Vicky's Home: Animation

Showing posts with label Animation. Show all posts

Showing posts with label Animation. Show all posts

Short Film about a Magical Sketchbook

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sUy6WJL7wV8" width="450"></iframe><br />"Lila" is a short wordless film that follows a young woman with her magical sketchbook. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUy6WJL7wV8">Link to video</a>).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpYauOXcu85yM5kTK5VR2_FDQNkWCSsU2lbQzC9-oQhyphenhyphenGJqaUDdOuZ8Chg4tT5XqhKBTitv4H_Hk7c6LmS6YP35-Qd7-NzRfZybCSVuWF21sFKXulIIcG-lemyKlU2qearY-nilPJs38s/s1600/Lila+Lascano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpYauOXcu85yM5kTK5VR2_FDQNkWCSsU2lbQzC9-oQhyphenhyphenGJqaUDdOuZ8Chg4tT5XqhKBTitv4H_Hk7c6LmS6YP35-Qd7-NzRfZybCSVuWF21sFKXulIIcG-lemyKlU2qearY-nilPJs38s/s1600/Lila+Lascano.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Fantasy meets reality when she holds up her sketches next to her subjects. The drawings animate and seem to enter the subjects' worlds.<br /><br />The film's <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2014/07/magic-realism.html">magic realism</a>, and the idea of a woman mending the lives of others, make it a cousin to a film like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/">Am</a>é<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/">lie</a>. The videography makes artistic use of warm colors and shallow focus. The filmmaker is Carlos Lascano, a multi-talented artist who is equally at home in comics, animation, photography, and illustration.<br /><br />If you want to see more by Mr. Lascano, check out the previous films in the trilogy, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxbOQWQ_hho">A Short Love Story in Stop Motion</a>" and "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aktY_wlYvNM">A Shadow of Blue</a>."<br /><br />Thanks, Nenko Genov.

Short Film about a Magical Sketchbook

Short Film about a Magical Sketchbook

"Lila" is a short wordless film that follows a young woman with her magical sketchbook. ( Link to video ). Fantasy meets reality w...

07:15

Clement on the Can — New CLEMENTOONS Adventure

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sw2ekn5quYs" width="450"></iframe><br />In this brand new episode of CLEMENTOONS, Clement makes a sled out of a crushed soda can and embarks on a wild ride. <span style="text-align: center;">(</span><a href="http://youtu.be/sw2ekn5quYs" style="text-align: center;">Direct link to video</a><span style="text-align: center;">)</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: center;">CLEMENTOONS is my stop-motion animated adventure series about a little cartoon person on a perilous journey through the real world to the toyland of Melville. </span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSM4TEEdiMSat8pTuJMqCwLvkyfbxGq8IKofvIbhw_CvKNo2yaGiXDBfYs_hyphenhyphen1BZF9F22cFMqH8wuWRrEISlH7UWQk76oSvus0bxca4UY129X8Z5pYB6vZU4teVqbOtxtjrUb6TES_jpD/s1600/Clement.Can.Molly.sm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSM4TEEdiMSat8pTuJMqCwLvkyfbxGq8IKofvIbhw_CvKNo2yaGiXDBfYs_hyphenhyphen1BZF9F22cFMqH8wuWRrEISlH7UWQk76oSvus0bxca4UY129X8Z5pYB6vZU4teVqbOtxtjrUb6TES_jpD/s1600/Clement.Can.Molly.sm.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />The animation is painstakingly shot frame by frame and then compiled into a movie. In this shot, a geared-down Lego motor pulls the sleds at a constant but very slow rate, while a still camera shoots at five second intervals.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkiK8IDBgx2kaw4cXIwHvprkgPHFSeRFuMFtS_HKaq3Zx_hLQ7q7ZSKUn-F86QmOjEnfGXSFpqyy_tVM365rnFerszQM1otYZoLNWwzA6N07-nwZ50L1vhljMz7bkxbu6TDT8GcH7lkj1/s1600/Clement+Action.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkiK8IDBgx2kaw4cXIwHvprkgPHFSeRFuMFtS_HKaq3Zx_hLQ7q7ZSKUn-F86QmOjEnfGXSFpqyy_tVM365rnFerszQM1otYZoLNWwzA6N07-nwZ50L1vhljMz7bkxbu6TDT8GcH7lkj1/s1600/Clement+Action.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />There's no green-screen and no digital effects. When Clement goes through the brambles, he's really going through them. <br /><br /><span style="text-align: center;">The episodes will be released out of order. Each one begins with an escape and ends with a cliffhanger. </span><br /><span style="text-align: center;">------</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;">Previous videos:</span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHJDMdv223A">Clement Meets Miss Bubbles</a></span><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc0RCFhAzkc">Clementoons: Behind the Scenes</a></span><br />Song by <a href="https://archive.org/details/FrankieTrumbauer-01-50">Frankie Trumbauer "There'll Come a Time," 1927</a>,<br />Clementoons theme music by <a href="http://www.yanksband.com/">The Yanks, "If There Weren't Any Women in the World" </a>

Clement on the Can — New CLEMENTOONS Adventure

Clement on the Can — New CLEMENTOONS Adventure

In this brand new episode of CLEMENTOONS, Clement makes a sled out of a crushed soda can and embarks on a wild ride. ( Direct link to video...

06:01

Pixar supercut arranged ROYGBIV

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/105089367" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br /> <a href="http://vimeo.com/105089367">ROYGBIV: A Pixar Supercut</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/rishikaneria">Rishi Kaneria</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />Editor Rishi Kaneria excerpted short scenes from the Pixar films and arranged them according to the spectrum, showing how much individual sequences are shifted to a particular narrow color gamuts. (<a href="http://vimeo.com/105089367">Link to Vimeo video</a>)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczcBb2vsZAoec80lmFJdaapFR8lRM231eAdx0jsqlfJYCt_rEwG0jhB_8BFmeeeM_SBAzVUEZOo1s1cv29kZYCV-l_H_A2m2mlCKA13HuAp62ivZsFOFczdJAwQ5JAZe3Wj5Y0JvtwLgF/s1600/Pixar+Color+Script.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhczcBb2vsZAoec80lmFJdaapFR8lRM231eAdx0jsqlfJYCt_rEwG0jhB_8BFmeeeM_SBAzVUEZOo1s1cv29kZYCV-l_H_A2m2mlCKA13HuAp62ivZsFOFczdJAwQ5JAZe3Wj5Y0JvtwLgF/s1600/Pixar+Color+Script.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="flex-video" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4e5860; font-family: 'FF Tisa', Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 28.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div>Here's the color script for the movie "Up." The high-chroma sequences are interspersed between gray or neutral ones, and the intense colors are reserved for important emotional moments of the film.<br /><br />Film = color + time.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXlyjtmHvfEwvlT7ZQayRjLBfsU82i2tAEn5up5YH82pM_w066_rm3msZDsjgLlXQPO-hz-AQ5OTr5T0vsN45K93sdsSDLeG7ddpqamTEigBObg0QU3u1lUaZUwfM4ko-3-CVuVobEFS7/s1600/Color+Script+Incredibles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXlyjtmHvfEwvlT7ZQayRjLBfsU82i2tAEn5up5YH82pM_w066_rm3msZDsjgLlXQPO-hz-AQ5OTr5T0vsN45K93sdsSDLeG7ddpqamTEigBObg0QU3u1lUaZUwfM4ko-3-CVuVobEFS7/s1600/Color+Script+Incredibles.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This color script for "The Incredibles" not only suggests a palette of colors for each sequence, but a set of basic geometric ingredients, known as the "shape language" for that part of the film.<br /><br />All images © Disney/Pixar, via<a href="http://thenextweb.com/creativity/2014/09/20/pixars-palette-explored-captivating-color-blocked-supercut/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNextWeb+(The+Next+Web+All+Stories)"> TNW</a>

Pixar supercut arranged ROYGBIV

Pixar supercut arranged ROYGBIV

ROYGBIV: A Pixar Supercut from Rishi Kaneria on Vimeo . Editor Rishi Kaneria excerpted short scenes from the Pixar films and arranged the...

06:05

How do we move when we breathe?

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4CRMgPcgKp4" width="450"></iframe><br />(<a href="http://youtu.be/4CRMgPcgKp4">Direct link to YouTube video</a>)<br /><br />How does your body move when you breathe? Well, of course the rib cage expands and contracts, but surprisingly the movement is more up and down than it is in and out, says Michael Black, co-author of a computer graphics study presented at the recent Siggraph.<br /><br />There are many more small but observable movements going on. The arms push out, the head goes back and forth, and the spine flexes. The movements are slightly different for "stomach breathing" compared to "chest breathing," something that singers are very conscious of. One possible flaw in the methodology of this study is that subjects were asked to "breathe normally," a sure way to make them breathe unnaturally.<br /><br />Once you learn to recognize the subtle body changes that accompany breathing, you won't look at a posed model the same way, and you'll notice actors in movies controlling their breathing as part of their performance.<br /><br />Animators will be able to input this breathing data with simple controls, including a spirometer, which records breathing volume. In the future, when actors record their voice parts for CG animated films, they'll be able to record their breath acting as well. That information will yield a more believable and lifelike performance, whether the character they're playing is a realistic human or a talking turnip.<br /><br />The authors are: Tsoli, A., Mahmood, N. and Black, M.J.,<br />The paper is entitled: "Breathing Life into Shape: Capturing, Modeling and Animating 3D Human Breathing"

How do we move when we breathe?

How do we move when we breathe?

( Direct link to YouTube video ) How does your body move when you breathe? Well, of course the rib cage expands and contracts, but surprisin...

04:59

Gustav Doré in Paper Cutout Animation

Gustav Doré in Paper Cutout Animation

Gustav Doré in Paper Cutout Animation

Lorenzo Papace and Vincent Pianina created this stop-motion animated film of Gustav Doré (1832-1883) climbing a mountain. The film was made ...

09:02

How to Train an Animator

In 1935, Walt Disney wrote an <a href="http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/06/how-to-train-animator-by-walt-disney.html">eight page memo</a> to art teacher Don Graham outlining his ideas for how to train an animator.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4pKnF9XeraBSkyXg5_wIo4Qy-aDXxus8EKAb0hCeZRJHw03h6PQX9jys355_lQSHFXsA2wmczOGviwVU9qu4EGxmSofu0wifmVu07YYtP6yvr-p3GMEEmp-DO_14dn_enZWKxvBOv4iQ/s1600/Ricosm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4pKnF9XeraBSkyXg5_wIo4Qy-aDXxus8EKAb0hCeZRJHw03h6PQX9jys355_lQSHFXsA2wmczOGviwVU9qu4EGxmSofu0wifmVu07YYtP6yvr-p3GMEEmp-DO_14dn_enZWKxvBOv4iQ/s1600/Ricosm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rico Lebrun works with Eric Larson as he draws a live deer in preparation for <i>Bambi </i>from <a href="http://eye-likey.blogspot.com/2012/10/welcome-to-freaktober-show-4-check-out.html">Eye-Likey</a></td></tr></tbody></table>It's a snapshot of what Disney was thinking about the art of animation during those formative years just before <i>Snow White </i>and <i>Pinocchio,</i> and it offers some ideas that might inspire current art teachers. Here are some exerpts:<br /><br /><i>"I have often wondered why, in your life drawing class, you don't have your men look at the model and draw a caricature of the model, rather than an actual sketch. But instruct them to draw the caricature in good form, basing it on the actual model."</i><br /><i><br /></i><i>"In [drawing the model] lifting, for example - or other actions - we should drive at the fundamentals of the animation, and at the same time, incorporate the caricature. When someone is lifting a heavy weight, what do you feel? Do you feel that something is liable to crack at any minute and drop down? Do you feel that because of the pressure he's got, he's going to blow up, that his face is going to turn purple, that his eyes are going to bulge out of their sockets?"</i><br /><i><br /></i>Disney observed that young animators often dwelled on the individual parts of the body that they were animating instead of the expression of the overall pose. To better understand expressive poses, he suggested setting up a translucent screen with the model behind the screen, seen only by the shadow silhouette cast by a spotlight behind, which was in fact an old parlor game.<br /><br />He goes on to suggest ideas for teaching about the components of facial expression, staging, music, dialog, and the understanding of what drives the movement of the figure. <i>"The driving force behind the action is the mood, the personality, the attitude of the character - or all three. Therefore the mind is the pilot."</i><br /><i><br /></i><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JGJIdtudI1Q" width="420"></iframe><br />In this video, Disney talks about how his in-studio training program went beyond the static poses that were taught in typical art schools by focusing on the flow of movement, action, and reaction. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGJIdtudI1Q">link to video</a>).<br /><br />Walt's interest in an in-house studio was initially inspired by animator Art Babbit, who brought his fellow artists to his home to do figure drawing. Here's more about <a href="http://www.awn.com/animationworld/art-babbitt-class-his-own">Art Babbit's role in animation education at Disney in the 1930s</a>.<br /><br />Artist <a href="http://eye-likey.blogspot.com/2012/10/welcome-to-freaktober-show-4-check-out.html">Rico Lebrun was brought into the program later in the 1930s, primarily to help with <i>Bambi</i>. Read about his Disney art classes here.</a><br /><br /><i>Further reading</i><br />Online:<br /><a href="http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/06/how-to-train-animator-by-walt-disney.html">Full text of Disney's letter to Don Graham</a><br />Books:<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786860707/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0786860707&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=AI2SFIK7NATS66DR">The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0786860707" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240810961/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0240810961&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=O4ZKVY6SIO64UIQK">Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0240810961" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086547897X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=086547897X&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=7TGS4KTDJT3I2OIP">The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=086547897X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (great book by <i>Roger Rabbit's </i>animation supervisor, who learned a lot from Art Babbitt and other classic animators).

How to Train an Animator

How to Train an Animator

In 1935, Walt Disney wrote an eight page memo to art teacher Don Graham outlining his ideas for how to train an animator. Rico Lebrun works...

07:06

Pinocchio in the Bird Cage

Ken Anderson relates the following details about the complexity of one of the scenes in Disney's <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinocchio_(1940_film)">Pinocchio</a></i> (1940):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhsISSmaIVxH2jXygXZBsbrtBzYmt7aN5dY2aR-ZtfTk_jZYCNDDA5QBS8esQjYMs2_86xKPXvA5Gnv9OH09Ug-SaOraqSiwPLyTJ5d-I7dSiO9qarcv8yML_Cc1v14-mkXWGm1llk0Z7/s1600/hulett-pinocchio-anderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhsISSmaIVxH2jXygXZBsbrtBzYmt7aN5dY2aR-ZtfTk_jZYCNDDA5QBS8esQjYMs2_86xKPXvA5Gnv9OH09Ug-SaOraqSiwPLyTJ5d-I7dSiO9qarcv8yML_Cc1v14-mkXWGm1llk0Z7/s1600/hulett-pinocchio-anderson.jpg" /></a></div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The most difficult multi-plane shot in terms of design and layout was far from the most spectacular of the film. It’s where Pinocchio is locked in the bird cage in Stromboli’s wagon, and the wagon is moving. You had a great number of levels. There were the swinging bars of the cage, and that cage had two levels, front and back. Pinocchio was inside, responding to the pull of gravity. The problems of proper registration was tremendous. On top of that, you had swinging puppets in the foreground and light coming in the window with the moon shining on the farthest level back. The moon was held while the other things were moving and swinging. The light ray of the blue fairy had to be airbrushed through the window. The final result looks natural, but planning all the effects was very complicated. And expensive."</blockquote><a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/untold-tales/mouse-in-transition-detour-into-disney-history-chapter-6-101450.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews">From Cartoon Brew</a>, where Steve Hulett has been presenting a serialized memoir called <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/untold-tales/mouse-in-transition-detour-into-disney-history-chapter-6-101450.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews">"Mouse in Transition"</a> about his years at Walt Disney animation. While he was there, he interviewed older animators, including Ken Anderson, about their work on Pinocchio.<br />Images copyright Disney Enterprises

Pinocchio in the Bird Cage

Pinocchio in the Bird Cage

Ken Anderson relates the following details about the complexity of one of the scenes in Disney's Pinocchio (1940): "The most diffi...

07:05

Elongated In-Betweens

In the 1930s and '40s, animators became fascinated by <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/01/motion-blur.html">motion blur</a> effects in fast action photography, and they invented creative ways to simulate it on acetate cels.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsftm6lFRk0qQnhWQ178eDwvPsSO-P8XDhkzSHs5jdyR1LHDmG7DgOE1FW45MljUIz2Lmpc_LSWIPtYXGN3pxO_PLPCNZ3eSD5lYFASVmStQ_qmUbwkgB_XBCWwn_FJb6tAIVfEbZ1Rnal/s1600/TORTOISE+AND+HARE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsftm6lFRk0qQnhWQ178eDwvPsSO-P8XDhkzSHs5jdyR1LHDmG7DgOE1FW45MljUIz2Lmpc_LSWIPtYXGN3pxO_PLPCNZ3eSD5lYFASVmStQ_qmUbwkgB_XBCWwn_FJb6tAIVfEbZ1Rnal/s1600/TORTOISE+AND+HARE.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A 1935 Disney short called "The Tortoise and the Hare" used drybrush effects along the legs' path of action, plus speed lines in the overall direction of the character's motion. The cel painters had to develop special skills to pull this off, and effects like this drove up the budgets of the Disney cartoons.<br /><br />With the austerity brought on by the 1941 strike and World War II, budgets tightened. Animators over at Warner Brothers figured out how to get similar effects more efficiently.<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM15vqDcqxKYfoCwikHaHH9JF_3WRBUS-jGrnqQOlM5PW0fmOp6mJrAIZc1BA8_4KI1bI26O2jeuPz4AdLFcXPq_ZSb0DVBQ4NanjQ2elPL3TZKwSlO3-kPq8G3DQFU7fOmqU2LM8goo2U/s1600/Picture+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM15vqDcqxKYfoCwikHaHH9JF_3WRBUS-jGrnqQOlM5PW0fmOp6mJrAIZc1BA8_4KI1bI26O2jeuPz4AdLFcXPq_ZSb0DVBQ4NanjQ2elPL3TZKwSlO3-kPq8G3DQFU7fOmqU2LM8goo2U/s1600/Picture+3.png" width="400" /></a></div><div>In 1942, Chuck Jones directed "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpOPyjmB8SI">The Dover Boys at Pimento University</a>," which achieved startling motion effects with fewer drawings. Here's what the poses look like when the Dover Boys were holding still. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg184QnN8vQSeBzfxumN7DRJ1hps30TZnCBw9rzjYtvZ0OOsaxR9BH8dqT2MjMKY38lYBgGmFKaBXmDix7zn0JzN8RmvEK2hZLIOknA312wm7MlKXzZEYPfkhi1u9C-MGRMiEPgbQ6K0epc/s1600/Bugs+Bunny+Pimento+U.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg184QnN8vQSeBzfxumN7DRJ1hps30TZnCBw9rzjYtvZ0OOsaxR9BH8dqT2MjMKY38lYBgGmFKaBXmDix7zn0JzN8RmvEK2hZLIOknA312wm7MlKXzZEYPfkhi1u9C-MGRMiEPgbQ6K0epc/s1600/Bugs+Bunny+Pimento+U.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: center;">When the characters moved, they became wildly distorted drawings. This cel appeared on screen for just one frame. </span><span style="text-align: center;">One frame out of the 24 frames that flash by each second can't really be seen consciously, but it is certainly felt.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABCOY1oA8Y0iptCK_VjnwxicA51IyIIWDSfX5h17ufKLXssKBsZaM7kLnmKOHJnhgElv-eKR7RlobyOKBV-62fEvYAN4JJeKRR4jl3HccPB88CPiDiFr1_CeV0n3Emb0baQZPvRcEevQi/s1600/Smear+Inbetween.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiABCOY1oA8Y0iptCK_VjnwxicA51IyIIWDSfX5h17ufKLXssKBsZaM7kLnmKOHJnhgElv-eKR7RlobyOKBV-62fEvYAN4JJeKRR4jl3HccPB88CPiDiFr1_CeV0n3Emb0baQZPvRcEevQi/s1600/Smear+Inbetween.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="text-align: center;">These stretched poses came to be known by a variety of names, such as: "elongated in-betweens," "long-headed in-betweens," "swish trails," or "motion smear." </span>Here are a couple more frames from "Dover Boys" showing some elongated in-betweens.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfqXCaXAHY1-CKr0nmUZVjv-uqVzzkddAiQrrId9oUPr20LVh7BZgEpTJejJw4hwfow-WCvg-HnnYtnSOhYAEVD7xUU7ZHAkaQSf0Vx5aIHksm92gjwgvLNpwPZhOU0P32c5X9ISEkTpp/s1600/In+Betweens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxfqXCaXAHY1-CKr0nmUZVjv-uqVzzkddAiQrrId9oUPr20LVh7BZgEpTJejJw4hwfow-WCvg-HnnYtnSOhYAEVD7xUU7ZHAkaQSf0Vx5aIHksm92gjwgvLNpwPZhOU0P32c5X9ISEkTpp/s1600/In+Betweens.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The effect was so entertaining that entire sequences were built around it. In the 1943 Bugs Bunny episode "<a href="http://www.trilulilu.ro/video-animatie/bugs-bunny-super-rabbit">Super Rabbit</a>," Bugs outwits some Texans by becoming a cheerleader. As he waves his hands and dances around, his poses stretch all over the place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkGWFi0gyOkwVi2bcHHahJ5TrVM62D5JNz4qtTPwrWl4vpS4PYqHvdepKeZz2fZ4FRQVUlxDTj23yxB9MQgliPA0So65WqLTurCqSge6xu2Nfo5BC1XqhmxGFJs5rNlaxkRan378B0pfP/s1600/InBetween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkGWFi0gyOkwVi2bcHHahJ5TrVM62D5JNz4qtTPwrWl4vpS4PYqHvdepKeZz2fZ4FRQVUlxDTj23yxB9MQgliPA0So65WqLTurCqSge6xu2Nfo5BC1XqhmxGFJs5rNlaxkRan378B0pfP/s1600/InBetween.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the 1952 short "<a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/7621186/water_water_every_hare_1952/">Water, Water, Every Hare</a>," a few of the frames use painted multiples of the ears and legs for a zippy stroboscopic effect.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2sBKHimXFulSWvAOfo0ePU99Xv1NlSPMNXlSvvCa_m4FeysvMHhGMgdT-NQwUWjectySlV1pK1qXz8ZpS6TCcFsAihNnHzNZswxWs1Q4WevJd1ZyJpr-yOFHqb2wqtgbtABamPNftwUG/s1600/Fast+motion+Daffy+Duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2sBKHimXFulSWvAOfo0ePU99Xv1NlSPMNXlSvvCa_m4FeysvMHhGMgdT-NQwUWjectySlV1pK1qXz8ZpS6TCcFsAihNnHzNZswxWs1Q4WevJd1ZyJpr-yOFHqb2wqtgbtABamPNftwUG/s1600/Fast+motion+Daffy+Duck.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Daffy Duck confronts Elmer in a rapid smear with strobing multiples. Strobing smears register in a different way from the elongated in-betweens, more of a visually buzzing effect. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-G1KH37KJxfDaGfVrE9zZJ4I17PwLn4abgoVucFUq34WB2L7vKQqm4hJzSOLP_CQWMETci5SWG6eF3-lDa1Lb6iw8UntAqZX3MFBHFryluoqOqtgTSxPndJw-smOwhEAElltLNcYp4Oc/s1600/paranormansmear-s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-G1KH37KJxfDaGfVrE9zZJ4I17PwLn4abgoVucFUq34WB2L7vKQqm4hJzSOLP_CQWMETci5SWG6eF3-lDa1Lb6iw8UntAqZX3MFBHFryluoqOqtgTSxPndJw-smOwhEAElltLNcYp4Oc/s1600/paranormansmear-s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Addendum: Guinevere Singley reminded me that the stop-motion animation company Laika made some sculpted (actually 3D printed) elongated in-betweens for their feature film "Paranorman." <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/paranorman-smears-68045.html">More about that at Cartoon Brew</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">------</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=24645">More theory of animated motion blur, smears and multiples at Animation Studio Forum</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://animationsmears.tumblr.com/page/2">There's a Tumblr collection devoted to more of these.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Watch on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpOPyjmB8SI">The Dover Boys of Pimento University</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Book that talks about this: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/086547897X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=086547897X&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=RBCYAWCNVQOILI4S">The Animator's Survival Kit</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=086547897X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Motion blur is discussed in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0740785508/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0740785508&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=PVZRBBFZCKXRQGZ2">Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0740785508" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Previously on GurneyJourney:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/01/motion-blur.html">Motion Blur in film and painting</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Elongated In-Betweens

Elongated In-Betweens

In the 1930s and '40s, animators became fascinated by motion blur effects in fast action photography, and they invented creative ways t...

05:05

Tobias Stretch's Outdoor Animation

Tobias Stretch's Outdoor Animation

Tobias Stretch's Outdoor Animation

Radiohead - Weird Fishes from Tobias Stretch on Vimeo . Tobias Stretch of Philadelphia builds extravagant sculptures of moss-faced people...

04:39

Cuphead Game Trailer

One of the delightful surprises at the recent E3 interactive game expo was the trailer for an upcoming video game called "Cuphead" by developers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer. (<a href="http://youtu.be/3jDZfREYppk">Direct link to video</a>)<br /><br /><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/3jDZfREYppk" width="450"></iframe></u></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jDZfREYppk&feature=youtu.be&t=4s"><br /></a>The gameplay is classic run-and-gun with an emphasis on boss battles.<br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWHqPH7uE99HtpslfsdYKvCL6p66qZbkja6jwtykx4gcUhQLt_wog5D4hw-rJ0q_baWC9NJf4n_kVl0XUd3Ar6ba2sIbRQQPA9t60pK5mBA8lWWqUqny3jA1Z5xQp5yWlkMaiZgFfpUpz/s1600/cuphead_sketch_sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIWHqPH7uE99HtpslfsdYKvCL6p66qZbkja6jwtykx4gcUhQLt_wog5D4hw-rJ0q_baWC9NJf4n_kVl0XUd3Ar6ba2sIbRQQPA9t60pK5mBA8lWWqUqny3jA1Z5xQp5yWlkMaiZgFfpUpz/s1600/cuphead_sketch_sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div>Here are some character sketches. The game uses traditional hand-drawn and hand-inked cel animation animation and painted watercolor backgrounds. A lot of the animation is on cycles. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvb56RtNfGiEsCTHK_WjuKmC_z52VnzWry1gokWyaE9J8xgVrOu9fWjGEHzEet9aaKlUkktnZa_s-IXRlI6R9cc5M_FLWZ-MSAtWsRkSSgClT3oqIQcDhCqQ4KB_rPYkq3O-yXCZ6aOHHT/s1600/cuphead-flower2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvb56RtNfGiEsCTHK_WjuKmC_z52VnzWry1gokWyaE9J8xgVrOu9fWjGEHzEet9aaKlUkktnZa_s-IXRlI6R9cc5M_FLWZ-MSAtWsRkSSgClT3oqIQcDhCqQ4KB_rPYkq3O-yXCZ6aOHHT/s1600/cuphead-flower2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The bosses have rolling eyes and pop-out heads. Effects animation includes little puffs of smoke when Cuphead hits the ground and star-flash FX on shots and impacts. </div><div><br /></div><div>The period style is hard to nail down to just one era. The animation style owes a lot to Silly Symphonies like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnWhXDzePJE">Hell's Bells </a>(animated by Ub Iwerks) and the madcap mania of the Fleischer Studios of the 1930s. But the game also has a 1920s vibe because of the silent-picture title cards (complete with digital chromatic aberrations and "projectionist" focus pulls). The jazz music track has a bebop sound that places it more into the '50s.<br /><div><div>----</div><div><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/23/cuphead_n_5522369.html">Huffington Post article</a></div><div><a href="http://www.studiomdhr.com/press/">Studio MDHR</a></div><div><br /></div></div></div>

Cuphead Game Trailer

Cuphead Game Trailer

One of the delightful surprises at the recent E3 interactive game expo was the trailer for an upcoming video game called "Cuphead"...

04:20

Book Review: Art of DreamWorks Animation

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The art book publisher Abrams recently released a big book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419711660/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1419711660&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">The Art of DreamWorks Animation</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1419711660" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. It's a lavish visual survey of the art that went into all of DWA's films, from <i>Antz </i>and <i>Prince of Egypt</i> to <i>Dragon 2</i> and the not-yet-released <i>Home</i> (below), based on a book by Adam Rex.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rPfcUP2fQgd3mpZepwn3Q_PwI0vl7VQWAvxfYLvEYiF_yC_SwCdK5psbTl6DngNrqsxNfuLMN-7u-4LQ3dyDlryhU0CMOzhkFd749KNj4ALQxaNeGXiQRaq3xmDwa2TCV_qORR8XALI5/s1600/Dreamworks+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rPfcUP2fQgd3mpZepwn3Q_PwI0vl7VQWAvxfYLvEYiF_yC_SwCdK5psbTl6DngNrqsxNfuLMN-7u-4LQ3dyDlryhU0CMOzhkFd749KNj4ALQxaNeGXiQRaq3xmDwa2TCV_qORR8XALI5/s1600/Dreamworks+5.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />Here's a diagram showing how the elemental shape language guided the design of characters and environments. DreamWorks Animation has tried to stay away from a general house style, and as a result, each film has a different look to suit the story.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUnAABNaKeAYctgT-iP6gCjIJj0VGLEYrMjTJ3NnZbquOnE78A64z0HGNUMbYkcLJNfkTJuo1jZU-NdOlPyGQHVy720VIZGNmNct0aNaoEEC6j2YcAzM3RyDhYJ5Elqs5mAigyF22OtGP/s1600/Dreamworks+Animation1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUnAABNaKeAYctgT-iP6gCjIJj0VGLEYrMjTJ3NnZbquOnE78A64z0HGNUMbYkcLJNfkTJuo1jZU-NdOlPyGQHVy720VIZGNmNct0aNaoEEC6j2YcAzM3RyDhYJ5Elqs5mAigyF22OtGP/s1600/Dreamworks+Animation1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The book includes samples of artwork by most of DreamWorks' deep bench of talent that have worked there over the years, including Christophe Lautrette (who art-directed the book), Nico Marlet, Paul Lasaine, Nathan Fowkes, and Chris Sanders, but the individual pieces are not credited.<br /><br />Presumably they arrived at this decision because many of the images are the result of the combined talent of several artists. Instead, credits for the topline directors are given at the beginning of each film's chapter.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibepxkFwHsA3Ly67EGdkjMNnAzkzkIoFD_hKRPQIT3XQO8SZcpa43-Jw5S1UceAfYuvEivVnGbgTUebD1W5W2ov9u-j53d5X5BgHzpaz8dinfhhIHKKIBS-I3_x9hIq1zTHHZbPobj-oP3/s1600/Dreamworks+Animation3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibepxkFwHsA3Ly67EGdkjMNnAzkzkIoFD_hKRPQIT3XQO8SZcpa43-Jw5S1UceAfYuvEivVnGbgTUebD1W5W2ov9u-j53d5X5BgHzpaz8dinfhhIHKKIBS-I3_x9hIq1zTHHZbPobj-oP3/s1600/Dreamworks+Animation3.JPG" width="375" /></a><br />Some of the characters, such as Shrek, went through many startling rejected versions.<br /><br />DreamWorks should be commended for including these "roads not taken," because other studios have at times suppressed such alternate character designs, so as not to weaken the unified marketing image.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVx39vCpT2jhZk8fhDTXyMQ7uDYRDRkqCnaP8toxij_cjG6Egvb-M0fENivf105dUbzdBbOkDSRl9NG89g9N6LlDOi9tgeMndbC9rY0ewNZSFvHUDts_fldihUE8jrisYA1D9cTfFaP-xR/s1600/Dreamworks+Animation2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVx39vCpT2jhZk8fhDTXyMQ7uDYRDRkqCnaP8toxij_cjG6Egvb-M0fENivf105dUbzdBbOkDSRl9NG89g9N6LlDOi9tgeMndbC9rY0ewNZSFvHUDts_fldihUE8jrisYA1D9cTfFaP-xR/s1600/Dreamworks+Animation2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Above is some of the art from 2004's <i>Shark Tales. </i><br /><br />Throughout the book, the artwork is not identified as digital or hand-made. Probably many pieces are a combination of the two. As the years progress the work becomes increasingly digital, but it's really hard to tell and maybe it doesn't matter.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1X3j6c2KGSi85gCUq-ymLd_pdXIf0tzaZiE7HzFGoJRQgmbds5hzlauDbYtEAm34n2sidTCk9W1woxtK8JznK_ukMVxiZpHNg92xFLKYyHF2RUJYc69ZvS-hjP01G-cHpDV5qewEoFgW/s1600/51hMlsq+aeL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1X3j6c2KGSi85gCUq-ymLd_pdXIf0tzaZiE7HzFGoJRQgmbds5hzlauDbYtEAm34n2sidTCk9W1woxtK8JznK_ukMVxiZpHNg92xFLKYyHF2RUJYc69ZvS-hjP01G-cHpDV5qewEoFgW/s1600/51hMlsq+aeL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" /></a></div>During the last 20 years, <a href="http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/">DreamWorks Animation</a> has become the largest animation studio and has released thirty animated films, and they're all covered in the book. Each film gets about five double page spreads.<br /><div><br /></div>The book is 324 pages long. It's 10x12 inches and weighs 5 pounds, 4 ounces.<br />More info about the book on Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419711660/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1419711660&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">The Art of DreamWorks Animation</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1419711660" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iL96l5hmOj0y-t05Caga5hKzDo5anTIPKiWfi-g7y7D9MOJVWbmWcNLKNv72PqIJS8UB5zz1LXv5FASzu6rnc6HlPCfdLC0hcvDc3PlqjRrydER0A4OEdNjje0B7aYRPsF_hDQlhx5oi/s1600/dreamworks-hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8iL96l5hmOj0y-t05Caga5hKzDo5anTIPKiWfi-g7y7D9MOJVWbmWcNLKNv72PqIJS8UB5zz1LXv5FASzu6rnc6HlPCfdLC0hcvDc3PlqjRrydER0A4OEdNjje0B7aYRPsF_hDQlhx5oi/s1600/dreamworks-hero.jpg" /></a></div>There's also a big art exhibition of <a href="http://www.acmi.net.au/dreamworks.aspx">DreamWorks Animation in Australia through October 5</a><br />and there will be <a href="http://www.acmi.net.au/dw-animated-conversations.aspx">public lectures</a> and discussions at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.<br />And here's an interview with DWA production designer (and AD of the book) <a href="http://syn.org.au/interview-christophe-lautrette">Christopher Lautrette</a><br />All images ©DreamWorks Animation, SKG.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>

Book Review: Art of DreamWorks Animation

Book Review: Art of DreamWorks Animation

The art book publisher Abrams recently released a big book called The Art of DreamWorks Animation . It's a lavish visual survey of the ...

06:21

Book Review: The Lost Notebook

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I recently received a copy of the new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616286326/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1616286326&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=FTLWRSECOVP42AS7">The Lost Notebook: Herman Schultheis and the Secrets of Walt Disney's Movie Magic</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1616286326" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHWWIsN_4ArqsGbhMlKuRX6jc77HcKj6zYVlT7QqI5Gx68EuTd4eMg0Qk6KGQmJ7PXugHPWAP0kIIaRyRTcljZMwT4XKUECl_1TwWXEzuz2c7CG8gXAfpc1ghmVr5HmZ28VA5Iv8fusCR/s1600/51E9ygmeSKL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHWWIsN_4ArqsGbhMlKuRX6jc77HcKj6zYVlT7QqI5Gx68EuTd4eMg0Qk6KGQmJ7PXugHPWAP0kIIaRyRTcljZMwT4XKUECl_1TwWXEzuz2c7CG8gXAfpc1ghmVr5HmZ28VA5Iv8fusCR/s1600/51E9ygmeSKL.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The large hardbound book of 292 pages is a facsimile reproduction of a detailed scrapbook kept by Herman Schultheis, a technician at the Disney Studios in the late 1930s, while they were developing <i>Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, </i>and other classics of the art form.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8cfTwdNvv1PcWcHPlKuggI8OBvyVQAaDBrXoj3oE6WmuUHbAHSw4jrJEjQayYxOZk3O5MFaG_cezLcM5iN3o7U_vZg0gIcZfTEeUJFXA1MQO5AF4eHt3WdMSsegqMU2SiK49pecCz7X4/s1600/IMG_8338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8cfTwdNvv1PcWcHPlKuggI8OBvyVQAaDBrXoj3oE6WmuUHbAHSw4jrJEjQayYxOZk3O5MFaG_cezLcM5iN3o7U_vZg0gIcZfTEeUJFXA1MQO5AF4eHt3WdMSsegqMU2SiK49pecCz7X4/s1600/IMG_8338.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Effects animation used in <i>Sorcerer's Apprentice</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Schultheis thoroughly documented every aspect of the production process, presumably to impress the boss someday, but the notebook was kept secret and was lost and forgotten for many years in a chest of drawers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, in another human mystery, Schultheis himself disappeared without a trace into the Guatemalan jungle, so his story hasn't been adequately told.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyP4C4qZjck9rjX8e82JZ9KNUk5u3D-sEyRJ6MXQjmcNs2t7aGuLWeeS04SxX5l3tyPXd7cryLjKcDMeqlsVZ271Bqj26TJL8vocQCRkVl7tVFkJq0j1_RcV-_oB2WpXjIaaEDLCysgsA9/s1600/schultheis+Notebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyP4C4qZjck9rjX8e82JZ9KNUk5u3D-sEyRJ6MXQjmcNs2t7aGuLWeeS04SxX5l3tyPXd7cryLjKcDMeqlsVZ271Bqj26TJL8vocQCRkVl7tVFkJq0j1_RcV-_oB2WpXjIaaEDLCysgsA9/s1600/schultheis+Notebook.jpg" /></a></div>The scrapbook contains many photos of costumed models who provided reference footage to guide the animators. This aspect of the production process has become fairly well known.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2amBSrujytTy5plzy2oBb8PeAZOtkFWdQjrBBgvys3ynXXO_QYRgM9zMLcjX_xgxuifA7yDeqxkTek6hT3vpx8JA9CBZRBp-cCSwc9qNFxjzVEgSYNmsYaE9zFnJfa0y4TVlEqs6uNfI/s1600/DisneyLostNotebook1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP2amBSrujytTy5plzy2oBb8PeAZOtkFWdQjrBBgvys3ynXXO_QYRgM9zMLcjX_xgxuifA7yDeqxkTek6hT3vpx8JA9CBZRBp-cCSwc9qNFxjzVEgSYNmsYaE9zFnJfa0y4TVlEqs6uNfI/s1600/DisneyLostNotebook1.jpg" width="387" /></a></div>But there are other revelations of pre-digital engineering ingenuity. For example, the movement of the fairy ballerinas in <i>Fantasia </i>based their movement on the workings of a contraption with steel rails and revolving spools. Snowflake cutouts were mounted on the spools and moved along the rails, creating geometry that would be impossible to accomplish otherwise at the time.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQceK0-DsiFM08w4MC7kUOZPA9YchFfxZO3IK-wcBig9iaz1DdtUgzX9Kag_HT8qnA3conoyyjkQ0ZxIuhRYsfVmBO2FuSNrr0wXeCt1rTAUTl-mcvQjyYndGly-jq3pQJtL6XdahBRSV/s1600/IMG_8336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQceK0-DsiFM08w4MC7kUOZPA9YchFfxZO3IK-wcBig9iaz1DdtUgzX9Kag_HT8qnA3conoyyjkQ0ZxIuhRYsfVmBO2FuSNrr0wXeCt1rTAUTl-mcvQjyYndGly-jq3pQJtL6XdahBRSV/s1600/IMG_8336.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>An expert camera technician, Schultheis shot many of the photos reference to guide the animators, such as the ballerinas and ostriches for the "Dance of the Hours" segment in Fantasia.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHac7-MQKmFbbwtbBmvY5buW0IbnXpiUUzc8VSY64t6dBGSYMX2fJBHWeCLHq-RaapntaKq4Y27-t_Q6LJteK68qjYAhJhJceYyvSO0DGS3dz52sJqSA7TaN_kBrvZ6S7HNCmVzVQoODt/s1600/IMG_8337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHac7-MQKmFbbwtbBmvY5buW0IbnXpiUUzc8VSY64t6dBGSYMX2fJBHWeCLHq-RaapntaKq4Y27-t_Q6LJteK68qjYAhJhJceYyvSO0DGS3dz52sJqSA7TaN_kBrvZ6S7HNCmVzVQoODt/s1600/IMG_8337.jpg" width="311" /></a></div>Even the mechanical clocks that appear in Geppetto's workshop (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnB2RM3uvSk">link to video clip</a>) in <i>Fantasia </i>were created in workable form, so no wonder they're so convincing in the film.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XVpFcpcst8Q80K-vypcPiGRFzqwiyVGRQ88VzlsrGSGYZoKROScxynm74Z7fRIelwEat-9e5maX6VhDsc8Qdm-u3XHMBIiZcjspinc8FWPChieb0Y0bJbBf6H4SzX-cbDmWe2yw2t2My/s1600/Lostnotebook2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XVpFcpcst8Q80K-vypcPiGRFzqwiyVGRQ88VzlsrGSGYZoKROScxynm74Z7fRIelwEat-9e5maX6VhDsc8Qdm-u3XHMBIiZcjspinc8FWPChieb0Y0bJbBf6H4SzX-cbDmWe2yw2t2My/s1600/Lostnotebook2.jpg" width="466" /></a></div>The ghosts in the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence of <i>Fantasia </i>were shot using a distortion mirror, and thankfully, Schultheis photographed the setup and described the process.<br /><br />This book should spark a lot of ideas for working artists interested in exploring pre-digital film technology, and it will offer a wealth of insights for animation history fans. Given all the painstaking work that went into them, it's no wonder that the Disney features of the late 1930s were so expensive to produce. The marginal notes by animation historian John Canemaker add a lot to understanding each of the pages.<br /><br />On a broader level for any artist, the book is a testament to the value of putting time and effort into research and development.<br /><br />At Amazon: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616286326/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1616286326&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20&linkId=FTLWRSECOVP42AS7">The Lost Notebook: Herman Schultheis and the Secrets of Walt Disney's Movie Magic</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1616286326" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br /><div><br /></div>

Book Review: The Lost Notebook

Book Review: The Lost Notebook

I recently received a copy of the new book The Lost Notebook: Herman Schultheis and the Secrets of Walt Disney's Movie Magic . The lar...

07:35

CLEMENTOONS: Behind the Scenes

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Jc0RCFhAzkc?list=UUTIoOLzT1jbxAcPW99xn0zQ" width="450"></iframe><br /><div class="tG QF" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px; line-height: 15.481818199157715px; position: absolute; width: 0px;"> </div><br />I'd like to introduce a behind-the-scenes tour of CLEMENTOONS, the animation technique I've been developing to tell the story of Clement. (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc0RCFhAzkc&feature=share&list=UUTIoOLzT1jbxAcPW99xn0zQ">Direct link to YouTube video</a>)<br /><br />Clement is a bold little guy, but he's always getting himself into trouble. He's on a journey through our ordinary world to a magical place called Melville, where cartoon people have congregated to form a surreal society.<br /><br />He'll meet plenty of other characters along the way. I'll release the next episode, "Clement on the Can" later this month.

CLEMENTOONS: Behind the Scenes

CLEMENTOONS: Behind the Scenes

I'd like to introduce a behind-the-scenes tour of CLEMENTOONS, the animation technique I've been developing to tell the story of C...

05:03

Reality, Enhanced by Animation

Reality, Enhanced by Animation

Reality, Enhanced by Animation

Storyboard artist Marty Cooper , also known as Hombre McSteez, had a viral hit on his hands this week with his compilation of short videos t...

16:21

The 3D Aspect of Hand-Drawn Animation

People often distinguish hand-drawn animation from CG animation by referring to them  as "2D" and "3D." This distinction leads naturally to the thought that hand-drawn animation is primarily concerned with shapes, silhouettes, and other flat graphic qualities.<br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0nKswGI7Ao3TyewihC7j_u5br37OCLnlW_qa8qOzLL8H0-v5JM6_eHwxpw9IdcA3GZQM5T2zGBmCxbfwgbrCqeDN3Zjs5OOjSh5rMUMsg2g2nt5CpiigZ1Qiqi6IjWdLAvCUpQpMxKcK/s1600/MotherGoose3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0nKswGI7Ao3TyewihC7j_u5br37OCLnlW_qa8qOzLL8H0-v5JM6_eHwxpw9IdcA3GZQM5T2zGBmCxbfwgbrCqeDN3Zjs5OOjSh5rMUMsg2g2nt5CpiigZ1Qiqi6IjWdLAvCUpQpMxKcK/s1600/MotherGoose3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>But really during the Golden Age of Animation in the 1930s and '40s, animators had to be very aware of 3D forms. When Disney animator T. Hee developed the caricatures for the short "Mother Goose Goes Hollywood," he thought of them in terms of dimensional volumes, based on spheroids, and seen from different angles.<br /><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHejc4xk4K2GObSymu9hT1PzVdx7TuFBxCgVlIkMaKF9YcJHsXAd1km56D9fpHKraAfDBiaYV1jTUxCjcBN0cF9EF5x01d06N8sMuXY5N6PfKHrRN7bYXRPqk9f5vng7gprp7nveMOnw8/s1600/MotherGoose5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHejc4xk4K2GObSymu9hT1PzVdx7TuFBxCgVlIkMaKF9YcJHsXAd1km56D9fpHKraAfDBiaYV1jTUxCjcBN0cF9EF5x01d06N8sMuXY5N6PfKHrRN7bYXRPqk9f5vng7gprp7nveMOnw8/s1600/MotherGoose5.jpg" width="325" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><br /></div>The mouth on the Katherine Hepburn model took a lot of special care because it's not just a flat downward crescent; it also goes <i>back </i>into the head, and he notes how far back it should go as seen in profile. </div><div><div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Gp1M6xzI2Z8?list=FLVzAj0TTMQo4mF9knAzKk6A" width="450"></iframe><br />Here's the Silly Symphony from 1938, where you can see the caricatures in action. Look for Katherine Hepburn, The Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields, Charles Laughton, Spencer Tracy, Laurel and Hardy, Edward G. Robinson, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Greta Garbo, Fats Waller and Cab Calloway. Because of the racial and ethnic stereotypes, the film isn't often seen these days.<br /><br /><div>The model sheets are courtesy Bill Peckman and <a href="http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=1942">Michael Sporn</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp1M6xzI2Z8&feature=share&list=FLVzAj0TTMQo4mF9knAzKk6A&index=116">Mother Goose Goes to Hollywood (1938) </a>Thanks, Christopher</div></div></div>

The 3D Aspect of Hand-Drawn Animation

The 3D Aspect of Hand-Drawn Animation

People often distinguish hand-drawn animation from CG animation by referring to them as "2D" and "3D." This distinction...

08:46

Faces of Paranorman

<br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/46106330">ParaNorman - Faces of ParaNorman</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/growfilm">Grow Film Company</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />The artists at <a href="http://www.laika.com/">Laika Animation </a>explain how they used 3D printing and replacement animation to create the smoothly moving faces in the stop-motion film Paranorman. (<a href="https://vimeo.com/groups/1314/videos/46106330">Direct link to video</a>)<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pD-9CIe8cfA" width="450"></iframe><br />The newest trailer for their upcoming feature "Boxtrolls" (<a href="http://youtu.be/pD-9CIe8cfA">video link</a>) is full of action set-ups like car chases and ballroom dancing that are hard to pull off in stop-motion. Even though there's some digital assist with green-screen and rig removal, it's still straight-ahead animation of physical puppets, meaning you start with frame one and move all the figures through all the frames with no going back to fix mistakes. Boxtrolls will release in September.<br /><br />

Faces of Paranorman

Faces of Paranorman

ParaNorman - Faces of ParaNorman from Grow Film Company on Vimeo . The artists at Laika Animation explain how they used 3D printing and re...

04:27

Animated Hair

Animated Hair

In his 1925 stop-action cartoon "Animated Hair" (video link), a hand seems to draw a series of faces. Then chunks of hair migrate ...

04:42

Noble's Backgrounds in "What's Opera, Doc?"

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqeBSBEKWrKfUbGeVcefSZCuE-TzRflVN_dGG0H1kQMrAE3QMvSlNi6defqMlWobkMEFF2ZJnaPuXBTTopiGmHXAhocaVeGJE93uCgGDruvTXJ8IypNYhd_IrkDhwZSPWbUySO1_nlMEE/s1600/Noble+Opera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqeBSBEKWrKfUbGeVcefSZCuE-TzRflVN_dGG0H1kQMrAE3QMvSlNi6defqMlWobkMEFF2ZJnaPuXBTTopiGmHXAhocaVeGJE93uCgGDruvTXJ8IypNYhd_IrkDhwZSPWbUySO1_nlMEE/s1600/Noble+Opera.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>One of the greatest classic short cartoons is <a href="https://archive.org/details/WhatsOperaDoc">"What's Opera, Doc?"</a> a 1957 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodie directed by Chuck Jones.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYEkLQLJVWSWVq9OYGmYBCakACUHZf-TGDP0_n8QgQqxdxzmVU8MYpF-QMXeAvV7-n3aSysIn7SXvuUckl1WmLF0hF93TQu8SH4iLXdqYYd8UC8naEJt0MEOHKhJ1BZXI-u-2hvMMO4e-/s1600/noble-whatsoperadoc-580x326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYEkLQLJVWSWVq9OYGmYBCakACUHZf-TGDP0_n8QgQqxdxzmVU8MYpF-QMXeAvV7-n3aSysIn7SXvuUckl1WmLF0hF93TQu8SH4iLXdqYYd8UC8naEJt0MEOHKhJ1BZXI-u-2hvMMO4e-/s1600/noble-whatsoperadoc-580x326.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The story features Elmer Fudd as the demi-god Siegfried chasing Bugs Bunny and singing "Kill the Wabbit!" In less than seven minutes, they manage to satirize Wagner, expressionist cinema, ballet, and Fantasia, all at once.<br /><br />Maurice Nobel did the layouts and backgrounds, and they add immense scale, color, and drama to the piece.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zpkd9JWLjAMU0kqoBGGluKlfRNp4nxJ4v848nUqAgCwPr6zMzqpIpHqjnUzbg19QxRR_dKrHipKnV0BEWEnwi_6DNbEbxxvw_Ar424_8xqdfS3AsByE_wHriaW3znIKqf6bFS9MEkwex/s1600/OB-YZ637_exhibi_G_20130920181451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zpkd9JWLjAMU0kqoBGGluKlfRNp4nxJ4v848nUqAgCwPr6zMzqpIpHqjnUzbg19QxRR_dKrHipKnV0BEWEnwi_6DNbEbxxvw_Ar424_8xqdfS3AsByE_wHriaW3znIKqf6bFS9MEkwex/s1600/OB-YZ637_exhibi_G_20130920181451.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Noble said: "Starting rough and not getting specific too early will allow you to keep your design ideas flexible…The more ideas and work you have, the more design possibilities you will have to choose from."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIPr1TUv4aETxK7ghDIENCLMszoSTa3P2yFolG5XDtZRWv4gooGMXlbtq9UCwYdE8rSpf-aw01PUGxR84nTxVsCVNIr4mBw5ksOpJgx2kd2_QIQxrqJDSpKHWnISv4dWTCvQtzGe71ky7/s1600/tumblr_luf02p3wFt1r674kjo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIPr1TUv4aETxK7ghDIENCLMszoSTa3P2yFolG5XDtZRWv4gooGMXlbtq9UCwYdE8rSpf-aw01PUGxR84nTxVsCVNIr4mBw5ksOpJgx2kd2_QIQxrqJDSpKHWnISv4dWTCvQtzGe71ky7/s1600/tumblr_luf02p3wFt1r674kjo1_500.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />"I suggest putting all your research materials away once you start designing and never refer to them again. This may prove difficult at first. But I’ve found that if you are tied too closely to your reference, your designs will tend to look stiff. You will miss out on many fun design opportunities."<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">----</div><div><b>MORE</b></div><div><a href="https://archive.org/details/WhatsOperaDoc">Watch "What's Opera, Doc?" on Archive.org</a></div><div>Art book on Maurice Noble: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1452102945/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1452102945&linkCode=as2&tag=gurnjour-20">The Noble Approach: Maurice Noble and the Zen of Animation Design</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=gurnjour-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1452102945" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>Quotes from <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/book-review-the-noble-approach-maurice-noble-and-the-zen-of-animation-design-87762.html">Cartoon Brew</a>. <div>All images ©Warner Bros.</div>

Noble's Backgrounds in "What's Opera, Doc?"

Noble's Backgrounds in "What's Opera, Doc?"

One of the greatest classic short cartoons is "What's Opera, Doc?" a 1957 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodie directed by Chuck J...

06:28

Mr Hublot wins Oscar

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KT3C2kdMHOs" width="450"></iframe><br />The Academy Award for best animated short film last night went to "Mr Hublot," which is available free on YouTube. (<a href="http://youtu.be/KT3C2kdMHOs">Direct link to video</a>)<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/79294619" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/79294619">Mr HUBLOT ArtBook (the art of Mr Hublot)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/mrhublot">MrHublot</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />The film is about "a withdrawn, idiosyncratic character with OCD, scared of change and the outside world. Robot Pet's arrival turns his life upside down: he has to share his home with this very invasive companion."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qHiTRBE1_B2WKSCkt0iumtLAvN_WSbYvzBQG3KO5WwuM1djduFS3_9Ecf0iioQNuYUaOA0-pyguX9Z6p5v4t6qteOPE2Hn-W5q8inL_SsRiUiWebHco9cNkGaUMlvCsVg8cubtjTttRH/s1600/Mr+Hublot+environment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qHiTRBE1_B2WKSCkt0iumtLAvN_WSbYvzBQG3KO5WwuM1djduFS3_9Ecf0iioQNuYUaOA0-pyguX9Z6p5v4t6qteOPE2Hn-W5q8inL_SsRiUiWebHco9cNkGaUMlvCsVg8cubtjTttRH/s1600/Mr+Hublot+environment.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The production took three years, a lot of which was spent in planning the world that surrounds Mr Hublot's little apartment. The entire city has a mechanical, steam-driven flavor, as if it's made of old toasters and adding machines.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQylcW31gxekOgqw5nBiVhvUBljwewnt8Bv1mbqNRBpUGGpS5QS9b0ei7ropXib5ss8KlvkAPyIhIkKbSRNWyGHBXAzmBODA0tIoeaX46kCiw0yYwhe9saQYQC8YRxLyOPPR5GWB66_1rX/s1600/stephane-halleux-sculpture-personnage-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQylcW31gxekOgqw5nBiVhvUBljwewnt8Bv1mbqNRBpUGGpS5QS9b0ei7ropXib5ss8KlvkAPyIhIkKbSRNWyGHBXAzmBODA0tIoeaX46kCiw0yYwhe9saQYQC8YRxLyOPPR5GWB66_1rX/s1600/stephane-halleux-sculpture-personnage-02.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />It was created in 3D digital, but the look was inspired by the physical sculptures of <a href="http://www.stephanehalleux.com/">Stéphane Halleux</a>. Filmmaker Laurent Witz says: "We had to find the balance between the coldness of the industrial world and the warmth of stone, leather, and the Haussmann architecture."<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIe0JxpnOXw5BYVebradj_-oUxPJkRQAybGl1MnnVZNfHfHsBF33DhOZXelX6GJCoumBvrIwDMPfvIlfAagndRQgihjylKjgrAo-ALkNR03O5GL-Mdpr5pxkkD_MwPApD1_SaGU09H206/s1600/stephane-halleux-sculpture-personnage-18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIe0JxpnOXw5BYVebradj_-oUxPJkRQAybGl1MnnVZNfHfHsBF33DhOZXelX6GJCoumBvrIwDMPfvIlfAagndRQgihjylKjgrAo-ALkNR03O5GL-Mdpr5pxkkD_MwPApD1_SaGU09H206/s1600/stephane-halleux-sculpture-personnage-18.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>More:<br />See more preproduction art at <a href="http://www.cartoonbrew.com/award-season-focus/mr-hublot-the-art-of-the-oscar-nominated-shorts-96312.html">Cartoon Brew</a><br />All images in this post are copyright <a href="http://www.zeilt.com/">ZEILT Productions</a> and <a href="http://www.stephanehalleux.com/">Stéphane Halleux</a><br /><br /><br />

Mr Hublot wins Oscar

Mr Hublot wins Oscar

The Academy Award for best animated short film last night went to "Mr Hublot," which is available free on YouTube. ( Direct link t...

05:30

Flip book animation in a paperback

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="253" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/s2zZcrGH350" width="450"></iframe><br />Some of you know that my career began in the animation business, and that I have dabbled in animation alongside painting and writing.<br /><br />When I was doing science fiction paperback covers, I convinced my art director, Gene Mydlowski, to let me animate a flip book movie in the corners of the pages of the Alan Dean Foster novel "Quozl." I called the technique "Flip-a-Mation," and it was perfect for this story, about a race of rabbit-like aliens who arrive on earth, looking a bit like Warner Brothers cartoon characters.<br /><br />I recently rediscovered the file folder with the 100 original drawings that I did for the Flip-a-mation sequence. Using my digital camera and free software called "<a href="https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/33252/time-lapse-assembler">Time Lapse Assembler</a>" I was able to reshoot the sequence and add some sound effects.<br />(<a href="http://youtu.be/s2zZcrGH350">Video Link</a>)

Flip book animation in a paperback

Flip book animation in a paperback

Some of you know that my career began in the animation business, and that I have dabbled in animation alongside painting and writing. When I...

05:58

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