Author Archives: Laura

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Greg Araya

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What is your name and your current occupation?

My name is Greg Araya, I am currently a story artist for Cartoon Network’s “MAD” at Warner Bros. Animation.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Right out of college, I worked for a while at a scenic painting studio in Chicago. The owner low-balled all the bids and would send a crew of underpaid twenty somethings with a van full of paint to do the jobs. We had no supervision. We did some truly awful work. Also, I crashed the van.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Aside from the aforementioned disaster? I’ll always regard Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends as a special show. It was a great crew. So many talented people. We had a lot of fun. And I’m proud of the fact that it was one of the few shows made entirely at the Burbank studio from start to finish. The studio or the union never really touted that, but I think it makes a difference.

How did you become interested in animation?

I was one of those kids that was always drawing or trying to make my own toys, attempting impossibly ambitious projects like wanting to build a robot or a hovercraft. Making movies was one of those projects that was somewhat attainable, since my dad had Continue reading

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Promote Yourself: Luis Cadavid, RIDE WITH ME

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RIDE WITH ME narrates that race that we all have been through many times in life.  Roads that are steep, narrow, and full of OBSTACLES.  The goal begins with our dreams, the biggest CHALLENGE lays in our HEARTS.  In a way, Henri represents our goal in attempting to create this short film. We have been working on this short film for 5 years.  It started as an idea for a reel and gradually developed into this beautiful story and art.  It has become our passion, working on it on our free time and weekends, at odd hours of the night.
Ride With Me is the story of Henri, a small ten year old boy who lives with his grandmother, crazy grandfather, and twin siblings. His grandfather is in a wheelchair and rolls around the house thinking he is at war and shoots at the enemy with toy guns.  In an attempt to help his family, Henri partakes in the most challenging race, Le Tour De France!  As always, there is a daring antagonist who will be bigger and faster than our underdog, in this story, it is Jacques.  He is the rich boy in town who doesn’t need to win the race, but he will be the boy to beat.

 

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SIR BILLI

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KALEIDOSCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
 
IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE RELEASE OF
SIR BILLI
 
STARRING SIR SEAN CONNERY, MIRIAM MARGOLYES & ALAN CUMMING
TITLE TRACK PERFORMED BY DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY
DIRECTED BY SASCHA HARTMANN
 
RELEASED IN CINEMAS: 13 SEPTEMBER
 
 
 
Kaleidoscope Entertainment is delighted to announce Scotland’s first full-length
animated feature film SIR BILLI, releasing in UK cinemas from 13 SEPTEMBER 2013.
 
Synopsis
 
An ageing, skateboarding veterinarian Sir Billi goes above and beyond the call of
duty fighting villainous policemen and powerful lairds in a battle to save an illegal
fugitive – Bessie Boo the beaver!
 
A heart-warming and action packed family movie where thrilling car chases, heroic
skydiving and daring stunts from this octogenarian, fuelled with encounters with a
hostile submarine, will keep you on the edge of your seat!
 
 
Voiced by Sir Sean Connery, everyone wants a grandpa like Sir Billi, the Guardian
of the Highlands! With a star-studded cast including Alan Cumming (Spy Kids,
The Smurfs 2, X-Men 2) Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter, Mulan),
Kieron Elliot (How to Train Your Dragon)
and title track performed by Dame Shirley Bassey.
Original score by Oscar nominee Patrick Doyle.
 
 
SIR BILLI will be released in UK cinemas on 13 September.
 
 
 
 
 
EDITORS NOTES 
 
Official site: (Hear exclusive play of title track performed by Dame Shirley Bassey)

 

Interviews with Director Sascha Hartmann available upon request.
Film is also being released in South Korea, Australia / New Zealand, Middle East and Turkey – more territories announced soon. 
 
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Disney “Animation” app-$13.99 at the App Store

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by Matthew Malach

In 1923 two brothers opened a cartoon studio, stuffed into a tiny garage in southern California. What followed was an entertainment empire. Today, stuffed into something even smaller than that garage is a stunning I-pad app that’s sure to wow Disney animation fans everywhere.

Disney’s I-pad Application, “Animation” is everything you want to know about Disney Animation, including hands on animation exercises.

The program opens with a series of “Chapters” whose large icon screens animate with moving images and sound – some familiar, such as Mickey Mouse and Sleeping Beauty — and others less so. That mixing of classic Disney fare and some of the newer productions is a slightly awkward distraction that we’ll touch on again later.

But the heart of this app is in its “chapters”:

“Art in Motion” takes you through the beginnings of the Disney studio, with early photos and Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in a rare silent clean up animation, which in fact was never picked up by a distributor. In the chapter called “Story” Walt himself explains this critical phase of production, including a look at a storyboard from One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Disney’s Bill Peet.  Other chapters include “Visual Development”, a look at the artwork that was used to set the mood for the actual animation teams. And of course, there’s a chapter on “Character”, the backbone of the Disney studio technique. And the chapters continue with a perfect mix of written word, visuals and sound, touching on “Layout and Background”, “Animation,” “Visual Effects”, “Sound Design and Music”,  and a chapter that brings it all together with a look at the very basics such as Ink and Paint, The Multiplane camera and a nod to the more recent process of CG animation.

Below the chapter headings, is a chance to dive in and make your own animation, starting with a basic bouncing ball. You can also change the moods of “Maximus” (the horse from Tangled) and you can create your own animation using “Vanellope” from Wreck-it Ralph. You can even direct tendrils of snow as mastered by “Elsa” from the yet to be released Frozen.  If the app has any drawbacks, it’s here in this section, at least if you’re an animation professional. These are the most basic of animation engines and they make use only of the latest Disney characters. While the rest of the app spreads the wealth from the Disney library, this section feels like a half-hearted attempt to keep alive of some of the recent and perhaps less memorable Disney outings.

Nuts and Bolts

It took a while to download this Beauty of a Beast, which with a 1.78 gig size, you might have to dump a few things to make space.  Also make sure to hook the mini output to a stereo or at least a good set of headphones. The sound design on the application is superb.

Bottom Line:

At $13.99 this is a must have for Disney fanatics.  More than just an homage to the art of Disney, this is a breathing, talking animation school at your fingertips.

Disney Animation app $13.99 at the App Store

Matthew Malach
got his start as a writer and dialogue director on the 80’s pop sensation, Thundercats. 
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Promote Yourself: NFB 3D Animations at TIFF

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PUT ON YOUR 3D GLASSES!

NFB TAKES AUDIENCES TO NEW DIMENSIONS WITH STEREOSCOPIC 3D ANIMATION AT TIFF

 

image003Short Cuts Canada to feature Claire Blanchet’s The End of Pinky, Bruce Alcock’s Impromptu, Theodore Ushev’sGloria Victoria and Chris Landreth’s Subconscious Password

 

Toronto, August 7, 2013 – A world-renowned creative laboratory making breakthroughs in animation and stereoscopic 3D (S3D) cinema, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will showcase its auteur animators at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with four new films. Taking place September 5 to 15, the festival will feature premieres of NFB S3D animated shorts in its Short Cuts Canada program, with The End of Pinky by Claire Blanchet, Impromptu by Bruce Alcock (Global Mechanic Media/NFB), Gloria Victoria by Theodore Ushev andSubconscious Password by Chris Landreth.

World premieres

Two NFB films will be making their world premiere at TIFF 2013:

The End of Pinky

Claire Blanchet’s S3D film The End of Pinky revolves around three fallen angels―Johnny, Mia and Pinky―seeking companionship and humanity in the shadows of the red-light district, in a mythic, magically realized Montreal. But when one of Pinky’s endearing quirks sets off a tragicomic chain of events, Johnny plots revenge. Created with hand-drawn pencil and pastel animation, and rendered in stereoscopic 3D, The End of Pinky is based on a story by Heather O’Neill, who also narrates. It is directed, written and animated by Claire Blanchet and produced by Michael Fukushima for the NFB.

 Impromptu

When Chuck’s wife spontaneously invites her co-workers home for dinner in Bruce Alcock’s Impromptu, this last-minute gathering seems to have all the makings of a disaster—but leads instead to a quiet epiphany about embracing the chaos of life’s rich pageant. Impromptu reminds us of the redemptive power of food, wine, music and love, as seen through the eyes of a modern man. The film was written by Ed Riche and Bruce Alcock, with Tina Ouellette as producer for Global Mechanic and Annette Clarke and Michael Fukushima as producers for the NFB.

North American premiere

 Gloria Victoria

The final film in Theodore Ushev’s NFB trilogy on the relationship between art and power, Gloria Victoria unfolds on the still-smouldering rubble of a furious 20th century. From the Russian front to the Chinese Revolution, from Dresden to Guernica, Gloria Victoria combines elements of surrealism and cubism to orchestrate an explosive nightmare in the name of peace. Winner of the FIPRESCI Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Gloria Victoria is set to music from Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony, and joins Ushev’s previous works Drux Flux and Tower Bawher as an animated dialogue between music and images. The film is produced by Marc Bertrand for the NFB.

Canadian premiere

 Subconscious Password 

In the computer-animated S3D work Subconscious Password, Oscar-winning director Chris Landreth (Ryan) uses a common social gaffe—forgetting somebody’s name—as the starting point for a mind-bending romp through the unconscious. Inspired by the classic TV game show Password, the film features a wealth of animated celebrity guests who try (and try, and try) to prompt Charles, Landreth’s alter ego, to remember the name. Winner of the award for best short film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Subconscious Password is produced by the NFB, with the participation of the Animation Arts Centre of Seneca College and Copperheart Entertainment. Marcy Page (NFB) and Mark Smith are the producers.

 

About the NFB

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) produces groundbreaking animation at its studios in Montreal and at NFB centres across Canada, as well as via international co-productions with many of the world’s leading auteur animators. The NFB is a leader in developing new approaches to stereoscopic 3D animation and animated content for new platforms. The NFB has created over 13,000 productions and won over 5,000 awards, including 4 Canadian Screen Awards, 7 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 90 Genies. To access acclaimed NFB content, visit NFB.ca or download its apps for smartphones, tablets and connected TV.

 

 

Press Release

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Mark Medernach

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What is your name and your current occupation
Mark Medernach, Executive Producer/Partner at DUCK Studios

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was a PA on a shoot for KFC.  My job was to ferry the chicken between the store where they were making it and the location.  I came home each night smelling like fried chicken

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
We’ve done a few United Airlines spots which I am really proud of.  I think the campaign is brilliant.  They choose filmmakers tomake their animated spots and the artistry of the entire campaign is just top notch.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I grew up in Pennsylvania and went to college in San Francisco. I was out of work and was looking for a job.  I got hired as the editor at Duck Soup.  Even though I was not really an animation aficionado, over the years, and the name change to DUCK, I’ve come to really love and admire animation.
What’s a typical day like for you with regards to your job?
Here at DUCK we represent a wide variety of artist/filmmakers for advertising and other short format work.  The days are spent touching base with the different artists.  Making phone calls to advertising agencies to look for more new work and overseeing the productions we have in the studio.
What part of your job do you like best? Why?
I love it when a young director gets their first project to direct.  It is always fu to see them mature as filmmakers and become successful.
What part of your job do you like least? Why?
I wish I were able to start more directing careers.  I also hate to tell the directors that they did not get a job that they pitched on.  I know a lot of times they pour a lot of themselves into the pitch and for whatever reason they did not get it.  It is difficult to give them the bad news.
What is the most difficult part for you about being in the business?
The constant search for new work.  Once you book a job for the director there is no time to sit back and enjoy the fact that the job is in.  It is on to the next project and trying to get everyone working.
What kind of technology do you work with on a daily basis?
I am on the internet all day long.  Looking for new artists, looking at work that is out there and just looking.  For production we use a wide variety of software, but i don’t work on that side of the business.
In your travels, have you had any brushes with animation greatness?
Well we represent Eric Goldberg, who I believe is one of the most talented 2-d character animators in the world.  We also represent Jamie Caliri who I think is a genius.  Whatever he works on ALWAYS seems to turn out brilliantly.
Is there any advice you can give for an aspiring animation student or artist trying to break into the business?
I tell most of the young filmmakers I talk to the same thing, try to find a style that is yours. I think all of the successful animation directors have a signature style, which is what draws people to their work.  Try not to be a jack of all trades, try to master one.
www.duckstudios.com