Borderlands Animation Collaborative!

The Borderlands Animation project class is now listed for the summer semester under the following name: 

1360_ANM_498_01: COLLABORATIVE PROJECT: ANIMATION IN PRODUCTION

David Latour be teaching the class with Chris Armstrong. You don't have to take the class to pick up shots for borderlands animation, but only folks enrolled in the class will be guaranteed to get work. This class does not have a portfolio requirement but it will require that the instructors see your ten second reel in our first module to help determine how to divide up the initial shots.

This will be a great opportunity to work on a popular franchise in a collaborative learning environment. Space is limited, so sign up right away!

An Adventure to The Croods

This Friday, after some critique and a brief lecture on the composition of a demo reel, Tea Time made it's way over to the Metreon for a showing of The Croods!

Long time Tea Timer Jonathan Marshall made this beautiful video to commemorate the occasion. Enjoy!

Tea Time Movie Night from Jonathan Marshall on Vimeo.

Thank you, Free Gold Watch!

A big thank you to Free Gold Watch for our beautiful, soft, brand new T-shirts! Here are a few glamour shots of Tea Time this past Friday modeling the merchandise.

If you haven't picked your shirt up yet, be sure to come to this week's meeting! If you didn't get a shirt, let us know! We will be doing a second run shortly.

The Gang

 Respectacles!

The Gang...lookin' tough!

A Word on Reference

Although some might argue that there are the exceptionally gifted out there who don't need to look at reference before they begin an animation -- the only reason they got that way is from studying it so hard in the first place!

So, with that in mind where do you go for reference?
Here are a few of the most popular reference sources on the internet:

-- YouTube
-- Vimeo
-- BBC Motion Gallery
-- Rhino Horse

And of couse, you can always film it yourself! Even HD video recorders are super affordable now, and with cellphones, Macbooks/webcams, a camera is never far away! That being said, there is a time and place to take such a hands-on approach. It's great to shoot your own reference if you're looking for something specific -- i.e. a bit of acting along with a specific piece of dialogue. Here are a few situations where it wouldn't be quite so ideal.

-- Animal behavior reference
-- Accidents (crashes, tripping/falling, etc...)
-- If you're bad at acting!

No matter how much reference you shoot, you will never be an animal (sorry, Andy Serkis), you will almost never realistically force yourself to fall and/or get hit by a car, and, if you have a hard time getting into character, you will never make your acting worthwhile and all your reference becomes moot.

What are you looking for?

In reference, one of the things we so often lose sight of, is the fact that it is, well, for reference! Too many young animators start relying too heavily on their reference files, and their acting becomes rigid and lackluster -- like it's being rotoscoped instead of polished and refined by a trained eye.

So, what are you looking for in animation reference?

-- Strong poses
-- General timing
-- Observed behavior/secondary actions (i.e. hair swaying, blinks)
-- Basic mechanics (i.e. weight shift)

In watching your reference, it's great to take notes, or do draw overs based upon poses or ideas you find really strong within it, and then move along to your animation. Then, as opposed to having your reference open to stare and and/or copy, only look back at it when you need to remember something. i.e. "Where did that foot plant again?" Or "Does the back paw touch down before or after the front paw picks up?"

What am I supposed to do if the character I'm animating doesn't exist in the real world?

Well,  fictional or not, all characters (the good ones, at least) are still rooted in reality. Thus, you would assess your character based upon things you know. i.e. "Well, it sort of looks like it has a fish for a head, but then a crab or a scorpion for the body!" Easy! Go find fish to reference for the motion of the face, and crab and scorpion reference to help you understand the mechanics of the body!

A word of caution:

Although reference can be really helpful in nailing some basic timing, and, when we get stuck on something, to count frames, but you may want to double check and make sure that your reference footage plays back in the correct frame rate. While most animation is in 24 fps, most video from hand-held devices plays back in 30 fps, so your frame counts will NOT be accurate.

We would suggest using Adobe Media Encoder (or After Effects, or whatever you know best, really) to re-interpret the footage at the correct frame rate. You can find a tutorial in their help guide!

Many thanks to Cody and Frank for the delightful lecture.

Jim Sidel - Reader's Digest Style

Recently, Tea Time had the pleasure of hosting AAU's own Jim Sidel for a discussion on the importance of Brevity and Subtext. Here's a little bit on what he had to say:

A Rube Goldberg machine

Brevity -- An Economy of Language

But far beneath this wondrous world upon the surface, another and still stranger world met our eyes as we gazed over the side. For, suspended in those watery vaults, floated the forms of the nursing mothers of the whales, and those that by their enormous girth seemed shortly to become mothers. The lake, as I have hinted, was to a considerable depth extremely transparent; and as human infants while suckling will calmly and fixedly gaze away from the breast, as if leading two different lives at the same time; and while yet drawing mortal nourishment, be still spiritually feasting upon some earthly reminiscence; -- even so did the young of these whales seem looking up towards us, but not at us, as if we were but a bit of gulfweed in their newborn sight.

--Herman Melville, Moby Dick, (the Grand Armada)

Now, generally, one might not expect a discussion on brevity to begin with an excerpt from Moby Dick. That entire paragraph is only three sentences -- doesn't appear to be very economical, does it?

Wrong!

Brevity is not about being short, per se, so much as it is about reducing a sentence or idea down to what is absolutely necessary without losing any meaning. If you re-examine the excerpt, you will notice that, although it is long, each word carries it's own, particular meaning and thus is necessary in communicating the idea Melville so wishes to communicate.

Another Rube Goldberg machine with explanation.

Occam's Razor:

       Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.

or: "Thou shalt not multiply extra entities unnecessarily"

Developed by Logician, Philosopher and physicist William of Ockham (c. 1285 - 1349), Occam's Razor is a tool that refers to the act of shaving away unnecessary assumptions to get to the simplest explanation. Or: "The simplest explanation is the most likely"

To test Occam's Theory, suppose you come home and discover that your dog has escaped fro the kennel and has chewed large chunks out of the couch.

Theory Number 1: You forgot to latch the kennel door, and the dog pressed against it and opened it, and then the dog was free to run around the inside of the house.

Theory Number 2: Some unknown person skilled at picking locks managed to disable your front door, then came inside the house, set the dog free from the kennel, then snuck out again covering up any sign of his presence and then relocked the front-door, leaving the dog free inside to run amok in the house.

Which is True?

Well, the explanation of Theory #1 only requires only two entities (you and the dog) and two actions (you forgetting to lock the kennel door, and the dog pressing against the door)

The explanation of Theory #2, on the other hand, requires three entities (you, the dog and the lock-picking intruder) and several actions (picking the lock, entering, releasing the dog, hiding evidence, re-locking the front door). It also requires us to come up with some sort of plausible motivation for the intruder, a motivation that is, to us, entirely unclear.

Subtext

An underlying an often distinct theme in a piece of writing or conversation. Otherwise -- the intent of a character that is not actually being spoken. See what sort of subtext you can find in the following clip:

All characters are based in their desires. In fact -- a character is nothing without them. For example, a talking rat is not a character, it is simply a noun, but a talking rat that wants to be a chef is a character. 

A character shouldn't speak unless it's achieving more than one objective. Otherwise you get stuck with dry back and forth or, characters like the appropriately named "Basil Exposition" who's sole purpose is to move the story along.

Dialogue should:

- Characterize

- Move the story forward

- Show relationships

Good dialogue also: 

- Contains a subtext

- Is alive with action 

- Reflects setting



These two literary ideas are particularly important for those students out there writing a thesis short film.   Are you wasting your breath on a scene that isn't even contributing to your main story? Try using Occam's Razor on your work. How does it hold up?

Do your characters have desire as the fire behind their ambition? Do the want something, and if so, to what lengths would they go in order to claim their prize? As Kurt Vonnegut famously said:

"Every character should want something, 
                       even if it's just a glass of water."


For the undergrads, finding subtext -- even just in our exercises -- will help us to create interesting pieces for our reel, while considering brevity in our actions will help us to create believable performances. 

Sources:

"Strunk and White's: The Elements of Style" 

Frank Conroy, from his book, "The Dog Barks but The Caravan Rolls on."

Blue Sky PAID Internship Postings!

Internship applications close April 12th, 2013! Don't miss this opportunity. Click here for all the details.

Tea Time Animation* and 2K Games!

Over the course of the next semesters, 2K Games will be partnering with AAU to produce animated shorts centered around the Borderlands 2 franchise -- starting with a storyboard contest!

2K will be providing just about everything besides a pen and paper; For those interested in storyboarding, there will be a selection of various story lines for you to storyboard so you don't really even need to know the current lore. They will also be supplying students with all assets -- environments, props, rigged models, etc... -- so even if you choose not to be a part of the storyboard competition, there are still opportunities for you to work with professional-grade material!

If that doesn't entice you enough, top prize for the storyboard contest (other than seeing your vision come to life with the aid of current professionals, of course) is an internship with 2K Games! (Perhaps more than one?)

Am I getting your attention yet? Well then come to the informational panel Thursday, March 7th at 7:30pm in the 79 New Montgomery theater.

Don't miss this amazing opportunity, and don't hesitate to e-mail us at teatimeanimationclub@gmail.com for more information.

*Contest limited to registered AAU students only

Guest Lecture with Jim Sidel

A Tea Time guest lecture on the importance of brevity and subtext with

Jim Sidel

540 Powell street, room 130

Tuesday, March 5 @ 7:00 pm

(with prizes)

A Brief Psychology of Head Turns

This Friday, Tea Time had the pleasure of sitting down and letting our very own Rene Salazar step up and deliver a brief, informative lecture on the psychology of head turns. Here's what he had to say:

If we consider the way a head rotates as with the rotation tool in Maya, there are three major axis to pivot upon: x, y, and z. While working, these may just seem like a means to an end -- i.e. I wanted his head turned to the left, so I rotated on the y -- but if we take a moment to consider the meaning conveyed behind each rotation, we can really start using this tool to our advantage to strengthen the posing of our characters.

"Meaning," you say? Why Body Language, of course!

While we, as a species have the luxury of language, only about 40% of communication is what we say mand how we say it. 60% of what we are trying to convey to each other is communicated through body language. While words are important,  communication is also, largely, the transfer of emotion, and one of the easiest way to convey emotion, is through our bodies! Body language in general is a much larger topic, though, so today we'll just focus on head turning.

First things first, Rotate X (like saying "yes" -- up and down).

At either end of this rotation spectrum lies emotions representing Great Glory or Great Tragedy or something vs. nothing.

i.e. Rotating the spine to face upwards through the x-axis opens up the body creating a feeling of hope or triumph -- or "something!" Rotating the spine to curl in on itself, facing the body down through x-axis, closes the character off, creating a feeling of loss or seclusion -- or "nothing."

Next, we have Rotate Y (like saying "no" -- left to right).

This rotation plane conveys awareness. Is asks questions like "Who's there?", "What's there?"

i.e. Picture someone in the military entering the room gun first -- the first thing they do is search along that plane for "who" and/or "what. OR it could be something as simple as rotating the eyes back and forth, it's much more sly, but still conveying the same idea.

Finally, Rotate Z (like a pendulum -- tilting back and forth)

This rotation plane is representative of "Aww" and "huh?"

i.e. If you find yourself looking at cute baby puppy you might find yourself tilting your head to the side and saying "Awwwww!" Meanwhile, if that puppy happens to look back at you, it might tilt its head to the side and think "huh?"

In addition to all the rotation planes, translating the head can help to emphasize the emotions you're trying to convey.

Translating Forward represents attraction or intrigue, while Translating Backwards represents repulsion or disgust.

Rene Salazar
Tea Time Animation
Spring '13


Have your own idea for a lecture? Don't hesitate to e-mail us at teatimeanimationclub@gmail.com to book a talk.

Newer, Cheaper T-Shirts!

This is the last week to place your order for the new Tea Time T-shirts! Comment here, e-mail us or make a note in the Facebook group with your name, desired design and shirt size to order. We accept cash, cheque, and Paypal (Search lana.bachynski@gmail.com).

Shirts are $15 each.

 

Mike Midlock - Reader's Digest Style

Due to a severe lack of acceptable meeting space, we didn't do much to inform the general public, but we had our first guest speaker this past Friday! Known for working on everything from the Lucky Charms commercials of our youth, to Rango, to the yet-to-be-released Pacific Rim, Mike Midlock kicked off our spring semester regaling Tea Time with his amazing journey to ILM, and gifting eager ears with tokens of advice as we push forward into our own careers in the animation industry. Here's a little bit of what he had to say...

*Note - writing in first person, but totally paraphrasing...

"I want you to look around your classrooms - look around at your peers and realize that even if your goals are the same, no two of you will take the same path to where you want to be."

Unlike many animators I know, I started young. I knew from a very young age -- about 4 -- that I knew I wanted to be an animator. My grandfather was a sign painter, and while he would be working, my relatives and I would be sitting and doodling on the corners of the paper, and it was through him I learned to draw all the classic characters like Mickey, Bugs, and Popeye. 

I was also fortunate enough as a child that my Aunt and Uncle were Disney fanatics! They take a LOT of vacations, and when they do, they only ever go to Disney World. They extended that love on to me because they would always take me to go see all the old movies. My passion for animation came about because even as a kid, I was clever enough to put two and two together; "What I see on the screen are drawings...and I like to draw!" So I got my hands on a Preston Blair book and started from there. 

The next big turning point in my life was in 1977 with the release of Star Wars. When that was released it just...changed my life! It became my life for the next three years, really, up until high school. All though high school I was known as the artistic guy, but due to budget restrictions, they had to cut the art program. Then, when it came time, I had to make the big decision of "what do I want to do with my life?" I loved art, but it didn't seem like a viable way to pay the bills, so I decided that I would be a graphic designer. You know, it was still art, but it was in-demand and it seemed like a worthwhile way to make a living so I went to Purdue. Growing up in Chicago, it was pretty convenient. 

So I did that for a while, but it never quite hooked me. Then, the release of Roger Rabbit, the Little Mermaid and Terminator II, I was sucked right back into animation and completely reminded of what I loved about it in the first place. Roger Rabbit, especially! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I mean, it was there in front of me, so I know it was real, I know that they'd done it, but I just couldn't fathom how and I craved to know more.

It was then that I decided to have the difficult conversation with my parents -- to tell them that after my time at Purdue, that I wanted to go elsewhere to pursue animation. Luckily, I have amazingly supportive parents, who truly believe that I should follow what is going to make me happy (though I believe it's no small part due to the fact that my father wanted to be an artist but was discouraged by his own parents and I think he was vicariously living through me a bit,) but I truly hope you, as students, have all the love and support that I received!

Through a friend of mine in graphic design, again, I was lucky enough to make a contact  in LA who was currently working at Disney, and through him I was mailed a list of 9 schools -- the only schools in North America at that time who were teaching animation. (That, in itself, should tell you a lot about the times, considering now you can't walk out side and throw a rock without hitting one.) You know, there was Cal Arts and Art Center, and some of the ones you'd expect, but one in particular -- Sheridan College, up in Toronto, Canada -- was the only one to provide a summer program. It was limited to 30 students, but it was super important because that meant you didn't have to go back and re-take another 4 years. So I spent time time, made myself a portfolio and applied.

3 months later and I received one of, if not the most life changing letter in the mail that I'd ever received. I don't think I'd ever been so happy in my whole life! I was accepted, and, three days later, I was packed up, across the border and starting my first day of class.

I don't have much to say about school in particular, but I do want to emphasize how important it is to build a support system with your peers. Not only are these the people who are going to be your future co-workers, but getting through school can be tough and it's good to lean on and learn from one another in order to get through things together.

Anyways, coming out of school, I wanted to be an animator.

"I still, to this day, don't have that urge to tell the world something profound that hasn't already been said before. I wanted to be an animator."

So, I got to work finding work and eventually found my way back out to Chicago. I was at one studio doing some freelance work, but after about a week and a half there, I left for a full-time gig at Calabash Animation. It was amazing there and I stayed for about seven or eight years animating for Lucky Charms, Trix and we even got to some work on Space Jam! We also worked on a short that was nominated for an Academy Award. But, as I always am, after seven or eight years of the same thing, I started to get that itch, that hunger for something new and decided it was time to move. 

I have always been a firm believer that one of the best ways to get a break to be where the action is. Thus, I made the move from Chicago to San Francisco. Compared to Chicago, in San Francisco, the opportunities for work seemed endless and eventually I ended up at a place called Mondo Media -- most famous for Happy Tree Friends. I must say, it was some of the most fun I've ever had at a workplace. Everything was so loosey-goosey -- it was just a blast. Unfortunately things started to turn sour. They started some huge layoffs, and although I made it through the first few waves, I decided that it was again time for me to find myself another professional home. 

Through some effective networking (a friend of mine seriously stuck his neck out for me to convince the manager that  I would know all the software in no time), I managed to get a new gig at Maxis ( eventually bought by EA) working on the Sims videogame. I was there for four years and helped to ship 14 different Sims games.

"Eventually it got to the point where I was thinking: "How many Sims games can one really do?" When I started going to bed at night and see all those little characters, I decided enough was enough."

So, I took some time, put together a reel on 40 DVDs and made my way around Siggraph. I was fortunate enough to get some interviews with Tippett, PDI, and LucasArts! Lucas had just laid off almost the whole company and was under new management, so I was hired on to work on another childhood favorite of mine -- Indiana Jones the video game! And, I was recruited as a Senior Animator, no less. Unfortunately, after 3 years the project got canned and I moved on to working on Star Wars: the Force Unleashed and the Force Unleashed II.

You would think that I would be thrilled! Working on some semblance of Star Wars in beautiful San Francisco, but -- maybe it was because I was having some mid-life crisis, (I had just turned 40) or maybe it's because I'm just not a gamer -- I just wasn't happy. After working there for so many years, I had vacation time and sick days piled up, so, for the next month and a half or so I got "sick" all of a sudden, and I spent some time putting together new pieces to apply for gig in film. In July, I applied to ILM, and the next day I got a call to meet with the lead on Rango, but unfortunately, I never heard back from them. 

Then, in October, out of the blue I got an e-mail from HR inviting me to take part in animating for Rango! Without hesitation I gave up my full-time staff position (which is hard to come by these days), and all the benefits for contract work at ILM. I've been working on and off -- After Rango was Pirates, Super 8, Avengers and most recently Pacific Rim -- ever since. 

Between teaching and working, have you ever struggled with time management? If so, how did you deal with it?

For me, discipline is key. For example: I don't have a facebook and I never will have a facebook because I know I have one of those personalities where I will probably spend 12 hours a day doing that instead of 12 hours a day doing what I need to get done. It's important to tune yourself out from the temptations that computers offer you.

I also, and I stress this to all of my students, find it super important to keep some sort of date book. For me, a standard calendar where I can write what's due and what notes I have to address works the best, but really just some form of record taking -- particularly one away from a digital device -- has always helped me keep on track.

If you had to choose one thing that you see so often from incoming students that you think needs fixing, what would it be, and what remedy would you suggest?

First things first, HONE IN on what you want to do. And, if you can, figure it out early! If you know where you're trying to go, even if it's just a temporary goal, it's important to tune your portfolio to the job you're trying to get. It's even better if you can be in tune with yourself and know exactly where your dream job is and tailor to that.

Fundamentals are great exercises, and a great way to learn the principles, but if you're applying to, say, Pixar, they are looking for acting, or even something deeper than that. The importance of finding subtext and meaning in a scene. That's why it's so important to look beyond clips from the 11 second club and find a dialogue where you can find a lot of subtext.

Take Wreck-it-Ralph, for example. That whole movie was cute, but what is the most powerful scene?(spoiler alert) Obviously that scene where he smashes her car. I can remember we had a screening at work, and at that moment, it was so profound, and the juxtaposition of Ralph's malevolent act vs. Ralph's true intent (and all the while Vanelope crying!)...the audience was just silent. You know? If that's what a studio is looking for - can you find something deeper - a jumping exercise simply won't cut it.

One of my favorite stories you've told was about overcoming a challenging shot you were working on in Rango. Would you mind telling it for us now?

I would love to! 

When I jumped into working on Rango, I was assigned a bunch of shots, but I had a couple within the sequence where (spoiler alert) Rango is first confronted with Jake the Snake on the front porch of the Sheriff's office. Jake is there to prove Rango to be a big phony, and goes so far as to snatch Rango's pistol out of its holster, shove the gun in Rango's hand and put the barrel up to his own head - telling Rango to pull the trigger. 

Now, this is a moment in the movie where we realized that this was never supposed to be a kid's film. Gore Verbinski (the director), kept telling us that this is the moment he wanted kids to start crying and turn to their parents to say "I don't want to watch this movie anymore!" It had to be scary, and emotional -- it had to be just the right moment.

I turned in a couple different sets of blocking, and although I had a gear-change in there -- Brave to sad -- for some reason, it just wasn't feeling right. Something in me just couldn't quite connect to that moment.

Finally, after a few attempts, Gore sat down with me and he said to me, "This moment isn't about Rango, alright? This is about you! Think about that moment, that time when you were in primary school and they had every body line up in a great big, long line in gym class while two students were up at the front as the team captains. That moment where selection after selection the line up dwindles and you realize that you're the last one to be picked for either team -- this is that moment. This is how Rango feels."

And he was right. I knew exactly how that felt because I was that kid who was picked last. So how did I feel? I was scared, sad, lonely, embarrassed -- and that is exactly how Rango felt. So I went and shot some reference. I think the next day I threw together some blocking and the shot was done by the end of the week. 

How did you make the transition from 2D to 3D?

Not by choice, that's for sure!

Like I said, I love to draw, but I saw the writing on the wall and got myself into the 3D world out of necessity. It goes back to what I was saying earlier about being where the action is. I think it's important to be a small fish in a big pond than a big fish in a small pond.

I know a lot of you are scared, but to put things in perspective, when I started, there was, like...three companies -- and that's it! Nowadays there is animation in everything. I have lots of friends who made it and are working at various studios, but I also have plenty of friends who make a living doing like...those medical training videos and are very happy. Again, and I can't stress this enough, the opportunities are out there! You can't just rest your laurels in the big studios.

One of my favorite sayings is, "Luck is when the crossroads of preparation and opportunity meet." I've gotten so many of my jobs simply by being the most prepared when the time comes! 

What is your favorite shot, either that you've done or that you prefer to do?

I would have to say any shot that gives me the opportunity to try something new. Anything that's a little challenging, it's a nice puzzle to try and solve. It's like people who enjoy doing crosswords! It's no fun if you're sitting there with a device where you punch in letters and it gives you all the possible words, but it's exciting and satisfying when you take the time, dedicate yourself and finish it on your own.

What did you find the most challenging about working in games? The most rewarding?

One of the biggest struggles was the time constraints. It was difficult to have so little time, some times as little as 30 frames to make something read. You never get to do any really beautiful, complete animations.

That being said, looking back, I learned a lot -- and still retain a lot -- about the importance of posing! Even in those 30 frames, it's fast, but it always come back to how clear your poses can read.

On that note, what do you find most challenging about film?

For me, I always struggle with making things look too cartoony (Maybe it's all the Lucky Charms stuff) -- even on Rango, it was still fairly contained, but definitely the most cartoony thing they've done so far.  There have been scenes with the Hulk, though, whereI put my shot up for dailies and the room is going "OH MAN, HE LOOKS LIKE BUGS BUNNY UP THERE!"

Any closing words of advice?

Again, really identify where you want to go, but more importantly, don't be discouraged when it doesn't happen right away. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there! Pick up the phone -- the HR department exists to pick up your call and answer your questions. 

Be adaptable and flexible -- be willing to go where the work is at! Right now, and I hate to say it, but California is sort of losing it's name as the leader in animation jobs right now. Vancouver right now is booming, London, and even places like Singapore. 

Yeah, nine out of ten times it's not going to be your dream job, but don't shy away from opportunity.

Besides, it's really nice to get paid.

---

A big thank you to Mike Midlock for talking to the club, and don't forget to join us next week for our very first improv workshop!

See you Friday.