Computer Animation Arts

Silly actions scenes aside, the latest film from the James Bond franchise Skyfall is shaping up to be possibly the most sophisticated one yet. We cant't always trust trailers but Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead) is most definitely a proper film director still at the top of his game - although before directing films he made his name in theatre as the artistic director of intimate Donmar Warehouse. His strong artistic sensibilities always seem at the forefront of his films.  Underneath the bravado of 'Bond' I think there's an interesting examination of 'James' just waiting to be told. Here's hoping!

Hi Alan, I'm trying to render out a group of sequences but struggling with the luminance depth DOF pass. The beauty pass has rendered  and I've set up a Luminance render layer and adjusted the settings. When I render in maya I get the results I want (example pictures below). However, when I batch render the sequence I only get black screenshots? What am I doing wrong? Thanks Paul

Still not sure how I feel about Snyder's reboot. Can't deny this teaser is interesting....

DreamWorks Animation has unveiled the first teaser poster for Me and My Shadow, coming to theatres March 14, 2014 from director Alessandro Carloni, head of story on How to Train Your Dragon. Featuring the voices of Bill Hader, Josh Gad, and Kate Hudson, the movie will explore the world of shadows through the story of one in particular—Shadow Stan, who happens to be 'stuck to the world's most boring human', Stanley Grubb. IMDb adds the following in its unofficial synopsis : "When a crime in the shadow world puts both of their lives in danger, Stan is forced to take control of Stanley. They go on a madcap adventure to investigate the crime and stop the shadow villain from leading a rebellion where shadows take over the human world. During this adventure, Stan empowers Stanley to let go of his fears and embrace life. Through their adventure, they both learn that one cannot be whole without a true friend."Me And My Shadow combines CG and traditional hand d...

Here is an enjoyable and 'tasty' animation made by 3 students from Ringling College of Art and Design. Bon appetit!! :) Ballad of Poisonberry Pete from Cartoon Brew on Vimeo . Cartoon Brew’s Student Animation Festival proudly presents Ballad of Poisonberry Pete by Adam Campbell , Elizabeth McMahill and Uri Lotan from Ringling College of Art and Design. The filmmakers give fresh life to the tried-and-true Western genre by inserting a left-field element into the mix: baked goods. Despite the short running time, the filmmakers create distinctive personalities and designs for all the characters. Dramatic shot composition, atmospheric lighting, and appropriate music complete this tongue-in-cheek tribute to classic Western films. Read the Article Here

Caught this on Sky Arts and really enjoyed it! The Mighty River is directed by Frédéric Back and is an animated documentary about the history of The Saint Lawrence River located in northern America. Back attempts to strike an ideological balance when dealing with the impressive will of man to conquer great forces  of nature but with an appreciation of the damaging effect our endeavours can cause on an environment and the flora and fauna which dwell within it. Some absolutely sumptuous painterly animation on show!

Cloudy is so obscenely cute that I thought it HAD to be shared! Cloudy from FriendsWithYou on Vimeo .

Just a quick post to say that I'm off on my summer hols as of tomorrow (16/07) - a couple of weeks in foreign climes with the promise of some sunshine and some internet-less rest and relaxation.  Last time I managed to get some arthouse photography under my belt, a couple of thousand words written on my novel and bitten by a sheep tick...  Upon my return it will be Post With The Most time again. There's already loads of creative activity going on in the CGAA community, so I look forward to returning home to a veritable feast of eye-candy. In the meantime, be productive, enjoy the sunshine if/when it returns, and 'be amazing'.  Au revoir!

So I only just came across this painter whose work has made my jaw drop. At first glance this seems like a well-taken photo but it's actually a painting with extreme attention to detail. It is unbelievable how she can make her work look so moist.  "Strid likes to paint in a photo realistic style, but always with the strong desire to convey an odd feeling, a forgotten memory, or maybe just something that is typical of her own little world."

BREAKING INTO ANIMATION Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 10:30 AM (GMT) 24 Endell Street WC2H 9HQ London London, United KingdomAdding animation to the ‘Breaking Into’ series, The Reel’s Editor Jamie Madge will examine what it takes to get noticed when starting out and how best to propel your career into the world of Animation. With a panel made up of leading practitioners in the animation field including: Nexus Productions www.nexusproductions.com Picasso Pictures www.picassopictures.com Partizan http://www.partizan.com/ The Hospital Club is a celebration of creativity, supporting and inspiring its members and partners through our on-line community, extensive calendar of member events, exhibitions, and social and cultural collaborations. www.thehospitalclub.com

So, that is that then - goodbye and good luck to the newly graduated class of 2012 ! Yesterday was fantastic - so many proud faces, both among the graduates themselves, and their guests. Well done all of you! Luckily the rain held off too! Lots more pictures can be seen here

Hey Everyone :) Does anybody have any animation paper that they aren't going to use anymore and wouldn't mind donating? If so please leave a comment on this post, Nat 

A cute little blog that I have been following for quite a while now is this on from from John Kenn, I am always a little happier when this one gets updated. The Danish kids TV writer and director creates these intricate drawings on Post-It notes. Each one is filled with Northern European charm as well as a fair amount of ghosts, trolls, giants and goblins to boot. Lashings of whimsy and dark humour are present. Don Kenn Gallery His jewel like creations have always carried a hint of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are", on that subject check out the film by Spike Jonez ( Framestore contributed a lot towards this film and some of the environments are magical.) as well as Sendak's original illustrations.  Go chase them down people, Simon

Canterbury Anifest is committed to showcasing the best new animation to an audience in the South East and bringing the animation community within the region together. Please submit your film to one of the categories below and send all the materials outlined on the entry form. The best films will be screened at Canterbury Anifest 2012. All directors whose films are screened will be given a free festival pass plus two guest tickets for the competition screenings. The winning film in each category will be awarded a trophy. The Main Competition categories are: • Best British Film • Best International Film • Best British Up and Coming Animation Talent • Audience Award Please see the application form for more details. Submission deadline: 19th August 2012.

I just came across this competition.  The deadline is the middle of august, but if you're itching to do something with your time then why not take a peek at this link :) http://www.ideastap.com/Opportunities/Brief/19424ae7-794a-417e-b223-a08401164955#Overview

On the evening of Wednesday, 4th July, nine graduates from BA Hons CG Arts & Animation  kicked off their exhibition of final year animations at New Designers 2012 at the Business Design Centre , Islington, London.  Their stand purred with the sound of spinning zoetropes, as visitors were charmed over and over by these early animation toys - lovingly made for us by Andy Stead, senior lecturer on UCA's BA Hons Creative Arts for Theatre & Film .   It was a great evening - and very successful show.  Indeed, while the gong for 'best in show' went elsewhere this year, we were informed by the ND judges that we were 'pipped at the post' and were a much admired exhibit.  Lots of industry contacts were made during the event, with visitors to the stand including the team from BSkyB , Digital Arts magazine, Studio AKA , and many more, including theme park designers and animation commissioners. If you haven't done so already y ou can view the ND 2012 gradu...