I Love Rolling Holds

In animation, takes get all the love; those big, broad, comedic reactions that Tex Avery mastered and the rest of us try to emulate.  Standing out like the class clown, takes win all popularity contests with animators and fans of animation alike.  But for every class clown,  there's a quiet kid representing the class with dignity and grace; in animation terms, the rolling hold.  

When I watch pencil tests and see rolling holds, I get a feeling not unlike drinking a Guinness really fast.  It's good.  I've felt this was since my student days, before I could afford Guinness, watching countless pencil tests of my classmates' films.  So what is it about the rolling hold that has a hold on me?

Richard Wolff on Cinematography, Photography and Art

Richard Keith Wolff has worked in the camera department on many animated commercials, feature films and TV series, including The Wind in The Willows, Heavy Metal, The Iron Giant and many episodes of Futurama, as well as working on independent films. He also works as a freelance photographer, photographing a wide variety of subjects. FLIP asked him to talk about his work.

The Best/Worst Father's Day

My Daughter, last Father's Day

Last year, I spent Father's Day in the Intensive Care Unit at the Atlantic City Trauma Center.  Not as a patient - my daughter, Megan, had been in one hell of a car wreck two days earlier, coming home from a movie matinee, and now here she was, with vining tubes and wires connecting her to a menagerie of medical machines.

My wife, Donna, had received the call, the one parents fear most, from the State Police.  Megan had driven her 1998 Buick off the highway and into several trees.  Her brother, Chris, was in the passenger seat and escaped with a mild concussion.  Megan took the worst of it, broadsiding a tree right at her door.  The EMTs had to cut the roof off the car to get to them.  They feared she would bleed to death, hence the helicopter.   Chris told us while they waited, he told his sister to hold his hand, that way they would know the other one was there.  Pretty heads up stuff for a 20 year old who was just in a serious wreck.

Canadian animator James Chiang rides the animation boom in Singapore

Studio One's Oddbods

James "JC" Chiang is a hugely talented animator with years of experience in the animation industry. He has worked on many feature films including Robots, Open Season, Ice Age: The Meltdown and Surf's Up. Some years ago he left the US to work in Singapore, and has recently been working as animation director at One Animation on their new animated series Oddbods. FLIP asked him to talk about what it has been like working in the booming Asian economy.

Richard Williams celebrates 80 animated years - at the Edinburgh Festival

My father is 80 years old this year. He doesn't look it. He still draws every day, working as passionately as ever on animation he describes as "the best work I've ever done". This single-minded commitment to doing the best possible work is part of the reason why his public appearances are pretty rare. Luckily for the rest of us, the Edinburgh Festival has managed to persuade him to put down his blackwing pencil and come and do a Q&A. Anyone who would like to hear him talk about his work in animation over the last 60 years will have a chance to buy tickets to a special screening and retrospective at the Edinburgh Festival on Saturday 29th June.

The Scream

Imagine Bambi running through the forest fire screaming  "AAH!   AHHHH!   Woah-oah!!!  AHHH!".  That's exactly how it would go if the film were made today.  It seems impossible for animated characters to keep their mouths shut while in danger anymore.

I remember watching Speed Racer as a kid and making fun of how Speed was constantly yelling "AAHH!! WOAH-OAH!!!"  Why race cars if it frightens you so much?  Speed's yelling stood out because no other cartoon characters did this - not Wacky Races, not Jonny Quest.  But all that's changed now.  AAAAAH!!

I have boarded chase sequences and pleaded with directors to not have the characters screaming "Whaa--aaaaH!!!   Woaaahhhh!   YAAAAAA!"   They never listen.  But I am right.  There is nothing - NOTHING - entertaining in watching someone in peril hollering nonstop.  There MAY be entertainment to be had in hollering at the right time, but when it is nonstop it loses all impact and just becomes a big sound crap.  So stop.  

Remembering Pocahontas

18 years ago today was the opening night of Pocahontas. It was premiered on 10 June 1995 on the great lawn in Central Park, projected onto four huge screens, each one 92 feet high. I wasn't there for the Premiere, but I did get to work on the picture itself, which I remember as a huge privilege, temporary membership of one of the world's most exclusive clubs - the Disney animator.

The Perils of Homogeny

In a recent post, I blamed the demise of 2D animated features on market saturation; there were just too many features out there.  But in CG land, there are more animated features than ever, with many of the same artists behind them.  Are CG animated features facing a similar fate?  Anyone who was around during the 2D  renaissance of the 1990's knows this is not out of the realm of possibilities.

So what can we do to protect ourselves?  As an artistic cog in the production wheel, all you can really do is keep growing as an artist.  Try to make contributions that are unique - don't repeat yourself.  Sometimes this is difficult, because that's what the people paying you want, but  remember - they only know what they have already seen, it's up to you to be creative.

FLIP's Victory Garden: The Tower - June Update

I know you're all aching to know how the garden tower is progressing after a month, so I have taken a few photos.

Left, the tower on May 3, right the tower today.

Watching seedlings is like in-betweening a long scene with four characters all on ones; progress is brutally slow.  For about three weeks after the left photo was taken, it looked pretty much like this.  Then, like elves switched out my plants overnight, it suddenly looked like the photo on the right.    

Who's Next?

"Betty Boop" drops in on producer Steve Leiva

Twenty years ago, I was directing the ill-fated  Betty Boop Movie for Richard Zanuck and MGM Studios. We were doing casting sessions - producers Jerry Rees and Steve Leiva, casting director Ronnie Yeskel  and me.  A parade of famous faces came through my office for three solid weeks.  What I found very surprising was the anxiety they felt about auditioning.  Many of them asked our receptionist if we were cool, and left saying, "That was the most fun I ever had at an audition."  No one told me we were supposed to be cruel to them.

To drop a few names....Chris Penn gave an hilarious read, came back ten minutes later, and asked to do it again.  Teri Garr was in a mood after getting horribly lost on the way, but about half way through her audition, she got that spark in her eye - the one you fell in love with in her movies.   We gave her a round of applause when she finished. We met with Bud Cort of Harold and Maude fame.  Paul Reubens, then recently of Florida porn theater arrest fame.  Met Shelley Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Helen Hunt, Virginia Madsen - had instant crushes on them all.  Ned Beatty came in to tell us that he does not read for parts and how dare we ask so much of the man who was raped in Deliverance.  Okay, Ned.  

With all the stars coming through our little studio offices in Burbank, our crew never expressed more than a cursory interest in what was going on.  But one afternoon, there was a big commotion.  I saw people walking with great purpose past my door toward the lobby, and lots of laughter and chatter.  Ronnie called to me, "Steve, I have someone here to meet you."

The Secret of Animation - revealed at last

Above is a very short and very funny video by Giovanni Braggio, revealing the hidden secrets of computer animation. How many times has someone in a pub explained to you that animation is easy now because the computer does all the work for you? What can you possibly say in response to this mind-numbingly annoying and patronising question?

Well, fear not - Giovanni has the answer for you. And it's even simpler than you thought.

---Alex

Time to Think

During pre-production on Looney Tunes: Back in Action, I met with director Joe Dante about the  animation director's position.  While talking to Joe and the producers, I expressed my opinion that they should storyboard the movie before building any sets to avoid making anything they would not use.  The producers laughed smugly, telling me they had five sound stages rocking out sets as we spoke.  Ha ha!   And furthermore, they will have only two months to board,  but that's okay because they're going to throw a lot of bodies at it.

"The problem with that,"  I said, "is there's no time to think."

Joe, a nice, laid back kind of guy, suddenly slammed his fist on his desk. "YES!"  he said.  "They NEVER give you time to think!"

I didn't get the job.  Thank GOD!

Time to think has become more and more scarce as computer technology allows work to be done faster.  But don't blame technology!  This is the same bean counting game producers have played for years,  but CG has given them a great excuse to push it beyond reason.  

The Cheapest Animation Studio in the World Will Make You an Animated Film for £25

www.peopleperhour.com - insert your logo here

Ten years ago, when I was working on Robots at Blue Sky Studios, animation boss and all-round Fox Studio supremo Chris Melandandri let us animators in on a secret - a new wave of indie animated features would soon be coming our way. Animation would, he predicted, not for long remain the sole preserve of well-financed animation studios. Soon we would see the rise of the independents - small, nimble production houses with great scripts and great ideas that would muscle in on the market.

Fun with Stoopid Buddies

Micro Mahem is a fun little short from Stoopid Buddy Studios, the Burbank, California  based stop-motion animation studio that brought us Robot Chicken.  The Stoopid Buddies are the actor Seth Green, animator John Havartine IV, producer Matthew Senreich, and director Eric Towner.

In Micro Mahem, they mix primitive stop motion models with fantastic camera work with hilarious results.  There's some interesting production still at the end as well.  They certainly seem to be enjoying their work.  Hats off to them!
-Steve

Five Most Annoying Things About Maya - an Open Letter to Autodesk

Even as Maya 2014 is launched, I know in advance it's not going to fix the things that drive me mad about this piece of software that has become the industry standard for digital animation. There are of course other 3D packages - Blender, 3D Studio Max, Softimage - but Maya is the one the industry most commonly uses. Whether you're in London or LA - Maya is king. Which brings us neatly to the burning issue - why don't Autodesk fix the things that drive everyone crazy about it?

My Awesome 21st Century Upgrade to Disneyland's Peter Pan Ride

I've had this idea for about eighteen years now.  I have no way of making it happen, but I do have an outlet to share the idea with you Imagineers out there, boldly assuming you haven't already considered this and abandoned it for some reason.   Here goes.....

I propose an entirely new Peter Pan ride, where you are sprinkled with pixie dust, think happy thoughts, then fly, actually fly, like Peter, Wendy, and the boys over London to Neverland.  You would not be in a fake boat riding on a clanky overhead rail.  You would be completely untethered.  What's the secret?  

Framestore opens up in Montreal - and more VFX jobs leave London

The growing and rather depressing trend for jobs to leave London's Soho and head for Canada seems to be picking up pace. Framestore, one of London's leading visual effects houses and the studio which, more than any other, helped to make London a global centre for VFX work, has opened up a new operation in Montreal - no doubt chasing generous Canadian tax credits.

Dan Scanlon's Indie Film "Tracy"

Before Dan Scanlon directed Monsters University, he did a mockumentary called Tracy.  He talked to FLIP about it back in 2008, when it was still a work-in-progress.  He described it as, "a fictional documentary about Tracy Knapp the host of a 1970's children show called The Imagination Train Station. The film is about his life, his resentful son, his alcoholic ex-wife, and his mysterious death in 1995.  It's a comedy."

Dan has posted the entire film on Vimeo.  

Tracy from Dan Scanlon on Vimeo.

Dan talked to FLIP about the film:

"The idea for the film came in 2003. Fellow story artist Brian Fee and I were trying to think of a short film idea to work on in our (then) endless spare time. We started talking about all the creepy 1970's children's shows we loved as kids, and how a lot of the hosts looked like porn stars. We thought it would be great if Brian played one of those host, with a porn afro and matching bushy mustache.  I've been making short 8mm films and videos since I was a kid, begging my friends and parents to dress up as robots and clowns for my movies. It was kind of cute then, it's not as cute when I'm asking them to do the same at 31".

The Art of Caricature - DreamWorks animator Jim Van Der Keyl reveals his secrets

Jim Van Der Keyl is a caricaturist and animator who has worked on many of the biggest animated hits from DreamWorks in recent years, including Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda2, Flushed Away, and Over the Hedge. In 1999 he was nominated for an Annie award for his animation on Brad Bird's masterpiece  The Iron Giant. He also writes books and DVDs on the art of caricature - truly a renaissance animator. FLIP asked him to reveal the secrets of the craft - how does an animator become a great caricaturist?

Matt Novak - the Disney animator who became a children's book author

Back in 1989 I spent a summer working at the newly built Disney MGM studios theme park in Orlando, Florida, which among other rides featured a tour of the "Magic of Disney Animation". The ride was real, in as much as the studio being toured actually made real films, such as Tummy Trouble, RollerCoaster Rabbit, and later Mulan. We called it the "goldfish bowl", since the visitors would watch us through the glass partition as we worked.

One of the very talented artists I met there was Matt Novak, who worked on many films including "Rescuers Down Under" and "Beauty and the Beast". Since leaving The Mouse he has built a successful career writing and illustrating children's books, winning awards and publishing dozens of titles. FLIP asked him a few questions about what it takes to make it in the competitive world of publishing.

More on The Ideal Workspace

Yesterday's post on studio space seemed to resonate with readers.  FLIP heard from a couple of art department veterans.  

Fred Cline's credits include The Little Mermaid, Bebe's Kids. Space Jam, and Robot Chicken.  Fred told FLIP:

"For me, there is a distraction issue any time there is shared space, and there is an isolation issue every time there is individual space. As for me, if I am storyboarding, I like to share space because it's easy to get a sort of tunnel vision where you are focusing on your own section of the film and not considering the whole picture. Sharing space as a storyboard artist gives a constant reminder of progress on other sections of the film. If I am designing or doing art direction, I need lack of distraction (or isolation) in order to accomplish the most in a limited amount of time. Apart from that, all I really need is an ergonomic chair, and a cintiq. I've found that a central seating area with coffee table and sofa/upholstered chair seating group adds to the collaborative process."

What is an Ideal Work Space?

On today's CBS Sunday Morning, Richard Schlesinger did a segment on the Herman Miller Company, where the office cubicle was created decades ago. Today, they're at it again, with a new design for the workspace; a large open space with no division among the ranks.

This may be a swell idea in certain companies, where constant communication among workers is more productive.  But what about in, say, an animation studio, a place where films are made one frame at a time by a crew of artists while another crew of non-artists concurrently keeps track of schedules, budgets, and work flow? How does that big open space work there?  FLIP asked some veteran animation folks about their ideal work environment.

Leticia Lichtwardt's work space.  Some TCM for the thick and thin.

My Roger Ramjet Coloring Book

You may recall from an earlier post, I am cleaning out my father's house, which is also my childhood house. Among the ancient treasures are some not so ancient ones from the 1960's, like my Roger Ramjet coloring book.

"Who's Roger Ramjet?" my wife asked.

A Brenda Chapman Exclusive You Won't Read Anywhere Else!

Brenda Chapman has found herself to be a lighting rod for controversy this year.  So FLIP asked the question no one else dared ask:

If you could use that lightning rod to raise zombie artists from the dead to make a film, who would you choose?

Her answers are bound to send another round of shock waves through the animation community.  Brace yourselves....

2D O.D.'d

I put forth the theory that 2D animation died of an overdose.

In the 1990's, 2D feature animation exploded, then imploded.  Where a couple of studios used to release a feature every four years, the triple whammy success of An American Tale, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and The Little Mermaid set the stage for what is now commonly referred to as The Animation Renaissance.

Dozens of new features were given the green light as every studio in town joined the dance. DreamWorks started in 1994 with Jeffrey Katzenburg taking the knife Eisner stuck in his back and shoving it right down Big Mike's throat - to the benefit of the artists. Their salaries doubled, tripled, even quadrupled as the two studios competed for talent.  In betweeners were getting paid upwards of $2700 a week.  Top artists 15 to 20K.