Toon Studio

Animation producer to Develop B.C., Wizard of Id

2010-03-04T23:57:04Z

From Animation Magazine's website, this just announced:

Animation producer Mark Simon has reached a deal with the estate of late comic strip creator Johnny Hart to develop, pitch and produce feature movies and TV series based on the strips B.C. and Wizard of Id.

Looming deadlines

2009-11-25T04:14:30Z

The director on Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich is feeling haunted by this clock on the office wall:

Short animated films at Canne 2010

2009-11-24T00:00:00Z

In 2010 if you are an animator you might consider looking in to the Canne Film Festival's very own Short Film Corner which will take place from May 12th to May 21st 2010. This is an area that specialises in obviously, short films. It's a chance to talk to international professionals - Directors, producers, distributors, festival programmers, buyers etc. Their website has some great video tributes that are from buyers describing what they are looking for and what they buy and pay for.

Also for animators nearby, the Creative Talent Network Animation Expo recently proved successul. And what a line up of talent on exhibit as well!

Stanley winners 2009

2009-11-23T05:53:47Z

Award winners are in bold for each category:

Illustrator - sponsored by Viscopy

Anton Emdin

George Haddon

Alan Moir

Simon Schneider

John Tiedemann

Graphic Media Artist - sponsored by Newmatilda.com

David Allen

David Follett

Chris Kelly

Simon Kneebone

Brett Lethbridge

Comic Strip Artist - sponsored by The Daily Telegraph

Jason Chatfield

Gary Clark

David Follett

Alex Hallatt

Allan Salisbury

Single Gag Cartoonist - sponsored by The Courier Mail

Matt Golding

Jon Kudelka

Reg Lynch

Neil Matterson

Andrew Weldon

Caricaturist - sponsored by The Australian

Matt Adams

Peter Broelman

Judy Nadin

David Rowe

John Spooner

Political/Editorial Cartoonist - sponsored by The Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Broelman

Rod Emmerson

Alan Moir

David Pope

David Rowe

Gold Stanley - Cartoonist Of The Year - sponsored by The Herald Sun

Peter Broelman

Rod Emmerson

Alan Moir

David Pope

David Rowe

Jim Russell Award for contribution to Australian cartooning

Norm Hetherington (Mr Squiggle)

Stanley Awards 2009

2009-11-12T20:37:07Z

If you haven't heard already, the annual Stanley Awards for cartooning are on in Darling Harbour (Sydney) this weekend. As a nerd treat, I've setup a twitter feed from some members for you to follow the events:

Stanleys Twitter Stream

And if you are attending and not sure about what and where things are happening, then you can download or view online this vCalendar of the weekend I have made:

Stanleys event calendar

I'll be posting to my twitter account over the weekend so you can follow me from there if you prefer:

Twitter @toonstudio

Character Animation Crash Course

2009-10-07T03:44:41Z

Eric Goldberg has released his book Character Animation Crash Course which is undoubtedly going to be listed as the next generation's Animation Bible beyond that of Ollie and Frank's effort (which has been the industry standard to date, and it is essential).

Why it pays to be a healthy cartoonist

2009-10-06T05:30:17Z

Dr. Roger Sperry, a world-famous brain scientist, demonstrated that 90 percent of the brain's energy output is used in relating the physical body to gravity, while 10 percent of brain energy output is utilised in thinking, metabolism and healing. The more biomechanically out-of-balance a person is, the less energy he or she has for healing, metabolism and thinking.

]]> The human brain produces four types of brain waves or electrical rhythms: alpha, beta, theta, and delta. Theta and delta are generally associated with sleep.

Alpha (slower) is the major rhythm seen in relaxed adults. It is the state associated with daydreaming and meditation; alpha is characterized by sensation instead of thinking. One is free of tensions and anxieties, unconcerned with the body, and alert to new stimuli. Research has found alpha to be the mental state that is most conducive to learning.

Beta (faster) is the dominant rhythm in normal adults who are alert or anxious or who have their eyes open. It occurs during everyday modern life when we are dealing with the outside world, involved in thinking or calculating, or otherwise in stressful situations.

EXERCISE

To put yourself in the alpha state, move away from the computer. Close your eyes and listen to some relaxing music. Or try the following technique:

Spread your arms as wide as you can. Wiggle your fingers and move your arms until you can see your fingers wiggling in your peripheral vision. Hold your range of vision like that. You can drop your arms, but keep your head up. Relax.

Don't look at anything specific, don't get distracted by motion. If you do, let it pass, then return to wide angle vision. Just try to capture the entire scene; you'll start to recognize objects without looking at them. Avoid thinking; keep your mind clear. Breathe. Feel yourself slow down. Imagine yourself as a camera...

After a few minutes, you should feel calm and detached from the world. Now you're ready to begin.

Show me your dock

2009-05-29T10:28:23Z

Show my your dock has been featured on many websites, I thought I'd put my dock up for all to see. Here is the list:

]]>
Billings Recently started using this app to identify and manage time on projects.

Manga Debut Studio I'm yet to discover a better app that handles pressure sensitive brush strokes like this.

ToonBoom Studio I stopped using Flash after MX came out. I knew Toon Boom was around but it was expensive. Recently the products have changed and so has the pricing. I now use Studio in my animation pipeline. Studio is perfect for solo animation, if you rely on more than one person in the process, look to ToonBoom Animate.

ToonBoom Storyboard Having already owned ToonBoom Studio, I knew Storyboard would be simple to use. Brilliant handling of the workflow process.

Final Draft For writing animation scripts.

Save the Cat When I start on a new project in writing, Blake Snyder's app is my first port of call.

Adobe Illustrator For all things good and vector. I use this for most artwork and typeset illustration.

Adobe Photoshop Pretty standard, colour and resize etc...

iTunes I listen to soundtracks while I work.

Safari Always a trustworthy browser to use.

Mail Part of the standard suite in the operating system. Still one of the best.

Photobooth Part of the standard suite in the operating system. Also captures video as well.

Calculator Part of the standard suite in the operating system. Handy for currency conversion.

Text Edit Part of the standard suite in the operating system. I hand code web pages as much as I can. This app is always at hand.

CSS Edit One of the best apps for styling web pages. The X-ray function alone is worth the price tag.

Espresso Recently released. Integrates FTP, CSS and Coding in to one app. Brilliant.

Skitch is handy for taking quick snapshots of the screen and resizing, uploading to a website for review.

Firefox Useful for web development. Firebug should be installed with this.

Wyzo Much better than Firefox for download speed, without the hassle of extending with plugins. Does not have Firebug though, does have Cool Iris which is amazing.

Delicious Library Taking advantage of using the iSight camera on the Mac, it scans barcodes and catalogues all in a library.

Litmus Working on a Mac and need to test a site in different platforms or browsers?

Times Much easier than opening a browser and searching the news sites.

Candy Bar Takes the pain out of handling and managing icons on the Mac.

Adobe Digital Editions I only have a few books, but that's because they are digital edition only.

Coda Similar to Espresso, still test driving it.

Suitcase Fusion With so many fonts to use, can't use them all at once. Too many fonts installed can weigh down the speed of the machine. This helps turn on or off the fonts when you need them.

The Creative Spark

2009-03-23T05:49:06Z

"Red tape!" he exclaimed, shaking his fist in mock rage. "It's a huge obstacle for us. We are getting so big so fast that we always seem to need a few more rules here, a bit more paperwork there.

]]> After all, we have three thousand people working here now. But we must be careful, too. Every new layer of management, every new rule or form gets in the way. They deaden the magic - cut off the electricity of inspiration. If there are too many restrictions, you stop thinking about what you can do and start thinking about what you cannot do.

"Picasso did not ask for approval from the legal department before he started painting Guernica, " Bernard added.

- This extract from the book CIRQUE DU SOLEIL The Spark, John U. Bacon.

This passage I read from the book summed up what I see in many operations today still. Creativity is stifled from the political organisation of business as it expands. So does it make sense to keep your business small?

Blue Screen of Death tees

2008-09-08T09:03:26Z

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a nerd when it comes to all things geeky. Ever since owning the first Commodore computers I've had that streak of nerdity in my veins. There seems to be a renaissance of retro design shirts making their way back in to fashion again.

]]> Even stronger in local market stalls. Here is some inventive and funny takes for poor old Windows users, wear with pride.

Error wear, what a great name for geek wear! Where is the mac stuff?

Henry Selick is back, with Neil Gaiman's Coraline

2008-09-05T00:35:12Z

Henry Selick, the stop motion animation director that made it big with Nightmare before Christmas, is heading back to the big screen with a new film - Neil Gaiman's Coraline!

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Exclusive Sneak Peak is available with Rotten Tomato.

Making of on Rotten Tomatoes.

iPhones

2008-09-03T09:12:41Z

I'm usually one of the early adopters of Apple product, but the release of the iPhone in Australia recently didn't encourage me to make that jump.

]]> Firstly, the telecom companies who were authorised to sell the phone with their packages are some of the worst in the country. They each have appalling customer service and no doubt will be digging their graves deeper by burning the new adopters of this phone with their mis-management.

I have instead been considering to buy an iPod Touch instead, it has all the same features bar the phone calling and camera. Given that my Nokia E65 is working quite well and has a builtin broadband modem, I can use it to connect to the net with the use of Bluetooth in the iPod and Macbook.

Here's an interesting take on someone converting back to their old trusty.

How to Hook Up Your Home Theater with the Goof

2008-09-01T00:28:42Z

It was first released with Disney's Enchanted theatrical release, but How to Hook Up Your Home Theater with the Goof is a positive return to traditional animation. And with some of the industry legends animating the short!

]]> Here is a great interview with Andreas Deja and Mark Henn who were animators on the short film. Animation World Network has a great interview and article on the making as well here.

And the retro styled Disney Animation website has a short clip from the film.

Winners of the AWGIE Awards, Melbourne 2008

2008-08-19T05:24:07Z

Attended the Australian Writers' Guild (Screenwriters) awards night at the Regal Theatre in Melbourne on the 15th August.

]]> I think it's fair enough to rename the event the McLeodie Awards instead:

Monte Miller Award - Long Form
For un-produced script over 30 minutes written by an Associate member
The Insect King by Priscilla Cameron

(ed. Interestingly, Priscilla Cameron wasn't able to attend and the award was collected on her behalf by the Producer of The Insect King.)

Monte Miller Award - Short Form
For un-produced script under 30 minutes written by an Associate member
Running by Rebecca Glenn

Interactive Media
Who Iced Otzi?: The Story of the Iceman by Caleb Lewis

Music Theatre
Everything's F***ed by Sean Peter

Theatre for Young Audiences
Stories in the Dark by Debra Oswald

Community and Youth Theatre
Royal Affair by Michael Costello

Stage
Beyond the Neck by Tom Holloway

Radio Adaptation
Fragments of Hong Kong by Katherine Thomson

Comedy (Situation or Narrative)
Death Wish, Chandon Pictures by Rob Carlton

Comedy (Sketch or Light Entertainment)
Newstopia, Episode 8, Series One by Michael Ward with Richard Marsland, Gary McCaffrie and Shaun Micallef

Children's Television (C Classification)
Man Bites Dog, Dogstar by Doug MacLeod

Documentary (Public Broadcast)
The Fibros and the Silvertails by Paul Oliver

Telemovie Original
The Informant by Greg Haddrick

Television Mini Series Adaptation
Underbelly by Peter Gawler, Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard

Television Mini Series Original
East West 101 by Kristen Dunphy, Michael Miller, Kris Mrksa, Michelle Offen and Kris Wyld

Television Series
Against the Wall Part Two, Episode 417, All Saints by Sean Nash

Television Serial
Home & Away, Episode 4498 by Margaret Wilson

Short Film
Hugo by Rachel Bowen

Feature Film Adaptation
Disgrace by Anna-Maria Monticelli

Feature Film Original
The Black Balloon by Elissa Down and Jimmy the Exploder

Richard Lane Award for Service and Dedication to the Australian Writers' Guild
Mark Poole

Fred Parsons Award for Contribution to Australian Comedy
Doug MacLeod

Dorothy Crawford Award Recognising Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Scriptwriting
Liz Jones

Major AWGIE Award and Copyright Agency Limited Peer Recognition Prize
Underbelly by Peter Gawler, Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard

Women are fiends in animation

2008-08-08T04:23:07Z

Amy Winfrey has been animating mainly online but was picked up by Nickelodeon after its three year web debut.

]]> Nick is in the process of producing a full length film for TV of Making Fiends. It would have made sense if the setting was in Horrywood, nice background designs in the new version of this one.

Here is an interview with the LA Weekly with Winfrey, a clear example of self financing a production for the web and gaining an audience and a network picking it up from the interest.

Simon Bucher also has an article about his Daily Monster website where he has been filming himself drawing. Check out the article here.