Rendertest!

Finished rendering the first acting shot on the reel!
Huge thanks to Alex and Samir, and Genevieve for her fantastic colouscript!

We started with this idea of what we wanted for the look:

And achieved something pretty darn cool! It'll be great to work on a short film with such a talented bunch :)

To me, appeal is one of the most important principles. Your audience should be attracted to the shot just by glimpsing at a moment within the shot. If I can make someone smile or have an emotional reaction, especially when the video is paused, then I've done my job!  This is something I learned early on when I was learning gesture drawing, and it's stuck by me ever since. If you aren't searching for ways to push things and really look for what feels nice, then what's the point?!  I remember looking at my drawing instructor's drawings and being fascinated by how great they looked, even when it took him 10 seconds to make one. I thought to myself, if you apply those principles to every frame, imagine the possibilities!
Part of appeal, to me, when animating, is readability. It's a comforting feeling to understand and be able to relate to the character, as an audience member. Ed Hooks taught me that. Feeling empathy is in itself an appealing thing! That's why we go to the movies. To escape through the characters on screen, and if we can't relate to any of them, we won't be hooked. This is why a lot of early student work sometimes feels off, or uncomfortable. The poses aren't pushed, and the emotions are lacking. Sometimes, you have no idea what the character is THINKING, regardless of the audio clip. (I like to animate the later passes with the audio turned off). A good practice is to find a frame in your shot, pause it, and ask yourself--or a friend-- "Hey, what do you think she/he is telling herself right now?"   The marriage of strong posing and facial expressions should provide the base for that answer!   (This is a start, because other principles that involve motion are also really important to sell appeal and emotions, like Timing!).

The eyes are VERY important. You should be able to hide the mouth and understand the character. Sean gave us wonderful lectures on eye animation at AM. Finding the appeal is a mix of how much "white" you show, and where the iris and pupils are with respect to the lids. There's a lot involved, and it takes practice. I recently discovered a great graphic novel, Lackadaisy. The artist was kind enough to post a lot of pages on her website, including some awesome reference drawings!  Look at how appealing the poses and eyes are!  http://lackadaisycats.com/exhibit.php?exhibitid=26   It's this kind of stuff that I aim for, and hope to eventually achieve.

For this shot, I was very happy with the playblast (low quality set, no lights or colours) and raw animation. That had enough appeal. But when Genevieve showed me her take on what the colours could be (see the drawing), I HAD to see this shot lit! I strongly believe that the lighting, play in depth, and other cinematic tools can seriously help add appeal. Composition is just as important. When we see a movie poster, or a picture we like, why is that? Humans are drawn to certain symmetries, and asymmetries; and there are ratios we like, and some we don't. The trick is to apply these things to your work. This was the experiment, and I'm super happy with it!

(All animation done by myself, rig courtesy of AnimationMentor, modelling by Samir Mesbah, and lighting by Alex Ronco)

The Finish Line

There are five weeks left. FIVE. I really never expected it to go by so fast. I've been absent from writing this blog for a very, very long time. Now that class is almost over, I'm going to start again. It was always a great learning tool--writing my thoughts about new material and animation. I shouldn't have stopped!  Adam, I'm sure you'll be psyched about this one. Thanks for busting my chops. Call it nostalgia, because the end is near, but, dammit, I feel like writing! I want to make it clear how much all of it has meant to me, and the impact it's had.

Firstly, I've got to give a shout out to Bobby, Shawn, and Carlos. You guys have really made it possible for us to follow our dreams. The school has given me a whole new outlook on the industry, as well as my self. What an experience it's been. Bobby, you've always been super approachable during my stay at Animation Mentor. And you remember the individuals. That's a big deal. Your encouragement has meant a lot to me, man! I hope being a father has been nothing but a blessing so far!

I have to thank the alumni that have given their time so generously, and made me feel so comfortable with seeking out help. I look up to you guys, and your humility is inspirational. Jude, you are a total sweetheart. I can't stress that enough! Thanks for all the help, the partying, and tips :).  Michelle, you rock! You were so cool about helping me out early on. I hope you're having the time of your life at Pixar. Nelson, I'm glad I met you man, it's always a blast talking with you! James and Kelly, you guys know how to have fun. Thanks for bearing with all those questions James! And I've learned a lot from you, Kelly. Fred, you're awesome man. Have a blast in Germany. You've seriously been like a pseudo mentor for me during the last few months. Here's to the beers to come! Dhar, it's always a pleasure to bump into you and touch base! Mike and Tony, you guys are nothing short of inspirational. Always willing to give a helping hand, I learned my fair share from you guys. Jarrod, your work is crazy---and your encouragement has really meant a lot to me man. Fes, you totally rock. Can't wait to see you again. Alexiss, you're a wild one! You totally knew how to make us feel like we belonged. Glad to see you animating again! Liz, we haven't chilled enough! But I'm sure we will. Congrats on Digital Domain. You deserve it. You really are an awesome creature animator! Mike (Schanbacher), you've been the best peer buddy a student can hope for! Matt, you're such a cool dude! It really meant a lot to me at the BBQ when you talked to me about my work, and took me around to introduce me to people. You really made me feel comfortable around people that I may have otherwise been intimidated by! You really included me, and I thank you for that.

The community at Animation Mentor is nothing short of incredible. I don't care what people say about online programs, this is WAY beyond that. I've had a seemingly unlimited pool of resources and help, and I've built the kind of friendships you'd think is only possible in person. In the spirit of things, this is an open letter to my classmates, and my friends. The day I work with one of you guys will be a dream come true.

Rusty. We're here. I am so thankful that I started the program at the same time as you, and that we decided to go to CTN, 7 weeks into our journey. I've found a brother, truly. Going to all those events with you was, and always will be, a total blast. I feel like I've known you since I was five.  Here's to everything that awaits us in the "AM afterlife".

Zach, Matthias, and Reed. You guys blow me away. The attention to detail you have, Matt, is nuts! You're a total polishing boss. Zach, your ideas have always been so great. And the stories on vent are always hilarious. Reed, you, sir, are amazing. You're going places. Thanks for all the support and notes you've given me when I needed it!

And Alex, I don't know how you do it, man. You've got kids!! And yet you find the time to amaze everyone. Don't worry about that visa, they'll get you one. Your work is inspirational. From the very first weeks I was always looking at your stuff, and learning. Manu, your energy and enthousiasm keeps all of us going. And your work speaks for itself, and reflects that attitude. Belen, it has been an absolute delight to see you grow as an animator. As of class 3, you really started to blow me away, and I look at the things you come up with nowadays and it's just crazy inspirational. You have such a great sense of appeal!  Jamie and Ellen, I always look foreword to seeing you guys. You've got to be some of the most entertaining peeps around. I'm really thankful for you guys! Dana, you are crazy. In the BEST of ways. Thanks for all the hard work and dedication you've shown us. Jane, your hard work is really paying off! Svein, man, your work has gotten to such a crazy level of polish! I can't wait to chill with you again!  Scott, thanks for the support and honest feedback. And Bob, thanks for being, well, Bob! You've been one of the most entertaining people at AM, keep up the awesome work :).

Ross, thanks for everything. You have been a big brother to me. I mean it. You are always there to support me, and I never tire of those texts and calls. I look up to you, I really do. I always look forward to going out with you and Rusty! If Ross is my big brother, I'd have to say you're easily the big sis', Alexa. I can't wait to see you guys down in Germany. Frankie, you're really something, you know that? I'm so happy you got that job at DD. The life of the party, but an incredibly hard working animator when playtime is over. You never fail to help, and those random texts are always entertaining. Agnes, you really take the time to help everyone. And your work is absolutely beautiful. (And your pencil tests are craaazzzy!). Thierry, I loved getting feedback from you! Thanos, I really hope to chill with you in Greece. Jen-Pin, thanks for all the notes you gave me. Can you believe it's almost over?!  Boat  (Thawatchai, for those who don't know), my gosh you're inspiring. You have an amazing style, and I have learned SO much from you. Aris, you're a master of cartoony animation!

Daniel, It was great to see you in VanCity. Keep going. I'm so glad you're back in action, cus damn you're good! Your animations are really entertaining. Thanks for all the random posts :P   Dono, we need to hang out more--you're friggin' awesome! Good times ahead, i'm sure.

Botir and Stefanie, you guys were always giving me hell--in the best of ways. Stef, I could always count on you to kick my butt and make me feel like crap about my shots! Thanks for keeping me in line. That's something I needed. I am always so thankful for your brutal honesty; which is matched only by how incredibly sweet you are as a person. You have always been there to to lean on when things got hard, or when I wasn't sure---and that's everything. Botir: we always joke around and tease each other, but I think tonight I'm gonna take some time and get serious with you. You may not know this yet, but you're an incredible animator. You've improved beyond belief, and when you give us notes---you sound like a supervisor! You have this way of seeing movement and understanding it in such depth, it's crazy. You may be the young one in our group, but you've proven to be wise beyond your years. Don't doubt yourself, Botir. I'm sure there are many people ten years older than you that would look up to your work.

Marshall, you're a star. Since you started the program, I've been following your stuff. I may not have always commented, but I always watched your new stuff! I'm so happy you'll be graduating with us. Adam, your work has been stellar since the beginning. AM was totally the right choice, and I'm glad I convinced you!
Here's a shoutout to my Montreal gang. Sebastien, I can always count on you to bounce ideas. It's such a pleasure working with you! Julie, you are a superb animator! I'm completely mesmerized by the quality you put out. Max and Sam, I can't stress enough how awesome it is to meet up and relax and brainstorm. Christine, You still have a long time left in the program, hang in there! Your work is great!!

I don't want to give one person more credit than another, but there is one that I absolutely cannot thank enough.  Cheryl, I don't know where I would stand in this program without your support. If it wasn't for your constant encouragement, we would not have had the courage to do the things we've done, and speak to the people we've spoken to. You have been, and always will be, my West Coast Mom. You gave us the confidence to "go for it" and believe in ourselves in a way that I think no one else could have. I think I can speak on behalf of almost everyone when I say that every student that has dealt with you has fallen in love with your charisma, sincerity, and joie-de-vivre (love of life! For the anglophones) within minutes. I mean that. You've never failed to support me, and that has meant the world to me.

I can only hope to give back to a school that, in a mere year and a half, has given me so much. Confidence, unparalleled knowledge, support, and, above all else, friendship.  I've had the time of my life. Thanks guys.

On my way to San Fran

I'm currently waiting at the airport, anxiously waiting to end up in San Francisco later tonight. This morning, Rusty texted me that his flight was cancelled, and that he was transferred to a different flight. That meant one thing: we weren't gonna be on the same connecting flight---which we had planned!  Not too long after, I got a similar call from my airline. Turns out I'm transferred to CHI instead of Phili, and I'll only arrive in San Fran at 11pm.

And here I was, planning to have SOME time to work on the polishing phase for my assignment in the hotel room tonight! Well, looks like I'm gonna pull an all-nighter again!

Tomorrow Rusty, Ellen, Belen, Jamie, Fes, Dana, and I are volunteering at AM HQ to help out for the Grad's industry night! (well Dana works at AM, so she's not really volunteering :P). Can't wait to see everyone again!

When I get to the hotel, I'll post a more thorough update, as well as my take on these first few weeks of class 2!

Reflection on Class 1

It's 5 AM, and I can't sleep (A pattern of late...). Class 2 (Psychology of Body Mechanics) began last week, and as of now I've got no reason to continue this hiatus from my blog! Since I can't sleep, I figure this is the perfect time for a fresh start.

I'd like to begin with a reflection on my experiences at Animation Mentor thus far, because I know that, years from now, I'll want to look back on this!

After three months, I feel extremely confident. I've gotta admit how nervous I was starting AM--worried I wasn't ready, or that my work wouldn't keep up to standards. A lot of students come into AM with a lot of prior experience, and that can be intimidating for someone who has virtually none, like myself! Today, I know I'm ready to move on. The lectures were spot on, and Royce was a great mentor. I learned about the foundations and how important they are. I'm now ALWAYS thinking about the basics! You can't build anything without raw materials.

Three months go by quickly, but it's felt like ages! In three months, I've improved tenfold, and I've grown an even deeper appreciation for Animation.

I have met incredible, inspirational people; both online and in person! All this possible because of AnimationMentor. Early on in the program, a bunch of us class 1 students formed a tight clique, and since then, most of us have kept in touch everyday. There is no competition. Each and every one of us thrives to make the other stronger. We push each other's limits and, in the process, improve as a group. We brainstorm, we discuss, and we learn! I'm incredibly thankful for you guys!

In Los Angeles, I met Rusty, Jamie, Ellen, Belen, and Dana in person. We met with Alumni that made us feel so welcome--and made me realize that I actually can achieve my dream! Its intimidating when you first talk to these people, because they now work at the biggest studios in the world: Pixar, Dreamworks, Bluesky---you name it! But you come to realize that they're just like you, and they share the same passion. The Alumni keep in touch with us from time-to-time, and its great to see how happy they are working at the big studios. And I can't forget Cheryl, the student Administrator. What an incredible woman. Here is a joyous person, full of life (and stories!), and filled with this undeniable passion for what AM represents, and, of course, works so hard for the students. And Bobby and Carlos are such great people! I'm so thankful and proud to be a part of this family.

To top things off, I've been invited with Rusty (and the girls, but they already live there!) to fly over to the AM Headquarters and volunteer for industry night for this year's graduating class. I'll be in San Fran on the 27th of January !! Can't wait to see everyone again. (thanks Cheryl!)

Thanks for such a great start:  Rusty, Botir, Reed, Matthias, Steff, Svein, Alex, Jamie, Ellen, Dana, Belen, Frankie, Rana, Aris, Jen, Ross and Fes!   And thanks Cheryl, Bobby, Jude, Nelson, and Michelle for being so darn inspirational. You guys all rock!!

And Rusty, the day we work in the same studio, wouldn't that be something?

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14417928/newProg_nicC.mov

Here's my un-rendered progress reel.   Thanks for being such a kickass mentor, Royce!

Tangled....at the Disney Studios Theatre

I almost forgot! As a bonus to top the incredible weekend off, we got invited to see "Tangled" at the Disney Studios, couple days before its release.

What an experience. What a priveledge. I can't describe the feeling, but I'll try my best. Here we are, prospective students who dream of working in the industry, who dream of bringing stuff to life, suddenly at the Disney Studios, THE studios, where it all began, about to see Tangled, which is about to put Disney back on the map as an animation superpower. It was amazing. We arrived at the studios and had to wait a while because they were checking ID's. After that, we had to trek through the studio back-lot to arrive at the theatre, which is essentially a screening room. Once there, it felt like airport security. They had scanners for cameras and we had to give in any electronics, understandably. But, from that point on, it was just...wow. The theatre was cozy, with old-school red seats, and bright red silk curtain, reminiscent of the old cinema rooms. While we waited for the movie to start, Disney music, and tangled music, was playing to hype up the ambiance.

When the movie started, they played the Steamboat Willie overture, and that really got to me. I thought to myself, "Wow. I'm at Disney right now. I'm at freaking DISNEY!! So much history was behind this place, and seeing the Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse show up on screen, announcing Tangled as the 50th motion picture, the feeling was unbelievable.

And the movie was just MIND BLOWING! It felt like a golden age Disney film, only it was in CG. Maximus, the horse, was, to me, a revolution in animation. I HAVE to buy the bluray and frame by frame everything!!! You guys have to go see the movie. Its a game changer for Disney.

CTN-X 2010: Animation Expo in Burbank, California

Hey guys. Man it's been a while! Sorry for the absence, but it's been so busy around here. I have a lot of writing to do in order to catch up!

Firstly, I'd like to talk about my experiences at CTNx this year.  For my birthday, I flew over to Los Angeles, and head over to Burbank, where the annual conference and expo is held. I don't regret it one bit--quite the contrary.  The experience assured me that there is no school or community more wonderful than AnimationMentor, and there is no industry cooler, exciting, and awesome than animation!!

I had planned to go early on with Rusty Gray, a classmate in Class 1 (mentor Tim Crawfurd). We've got different mentors, but have been "hanging out" (on skype, ventrilo, and other internet mediums). Its crazy how quickly you befriend people from AM. We all have the same passions, and that's probably a big factor.

So, originally, we had decided it was best to concentrate on our studies and go to events next year...but after seeing the attendance list and the speakers, we couldn't resist!! I've always dreamed of seeing L.A., and this was a great opportunity. Long story short, we ended up being 5 class 1 students in the same hotel room, and we all left as close friends.

Meeting each other was funny. Its like there was no transition, we just already knew each other, but had never seen each other in physical space. In essence, there was no awkwardness, and it was like "sup!".

It was such a great idea for the five of us to share a hotel room. We had this feeling of companionship given the fact that we were only 8 weeks into the program--simple class 1 babies! That brought us so much closer, and it made Bobby really happy to see another example of what he dreamed his school would achieve: bringing animators closer and building incredible friendships and networking. (He was also super happy to see so many class 1's go out of their way to come see the AM community).

So here we were: Rusty Gray, Ellen Michelson, Belen Gil-Palacios, Jamie Ryan, and myself, at the Burbank Airport Marriot Hotel, ready for an amazing weekend.

We really didn't know what to expect, and we thought that as Class 1 students, we would possibly feel left out. Boy were we wrong---oh so wrong! If anything this helped us! Where a lot of people had attended as individuals, we were "The group". Everyone was truly amazing. We got to hang out with Victor Navone, meet Carlos Baena, talk with Bobby Beck, and the whole crew! We had amazing talks with Cheryl Hoke, the student administrator, and an incredibly inspiring person. The people at animation mentor care so much about student life and education.

There is such an amazing sense of belonging when you're part of the AM clique. I would pass by "random" people wearing the Spike logo on their t-shirts, and when we would spot each other's shirts, we'd have this understanding, nod, and smile. Their was no awkwardness with anyone. Everyone seems to have this love for what the school represents: following our dreams, and achieving them. We met so many alumni and co-students!

The parties and AM events were great!  It was a chance for people to meet and greet with students and alumni. It's funny how many times you'd run into someone, see their demo reels (normally on an iPad, go figure!) and be like "oh, YOU did this! I loved this shot!" .  At the party at Lucy's 51, Bobby talked with us for what seemed to be ages, and he was just such a cool person. This guy cares so much about animation and teaching it!

During the hotel party, we met so many great people. Among them were Jude Brownbill, who was, and still is a "Spotlight Alumni". She was a total sweetheart, and incredibly humble. We also got to meet Danny Gonzales and Cat Hicks, who work at Pixar with Jude, and they were sooo cool!  I spoke to Nelson Brown for a bit, and we talked about what it was like to start work at Dreamworks, and animate on Megamind. What awesome people. Here we were, surrounded by happy people living their dreams.

We all went to eat at the grill attached to the hotel and spoke about all things animation! What an experience.

I'm also forgetting Dana, who is a class 1 student, and also an intern at AnimationMentor, working as part of the video team. She's a funny and energetic person, and it was great to meet her too.

 from left-right: Michelle, Belen, Jude, Myself, Rusty, Jamie

 Victor Navone!

 The group with Carlos Baena

 An absolute legend, Disney master-animator Andreas Deja, giving some insight to Rusty and Belen

The gang, with Cheryl Hoke

 us with Andreas Deja

 Bobby Beck, AnimationMentor founder and former Pixar animator

Myself, Cat Hicks, Belen, and Danny Gonzales

 AM students, always working...

Eric Goldberg. THE Eric Goldberg, doing an animation demo. He's the guy behind the Genie in Aladdin.

Week 5: Antics, Squash, and Stretch

So far I think I can say Animation Mentor weeks are nuts in every good way possible, without fear of being rebutted anytime soon. They're also challenging, and exhausting---particularly this week.

The focus was on the importance of anticipation, and applying squash and stretch. Shawn hosted the lecture. It truly is amazing how much more complex than what I thought these principles are. Anticipation has always been a no-brainer for me. It is the mechanical buildup of force, and it doesn't make sense to omit antics, unless, of course, you do so with intent and for comedic purpose(or anything). A human jumping, for example, will squash down to anticipate the jump: he will build up the energy required to fire himself up in the air.

But anticipation can be so much more than a boxer winding back for a punch. In the lecture, they talked about how even a blink can anticipate an action. We have at our disposal a tool that can be so powerful in its subtlety.

Look at this example I came accross this week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT5TKk1EqG0&feature=related
This is part of a bunch of marketing videos for Disney's "Tangled" (which looks unbelievable, really pushing 3D animation!).  
At the very end of the clip, Rapunzel's hair falls on Flynn, and the horse laughs. Look closely, if you can, at what happens before the laugh. The horse has a very subtle, sudden shrug before bursting into a laugh. That's what gets us laughing. The punchline is being built up by the shrug, which tells us it's gonna be one hell of laugh before we know it.

An example I hadn't thought of, and proof of just how complex this stuff is, is anticipation in walks. If we look at what happens with the waist, it's incredible how this principle applies to everything. When a person steps into the next foot, his waist will move back and twist in the opposite direction just before lifting the foot of that leg, and then travel along with it as we expect. This blew me away. There's an explanation for it too. Locomotion requires weight shifts. The waist pulls and twists back to peel weight off the planted foot, kind of like pulling on it. Once that happens, the foot is triggered to lift, and the waist can now move forward. So, we can think of the waist as a  sort of pulley.

The lecture was also about Squash and Stretch, because it relates to Anticipation. We learned about creating different compression zones in the body, like expanding and compressing the legs. This is considered squashing and stretching. It's really everywhere! We can use the line of action and silhouette to convey SS.

Finally, they left us with an amazing tip, which I used a lot in my latest assignment. It is much easier to push an action too far at first, and then tone it down. If you end up deciding later that you want a bigger action, but you've been animating small actions, you'll end up with too much counter-animating and graph cleaning to do.

Royce gave us a great Q/A. He spent a lot of time answering questions, much to our delight, about what it is like to work at Pixar. He also went through some shots he did and showed us his ways of applying squash and stretch, and the importance of rythm.

ASSIGNMENTS

My approach was to great a strong sense of rythm and beat to the animation. I spent a lot of time working out the spacing and the timing, as well as the squashing of the ball. Planning this shot was hell! I had writers block, so to speak. 

This is my posing homework. We had to portray "Devastation"

Here is my revision for last weeks assignment.

Maybe I wrote a bit too much this time around!  Thanks for reading, and I'll post my revisions for the week after word from my mentor.

Cheers!