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Buster Keaton – Performance analysis

In AnimSchool’s Body Acting, Disney Animator Tony Bonilla analyzes work of Buster Keaton, the legend of the Silent movies era.

This is a perfect example how overacting can lead to some great and funny scenes (which are perfect for animation)

According to Wiki: “Overacting is the exaggeration of gestures and speech when acting. It is often required for the role and is commonly used in comical situations or to stress the evil characteristics of a villain.”

Come join all the students learning online at AnimSchool: http://www.animschool.com

AnimSchool Instructor Interview: Animator Kevan Shorey

Today we are having a very nice conversation with Kevan Shorey, one of the instructors at our General Reviews. Kevan is an Annie-nominated Feature Film Animator at Dreamworks Animation (PDI).

Chris Bancroft made this caricature for his friend.

Tell us a little about yourself, what’s your background? How did you get into animation?

It’s not a particularly interesting story, I’m afraid. I grew up in Wales, and my love of movies and drawing led me to Animation. I tailored my school studies and subsequent university degrees towards learning both the craft and visual communication/film-making.

What animation style (cartoony, realistic) do you enjoy the most to create?
I enjoy the the hybrid approach. The opportunity to blend the two styles that allows for moments of sophisticated acting to contrast with the fun and energy of pushed, larger-than-life action.

What is the best experience you’ve had so far in a production environment?

I’ve only worked as an Animator as I started my career here. I really love being surrounded by talented people who push the medium forward.

In what project are you working on? What workflow are you using right now at it?

I am currently working on The Penguins movie, out later this year. It is a cartoony show using the style set by the Madagascar films. While I’ve recorded a few bits of reference here and there, my planning has been almost solely in 2D, using my Cintiq to draw and plan using our new software. I am finding it much quicker to plan directly in to the shot and be able to push poses with stylus strokes rather than trying to exaggerate live action reference.

Do you think that animators need to have a nomad spirit, kind of a ready to move mentality in order to get the best gigs?

Unfortunately it is the nature of the modern Animation industry to make big demands on those who make a living within it. Work/life balance and lots of moving around becomes much more impactful as you age and gain responsibilities such as older or younger dependants. I wish the industry would do a better job of catering to all types of personality, and not just the nomadic portion but this lift is forced on many.

What’s been your inspiration throughout your career?

Those around me. 100%.

What is the most enjoyable thing about teaching animation online?

The sense that I am someone in their aim to improve and grow in the craft they wish to pursue. Even if my observations are merely a spring board to a new idea for an individual then it’s a worthwhile endeavour.

How do you explain to a new acquaintance (not related to the industry) what is your work about?

I explain it as creating performance for digital characters. I’ve found it’s the simplest shorthand for the layman.

Have you ever had the “I can’t believe where I am working/ who I am working with” feeling?

Oh yes. It took me years to not have that feeling everything single day, but it still intimidates me from time to time.

Having worked in so many cool feature films, what goals do you have?

Just to keep doing what I’m doing, growing as an artist in the process. There’s always something to be learned, and I have a long way to go, particularly in broad, comic shots and realistic physical ones.

What does it feel like when you go the the movies and see the people laugh or get emotional with one of your shots?

I don’t know that I’ve had that for my shots specifically – more for a sequence that I worked on. It feels pretty satisfying, actually.

You wrote a great post on your blog about your experience relocating in the US coming from the UK. Being Animschool a school with a lot of international students, what’s your advice for international students that want to get their foot in the animation industry?

AnimSchool is definitely a good place to start! Getting noticed is all about the reel, and the contacts made with industry professionals to get that reel in the right hands.

What’s your perspective about animation made in the US vs made in Europe?

I don’t know that I make any such distinction since there is so much migration of talent. There are amazing people to be found everywhere in Feature, Games, TV and lots of other places.

How important do you think it is networking in this industry?

Very much. It’s a small industry and with so much movement between studios many people will know each other, or know of each other, at least.

Let’s say we are in 20 years time and your kid would like to study animation, what advice would you give her/him?

While I don’t know where the craft will be in 20 years, let’s assume it is mostly similar to today. I would suggest a course emphasizing traditional skills then moving on to computer-based stuff to give a well rounded perspective of the craft. Oh, and drawing. Lots of drawing.

Thank you very much Kevan for sharing your time with us!

Thank you. Cheers!

Web: kevanshorey.com
Twitter: @kevanshorey

AnimSchool Classtime: Overlap & Follow Through with Thom Roberts

In this clip, Blue Sky Animator and AnimSchool Instructor Thom Roberts explains in a simple way fundamental animation principles like Overlap, Follow Through and Drag. Watch it below:

This is a clip from AnimSchool’s class Introduction to 3D Animation, the 1st term of the 3D Animation Program. To find out more, go to AnimSchool.com and apply now!

AnimSchool Instructor Interview: Lighting TD Brandon May

Today we are talking with Brandon May, who works as a Lighting TD at Blue Sky Studios and teaches Introduction to 3D Lighting at Animschool.

Tell us a little about yourself, what’s your background? How did you get into Lighting?

I grew up on a farm in a small town in Idaho. I have always been artistic and loved creating art and drawing. When I got married, my wife convinced me to take an art class. Reluctantly, I took one and loved every second of it. I switched my major and found a bunch of friends who were all in animation. I naturally gravitated there and ended up being recruited into the BYU animation program. I chose lighting because it was involved with the final touches and the final look of all the elements in the production. I loved it and I was the only one who was doing it in my group in the program. I ended up at Blue Sky Studios as a lighter and I could not be happier. I love it here.

What is the best experience you’ve had so far in a production environment?

I think the best experience would be the feeling I get when I get positive feedback from personal success in my lighting. It is fantastic to hear someone who is an amazing lighter compliment your work.

In what project are you working on? What is your job?

I am currently working on Peanuts. My job right now is pretty – extremely laid back. This project does not release for another year and a couple months, so we are not doing much. Ha ha. For a lighter, the work comes in waves. When we have work, we have a lot to do, and then we get a break. When we break, we have nothing to do. It is a schedule I enjoy, but it is not for everyone. Definitely not a steady work flow.

What’s been your inspiration throughout your career? Any mentors along the way?

My inspiration throughout would be my wife. I love her and she is my support and motivation. My mentors along the way would be Youngwoong Jang and Angel Camacho. Two uber crazy talented people and I hope to become as good as they are someday.
One nice thing about working where I do, I don’t have to have mentors from anywhere else. I work with some of the most talented artists in the world. Especially when it comes to feature animation art.

The lighting style in Blue Sky productions like Epic and Rio 2 is really captivating, can you tell our blog readers how you go about applying lighting to the scenes? Is there any particular process that you guys found effective?

The lighting on Epic was handled differently than Rio. With every show, we have art directors who have a visual goal that will separate the look of this film from that film. At the beginning, we work at finding what that style is and match it. Much time is spent getting that look before the production begins. The process is trial and error. We light and push back the frames and problems we see to the appropriate departments to make changes so that those issues are resolved to make the process as streamlined as possible.

Picture from the Book: “The Art of Rio” by Tara Bennett

What goals do you have in your class Introduction to 3D Lighting? Who should attend the course?

Goals for the lighting class are simple. Teach the students basic principals of lighting and color, and help them feel more comfortable when plusing their demo reels. I think that every little bit helps when making a demo reel. If your animation, or rig looks great, but so does the guy that is your direct competition, what gives you the higher ground? I think it is making an overall visually impressive reel. It shows problem solving, and that you are competent in many artistic ways. This class will help push you in that direction.

What is the most enjoyable thing about teaching online for you?

I actually like to see the growth. It is fun watching students grow artistically but in confidence as well. Both are important. I also like to see different styles from so many different cultures that are in the class room. An online class makes the world come together in a single room, and we get to experience a small piece of their culture through their art. It is actually, fantastic.

We thank Brandon very much for taking the time in doing this piece.

Animschool Classtime: Facial Animation with Chris Bancroft

In this clip, AnimSchool Animation Instructor Chris Bancroft talks about facial animation and gives useful tips on creating appealing expressions. Watch it below:

This is a clip from AnimSchool’s class Character Performance, the 5th term of the 3D Animation Program. To find out more, go to AnimSchool.com and apply now!

AnimSchool Student Spotlight: Jared Johnson

Today we are welcoming AnimSchool Student Jared Johnson. Jared is already working in the animation industry and, as many other colleagues, he keeps studying and expanding his skills along the way.

Tell us a little about yourself, what’s your background? How did you get into animation?

Like most artists, I began drawing at a very young age. I grew up loving animated movies, cartoons, comic books and video games. For years I thought I would become a comic book artist, but I felt frustrated being limited to a few panels to tell a story. I’m originally from Pennsylvania where I started my art education. While in college, I realized that animation was a liberating medium and I’ve been working in it ever since. I continued studying art and animation in San Francisco and eventually started my career there.

You are currently working in the animation industry, right? Tell us about it.

I am! Currently, I’m working at Gazillion Entertainment as an animator on the “Marvel Heroes” online video game. Before returning to work at Gazillion, I wrapped up animation work on the feature film Free Birds last summer. My career consists of some great opportunities such as video game cinematics, documentaries, and cartoons for adult swim.

What do you like the most when animating?

Blocking is generally the most fun part of the process. It’s the time when you get to play around and experiment the most. Otherwise, I also enjoy the polish stage of adding refined detail and subtlety to animation. It’s easy to get inspired when I come across really good character performance or creature shots. Being able to work on them is a blast too.

You’ve taken a 3-month Express Class in Character Performance. What were your ideas before taking the class? In what ways do you think Animschool has helped you after you finished it?

Since most of my career has been in TV and video games, I felt it was important to push my skills and work on a more polished, character driven shot. When you work in games, you’re not always able to really sink your teeth into character performance and that’s something I want to make sure I kept working on. The instructor, Christopher Bancroft, really helped keep me on track and focus on what was really important in the shot. I also attended the general reviews with instructor Kevan Shorey. Both had wonderful insight and great eye for detail. They’re the type of animators you want to work with in a studio.

You’ve done a great work with your assignment. How was your workflow for this shot?

Thank you. I spend a good chunk of time thinking about the shot, asking questions like, “who are the characters? What is the shot about?” Afterward, I draw thumbnails and shoot lots of reference footage of myself to try to explore more ideas. Then follows an initial blocking phase and early feedback (from the instructor). Afterwards, I’d revise/elaborate on the blocking before continuing into splined.

Any particular tip or advice that your instructor gave you that stood out?

One piece of advice that my instructor gave me was to go to general reviews. It’s an open class that any AnimSchool student can go to for additional critique. It’s always good to get a fresh pair of eyes to view your work. When you’re staring at your animation for so long, you can start to miss out on ways to improve it. It’s important to remember that animation is a very collaborative art form so one shouldn’t be afraid to share it with others.
Thanks for having me!

We thank Jared for this interview. Check out his reel below:

AnimSchool Classtime: Working with Lattices in Animation with Trevor Young

In this clip, Blue Sky Animator and AnimSchool Instructor Trevor Young shows a quick demo on how to create lattices, how to animate them and some ideas on making them clean. Watch it below:

This is a clip from AnimSchool’s class Body Acting, the 4th term of the 3D Animation Program. To find out more, go to AnimSchool.com and apply now!

AnimSchool Interview: Alaa Aldeen Afifah

We’d like to welcome Animator Alaa Aldeen Afifah. Can you tell us a little about yourself, what is your background and how did you get into character animation?

Firstly, I want to say thank you for having me in your Blog.

I’ve become obsessed with animation and film making at a very young age, when playing video games and watching
movies.

Since then, I’ve come a long way. Now with 11 years of industry experience, I focus on character
animation and how to bring characters to life.During my career I’ve worn many hats, from rigging to modeling but also lighting
and other aspects of CG, which gives me
a solid understanding of the entire CG pipeline.

I’ve started as a self taught animator but when I realized that I couldn’t push myself any further I decided to join an online animation school to expand my knowledge.

I would love an opportunity to work
on a big studio like BlueSky, Disney or Sony.

What is your current
work?

Right now I’m a Senior Animator and the Animation Team Lead for Real Image Post Production Studio. I also work as a tutor where I record video lectures specifically focused to the Arab World future animators.

Your shot “The Elf” it’s pretty
impressive and really funny. You went for a cartoony style there, what were your
thoughts before animating it?

Actually, I am always looking for something
challenging and that I’ve never worked on before. For me, this is very important in order to improve my skills as an animator.

Also I have been animating subtle shots for a
while so I thought it was the right time for something cartoony. I wanted to get out of that mode and try out something new and
fresh, where I could push the character’s facial even more. And in the process have some fun with
it too!

What was your workflow for this shot?

The
first thing I wanted to do is determine the cameras position and the entire
flow of the shot.

So I did a simple animatic where I had the
character in position and I could see
the shot flow, and also seeing whether my thoughts were working or not.

Basically, I’m very obsessed with Blocking, and I love staying in the Blocking stage as much as I can so I get to nail down everything I want to see in the shot.

I recorded lots of video reference for myself playing the two roles. I had different takes for each character and
then I chose the best ones and combined them together.

Here
is a progression for “The Elf” shot showing my workflow:

You’ve worked with the Animschool Malcolm
rig for that shot, what do you think of it?

Simply
Amazing! Malcolm is one of the best rigs I’ve ever touched, he is very appealing
and expressive, and it has never constrained me or hold me back on doing any expression
I had ever thought of.

Not to mention the performance and the speed factor of the Malcolm rig, where I could play the shot in real time inside Maya’s viewport without making any playblasts!

AnimSchool’s Class – Pose Analysis Tony Bonilla

In AnimSchool’s Class – Animating Characters, Character Animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios Tony Bonilla analyzes some of the best animated works and explains reasons behind every decision. He even shows some of his own professional work.

This is just a small sample of the quality of education our students get.
Come join all the students learning online at AnimSchool

Classtime: Q&A with Anthea Kerou

In Animschool‘s Introduction to 3D Animation Class, students get the chance to have an animation related Q&A session with their instructor Anthea Kerou. In this case, she answers about the industry, her experience in feature films and gives some great advice to students’ careers, among other things. You can’t miss it!

This is a clip from AnimSchool’s class Introduction to 3D Animation, the first term of the 3D Animation Program. To find out more, go to AnimSchool.com and apply today!