New Demo Reel!

Yes it's true! With the Blue Sky gig quickly coming to an end, I've finally updated my reel and resume. Of course there's no stuff from Horton on it, but I'm really happy to show the stuff I did at Framestore and Psyop over the past year (Geico Gecko, Jeep "Weasel", Happiness Factory 2). I still have to update the rest of my main website, but here are the direct links to my reel/resume:

DEMO REEL (requires Quicktime 7)

RESUME.pdf (requires Adobe Reader)

I don't know an exact date for when I'm done at Blue Sky, but needless to say it's soon, and the search for the next gig is on. So if you like what you see and need an animator, don't hesitate to contact me!

Freelancer's Guide #7: NYC Studio Google Map

Hey everyone, I really apologize for the lack of posts. Geez, have I become one of those bloggers? I've been so swamped at work, and probably will be until the gig is up (whenever that will be). But I haven't given up on the blog, posts will pick up again when things settle down.

Good news though! I've got something new to share. Steve Mann at Charlex has started a Google Map of studios in the NYC area, that he's updating when he gets a chance. He's got quite a few on there already, so if you're a freelancer and looking for another gig, it's a good resource to have. Thanks Steve, you rock!


View Larger Map

Internet People, Channel Frederator RAW

Channel Frederator has started a social networking site they call "Channel Frederator RAW". Basically, it's like myspace (moreso than facebook), but it's more focused social networking for animators and cartoon fans. It's just getting off the ground now. What's cool is that not only can you network with other animators, but you can upload your short films there for everyone to see, and the best ones will probably get on the Channel Frederator podcast. (I'm assuming that you can still submit your film for the podcast directly to CF, but this way you can submit and also get people to see your film if they happen to not choose it for the podcast) I'm a pretty heavy facebook user myself, so I don't see this becoming my new main social network site. But it seems like a good way to network and have your work seen.

Channel Frederator also seems to be starting its own online cartoon series. Check out this funny vid, summarizing most (if not all) of the crazy viral videos that on the internet.

Three Legged Legs--Amp X-Games spots

Woa, two posts in a day! Well, I had to post something else besides just boring stuff about me. I hadn't seen these spots from Three Legged Legs, but found them in my google reader via Motionographer. Pretty cool animation, and interesting choices in the blur frames, and great timing. My favorite is "Amp Camp", with the biker being chased by fire. The character animation is pretty sweet, but check out that effects animation too! Ya don't get to see that too often anymore. Here's a YouTube vid, with really awful compression. Go to the TLL site link above, and watch the quicktime, you'll thank yourself! They've also got a bunch of concept art and character designs posted on their site, it's worth a look.

Happy Labor Day

Hey everyone, sorry it's been so long since the last post! I've been so insanely busy at work, that the blog has really taken a hit. Since it's Labor Day, here's a bit of an update.

Blue Sky has been pretty good so far, busy, but good. Horton Hears a Who has got some freakin amazing animation, and I'm just trying my best to live up to it! As you can guess or may have heard, the deadlines are really tight, so there has been a good amount of OT put in already. A lot of us temps were definitely "thrown into the fire" , so to speak, so there was very little time for training, and we didn't even complete an animation test before getting our first assignments. That may not seem like a big sacrifice, but believe me, there is a ton to learn about the tools, system, and rigs. Luckily most people are usually happy to answer our questions! The next group of temps that came in got the full training with animation tests, so I was glad for them. We made it fine without it, but I really understand why the big studios have training and tests. Overall though, it's pretty exciting and fun. I'm grateful to be workin on a CG film that pushes the medium like this one, but it's also been quite a learning experience in dealing with pressure and really tight deadlines. Crunch time! What's that saying? "In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes." In the animation world, I think crunch time should be added as #3.

I've only got a couple more months here though, so I wanna take advantage of it! As long as I don't kill myself in the process, all will be good :P

Happy Labor Day folks, hope you don't have to work!

Happiness Factory 2 Trailer

Check out the 3.5 minute version here!! I can't believe it's finally out there :D One of my shots is in the trailer, the one where the main character gets flung into the sky on the flying machine. I'm so grateful to have worked on this project, and am so excited that I can finally share it with everyone! Keep your eyes on Psyop guys, there's no telling what's on the horizon for them.

Now, when is that wrap party? :)

Absolutely Amazing

(cover art by Mary GrandPre, design by Mary GrandPre and David Saylor)

(No Spoilers)
I finally finished it tonight. I'm truly blown away by this book, the strength of it alone raises the value of the entire series. Rowling writes with the passion, the range of emotion, and the beauty that every artist, of words or of pictures, aspires to, and has matured in her talent as much as Harry himself. The complexity of the story makes me nearly certain that it would be impossible to make a movie that does this book justice.

Oh yeah, and the cover art is pretty sweet too ;)