POSTED ON Tuesday, October 31, 2006
.:: Pixkins, aka. Pixar Pumpkins

What do you get when you mix a crazy cavity causing holiday and an animation junkie who carves vegetables when he should be animating? That's right. Pixar Pumpkins, or "Pixkins" as I like to call them. (And I do trademark that name! -- Eh. No I don't. Too much hassle.)

Anyway, J-Rod, his wife and I decided to get together and carve pumpkins. We had all seen the blog posting about carving in a manner that gave a look with more depth than the standard "cut some holes and go" method of carving pumpkins. So we all decided to do our own design using this method... BUT with a Pixar theme. So we sat down.. covered the table.. gutted the pumpkins (it was during this, when I started to get pumpkin slime everywhere that I thought maybe this wasn't really worth it) and started carving. Beck was smart enough to hang back and not thrust her arms into the innard of these horrid vegetables. Sigh. Ok, I lie. Actually I had her gut most of mine. What can I say? I am lazy. Then she actually baked all the seeds up to a delectable delight. Ahh.. Just like they did on that first Halloween night when they got off the Mayflower and hid those chocolate eggs.

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Now on to design. We all had to choose who or what we thought would look best on the pumpkins. And it was no small feat. Many a Pixar characters were volleyed around the room. Eventually we all settled on our choices. J-Rod went with his favorite Pixar short, "For the Birds", I went with Remy from Pixar's upcoming "Ratatouille", and Mrs. J-Rod went with everyone's favorite father and son turtle team, Crush and Squirt.

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They are, of course, not nearly as amazing to see in the light. Well, I take that back. Mrs. J-Rod's looks like art with the lights on or off. So she gets some extra kudos for style there. Overall we were pretty happy with with the results of our first attempt at carving pumpkins using this method.

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So here's to a new tradition, spending lots of time carving vegetables into animated icons that will then sit outside to rot. Ahhh.. the hobbies we find to amuse ourselves. Anyway, feel free to sound off here in the comments and let me know your thoughts. And feel free to let me see your Pixkins or other pumpkin creations.

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POSTED ON Tuesday, October 24, 2006
.:: Cars Q & A and the "Animation Life"

Carlos Baena, Brett Schulz and Michal Makarewicz
Ahhh. I am such an uber nerd. How many other people do you know that would be all pumped about spending the evening in front of the computer watching 3 other guys sit in front of a computer and talk about software programs, splines, silhouettes, workflow, etc, etc....

Well, if you know ANY other animators, then I am not the only nerd you know. However, if you don't then, yeah I fill that niche in your life.

In all seriousness, anyone would have enjoyed the Q & A that I got to take part in tonight. AnimationMentor.com founder Carlos Baena, my buddy Brett Schulz and Michal Makarewicz sat down to dissect their experience in working on Cars. The whole session was amazing and a ton of fun. The guys were very laid back and just spoke their mind. They told the aspects they enjoyed, the challenges, the parts they did not enjoy, as well as giving some insight as to how they attacked their shots.

For someone still in my shoes, an "animator wanna-be", it is always refreshing to hear the guys already in the industry telling about how they attack a shot. It is even more refreshing to hear of the challenges they face, if only to help reaffirm that the challenges never end. That animation is a beast you can never tame. There is always something new around the corner, always something new to push you in a direction you have never gone. And I consistently find myself having the following conversation with people.

Them: "So, what are you up to?"
Me: "Going back to school."
Them: "Oh, what are you studying?"
Me: "Animation"
Them: "Oh, wow. That sounds so neat. That must be so much fun! You must enjoy that so much!"
Me: (curls up in a fetal postion and cries)

Ok. Maybe that is a bit exagerrated. In all honesty, I am in love with animation. But that doesn't mean you enjoy every second of animating. I mean, don't interpret that wrong. I do not want to do anything else in life. I enjoy nothing more in terms of a career and hobby than animation. However, animation will kick your ego out the window in a heartbeat. It is definitely not "easy". It is a challenge.... But one that I am happy to take on.

It's so easy to get lost in a character or scene when you are watching an animation and to not notice everything it took to get it to that point. And well, that's the point! You aren't supposed to notice all the little things per se. That is when animation is most successful. When it communicates the emotions and purpose of the scene correctly, the little things just make sense... and support the rest of the scene. But getting a shot to that point is a fine art. One that changes constantly, with every shot, with every idea, with every character. Animation is the most difficult thing I have ever done. Yet, for me at least, is the easiest thing to want to do. I love animating. It keeps life poppin'. So all I can say, is those of you who love watching animated movies, shorts, tv shows.... the next time you see an animator, give 'em a hug. And tell them "Thanks" for allowing you to not think on 12's, or in breakdowns and especially for allowing you to not consider spacing and timing.... Tell them "Thanks" for just allowing you to escape and enjoy.

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POSTED ON Sunday, October 22, 2006
.:: Something No One Should Have To See

I have forewarned you. Seeing me at any given time is enough to make any normal person spontaneously vomit. But viewing this clip... with double the repulsiveness, is enough to make even those with iron stomachs puke til their livers pop out.

However, should you be brave enough to hit play, you can view my reference footage for my next animation assignment at AM. Well.. you can view as much as possible before the heaving begins. You have been warned.

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.:: For Your Consideration

I have no idea how many of the people that visit this site are Christopher Guest fans. I do know however, that I am a huge Christopher Guest fan. And I also know that if you want to be on that short list of people I have written under the heading "friends," that you too will be a Christopher Guest fan!

Ok. Sorry. I don't have a list.... Well I do, but it's just a list of the types of dental floss I am supposed to get at the store this week. Plus in all honesty, I already consider you all my friends! Even the thousands of you who visit every week and never leave comments. (Yes, believe it or not, it is in the thousands -- though, I think most of those people are just here to take my LOST desktops. Sigh. That's all you people do is take, take, take. Never even post a simple comment. Ahem. I digress.)

So since I consider you all friends regardless, it is totally fine if you don't dig Mr. Guest's films. I personally don't see how someone could possibly not dig him. I mean after all, this man brought to you such life changing masterpieces such as, "Spinal Tap", "Waiting for Guffman", "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind". So, if you do, then I wanted to make sure you were aware of the latest nugget of enjoyment he has been working on. It's called "For Your Consideration". And this go around, the cast takes a swing at the movie industry and culture that we all think, and know, is really out there. Plus none other than the amazing Ricky Gervais has joined Mr. Guest's crew. How can this not be amazing?

If you want to watch the preview for it, just head on over here... and keep your calendars handy, because as soon as they announce the release date, I am sure you will all want to jot that down.

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POSTED ON Thursday, October 12, 2006
.:: "A Quoi Sert L'Amour"

This animation is amazing. It is a music video of sorts for "A Quoi Sert L'Amour" by Edith Piaf and Theo Sarape. It was animated by Louis Clichy. I love it. Clichy did the piece in an amazing style. It is beautiful, clear and extremely visually appealing. It doesn't hurt that the story is fun too. This is a really enjoyable piece. Soak it up.

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POSTED ON Monday, October 09, 2006
.:: Animation Update

Here is where I currently am on my latest AM assignment. But bear in mind it still has a way to go. Please feel free to leave your thoughts and crits in the comments. Regardless of if you are an "animator," I want to hear everyone's thoughts. So seriously, leave your thoughts.

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POSTED ON Thursday, October 05, 2006
.:: What the crap? -- Literally.

Doggy Poo

"Once upon a time, a little doggy poo lived on the side of a road. He felt all alone in the world. He believed that nobody needed him for anything, and that he had no purpose in life. If only Doggy Poo had a reason for being, then he wouldn't give up on his dream to be useful to the world."

Sigh. I am kind of at a loss here. I mean, on the one hand I am all for artistic expression. Telling any story your heart desires. Especially when done in any form of animation. But on the other hand.... it's poo. Really. It's poo.

Let that really sink in....
Poo.
But hey, what can I really say? I haven't even seen the film. But I will admit, it is now going to be sought out and viewed. The poo is too enticing. -- Did I really just say that?

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POSTED ON Monday, October 02, 2006
.:: Confusing Quote of the Day

"Life is short so make yourself a great day."

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.:: Back.

I think the title says it all, no?

I arrived back in the states last Monday/Tuesday/Friday. Not really sure. Last week was kind of a blur. Between jet lag, work and AM projects I never really was able to keep days straight. Or even stay awake. I feel behind in everything, even though, when I really evaluate things, I don't actually appear to be. I guess that happens when you are on the other side of the planet for a couple of weeks.

Ukraine was amazing. The people are amazing. The culture is so interesting. So many similarities to the US, and so many differences. Due to it's geographical location, Ukraine is heavily influenced by both eastern and western cultures. It was really neat to see some of the juxtaposition with that.

The country has had some really hard times since the fall of the USSR, and it seems that even to this day the political landscape is continually changing. There are some factions pushing hard to form another union of sorts with Russia and some other countries, and many other grouups that want to stay completely independent. The economy has been rough, especially of late, and finding jobs can be difficult.

Despite the difficulties in those areas, the people there are thriving. Families are so strong there. Support between families, friends, and even strangers is very noticeable. And very humbling. So many people took me in, fed me, really wanted to get to know me. I was very overwhelmed by their outpouring of love and hospitality. The family I stayed with was amazing. Yulia, Vitaily, and Yadik stole my hearts. They were a young couple, not much older than me, and Yadik is 6. They knew very limited English, so it made conversations much more interesting. Though I did learn enough Russian while there to have simple conversations, it didn't prevent me from having many conversations with hand gestures, dictionaries, and lots of laughter.

I also had the opportunity to help with a street kids program a few days while I was there. Completely overwhelming and inspiring. I cannot speak for all of Ukraine, but the area I went to has a large number of "street kids" whom have either been abandoned, run away, or just have such a harsh living environment that they seek ways to get out of the situation. It physically hurt to hear the stories of the kids. Where they are from, how they got there, and especially what the program means to them. The program is run by a church there, Kherson Christian Church, and has one of the most inspiring women that I have ever met, Alla, at the helm. Alla has the biggest heart I have ever seen, and has touched so many lives.

Bear in mind this is simply a small small amount of the amazing things I saw/learned/experienced while I was there. I hope to post so much more and really go in depth about everything. But we all know my consistency as of late when it come to posting.

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