The History of Visual Effects by Matt Leonard

 

 Here is a fantastic reference of the history of VFX by Matt Leonard.

"In 1999 I was asked to write a brief overview of the history of the Visual Effects industry for a Hollywood publication CinemaGap.  This lead to a fascination with the history of Computer Graphics, Special and Visual Effects along with some aspects of Film and Animation. 
 
Below are links to my presentation,  20 years of research and hard work, and what I believe to be one of the most complete histories of the industry in one place on the internet.
 
And I'm making it available free for you to enjoy."

 Check it out here // The History of CG and VFX

Voted!

Disney Research - Realistic and Interactive Robot Gaze

 

The motion is feeling better but it's still in uncanny valley. Cool but creepy!

 

You can read the technical paper here:

// Disney Research - Realistic and Interactive Robot Gaze

 "We present a general architecture that seeks not only to create gaze interactions from a technological standpoint,but  also  through  the  lens  of  character  animation  where  the fidelity  and  believability  of  motion  is  paramount;" -Walt Disney Imagineering - Advanced Development, Glendale, California, USA

 

Over the Moon: Q&A With Director and Producers

 

BFI at Home | Over the Moon Q&A with director Glen Keane and producers Peilin Chou and Gennie Rim

 

Aaron Blaise - Animating a Cartoon Dog Run

 

Interview With Disney Character Designer Harald Siepermann

Harald Siepermann was a fantastic character designer and storyartist. I started following his blog in the early 2000's until he stopped posting in 2011. I highly recommend you check out his blog and website. There are tons of great stories, pictures and artwork from various productions he worked on over his 30 year career. Below is an old interview that I found recently. Sadly, it looks like it was posted just after he passed in 2013.

Blog: http://haraldsiepermann.blogspot.com/

Website:  https://haraldsiepermann.com/

NYFA Guest Speaker Series: Eric Goldberg (2018)

 "Eric Goldberg discusses his long history of work with Walt Disney Animation Studios and Warner Bros Animation and praise hand-drawn animation in an increasingly digital world."

 

Freelance Work // Rocket League Cinematic Trailer

 I had the opportunity to work on this Rocket League trailer over the summer with Cloud 10 Studios. It was my first time as animation supervisor (there was another anim supe client side). It was a challenging project but it really came together!

 

Why Jurassic Park Looks Better Than Its Sequels

 

Unity, VR and the Making of Ready Player One

Jake Simpson - a 35 year veteran of the games industry -details the new methods and approaches of making CGI movies and how using Video Game engines made this all possible.

 

 

 Also check out:

// Every Video Game in 'Ready Player One' Explained By Author Ernest Cline

Joe Navarro Analyzes Body Language During the 2020 Conventions

 

 

I’m a Body Language Expert. Here’s What I Saw During the Conventions.

What did people’s faces and gestures tell us, rather than just their the scripted speeches?

 

 

Also, check out:

Former FBI Agent Explains How to Read Body Language

 

 

Interview With Animation Legend Dan Haskett

Here's a fantastic interview by artist Deborah Anderson with animation legend Dan Haskett! Dan shares some great stories and valuable advice about working in the animation industry. Check it out when you get a chance!

Also, check out Dan's interview with the Animation Guild over on the TAG Blog:

// A Discussion with Dan Haskett - pt. 1

// A Discussion with Dan Haskett - pt. 2

Lecture By Director Chris Buck: Making Disney's Frozen

Randy Haycock animation tests










Also check out:

// THR - Full Animator Oscar Roundtable Interview

Chris Buck (co-director of Frozen), Dan Scanlon (director of Monsters University), Chris Wedge (director of Epic), Kristine Belson (producer of The Croods), and Chris Meledandri (Illumination CEO and a producer of Despicable Me 2)

Dancing in the Movies (21st Century)

KLAUS | Walk Cycle Mash-up

Some great walks here! Nice reference!

Riot Games: URF Academy Free Resource For Educators

Riot Games URF Academy, a free resource for educators who seek to encourage and inspire the next generation of game designers. 

// Riot Games: URF Academy Online

Interview With Stop Motion Master Webser Colcord (1995)

What Is A Soundtrack Box?

More cool builds by Koka Nikoladze here: 

// nikoladze

Destiny 2: SuperAlloy's Pre-Vis for Season of the Worthy

// Interview with Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Animators

How Does Animation Work?

Here's a great beginner breakdown vid explaining a couple of general basics of animation. Beautiful work by Tyler Pacana.


 
How Does Animation Work? from Tyler Pacana on Vimeo.

KLAUS | Character Design Process

Sergio Pablos and character designer Torsten Schrank talk about the design process from Klaus.

Andrew Gordon: How to Tell an Incredible Story

 "How does PIXAR excel as a trailblazer and establish such an innovative company culture? Follow along as Andrew Gordon, the co-founder of The Animation Collaborative and a former Directing Animator at PIXAR, spills the secrets of how to companies can foster an spur innovation through storytelling."

Nathan Fowkes: Making Your Freelance Career Bulletproof

How I Became A Disney Animator

Buster Keaton: The Art of the Gag

We referenced Keaton a lot in the first Paddington film. He is a master of timing, expression and physical comedy. 

The Virtual Production of The Mandalorian

Martin Scorsese | David Lean Lecture 2019

LAIKA's Missing Link | Animating Action in Missing Link

Interview With Oscar-Shortlist VFX Team For 'Alita: Battle Angel'

This is the last feature film I worked on with Framestore. We had a blast working on the Motorball sequence of the film. 


The Oscar-Shortlist VFX team for Alita: Battle Angel talk about their work on the film.

 Richard Baneham - Visual Effects Supervisor for Lightstorm Entertainment Mike Cozens – Animation Supervisor Richard Hollander - VFX Supervisor Eric Saindon – Visual Effects Supervisor

Roger Deakins Breaks Down His Award-Winning Career