The World of Jim Henson (1994)

This great documentary about the life and work of Jim Henson. It's full of bits of wisdom on acting, staging, and character. 



















The World of Jim Henson (1994) 7/9

"MORAV: Missions" Live Action Series 'Pilot'

'MORAV' is a live action series currently in production in the San Francisco Bay Area. The creator and director of MORAV is Fon Davis (ILM and FONCO). A talented team of vfx artists and model makers have been donating their time to bring this project to fruition. I had the pleasure of working a couple of weekends with them last year and I must say MORAV is looking amazing!

Check out the MORAV Kickstarter page if you're interested in helping out with the project. You can also find them on Facebook.

// Kickstarter: 'MORAV: Missions'

// Facebook: MORAV 

'MORAV: MISSIONS' Kickstarter teaser clip with Grant Imahara and Wendell Wilson

The Pixar Story (2007)

I just posted this series over on 'Behind The Scenes' blog.

'The Pixar Story' is an in-depth look at the history of Pixar Animation Studios.



//  'The Pixar Story'
       by Leslie Iwerks (yes Ub is her grandfather)



You can also listen to the film by chapters on this website:

'The Pixar Story' via Jeff Beal website

'Classic Creatures' Return of the Jedi (1983)

This 1983 PBS behind the scenes look at the creatures of 'Return of the Jedi' is an awesome glimpse into the ILM model shop during it's prime. There's lots of footage of work in progress puppets and stop-motion rigs from the film.

'Moonshine' Dreamworks personal art publication

DreamWorks first personal art publication, Moonshine, was conceived as an opportunity to highlight the breath of artistic development talent at Dreamworks.

A Story of Dogs (1954)

This is a short behind the scenes look at 'Lady and the Tramp'. There are some nice story sketches and pencil tests featured in the first two clips (some you might have already seen before). Milt and Frank also appear briefly to explain to the audience parts of the animation process.

Part 3 (cartoons)

Part 4 (cartoons)

Bobby Podesta and Mike Venturini Interview

Pixar animation supervisors Bobby Podesta and Mike Venturini talk Toy Story 3.

Eric Goldberg Lecture at IADT

Excellent clips from Eric Goldberg's lecture at the International Academy of Design & Technology as a part of The National Film School Lecture Series.

Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye (1999)

An eyeopening documentary about Alfred Stieglitz and his contributions to modern art. Really worth a look/listen.

More info about Stieglitz's studio
291 Fifth Avenue in New York City

Facial Expression Diagram

Fellow animator here at Dr.D (Phillip Hall) showed this diagram to me today. It's a decent reference sheet for the basics of emotions and expressions.

'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs': The One That Started It All

Check out this TV documentary on the making of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1990). It includes audio clips and vintage footage from many of Disney's 'nine old men'.












// the audio sync is off :P

Interview with Animator and Story Artist Raul Aguirre Jr.

Here's a basic interview with Raul Aguirre Jr.  from Animation Insider:

// Raul Aguirre Jr. interview



I found the last quote from Raul very true:

'A wise old 80′s movie taught me this a long time ago. Walk on road, hmm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later get squish just like grape. Here, Animation, same thing. Either you Animation do “yes” or Animation do “no.” You Animation do “guess so,” get squish just like grape. Understand? You get out of it what you put into it kiddos!'


//Raul's website: Studio Raul

//Raul's blog: manvsart



Raul's reel- 

Acting Reference 'Best description of a car accident ever!'

oh man this made my day ha ha Thanks Sheldon for the heads up!
 

'From Pencils To Pixels' (2003 BBC)

This BBC Imagine Series special does a decent job of covering some of the basics of animation history. It's worth a look or a least a listen.

Story Pitch and Screenwriting Lecture by Michael Hauge

For those interested in screenwriting this lecture by Michael Hauge is worth a listen. He covers a lot of basic script material and story pitching concepts.






update // Check out Michael Hauge's book:  Selling Your Story in 60seconds

Coundown by Céline Desrumaux

This is a beautiful short! Bold graphics, great staging, and color choices. Love the vintage feel! Rock!

CREDITS :

Directing/design/animation/composting : Céline Desrumaux

Additionnal character animation : Florent Remize

Music : "Granulard bastard" from Apprat.

LINKS :
Céline : groovythesushi.blogspot.com/​ 
Florent : flomize.blogspot.com/​

Act 1: The Story Begins

Story lecture with Enrico Casarosa (Pixar Story Artist), Fergal Reilly (Sony Pictures Story Artist),  Alex Hirsch (Disney TV Anim Artist), and Louie Del Carmen (Dreamworks Story Artist). Hosted by Bruce Morris (Story Artist and Director).

Tchaikovsky by Barry Purves

This is a time lapse video of British animator Barry Purves as he is working on a scene from his stop motion short 'Tchaikovsky'. 

// For more info about Barry and his films check out his website: http://www.barrypurves.com/

Jeffery Katzenberg Interview (2010)

This is an in depth interview with Jeffery Katzenberg from 2010. Katzenberg talks a bit about his past with Disney, the development of Dreamworks, and the animation industry in general.

Interview with Jeffrey Katzenberg 

in Movies, TV & Theater 

on Monday, May 17, 2010

Director Mark Andrews & Producer Katherine Sarafian Talk 'Brave'

Director Mark Andrews & Producer Katherine Sarafian Talk 'Brave' at Disney D23 expo.



Actor's Kevin McKidd and Kelly Macdonald

Auction: Disney Cels and Animation Art

Here's your chance to snag some very nice animation production art. The Philip Weiss Auction house has a huge lot of animation cels and sketches currently up for auction. The 'Sleeping Beauty' drawings are great!

// Philip Weiss Auction:  Comics, Comic Art, Disney & Animation

New Concept Art From Pixar's 'Brave'

Really looking forward to this film! And here's the new trailer!



*UPDATE* the image gallery has been taken down already

 New concept art from: Pixar's 'Brave'

more here:

// Closer Look At More Stunning ‘Brave’ Concept Art

 

 

Stanley Kubrick: The Invisible Man (1996)

 

This documentary takes an in depth look at the life and work of Stanley Kubrick. A couple of film makers and actors contribute their observations and experiences on working with Kubrick. One comment from director Bryan Singer really stood out to me.

"What's the point of making films unless your going to experiment with the medium? The whole point of film making is showing the world from a different perspective. Use the medium. Show us why we're watching it on film and not a stage play..."  - Bryan Singer 

// Check out the documentary here:

'Stanley Kubrick: The Invisible Man' via Behind The Scene blog

Kyle Cooper interview on title design

This is great stuff - how often is the title sequence overlooked? It's an important prelude that should whet the appetite of the audience. Heightening their anticipation of what they're about to see. 

//Another interview with Kyle Cooper from 2008

Also, if you don't know about the 'Art of the Title' website check it out. There are hundreds of fantastic title sequences archived there.

// Art Of The Title

Chanel - Shade Parade

Fun short promo piece for Chanel but more accurately titled 'Thing's Day Dream'.

Jules Engel's Oral History Transcript (UCLA 1985)

So after yesterday's post I did a bit more research and found this fantastic transcript of Jules Engel's oral history. The interview is an in depth look at Engel's rich artistic past.


Read the book on Open Library: Jules Engel Oral History

You can download the PDF here: Jules Engel Oral History

More info and download options here: Jules Engel on Open Library 

 

LOS ANGELES ART COMMUNITY: GROUP PORTRAIT

This interview is one of a series, entitled "Los Angeles Art Community: Group Portrait," funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and conducted from July 1, 1975 to March 31, 1977 by the UCLA Oral History Program. The project was directed jointly by Page Ackerman, University Librarian, and Gerald Nordland, Director UCLA Art Galleries, and administered by Bernard Galm, Director, Oral History Program. After selection of interview candidates and interviewers, the Program assumed responsibility for the conduct of all interviews and their processing.

Jules Engel: An Artist For All Seasons

This is a clip from  the up coming documentary 'Jules Engel: An Artist for All Seasons' by Jeaneann Dill.  It is currently listed as 'in production' and I haven't been able to find a release date. More info can be found over on the IIACI website - Interdisciplinary Art Institute

Jules Engel was an artist, animator and film director. He worked for Disney, UPA, and founded the Experimental Animation Program at CalArts.

You can follow Jeaneann Dill and the Jules Engel Documentary on Twitter @JaneannDill
  

Here's another short clip from a separate interview with Jules. He briefly talks about the challenges of working with Walt Disney.