Showing posts with label animation history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animation history. Show all posts

Living Lines Library


 
Lines by James Baxter




Lines by Andreas Deja



Rescuers Pencil Test from FantasticAdam on Vimeo.

Lines by Milt Kahl


The Living Lines website is an amazing 
library of animated pencil tests!




Kaj Pindal : Laugh Lines

 
Kaj Pindal: Laugh Lines from Amir Avni on Vimeo.
 
Laugh Lines is a film portrait of animator Kaj Pindal.
 
 

Opening Text for Empire Strikes Back


Behind the scenes look at the opening text 
crawl shoot for Empire Strikes Back.

just because...

How to Draw Mickey Mouse


Micheal Sporn has posted a How to Draw Mickey Mouse Series here.





Tron

I must officially be a geek because this gets me excited about CG again.

Tissa David



I am flooded with emails from ambitious female animators entering the field and asking me for advice and mentoring. Sooooo, I wanted to give props to one female animator I have always admired and wished could have been MY mentor - Tissa David.

There is a sensual flow to her work that I just love. the lines of action drip with fluidity. I would love to animate like this woman one day.






The animated short above is an Ani-jam with over 30 NYC animators working to the theme of "eat or get eaten." Tissa David's section of the jam is at about 3:30 minutes into the short. She animated a dog eats pasta and you can see the gorgeous lines there as the pasta forms from a tornado whirlwind to the plate.




Micheal Sporn (one of my favorite animation bloggers)
posted the movie above on his Splog.
It's a great cycle Tissa David created for the animated short "Eggs."

Below is the Eggs short in it's entireity.



Thanatos & eros as a feudin' couple, love it. It gets off to a slow start but hang in there. From The Great American Dream Machine, a very cool 60s style (read free spirit) series on PBS in 1971. In the sub-plots the medical futurism seems very prescient.

Eggs Cast and Crew List:

* 1970
* Directed by: Faith Hubley, John Hubley
* Cast (in credits order): David Burns, Anita Ellis
* Produced by: Faith Hubley, John Hubley
* Original Music by: Quincy Jones
* Film Editing by: Faith Hubley
* Art Department: Nina Di Gangi, Nathan Garland, Susan Goldberger, Faith Hubley, John Hubley, Peter White
* Animation Department: Tissa David,
* Other crew: Jean Williams


Tissa David was born in Transylvania in 1921. She attended the Academy of Beaux Arts in Budapest, where she also co-owned an animation studio. She began her animation career in Budapest, Hungary in 1943, and escaped the Communist takeover of Hungary by moving to Paris in 1950 and directed the animated feature Bonjour Paris in 1953. She worked in Paris until 1955 when she moved to the United States. She has been working in the New York area since 1956 doing animation and direction for UPA, the Hubley's Storyboard Films, Inktank and Michael Sporn. She was a lead animator on Raggedy Ann in 1977.

Links:

Michael Sporn's Bio on Tissa David

Dave Nethery's Page about Tissa David

ASIFA Hall of Fame - Tissa David

Still hard at work - Tissa David IMDB

Animation Blog - Tissa David


Milt Kahl: The Animation Michelangelo


Dear Readers,
I apologize for being so absent. My new job has kept me quite busy, but I am coming up for air to tell you about this great event!!! I am HUGE Milt Kahl fan and the rest of the panel is definitely one you don't get to hear from every day!!! Hope to see you there!

As part of the Marc Davis Celebration of Animation,

the Academy presents a centennial celebration of

“Milt Kahl: The Animation Michelangelo”

Hosted by Andreas Deja.
Panel moderated by animation critic Charles Solomon.

Featuring Kathryn Beaumont, Brad Bird (F/V 76), Ron Clements, John Musker (F/V 77), and Floyd Norman.

Renowned for his unparalleled draftsmanship as well as his exacting nature, Milt Kahl (1909–1987), one of the “nine old men” Walt Disney relied upon to bring his creative vision to the screen, was the animator to whom the other eight turned when they had trouble with a character or scene.

Two of Kahl’s renowned colleagues, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, write in Disney Animation:The Illusion of Life, “Unlike many irascible temperaments who have filled the halls of history, Milt had a very sweet helpful side, when he chose. He gave unstintingly of his time and talent when it was to help the picture and almost as often to help a fellow artist who had a problem. However, he expected everyone coming for help to have worked hard and tried everything – to have done his best before coming.”

Throughout the ’50s and ’60s, when Kahl was responsible for the final design of many characters, he complained of being “saddled” with the animation of challenging, non-comic human characters such as Alice, Peter Pan, Wendy, and Sleeping Beauty’s Prince. But Kahl secretly relished the fact that it was his talent and drive that made these characters come alive.

This celebration of Milt Kahl will feature an insightful analysis of his animation drawings, rare film interviews with Kahl himself, and clips of his work from such Disney favorites as “Mickey’s Circus,” “Pinocchio,” “Bambi,” “Peter Pan,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Jungle Book” and “The Rescuers.” The clips will be interspersed with commentary from those who worked beside him and were inspired by him, revealing the rigorous process and fiery personality of a true animation legend.

Panelists

ANDREAS DEJA, one of the top animators of his generation, brought to life characters as diverse as Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast,” Scar in “The Lion King,” and Lilo in “Lilo & Stitch.”

KATHRYN BEAUMONT was the voice artist for Alice in “ Alice in Wonderland” and Wendy in “Peter Pan.”

BRAD BIRD has won the Animated Feature Film Oscar® twice, for his work on “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.”

RON CLEMENTS and JOHN MUSKER served as co-directors and writers on “The Great Mouse Detective,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” “Hercules” and “Treasure Planet.”

FLOYD NORMAN preceded his lengthy television animation career with experience as an apprentice/assistant to Milt Kahl on “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Sword in the Stone” and “The Jungle Book.”

All guests subject to availability.

Event Information

When

Monday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Where

Samuel Goldwyn Theater
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills , CA 90211

Directions, Parking & Theater Policies

All seating is unreserved.


Evolution of the Batman Logo

Watch Batman Logo Evolution

More:
History of the Batman logo

from 1939 to present by Todd Klein

Something about the modern version for Nightfall 1993 is really interesting to me...

Which one is YOUR favorite!




Ralph Bakshi Podcast

Bakshi says "Talent matters!"
...it's a great listen and reinforces much of what
Jamie and I tried to convey
in our book.
"We are but fleas standing on the shoulders of giants."

Listen to the Podcast



Bacher's Back !

Good news for all students of animation:

Hans Bacher is blogging again !   This is one to add to the bookmarks: 


Hans' book "Dreamworlds" on production design is a must-have.

Check out this great post where he analyzes the color palette in these beautiful background paintings from "Bambi"  --

(click the image to view it larger)

Tell Tale Heart Animation



The Tell-Tale Heart is a wonderful animated short film of 1953 based on Edgar Allan Poe short-story. The story told by a mad man has a dark visual with a perfect work of narration by James Mason. It is a UPA Production and was the first cartoon to be X-rated (adults only) in Great Britain under the British Board of Film Censors classification system. Really great - you have to see it.

Thanks Hackett...


Siggraph 2008 LA August 11 - August 15th



I am so glad that Siggraph is in Los Angeles this year. I don't have to travel or get a hotel! Also, the new staff for Siggraph seem to be working very hard to make the show more accessible to artists and broader than just the white papers and the usual techie stuff. The theme EVOLVE for this year's show couldn't be more on point.

I love the new perspective on what the show should be about, in light of the evolution of the medium and more and more artists working in visual effects. CG Society has a great article covering many of the new things Siggraph is exploring this year...Check the article out! It's looking like it might even reflect more of what Massive Black has been doing in San Francisco with the show Insomania.


The show is actually Monday through Friday (August 11 - August 15th) this year, instead of the usual starting on a Sunday. This is really better for the exhibitors since most people just are not there on a Sunday.

Last year, I was working for Side Effects Software. I got a real "behind the scenes experience" of what it's like to be an exhibitor for Siggraph. It's exhausting, so be nice to anyone you see working the floor and bring them a water or buy them a beer if you see them out at night. Especially Leyla Tirgari or Cristin Barghiel - they are going to need it.

As far as speakers, it's no secret I am a HUGE fan of Ed Catmull. last time I had the opportunity to see him speak in person it was 1995 at NATE and he was talking about the revolutionary new tool - NURBS. Wowsie Wow, that was a whiel ago. Anyways he is on fo the featured speakers and I just might have to be a little under the weather that Monday morning for work, if I am not allowed to attend.



SIGGRAPH 2010 Conference Chair Terrence Masson says to prepares for Siggraph this year: Ask your vendors for Exhibit passes as always ... but Basic one-day passes are only $45 (deal of the century IMHO), one day Computer Animation Festival passes are also only $50.

More details :
http://www.siggraph.org/s2008/attendees/registration/fees.php

BOF's are here :
http://www.siggraph.org/s2008/attendees/birds/

****************************************************
Siggraph Parties:


Houdini - No Party This Year :(
It's the end of an era.
Houdini always was known for the best
party of the year at Siggraph.
But, no more...


****************************************************
Siggraph Chapters Party
...going to be at Dodgers Stadium this year!
http://www.siggraph.org/s2008/attendees/reception/



****************************************************


Softimage User Event & Party
Where: Club 740
Tuesday, August 12th, 8:00PM – 1:00AM

Club 740 in downtown Los Angeles
Celebrate at one of L.A’s premier nightclubs.
Featuring the latest news from Softimage
and unforgettable guest performances, this event is sure
to be the talk of the show.
Space is limited – register now

That is all I can find at this time.

If you know of an event, let me know and I will add it to this posting.





Bruce Bickford





MONSTER ROAD is a feature length documentary about the life and work of legendary underground animator Bruce Bickford. Best known for his collaborations with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, Bickford is an international cult figure who has influenced generations of animators while somehow eluding mainstream notoriety. Directed by Brett Ingram, MONSTER ROAD won sixteen awards including "Best Documentary" at the Slamdance Film Festival before a two-year run on Sundance Channel. The new MONSTER ROAD "Collector's Edition" DVD is available, along with Bruce Bickford's animated masterpiece PROMETHEUS' GARDEN, exclusively at www.brettingram.org