Jason Schleifer: How to Plan for Animation

Here's a quick animation process breakdown by animator extraordinaire Jason Schleifer.

More detailed info can be found here:  
// How to Plan for Animation via Nimble Collective

Interview With Artist Nathan Fowkes

Peter Jackson's Original King Kong Stop-Motion Armature

Moana: Behind The Scenes

Great Acting: Interview with Sir Laurence Olivier (1966)

The office of drama is to exercise, possibly to exhaust, human emotions. The purpose of comedy is to tickle those emotions into an expression of light relief; of tragedy, to wound them and bring the relief of tears. Disgust and terror are the other points of the compass. - Sir Laurence Olivier

Making of Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

Interview with ILM Artists Mark Dippé and Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams

Great interview over on Cartoon Brew with vfx mavericks Spaz Williams and Mark Dippé. 


// ILM’s Rebel ‘Jurassic Park’ Artists Reflect On The State of VFX Art Today via Cartoon Brew

Movie Geometry: Shaping the Way You Think

Walking Your Octopus | Google Talk With Disney Story Artist Brian Kesinger

Children's Book Author-Illustrator Timothy Basil Ering Talks Process and Inspiration

Seven Samurai: Drama Through Action

Movie Masterclass: The Seven Samurai

TIFF 2016: The Red Turtle Q&A With Director Michael Dudok de Wit

Understanding the Cinematography of Conrad Hall

Tex Avery and the Looney Tunes Revolution

A Theory of Film Music

'Zootopia' Character Animation

The Iron Giant Crew/Gag Reel (1998)

Great to see this footage of Warner Feature Animation taken during the production of The Iron Giant. The animation tests are a lot of fun! Adam Dotson animator extraordinaire who was a CG Animator on the film was kind enough to upload it!

Making Of Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr (1924)

Cartoon Legends Speak: Diversity and History of Animation SDCC 2016

A panel featuring great artists including Disney Legend, and first African-American animator hired at Walt Disney Studios, Floyd Norman (The Jungle Book, Monsters, Inc), first African-American animator to get a screen credit and award winning illustrator Ron Husband (The Rescuers, The Little Mermaid), Japanese-American and Inkpot winner Willie Ito (Lady & the Tramp, The Flintstones), Jane Baer (Sleeping Beauty, Roger Rabbit) and Emmy Award winning Mexican-American Phil Roman (Sleeping Beauty, The Simpsons) discuss their careers, their futures, and how diversity has played a role in their artistic lives. Moderated by Leslie Combemale of Animation Scoop.

Kubo and the Two Strings: Behind the Scenes

Interview: Kubo & The Two Strings, Art Parkinson, Travis Knight

Aaron Blaise: Horse Run Cycle Breakdown

Aaron Blaise posted this excellent horse run cycle cheat sheet today on his Twitter feed. Great reference! Also, checkout the animated cycle below.

You can follow him on Twitter here: @AaronBlaiseArt

pic.twitter.com/DpWtPxHh0S

— Aaron Blaise (@AaronBlaiseArt) August 17, 2016

The Little Prince: Stop Motion Animation Behind the Scenes

What a beautiful film! Such a shame it wasn't released in US theaters. Glad Netflix picked it up! Bravo!



// Paramount Scraps Release of Animated 'Little Prince'

PetaPixel: Understanding Basic Compositional Elements

Check out this great article on PetaPixel featuring basic composition elements and staging. It's a short and simple breakdown with solid examples and commentary.

// Understanding Basic Aesthetics in Photography

Star Trek: Restoring the Original Enterprise Model

// The Smithsonian gives the USS Enterprise an honored place in the Air and Space Museum

// Up Close and Personal With the Restoration of Star Trek's Original Enterprise



SPACEDOCK from william george on Vimeo.

An Afternoon With Legendary Illustrator Jack Davis

Sad to hear the news about Jack Davis. Such an amazing talent.


// Mad Magazine And EC Comics Artist Jack Davis Dies At 91



An Afternoon With Jack Davis





Jack Davis Interview for Book "Drawing American Pop Culture"





Jack Davis Commercials

The Wyeth Legacy: A Family of Artists

This is a great lecture by Joyce Hill Stoner who is the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Material Culture at the University of Delaware. She compares the three generations of Wyeth artists (N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth) and delves into the history and inspiration behind their work.

Making of Movie Titles: Interview with Designer Dan Perri

Title designer Dan Perri explains how he designed movie titles for films such as "Star Wars," "The Exorcist," and "Raging Bull."

Finding Dory Q&A with Pixar Co-directors and Producer

Co-directors Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane and producer Lindsey Collins discuss the challenges of making a sequel 13 years after Finding Nemo and explain the inspiration behind both films.

Zootopia: Interview With Directors Rich Moore and Byron Howard

Also check out:
// Imagining Zootopia (Full Documentary)

Case Study: Cinematography of 'The Revenant'

Interview with Director and Animator Dean Wellins

Great interview with animator, story artist and director Dean Wellins. He talks about how he  started in the industry and includes some solid advice for students.

Eerie Mystery of Scooby Doo

Creative Spark: Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Also watch:

// Interview: 'Kung Fu Panda 2' director Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Neuroscientist and the Art of Filmmaking

Full article here:
// Neuroscientist takes scientific look at art of filmmaking

Update: New 'Rock Dog' Trailer and Posters

Some interesting character movie posters for Rock Dog have been released. Looks like the film will be opening in Chinese theaters on July 8th. 
 

Here's the new Chinese trailer for the film. I have a couple of shots toward the end with Bodi and Linnux.

Dialogue in Film: How Should Characters Talk?

Pixar Anim Supe Scott Clark Talks Animation Process

It’s All About Story And Nothing Else

Also check out this great list of screenwriting blogs via NYFA:

// The Best Screenwriting Blogs

Yasujiro Ozu: Quiet Cinematography

Here's a short case study featuring cinematographer Yasujiro Ozu that focuses on his use of depth, composition and pillow shots.

Steven Spielberg Speech | Harvard Commencement 2016

Creative Spark: Laika Stop Motion Designer Deborah Cook

Also check out

// The Challenges of Designing Tiny Costumes for “The Boxtrolls” via Cartoon Brew

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Angela Duckworth, PhD, is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. In her new book, GRIT, she explores the science of why some people succeed and others fail, and why talent alone doesn’t guarantee success. She shows that perseverance and passion matter at least as much as talent and intelligence.



// What Is Your GRIT Score?






NPR: Human Brain

// The Power And Problem Of Grit

The Force Awakens: Tippett Studio Holochess Stop-Motion Reel

Art of the Heist: The Lady In Gold

Fantastic documentary and unbelievable story about Maria Bloch-Bauer Altmann's battle with the Austrian government to regain possession of her family's famous painting  Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by master painter Gustav Klimt. The painting was originally stolen from the family by the Nazis at the outset of World War II.

Art of the Heist: The Lady In Gold

Inside Robocop: Interview With Screenwriter Michael Miner

The 80 Best-Directed Films According to the Directors Guild of America

To commemorate the DGA's 80th anniversary this year, members decided to put together a list of the '80 greatest directorial achievements in feature films since the Guild’s founding in 1936.' How many have you seen? Thanks to @vrenee_nfs over on No Film School for the heads up!

The 80 Best-Directed Films

1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
2. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
3. Lawrence of Arabia (David Lean, 1962)
4. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
5. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
6. The Godfather: Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
7. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
8. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)
9. Gone With the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)
10. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
11. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
12. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
13. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
14. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
15. It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
16. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)
17. The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)
18. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)
19. Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977)
20. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
21. On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954)
22. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
23. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982)
24. Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
25. Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998)
26. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)
27. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)
28. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
29. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
30. Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950)
31. To Kill A Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962)
32. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
33. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)
34. Forrest Gump (Robert Zemeckis, 1994)
35. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952)
36. 8 ½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
37. The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)
38. The Best Years of Our Lives (William Wyler, 1946)
39. Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
40. The Bridge on the River Kwai (David Lean, 1957)
41. North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959)
42. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman, 1975)
43. The Sound of Music (Robert Wise, 1965)
44. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
45. Titanic (James Cameron, 1997)
46. The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980)
47. Amadeus (Miloš Forman, 1984)
48. Doctor Zhivago (David Lean, 1965)
49. West Side Story (Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise, 1961) 
50. Some Like it Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)
51. Ben-Hur (William Wyler, 1959)
52. Fargo (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, 1996)
53. The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
54. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
55. Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)
56. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)
57. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (John Huston, 1948)
58. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2014)
59. All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950)
60. The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, 1978)
61. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
62. The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973)
63. The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah, 1969)
64. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)
65. Rocky (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
66. The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970)
67. Gandhi (Richard Attenborough, 1982)
68. The Bicycle Thief (Vittorio De Sica, 1948)
69. Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)
70. Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985)
71. The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford, 1940)
72. All the President’s Men (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)
73. Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
74. Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)
75. Once Upon a Time in America (Sergio Leone, 1984)
76. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
77. The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995)
78. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
79. Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)
80. Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968)