Author Archives: Mike

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Promote Yourself: Rigging a Character in Harmony

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On Wednesday, September 2, at 3PM EST, Join tonyteach for a LIVE Google Hangout, as we rig a character in Toon Boom Harmony, using the Bone Deformer.
Hangout Link: https://goo.gl/00YFHw
Using our “Pepper” character, we will cover:
• Using the Drawing View, and Camera View
• Bone Deformer Basics
• Rigging the Arms
• Rigging the Legs
• Rigging the Body
• Working with Kinematic Output
• Adding a Peg to Your Character
• and much more!
“But, I’ve never used Toon Boom Harmony!”
No worries, I teach in a way that even beginners and novices can follow – and still keep it interesting for seasoned Harmony users 🙂
BONUS: Get The Pepper character rig for FREE! This is the rig we’ll be using in the Hangout!
Just click “Share and Download.” https://sellfy.com/p/8Fzb/
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Model 86- Self Help Dance Teaser (NSFW)

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Inspired by Jorge Louis Borges, Chris Marker and David Lynch, Dagher’s highly stylised monochrome visuals perfectly complement the music’s filmic style. He says of the piece: “Keeping it black and white and raw was important while trying to translate the feeling of each track into an animated vignette. The tracks are so versatile and eclectic and it was a lot of fun to try and tie them all up together visually.”　
*PRESS RELEASE*
　
‘If debut track ‘Friend’ is anything to go by then Model 86 might just be the most eclectic producer in London at this given moment.’ – NME
‘New EP ‘Self Help Dance’ recalls early 90s Warp – the woozy, hypnagogic realm of Scottish duo Boards Of Canada or the more blissful sides of LFO.’ – Clash
　
Emerging from the electronic music scene is Manchester-born, London-based producer MODEL 86, with his debut EP ‘Self Help Dance’, due for release on 18th September.
　
Enigmas in modern music are no new thing, but MODEL 86, the moniker of Matthew James Wilcock, takes things further than pseudonyms, masks and no shows. His minimalist facebook profile states his gender as neutral, and this refusal to ascribe to cultural definitions translates to his shape-shifting musical style.
　
Written over the past year, ‘Self Help Dance’ defies genres, taking influences from modern electronica, 90’s hip hop, film scores, unusual samples and sound design in a style that calls to mind the likes of Flying Lotus, Boards of Canada and Dorian Concept, while retaining a bold originality.
　
At times soaring and melodic, at others driving and percussive, ‘Self Help Dance’ is an EP of true sonic experimentalism. Whilst tracks such as ‘CTRL’ create an ethereal atmosphere with ambient chimes and progressive highs, tracks such as ‘LA’ and ‘Friend’ combine chaotic beats with melodic tweaks, fizzles and cinematic glitches.
　
Accompanying the EP is a hypnotic teaser video directed by the award-winning Ely Dagher, who also provides the full colour matte print artwork for the vinyl. Inspired by Jorge Louis Borges, Chris Marker and David Lynch, Dagher’s highly stylised monochrome visuals perfectly complement the music’s filmic style. The pair are no strangers to collaborating, having also worked together on the short animated film ‘Waves 98’, for which MODEL 86 composed the soundtrack and Dagher was awarded the highly acclaimed Palme d’Or award for ‘Best Short Film’ at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. A trailer for the film also featured on VICE/The Creators Project.
　
An artist who spent his formative years listening to NY hip hop artists such as MF Doom and Edan, and discovering a range of genres from 70s funk and jazz to Polish progressive rock, MODEL 86 began developing his style at a young age, when he first discovered Acid Pro and bought an MPC 2000XL. Dropping out of art school to pursue his desire to express himself through sound, he perfected his talent by producing music and sound design work for rappers, commercials, TV and film, for which he will produce several new scores this year.
　
Now finally coming into his own, this special 10-track EP features bonus track ‘Swell’ on digital, whilst the vinyl release will feature ‘Friend’ and ‘C.T.A.S’, alongside exclusive 7″ track ‘Hangin With Virginia’.
　
Seeing many people from his youth stuck with narrowed prospects from growing up in one of Manchester’s most　underprivileged areas, MODEL 86 places a strong importance on helping yourself. This, mixed with his own psychological and　physiological　experiences of anti-depressants and a fascination with mental health, is reflected here in the EP’s title ‘Self Help Dance’, making an intimate offering　which is sure to resonate long after listening.
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Gatorade | Fuel the Fire

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Gatorade | Fuel the Fire

GoldenWolf/UK

Anselm von Seherr-Thoss explains how RealFlow was used to make some amazing effects for the Gatorade commercial featuring football superstars Lionel Messi and James Rodríguez.

About the company

Incendii is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nowadays New Orleans is known for a lot of filming but not so much for post production or VFX. So it is an exotic entity in this area.

The problem

Besides the Gatorade fluids itself a lot of atmospheric effects like dust and smoke needed to be created. The fluid was definitely the secret here besides the actual soccer icons like Messi, etc. So getting the message across that Gatorade refuels and powers the athletes was crucial. Lots of high velocity flowing through tiny tubes and pipes which called for pretty significant detail even given the more toon-ish, not 101% photorealistic look. Besides the pipes and objects emerging out of volumes of fluids we made a bunch of generic splash and paint bucket type elements to be added as needed on the motion graphics side.

We worked on these commercials for two months on and off. Incendii also helped pitching the project prior to the production schedule earlier. I would say on the Gatorade team there were about ten over all at GoldenWolf and on the Incendii side two artists for fluid simulations and dust/rubble/fire, etc. But the lines blurred here. Whoever was free for a task picked it up. Time is always against you on a commercial project. With budget constraints come time constraints come shortcuts. But I think we managed well! The team was GREAT! Constant communication was very important.

The solution

RealFlow was used in connection with Houdini for the Gatorade simulation splashing and running through pipes of all sorts and for the big splashes where barrels are poured over. We also emerged a running engine from a pool of Gatorade and filled up a battery all using SPH.

The techniques applied were a mix of RealFlow and Houdini. In RealFlow for small confined spaces SPH works better with Hybrido. Hybrido shines when you have large pools of fluids or huge pours. We used both on a per task basis. Great to have them both in there! The new node based interface is making it easy to even take on shots from other artists because the connections are so clearly visible and notes can be put beside to get everybody up to speed.

Some of the pipes the fluids go through were very small in diameter; it took a bit of testing to get the detail we wanted to achieve. SPH worked better on some, Hybrido on others. It was great to have a choice. Also the emerging engine was a bit of a task since the pistons were running at a high speed. Adjusting the sub samples took care of a good bit as well as the new meshing options. Small droplets required quite a bit of detail.

Why RealFlow?

With the exchange plug-in for 3ds Max it is very easy to render in VRay and Krakatoa or even just loading the RealFlow particles into Particle Flow for further treatment like shape instances. Sometimes particles get cached out of 3ds Max and then meshed in RealFlow or even used as drivers. I use it both ways really. Especially with tools like Thinkbox’s Stoke you can generate nice motion easily and then pull that into RealFlow for meshing or emitters.  I love the node based interface and interchange features with 3ds Max and others. Now I am no RealFlow expert by any stretch, but I like what I see and so do the clients. The rental option is also nice for a project which requires a little extra for a limited time.

The greatest benefit of RealFlow is how well it plays with 3ds Max with its exchange plug-in. Also since Thinkbox products can write BIN files now making motions in other tools and importing it into RealFlow for further treatment works nicely. I like meshing in RealFlow over using Frost some times as well.

The team at GoldenWolf was awesome to work with. This project was different from what I usually get to do so I really like the look and feel of it. It is more toony/stylized than photorealistic. Great job everyone!

GoldenWolf/UK 

Incendii LLC – Visual effects

Credits


 

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John Kafka

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What is your name and your current occupation?
John Kafka; Supervising Director, Action Dad TV Series at Toonzone Studios

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I worked on a seed corn farm in Wisconsin, which grew different varieties of corn for various locations around the world. The soil was engineered to match the soil of parts of Africa, South America, Russia…lots of places. I detasselled ears of corn, which involved cutting off cornsilks one at a time off thousands of cornstalks…blisteringly hot, lots of bugs, and cornstalk leaves are sharp-edged enough to be used as weapons. I also stood in the bottom of a grain silo as a conveyor belt fed thousands of pounds of corn kernels through a hole in the top, which poured down onto me. I directed the torrent with a big double-handled metal disc held over my head which I kept turning so that the entire silo was filled levelly. The trick was to step up onto the gradually rising pile of corn until the silo was full. Every ten minutes or so, somebody would look down into the silo to make sure I hadn’t been buried alive or choked on the dust. Hot, no air, the noise was deafening as the corn fell 44 feet at first… Worst. Job. EVER. Staying up all night animating is an absolute piece of cake by comparison.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I directed some of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, animated lots of pretty good commercials, animated on the Smurfs, produced music videos, directed a Disney Direct To DVD that did pretty well, co-directed a CG feature film out of Continue reading

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VIEWSTER TO LAUNCH SUBSCRIPTION BOX / DIGITAL SERVICE

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VIEWSTER TO LAUNCH SUBSCRIPTION BOX / DIGITAL SERVICE
With Exclusive Gold-Foil ‘Kill la Kill’ Hardcover

Special gold-foil cover edition of ‘Kill la Kill’ manga

Online video service Viewster will launch Omakase, its new subscription box/streaming service with an exclusive gold-foil hardcover edition of the Kill la Kill manga.  With Omakase, inspired by “chef’s choice,” Viewster is employing a clever new twist on the subscription box phenomenon by bundling a bi-monthly box of unique merchandise with an online subscription to ad-free Viewster video content.   Exclusive digital content will also be added, including min-EP albums featuring new music from popular artists and original comics by well-known creators.

Detail of back cover of gold-foil cover edition

’Omakase,’ a term seen on sushi menus, “is when you let the chef make a selection of sushi for you, and that’s what Omakase by Viewster is all about,” Viewster USA CEO Rob Pereyda explained.  “Everything together – the video, the merchandise, and the digital goodies – makes up Omakase.  Just like a patron to a nice sushi restaurant would trust the chef, we hope that fans will ‘leave it to us’ in the same way.”The theme of the first box, scheduled for this fall, is Kill la Kill, anchored by the exclusive gold-foil manga volume.  Future boxes may be anchored around single IPs, or general themes, such as “back to school.”

The initial launch, with the two-month subscription priced at $25 plus shipping and handling, will be for customers in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom.

You can read the whole article here.

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9 Story Media Group Acquires Award Winning Animation Studio Brown Bag Films

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9-story logobrown-bag-logo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

9 Story Media Group Acquires Award Winning Animation Studio

Brown Bag Films

Toronto, Canada – August 18th, 2015 – 9 Story Media Group is pleased to announce that it has acquired award winning animation studio Brown Bag Films. With headquarters in Dublin, a studio in Manchester and an office in Los Angeles, Brown Bag Films employ 170 creative and production staff and is known for producing hit animated children’s series including Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Bing Bunny and Henry Hugglemonster. This is the first acquisition for 9 Story following an equity investment from media entrepreneur Neil Court and ZMC, Zelnick Media Capital last year. Terms of the transaction, which closed on August 17, 2015, were not disclosed.

Brown Bag Films will retain its brand, with Cathal Gaffney, Founder and CEO of Brown Bag Films, Darragh O’Connell, Founder & Creative Director, and the senior management team, continuing to lead the company.  Brown Bag Films plans to hire an additional 50 staff in the near future as the company looks to reach new markets with its content.

Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films is renowned for its rich heritage in 3D animation and content, which includes producing four of the top ten pre-school TV shows in the U.S. and entertaining 100 million kids across the globe.  9 Story Media Group is best known as an industry-leading 2D animator, with one of the largest studios in North America, and a highly successful global distribution division.

Vince Commisso, President & CEO of 9 Story Media Group, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Brown Bag Films. Cathal, Darragh and their team in Ireland have a well established track record and an outstanding reputation for producing high quality animation.  This transformative transaction extends our footprint into Europe, broadens our content offering to distribution partners and audiences worldwide, combines best in class CGI and 2D, and optimally positions the company for tremendous growth. We look forward to having Cathal, Darragh and the Brown Bag team, join the 9 Story family.”

Cathal Gaffney, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brown Bag Films, said: “Both 9 Story and Brown Bag Films share a love of animation and storytelling that really resonates with kids.  I am truly excited with this opportunity that we have worked so hard on and look forward to producing the best animated content for children across the globe long into the future. This is great news for everyone in Brown Bag Films and our clients.  It’s even better news for everyone who watches our shows, as together with 9 Story we’ll be able to bring more great animation to screens across the world.”

Darragh O’Connell, co-founder and Creative Director, added: “We are exceptionally proud of what we have built as an Irish company and for the next part of our journey, it makes total sense for us to join forces with 9 Story.  The combined entity will give us a larger bandwidth and bigger global reach for getting our shows into production and watched by as many children as possible. This deal allows us to concentrate on what we have always done very well – making great shows for kids. We LOVE animation and now we will be able to make even more of it!”

 

About Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films are one of Europe’s most exciting, original and successful creative-led animation studios. After 21 years in business, their Dublin-based headquarters continue to produce cutting-edge animation for the international market, bagging numerous awards along the way. These include Oscar® nominations for Give Up Yer Aul Sins (2002), Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (2010), three Emmy® awards for Peter Rabbit (2014), A Peabody award for Doc McStuffins (2015) and

a host of BAFTA, Emmy® and Annie nominations for their hit shows Octonauts, Bing Bunny, Doc McStuffins  and Henry Hugglemonster.

Brown Bag Films’ much-loved TV shows are viewed by millions of children worldwide and include Doc McStuffins, Henry Hugglemonster, Bing Bunny, Peter Rabbit, Olivia, Noddy in Toyland, and Octonauts.  With a second studio in Manchester and an office in LA, Brown Bag Films are committed to producing the highest-quality, cross-platform animation with strong stories and engaging characters.

Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films have worked with some of the world’s biggest entertainment names, including Disney, Nickelodeon, BBC, Amazon Studios, Acamar Films and Silvergate Media. www.brownbagfilms.com

 

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 1800 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 and has produced over 900 half hours of award-winning children’s content. 9 Story is owned by senior management, ZMC, Zelnick Media Capital and media entrepreneur Neil Court. www.9story.com