Tag Archives: Animation

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“Fude Samurai” Made with Grease Pencil v2 in Blender

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If you haven’t seen anything about this yet, Grease Pencil is a plugin within the free 3d program Blender that started as a tool to allow animators to give notes on scenes and strengthen poses by using 2d drawings as a guide. A 3d animator named Daniel M. Lara has been posting short bits of animation showing off what the plugin will do for 2d animators and I have to say it’s incredible. This could really revitalize the 2d animation community. The best part of all of this? Blender is FREE! Granted, it’s not an easy tool to understand or use but they seem to be getting better and better at making the interface easier to use. Really looking forward to this tool coming out of beta.

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A Look Inside Boltron Ultimate

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Yesterday we posted the second episode of Boltron Ultimate and readers were asking how it was made, so we asked Chris Burns from Exit 73 to show us a bit more.

Unlike our typical projects (script, boards, layout, animation, post), we set this up as an authentic game production, I.E. creating assets (tons and tons of assets) and generating the story around the flow of the fight, to tell the story in one shot. We figured it would give it a more genuine feel, rather than just a pixelated animation. The idea was/is that if some interest comes down the pike, to make an actual game out of Boltron, we would simply submit the assets, and have the programmers take it from there, rather than generate new moves at the correct pixel ratio.  Figuring out the correct pixel ratio was a challenge as well, since we decided to use flash to create the art, so every frame, of every character is done one tiny square at a time. I’ve always welcomed challenges though when we started the studio, and this was one of those ideas, that needed a lot of trial and error before we could move forward. So the attachments are stills of what the files in flash looked like, before putting it together.

So when you say you drew this in Flash one pixel at a time are you saying you used the rectangle tool to draw rectangles over and over block by block to draw this stuff or did you use the pixel plugin I’ve seen? Did you draw it first in say Photoshop and then import? It seems kinda hard to get a nice design like you did by drawing originally with Flash. 

We would sketch it out with the brush tool first, relatively rough usually… Then we found the best way to achieve the sprite look was to blow up the flash canvas to 2200X2200 Click on the show grid and the snap to grid tabs, and then use the rectangle tool accordingly to build the image,   we would use the grid ratio of 10 pixels by 10 pixels and then shrink the final image to 25% of its original form.  We would still use symbols embedded like head symbols and puppeting elements too.  but all the original artwork was made one square at a time.  We tied using some plugins to achieve the pixel look, but it was super buggy and never felt quite right.  Also Boltron used a lot of robots, and getting symmetry with pixels was a lot easier actually counting out the squares than eyeballing it.

The sprite sheets/model sheets … so those are actually graphic Clips of animation nested inside or are they actually a sprite sheet where every motion is broken out as separate files?

Yes, we made them all loops, for the most part, so we treated the character animation almost like we would use mouth shapes for lipsync, rather than an “o” mouth we would say looks like its time for an “uppercut” or “cyber kick”.

How were those beautiful backgrounds done? Same way in Flash?

Backgrounds went through the same treatment, we would build out elements and build it almost like legos.  The beauty of referencing a game universe, is that we could reuse a lot of the elements and it not feel like a shortcut, since we have all seen how old school video games levels comprised.  I never felt cheated playing Super Mario Brothers, even though I know that the pipe on left is an exact duplicate of the one on the right.  So we applied the same theory here.

So when you built the film did assemble it entirely in Flash pans and all or did you do it with alphas and After Effects scene by scene and then export to Premiere or Final Cut.

We did all the animation strictly in Flash, embedding the scenes in one symbol and moving the camera accordingly.  It’s easier to see the playback instantly rather than hope it works out after a full render.  we would export the final animation as a PNG sequence and bring it into aftereffects to get it ready for youtube though.

The film really lends itself to the old console games, so much so I’d love to see a game made out of it. If someone chose to make a game out of this, what type do you see this as becoming? iOS/Android or console?

If I had my choice I would like to see it on Steam, That way the audience can judge it and take it from there on which way to push it.  I’m a firm believer in how the “free market” should dictate what gets made.  Steam has a nice way of getting an honest opinion on what’s seen without the bitter comments as seen on something like Youtube or Twitter.

How many more episodes will we see of Boltron Ultimate?
There will be 4 parts, that tell the whole story, each part though showcases a different type of game, so it doesn’t feel so repetitive.

 

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Rod Serling on Kamikazes | Blank on Blank | PBS Digital Studios

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Thanks to PBS Digital Studios and its series Blank on Blank, we have this beautiful animation of an interview with The Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling. His ideas about science fiction, children, and imagination all get expressed in a wonderful way.

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Award Winning Animation Studio ‘Brown Bag Films’ Opens New Flagship Studio and Expands Animation Team in Dublin

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Award Winning Animation Studio ‘Brown Bag Films’ Opens New Flagship Studio

and Expands Animation Team in Dublin

Dublin 27th May 2016 – Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor joined Cathal Gaffney, Managing Director, Brown Bag Films/COO 9 Story Media Group and Neil Court, Executive Chairman of 9 Story Media Group today at the inauguration of its new 30,000 square foot animation studio in Smithfield, Dublin.

A subsidiary of Toronto based 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films employ 184 creative and production staff in its headquarters in Dublin, a studio in Manchester and an office in Los Angeles, and is known for producing hit animated children’s series including Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Bing and Henry Hugglemonster.   Brown Bag is currently producing the CG adaptation of Richard Adams’ beloved novel Watership Down for Netflix and BBC.

The company intends to grow its footprint to a team of 255 by 2018, as continues to expand its global reach with award winning content.  Recruitment is ongoing with a number of open positions currently available on the company’s website.

Speaking at the opening event Minister Mitchell O’Connor said: “I am delighted to be here in Smithfield at the opening of Brown Bag Films’ new flagship studio.  It is hugely encouraging to see this company move into an expanded space with plans for future job growth.  Brown Bag is a great Irish success story since its foundation 22 years ago and is a fine example of what an innovative Irish company can achieve in the global market.  This exciting company is successfully competing in the dynamic and very competitive world of creative animation. It is clear to me that this announcement is a further illustration of the range of Irish talent available for dynamic companies across diverse sectors.  I wish Brown Bag Films’ and their team every success for the future.”

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 international distribution division. Following last year’s acquisition, Brown Bag Films and 9 Story Media Group have joined forces to become a global leader in providing best-in-class content for young audiences. The combined company now boasts a team of almost 500 staff, locations in 4 different countries, 14 Emmy® awards and 2 Oscar nominations. As part of the integration following the acquisition, Cathal Gaffney was appointed Chief Operating Officer of 9 Story Media Group.

Cathal Gaffney, Managing Director, Brown Bag Films/COO 9 Story Media Group, said: “With an eight year history in Smithfield, we were keen to maintain our roots here.  Our new studio sets an incredibly high standard and is the perfect home for our outstanding creative and technical talent. This is a very exciting time to be working in the kids content business and we are currently recruiting for talent to work with us on exciting shows like Watership Down and Doc McStuffins.”

Neil Court, Executive Chairman of 9 Story Media Group, said: “I am so proud to be part of the exciting expansion of Brown Bag Films. The Smithfield site is one of the most creatively driven and technically advanced studios in the world. The investment in the new space demonstrates our unwavering commitment to growing our production capabilities in Ireland.”

Commenting on the expansion, Martin Shanahan, CEO IDA Ireland said “Brown Bag Films continues to draw international attention to the vibrant animation sector in Ireland through its award winning productions.  Ireland’s combination of creative and technical talent, and our love of storytelling and the visual arts makes it the perfect location from which to grow and develop global content.   IDA Ireland warmly support this investment, and the opportunity to create high quality jobs for talented people in this exciting growth area.”

BBF is a client company of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland.

About Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films are one of Europe’s most exciting, original and successful creative-led animation studios. After 22 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, Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty, seven Emmy® awards for Peter Rabbit, A Peabody award for Doc McStuffins and a host of BAFTA, Emmy® and Annie nominations.

Brown Bag Films’ much-loved TV shows are viewed by millions of children worldwide and include Doc McStuffins, Henry Hugglemonster, Bing, 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

About 9 Story Media Group

9 Story Media Group Inc. 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 andPeg + Cat, 9 Story represents over 2,150 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 almost 300 creative and production staff in its Toronto facility and has produced over 900 half hours of award-winning children’s content. Last year 9 Story acquired the award winning animation studio Brown Bag Films, which employs over 184 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 and Henry Hugglemonster.  9 Story is owned by senior management, ZMC (Zelnick Media Capital) and media entrepreneur Neil Court.  www.9story.com

 

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Got Disney VHS tapes?

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Moviepilot has an article up about the huge amounts of cash old Disney VHS tapes are going for these days on eBay.

In a surprising find, original Beauty and the Beast VHS tapes are selling on Ebay for as much as $9,000! What?! One in particular is being sold for nearly ten THOUSAND dollars, in an unopened “Black Diamond Classic” case, which you can see originally sold for a mere twenty dollars.