Merry Christmas, Happy holidays 2011

Merry Christmas, happy holidays to all my friends and family :-)

2011 ANNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS + WINNERS

  UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE
 Winners are highlighted in BOLD below :


====================================================================

The 39th Annual Annie Awards will take place on Saturday, February 4, 2012, at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Award ceremony begins at 7:00 p.m.

2011 ANNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

          #1 - Best Animated Feature

A Cat in Paris – Folimage
Arrugas (Wrinkles) - Perro Verde Films, S.L.
Arthur Christmas – Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Cars 2 – Pixar Animation Studios
Chico & Rita – Chico & Rita Distribution Limited
Kung Fu Panda 2 – DreamWorks Animation
Puss In Boots – DreamWorks Animation

Rango – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production

Rio – Blue Sky Studios
Tintin – Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

#2 - Annie Award for Best Animated Special Production

Adventure Time: Thank You – Cartoon Network Studios
Batman: Year One – Warner Bros. Animation
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas – Blue Sky Studios

Kung Fu Panda – Secrets of the Masters – DreamWorks Animation

Prey 2 – Blur Studio
Star Tours – Industrial Light & Magic

# 3 - Best Animated Short Subject

Adam and Dog – Lodge Films

I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat – Warner Bros. Animation
La Luna – Pixar Animation Studios
(Notes on) Biology – Ornana Films
Paths of Hate – Platige Image
Sunday – National Film Board of Canada
The Ballad of Nessie – Walt Disney Animation Studios
The Girl and the Fox – Base14
Wild Life – National Film Board of Canada and Studio GDS

# 4 - Best Animated Television Commercial

Audi “Hummingbird” - The Mill
Geico “Foghorn” - Renegade Animation
McDonald’s “Apple Tree” Duck Studios/Kompost
McDonald’s “Suzi Van Zoom” Duck Studios/Kompost
Norton “Stuff”- Psyop
O2 “Niggles & Narks”- The Mill
Statoil “Good Night” - Studio AKA
“The Pirate” - Meindbender

Twinings “Sea” - Psyop

#5 - Best General Audience Animated TV Production

Archer – FX Productions
Green Lantern: The Animated Series – Warner Bros. Animation
Hoops & YoYo Ruin Christmas - Hallmark
MAD – Warner Bros. Animation
Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole Season 2 – Starburns Industries, Inc.
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.

The Simpsons – Gracie Films

#6 - Best Animated Television Production - Preschool

Chuggington – Ludorum Pictures

Disney Jake and the Never Land Pirates – Disney Television Animation

Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Disney Television Animation
The WotWots Season 2 – Pukeko Pictures

#6A – Best Animated Television Production – Children

Fanboy and Chum Chum – Nickelodeon and Frederator
Kung Fu Panda – DreamWorks Animation
Penguins of Madagascar – DreamWorks Animation

The Amazing World of Gumball – Cartoon Network in Association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi

#7 - Best Animated Video Game

Bumpy Road – Simogo
Catherine – Atlus
Gears of War 3 – Epic Games
Gesundheit – Konami Digital Entertainment
Ghost Trick: “Phantom Detective” – Capcom

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet – Shadow Planet Productions, Gagne/Fuelcell

Ratchet and Clark: All 4 One – Insomniac
Rayman Origins – Ubisoft Montpellier
Unchartered 3: Drake’s Deception – Naughty Dog

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

          #8 - Animated Effects in an Animated Production

Can Yuksel “Puss In Boots” DreamWorks Animation
Chase Cooper “Rango” Industrial Light & Magic
Dan Lund “Winnie The Pooh” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Dave Tidgewell “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation
Eric Froemling “Cars 2” Pixar Animation Studios
Jason Mayer “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation
Joel Aron “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
Jon Reisch “Cars 2” Pixar Animation Studios

Kevin Romond “Tintin” Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

Willi Geiger “Rango” Industrial Light & Magic

#9 – Animated Effects in a Live Action Production

Branko Grujcic “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” Industrial Light & Magic

Florent Andarra “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Industrial Light & Magic

Gary Wu “Cowboys & Aliens” Industrial Light & Magic
Lee Uren “Cowboys & Aliens” Industrial Light & Magic

#10 - Character Animation in a Television Production

Chad Sellers “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Michael Franceschi “Kung Fu Panda” Nickelodeon
Rebecca Wilson Bresee “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Sihanouk Mariona “Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole Season 2” Starburns Industries, Inc.

Tony Smeed “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios

#11 - Character Animation in a Feature Production

Andreas Deja “Winnie The Pooh” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Dan Wagner “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation

Jeff Gabor “Rio” Blue Sky Studios

Mark Henn “Winnie The Pooh” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Olivier Staphylas “Puss In Boots” DreamWorks Animation
Patrik Puhala “Rio” Blue Sky Studios
Pierre Perifel “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation

#12 - Character Animation in a Live Action Production

Andy Arnett “HOP” Rhythm & Hues, Illumination Entertainment
David Lowry “Paul” Double Negative Visual Effects for Universal Productions/Relativity Media/Working Title Films/Big Talk Productions

Eric Reynolds “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” 20th Century Fox

Mike Hull “Paul” Double Negative Visual Effects for Universal Productions/Relativity Media/Working Title Films/Big Talk Productions

#13 - Character Design in a Television Production

Bill Schwab “Prep & Landing” Walt Disney Animation Studios

Carl Raggio “Disney Kick Buttowski” Disney Television Animation
Chad Hurd “Archer” FX Productions
Chris Battle “Dan Vs.” Starz Film Roman
Eric Robles “Fanboy and Chum Chum” Nickelodeon & Frederator
Gordon Hammond “TUFF Puppy” Nickelodeon
Mike Dougherty “TUFF Puppy” Nickelodeon
Robert Ryan Cory “Secret Mountain Fort Awesome” Cartoon Network Studios

#14 - Character Design in a Feature Production

Jay Shuster “Cars 2” Pixar Animation Studios

Mark “Crash” McCreery “Rango” Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Productions

Patrick Mate “Puss In Boots” DreamWorks Animation
Peter de Seve “Arthur Christmas” Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Sergio Pablos “Rio” Blue Sky Studios

#15 - Directing in a Television Production

Brian Sheesley “Dan Vs.” Starz Film Roman
Chris Savino & Clay Morrow “ Disney Kick Buttowski” Disney Television Animation
Dan Riba “Ben 10 Ultimate Alien” Cartoon Network Studios
Duke Johnson “Community” 23 D Films, Inc.
Gabe Swarr “Kung Fu Panda” Nickelodeon
Ken Bruce “TUFF Puppy” Nickelodeon
Kevin Deters & Stevie Wermers-Skelton “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios

Matthew Nastuk “The Simpsons” Gracie Films

Mic Graves & Ben Bocquelet “The Amazing World of Gumball” Cartoon Network Europe in association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi
Peter Hausner “Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu” Wil Film
Steve Loter, Christo Stamboliev, Shaun Cashman, David Knott “Penguins of Madagascar” Nickelodeon and Technicolor
Tony Craig “Hoops & YoYo Ruin Christmas” Hallmark

#16 - Directing in a Feature Production

Carlos Saldahna “Rio” Blue Sky Studios
Chris Miller “Puss In Boots” DreamWorks Animation
Don Hall & Stephen Anderson “Winnie The Pooh” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Gore Verbinski “Rango” Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present a Blind Wink/GK Films Productions

Jennifer Yuh Nelson “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation

Kelly Asbury “Gnomeo & Juliet” Touchstone Pictures

#17 - Music in a Television Production

Adam Berry, Bob Schooley, Mark McCorkle “Penguins of Madagascar” Nickelodeon and Technicolor
Ben Locket “The Amazing World of Gumball” Cartoon Network Europe in association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi
Frederik Wiedmann “Green Lantern The Animated Series” Warner Bros. Animation

Grace Potter, Michael Giacchino “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios

Joel McNeely, Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda “Pixie Hollow Games” DisneyToon Studios
Kevin Kliesch “Thundercats” Kliesch Music Inc.
Shawn Patterson, Zeb Wells “Robot Chicken” ShadowMachine and Stoopid Monkey in association with Adult Swim

#18 - Music in a Feature Production

Henry Jackman “Puss In Boots” DreamWorks Animation

John Williams “Tintin” Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

Mikael Mutti, Siedah Garrett, Carlinhos Brown, Sergio Mendes, John Powell, “Rio” Blue Sky Studios
Zooey Deschannel, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Henry Jackman, Robert Lopez “Winnie The Pooh” Walt Disney Animation Studios

#19 - Production Design in a Television Production

Mark Bodner, Chris Tsirgiotis, Sue Mondt and Daniel Elson “Secret Mountain Fort Awesome” Cartoon Network Studios

Peter Martin “Hoops & YoYo Ruin Christmas” Hallmark

#20 - Production Design in a Feature Production

Harley Jessup “Cars 2” Pixar Animation Studios
Paul Felix “Winnie The Pooh” Walt Disney Animation Studios

Raymond Zilbach “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation

Tom Cardone, Kyle MacNaughton & Peter Chan “Rio” Blue Sky Studios

#21 - Storyboarding in a Television Production

Barry W. Johnson “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Benton Connor “Regular Show” Cartoon Network Studios

Brian Kesinger “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios

Dave Thomas “TUFF Puppy” Nickelodeon
Fred Gonzalez “TUFF Puppy” Nickelodeon
Joe Mateo “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios
Justin Nichols “Fanboy & Chum Chum” Nickelodeon & Frederator
Katie Rice “Fanboy & Chum Chum” Nickelodeon & Frederator
Rebecca Sugar “Adventure Time” Cartoon Network Studios

#22 - Storyboarding in a Feature Production

Bob Logan “Puss In Boots” DreamWorks Animation
David Gosman “Rango” Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production
Gary Graham “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation

Jeremy Spears “Winnie The Pooh” Walt Disney Animation Studios

Josh Hayes “Rango” Paramount Pictures & Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Production
Kris Pearn “Arthur Christmas” Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Nelson Yokota “Gnomeo and Juliet” Touchstone Pictures
Philip Craven “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation
Scott Morse “Cars 2” Pixar Animation Studios

#23 - Voice Acting in a Television Production

Carlos Alazraqui as Denzel Crocker “Fairly OddParents” Nickelodeon
Dan Harmon as Jekyll “Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole Season 2” Starburns Industries, Inc.
Daran Norris as Cosmo “Fairly OddParents” Nickelodeon
Dee Bradley Baker as Obi-Wan “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
Diedrich Bader as Batman “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” Warner Bros. Animation
H. Jon Benjamin as Sterling Archer “Archer” FX Productions

Jeff Bennett as Kowalski “Penguins of Madagascar” Nickelodeon and Technicolor

Jeff B. Davis as Victor Frankenstein “Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole Season 2” Starburns Industries, Inc.
Jessica Walter as Malory Archer “Archer” FX Productions
Judy Greer as Cheryl Tunt “Archer” FX Productions
Logan Grove as Gumball “The Amazing World of Gumball” Cartoon Network Europe in association with Dandelion Studios, Boulder Media & Studio Soi
Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
Scott Adsit as the Creature “Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole Season 2” Starburns Industries, Inc.
Tara Strong as Timmy Turner “Fairly OddParents – Operation Dingleberg” Nickelodeon

#24 - Voice Acting in a Feature Production

Ashley Jensen as Bryony “Arthur Christmas” Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations

Bill Nighy as Grandsanta “Arthur Christmas” Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations

Gary Oldman as Shen “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation
James Hong as Mr. Ping “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation
Jemaine Clement as Nigel “Rio” Blue Sky Studios
Jim Cummings as Featherstone “Gnomeo and Juliet” Touchstone Pictures
Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Alexander Dumpty “Puss In Boots” DreamWorks Animation

#25 - Writing in a Television Production

Blake Lemons, William Reiss, C.H. Greenblatt, Derek Evanick, Diana Lafyatis, Neil Graf “Disney Fish Hooks – Fish School Musical” Disney Television Animation

Carolyn Omine “The Simpsons -Treehouse of Horror XXII” – Gracie Films

Dani MIchaeli, Sean Charmatz, Nate Cash, Luke Brookshier, Paul Tibbitt “SpongeBob SquarePants - Patrick’s Staycation” Nickelodeon
Josh Weinstein “Futurama - All The President’s Heads” The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Kevin Sullivan, Will Schifrin, Ray DeLaurentis “TUFF Puppy Thunder Dog” Nickelodeon
Matt Maiellaro, Dave Willis “Agua Unit Patrol Squad 1 – The Creditor” Williams Street Studios, Adult Swim
Ray DeLaurentis, Will Schifrin “Fairly OddParents “Invasion of the Dads” Nickelodeon
Steve Wermers-Skelton, Kevin Deters “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice” Walt Disney Animation Studios

#26 - Writing in a Feature Production

Andy Riley, Kevin Cecil, Mark Burton, Kathy Greenburg, Emily Cook, Rob Sprackling, John R. Smith, Kelly Asbury, Steve Hamilton “Gnomeo & Juliet” Touchstone Pictures
Brian Kesinger, Kendelle Hoyer, Don Dougherty, Clio Chang, Don Hall, Stephen Anderson “Winnie The Pooh” Walt Disney Animation Studios

John Logan, Gore Verbinski and James Byrkit “Rango” Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Productions

Sarah Smith, Peter Baynham “Arthur Christmas” Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman Animations
Steve Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cronish “Tintin” Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall

#27 – Editing in Television Production

Garret Elkins “Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole Season 2” Starburn Industries, Inc.
Hugo Morales “Kung Fu Panda” Nickelodeon
Jason W.A. Tucker “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
Paul D. Calder “Futurama” The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television

Ted Machold, Jeff Adams, Doug Tiano, Bob Tomlin “Penguins of Madagascar” Nickelodeon and Technicolor

#28 – Editing in a Feature Production

Clare Knight, A.C.E. “Kung Fu Panda 2” DreamWorks Animation

Craig Wood, A.C.E. “Rango” Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink/GK Films Productions

Eric Dapkewicz “Puss In Boots” DreamWorks Animation
Michael Kahn “Tintin” Amblin Entertainment, Wingnut Films and Kennedy/Marshall
Stephen Schaffer, A.C.E. “Cars 2” Pixar Animation Studios

JURIED AWARDS

          Winsor McCay Award – Walt Peregoy, Borge Ring, Robert Searle

          June Foray – Art Leonardi

          Special Achievement – Depth Analysis .

Some doodles

Just a few of my sketches that were hanging around my desk at work.

Mark's Notes - 3

Some more of my notes to my VANart story/animation students regarding their silhouette poses.

Below shows one character reacting { laughing } at another who slipped and fell to the ground.

Below are some notes over the students drawn silhouette of a person in despair.

Happy Halloween 2011

Once again I will be setting up the yard to welcome all the little tricksters. 

This year they'll have to slowly walk down our driveway of dead souls 

to earn their sweets. Lets see if any are brave enough..... 

I'll update this after the night and post some photos.

==========================================================================

Right after Halloween I was talking to my friends Kendra + James Baxter and we were exchanging our Halloween stories { they get into as much as i do :-) }

 They were telling me of the 'Pumpkin King' from Nightmare before Christmas that they had made and set up in front of their house in southern California.

Below is one the photos they sent me showing their 'Pumpkin King'. Beautiful work.

Having the clouds with the moon in the background. I love this :-) 

Here's a quick shot taken on Halloween during one of my story classes as I was talking over some ideas with one of our senior students, Tara Barker.

 I must say..... i certainly do tidy up to make for one beautiful Blonde. VERY Beautiful. ;-)

The Land Before Time - John Pomeroy sketches 2

Here is another sketch from my friend John Pomeroy during our time in Dublin Ireland while we were working on ' The Land Before Time '.

Again, beautiful work.
John has such an appealing wonderful design sense when he draws.

Rough Animation Drawing - JOHN POMEROY - 1988

Mark's Notes - 2

Just thought i would add a section to my Blog where I will post some of my notes to my students here at VANarts. These are some notes that are for a term 1 Story assignment where the students try to tell their 'story' with one silhouette pose. We are always searching for that as animators. A strong clear pose that has a good silhouette.

I ask them to think of creating this assignment as though they are drawing only one image for a children's book.

Be very clear with the pose, pushing the attitude { the emotional state } of the pose so that it reads as clear as possible. If it is a physical action, look for a strong pose that explains the action, the motion involved. 

And of course, look for a strong silhouette as it will make the pose be easier to understand, having the whole body be apart of the story you are trying to tell.

There are many ways to tell the story with the one drawing. 
I try to take the students original idea and work with it 
{ instead of just doing what I would do. }
I look at what the student is wanting to tell from their poses, what the story is, and then i try to add any quick positive constructive notes from there.

Below are notes over the students work of someone 'accusing' someone else:
  

Below are notes over the students work of someone being chased :

INSPIRATION 13 - Ken Duncan Interview - Aug 2011 - Video 3 - The process of animating a scene

Here is the 3rd video showing Ken Duncan answer our senior student Ghaydaa Salem's question regarding his approach to animating in 3D.
Ghaydaa had finished her course at the online school Animation Mentor { where I also teach advanced acting } and joined us in our traditional 2D animation course. She has since shifted back to 3D as she enters her Senior terms here at VANarts in downtown Vancouver Canada.

 The photo above shows Ghaydaa as she talks over her question with Ken.




In this video Ken talks about 'being in the Zone' while you are animating. He mentions that at times he gets irritated when someone interrupts him while being so focused... { I do remember that 'look' at times ... lol }

When discussing the process of animating the characters performance, Ken mentions it's like sculpting a performance....really building something from nothing.

He talks about this list of questions that he goes through before he starts to animate :

- What is the Story ?

- Who is the Character in that story ?

- How are they physically going to move ?

- How are they Emotionally going to feel at that given moment...

- ... and how do I capture that in a pose ?

Lots of great insights - Enjoy -

Sketch 12 - bluegirl

Just a sketch as I was on the phone. I'll call her bluegirl.

INSPIRATION 12 - Ken Duncan Interview - Aug 2011 - Video 2 - Animating Female Characters

In the video below, Ken Duncan discusses animating female characters 
as our junior 2D animation VANarts student Omer Goldlust asks the question :

" What is the special thing you have to take into account when 
animating female characters ? "









2D animation student Omer Goldlust as he discusses Ken's approach to
animating female characters.

INSPIRATION 11 - Ken Duncan Interview - Aug 2011 - Video 1 - Student Demo Reels

As was written on the VANarts Blog, I recently interviewed my friend Ken Duncan { president of DUNCAN STUDIO } at VANarts, the media college where I teach Animation and Story in downtown Vancouver B.C. Canada.

Ken and I were in the same college years in the early 1980's and our career paths have crossed many times since. He and his wife Juliet are some of my closer 'older' friends.

 I worked with Ken on his crew while he supervised ' Meg ', the female lead character for the Disney Hercules. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in the industry with Ken as a friend he has been a major source of helping direct my way of thinking as an animator. His discussions on 'acting' and how or the reason WHY to have your characters move OR not move have been quietly etched in my thoughts and I feel very happy with being able to pass on any knowledge that I have gained working with Ken.

In Video 1, Ken answers a senior animation student Zoe Alstrup's first question :

" In your opinion, what should the student focus on for the most effective demo reel ? "

KEN DUNCAN interview with Mark Pudleiner - VANarts Aug 2011 - Video 1 from Mark Pudleiner on Vimeo.
The president of DUNCAN STUDIO, Ken Duncan, is interviewed by Mark Pudleiner and students at VANarts media college in Vancouver B.C. Canada in August 2011.

 The Photo above shows our senior student Zoe Alstrup as she discusses her question with Ken.

Student Feedback - August 2011

 As a teacher you receive student feedback as you finish with the various classes.

Below are some notes I received from students directly or through forms that were handed in.

Once again I'm very proud that I am able to help direct the students into our industry in a way that they find positive. It's good for everyone to receive feedback, the good as well as areas to work on.

Reading these notes always gives me a good feeling that I'm doing something right. 

Every now and then you need a shot of something positive.

And I'll take that when it's there :-)

When you first came to this school we were all determined to not like you, because we thought you were taking one of our other instructors jobs... well that didn't last too long, within a week of you joining us you became my favorite instructor !!!! Your story class continued exceeding our expectations! It rocked and it was soo fun when you got us up and "acting" with each other. It was so nice to do something away from our drawing board or computer for a couple of hours! It helped us with the long hours sitting and working! So thank you very much for that!

Awesome mentor! Enjoy the e-Critiques and Q&As a lot. Should write a book, as he has some very inspiring things to say when it comes to giving advice about the different ways of animating a character, and how to approach a shot.

The feedback and suggestions given by Mark are very helpful because he challenges us to think of how we can incorporate the right body mechanics in a way that also supports the acting of the character. 

Mark always explains everything in detail; he takes his time to answer all our questions during Q&A and even looks at our latest work if we need extra help. Also his grading is always fair. And he tries to push us even further with our work, especially with our acting performance, which is great preparation for the next term

Mark is super enthusiastic in class & always offers up great tips or suggestions for our work both in Q&A & in crits. Mark has also been very supportive of the ideas we have for our shots, and he helps us improve upon & develop those ideas & increase the clarity of our work.

Mark is an excellent mentor. he has great work stories and gives very clear and constructive feedback. I have learned a lot in this term and am very happy with my progress.

Mark is a really fun mentor to have. He's very patient, and clearly has loads of experience. He is very open to questions and always makes sure we are on track.

Mark is a great mentor!  His traditional background offers helpful, alternative perspectives on techniques and workflow.  His critiques have been helpful in improving both my mechanics and creative choices.  I also appreciate that he starts out each Q&A by quickly saying hello to everyone individually on-camera.

Mark is a great teacher. He's got a lot of experience and can give a clear comment of what to do or fix

Mark have a huge experience and it's shown in is critique. I love the fact that he give his critique so early, he is the fastest mentor in that field that I ever had. For a person like me who work at the same time it's the most precious thing to have your critique so early in the week to plan your work of this week.

Mark is a great mentor, he's really good at pointing out the things you did right/direction you should go with a shot as well as the errors and things you need to fix. It's a lot of fun hearing about his experience working on different movies too.

In class, Mark keeps things fun & upbeat, & he usually manages to have everyone on camera, if only for a second to say "hey!", which is really cool; I think it helps the class become more familiar with one another. Cool!!

How much money can i make doing this ?

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Below is the completed Wage survey. If interested, click the list below to see it larger. - Mark

  



Once again, here's a recent article from the American Animation Guild 839 Blog in regards to the WAGE SURVEY that was sent out and information gathered. It lets you know roughly what is happening within the industry in the states. These numbers are from union as well as non-union shops.

In comparison, the wages in Canada are generally lower but it all depends on the individual situation.

For example, as a board artist working at Disney TV during 2007, I was paid $1900.00 / week to finish a maximum 16 page script from start to finish in 5 weeks.

The Board job in Vancouver for a 20 page script to be completed in 5 weeks paid $ 1250.00 / week.

The pay for character animators going around town is in the range of $1000.00 to $2000.00 / week once again depending on the individual situation.

Below are the results of the Wage Survey in the United States:

 For comparison purposes, all salaries are computed based upon a forty-hour week.

---

Directors - TV

• Minimum: $1,312.50
• Median: $2,625.00
• Maximum: $6,009.61

• 2010 median: $2,500.00
• Change: +$125.00

---

Production Boards (TV)

• Minimum: $906.25
• Median: $1,892.50
• Maximum: $3,000.00

• 2010 median: $1,900.00
• Change: -$7.50

---

Character Layout

• Minimum: $1,034.04
• Median: $1,854.00
• Maximum: $4,000.00

• 2010 median: $1,677.00
• Change: +$177.00

---

Visual Development

• Minimum: $1,098.76
• Median: $2,101.20
• Maximum: $3,900.00

• 2010 median: $2,115,38
• Change: -$14.18

---

Lighters

• Minimum: $952.56
• Median: $1,800.00
• Maximum: $2,612.50

• 2010 median: $1,672.73
• Change: +$127.27

---

Character Animators

• Minimum: $1,155.00
• Median: $1,639.23
• Maximum: $3,163.23

• 2010 median: $2,068.84
• Change: -$429.61

Studio Politics - some thoughts

The American Animation Labor union business representative Steve Hulett has recently posted an article on the Animation Guild 839 BLOG that I find worth mentioning to our senior students as they venture onward into the industry.

- Thanks Steve for taking the time to write down your thoughts. 

Here are some of his notes from the post :

I counsel a lot of artists about how to play the politics at their particular studio, and my advice is more often than not similar at the Animation Guild's far-flung venues:

1) Don't tell your supervisor "I told you so" after you turn out to be right ... and he is wrong.

2) Pick the issues over which you want to go to the mat. (And remember: the less you go to the mat, the more effective you'll be when you finally do.)

3) Be positive rather than negative. Be happy to help out when asked. Strive to be kind.

4) Know what the legal and contractual rules are. When they're being violated, call me and we can discuss different remedial strategies. (They usually don't include the business representative coming in with guns blazing.)

5) If you have a shitty workplace personality (like for instance you don't suffer fools gladly, you get sarcastic too often, or bad-mouth studio bozos a lot when they're out of the room) build a fake, happy-face personality on top of it. This will serve you well over time.

6) As much as possible, stow your ego at home in the garage. Nobody much cares what your problems are. They are focused on theirs.

7) When in conflict with supervisors or studio brass and things look dire (meaning: you seem to get the stink eye a lot) seriously consider rolling onto your back with all four paws in the air and exposing your throat. (This is yet another metaphor for apologizing and "eating humble pie", even when you truly believe there is no valid reason to do so. You've parked your ego in the garage, remember?)

Pitching a good story isn't the easiest thing to do ...

Sometimes pitching a good story isn't the easiest thing to do. ;-)

Our junior 2D and 3D animation students are getting ready to go forward with their ideas for the upcoming senior terms at VANarts.

here in downtown Vancouver B.C. Canada.

The students are a great group as they work together, searching for creative ideas.

Below is a compilation of several of my Term 2 STORY CLASS students as they practice 'pitching' their story ideas for their senior animated short films.

They have fun as they're learning. Sort of the way it should be :-)

Pitching a good story isn't the easiest thing to do. from Mark Pudleiner on Vimeo.

Emperors New Groove - Joe Moshier Walk Cycle

During the beginning of Disney's feature ' The Emperors New Groove ' several of us were given different designed characters that we animated walk cycles for. They were to be used for several crowd scenes.

This is the one I was cast to animate and it is Joe Moshier himself. Joe was the designer for the film and I think being the character designer gives him the right to see him walk through a scene or two.
The cycle was officially in Sequence 4, scene 49.8 and 'Joe' was 'city folk #C '. 

Back when I finished the test, I added a sound track just to add a little somethin' somethin' :-)






Emperors New Groove - City Folk walk cycle from Mark Pudleiner on Vimeo.

And below is the walk cycle added into a few scenes. See how many times 'Joe' walks by the camera as these scenes play out in sequence. Joe is a great artist and even better person to work with.
I really don't know anyone who doesn't like Joe. Knowing the history, I'm thinking that the name Joe is a pretty damn good name to have in this industry.  
Here are some of his links :   IMDB   LinkedIN   Conduct Happiness 

 

copyright Walt Disney Animation

Siggraph 2011 Vancouver

I will be attending this years Siggraph in Vancouver.

I will be on the Trade show Floor at Booth #490 on August 9 from 2 - 4 pm
VANarts will be having a Grand prize giveaway for best photo posted on it's facebook page.

For any past co-workers, friends and anyone visiting, feel free to stop by to say hello  :-)

The Circle of Life

Here is a scan of a letter that made it's way around the Walt Disney feature animation studio. I may be wrong of the time frame but I'm thinking it was around the end of the feature Hercules. It has a fairly accurate insight to how many artists were thinking as they went from project to project.

Memory Lane 10 - The SCREENING ROOM - Don Bluth Studios - 1986

Below is a quick video showing where the studio would gather every Tuesday morning to view the weekly screenings of Don Bluth's feature ' An American Tail ' during production 1985 - 86.

The screening room was also used for animation classes and the animators acting classes that were held during the beginning of the production 'The Land Before Time'. It was during the summer + fall, just before the studio moved to Dublin Ireland.

As challenging as the acting classes were { we had to perform in front of Don, John Pomeroy and all our peers, which isn't the easiest thing to do } the moments bring back some good memories that myself and friends still talk about. { As well as some extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing ones ;-)}

The one thing we had was knowing that no matter how tough these lessons were as we looked inward to become better actors and artists, everyone else in the room was going through the same challenge. And those moments do create a bond with your fellow artists.

An American Tail - The SCREENING ROOM - 1986 from Mark Pudleiner on Vimeo.

INSPIRATION 10 - The Land Before Time - John Pomeroy sketches

 While working on Don Bluth's feature 'The land before Time', I would copy some drawings to keep for reference. Here are a couple of drawings from the companies lead supervising animator and producer John Pomeroy.

Here is a key drawing of Littlefoot's dying mother after she has fought to save her son.

After the death of his mother, Littlefoot looks down at his reflection in the water that has gathered on a leaf.

INSPIRATION 9 - Andreas Deja BLOG

During my years at Disney Feature Animation one of the studio's main supervising animators 

was Andreas Deja. 

I don't think I need to explain who Andreas is to anyone who is in our industry as his name is known for the type of artist that he is. An extremely passionate artist who respects and admirers the history of animation. He is always trying to better the art by leading with the quality of his own work and by teaching and inspiring others around him.

I am so happy that Andreas has decided to join the Blogging world as he posts examples and stories from his experiences regarding his relationships in animation.

I highly recommend that you visit his new site often to read the stories and get inspired by one of animations present days greats. He certainly leads by example. Here is his blog :

click here >  Andreas Deja BLOG

Above is a sketch that Andreas had done for me as he was working on Disney's ' Lilo and Stitch' feature. 
I had asked him if it was possible to have him do a quick sketch of Lilo as i really loved the work he had done on the character. 
The next day he showed up at my room with this beautiful drawing of Lilo :-)

Memory Lane 9 - Video TWO : Linda Miller - Directing Animator Don Bluth Studios - 1986

Here is Video 2 of my friend Linda Miller.

Linda was one of Don Bluth's original animators when he first left Disney Studios. Linda is this amazing talent that always inspired me when I worked on her scenes. Beautiful draftsman with this wonderful sense of design. She always made animating look so easy as i stood over her shoulder and watched as she would lightly sketch down the shapes on the paper that all seemed to make sense.
I was always blown away with how at ease she would work. It just seemed as though there was no struggle with her drawing. I know that this wasn't true, as she worked extremely hard and was a perfectionist. She demanded her work to always be a certain quality and it was.
She was cast as one of the animators that animated the character 'Jeremy' the crow from Don Bluth's first feature 'The Secret of Nimh'. And if you know the character you know how beautiful it was animated.

Linda Miller and Don Bluth as I took their picture one Saturday afternoon while we were in Dublin Ireland 1987

Linda at her desk - Dublin Ireland 1987 - The club hanging from her desk was to motivate her crew to keep up with her. :-)

The video below is of when I walked into Linda's Room during one sunny Saturday morning during the production of  ' An American Tail ' in early 1986. I loved talking with Linda. She was always so easy to just listen to, always with her very sharp sense of humor. For those fortunate enough to know her, you know there is only one Linda Miller. And I'm certainly glad she was a part of my growing up in this business.


Linda Miller Directing Animator - 'An American Tail' 1986 from Mark Pudleiner on Vimeo.