Showing posts with label studio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label studio. Show all posts

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Things animators say at Disney

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Animators are always talking: we trade tips, talk art, make each other laugh.
We're family behind the scenes
   
  I think the best kind of advice and life lessons come candidly. Sometimes the things people say when the mic isn't on, get right to the point and is more truthful than any prepared speech can ever be. These quotes below are some I found on the internet. If you are looking for more: Andreas Deja has tons of quotes on his sight and so do a whole bunch of other blogs. So this is a short list of some things the 9 old men use to say. (who were the 9 old men? -They set the bar and raised animation's status in art. They were Master Animators that worked at Disney a long time ago.) I have to remind myself that not everyone knows who these guys are! If you're an animator and you say, who's Ollie? You might get stoned. haha

     Seeing this list makes me think of all the things animators say today here in the studio about computer animation and the films we work on now. I mean I'm not sure how much substance our quotes might have, we can be a bit silly when we talk to each other in our offices... like really, really off topic, nsfw, 2 oclock in-the-morning-rants-about-nothing silly! But I think I will start to write things down when someone says something of note. Who knows, maybe you guys might want to know what we talked about behind the scenes 20 years from now! 

This quote is a fundamental step when starting to animate a character. Every movement, decision, and pose MUST have a purpose in our animation. This keeps a performance believable and natural. 

1970 book, "Composing pictures" is a book that gets as close as ever to the teaching style of Don Graham

Poses Matter = Appeal

When you observe life, you are mentally building a library of reference in your mind that soon will become second nature in your animation. 

subtext > action

Lol



We all know artist from different studios, and we all respect each other's films, but sometimes you just have to call it what it is. Even if it's not politically a great choice, speaking your mind with your friends is a way to observe, criticize and ask yourselves, "How would I do it better? What is it that is missing from their film/work so that we can add that x factor to our films?"

GOLD





       I hope this list was a unique insight or at least entertaining. You underestimate how much you learn by talking to your friends and colleagues. You can't learn everything by studying animation. sometimes you must dig and hear what the artist is thinking to understand how they reached their final product.

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Thursday, February 27, 2014

ONE ARM, a NEW FILM, and a Q&A




Danny, why haven't you posted any thing in a while???????

I'm sorry! I fractured my clavicle not too long ago and life with one arm is very hard. For instance, who knew that eating cereal could hurt you so bad!? I learned the hard way that chewing recklessly uses a lot of neck muscles :(  And forget about laying down and getting up on your own! I'm so lucky to have my girlfriend around taking care of me, though being taken care of makes me feel like a gimp. But I still super appreciate everything everyone is doing for me,

How did I break my collarbone?
by being awesome and playing softball! I dove for a ball while playing the outfield and landed tremendously hard on my shoulder. I had so much adrenaline it took me a few minutes to realize there was a bone sticking out of my neck :)

BUT DANNY, you are an artist! can you still animate??
That is the question of the hour, and yes, with one hand, foot pedals and tiny finger buttons I have found a way to animate at a snails pace. Crunch time is coming and we need all hands on deck. I am not dying or sick, so I am determined to join my friends in the trenches and pull my weight :) The great thing is, I can heal as soon as 3 weeks from now. The bad news: It's such an awkward bone to have broken, they cannot put it in a cast! So with a sling and painkillers, I have to let nature do its thing and wait for my bone to heal.

Now for some Juicy Stuff:
Danny, What are you working on now??


BIG HERO SIX
the image above is our crew shirt that everyone receives for working on the film! BIG HER 6 is a Marvel property that we are making into an animated film. You heard right, a MARVEL and DISNEY collaboration :D Animating princesses was a lot of fun, but it is really cool that now we are to animate a super hero movie. I can't elaborate much about the film but if you really want to find out more then go out and read the comic!

Usually my post are impersonal lectures that reveal very little about me. I'm going to shake it up a bit and post here a real time Q and A I did on my twitter. I hope you find it interesting and that it helps you mentally attach a personality to the person responsible for all these posts :)



STUDENT LIFE TIP: pregame before class so your participation grade goes up
  1. favorite power ranger and why? :)
    from Posey, IN
  2.  Feb 22
    . white ranger bc it will always be the coolest halloween costume ever
  1. Advice to your younger, student self? (aka, give me advice)
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  2.  Feb 22
    . time management is essential
  1. Which shots were yours?? :)
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  2.  Feb 22
    hmm. One of my shots: olafs final note of his song "in summer!!" Where he finishes as funs off with ana and sven
  1. what's your favorite part of the animation process?
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  2.  Feb 22
    . blocking! And polish :)...and getting finaled.. damn, I think I just like it all!
  1. Was there any particular, "ahhh-ha!" moments that you felt improved your work significantly?
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  2.  Feb 22
    . yes. I was very green and a senior animator sat down with me and destroyed my work and taught me how to layer. Thank you Angus!
  1. And finally, favourite beer?
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  2.  Feb 22
    stelllllllllla
  1. I have looked up California College of the Arts, why should I go there and not somewhere else? oh and thank you for the answr
    Expand
  2.  Feb 22
    bc that school is awesome. but really tho, its a school that will make u into a well rounded artist
  1. When doing anim exercises like the 1s on ur blog, when is it good to call it done? should we take it all the way thru polish?
    Expand
  2.  Feb 22
    . give your self a specific amount of time to finish and stick to it!!
  1. When do you not use a layered approach? I cant figure out how someone would use it in an acting shot.
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  2.  Feb 22
    . I pose to pose super physical shots. I like controling my shapes. I layer chest up shots or close ups!!
  1. what tips do you have for future animators? :)
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  2.  Feb 22
    . your personality is 50 of your resume. Be nice to people!And master the 12 principles. They're principles for a reason
  1. Is an animator life amazing? Interesting?
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  2.  Feb 22
    . Animator life: you end up seeing your anim crew more than your family or friends ?
  1. what made you want to become an animator and how did you start working for Disney?
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  2.  Feb 22
    I worked at pixar before Disney. I originally went to college bc I wanted to be a painter. Animation.. just happened :)
  1. Somebody has gotta ask. Fav flavor of ice cream?
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  2.  Feb 22
    . strawberry banana!
  1. Almost every animator has at least one post-it on their monitor to remind them about something anim related... any favorites?
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  2.  Feb 22
    . I have a post It from my gf that says "I love u" That's my favorite one
  1. Will we ever find out about Hans's childhood? He's such an interesting character (and a total jerk but :/ )
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  2.  Feb 22
    . I think your imagination will cook up something better than anything we can confirm
  1. How do you ensure you have good rhythm and texture in your shot?
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  2.  Feb 22
    animate a bouncing sphere to the beats/movements in your shot. If the bounce timing is intersting then ur usually golden
  1. which Disney animator inspires U most and how much access do U get to study/view archived Disney work at the studio?
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  2.  Feb 22
    full access! But don't eat cheetos and try to grab original animation.. they get angry
  1.  Feb 22
    why won't people hire me anymore?
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  2.  Feb 22
    lmao







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