

Lowman Rigs with Facial Controls at Animation Apprentice

2006-05-10T08:58:00.000-06:00

An animator I work with (Patrik Puhala) gets the kudos for finding this link for a nice, simple free Maya rig, spotted at Animation Lounge.
animationapprentice.com

Based on the Lowman rig, but with facial controls based on the ‘Stop Staring’ simple setup. Created in Maya 6.01.

Download
Rigs at Animation Apprentice

World of Warcraft headed for Hollywood - videogames1.mtv.com

2006-05-09T20:44:00.000-06:00

'Ant Bully' gets a mention below.

"The Times is reporting that Blizzard will announce Tuesday that its massively successful, massively multiplayer online role-playing game is set to be made into a big-budget fantasy picture along the lines of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films, with Warner Bros.' Legendary Pictures handling the production.

Director, cast, release date, and budget are all undetermined as of yet, but the paper quotes Blizzard CEO Paul Sams as saying that the goal is to make 'one of the best films in the world,' a World of Warcraft pic that will appeal to gamers and nongamers alike. He said Legendary Pictures management was keenly attuned to what Blizzard wanted out of a World of Warcraft film. Legendary's first film was Batman Begins. Other projects being brought to the big screen by Legendary Pictures include Superman Returns, The Ant Bully, Where the Wild Things Are, and Frank Miller's 300."

videogames1.mtv.com

malevole - A Tribute to Ray Harryhausen

2006-05-08T22:40:00.000-06:00

Teh awesome. Great remix idea.

malevole - A Tribute to Ray Harryhausen

Advanced Animation by Preston Blair | MetaFilter

2006-05-07T11:20:00.000-06:00

The link directly below goes to animationarchive.org, a great resource by The International Animated Film Society (ASIFA).

Advanced Animation by Preston Blair, "the best 'how to' book on cartoon animation ever published." Blair, a Disney and MGM animator, put the book together in 1947 to illustrate the various basic principles of animation, only to have the book pulled from shelves after the rights to use some of the characters were revoked. Animation historian Jerry Beck has been hunting for a first edition of Blair's landmark book for many years. He finally found a copy and is sharing high-quality scans on the Animation Archive. (Archive previously linked in this thread; discovered via this thread.)
posted by soiled cowboy (1 comment total)

Advanced Animation by Preston Blair | MetaFilter

Dog, Meet Your Large, Large Tail: Weekly DVD Rental Numbers Show Hollywood's Shift - Cinematical

2006-05-05T09:48:00.000-06:00

I always hear people say, "Hollywood releases crappy movies. No wonder the box office numbers are going down." I think the reality is that movie executives don't really care about boxo office so much, it's just gravy and advertising for DVD rentals/sales.

"And this week's numbers serve as a pretty clear indicator of how much Hollywood economics are changed by DVD. Of the Top Ten DVD Rentals in Box Office Mojo's chart, 5 are in their first week of release, which isn't surprising. What is surprising is that when you compare first-week rental revenue to total box office for those five, you realize that Match Point, in it's first week of release, has made 21% of its total box office in rental revenue ... and that's the lowest percentage in the bunch. Top renter Aeon Flux's first week rental revenues equal 29% of it's box office; Tristan and Isolde is next at 34%; Casanova is next at 39% ... and Shopgirl's first-week revenue alone equals 43% of its total theatrical box office." (more at link) Dog, Meet Your Large, Large Tail: Weekly DVD Rental Numbers Show Hollywood's Shift - Cinematical

Say “No!” to spec

2006-05-05T08:28:00.000-06:00

Make sure and head to the link at bottom of this post, check out the informative comments on this topic.

"NO!SPEC is an organization with a mission to educate the public about speculative, or ’spec’ work:

Our target includes those who use creative services, as well as creative professionals (designers, photographers, illustrators, writers and those in marketing, branding and advertising). It also serves as a vehicle to unite those who support the notion that spec work devalues the potential of design and ultimately does a disservice to the client.

The site is filled with information and articles about how doing creative work for free completely devalues not only one’s work, but their entire profession. The site is heavily-weighted to graphic design, but most of the information applies to all creative professionals. NO!SPEC"

Drawn! The Illustration Blog » Blog Archive » Say “No!” to spec

16 days until my end date at DNA Productions

2006-05-03T14:17:00.000-06:00

Time flys by. It seems so recent that I was graduating from The Art Institute of Dallas in 1997 and then starting at DNA. We went from under 10 employees to well over 200 over the span of my (nearly) 9 years with the company, what a ride.

Some of my friends have asked me, "Laid off? Nearly the entire company?".

Yeah.

Sucks, huh?

I guess my main feeling is disappointment that it seems to be ending this way, but that's just a reality in the animation industry. I've had a longer run at one place than most people get as cg artists, and I've learned a lot. 2 feature films (Jimmy Neutron, The Ant Bully) and 3 years of Jimmy Neutron TV series.

Fortunately for me I've gained a ton of experience and I know I'll be ok, interviews are going great and there are lots of opportunities for seasoned animators. It's just bittersweet that it happens right before we release 'Ant Bully' August 4th of this year. I'm not particularly keen on the idea of having to possibly sell my home and uproot my family, but them's the breaks, got to be willing to go to where the work is. It will be nice to have more than one studio on my resume, get to meet new people and learn new things, work on different projects.

Lots of fellow animators at DNA have thoughts on this:

Ray Chase (actually, Ray hasn't put his thoughts down on this, but I bet he will soon, his last day is this Friday...)
Keith Lango
Andrew Burke
Joe Gorski
P.J. Leffelman
Brian F. Menz (I'll post a bit from his site, he doesn't have it set up to go to this directly if he updates again)

March 6, 2006

Animator for Hire

... Unfortunately with "The Ant Bully" nearing completion, DNA Productions will be doing some major slimming down. This includes the animation department in its entirety. It's been a great ride; I've had the pleasure to work with an extremely talented group of people, and work on a great movie. And if I haven't said it in the past... you gotta see this picture in 3d IMAX, it's AMAZING, and not "hash browns amazing".

hash browns amazing:
adj. hash.browns a·maz·ing
1. not good, bad, really bad
2. not amazing

[From Old Canadian hash browns, meaning potatoes and from amaze, meaning sike.]

"hash browns amazing" refers to an event in which Andrew Burke took a whole slew of his friends, including yours truly, to a hole in the ground breakfast place for what he called "amazing potatoes." To protect this establishment from bad press lets just call it "Duffy's" in Irving, Texas off MacArthur Blvd. Probably the worst service I think I've ever had (accept for the time the waitress had me eat chili con queso with a spoon, but that's another story entirely). This was the second chance I gave "Duffy's" to supply me with its rumored most delectable sauteed starchy treats. I even specified when I ordered that I did not want the McDonalds patty hash brown they gave me the time before as a less than adequate substitute. Anyway to cut right to it, of a table of 10 to 15 people Andrew was the only one to get those "amazing" potatoes. They ran out again and we never went back. Remember "Duffy's" is a stand in name not to be confused with a Duffy's located in Irving, Texas off MacArthur Blvd.

Now back to it. Below is a link to the first of several interstitials advertising "The Ant Bully" on the tv. I didn't work on any shots in it. It goes by the name "Hot Enough For You?" and everyone that worked on it, in my opinion, did an amazing job. Again this is not movie footage, so don't be disappointed if you don't see it August 4th on the big screen. Click on the picture and enjoy... (link)

Resume for Paul C. Allen, CG Animator

2006-05-01T17:32:00.002-06:00

Paul C. Allen
CG Animator
Email: leave comment for email

SUMMARY

12 years in the CG industry, animation supervisor experience on a CG feature (Jimmy Neutron:Boy Genius), working closely with all departments. Class instructor at high-profile online animation school (Animation Mentor), where I direct 14 - 17 students through weekly projects, providing insight/constructive guidance to improve overall skills. Small project development experience for in-house short competition at DNA, all aspects from initial idea creation, dialogue recording, working with storyboard artist, animation, modeling, lighting. Currently I'm a Senior Animator working on game cinematics and facial animation on Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Senior character animator - Terminal Reality Inc, Lewisville TX Oct 2007 - present
Senior character animator - KingsIsle Entertainment, Austin June 2006 - Sept 2007
Character animator - The Ant Bully Nov 2004 - May 2006
Character animator - The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron (TV Series) 2002 - Nov 2004
Animation Supervisor - The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron (Feature) 1999 – 2001
Character Animator - (Santa vs. Snowman, Jingaroo, Olive the Other Reindeer) 1997 - 2000

WORK STRENGTHS

Supervisory experience (Feature)
TV/Feature film background
Objective, looks at the "big picture"
Good communicator/easy to work with
Takes charge, handles long term/large responsibility tasks with ease

EDUCATION/SPECIAL INTEREST

Character animation instructor at Animation Mentor, 2006 - current
In-house acting classes, DNA Productions, 2000 – 2005
Ed Hooks 'Acting for Animators' workshop, San Francisco, 2000
Wrote/developed short film subject at DNA (in-house project), 1999
Art Institute of Dallas, Associates Degree in Computer Animation, 1997
Military background, 1988 - 1996 (Marine Reserve)

SOFTWARE (Used in a production environment)

Maya
Lightwave
Photoshop
FaceFX
Vegas

(reel available upon request)