Tag Archives: Adobe After Effects

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Michael K. Foster

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Michael K. Foster, character designer and animator.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Not sure if they’re crazy, but when I was younger I was a stock boy for a health food store, talk about nut jobs.  I was a professional mover for three years and spent many of those nights sleeping in the back of the moving truck trying to keep warm in those dirty moving blankets because there was no time to go home.  My first art related job was designing yellow page ads.  Ever see those ads?  That’s pretty much the lowest design job there is.

 

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Wow, um…I guess one would be a new product for Anagram Intl. a company I used to work for.  They’re a huge national and international mylar balloon company.  Not what you may think of when talking animation, but I was contacted by them with nothing more then an idea and told to make it work.  It was all based around the QR codes that you see everywhere that can be scanned with a smart phone.  I developed a line of character driven mylar balloons for children with themes such as pirates, skateboarders, princess’s & mermaids.  Each balloon had a scannable QR code printed on it and when scanned, a short fun animation played based on the balloon.  It was a way to “continue” the story from the balloon.  The balloons are being sold throughout the U.S.  It may not be a huge deal, but for me, it was something because it started as a blank idea and it turned into something bigger.  This also helped my approach for new clients because it showed that animation is not just for TV and Film, but many other industries.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in Ann Arbor Michigan and raised in Hillburn NY a small village about an hour north of NYC.  I got into animation some what by chance.  A company I used to work for was in need of some simple character driven animation to help promote a few new products.  My boss came to me and basically said, Continue reading

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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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Craig Clark

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Craig Clark, I’m currently an artist at Grab Games, and the producer of The Kustomonsters TV show

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was the box boy to the stars at a Safeway supermarket in Pacific Palisades.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I’m very proud to been part of that first Simpson’s crew that launched the Emmy winning institution of the yellow people to the world. Also it was an honor animating JFK’s lip synch on the feature Forrest Gump. Currently I also love producing The Kustomonsters show.

The Kustomonsters show Ep 1
A video used to be embedded here but the service that it was hosted on has shut down.

How did you become interested in animation?
I’d say at age six when I was hooked on the Winchell Mahoney show and Gigantor cartoons.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Malibu, CA. I was doing cartoon drawings for my mother’s Continue reading
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Philip Carrera

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Philip Carrera, Animator/Digital Storyteller

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Before getting into animation, I was a third grade teacher, an advertising copywriter, architectural draftsman, and production layout artist. I managed to switch careers about every three years until I finally settled on this one.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Three big projects come to mind: (1) publishing my book: “Flash Animation: Creative Storytelling for Web and TV”.  (2) Being nominated for Best Kids Short by the Kids First Animation Festival for my first short film: “Dan Mog”:  , and (3) completing my first mini-documentary for a local  music school.

How did you become interested in animation?
I used to make my own comics when I was a kid and always wondered how Continue reading

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Alan Becker

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Alan Becker, Freelance animator.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Honestly, my first job was doing animation. Maybe that’s crazy in itself.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Making Animator vs. Animation was probably the one thing that I owe my entire situation to. I made it in 2006 and submitted it to newgrounds.com, ever since then I’ve never had to actively seek animation jobs, they’ve come to me.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Ohio, and I still live here. Like I said above, I got into the animation business when Continue reading

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Ben Althoff

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Ben Althoff and I am the CEO, Founder of Polycount Studios, LLC.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?

I would have to say one of my crazier jobs when I was younger was delivering “post therapy knee machines”.  I lived in San Deigo at the time and I was about 24 years old.  I would drive within a hundred miles of SD delivering these things and I would meet the craziest people.  Did I mention I also had to set these people up in this machine?  I remember meeting a guy who actually worked in the factory that made “Real Dolls”!!  if you don’t know just type it in your internet browser and you will get it, lol.  Maybe don’t do it at work!  Anyway, he was telling me about some of the orders and how the “Bones” are made…what a character.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?

The project I’m most proud of is my Expose 7 publications.  I wanted for so long to be in this book and finally after learning 3ds max for about 2 years I jumped in head first with a couple images and sure enough, they both got in.

How did you become interested in animation?
I think I really started wanting to get into animation and 3D Vis when I was Continue reading