We’d like to welcome Animator Camille Campion. First of all, congratulations on your 11 Second Club March win! Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into animation?
I think I have a very classic career path for a young french animator… I’ve drawn since I was 4 years old. I was crazy about animated features when I was very young, especially the Tex Avery work. I studied art at a university and I studied 3 years in one of the many Animation Schools we have in France. We had the honor to be the Jury award winner at Siggraph 2008 with our end of studies short film, Mauvais Rôle.
For three years I worked in Paris on different companies projects, feature films, commercial and TV shows. For almost three years now, I’ve been living in Spain working for Kandor Graphics on the feature film “Justin and the Knights of Valour,” (Most of the Flying Crocodile shots are mine) Sometimes I also teach animation at the University of Granada.
11 second club March 2013 – HD from camille campion on Vimeo.
What is your favorite part of the animation process?
Definitely the staging and the blocking part, that’s the more creative part for me. The splining process is more technical and methodic. The polishing is interesting, but less than the blocking. I like the refining stage too, when your animation works, but you still have time to retouch details. Sometimes a small detail changes the whole shot.
You’ve animated on the 11 second club with much success with many different rigs. Why did you decide to use AnimSchool’s Malcolm Rig for both your characters for your entry: “Interview”
I’m work hungry. It was during a professional pause, I was with this envy of animation. Every time I’d try to use a new character, because I get bored fast with the same character. I want to explore new physiology, and personality. Next I wanted to use a professional character, I looked on the web to see what was available. Malcolm is used a lot, and now I know why!
What was it like working with the Malcolm Rig? Did it meet all your expectations? What did you like most about it?
The first important thing for me is the model, the design and appeal. Malcolm looks good, his design is simple, but with potential- I like that. The rig is very complete, the facial rig is superb and powerful.
One thing I don’t like, and it’s a problem I see in many rigs, is that sometimes there’s too much control. It could be stuffy to manage. As a detail, when I move the head in translation there’s no compensation in the neck. The column deformation sometimes is a bit hard.
In general Malcolm is a really good rig, it’s not famous for nothing. I think the better of the free rigs on web! The thing I prefer… I really like the facial rig, but his hands are awesome. The mesh and the rig respond really well, and that’s not usual.
How did you go about animating 2 characters with the same structure, while making sure 2 different personalities came through?
It’s not very different than animating one character, you just need more time. The important thing is to identify your objective and the personality you want to show in your character. Try to make them different but believable. In shots like this you’re driven by the audio, that makes things easier.
It’s hard for me to explain with these shots because I was trying something new, I was discovering the rig and I only spent 5 days in the animation process…
In this episode I sit down with 7 extremely talented animators from the Dreamworks production crew of their most recent animated film, “The Croods.” Their positions rank from Character Animator up to Supervising Animator.
Podcast | Right Click to Download | Play in New Window | (55.8 MB)
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Gabriele Pennacchioli
Character Animator
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Thomas Grummt
Character Animator
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Jennifer Harlow
Character Animator
IMDB profile |
Liron Topaz
Character Animator
IMDB profile |
A couple of months ago AnimSchool sat down with Blue Sky Animator Lluis Llobera. In part 1 from AnimSchool’s live webcast, Lluis talks about his journey of becoming a villain character lead and shares some early tests of Nigel, one of the villain characters in RIO.
Coming up in Part 2, Lluis discusses animating a villain and the relationship between Nigel and Marcel.
In this episode I sit down with 7 extremely talented animators. They all worked on the Dreamworks animated adventure film, “Rise of the Guardians.” Their positions rank from Character Animator right on up to Head of Character Animation.
Podcast | Right Click to Download | Play in New Window | (80.3 MB)
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Gabe Hordos
Head of Character Animation
10 years at Dreamworks
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Alexis Wanneroy
Lead Animator – Toothfairy
7 years at Dreamworks
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Pierre Perifel
Supervising Animator – North
5 years at Dreamworks
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Ben Willis
Character Animator – Jack
7 years at Dreamworks
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Jacob Gardner
Character Animator – Jack
5 years at Dreamworks
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Tyler Phillips
Character Animator – Bunny
4 years at Dreamworks
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JP Sans
Character Animator – Pitch
2 years at Dreamworks
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We’d like to welcome DreamWorks Animator and AnimSchool Instructor Juan Pablo (JP) Sans. JP, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you became interested in becoming an animator?
For me, it definitely started with drawing at a very early age, from the moment I picked up a crayon. I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and like every other kid, I watched a lot of cartoons and animated movies, but I always thought it was “magic” rather than something that was made. It was when I was seven that I realized, thanks to my mom, that the credits were the names of artists who worked on the movies. Since then I knew I wanted to be part of that world, somehow. I moved to Florida when I was 10 without having a word of English in my vocabulary, and I think that only pushed me to draw more since I had no idea what the teachers were saying in class. My middle school books became animation paper as I made a habit of animating stick figures in the corners of the pages.
As I grew older, I took as many drawing classes as I could. In high school, I continued to take all the drawing classes available as well as some acting classes. I doubt I was any good at acting, but I really liked the idea of performing and becoming a new personality and character, which only strengthened my pursuit of animation. I continued my studies at the Miami International University of Art and Design. Once I began my studies there, I only fell more deeply in love with animation. As I started creating life and making characters think, I knew it was the stamp of approval indicating how I never wanted to do anything else with my life.
JP GRD REEL from Juan Pablo Sans on Vimeo.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
I definitely have to start with mentioning some of the pioneers of it all, the nine old men. It is truly inspiring to witness what they were able to accomplish. The early Disney movies were, and still are, my biggest inspiration. Movies like Sword in the Stone, Robinhood, and Alice in Wonderland are some of my favorites. To this day I look through their work in constant awe with what I see, not only with their execution and choices, but with their beautiful line quality and appeal. In animation, Glen Keane has to be another favorite of mine; he has always been one of my idols. His drawings and animation are beyond appealing and magical, and what is most inspiring is how humble he is about his accomplishments and his contribution to the industry. The more I animate the more actors and actresses I follow and admire as well; after all, we are “actors with a pencil”. One of my favorite actors that I follow and try to learn from is Gary Oldman. I believe he is one of the most diverse and talented actors we’ve seen in a long time. The way he delves into his roles and adds to his characters very specific and individual characteristics is truly amazing. His work is something that I would love to be able to achieve and bring more of into my work.
In Rio, you were one of the leads on the bull dog, Luiz, what were some of the challenges that arose with this character? What did you do to solve them?
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| Juan Pablo Sans Luiz thumbnails, Blue Sky Studios, Rio |
I first have to give a shout out to Pete Paquette. I had the great pleasure and honor of working with him on Luiz. He was the true bulldog not only in the sense of the character, but also to the animation department. I learned a lot working with him and I genuinely thank him for his help.
I had one of the greatest times animating Luiz; he was such a fun character to animate. He was super energetic, which is what highlighted one of the biggest challenges- to keep him organic. As an animator in CG, you are always trying to keep your characters organic and alive, and that challenge will only increase if the character is “big” and “fleshy”. Add energetic and active to the mix, and you’ll have your work cut out for you. What makes a bulldog is all the extra skin that giggles and wiggles, and that is something that we had to keep a really close eye on when we animated him. We needed to maintain his fleshiness while keeping him heavily grounded and organic.
We accomplished this by really layering all his movements, as well as morphing the graphic lines within the silhouette of the character, specially on the face, while keeping him in model. Rigging did a great job giving us all the controllers we needed to be able to achieve this as well. We made sure we had control over the main masses, as well as the individual skin flaps like his jowls. I also watched a lot of traditional animation for inspiration. I wanted to bring the “inconsistencies” in the drawings to CG, and get that organic feel to Luiz, something that stayed with me which I’m still putting in my work today.
For Rise of the Guardians you were on the Pitch character team. Can explain the teams process and your responsibilities on the film?
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| Juan Pablo Sans Pitch Thumbnails, DreamWorks Studios, Rise of the Guardians |
Rise of the Guardians had a character-lead system, which I think really benefit the film. Each character had a supervisor and a team to mainly concentrate on that character when possible. Pitch’s supervisor was Steven “Shaggy” Hornby; his experience and knowledge really helped the character grow. Our Pitch-team would meet twice a week to talk and discuss anything and everything about the character, from technical conversations to character development. So our responsibilities really branched out from just animating. We had a very collaborative workflow, and we really helped each other to make sure our choices and executions best represented Pitch. We helped each other on anything from meeting up for reference sessions to feedback and critiques. This was a great way to help us keep Pitch consistent, with his look and performance. Most importantly, it helped us keep a close eye on his character arc.
Can you talk a little about your experiences animating the villain, Pitch. What were your main thoughts you kept in mind when working with this character?
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| Juan Pablo Sans Pitch Thumbnails, DreamWorks Studios, Rise of the Guardians |
Working on a villain was super fun, and completely opposite of what I was used to. Before Pitch, I would usually get cast cute, energetic characters, which were just as fun to animate. Pitch was equally as entertaining, but for the complete opposite reasons. Pitch is dark, internal, composed, and just downright creepy. I was surprised about just how much I liked animating him. There was something so intriguing about a villain, that I completely fell in love with. In every show you “find” the character as you animate the movie, sometimes not really “finding” the character until the very end. I think we got lucky in the sense that we found who Pitch was early on.
We had a lot of inspirations when it came to Pitch. We reference the Joker for his unusual movements and personality. We were captivated and inspired by Hannibal’s stare. I always watched Anthony Hopkins’s scenes and even podcast and interviews to help me bring that into the character. And lastly, my favorite, Gary Oldman’s Stansfield in Leon: The Professional. I loved watching that character, and trying to bring that randomness and aura to Pitch.
I think the most challenging shots in animating Pitch was when he was in “control”. He had to be composed, yet feel threatening and powerful. To see him do nothing while his eyes screamed in emotion and rage was truly captivating. Pitch was a very challenging and difficult character to work on, but he was so much fun at the same time that I hope I get to work on another villain again.
Out of all the characters you’ve animated in your career, which one has been the most fun to work with, why?
I’ve been lucky to have been able to work on some really great characters, but I think the most entertaining one was the one that I only animated twice, Scrat. I only got to animate him in Ice Age 4: Continental Drift, but I enjoyed every second of it.
Scrat is a fun character to animate because he is sporadic and energetic. Emotionally and physically he is crazy and scattered. I always saw Scrat as having a bipolar personality- one second he can be in calm, and the next he is screaming and scattering all over the place in anger or fright. But, what made him the most memorable for me was being able to get away with almost anything. With Scrat you can choose not to anticipate anything, take away his follow through, add a crazy one-frame transition (if you even want one) – an animator’s dream. The less perfect and more dirty you can be with repetitive motions like a leg scramble, the better it comes out with him. He can even defy gravity.
I will never forget a shot that Mike Thurmeier animated. Before directing, Mike had animated a shot where Scrat jumped and leaped higher and higher into the air to reach a nut, and only used air to jump from each time. It was crazy brilliant!
You still have to keep him on model of course, and there are still rules you have to follow, but after that, you are free to do anything. The less rules there are, the more possibilities you have which makes it more fun to animate, and Scrat is the perfect example of that.
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| Juan Pablo Sans Scrat thumbnails, Blue Sky Studios, Ice Age 4- Continental Drift |
What has been the most challenging shot in your career? What made this shot more challenging then others?
For me, I almost want to say every single one. This is a hard one to answer; I really try to give my all in every shot. I try to explore every option and try to choose and execute it the best I can. I really think this promotes challenges and growth, so I hope I never think something is easy.
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| copyright DreamWorks, Rise of the Guardians |
I guess the most challenging shot I’ve had to animate so far was a Pitch shot. Pitch crawling back with fear and revealing it was all an act (“You can have them back”). I think it wasn’t just one aspect but more of a combination of things that made this shot challenging. First of all, it was my first Pitch shot. So, not knowing the character fully and finding the look of him in the shot was always something I had to constantly keep an eye on. This becomes easier as you animate the character, but the first one is always like this.
Shooting reference was also a challenge, which I want to thank Shaggy for helping me with it. We explored different options and choices for hours, and finally went with something that best represented the character. The last thing was the amount of time I had on it. There was very little time to explore different ideas and choices which was what made it all the more challenging.
You’ve had a chance to teach a couple different classes at AnimSchool, including General Reviews. How has teaching changed you as an animator?
Teaching has been a great experience for me. Teaching is great because it forces you to talk about what you know, as well as to learn to share with your students and keep them growing as animators.
You forget sometimes how much you know, and it helps you to remember those things even more when animating at work.
What’s great about teaching is the learning that you receive from it. For one, I prepare as much as I can for my lectures, which forces me to do research and to form examples, which results in me finding and discovering new things.
The other great way you learn from teaching is by continuing to see work outside from your own, as well as seeing the process and the solutions for problems. The more you animate, the more you learn, and teaching for me is like animating multiple shots at a time. I also get inspired by the work I see, and the energy that the students bring every week. I love teaching and will continue to do it as long as I can.
JP Sans Reel from Juan Pablo Sans on Vimeo.
Lastly, what advice do you have for students trying to get into the animation field?
Work hard, never stop learning, and stay humble. After you graduate, learning doesn’t stop, so stay hungry! Keep animating and challenging yourselves. The more you animate the more you will learn. Keep doing your research as well. Listen to podcast, read books and watch behind the scenes to stay updated. Keep working and improving your reel. I always tell my students to pick your worst shot in your reel, and replace it with your best and newest shot. Always be on the look out for job openings. There are always open doors, you just need to keep your eyes wide open. I think the most important tip that I can give is to get your foot in the door, no matter where it is. It’s easy to just want your ideal job or company, but the best way to get there is within the industry. Any animation job, whether it’s gaming, freelance, or at start up studios, they’re all a great way to learn and grow. This is also a great way to increase your contacts. You’d be surprised how small the industry actually is. A lot of artists know each other in the industry which brings me to my last tip, stay humble. Know that you still have a lot to learn, and help others and let others help you in the process. Like your animation is important, your personality is just as important. The way you get along and work with others will really help you grow in the industry, as an artist and as a person. Never give up as well, perseverance and dedication will get you anywhere.
We would like to introduce Ernesto Ruiz Velasco. Ernesto, can you tell us a little about yourself and what 3D experience you’ve had before entering AnimSchool?
I began to get interested in animation and VFX really early in my childhood, and started to do 3D by myself when I was 15 years old. In 2007, as a graduated from a very technical High School, I won a Scholarship to study Animation and Digital Arts at ITESM, Guadalajara with my portfolio work.
Later, in 2009 I entered an internship in a small mexican advertising VFX studio. I worked there for about 2 and a half years, first as a Technical Artist and later, in 2011, as a Technical Director. I worked there in almost every part in the 3D pipeline, both technical and artistic, as a generalist. I did Hardware/Software support, Modeling, Rigging, FX, Lighting and Rendering, I even did some crowd simulations with Massive, but I never had the chance to do character development. That was the reason I quit the company a few months before I graduated from ITESM.
In March 2012 I got a job as a Tools Dev. and RnD Lead in a 3D Animation Studio in Guadalajara, México. Quickly, I got promoted to CG Supervisor having the opportunity to finally focus in Character Development. There on, in my spare time, I started to learn more about character rigging, FX and modeling, wishing to find some specialized courses online. Then, in october of 2012 I was able to enter into Animschool’s Character Program.
Do you have any artists who inspire you?
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| Concept Art by Elsa Chang |
I’m really bad at remembering names, but I have a wide range of references when I’m working. I admire all the people who are able to finish their work with amazing quality, and whom like to share their knowledge. I’m a really technical person, but I also have some artistic skills, that’s why I admire not only artists, but technical guys as well.
The names that I recall, whose work I really enjoy are: Rafael Grassetti, Jon Troy Nickel, Andrew Hickinbottom, Michael Defeo, Elsa Chang, Lou Romano, Josh Carey, Vincent E. Sousa, Pedro Conti. The people who have taught me: Todd Widup, Judd Simantov, Brien Hindman, Ignacio Barrios, Dave Gallagher. The people who I work with also inspire me day to day.
What did you find the most challenging about modeling your character from your Intermediate Modeling class?
I think the most difficult part was to set up the Elsa Chang’s character for a three dimensional world. Having only a side-view of the design, I was getting lost in little details. Thanks to Brien Hindman from the Intermediate Modeling Class and Dave Gallagher with the General Reviews, I was able to be objective in getting the 2D drawing to the 3D model, without losing the artistic appeal. I’m really satisfied with the final result.
After having a couple rigging classes at AnimSchool, has your thought process behind 3D modeling changed, how?
Yes, I had taken other rigging courses before. But, in AnimSchool I learned not only how to rig, but also the way to prepare the characters so you can do a quicker and better job, focusing in the appeal of the character and not losing time solving technical problems.
What I really liked about the workflow I leaned here is that, if you keep everything modular, not only for the different parts of the rig but also for the different parts of the process, you can go back and forward in the rigging changing things without any problems. So, you’ll always be able to put new controllers or features into the rig or even change some modeling without any major problems.
How did you become interested in becoming a Character TD? What do you enjoy the most about rigging?
I
consider myself to be a technical artist, and I took advantage of
this
technical side to grow professionally. However, I’ve always wanted to do
characters, to be a modeler or a concept artist, but I ended up doing
technical stuff like simulations or scripting each time.
The
reason why I’m so interested in characters is because what I enjoy the
most about animation is the story and the way a movie can immerse you in
different worlds. I think the way a character’s personality changes
throughout the story, alongside the story itself, is the secret to
compelling work.
I think a Character TD have that
perfect balance between the technical and artistic side that I’m looking
for, and nowadays It’s what I enjoy the most. It combines modeling,
rigging and scripting skills as also the knowledge on how to automate
processes. Besides, I love to solve problems and propose new ways to do
it, rigging gives me the opportunity to do so.
What have you found the most challenging in the Rigging process? Did you discover any tricks/tips to help with these challenges?
Everything, I think rigging it’s challenging by itself, but particularly maintaining the quality and keeping everything well structured. Sometimes it can get hard to keep adding features to the rig without breaking it. Ignacio Barrios was very helpful with that. He made us understand the common problems and solutions instead of giving us a series of steps to get the rigging done. He taught us the logic inside a rig.
How has your experience been at AnimSchool? What do you find most beneficial about the program?
At AnimSchool I felt really close to the Animation Industry, thanks to the wonderful teachers I’ve had. They do not only teach about their classes, but answer pretty much all the questions we have and help with anything they can. In Mexico it’s quite hard to find this type of professional feedback.
The people at AnimSchool gave me a lot of pro tips and tricks and now I feel more confident, even to make the Guadalajara CG industry grow in quality. For a long time I was wishing to find an online school focused in characters, but there were none about rigging and modeling, only Animation. That’s why I’m really glad to be studying at AnimSchool!
Do you have any advice you would give other students interested in learning modeling or rigging?
Show your work to others, so you can have quick feedback (the sooner, the better). Constantly try to ask yourself how can you do it better. Always get the most references you can before starting, and keep looking for them while you are working, to never lose focus. Also, practice as much as you can, the more you practice the faster you’ll get.
To achieve the same quality and functionality in everything you do, try to go from the overall figure to the particular details (It applies to both, modeling and rigging).
Additionally, If you want to focus on modeling or rigging it’s good to know a little from other areas, especially the inputs and outputs of the department you are focusing (animation, concept art and rigging) and of course, always do your best!
Orem, UT United States – April 18, 2013 — Animschool
announces today the release of the new AnimSchool Picker.
This is a new plug-in that incorporates all the capabilities from film studio
“picker” GUIs for selecting and controlling 3D characters.
The features are unparalleled, and it’s free to the public for most uses. (Some restrictions apply).
AnimSchool Picker is tightly integrated into
Maya, highlighting when you make a selection in Maya, as well as picking
from the buttons.
Users can zoom and pan using standard Maya navigation hotkeys.
Authoring a picker is very easy. Make single
or multiple object buttons–even vertices. Make script/command buttons.
Move buttons or groups of buttons with the control key. Nudge buttons
precisely with the arrow keys. Arrange and distribute buttons
horizontally or vertically.
Reuse pickers in an instant by switching it to
another character’s namespace. AnimSchool Picker automatically changes
all buttons and scripts to update to the new character.
The AnimSchool Picker has been released for Maya versions 2011+ PC and 2012+ Mac. Softimage
version likely to follow.
The AnimSchool Picker is offered to the
public with restrictions similar to the Malcolm rig: free for
most uses except in online animation classes in competition with
AnimSchool. It can be used by students of traditional in-person schools
and even by professionals and studios. (Other restrictions described here.)
“AnimSchool is committed to bringing the best animation tools to our
students and sometimes to the 3D animation community as a whole,”
founder Dave Gallagher said. “We’re so excited to offer this to
animation pros, students, and enthusiasts all around the world. Even
studios can use our new Picker!” (restrictions may apply.)
Now with over 200 students, AnimSchool
was founded in 2010 to bring character-focused 3D animation instruction
to students all around the world through live online sessions with the
very best film professionals.
Learn more about AnimSchool Picker at www.animschool.com.
Contact:
Isaac Nordlund
AnimSchool
admissions@animschool.com
560 South State Street, Suite F3
Orem, UT 84058
801 765-7677
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In this clip from AnimSchool’s Character Performance class, Garrett Shikuma goes over the importance of exploring all your acting choices while filming video reference.
Come join all the students learning online at AnimSchool: http://www.animschool.com
We were honored to have speakers Tony Bancroft (co-director of Mulan, Animator of Pumbaa, Kronk) and Tom Bancroft (Supervising Animator for Mulan’s Mushu, author.) The Bancroft brothers talked about their experiences as they entered the Animation Industry and the many “doorways” one must bravely walk through to be successful.
Student Alaa AbuHanish – Class 6 Facial Performance from AnimSchool on Vimeo.
AnimSchool Intermediate Rigging Reel from Francisco Tejo on Vimeo.
Student Mona Zalloum – Class 7 Animating Appeal and Entertainment. from AnimSchool on Vimeo.
Rigging facial demo from Pablo Sepulveda on Vimeo.
Student Javier Vasquez – Class 6 Facial Performance from AnimSchool on Vimeo.
Student Raymond Kasel – Class 7 Animating Appeal and Entertainment from AnimSchool on Vimeo.
