Ghostbusters Game Footage

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

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

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

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

YouTube Doubler

“Mykonos” Video by Sean Pecknold | Cartoonbrew.com

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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

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

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..

They are very subtle.

VOLTRON movie in the works?

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!)