Author Archives: Mike

No comments

Apple releases the iPad Pro

  By ,

verge-2016-09-09_12-21-31.0

Apple releases the iPad Pro

by Mike Milo

So Apple finally did it. They released an optional pen with their new iPad Pro which is odd considering that legendary Apple CEO Steve Jobs jokingly expressed his animosity towards styluses in general. “Yuck, who needs a stylus,” he claimed. Another thing he said was “If you need a stylus you’ve already failed.”

And yet with the success of the Surface Pro line from Microsoft it would seem Apple is eating it’s words. And I think they’ve failed to tell the truth.

Dubbed the “Apple Pencil”  it’s a rechargeable stylus exclusively for the 12.9” iPad tablet. Despite the name, it remains to be seen whether this is going to be a killer device for ‘pros’ since it’s running iOS9 and not OSX which was rumored.

I can tell you that the all-white stylus felt light in the hand when I used it to scribble in Notes and draw on a picture in Apple’s native Mail app. It also felt fast, unlike some styluses that suffer from latency issues. But again, I didn’t use it for an extended period of time. As with Microsoft’s Surface Pro stylus, you can use it with certain applications, but not all applications. Other developers that will fully support the Apple Pencil are Microsoft’s Office suite, as well as a few of Adobe’s iPad-tailored apps that will be exclusively available on the iPad Pro and will ship in November.

That quote above which is from The Verge says all I need to hear: you can use it with certain applications, but not all applications, which basically makes it a very expensive hobbyist toy as  you’ll never run a serious animation or 3d program off of it which is silly considering the price.

Another thing they did wrong in my opinion is that you need to charge the pen. That’s as lame as it gets as far as I’m concerned and in many ways a deal breaker. It’s one thing if it charged inside the tablet but it doesn’t. Instead, it has an embedded Lightning connector that allows you to directly connect it to the iPad Pro and charge it which tells me you can’t keep the iPad plugged in AND charge the pen at the same time. Why? You know as well as I do that that damn thing is always gonna be dead when you pick it up to doodle on a whim. I guess it’s better than creating some stupid proprietary Apple charging connector just for the Pencil so I’ll give them that.

The iPad Pro will ship in November and starts at $799 for a 32GB device. For one with 128GB of storage, you’re looking at $1,079. It will be available in silver, gold and space grey. The Apple Pencil will cost you $99

 

 

 

No comments

9 Story Media Group Unveils a Strong Slate of New Series and New Episodes Launching at MIPCOM 2015

  By

NATURE CAT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 9 Story Media Group Unveils a Strong Slate of New Series

and New Episodes Launching at MIPCOM 2015

Toronto, Canada – September 9, 2015 – 9 Story Media Group is pleased to announce a robust slate of kids’ and family programming launching at MIPJR and MIPCOM 2015.  Featuring exciting new series in development like Schnargand Monsters Everywhere, brand new series like Nature Cat and Look Kool, new episodes of returning favourites like Wild Kratts and Guess How Much I Love You, 9 Story is committed to providing the best quality kids & family content across multiple formats and styles. 

NEW SERIES: 

Nature Cat (80 x 11’):  New Series!

Genre:   Animation

Audience:  4-8

Nature Cat can’t wait to get outside for a day of backyard nature excursions and bravery, but there’s one problem: he’s a house cat with no instincts for nature! Fortunately, Nature Cat’s animal friends are at his side to share in his deep love for Mother Nature, passion for exploring the great outdoors, and swashbuckling wanderlust of old-fashioned backyard adventure. 

Look Kool (32 x 11’): New Series!

Genre:  Live Action

Audience:  6-9

Look Kool uses songs, skits, and wacky challenges to help our host, Hamza, and his mischievous robot cat find the answers to mathematical mysteries. In every episode, Hamza is helped by real kids who hunt for shapes, do hands-on experiments, and solve brain-bending puzzles. Who knew math could be so much fun?

 

IN DEVELOPMENT:

 

Schnarg (11’):  New Series!

Genre:  Animation

Audience:  6-11

When Stanley and Pogo, two bumbling janitors at the Federation of Dirt and Magma, accidentally drill to the center of the Earth, they discover a world filled with mischievous shape-shifting creatures called Schnargs. Join these wannabe explorers as they navigate their strange new surroundings and befriend their Schnargy hosts.

Monsters Everywhere (11’):  New Series!

Genre:   Animation

Audience:  6-11

Kevin and Dave are determined to keep boredom at bay by giving their sleepy small town a much needed wakeup call! Along with their oddball posse, these best buds are smashing down the door to a world where imagination runs rampant, rules don’t apply, and even the best-laid plans backfire! Based on characters from the popular plush brand, Monster Factory.

 

NEW EPISODES, RETURNING SERIES:

 

Camp Lakebottom (104 x 11’): New Episodes from Season 2!

Genre:  Animation

Audience:  6-11

12-year-old prankster McGee was headed for an awesome summer at Camp Sunny Smiles when his bus took a wrong turn and landed him at old, run-down and ridiculously spooky CAMP LAKEBOTTOM! McGee soon discovers that Lakebottom is not just your average camp; it’s the BEST CAMP EVER!

 

Guess How Much I Love You – The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare (52 x 11’): New Episodes from Season 2!

Genre:  Animated

Audience:  Preschool

The animated preschool series Guess How Much I Love You – The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare is the adaptation of the much loved bestselling picture book Guess How Much I Love You which has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. The series relates the adventures of the Nutbrown Hares and their friends with the same endearing simplicity and love that made the book a timeless classic.

 

Nerds and Monsters (80 x 11’): New Episodes from Season 2!

Genre:  Animation

Audience:  6-11

Nerds and Monsters tosses 3 nerdy kids and a thick-headed football star on a fantastic uncharted island. The tween castaways must use nothing but their smarts to survive the relentless attacks by the island’s inhabitants – a tribe of hideous but hilarious monsters. And lucky for the Nerds, these dim-witted monsters don’t have any smarts!

 

Numb Chucks (104 x 11’): New Episodes from Season 2!

Genre:  Animation

Audience:  6-11

Two half-witted woodchuck vigilantes, Dilweed and Fungus, use their non-existent kung-fu skills to protect the lives of all the citizens in Ding-A-Ling Springs, whether they need it or not! Get ready Ding-A-Ling Springs, you’re about to be Numb Chucked!

 

Wild Kratts (118 x 22’): New Episodes from Season 4!

Genre:  Animation

Audience:  4-9

The Kratt brothers leap into animated action in Wild Kratts, a half-hour adventure comedy from the creators of the hit shows Kratts Creatures and Zoboomafoo. In each episode, Chris and Martin Kratt travel to a different corner of the world to meet amazing new animals.

9 Story Media Group is a leading content creator, marketer and distributor of kids & family focused intellectual property. Recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Wild Kratts, Numb Chucks, Arthur and Peg + Cat, 9 Story represents over 1,800 half hours of animated and live action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms.  With one of North America’s largest animation studios, 9 Story employs over 250 creative and production staff in its Toronto facility and has produced over 900 half hours of award-winning children’s content. 9 Story recently acquired the award winning animation studio Brown Bag Films, which employs over 170 staff members across Dublin, Manchester and Los Angeles.  Brown Bag is recognized for producing leading animated children’s series such as Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Bing Bunny and Henry Hugglemonster.  9 Story is owned by senior management, ZMC (Zelnick Media Capital) and media entrepreneur Neil Court.  www.9story.com

For further information: 

Jennifer Ansley, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, 9 Story Media Group

+1 416 530-9900 ext 230, jennifera@9story.com

No comments

STORYBOARDING FOR TV ANIMATION WITH PETER PAUL

  By

Tuesdays Sept 15-Nov 17 (10 weeks) STORYBOARDING FOR TV ANIMATION WITH PETER PAUL 7PM-1OPM

$499.00

ON SALE
PRE-ORDER
INTRODUCTION TO STORYBOARDING PETER PAUL

DESCRIPTION

Storyboarding is an essential part of film and television production.
This 10 week course will focus on the fundamentals of storyboarding as well as develop story ideas. Learn the basics to transform a script into a visual story and create storyboards of their own.
This class runs for 10 weeks SEPT 15 – Nov 17

Peter Paul has worked as a story artist at DreamWorks, Disney, Illumination, Warner Bros and more. He has been an Assistant Director, Assistant Animator, Character, Prop and Background Designer on various productions. He is currently on the DreamWorks Dragons Series (based on the How To Train Your Dragon movies). For more info, visitwww.adventuresofp2.weebly.com.

ADVENTURES of P2
www.adventuresofp2.weebly.com

No comments

No-A

  By

Award winning graduation film NO-A completed at the Savannah College of Art and Design by a core team of 8 students.

The world is a desolate, unforgiving place in this action sci-fi with a surprising amount of heart. We follow NO-A (Noah), as he attempts to rescue Aixa, the young woman that created him. In his desperate attempt to save her, he must face an unknown enemy force and fight to keep them both alive.

(C) NO-A Productions

Website: noafilm.org/
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/NO-A/948787145132068?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Twitter: twitter.com/NOA_Film

Credits
============================

Directed by
Liam Murphy

VFX Supervisor
Andrew Finley

FX Lead
Matt Benson

Lighting Leads
Michelle Gao
Kevin Herjono

Additional Lighting
Mark McKinsey
Dennys Herman
Aditi Vengurlekar

Lead Sound design
Kai Paquin

Render Pipeline TD
Will Cavanagh

Environment Modeling
Nathan Kreuzman

Rigging TD/Animation Pipeline
Liam Murphy
Kori Ackmar
Ovid Nostradov

Effects TDs
Matt Benson
Tyler Britton
Joshua Schwartz

Executive Producer
Xan Xai

Producer
Chloe Mortensen

Original Idea by
Andrew Finley
Matt Benson

Compositing Lead
Matt Karan

Music
Jacob Yoffee

Soundmixing
Matt Yocum

Sound Design
Kai Paquin
Tom C Schmidt

Animation
Liam Murphy
Emily Katske
Ben Sanders

Compositing Lead
Matt Karan

Compositing
Michelle Gao
Andrew Finley

Character Modeling
Raed Alamouni
Qween Parker
Andrew Finley

Modeling/Texturing
Anthony X. Smith
Casey J Arterburn
Nikit Shetti
Harsh Agrawal
Ty Roberson

Cloth Sim
Ben Lopatin

Concept Art
Adam Varga

Layout/Cinematography/ Editing
Liam Murphy

Shading Leads
Michelle Gao
Dayna Kelly
Andrew Finley

Opening Title
Clint Rea

Motion Graphics
Eddy Nieto

Copyright, NO-A Productions, 2014

+-6200

2 Comments

Jobs: Full-Time Animators at House of Moves

  By

Full-Time Animators at House of Moves

House of Moves – Los Angeles, California, United States

Job Description

House of Moves is actively seeking submissions of reel and resume from talented animators. The specifics of what we’re seeking currently include:

Required:

  • Keyframe animation experience
  • A keen artistic eye and a sense of timing and action
  • Ability to work closely with Lead Animator and a dedicated team to put out high quality work

Preferred:

  • MoBu: relevant tools are Story mode, Timewarp, looping, blending.
  • Maya experience.
  • In-game experience is a plus.

Please send your materials to jobs@moves.com – put “Animator” in the subject line.