See you at CTN eXpo!

I'll be down in Burbank for the annual CTN animation expo from November 15-17.  In addition to wandering the show floor and catching up with old friends, I'll be participating in a couple of events with fellow coworkers and Animation Collaborative teachers Michal Makarewicz and Royce Wesley:

Conversation with Animators - Sat., Nov. 16 at 4pm

Getting the Most Out Of Your Demo Reel - Sun. Nov. 17 at 1pm

I'll also be at the Animation Collaborative booth reviewing animation reels on Saturday at 10:30am.  I hope to see you there!

Rob 'n' Ron

I got a kick out of this short by the same folks that brought you "The Story of Animation":

Rob 'n' Ron from Tumblehead on Vimeo.

Wurst trailer yet

Check out this mouth-watering trailer from Pixar animator and stop-mo afficianodo Carlo Vogele:

WURST - trailer from Carlo Vogele on Vimeo.

More gory details here.

Pose Drawing Sparkbook

I recently came across this Kickstarter project from artist Cedric Hohnstadt for a combination sketchbook and textbook.  Seems like it could be a good learning tool!  Check it out:

Character Design Reference on Pinterest

I'm late to the Pinterest that the kids are using these days, and I just discovered this awesome collection of character design images.  Everything from general anatomy to model sheets to sculpts.  Warning: this is a rabbit hole that may chew up hours of your time!

Animation is easy!

animation tutorial part. 1 AKA "the secret of animation" from giovanni braggio on Vimeo.

I'm a car!

I suppose it was just a matter of time. I've worked on so many Cars-related projects  at Pixar that it was my turn to be immortalized in die-cast metal and plastic.  I've always thought of myself as a cream-colored British sports car...

The World's Smallest Animation

Yay Science!

Basilisk

I'm a little late to this party, but I was blown away by this film from Ami Thompson:

From what I gather, she's a student at Sheridan and has done internships at both Studio Ghibli and Disney.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Animator's Survival Kit for iPad

I just saw this posted on The Unofficial Apple Weblog. I haven't downloaded it myself yet, but it looks like they really did it right!

http://www.tuaw.com/2013/04/23/the-animators-survival-kit-comes-to-the-ipad-with-expanded-multi/

Retails for $35 which is comparable to the book, and much cheaper than the DVD set.

Pixar recruiting in Chicago

Pixar representatives will be in the Windy City on March 25th 26th looking for a few good animators. Sign up on the web site if you want to meet them there!

Monsters University

Here is the 2nd trailer for the film, which comes out this June:

I've been helping out on the film for the last month or so, as they were behind on footage and needed extra animators. I'm also still a Supervising Animator on our 2015 Pete Docter film, and it's been very challenging to divide my time, but I'm glad to be able to contribute and help the team. It's a fun film!

Brave animation reel

Here is a compilation of the shots I animated for Brave:

Brave Reel from Victor Navone on Vimeo.

I was just going to animate a shot or two on Brave for fun… I never like to miss working on a Pixar feature if I can help it.  Then Brave production started missing deadlines, and they needed all the help they could get, so I was enlisted to be full-time on the show for about 3 months. Nevertheless it was still fun; working with Mark Andrews is a blast, and I got to do some juicy shots. I especially enjoyed the scene of Elinor eating the cake, and I did a lot of research on people trying to conceal disgust. Emma Thompson's vocal performance was hugely inspirational, and I referenced Lucille Ball and WIlliam Shattner as well.  On a technical note, this was the first time I ever had the chance to animate neck muscles.

As for the triplet shots, the snot gag was my idea. Love it or hate it, I thought it was true to young kids' behavior, and it ended up in the trailer!  I also came up with the chicken-on-the-head idea.  I don't claim think it's funny (mostly I think it's weird).  There were no storyboards for this sequence, and I was tasked with using the chicken in a way that would frighten Maudie but would be funny to the audience.  This was one of about 5 ideas I tried, and it seemed to get the best reaction.

You can see some of my planning drawings here:
flickr.com/photos/victor_navone/sets/72157632560536761/

Enjoy!

How To Ask For (And Receive) Good Critiques And Comments

I just read this article on Fstoppers (a photography blog) and I thought that a lot of it applies to animation too - or for that matter any creative endeavor.  Knowing how to ask for and accept feedback is just as important as the work you do.

The Blue Umbrella

Here's a short clip from an upcoming Pixar short film, The Blue Umbrella.  As you can see, this short has a very different aesthetic than anything we've done before, and I'm very excited to see it.  I haven't seen the entire short completed, but the few bits of final renderings I've seen have been stunning.  Enjoy:

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera

I've long been a fan of the illustrations of Norman Rockwell.  His sensibilities strike such a nice balance between realism and caricature, and above all he creates believable and entertaining images.  The characters are crystal clear, the situations are relatable, and the compositions are impeccable.  He is a wonderful observer of human nature, and he's got a great sense of humor!  I recently picked up the book Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera, which shows a lot of the reference photography that he used for his paintings.  The photos themselves are very interesting to see; he staged his subjects very well, and was meticulous with the details such as costumes, props, and lighting.  What I really find interesting, however, is comparing the photos to the final rendered images.  Here you can see a little bit of Rockwell's thought process.  He picks up on certain nuances of character and exaggerates them, while he lets less important details fall away.  He exaggerates shapes, lines of action, expressions, and composition, all in the service of telling a story.  There are many parallels between the work of an illustration like Rockwell and the work of an animator, and I draw a lot of inspiration from him.