Monthly Archives: July 2015

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Mark Kennedy

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Mark Kennedy, head of story at Disney Feature Animation

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
An overnight shift putting “The New York Times” into newspaper machines

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Tangled, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast

How did you become interested in animation?
It didn’t hit me until I was in junior high school. It was when I first saw the “Dragon’s Lair” video game. I never thought about animation or drawing until then, so I had to try and catch up fast in order to go to art school by the time I graduated high school.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Cupertino, California USA and I went to The California Institute of the Arts right after high school, then started working at Disney feature animation after 3 years at CalArts.

What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Every day is different. It depends on where the film is in the production cycle. In the beginning of the cycle, I spend most of my time in the story room with the directors and the other story artists (and writer, if there is one) talking through the story and writing it out on Continue reading

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Chuck Grieb

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Chuck Grieb; currently I am a tenured Associate Professor and head of the Entertainment Art/Animation concentration at California State University, Fullerton.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
As a young college student I worked a slew of unusual and sometimes interesting jobs. One summer I spent as an Asbestos Remover. Another summer I spent working two jobs at once(75 hours a week), one as a Peer Tutor helping Learning Disabled students in a College Prep program, the other as an “Egg Cook” in a Perkins Diner. I spent a day working in a trash sorting facility and 4 weeks on an assembly line waterproofing nuts and bolts for the Navy. I also painted houses, delivered pizzas, waited tables, worked as an Assistant Theater Manager, as a Sound Mixer for live shows, photo tech, and various others.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
Hmmm, tough question. I am particularly proud of the work on Genie’s Great Minds, a project I worked on when I was a part of the Special Projects Department at Walt Disney TV Animation under the direction of Gary Katona. The Larry Boy show I worked on at Cornerstone Animation had a very challenging schedule, but was a very fun, if intense, work experience. My wife and I storyboarded an episode of Continue reading

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Joe Croson

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Joe Croson, Director for Creative Production at BItTorrent and the Creator/Writer/Voice for Transfurter.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Ooof, when I was 15 I used to clean dorm-rooms at the University of Oregon. I’m pretty sure all of the deep cleaning chemicals made my brain the slow mass of ooze it is today.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Aside from creating and producing Transfurter, writing for Superjail season 2 was definitely a highlight. The team was extremely talented and I had a great time learning a lot from each of them.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Originally I’m from Eugene, Oregon.  I got into animation through an internship working on the Venture Bros. for [adult swim], back when Continue reading

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Chris Burns

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What is your name and your current occupation? 
Chris Burns, Owner and Lead Animator of EXIT 73 STUDIOS (exit73studios.com).

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
The craziest job I ever had was as a carpenter/roofer. I worked with a bunch of super manly dudes whose life mission was to win concert tickets on the radio or Pick 4 lotto. The money was good, and you couldn’t beat the hours, but I knew pretty early on that I wanted to pursue a career in art.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of? 
Hands down my favorite project was Transfurter. We had a lot of freedom with the designs and story, and it was a very homegrown production. I often compare this project to how a garage band works – very DIY, gritty, and a fair amount of improvisation. And just like a Garage band, that unkempt feel translates into something beautiful when it all comes together in the end. It’s truly satisfying.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business? 
I’m originally from eastern Long Island, which made my choice to go to SVA very easy. I interned at a bunch of Animation studios like B3, NOODLE SOUP, WORLD LEADERS, and 4KIDS ENTERTAINMENT. NOODLE SOUP, provided me with a job opportunity on the pilot episode of VENTURE BROTHERS. After school ended, I had my first Continue reading

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Jobs: DreamWorks Animation Entry Level Animation TA

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Dreamworks

Click here to apply for the Technical animator job.

This is an entry level position that performs specifically designated tasks for the Character teams to help facilitate the quality and fidelity of the character rigs going into Animation.  In addition they will troubleshoot software and shot specific issues as well as perform simple animation.  They will work closely between the Animation and Character TD departments and help to improve processes and workflow.

Required Skills

  • Execute first pass of quality control between Character departments by:
  • confirming joint placements are correct.
  • creating body and facial calisthenics animations (Rigging, CFX, Animation).
  • creating poses and simple animation (i.e. walk cycles) to test rigs.
  • creating shots for the Head of Character Animation and Animators as needed.
  • finding and remapping animation.
  • Verify consistency of tools and character rig features/controls within a show and among other shows:
    • switches, rotation order, mirroring, manipulators, pages, textures, parenting, post scaling, matching constraints etc.
    • character controls behavior is as expected
    • initial pose library is setup and setup free page templates as needed
  • Help monitor that character deformations are adhering to the show’s visual language and flag any issues to the Head of Character Animation.
  • Assist in building the characters’ Animation Interface.
  • Assist the Character TDs with creating and updating Animation Parts for each character.
  • Assist the Character TDs and Animators in making sure the Animation Parts are ordered (Master Page Order).
  • Evaluate upcoming sequences to flag potential technical issues such as new requirements on character rigs, complex character interactions, working with large environments, and other large-scale issues.
  • Follow-up with other departments while troubleshooting issues until a resolution is reached.
  • Test new software maps and/or features as needed (Premo and/or Rig).
  • Look at QA tests, movies and models and develop efficiencies for future character tests.
  • Work closely with Head of Character Animation, Animation Supervisors, Character TD Supervisors and Leads to determine quality level and criteria at handoff from Character TD to Animation.
  • Help communicate areas of concern or special features requested by Animators for each character. (i.e. spine movement or clavicle location).
  • Help communicate character rig features from other shows that can enhance the rigs within the assigned show. Also, communicate the new features being developed on the assigned show with other shows.
  • Help gather notes and feedback from Animators in order to complete rig wrecking.
  • Document new processes and procedures.
  • Attend relevant meetings, e.g. Monkeys:
    • Animation/Character TD Body Touch base
    • Animation/Character TD Face Touch base
    • Character Launch

Required Experience

  • Bachelors in Computer Graphics, Engineering or Art/Animation preferred.
  • A solid understanding of the principles of animation, body mechanics, and facial animation.
  • Proficient in 3D Character Animation, Character Rigging, and some basic knowledge of 3D Modeling.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Problem solving and troubleshooting in a technical environment.
  • Experience with the unix/linux environment.
  • 2D graphics software knowledge (e.g. Gimp).
  • Production experience a plus.
  • Execute first pass of quality control between Character departments by:
  • confirming joint placements are correct.
  • creating body and facial calisthenics animations (Rigging, CFX, Animation).
  • creating poses and simple animation (i.e. walk cycles) to test rigs.
  • creating shots for the Head of Character Animation and Animators as needed.
  • finding and remapping animation.
  • Verify consistency of tools and character rig features/controls within a show and among other shows:
    • switches, rotation order, mirroring, manipulators, pages, textures, parenting, post scaling, matching constraints etc.
    • character controls behavior is as expected
    • initial pose library is setup and setup free page templates as needed
  • Help monitor that character deformations are adhering to the show’s visual language and flag any issues to the Head of Character Animation.
  • Assist in building the characters’ Animation Interface.
  • Assist the Character TDs with creating and updating Animation Parts for each character.
  • Assist the Character TDs and Animators in making sure the Animation Parts are ordered (Master Page Order).
  • Evaluate upcoming sequences to flag potential technical issues such as new requirements on character rigs, complex character interactions, working with large environments, and other large-scale issues.
  • Follow-up with other departments while troubleshooting issues until a resolution is reached.
  • Test new software maps and/or features as needed (Premo and/or Rig).
  • Look at QA tests, movies and models and develop efficiencies for future character tests.
  • Work closely with Head of Character Animation, Animation Supervisors, Character TD Supervisors and Leads to determine quality level and criteria at handoff from Character TD to Animation.
  • Help communicate areas of concern or special features requested by Animators for each character. (i.e. spine movement or clavicle location).
  • Help communicate character rig features from other shows that can enhance the rigs within the assigned show. Also, communicate the new features being developed on the assigned show with other shows.
  • Help gather notes and feedback from Animators in order to complete rig wrecking.
  • Document new processes and procedures.
  • Attend relevant meetings, e.g. Monkeys:
    • Animation/Character TD Body Touch base
    • Animation/Character TD Face Touch base
    • Character Launch
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Anne Walker

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Anne Walker, lead character layout artist at Six Point Harness

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Working at a party supply store with a (possibly psychotic) owner, bookkeeper at Staples, smoothie wench at the Laguna Beach Jamba Juice. Also I taught piano.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Random Cartoons!!! Also, the The Mr. Men Show, and Good Vibes, my current project at 6PH, which is quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever worked on.

How did you become interested in animation?
I always loved cartoons, but I really fell in love with telling animated stories in high school.  Mixing storytelling and art made me feel more alive and at home than anything else in my life at the time – including being with my family in my actual home.  I drew more than I listened in class.  I spent prom night working on my epic (read: TERRIBLE) science fiction anime screenplay in my parents’ office.  I was That Sort.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I originally came down to southern CA from the Bay Area to go to art school. The first two years at school were a blast; my third year was miserable. One of the high points of that miserable third year was an internship at Cartoon Network studios, where I met (stalked) a number of artists who were generous enough to share their time and wisdom with me. I learned that many of them had never graduated college, or in some cases had never even gone to school, period, and it occurred to me that I could break into the industry without suffering through another expensive year of art school. So, the summer before my senior year I

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