MIURIKA'S BLOG

Great music video by Nacho Rodriguez

2011-12-02T15:33:00.001-08:00

Mister Coo musicvideo: Ça Ça Mirlaquerr from nacho rodriguez on Vimeo.

iAnimate Show Reel 2011

2011-11-28T20:58:00.001-08:00

Great stuff here :). I'm happy to see names that I already know, awesome work guys.

iAnimate.net 2011 show reel from iAnimate on Vimeo.

A Stop motion history of the world

2011-11-28T13:05:00.001-08:00

Snow White trailers

2011-11-17T19:18:00.001-08:00

Wow these 2 movies couldn't be any more different from each other, I have to say that the one that it's being done at Rhythm and Hues rocks!! Click on the pic to watch the trailer of Snow White and the Huntsman:

Here to watch Mirror, Mirror (The Brothers Grimm Snow White)

Alvin and the Chipmunks Chipwrecked Trailer 3

2011-11-17T13:27:00.001-08:00

Here is the trailer of the movie I've been working on for the last 6 months, I had such a fantastic time at Rhythm and Hues and I hope to be back working with those great people someday in the future.Here a pic of the greatest team ever on my Birthday:

Free Character Rig Malcolm from Animschool

2011-11-17T13:15:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my friend Frank Abney for posting this in every social network haha. This rig looks awesome, I played a little with it and is very flexible.

Btw, AnimSchool used this rig on Slections From Animation Principles Lecture... After watching it, I'm so gonna play with this rig.

Diablo III Black Soulstone Cinematic

2011-11-17T13:11:00.001-08:00

Just Amazing!

The Pirates Band of Misfit - Aardman/Sony

2011-11-17T13:09:00.001-08:00

Heads or Tales

2011-11-17T13:02:00.001-08:00

Wow, I totally love the style on this short film!

ParaNorman Trailer

2011-11-17T12:56:00.001-08:00

The Beauty of Pollination

2011-11-17T12:13:00.001-08:00

This is non-animation related but is one of the most beautiful videos I've seen about nature.

Apache - Good stuff

2011-11-17T12:11:00.001-08:00

Toy Story Toons - Short Film clip

2011-11-17T11:58:00.001-08:00

Ice Age 4 Trailer #2

2011-11-17T11:56:00.001-08:00

Ormie the pig - a must see!

2011-11-17T11:52:00.001-08:00

Brilliant animation, great idea and execution.

ReelFX Looney Tunes shorts online

2011-11-17T11:44:00.001-08:00

Thanks Olivier Ladeuix for sharing this! just click on the image.

Funny things people share!

2011-11-17T11:41:00.001-08:00

Dr. Seuss The Lorax Trailer

2011-11-17T11:20:00.001-08:00

Drown to Life by Mauro Affronti

2011-11-17T11:17:00.001-08:00

Incredible short!

Rosa Short Film

2011-11-17T11:14:00.001-08:00

Brave Trailer -- looking awesome

2011-11-17T10:31:00.001-08:00

Thousands of lights float through the skies in Poland

2011-06-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Found this @ Gizmodo, wow, this is so beautiful!... So tangled =oD.

George Grows Short Film

2011-06-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is one that I always liked, kind of old now but great idea.

“Defective Detective” by Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis

2011-06-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

I found this @ Cartoobrew, it's a nice short!!.. Wow I also realized that I haven't post anything in a loooooong time.. but I'm back now :D

Defective Detective from Cartoon Brew on Vimeo.

Bottle - Beautiful animation by Kirsten Lepore

2010-11-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

Bottle from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

Tangled - Clip

2010-11-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

I'm super crazy to watch this movie... the characters are super Appealing!!! I already want them all as toys haha

A robot's life

2010-11-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Awesome Job Derek, fantastic animation hahaha I love it!

BBC to create Animation Studio

2010-11-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks Simon Taylor for sharing the news..

Click here to go to the article.

Kung FU Panda 2 Trailer!

2010-11-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

Tron Legacy Theatrical Trailer

2010-11-09T14:11:00.001-08:00

YouAnimator.com - Cool site to upload your animations

2010-11-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

Hey check this out... really nice site:

Acting it Out

2010-09-02T12:12:00.001-07:00

One day at work Jamy Wheless (my boss =oD) gave us this link to an article on 11SecondClub's website... This was gold to me because everything said there about acting helps me open my mind on how to approach a shot when you have to include acting.

It was written by Eric Scheur, I totally recommend it!

From 11secondclub.com.

Josh Burton: Morpheus Rig

2010-09-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

This rig looks just awesome, it'll be something like Bishop 2.0 which is already fantastic!!

Just click on the image to go to Josh's site, I found out about this rig @ animatorsresource.blogspot.com

Numan Rig

2010-09-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

I found this rig @ animationaac.blogspot.com, I haven't played with it but for what it seems it's Norman rig with few body proportion changes =o).

How to get the Best Color Out of your Photos

2010-09-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

I found this interesting article about colors @ Gizmodo and thought it would be cool to share...

Lightstream Image

2010-08-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

This is an image posted at Lightstream Animation Studios website, I love the quality of it!

I'm so excited for what comes next for them, I'm so happy that I got to work with them for 2 months, even though my contract it's almost over, I got to learn tons from them. It's an amazing crew and I'm sure great things will come out from this studio!

The Wind in the Willows - Weta Digital

2010-07-17T12:02:00.000-07:00

Weta Digital is creating their own animated feature, thx Devank for the link =oD

It makes me want to see more!!

http://www.thewindinthewillowsthemovie.net/

Slow Motion Dog Run

2010-07-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

Found @ animatorsresource

Dodger Slow Motion Running from D__E on Vimeo.

Coalition of the Willing Launch

2010-07-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

I got this from Motionographer.

It's an animated short about an online war against global warming in a post-Copenhagen world. But I love the combination of styles!

Coalition Of The Willing from coalitionfilm on Vimeo.

Rango Trailer - Super Awesome!!

2010-06-30T18:30:00.001-07:00

Rango from Mike Mars on Vimeo.

Really cool Palm Spring 2010 opening!

2010-06-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Please check it out here: http://makevisual.com/uploads/_pages/psisf2010.php

Lightstream Animation Studios

2010-06-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day of a 4 weeks project at Lightstream Animation Studios. I feel super lucky to be working with this company in my first job here in US, the team includes people I knew from AM and AAU and the atmosphere feels very nice.

This company has an amazing quality in their reel, please if you can take a look at their website: http://www.lightstreamanimation.com.

Azureus Rising by Black Sun Entertainment

2010-05-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

It made me happy to see a friend rigger in the credits!
Denis Georgiev -----> totally recommended as a rigger visit his site: http://puppettd.com/

I like this style - Baby in the Sky

2010-05-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

Rio Trailer - Awesome!!!

2010-05-20T14:32:00.001-07:00

Click on the pic to see the trailer!

Animation Tips and Tricks - How did you get your first job at a studio?

2010-05-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

This is a great post found @ Animation Tips and Tricks blog. It gave me some inspiration now that I'm in job hunting mode. After reading this I realized that your dream job is never impossible to get, you just have to work hard to get it.

I'm copying the post exactly as it appears in Animation Tips and Tricks blog. Written by Mark Pullyblank.

The process of landing my first job had a profound effect on my life. I call it the “Build Your Own Crowbar Approach.”

A bit of back-story: I entered animation school at the ripe old age of 33. At that time I had a wife, a one-year-old child and another on the way. People were telling me how difficult the industry was to break into and that I'd probably never be able to feed my family.

I graduated in February 2003, and immediately hit the streets. I began by mailing out 50 demo reels and waited. Nothing. Not a single response. My first thought was, I needed a better cover letter and a flashier DVD jacket. Oh, and color labels! I opened Photoshop and worked through the night, and in the morning I mailed out 25 more reels with new and improved packaging. Problem was, the content was the same, and (no surprise) so were the results.

Two months passed, and I had two hungry children and no job. Around that time a friend showed me some animation from another student who had just landed an internship at Pixar. I couldn't believe what I saw. I initially felt completely dismayed by the high standard of his work, but after I calmed down, Cameron Miyasaki's animation became my personal yardstick. I closed Photoshop and got back to animating. I would bump into people who knew someone who worked in the industry, and I would hunt them down and beg for their feedback.

I called an animator at Radical Games in Vancouver who looked at my work and told me the quality was such that it would be a waste of time to show his supervisor. I fortified my ego and asked him for specifics. He gave me a list of notes and brushed me off. I hung up the phone and worked through the night. The next morning I dropped off a new reel with his revisions. He called me that afternoon and said he'd try to get me in for an interview. It never happened, but I knew I was on the right track. A few days later a friend introduced me (via email) to a character designer at Pixar named Jason Deamer. Through Jason I was put in touch with Victor Navone who graciously agreed to look at my work and provide me with feedback. I was already a big fan and completely blown away to be receiving his input. Over the next few weeks, I slaved over my computer, determined not to waste Victor's time. He was extraordinarily generous with his critiques and my skills began to rapidly improve. During that time, I would occasionally mail out a reel or two, but I was so fixated on the work, I kind of forgot about the job search. Eventually I received a phone call from Brian Moylen, head of the VFX department at Rainmaker Animation. They were gearing up for the first Garfield movie and he invited me in for an interview. It was not only my first interview, but my first response of any kind from the industry.

When I sat down in Brian’s office, he reached into his desk and produced my demo reel. I was struck by what I had submitted... a clear DVD jewel case with a blank CD on which I had scribbled my name and phone number with a sharpie. No inserts, no labels - nothing. When he played my demo reel, I was struck a second time by the absence of my school work. It had been five months since I had graduated, and in that time, I had replaced two years of student work. I landed the job, fed my family and eventually worked my way up to the position of animation supervisor. At one point, shortly after I started working at Rainmaker, a fellow artist approached me and told me the tale of his friend at Radical who talked about a guy who asked him for a critique of his reel and then resubmitted a new reel the following day. Small industry.

10 Second Reels

2010-05-20T11:44:00.001-07:00

I'm so happy that me and my hubby could publish our 10 second reels.

Some examples:

10 Second Reel - Manuel Escotet - Animation from AAU ANM + VFX on Vimeo.

10 Second Reel - Arut Tantasirin - Animation from AAU ANM + VFX on Vimeo.

10 Second Reel - Miurika Valery - Animation from AAU ANM + VFX on Vimeo.

10 Second Reel - Gak Gyu Choi - Modeling from AAU ANM + VFX on Vimeo.

10 Second Reel - YongJin Kim - Modeling from AAU ANM + VFX on Vimeo.

10 Second Reel - Esteban Pacheco - Modeling from AAU ANM + VFX on Vimeo.

Megamind looks awesome - here the trailer!

2010-05-20T11:37:00.001-07:00

Amazing Headless Studio Reel

2010-05-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friend Kamal Jasmath for the tip!!!

Headless studio reel 2010 from Headless Productions on Vimeo.

Fantastic Short by Daniele Zannone

2010-05-04T17:48:00.000-07:00

Helium. from Daniele Zannone on Vimeo.

Coke Quest Commercial!

2010-04-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Coke Quest from Paranoid US on Vimeo.

Beautiful Sherwin-Williams commercial - Paint Chips

2010-04-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

Sherwin-Williams - Paint Chips by Buck from Blue Management on Vimeo.

Cocotte Minute - Gobelins

2010-04-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Cocotte Minute from Cocotte Minute on Vimeo.

Student film by:
* Thibault BERARD
* Sylvain MARC
* Loïc MIERMONT
* Amandine PECHARMAN
* Nathalie ROBERT
* Romain VACHER

Philips Cinema - The Gift by Carl Erik Rinsch

2010-04-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

GraphFilter - it's a sweet tool found at animationbuffet

2010-04-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

Description:

Allows the user to filter which curves are visible in the graph editor. Works with multiple selections as well as custom attributes. Saves you the trouble of scrolling through the object list and ctrl-selecting all the x-translate curves (for example).
Creates a pop-up window with a list of all keyable attributes of all selected objects.
Simply select the channel (or channels) and hit the "Filter Selected" button.
Has "replace" & "append" modes and a Graph-Editor toggle button.

To access the tool ---> GraphFilter

I was looking for a script like this for so long, I'm so happy that I found it, it save me time, thanks JD for posting the link in your AnimationBuffet's blog.

Another cool short! - Pixels by Patrick Jean

2010-04-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Discover more animation and arts videos.

One Minute Fly by Michael Reichert

2010-03-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

Body Language - found @ spungella.com

2010-03-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this as it was written by JD in his blog:

I'm a total nerd and I love gadgets. So I'm an avid reader of Gizmodo.com. Today a picture was featured that showed Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt talking to each other. The press is reporting a feud between Apple and Google, so everybody is all over this picture. Me too, but more from a pose point of view. When I first saw it I thought Schmidt's pose is very submissive. It's like a school boy who's in trouble and who's sitting in front of the principle. :)

Gizmodo has an analysis by Janine Driver who's a body linguistic expert, in case you want to know more and see more comparison images.Here's the main the pic that started it all:

Blog's New Look

2010-03-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today I received an email saying that Blogger has a new tool, a Blogger Template Designer. Well I decided to play around and I liked this style because it kind of goes with my website... I hope it's not too dark =oD hehe.

I think it's cleaner.

** Well I updated it again... whatever... haha

How To Transfer UVs After Rigging

2010-03-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

I was trying to transfer UVs and it was a complete failure until I found this on Gabnation's blog, I'm copying it exactly as it appears in that blog. Thanks gabnation's blog for that helpful post.

I think this is a common problem in 3D production, but somehow or another, I couldn’t find a proper solution after hours of Googling. You’ve rigged your character, attached facial blendshapes, and now you need to transfer new UV maps to your current character. Maya’s transfer mesh attributes seems like an easy solution, but wait! You can’t delete the node after the operation, and neither can you delete the geometry that you transferred the UVs from. What do you do?

TheCrone has the answer. Taken from his blog:

Every object has a “shape orig” node which represents what an object was before it was deformed. We can apply a UV transfer to this no problem which will also transfer up the stack to your rigged object.

I access it like this:

1. Select your rigged object, in the hypergraph hit options/display/ hidden nodes & shape nodes
2. You’ll see a hidden node which is your Orig node, or what your object was before rigging.
3. In the orig node’s attribute editor under object display, uncheck ‘intermediate object’
4. Your Orig node is now accessible.
5. Apply your UV transfer attributes to it – then delete it’s history.

There you go – you’ve applied your transfer to your object via it’s history object. Maya sees it that you performed this operation before rigging. Now why Autodesk hasn’t made a tool for this….who knows.

Thank you so very much my clever friend. You are a lifesaver. Considering how difficult this information was to come by, I’m doing my part in disseminating it. Here’s to helping future victims of merciless Maya.

My latest Demo Reel (2010)

2010-03-22T14:15:00.001-07:00

Miurika Valery Demo Reel 2010 Animation from Miurika Valery on Vimeo.

How to Cheat in Maya by Eric Luhta

2010-03-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

This a great book I just received in the mail. It shows you a lot of stuff about maya from an animator point of view, that's right, from someone like most of us.

Eric explains everything in a simple way and give you a new rig named Goon which is a mix between Norman and Bishop's rig, in other words, Norman with steroids ;o).

I totally recommend this book and the rig to play around!

Shower Power by Daniel Carey

2010-03-08T14:55:00.000-08:00

Shower Power Final from Dan Carey on Vimeo.

How to rain your dragon - Training lessons

2010-03-08T14:34:00.001-08:00

Great Slow Motion Dog Ref

2010-03-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

See more funny videos and Cute Animals Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Squiggle Line Tutorial by Keith Lango

2010-02-24T17:45:00.001-08:00

Here is the link.

Bishop Eye Tutorial by Daniel Klug

2010-02-24T17:43:00.001-08:00

Great tutorial by one of AM's students Daniel Klug.

Bishop Eye tutorial from RedForty on Vimeo.

Drag and Overlapping Action by Keith Lango

2010-02-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

This is a great tutorial (3 parts in total) that Keith Lango has on youtube. I forgot about them but after visiting http://animationaac.blogspot.com/ and seeing the link there I decided to put it here for easy access =oD

Acting Ideas

2010-02-09T17:27:00.001-08:00

Andrew from SplineDoctors gives some tips on acting ideas:

Acting Ideas…

Posted using ShareThis

Throughout my animation career, good ideas will always win me over as opposed to fancy animation. For me, seeing animation that is fresh and new always reinvigorates me. When I would come out of a lecture, or a dailies review or anything where I saw or heard about an exciting idea, it would make me say: Why didn’t I think of that? It almost makes you frustrated and keeps you trying to think about a different way of doing something. Yes, there are scenes that don’t always require some sort of brilliant idea, but they call for something fresh. How do you infuse your work with good ideas? Here are a few suggestions:

1) People Watching: You get so much gold just by watching people. Putting yourself in places that you have not been can be really helpful. Travel, if you have the means is always great. If you go to a place where the way people do things is different, you can really come up with some interesting ideas for gestures, acting, body posture and so forth. If you are not able to travel far, just riding the subway or bus can be enough.

2) Watching Films. Who doesn’t like to watch movies? If you didn’t have the chance to go to film school, you should educate yourself on the key films that many film students watch. A place to start is the AFI list of top 100 films, but you can go much deeper. Look at films with a different eye. See the difference between the canned Warner Bros. gangster films, then look at someone like Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront or The Wild One to see a new style of acting. Brad Bird was speaking about how Brando really was lightning in a bottle and how nobody knew what they had at that moment in time.

3) Do something out of your comfort zone: An example might be taking an improv class… Improvisation teaches you how to come up with ideas very quickly. I am not saying that I am currently in an improv class, but I have in the past. If you have the time, its a fun way of experimenting with acting and comedy. When I was teaching at Academy of Art, we brought in improv actors to basically create scenes for us to animate too. It was so fun watching them come up with scenes… Some sucked and other worked, mostly because of timing.

4) Look in your backyard. Often times, you need not go farther then your relative or immediate family for a way someone or something is done. One of the guys here likes to touch his nose a lot, another always seems to have his hands in his arm pits, another never makes eye contact. The point being that interesting characters are all around us, we just need to find a way of getting that into our work. I know this all sounds obvious, but I need to constantly remind myself of this. Its so easy to rest on your laurels, but extracting a good ideas out of your work should feel somewhat painful. If it doesn’t, then something is wrong… Or you are truly gifted… For me, animation is a mountain of pain. When I start out I am fresh and by the time I get half way I am winded. The last part of the climb can be treacherous, but reaching the peak makes it worth while.

-Andrew

Hugh - by ESMA's students

2010-02-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

HUGH (english subtitles) Student short movie from sylpaco on Vimeo.

Get Out - ESMA

2010-02-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

For more about this film go to http://www.getout-lefilm.com/

Pivot

2010-02-05T22:33:00.001-08:00

Pivot from Pivot on Vimeo.

Madame Tutli-Putli

2010-02-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I posted this short before but after looking for something in Spungella I found this short which I saw long time ago and which I think it's incredible, take a look and pay special attention to the eyes, they are real!, I'm posting the link to how the eyes where done as found @ Spungella.

Article here: Eyes are the Window to Madame Tutli Putli by Mikes

Four of the Five Oscar Nominated Shorts are available to watch Online

2010-02-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

I copy here what I found @ Cartoon Brew:

Four of the five Oscar nominated animated shorts this year are available to view online. The only one that isn’t online is Logorama. Here are the links:

Watch French Roast.

Watch Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty.

Watch The Lady and the Reaper.

Watch A Matter of Loaf and Death.

Original post @ Cartoon Brew here.

Bye Bye by Mario Pochat

2010-01-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

More of AM's shorts... I love this school!

Supermarket Fever by Hichem Arfaoui

2010-01-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

World Record by Arne Kaupang

2010-01-20T14:28:00.000-08:00

Daphne's New Broom by Ales Mav

2010-01-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

Another great AM short!!

Daphne's New Broom from Super U on Vimeo.

Devils Angels and Dating looking for Animators

2010-01-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

Director Michael Cawood (friend of a friend) is starting an animation over at DevilsAngelsAndDating.com and is looking for some strong animators to join the team and establish a high level of quality. Unfortunately I don't have enough time to try to join the team but the project sounds fun and I like the characters...

Visit his website for more information about the project and how to join the team:
http://devilsangelsanddating.ning.com/page/2892810:Page:1232

Thanks Daniel Harfmann for sharing this info to help your friend!!

George Grows- haha nice idea!

2010-01-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

The Making of Avatar

2010-01-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks Ashley for sharing this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c4kNLz_4E8&feature=player_embedded

(Sorry, no Embed available)

Bobby Pontillas on Demo Reels

2010-01-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

Demo Reel Reviews

When I was applying to the studios, I would always wonder what Demo Reel Reviews were like.

What do they talk about? How many people attend? Was someone taking notes? How many do they look at at one sitting? There are more than enough resources out there that address the golden demo reel do's and dont's ; Keep it short, best stuff up front, cut the so-so work. But even equipped with that knowledge, I know there's still a sense of vulnerability that comes with sending out your work.

I've been able to sit in on quite a few reviews since being here, so here are some things I've seen that I'd like to share to students wondering the same thing. It seems like after the holidays, a new wave of demos are being sent out, and hopefully this helps. I'm sure every studio is different, but here's how they go down at Blue Sky, and I'm betting there are lots of similarities.

-------------------------------------------------

-In an average week, there are maybe 2 reel reviews. The attendance varies , usually hovering around 8-12 animators, and one Animation PA loading about 6-10 reels per review. It's usually in this small theater room called the "Chop Shop". But your work will be projected on a pretty big screen.

-Any animator can come to these reviews, if the majority of the room likes it, it gets forwarded to the supervising animators. If the supervisors like it, they will contact the candidate.

-There actually isn't much discussion or deliberation that goes on in these things. It's usually either a yay or nay. And no one is taking down notes to give feedback to the candidate. (which is something I always wondered about =). )

-Since I've been here, candidates are considered for 3 different positions. Staff Animator, Junior, or Temps.

-Most animators don't look at reviews as a chore, but are pretty genuinely excited about finding new talent. They WANT to see awesome! They want to be inspired like everyone else.

-Fancy packaging and labels. I don't even see them. Everyone gathers into a dark room and watches it on a big screen. The Anim PA is in the back, opens and plays the DVDs one after another.

-Fancy titles don't impress. Ironically, animators are really impatient and hate sitting through shiny animated logos, they just wanna get to the work. Hell, there's even a running joke that the fancier the titles, the worse the actual animation will be.

-The "best stuff up front" thing is no joke. I've seen demo reels get shot down 5 seconds into the first shot.
Someone will immediately speak out "NOPE." and the rest of the room will tend to agree.

-By contrast, the reels that impress the room usually get watched again. Like I say, animators want to be inspired.

- I hear "He/She should've cut that one.." alot, so get picky about what you show.

-The type of test that seems to say the most about a candidate is the dialogue.

-Great ideas impress. " This one's a little rough, but He/She's got some great ideas..."

- Now, the above said, make sure you've polished your mechanics! A slight IK pop will jump right out and ruin your chances.

-No one really seems to mind cursing, but sex gags never get a laugh.

- I see AM's Bishop alot, likewise with AAU's Norman. It's certainly not a deal-breaker. But if you want your stuff to stand out, modify them a bit if you can.

-People are on the fence seeing 2D animation for a 3D position. Usually the 2D we see is pretty weak. But I have seen some beautiful work come in and even the stronger 2D candidates will be contacted being asked to see some 3D samples.

-If you've applied before, be sure that your reel has enough new work on it. You have to show that you're progressing. Sending the same reel with just one new shot won't show that. I learned that one the hard way.

-Every session has a few reels that don't play (Usually they are data DVD's). The PA sometimes accomodates, but the reel ends up being played on a small laptop screen with the room crowded around it struggling to see. Make sure your stuff gets on the big screen!

-The whole review usually lasts around 15-20 minutes. But I've been at some that were much faster.

So Good luck ! Hope this helps. Get out and knock us on our asses!

Found @ Bobby's Blog (thx for letting me share it)

Malcon Pierce on Demo Reels

2010-01-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

An animators demo reel is a key player in getting into any animation studio. Putting together a solid demo reel that shows your strengths, and shows that you are unique can be priceless when it comes to finding a job. Alot of times reels are packed flashy menus and house music. This can really hurt your viewing time and could cost you the chance for a position.

Keep your demo reel simple. If you can set your DVD up so that it automatically plays when it is inserted into the dvd player, that’s better than a huge custom DVD menu that is hard to navigate through. If you do have a menu, make sure there is a big play button that is easy to read so that the employers view your reel can easily start your reel. Remember that studios get many demo reels and when viewing them, the last thing they want to do is have to figure out how to play the reel. If the reel is to complicated just to play, you run the risk of just getting skipped.

Also, be careful about putting in music in your reel. Remember that not everybody likes house music, or country! This can hurt your reel.. it is very detracting. Let the animation do the talking.

Don’t worry about textures and lighting etc in your reel. If your applying for an animation position, don’t get caught up in texturing and lighting your animation. Playblast can work just fine. If you have an animation that is loaded down with bad texturing and bad lighting, it can hurt the animation. So play it safe and just worry about the animation. The people looking at your reel can see right through all the fancy rendering. Spend your time on the animation, that is whats going to get you hired.

When choosing your animations to put in your demo reel, make sure you put your best work forward. A reel usually plays for about 10-15 seconds.. if the animation is not what the studio is looking for, then its time for the next reel. These people viewing your reel have work to do.

I was talking with a Co-worker and he said that “It is better to have 2 great pieces of animation on your reel, than to have 49 great pieces of animation, and 1 ok piece of animation.” He was talking about how that 1 borderline piece of animation could reflect your “true identity”.

Another thing he was talking about is that how studios are looking for unique animations. Dialog shots are the best. They aren’t really looking for fundamentals in the demo reel. fundamentals like, picking up a heavy box, a walk cycle, or a bouncing ball. While those animations are very important and can be quite amazing, they often show that the person is a beginner, and may not have much experience.

If you can grab the studio’s attention with your 2 great pieces of animation, and you do something unique, they will most likely want to see more and you may get a call back. Having unique animation and standing out from the crowd is the fastest way to get noticed.

Make sure nothing in your reel is offensive. I have seen reel with racial jokes, and curse words. You dont know who is going to be watching your reel. There are people from all over the world in the industry, and the last thing you want is to offend somebody. The industry is very small, and everybody knows everybody.

Here is a little list that reviews what I have said

1. Make your reel easy to access, no complicated menus. The faster your animation can be seen, the better.

2. Put your best work first. “saving the best for last” doesn’t work…your reel may get ejected before the “finale”

3. Don’t have loud and annoying music playing through the reel. You don’t want to distract from your animation.

4. Don’t get caught up in texturing and lighting the reel. If done poorly, this can hurt your chances, by detracting from the animation, or hiding good animation.

5. Less is more, don’t put animations in your reel just to make it longer.

6. Good dialog animations are great for your reel. Try not to have to much fundamental animation.

7. be unique

8. Make sure nothing in your reel is inappropriate or offensive.

Good luck with your Reels! I hope this has been helpful and provided some information.

There many more places on line to find more information about this.

Carlos Baena, (co-founder of AnimationMentor.com) did an amazing webinar on this.

You can watch these videos if you go to http://www.animationmentor.com/webinar/index.htm

and view the past webinars.

have fun and happy animating!

Found @ Malcon's Blog

World Builder by Bruce Branit

2010-01-09T18:04:00.000-08:00

I was talking to a friend an in the middle of the conversation we started talking about this short which I had forgotten but it's really nice:

World.Builder from Kusanagi on Vimeo.

Blink in relation to cinema podcast

2010-01-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

My friend Richard O'Meara gave me a link to an interesting podcast he listened about blinks. They also give some links to books (In the blink of an Eye) and an abstract from Tamami Nakano about this.

Here the links:
Blink in relation to cinema podcast
Tamami Nakano’s study

Carlos Baena on Feedback

2010-01-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

On Feedback

Feedback is quite a delicate part of what we do. Sometimes animators take it well and other times not so well. Over the years, I've come to learn that without feedback, my shots or anything I do would look like complete crap. Getting some fresh eyes on what it is that we do, really helps, especially when you are staring at your same shot for days and/or weeks.

I noticed people give feedback in some ways. I'm not writting here about how to give feedback...but instead, some pointers that may make the process a little easier.

* First, does the animator want feedback? Are you confortable giving feedback to a person? If you are not, then don't. However, if the animator is open for suggestions, that's a great quality as it shows he or she wants to improve the shot.
* Also, the feedback should be honest. I always go to particular animators at work, that I know will be direct on their feedback, and will not pull any punches. If I want to improve as an animator, I need that.
* Not all feedback is about things to correct in the shot. Even if the shot needs a lot of work, it's nice when someone brings up something that is actually working.
* Make the feedback constructive. Doesn't help to hear "That looks wrong" or "That area seems off". Instead, find ways to let them know how to fix it. Maybe the up/down curve could be smoothed out...or hold that pose there a little longer so that we read it.
* What kind of feedback are you passing? Is it feedback that will improve the shot based on what the animator has in there already, or is it feedback that will make it different? Big differences.
* I think it's important to respect the animators idea/choices. I would not want to give a friend feedback that will completely change their acting choices, unless they ask for it. Also, it's important to remember that this is their shot. Not my shot. Helps to keep that in mind.

* I think it's important to get feedback from a few people. It doesn't matter how much I like the choice/acting I put in there. If two or more people agree that something in there is not working, then it's important to re-evaluate the shot, and consider to re-block that section.
* Something that matters also is when the feedback is given. It's not the same to give feedback when the animator is just starting to work on it as opposed to the day the animator is supposed to final that shot.
* If a shot is in the early early stages of blocking, then feedback related to the actual ideas, acting choices or overall staging of the character will be useful knowing a lot of the work in the shot is still very rough, and it's easy to change.
* However, if your shot is about to be finaled, you are adding some of the polish...and someone tells you, to have your character walking slowly instead of running, it can really set you back. It helps to show often to get feedback, or if you don't, be ready to get feedback that may change your shot a 180 degrees.
* So usually, if the shot is closed to being finaled, most of the feedback I'll offer is related to small polish things that may help the shot...arcs, pops, subtleties, keep alive areas...
* It's important to know that getting feedback is about improving a shot, and not judging the animators skills. Some of my early blocking looks very crappy. However, at that stage I can care less about how the curves looks...what I'm concerned about is whether my ideas are good or even worth it.
* Ultimately, the Director has the final say in a shot. So you can get all the feedback you want from peers, but at the end of the day, you are working towards helping the Director realize his/her vision.

I hope this helps.

Carlos.

I got it from his site.

Despicable Me Trailer 3

2010-01-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

Cool Style! La Queue de la Souris (A Mouse's Tale)

2010-01-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Third & The Seventh by Alex Roman - just breathtaking

2010-01-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Made by just one guy, it's hard to believe that it's all CG.

A piece that tries to illustrate architecture art across a photographic point of view...what a great way to start blogging on 2010!

Here also some compositing breakdowns:

Compositing Breakdown (T&S) from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Happy New Year!!

Speaking of Animation

2009-12-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

A new website created by four talented animators currently working in the Animation Industry to keep us informed and inspired =o).

Check it here.

Check also their Podcast in iTunes. Here is the feed: http://www.speakingofanimation.com/feed/podcast/

French Roast - great short!

2009-12-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this short: http://www.frenchroast.fr/index_en.html

AAU, another nice one - Fat-tastico by Yung-Jui "Erik" Lee

2009-12-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

Fat-tastico from gogoerik on Vimeo.

Nice short from AAU - Masquerade by Aziz K.

2009-12-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

Masquerade from Aziz K. on Vimeo.

Travisty's Beard - Nice blog to follow

2009-12-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

A collaborative blog of artists from the art department of PDI/DreamWorks in Redwood City. The artists choose a topic each month and submit their interpretations. The blog is not officially associated with DreamWorks and is for the artists to explore their own personal work and have fun.

Found @ Cartoon Brew.

Waif of Persephone, Nick Cross's new film

2009-12-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

The Waif of Persephone from Nick Cross on Vimeo.

Eric Goldberg @ CTN

2009-12-03T08:27:00.001-08:00

Someone posted the link to these videos in AM forum and it's funny, I was next to the guy who was filming it, this guy was showing his work to Eric before and was talented, I hope he is lucky and gets the job!.. why on earth wasn't I filming Eric Goldberg??

By the way, my friend Dhar Jabouri is the one with the AM shirt in the back =oD.

Eric Goldberg talks about Ken Harris

Eric Goldberg talks about the benefits of pose to pose in CG animation

Eric Goldberg talks about the benefits of pose to pose in CG animation part 2

Eric Goldberg - What's missing in CG and hand drawn reels.

I found the name of the owner of these videos: Jeremy Hopkins!

The Passenger by Chris Jones

2009-11-27T17:09:00.000-08:00

The Making of can be found here.

CTN-X

2009-11-25T13:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went to the CTN Animation Expo and got some prints from amazing artists, you gotta check out this art if you don't know it already:

From Brittney Lee:

From Imaginism Studios:

From Arthur de Pins (this is a bok I bought, he was not there):

The Academy (Shorts) Short-List from Cartoon Brew

2009-11-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

Cartoon Brew posted a list of the nominated short films for the Academy Awards:

The Cat Piano - Eddie White and Ari Gibson, directors (The People’s Republic of Animation). A Cat Writer tells about a fiendish piano made of cats. When the keyboard is struck, spikes go through the cats’s tales, making them “sing”.

French Roast - Fabrice O. Joubert, director (Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films). A man in a French Restaurant loses his wallet. He sits at the table drinking coffee after coffee until a homeless man kindly pays his check. There is a subplot about a bank robber who is really an old lady wearing a mask.

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty - Nicky Phelan, director, and Darragh O’Connell, producer (Brown Bag Films) - see clip above! An old lady tells her frightened grand daughter of not being invited to Sleeping Beauty’s christening party.

The Kinematograph - Tomek Baginski, director-producer (Platige Image). The “inventor” of cinema has his own camera made of wood, stereo sound with two Victrolas, and a two-layer color process before the Lumiere brothers experiments, however, his beloved wife dies of consumption and he abandons his apparatus, just as the Lumiere’s breakthrough is being announced in the street by newsboys.

The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte) - Javier Recio Gracia, director (Kandor Graphics and Green Moon). The Grim Reaper keeps trying to collect the soul of an old woman. She is brought back to the living numerous times by her well-meaning young doctor. The old woman really wants to die and join her beloved husband however, so she electrocutes herself towards the end of the film.

Logorama - Nicolas Schmerkin, producer (Autour de Minuit). Mo-Cap. Imagine a world made up entirely of advertising characters, such as the Michelin tire guys, Bob’s Big Boy, Esso Oil Drop and an evil Ronald MacDonald who shoots everybody with a machine gun.

A Matter of Loaf and Death - Nick Park, director (Aardman Animations Ltd.) Wallace, the baker, meets his dream girl, the Lite Dough Girl, who has put on a bit of weight since her days as an advertising model for flour. She has killed twelve baker husbands and wants to make Wallace the 13th. Of course Gromit sees through her flirtatious act and manages to stop her from killing Wallace. Gromit has a romance with the Dough Girl’s French Poodle into the bargain.

Partly Cloudy - Peter Sohn, director (Pixar Animation Studios). Clouds make the babies out of bits of water vapor and give the infants to embattled storks who deliver the kids to their parents. One cloud gets stuck with making the “prickly” critters, such as crocks, porcupines, sharks, etc.

Runaway - Cordell Barker, director (National Film Board of Canada). A passenger train has a hard time scaling a mountain and runs out of coal, the passengers throw all their clothes in the firebox and half the passenger cars to get steam up.

Variete - Roelof van den Bergh, director (il Luster Productions). A man juggles plates on poles with the various elements of his life on top of the plates, such as girlfriend, school teacher, best buds, parents, wife, children, etc. Eventually he can’t sustain the numerous spinning plates and all collapse, clearing the way for the next generation.

For the original post at Cartoon Brew go to http://www.cartoonbrew.com/shorts/the-academy-shorts-short-list.html

Take a look at Florian Satzinger's Blog... great artwork!

2009-11-19T17:40:00.000-08:00

I've been following this blog for few weeks now but every time I see his work I get inspired, I love his style and for what I understand he'll have an exhibition in Linz...

I hope I'm not committing any infringement by putting 2 of his drawings here.. I just wanted to spread the word and work of this fantastic artist!

His blog here.