Kaj Pindal's Animation Wisdom

I've just been reminded about this little gem of book by our own Kaj Pindal, which distils his many years of experience in the world of animation at Disney, the National Film Board, with Richard Williams and elsewhere,  into a collection of sayings, principles and other tasty drops of animation wisdom.

It's a full colour print-on-demand publication, nicely bound, with a glossy cover, and it's available from Lulu.com, at

http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=kaj+pindal&type=

I encourage you all to order a copy as a memento of your years here at Sheridan. Kaj will be happy to sign your copy at Industry Day, or any time you can drop into the College. 

INDUSTRY DAY and FAMILY DAY - DEADLINES, DATES and TIMES

Although classes are nearly over, there are still some important deadlines, dates and times to keep in mind. Here's a reminder:


Friday April 24
     8 AM - Industry Day Hand in Deadline
      - maximum length - :60
      - no credits (except for your name in a head title and optionally repeated at end.)
      - no title slate (a five second title slate will be added automatically and does not count toward your 60 second running time.)
      - a clearly designated folder on the Hand-In server is already in place



Monday April 27
     8 AM - Family Day Hand in Deadline
     - no length limit
     - full credits and thank-yous are allowed
     - as in previous class screenings, please add your own title slate for five seconds in advance of your film. Include your name, film title, and date  or version of the film.
      - a clearly designated folder on the Hand-In server is already in place

Thursday April 30
     1 pm - Industry Day BAA Screening
     3:30 pm - Meet with Industry Reps in Learning Commons
     5:30 pm - Awards Presentation (Learning Commons)
     6:15 pm - Graduates and Industry Social


Sunday May 3 
     time TBA (usually early afternoon) - Family Day Screening

4th Year Studio Access next week

I've had some questions from students about access to the  4th Year Studio and to lockers for Industry Day (April 30) and  Family Day (May 3). Mark Mayerson has made some inquiries and arranged that:

"We will be extending access to all 4th Year Animation students until Sunday, May 3rd at midnight. "

That means that lockers within the studio will continue to be available for your use until that date. 

No mention has been made of hallway lockers, so if you;re using those be sure to have them cleared out at the posted deadline (this Friday, I believe) or the locks will be cut off.

Is There Life After Industry Day?

Industry Day gets a lot of attention here in the BA Animation program. I think that's because it marks both an ending and a beginning - the end of your time as a student at Sheridan and the beginning of your adult life in the greater world of the animation industry. It's a doorway into the future, so to speak, and like all transitions it's a critical time, so it's right to give it special attention. 

For that reason we have programmed two events that should be of great practical interest to all of you as you approach Industry Day. 

S235 11 am

PANEL DISCUSSION - IS THERE LIFE AFTER INDUSTRY DAY? 

The first event takes place during our lecture slot at 11 am in S235.  

It's a panel discussion consisting of BAA grad students from past years - 

Kathryn Durst (2013)

Minh Pham (2013) 

Farrukh Khan (2009). 

Noam Sussman (2012)

Justin Hartley (2012) 

The panel members will describe their experience of Industry Day, including the pre-day buildup, the day itself, and the year of life changes following. You'll have a chance to hear what they went through while searching for a job; what role their film and portfolio work played for them in finding one; and the new artistic skills and personal changes they experienced during this time. They'll also consider what they would do differently if they were to do it again. 

A151 - 2 pm

PORTFOLIO REVIEW

As a way for you to test the waters of the world of commercial animation, Guru is sending it's own star BAA graduate, Brandon Scott, creator of Justin Time, and recruiting head Nadine Simard, to conduct a portfolio review session during our afternoon workshop spot. Come to find out what Guru is looking for when they look over a job applicant's portfolio. 

This event is first-come, first-served, so arrive early if you want to show your own portfolio. Please bring your portfolio work in an easily-accesible form such as pdf, png or jpg on a memory-stick or ready to access from the server or portfolio server.

As this is an open portfolio review, you're also welcome to attend if you would just like to watch and listen to our guests' comments.

Camera and Lighting in Pixar's "Inside Out"

Here's an interesting article on some of the technical developments that Pixar is using in the camera and lighting for the current production, Inside Out, which will premiere at the Cannes film festival this summer.

http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/12/how-pixar-solves-problems-from-the-inside-out/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits#.gyqktd:Ugmj

MILESTONE 6 - Film Promotional Package - Examples

The Film Promo Pack is an important part of Milestone 6, which is due next week. The purpose is for you to have at hand the sort of information that festivals and other film promoters will typically request.

Although details are given in the Milestone 6 breakdown, available here, some examples might be of help. You can download and view two examples from last year at the following locations:

The Champ Promo Pack

Journey to the West Promo Pack

Final Senior Project Film Screening Tomorrow!

MILESTONE 5
THE SCREENING

As I'm sure you know, tomorrow at 10 AM is the fourth and final class screening of the Senior Film Project Course.  This screening is the culmination of an entire year's work, so please take it seriously - which is not to say you shouldn't enjoy it as well! We have a really outstanding crop of films this year and the screening will be a lot of fun.

A few of you have contacted me because you inadvertantly submitted your film file into the "Milestone" Handin folder than the "Screening" Handin. Fortunately, Mario anticipated this and assembled the screening reel from BOTH folders, so don't worry about being left out.

Please be aware that as there has been a good deal of interest in your films from my third year classes, I've told them that it's OK for them to attend the screening, on the condition that if seating in S235 is tight they must DEFER THEIR SEAT to any 4th Year Student looking for one.

Please note that due to the length of the screening, there is no workshop planned for tomorrow.

MILESTONE 6 

THE PORTFOLIO 

Your film is only a part, though an important one, of your Graduating Portfolio, which is assembled in Milestone 6. Complete details are given in the Student Handbook, available here.  In brief, this portfolio is a demonstration of all the important Animation skills you have acquired during your years  in the Sheridan BAA.

The main components of the Portfolio are Artwork (including such things as Layout,Character Design and Concept Art), a Demo Reel, your Film, and a Resume. Digital versions are acceptable (preferred actually.)

THE PROMO PACK
Last but not least, Milestone 6 includes a requirement for a Promotional Package for your film. This item is meant to facilitate your first step into the world of film festivals, broadcast and online distribution. Again, details are given in the Student Handbook.  This sort of thing is probably new to most of you, so talk to your Mentor about it, and keep an eye on your email as I will be posting a few examples of Promo Pack materials in the next day or two.






 - Bruno

The Twelve Principles of Animation

Here's a great set of twelve short videos demonstrating the famous Twelve Principles of Animation by Disney's Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas.  The animation is by Alan Becker, whom you may remember from "Animator vs. Animation"

http://digg.com/2015/12-principles-animation-ollie-johnston-frank-thomas-alan-becker

Master's Degree Program at Ryerson University

This information is courtesy of James Nadler, who spoke at our lecture series last week. Ryerson's Media Production Master's Degree program still has some places open for next year. (If you can't see the info graphic in your email reader, visit the blogsite at the link below.)

ALL ABOUT INDUSTRY DAY

Tomorrow's lecture is focused exclusively on preparations for Industry Day.

It begins with the assignment of student desks & stations for Industry Day itself, conducted by Ann-Marie Latanville and the rest of the Industry Day Student Committee.

That is followed at noon by Industry Day director Tony Tarantini who will give you the lowdown and more on what really happens at Industry Day.

Not be missed.  Wednesday, April 8 at 11 am,  S235

Nelvana Portfolio Review - Detailed Schedule

As promised, here is the schedule for tomorrow's portfolio reviews with our guests from Nelvana. Due to the size of the response there will be TWO separate streams of portfolio reviews taking place simultaneously in different rooms - A361 (the 4th Year Studio) and A260

Please be on time as it is a very tight schedule!

Although there will be laptop computers available in each room, it will be best if you bring a memory stick with your portfolio material in a simple file format like jpeg's or mov's - no complex After Effects or Premiere projects please!

And remember - at 5 pm in J102 Nelvana will give a talk entitled Forty-Three Years of Creative Excellence: How Do YOU Become Part of the Legacy?

Pizza will be served. Bring your friends!

PORTFOLIO REVIEW STREAM #1 -- A361 

2:00 Kaitlin Sutherland
2:10 Ben Szabo
2:20 Leslie Pulsifer
2:30 Laura Horobin
2:40 Raymond Lefebvre
2:50 Jane Li
3:00 Daphne Kai Akano
3:10 Yolanda Liu
3:20 David Hill

PORTFOLIO REVIEW STREAM #2 -- Room TBA

2:00 Inna Testolini

2:10 Mara Soriano

2:20 Zhiyue Li (Lea)

2:30 Arthur Lee

2:40 Bo Hee Seong

2:50 Maria Hurtado

3:00 Stephanie Joo

3:10 Kat Purificato
3:20 Brett Tombari