Video Reference Examples

Here are a few selected links relating to video reference (and film reference in the pre-video days) in the creation of expressive character animation.

The use of filmed actors for character acting reference goes back to the earliest days of drawn animation. Here's a clip showing how Disney filmed  the actors from "Alice In Wonderland" (1951) as they did their voice recordings for the film, then used the film footage as reference for the animation acting.

Interesting footage from "The Little Mermaid" - many of Ariel's characteristic movements and gestures were actually invented by the 12-year actress during her voice session. Glen Keane appears for a moment in the last clip on the page:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/leonoraepstein/this-live-action-footage-for-the-little-mermaid-is-fascinati


A more recent example - Johnny Depp and other actors on the set of "Rango." Notice how most of the actors actually use their costumes to help get into character for the voice session:

Lastly, some websites specialize in providing pre-recorded video reference for common character actions such as walking, falling, fist fighting, etc.


https://vimeo.com/groups/aniref
http://www.youtube.com/user/endlessreference


Stock footage companies are an excellent source of reference for hard to shoot items like wild animals and volcanic explosions:

http://www.bbcmotiongallery.com

http://footage.shutterstock.com

http://www.stockfootageforfree.com

Acting Students Available for Character Voice Work

The acting students of Sheridan's Theatre Preparation Program are interested in doing character voices for your films.

Send an email with your basic info (contact info, what sort of voice you are looking for, male or female, etc.) to Program Co-ordinator Mark Meymick at:

 melymick@sheridancollege.ca

Combine this with some video reference and you've caught a winning combination for quality animation.

Two events focusing on Acting & Performance in animation.

To assist you with the coming Action Analysis and Performance Milestone, this week we have two events focusing on Acting & Performance in animation. In addition, for those of you doing a CG animation, Mark Palowich continues his rigging workshop series.




Wednesday 11 am S235
First up is the Wednesday lecture, where Sheridan's Stephen Barnes will offer his insights into acting as applied to animation. Stephen does this in a way that might be new to you - carefully studying the subtle cues used by actors in live-action film and television. Steve's talk, titled Inspired Acting: A Study of Great Moments From Great Actors, is essential viewing. It's also very entertaining, as Steve  peppers the talk with many fascinating and unusual film clips.







Wednesday 3 pm, A361
This is followed at 3 pm by an introduction to the Video Reference system that we have set up in the 4th Year studio. Stephen Barnes is again in charge, showing us the basic usage of video reference for animation. It would be great to have someone perform a character action scene from their film for the purpose of demonstration. Any volunteers?











Thursday 2 pm, A150

Mark Palowich will continue his series on rigging in the A150 lab. Bring your character rigs for Mark to analyse, critique and undoubtedly improve.

Professional Practices for Rigging

This week's lecture focuses on character rigging, one of the more arcane tasks in the 3D Animation workflow. Fortunately we have an expert on hand in the person of Mark Palowich.

Mark is a graduate of both the Classical and the Computer Animation programs here at Sheridan, and has been involved in the visual effects productions of many feature films, including Dawn of the Dead, Resident Evil 2, and What the Bleep Do We Know. His credits include work in Visual Effects, CG Animation, Lighting, Rendering and Layout, so he brings a broad range of experience and talent to this presentation.

There will also be some important announcements about Industry Day, courtesy of Tony Tarantini, and the usual school news and current events. As usual, things start at 11 am in S235.

U of T - Music Student Demo Reels and Contact Info

Here's the contact information and links to the demo reels for all of the student musicians who are participating in this year's Sheridan-UofT Animation Music program.

If you're still unsure about who to partner with, try downloading the Demo Reel of someone you're interested in and dropping it into a track in Adobe Premiere underneath your Leica reel. Try out a few that way to see how they sound up against your story. You might be surprised!

- bruno

==============================================================
U of T Film Music Composition Class - 2013-14
==============================================================

Professor: 

Eric Robertson

Teaching Assistant:

Chris Thornborrow

cthornrun@gmail.com

STUDENTS

Anderson, Colleen

colleen.anderson@utoronto.ca

(905) 926-‐9899

DEMO REEL

Ballyk, Mark

markballyk@hotmail.com
(647) 987-­3408

DEMO REEL

Bell, Dylan

captaindownbeat@mac.com

DEMO REEL

Denenburg, Joshua
j.denenberg42@gmail.com
(914) 500-­‐7331
DEMO REEL


Foote, Lindsay
lfoote05@yahoo.com
(647) 994-­‐3941
DEMO REEL 


Gilmartin, Bryan
bgilmartin@hotmail.com
(416) 884-­‐1952
DEMO REEL 


Gurak, Monika
monika.gurak@mail.utoronto.ca
(647) 746-­‐7591
DEMO REEL 

Ho, Tze Yeung
ty.ho@mail.utoronto.ca
(647) 678-­‐4804
DEMO REEL 


Johnson, Britta
britta.johnson@mail.utoronto.ca
(416) 662-­‐3591
DEMO REEL 

Rajabi, Shaghayegh
shgh.rajabi@yahoo.com
(647) 721-­‐4503
DEMO REEL 

Sandquist, Colin
colin.sandquist@utoronto.ca
(416) 655-­‐4473
DEMO REEL 

Taghinia, Babak
babak.t@hotmail.com
(647) 979-­‐2552
DEMO REEL 


Taylor, Robert
rbt.taylor@mail.utoronto.ca
(647) 456-­‐1618
DEMO REEL 


Tse, Roydon
roydon.tse@googlemail.com
(647) 287-­‐0266
DEMO REEL


Vrankulj, Victor
vvrankulj@gmail.com
(905) 975-­‐2115
DEMO REEL 


Woo, Mandy
mandy.wooo@gmail.com
DEMO REEL 

Wu, Joe
salvantos@hotmail.com
(647) 869-­‐0419
DEMO REEL 


Yango, Kenzie
macyango@gmail.com
(416) 856-­‐4006
DEMO REEL 

Deadline for Stuttgart Animation festival - December 1

Just got this in from the Stuttgart (student) Animation Festival. The deadline is fast approaching - December 1. Perhaps a chance for one of the last year's Group Film's?


==================================================================
Dear Bruno Degazio,

I’m contacting you on behalf of the submission deadline of the International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) which will take place from April 22 – 27, 2014 in Stuttgart (Germany).

Deadline for film submission is December 1, 2013!

In the past years, we received numerous submissions from students of your university / institute.
To our regret till now no films have been entered. Therefore, we kindly ask you to remind your students to submit their films in due time to participate in the pre-selection of the Stuttgart Festival.
Your students can use our online submission service at http://www.itfs.de/en/home/community/registration/. After completion of the online form the film can be uploaded. Alternatively, films can also be sent on DVD. Schools can send compilation DVDs.

In 2013, more than 80.000 visitors came to Stuttgart to watch around 1.000 films. Approximately 2.500 professionals visited the Festival. Industry professionals value the high quality and variety of the programme, the numerous workshops, lectures, information meetings and presentations. They meet in Stuttgart to maintain and establish contacts and to familiarize oneself with the latest developments in animation film. Professionals also come to Stuttgart in search of young talents.
Especially for young filmmakers the Stuttgart Festival is a perfect place to attract attention, to educate, to network, to experience new motivation and gain more insights. Artistic animation films and the support of young talents represent the core of the Festival. In the Young Animation Competition the Jury awards a prize amounting to 2,500 Euro to the best student film. The Young Animation selection committee nominates the best graduation films for participation in the International Competition. There they compete for the Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award for Animated Film, sponsored by MFG Film Funding Baden-Wuerttemberg and worth 10,000 Euro. Additionally, exclusive programmes of Film and Art Academies are presented within School Presentations during the Festival.

We are looking forward to receiving your students’ film entries.

With kind regards,
Daniela Bringer
Assistenz Programmrealisation I Assistant Programme Management
bringer@festival-gmbh.de
__________________________________
Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH
Stephanstr. 33
70173 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49-(0)711-925 46 - 0
Fax: +49-(0)711-925 46- 150
www.festival-gmbh.de 

***************************************************

Internationales Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart 2014
Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film 2014
22. – 27. April 2014
www.itfs.de

***************************************************

Geschäftsführer: Dittmar Lumpp, Prof. Ulrich Wegenast
Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: Dr. Walter Rogg

Sitz und Registergericht: Stuttgart, HRB 21934

Time in Harmonia - PDF and demonstration video

Yesterday I gave a talk to Robin Kingsburgh's class at OCADU about my piece Harmonia, which was recently shown at Lincoln Center in New York City (as part of Peter Mettler's documentary film, The End of Time.)

I've posted the slides and a connected youtube video of the demonstration to the following address:

http://www.slideshare.net/BrunoDegazio/time-in-harmonia

This presentation might be of interest to anyone curious about the relation of musical sound and images, harmonics, motion graphics animation, OpenGL programming or Pythagorean philosophy.

Thanks for a great Meet & Greet at U of T!

Yesterday was the annual Meet & Greet session with the U of T Film Composition Course, and it went especially well this year due to the large turnout from our Sheridan students - over 70 made the GoTrain trip to downtown Toronto. Plus we had about twenty students in the UT Film class demoing their music for us. I think I can fairly say that we were all impressed with the high quality of the U of T music demos this year - a very promising start!

And as always, the coffee and donuts were amazing! :>)

The next step of this collaborative process is to lock down a partnership with one of the students you met yesterday. It's always a little tricky due to the mismatch of numbers, but it's still important to make the attempt. Work via email, chat or telephone as it suits you.

Remember that due to the mismatch in our numbers you can only partner with ONE musician. Sorry, no shopping around.

A final caveat - even the best laid plans can go awry, specially in a creative endeavour like this. It's possible that your musician may not produce exactly what you want, or may not produce anything at all! The UT students have many academic pressure on themselves, just as you do. So be safe - HAVE A BACKUP PLAN. You've already got the beginnings of one with your scratch track and temp music. Keep developing those even as the UT music track develops, just in case.

The next time we will meet as a group with the UT musicians is at the Music Spotting Session - January 22, 2014, Sheridan College, 4th Year Studio, (A361) 2 pm - 4 pm

This is the time for Sheridan animators to sit down with their UT musician and carefully discuss all the musical requirements for the film. Bring your updated Aniamatic reel with temp music carefully laid in. Be prepared to discuss the following:


• where in the project  music is required
• general mood and expression
• special sync points that the music should 'hit'
• character driven musical themes if appropriate
• extra music for titles and/or end credits
• desired musical style
• desired instrumentation
• possible changes to length/timing of your project


STAGE 3) Demo track delivery deadline (via internet) - week of February 16,  2014
UT composers will deliver a demo recording of the musical score to their Sheridan animator by this date.  


An ftp site is available to facilitate exchanging large files. Speak to Technologist Mario Positano - Mario Positano <mario.positano@sheridanc.on.ca> - about how to access the ftp site. Commercial/free services like DropBox.com also work well.


STAGE 4) Final Track Delivery Deadline (via internet) - week of March 30, 2014
UT composers will deliver finished music recordings by this date.

Reminder: NO Lecture or Workshop tomorrow!

This is a reminder that due to the U of T trip there will be no lecture or workshop tomorrow, Wednesday Nov. 13.  We will resume our normal lecture schedule next week with a talk by Mark Palowich on Professional Practices for Rigging.

Here again is the most important info about the trip, including directions and basic instructions:

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

DIRECTIONS TO UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, FACULTY OF MUSIC

Location: University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, Walter Hall
Edward Johnson Building (EJB), 80 Queen’s Park 

You can take a GO Train from Oakville station at 10:28 (also 10:58.) The train arrives at Union Station at 11:11 (or 11:41). 

From there it is a quick subway ride up the University line to Museum Station. Coffee and donuts will be available in the foyer of Walter Hall of the Edward Johnson building (where we will meet.)

The U of T Faculty of Music is located in the Edward Johnson Building (EJB) , 80 Queen’s Park, just south of the intersection of Bloor Street and Avenue Road, next door to the Royal Ontario Museum (R.O.M.)

IMPORTANT NOTE! - do not confuse the Faculty of Music with the Royal Conservatory of Music! Both are located near the ROM, but the Conservatory is on Bloor St. west of the ROM, while the Faculty of Music is on Queens Park south of the ROM. 


DIRECTIONS BY PUBLIC TRANSIT
- take Go Train from Oakville station to Union Station
- take University Subway line north to Museum Station ( 5 stops)
- exit from station to west side of University Ave (Queen’s Park Crescent).
- the EJB will be straight ahead, adjacent to the R.O.M. and behind the former
Planetarium building.
- once inside the main lobby of the EJB, take the elevator or stairs to basement level, Walter Hall


DIRECTIONS BY CAR
- QEW to Gardiner Expressway
- Gardiner Expressway to Spadina exit
- Spadina Ave. north to Harbord St.
- turn right (east) on Harbord St.
- paid street parking is available on Devonshire Place and in paid lots in vicinity



more information at: http://www.music.utoronto.ca/about/location.htm


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

THE  SCHEDULE

12 NOON - Composer Demos and Meet & Greet - November 13, 12-2 pm

Walter Hall, Faculty of Music (Edward Johnson Building), University of Toronto

This is the opportunity for Sheridan student animators to meet with the UT student composers. Each UT composer will present an example of their recent music that gives a sense of musical style. Sheridan animators will then have a chance to meet them individually and present their project in the form of their Leica Reel. 

Sheridan students, please bring the following to this session:

1. pen & notepad (for noting names and contact info)
2. your Leica reel on memory stick or disc
3. your laptop, tablet or smartphone, with your Leica in playable form
4. headphones

Note that you must commit to a working partnership within one week! You will have to stay in contact with each other via email.

Workstation Courtesy in the 4th Year Studio

It's come to my attention that some students are dominating the use of certain workstations in the 4th Year studio.

The computers are in the studio to be shared amongst everyone, so please don't take one exclusively as your own. Log out if you're leaving the studio for more than a few minutes in order to make the workstation available to others. And please keep the desks and chairs clear of personal effects such as coats and bags.

- Bruno

Another offer to help with your Animation Soundtrack

Hi All

Just got this in from Kevin Richards, a musician and drummer in Toronto who would like to offer his musical services for your film.

Kevin's got a gritty, techno sound that isn';t for every film but might be right for yours. You can hear his demo music examples on sound cloud at:

soundcloud.com/kevinrichards-1

You can reach him via email at:  kevin.d.richards@hotmail.com

I'm an aspiring film composer and recent graduate, and I'd like to build my portfolio and professional network by providing music and sound for students.
I've attached a link to my soundcloud where you can find examples of some of my compositions.
Thanks and have a great day!

_kevin richards
_drums _electronic music production

Offer of Help for your Audio Production.

Are you looking for some help in creating a soundtrack for your film?

If so you might want to contact Steven Roberts, a 2nd Year student in the Media Arts program who wants specialize in Audio for Animation.  In his words,

I'm focusing on sound and my end goal is to do audio for animation....I was very much hoping I could work on some of the animation student's projects this year. This would include dialogue recording, sound effects recording and mixing. I was hoping I could help out your students and be able to start building a small portfolio of my own, and also to get some invaluable experience.

Steve can be reached at: stevergr@gmail.com

DIRECTIONS TO UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF MUSIC

DIRECTIONS TO UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, FACULTY OF MUSIC

Location: University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, Walter Hall

Edward Johnson Building (EJB), 80 Queen’s Park 

The U of T Faculty of Music is located in the Edward Johnson Building (EJB) , 80 Queen’s Park, just south of the intersection of Bloor Street and Avenue Road, next door to the Royal Ontario Museum (R.O.M.)

IMPORTANT NOTE! - do not confuse the Faculty of Music with the Royal Conservatory of Music! Both are located near the ROM, but the Conservatory is on Bloor St. west of the ROM, while the Faculty of Music is on Queens Park south of the ROM. 

BY PUBLIC TRANSIT

- take Go Train from Oakville station to Union Station

- take University Subway line north to Museum Station ( 5 stops)

- exit from station to west side of University Ave (Queen’s Park Crescent).

- the EJB will be straight ahead, adjacent to the R.O.M. and behind the former

Planetarium building.

- once inside the main lobby of the EJB, take the elevator or stairs to basement level, Walter Hall

BY CAR

- QEW to Gardiner Expressway

- Gardiner Expressway to Spadina exit

- Spadina Ave. north to Harbord St.

- turn right (east) on Harbord St.

- paid street parking is available on Devonshire Place and in paid lots in vicinity

more information at: http://www.music.utoronto.ca/about/location.htm