Animation Remembrance 2013

Thanks to  Mike Peraza  for this nice remembrance compilation.

Christmas In Space Is Impossible? Deleted Scene from Gravity!

Merry Christmas from all of us at Framestore! Check out this 'deleted scene' from Gravity.

'Gravity' Wins Three Cinefex Awards 2013

I was super excited to see this today!! Gravity  landed 3 Cinefex awards! Wow! Big thanks to Cinefex! We're all amazed at how well the movie has been doing!


// 'Gravity' Wins Three Cinefex Awards 2013 

Reference Galore! The British Library Adds One Million Public Domain Images to Flickr

Here's an amazing collection of public domain images recently uploaded to Flickr by The British Library! via petapixel

// The British Library Adds One Million Public Domain Images to Flickr

Making of 'Beans' by Cinesite

Written and directed by Animator Alvise Avati and produced by Animation Director Eamonn Butler. Beans, a short film with an unexpected ending, showcases Cinesite's creature animation skills.

Interview with 'Epic' director Chris Wedge

The State of Practical Special Effects in Filmmaking

TESTED sits down with Fon Davis to discuss the state of visual effects in film, the resurgence of interest in practical effects. Fon is a visual effects veteran who has worked on films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline, Galaxy Quest, Star Wars, Mission: Impossible III, among many others.

EDGE OF TOMORROW - Official Trailer (2014)

Here's the first trailer for 'Edge of Tomorrow' or AYNIK (All You Need Is Kill) as we call it. We've been animating on this project here at Framestore for about 6mths now. The film is going to be intense.

The Cinematography of "The Incredibles"

There's a nice breakdown of the cinematography of The Incredibles over on the FloobyNooby blog. It's worth a look!

// The Cinematography of "The Incredibles" via FloobyNooby blog

CTN: Late Night with "Lion King" - A Celebration of "The Talent"

Roger Allers Director
Ruben Aquino Supervising Animator
Brenda Chapman Head of Story
Andreas Deja Supervising Animator
Mark Henn Supervising Animator
Andy Gaskill Art Director
Irene Mecchi Writer
Rob Minkoff Director
Moderated by Charles Solomon

Animators Roundtable: Full Interview 2013

The La Times just posted a great interview with Chris Sanders ("The Croods"), Chris Renaud ("Despicable Me 2")Dan Scanlon ("Monsters University"), Jennifer Lee ("Frozen")and Chris Wedge ("Epic")

// Animators Roundtable: Full Interview

Breakfast at Framestore Montreal

This is what breakfast looks like every morning here at Framestore Montreal... might see some familiar faces

Morgan Freeman on Playing Nelson Mandela

Very sad news about the passing of Nelson Mandela. This is a great vid on Morgan Freeman playing Nelson Mandela in Invictus. Also check out Bono's response. It is quite remarkable. You can read it  here.

Interview with Monsters University director Dan Scanlon & producer Kori Rae

Also check out:

// Behind The Scenes of Monsters University

SPARKBOOK Review

I just received my copy of  SPARKBOOK by Cedric Honstadt! It's a fantastic book chock full of excellent drawing exercises that will help flex and stretch your drawing skills. Cedric also includes some great content about design, acting, character development, and storytelling. I highly recommend getting yourself a copy. For more info check the link below!

// SPARKBOOK

Photoshop Animation Techniques by Alex Grigg

Also check out Alex's blog Joybox 

GreenTuesday VFX Rally outside Dreamworks

The State of the VFX Industry

Obama Tours DreamWorks Animation studios (Mocap Sound Stage)

Making of Popeye Cartoon and Tour of Fleischer Studios 1930's

Interview with Disney's Frozen songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

The Bear and The Hare - Behind the 2D Traditional Animation

More great behind the scenes footage from the making of 'The Bear and The Hare'






Also check out:

// Making of 'The Bear & The Hare'

Gravity Companion Film 'Aningaaq' Tells the Rest of the Story

Jonas Cuaron's seven-minute companion short, filmed in Iceland and featuring Bullock's voice, could make Oscar history... via Hollywood Reporter




Check out the Gravity interviews here:

// 'GRAVITY' Featurettes and Interviews

//Gravity: vfx that’s anything but down to earth

Making of 'Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Cinematic'

Here's a very in depth panel discussion about the making of Blizzard's Diablo III: Reaper of Souls cinematic. The animation section starts around 10:30. And a big congrats to my friend Dan Cox who who was the lighting supervisor on the project!

IDIOTS by Big Lazy Robot VFX

SCREENING: PERSISTENCE OF VISION with Filmmaker Kevin Schreck

Special Screening: PERSISTENCE OF VISION
Filmmaker Kevin Schreck via Skype
Playing at the Rafael Film Center
Thursday, November 21, 7:00

'The untold story of the greatest animated film never made, Kevin Schreck's fascinating documentary traces the quixotic quest of visionary animator Richard Williams, who toiled more than three decades on his masterpiece, The Thief and the Cobbler, only to have it torn from his hands. Working out of London and beginning his dream project in 1964, Canadian-born Williams won Oscars for animating A Christmas Carol (1971) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), and earned universal acclaim for his credit sequences for the Pink Panther movies, but he re-invested all his resources into his Middle Eastern fable. This "heartbreaking documentary about a staggering genius" weaves together mind-blowing animation, archival footage and exclusive interviews with key animators and artists to bring to light a lost, precious chapter of animation history. Producer/Director: Kevin Schreck. (US 2012) 83 min. plus discussion.' via CFI

Creative Paper Company Ad Brings Tissue Paper Animals to Life Through Stop Motion

(via PetaPixel)

Brother Bear Pencil Tests

Animation by Tony Stanley and Broose Johnson

EVENT: The Art and Craft of Cinema with Randy Thom, Sound Designer // Berkely Art Museum

Thursday, November 21, 2013  7:00 p.m. 
Behind the Scenes: Randy Thom on Sound Design, 
followed by Wild at Heart
Two-time Academy Award recipient Randy Thom speaks on the art of sound design, and his own working experiences on films like Apocalypse Now, The Empire Strikes Back, The Right Stuff, and The Incredibles. Followed by David Lynch’s crazed neo-noir, Wild at Heart. (127 mins, plus presentation)

Also check out:

// 8 Tips for Making Your Film Sound Great from the Industry's Top Sound Designers via Indiewire

Making of 'The Bear & The Hare'

A beautiful John Lewis Christmas Advert by design company adam&eveDDB

'The ad features hand-drawn animation by Florida-based artists led by former Disney animator Aaron Blaise, who previously worked on the Lion King and Pocahontas. The animation, which took six months to create, was combined with a set built and filmed in a studio in south London, using a technique not used on TV in the UK since the days of the original Paddington cartoon.' via the guardian

Lecture On Story Process By Pixar Animator Austin Madison

Here's a fun story lecture by Pixar animator Austin Madison.

Austin's blog and twitter 

Glen Keane talks about Animation and CTN

The Legacy of STAN WINSTON

Here are some great interviews with artists that worked for  the man the myth the legend Stan Winston.

Also, this book is a much have:
// The Winston Effect: The Art & History of Stan Winston Studio

Check out Legacy Effects (previously Stan Winston Studios)
// Legacy Effects

Interview with Dreamworks Director Steve Hickner

Stephen Hickner is an American film director at DreamWorks Animation. He has worked as director on The Prince of Egypt, Father of the Pride and the Bee Movie. He also worked as Storyboard Artist on Over the Hedge,Madagascar, Shark Tale, The Road to El Dorado and Antz.


He started his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation, then moved to Amblimation where he worked as a producer for the first time. He is now at DreamWorks working as director, storyboard artist and producer. He also worked as Head of Story on Shrek 4-D. via Dreamworks Wikia



TAG Interview




Also be sure to check out this great lecture.

// CTN: How to Break Into Animation

Off His Rockers (1992)

// How The Disney Film Short 'Off His Rockers' Made It To The Big Screen: A Little Project That 'blew Up.'

UPDATE: MIKROS IMAGE Open House Nov 5th (Not An Open House)

UPDATE:  Just got this email from MIKROS. So I guess it's not an 'open house' as advertised. That's a bummer.  


Hello,

On behalf of the team at Mikros Image, we thank you for your interest in our Open House Recruiting session taking place Tuesday, November 5th at 6PM.

Supervisors from our project will be on site to discuss future opportunities with us during the session. We kindly ask you to bring any creative materials (Demo, CV, etc.) with you to the Open House.

Due to the overwhelming amount of interest for the Open House, we will be screening people at the door to assure only valid candidates attend the Open House.

We thank you and we look forward to meeting you!

Mikros Team


Bonjour,

Toute l'équipe de Mikros Image souhaite vous remercier de votre intérêt à participer au Cocktail de recrutement Porte Ouverte qui se tiendra ce soir à 18h.

Nos superviseurs vous attendent avec impatience et seront heureux de vous informer sur les postes à combler et discuter des opportunités futures pendant le cocktail. Nous vous demandons d'apporter tous documents créatifs (Démo, CV, etc.) avec vous aux Portes Ouvertes.

En raison de la quantité énorme de réponses positives que nous avons reçues, nous filtrerons les arrivées à la porte pour nous assurer que seuls les candidats adéquats pourront participer au cocktail de recrutement.

Merci et nous avons hâte de vous rencontrer !

L'équipe Mikros

If you're in the Montreal area be sure to swing by MIKROS Image for their open house on Nov 5th. They'll be putting on a special presentation of their up coming film 'The Little Prince'. RSVP using the email listed below.

Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2011)

The definitive documentary about Ray Harryhausen.

Chuck Jones Interviewed by Bob Costas

ITF 2013 | Scott Ross Masterclass On The State Of The VFX Industry

Everyone should watch this.



ITF 2013 | Scott Ross Masterclass by nifff-ch

Animated GIF of Framestore's GRAVITY Animation Crew

GRAVITY is out today!! It's hard to believe! I'm SO proud of this film! Framestore created some epic Animation and VFX for this show! Super proud to have been a part of this talented rock solid animation crew! Below is an awesome GIF of our animation crew put together by VFX ninja Dan Kunz.

Also check out:

// fxpodcast: Framestore’s Tim Webber on Gravity

Ralph Bakshi The Wizard of Animation

Will Vinton 'The Evolution of Claymation and Growth of 3D Animation' (RMCAD 2013)

This lecture by Will Vinton is superb!



Also check out:
// Will Vinton Studio 'Claymation Documentary' (1978)

// Will Vinton Set to Direct CGI Film “The Quest”

'GRAVITY' Featurettes and Interviews

Also check out:

// GRAVITY: Alfonso Cuaron Sandra Bullock Comic Con 2013

// 'Gravity' Premiere Q&A (TIFF 2013)

'Rob 'n' Ron' by TUMBLEHEAD Animation Studio

// TUMBLEHEAD Animation Studio



Making of 'Rob 'n' Ron'

Chuck Jones Q&A at Will Vinton Studios (1991)

This a rare lecture by Chuck Jones given at Will Vinton Studios in 1991. Unfortunately the audio is not the greatest so you'll have to crank the volume.

'Gravity' Premiere Q&A (TIFF 2013)

Also check out:

// GRAVITY: Alfonso Cuaron Sandra Bullock Comic Con 2013

Auntie Claus: Stop Motion Kickstarter Project From Athena Studios

This new Kickstarter project from Athena Studios looks amazing. Great to see another stop motion project in the Bay Area!

// Athena Studios

'CARN' Short Film By Jeff Le Bars

Really nice short film here by Jeff Le Bars.

Inside Kong: A View Of the King Kong Armature Animated Over The Original Film Footage

This is a fantastic project by Tom Woodruff Jr at studioADI. Awesome to be able to see the original armature of Kong over top the classic King Kong film footage! Rock!

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

Making of 'The Scarecrow' by Moonbot Studios

Very nice short film by Moonbot for Chipotle's new app-based game.