Animation

Apparently late nights are involved. A survey by a movie industry veteran shows New Zealand special effect workers put in longer hours than many other countries. The survey of 30 countries showed that only 3% here do a 40-hour week, with the rest doing 50 to 80 hours and up to 100 hours during busy periods. ... My hunch? The reason New Zealand thinks its visual effects artists work longer hours is because they actually track the hours. My experience: Over here in the lower forty-eight, time records are not real accurate. Time cards (when a company has time cards) are documents to be falsified.

One thing I always wondered about the I Love Lucy Superman episode; Ricky casually says, "Superman is friend of mine." My mind reels at how this came about.Did Superman take Lois to the Tropicana? Were Fred and Ethel is that night's show (somehow they were there so often).Did Superman save someone while Ricky was on his way to work, then the two struck up a conversation, Ricky about Lucy and Superman about Lois?I've also read that George Reeves (along with Noel Neill) could sing and often toured when Superman wasn't filming. Maybe they could have given Fred and Ethel the night off.Seriously, it always seemed that George Reeves' voice was so much higher in that appearance then it ever was on his own show. Maybe it was the live audience. I know that all Lucy shows required their actors to project to the back row.Before home video, it was always a thrill when that I Love Lucy episode rolled around on TV.

Like they've never whelt and dealt before. Netflix made another aggressive move to become the HBO of online television Monday by announcing a deal with DreamWorks Animation, which will create more than 300 hours of original programs based on fan-favorite films such as “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda.” The multi-year deal with DreamWorks is the biggest of its kind to date for Netflix, which has been gaining subscribers by offering new, made-for-streaming series like the “Arrested Development” revival that debuted Memorial Day weekend. Financial terms were not announced, but the companies said in a press release that the first DreamWorks shows are expected to appear in 2014 and “will be inspired by characters” from the studio’s movies, which also includes “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Madagascar.” ... Seventeen years ago, DreamWorks Animation The T.V. Unit was on the cusp of producing animated content for the ABC network. Then Michael Eisner and Diz Co. swept in and purchased ABC, and there went that deal. Soon thereafter, Dreamworks got out of the television animation business. Today, however, they are pushing into the television production business once again. The question I have is, where will this work be created? (I was over at DreamWorks' Lakeside building this afternoon, and there are lots of empty cubes, so I don't think production will be taking place in Glendale. On the other hand, most pre-production on DreamWorks Animation product, features and otherwise, has been done in California, so there's a fine chance that lots of that work will be brain-stormed and created here.)

USA Today published an article this afternoon with these five stills from Frozen, the Disney studio’s adaptatation of The Snow Queen that will open on November 27, 2013.

Google’s latest gloriously ambitious initiative, Project Loon, is all over the news this week. This beautiful piece – directed by Google Creative Lab with Mixtape Club acting as the production company – explains Project Loon. Wired has also written an in-depth look at the history and goals of the project. Project Loon is groundbreaking work. But it’s only one of many futuristic projects that Google is involved in. From self-driving cars, to the future of energy, to artificial intelligence, to (yes) Google Glass, the ways in which Google pursues so many mad scientist initiatives – many of which are only distantly related to what actually makes Google money – are what makes the company so interesting. But do you have to be Google to be so ambitious? Does it take billions of dollars to have the freedom to pursue these crazy (awesome) goals? I don’t think so. We work in an industry that, on a good day, is filled with brilliantly creative folks. What kind of crazy projects are we doing to help create the future? I’m interested to know. Share your stories in the comments – and I’ll put together a roundup. Directed by Google Creative Lab Production Company: Mixtape Club Producer: Bruce Moreau 3D Artists: Sean Moller, Luciano Tapia, Arthur Hur, John Haley, Paul Villacis 2D Artists: Danny Kamhaji, Arthur Hur, Adam Sacks, Jake Armstrong, Bryan Cobonpue, Josh Goodrich Posted on Motionographer

Hey Everyone, I'm excited to announce that I'll be teaching a 2nd Character Design Class for the Online Design School CGMA. This 2nd Class will cover what it takes to work as a Character Designer for a Professional Production. Click HERE for more info on the Class and how to sign up.

Today’s Cartoon Brew Artist of the Day post is sponsored by the CG Master Academy. Sign up TODAY for Nate Wragg’s class Character Design for Animation. Nate Wragg works as an art director and illustrator for animation and book projects, and teaches courses about character design. For the production of Toy Story 3, one of Nate’s assignments was to design the new toy characters in Bonnie’s room, including Mr. Pricklepants. See more toy character designs and read Nate’s thoughts about his process in this blog post. Nate posts much more personal and professional work on his blog N8Wragg.blogspot.com, where you can also find links to the books that he has illustrated including two that are related to Pixar’s Ratatouille.

Just when you thought it was safe to hit the beach this summer, comes an all new Happy Tree Friends episode written by Kenn Navarro, Warren Graff and Ken Pontac. Here’s You’re Kraken Me Up:

Wanted ASAP: Modeller for CG Animation Studio Department: Production About the position: The Modeller has exceptional skills and experience in Modeling, texturing and weighting in XSI. They excel at creating high calibre work while at the same time meeting production deadlines. They take direction well and are good communicators. Responsibilities and duties: Create and texture geometry consistent with production designs of sets, props, and characters. Apply basic rigs and weight models. Can models for production use. Render images of the models you create for approval/circulation. Complete all work assigned within the scheduled timeframe and in an efficient manner. Remain current in modeling and production techniques. Stay up-to-date on production related software. Carry out duties in a professional and positive manner. Qualifications and competencies: Experience in television or game production as a Modeller. Degree/Diploma in fine arts or 3D Modeling. Proficient in modeling, texturing, and weighting in XSI. Basic understanding of facial shape animation. Working knowledge of Photoshop or other high-end 2D painting programs. Working knowledge of the Windows operating system. Good understanding of the animation process. Works well in a team environment. Thrives in a high pressure, deadline oriented environment. Able to follow direction. Able to take criticism professionally. Has a good sense of aesthetics. About us: Nerd Corps is one of the largest animation studios in Canada boasting a diverse portfolio of award-winning original properties such as Slugterra, League of Super Evil, Storm Hawks and Rated A for Awesome. But we’re more than just an animation studio.  We build stories, worlds, and experiences for kids that cut across platforms from television to online, games, toys, mobile—wherever kids are spending time.  We handle all stages of our process in-house, including IP creation and development, animation production, finance, sales and distribution, licensing and consumer products, and interactive development.  We’re a rarity in the industry, and are looking for the best talent to join our team! We would like to convey our sincere thanks to all those who express interest in being a part of the Nerd Corps team. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we receive, we may be unable to reply to all applicants. If we feel that you may be a good match for one of our current openings you will be contacted. Please email your resume, portfolio/demo reel link and cover letter explaining why you feel you would be a great fit: recruiting@nerdcorps.ca