As your films near completion it seems there are many people out there who would like to help with the soundtrack. The latest offers are from Leeran Raphaely, an award winning young composer, who has just finished a score for one of our 4th Year films and is so pleased with the way it turned out that he would like to do another. You can contact him at:
leeran.raphaely@gmail.com
The other offer comes from Prof. Mark Melymick, co-ordinator of Sheridan's Theatre Performance Program, who is offering the services of his acting students for doing character voice recordings for your film. If you would like to try them out, send Prof. Melymick an email with a brief description of the type of character voice you need (e.g. "nerdy young male") and he will attempt to connect you with an appropriate student from his program.
mark.melymick@sheridaninstitute.ca
Friday, February 27, 2015
Offer to help with Sound Design
I recently received this email from a student in Media Fundamentals. Please contact him directly if you would like some help with your sound effects and sound-mixing side of your film.
My name is Jonathan Woodburn, and I was a student in Tony Tosti's sound design class last semester. He mentioned to me that one of the ways I could continue getting experience would be to volunteer as a Sound Designer for Sheridan's animation department. If I could help in anyway, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Woodburn
woodburj@sheridancollege.ca
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The Independent Animator
Lecture: Festivals and Distribution for the Independent Animator - Chris Walsh, S235 11 am
Life in animation is not all Pixar and Dreamworks. (Just ask the 500 artists and technical crew who recently got laid off from the latter.)
Some artists just want to make art in whatever medium is available to them. We call them "independent" and it's a viable strategy for many. In the past, production and distribution were both major obstacles to independent work in animation, but powerful, inexpensive computers have largely eliminated the first as an obstacle, and the world-wide-interweb is in the process of eliminating the second. Chris Walsh will be our guest speaker at this week's lecture to fill you in on recent developments along these lines.
Workshop: Demo Music Track Assessment & Discussion - Bruno Degazio, A151 - 2 pm
Life in animation is not all Pixar and Dreamworks. (Just ask the 500 artists and technical crew who recently got laid off from the latter.)
Some artists just want to make art in whatever medium is available to them. We call them "independent" and it's a viable strategy for many. In the past, production and distribution were both major obstacles to independent work in animation, but powerful, inexpensive computers have largely eliminated the first as an obstacle, and the world-wide-interweb is in the process of eliminating the second. Chris Walsh will be our guest speaker at this week's lecture to fill you in on recent developments along these lines.
Workshop: Demo Music Track Assessment & Discussion - Bruno Degazio, A151 - 2 pm
This week is the delivery deadline for the demo version of your music score from the U of T musicians. Sometimes questions arise at his point about the suitability of the music, and now is the time to address the problem with your composer. This drop-in session is for you to bring in your demo track recording for review and discussion with myself and your colleagues.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
50 Awesome Resumés
"50 Inspiring Resumé Designs: And What You Can Learn From Them"
Inspired Acting, Mindful Animating
LECTURE: Stephen Barnes: Inspired Acting, Mindful Animating: A Study of Great Moments From Animated Films
SCAET 235, 11 am - 1 pm
With the big animation Milestone due this week (100% of rough animation completed), it's appropriate that tomorrow's lecture is on the subject of acting in animation. Stephen Barnes extends his previous study of acting (Inspired Acting: Great Moments from Great Actors) to include acting in animated feature films. Steve livens up the talk with discussion of the bad animation in the old Roger Ramjet TV series, and outtakes from his days as an animator at Pixar.
WORKSHOP: Amir Avni: Flash Animation Workshop
A151, 2 pm - 4 pm
The workshop is also dedicated to the craft of animation with BAA graduate and Flash animator Amir Avni giving a lesson on traditional animation techniques in Flash, and providing a Q&A to resolve any issues you may be having while using Flash in your Senior Project Film.
SCAET 235, 11 am - 1 pm
With the big animation Milestone due this week (100% of rough animation completed), it's appropriate that tomorrow's lecture is on the subject of acting in animation. Stephen Barnes extends his previous study of acting (Inspired Acting: Great Moments from Great Actors) to include acting in animated feature films. Steve livens up the talk with discussion of the bad animation in the old Roger Ramjet TV series, and outtakes from his days as an animator at Pixar.
WORKSHOP: Amir Avni: Flash Animation Workshop
A151, 2 pm - 4 pm
The workshop is also dedicated to the craft of animation with BAA graduate and Flash animator Amir Avni giving a lesson on traditional animation techniques in Flash, and providing a Q&A to resolve any issues you may be having while using Flash in your Senior Project Film.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Special Screening Tomorrow
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
LECTURE - 11 AM, S235
The Lecture is dedicated to a special screening of short animated films - I can't give details here but I'm sure you'll all be pleased and interested in the program. And you get to vote on your favourite film of the batch!
The screening will be fairly short (less than an hour) and will be followed by the annual KPI survey, where you get to voice your opinion of the BA Animation program.
WORKSHOP - 2 PM, A151
In the afternoon we have scheduled Barnabas Wornoff, our resident ToonBoom expert, for a Q&A period on TB character rigging and general usage. Barney will focus on cleanup and in-betweening for those of you using ToonBoon in a traditional way, and puppet rigging for those using TB's symbol capabilities. Bring your ToonBoom work-in-progress files!
LECTURE - 11 AM, S235
The Lecture is dedicated to a special screening of short animated films - I can't give details here but I'm sure you'll all be pleased and interested in the program. And you get to vote on your favourite film of the batch!
The screening will be fairly short (less than an hour) and will be followed by the annual KPI survey, where you get to voice your opinion of the BA Animation program.
WORKSHOP - 2 PM, A151
In the afternoon we have scheduled Barnabas Wornoff, our resident ToonBoom expert, for a Q&A period on TB character rigging and general usage. Barney will focus on cleanup and in-betweening for those of you using ToonBoon in a traditional way, and puppet rigging for those using TB's symbol capabilities. Bring your ToonBoom work-in-progress files!
Monday, February 9, 2015
Quick Read: How Do Directors Pick their Composers?
Quick and to-the-point reposnse from director Michael Mann:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2015/02/09/michael_mann_how_do_directors_pick_composers_to_score_their_movies.html
Answer by Michael Mann, director, producer, Blackhat, Heat, The Insider, Collateral, Last of the Mohicans, Thief:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2015/02/09/michael_mann_how_do_directors_pick_composers_to_score_their_movies.html
Answer by Michael Mann, director, producer, Blackhat, Heat, The Insider, Collateral, Last of the Mohicans, Thief:
Composing is kind of like casting. On a given picture with a standout composer, like Elliot Goldenthal, who I think is one of the more extraordinary composers working today, I will use only his score because I want the picture to have a unified sensibility, like in Heat or Public Enemies. It was the same with Trevor Jones on the main themes of Last of the Mohicans. Randy Edelman did some additional work that was excellent.
In other films, I'll use more than one composer because I want to rotate among different emotional perspectives. That could be character-driven or something totally different about the circumstances, such as the ending of Ali when we're in Africa for the Rumble in the Jungle and the music is almost wall-to-wall Salif Keita. One composer may be able to evoke certain emotions, and another composer is better for different passages. I did that in Collateral as well as in Blackhat.
For Blackhat, Atticus Ross probably makes the greatest impression in the first half, which isn't about counting the minutes of music. I also used Harry Gregson-Williams. There’s a young guy named Ryan Amon, whose outstanding, haunting themes are somewhat surreal. Atticus Ross’ brother, Leo, co-composed with Atticus and played guitar. And there are excellent cues by Mike Dean, who is Kanye West’s producer and a great keyboardist. Everybody was working in parallel. In the end, it's the film and my vision that dictate which music is used and how. If a composer wants to have his music stand alone, he should be a recording artist and let his work contest itself in that arena.
When it comes to the process, I'm very involved, and it’s purely creative and highly intuitive.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Music Spotting Session Visit from U of T composers tomorrow!
Remember - Tomorrow's Lecture and Workshop are both dedicated to the Music Spotting Session visit from the U of T film music composition class.
If you are not involved in a partnership with one of the U of T composers then you do not have to attend the lecture. However, you are still welcome to come and watch the screening of a "Best Of" selection of animations scored by this program in years past.
The plan for the day is as follows:
11:00 AM - noon; SCAET 235
We will collect here for some opening remarks and the screening of a "Best Of" selection of animations.
noon - 3 pm; 4th Year STUDIO, A361
We will use the open area at the south end of the studio and the workstations nearby to schedule one-on-one meetings between the various composers and animators.
Plan on meeting with your composer for 20-30 minutes to discuss the musical requirements of your film.
Have an up-to-date version of your Animatic ready, including the recent Workflow Test shot! Also be sure to bring along a pair of headphones, as the listening environment in the Studio is not ideal.
Here is a quick summary of the main procedures and purposes of a Spotting Session:
1. View the Film
- Leica-Reel, Pose-Reel, or Rough-cut.
- include your temp music, sound fx, scratch voices
- decide where music is needed, what style, mood, instruments, accents, etc.
- make a sequential list of music cues (M1, M2, M3, etc.) with starting times!
2. Try Out New Musical Ideas
- play recordings with the picture! It's extremely important to hear the music while looking at your pciture.
3. Wait for the new Score
- discuss delivery dates, file formats & other tech
If you are not involved in a partnership with one of the U of T composers then you do not have to attend the lecture. However, you are still welcome to come and watch the screening of a "Best Of" selection of animations scored by this program in years past.
The plan for the day is as follows:
11:00 AM - noon; SCAET 235
We will collect here for some opening remarks and the screening of a "Best Of" selection of animations.
noon - 3 pm; 4th Year STUDIO, A361
We will use the open area at the south end of the studio and the workstations nearby to schedule one-on-one meetings between the various composers and animators.
Plan on meeting with your composer for 20-30 minutes to discuss the musical requirements of your film.
Have an up-to-date version of your Animatic ready, including the recent Workflow Test shot! Also be sure to bring along a pair of headphones, as the listening environment in the Studio is not ideal.
Here is a quick summary of the main procedures and purposes of a Spotting Session:
1. View the Film
- Leica-Reel, Pose-Reel, or Rough-cut.
- include your temp music, sound fx, scratch voices
- decide where music is needed, what style, mood, instruments, accents, etc.
- make a sequential list of music cues (M1, M2, M3, etc.) with starting times!
2. Try Out New Musical Ideas
- play recordings with the picture! It's extremely important to hear the music while looking at your pciture.
3. Wait for the new Score
- discuss delivery dates, file formats & other tech
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Superman and Batman should be in the Public Domain.
A good short article on how the public loses when copyright terms are extended.
http://theconversation.com/why-batman-and-rhapsody-in-blue-should-be-in-the-public-domain-but-arent-36389
http://theconversation.com/why-batman-and-rhapsody-in-blue-should-be-in-the-public-domain-but-arent-36389
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
The Business of Animation
This week we have our very own James Caswell, who will offer us the fruit of his years of experience in the animation business.
Jim covers much of the groundwork for setting up and running a viable small business in the animation industry including: the pros and cons freelancing; what to look for in a contract; and dealing with your taxes. Not to be missed.
As usual the lecture is at 11 AM in S235; the workshop is in A151 at 2 pm.
Jim covers much of the groundwork for setting up and running a viable small business in the animation industry including: the pros and cons freelancing; what to look for in a contract; and dealing with your taxes. Not to be missed.
As usual the lecture is at 11 AM in S235; the workshop is in A151 at 2 pm.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Fibonacci Zoetrope Sculpture
Watch this beautiful animated sculpture, fractal designed and 3D printed, by artist/inventor John Edmark of Stanford University. The artist uses the sequence of Fibonacci numbers (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc) to create spatial patterns that seem to swirl endlessly when spun under a strobe light.
from the Vimeo page:
"These 3-D printed sculptures, called aniforms, are designed to animate when spun under a strobe light. The placement of the appendages is determined by the same method nature uses in pinecones and sunflowers. The rotation speed is synchronized to the strobe so that one flash occurs every time the sculpture turns 137.5º—the golden angle. If you count the number of spirals on any of these sculptures you will find that they are always Fibonacci numbers.
For this video, rather than using a strobe, the camera was set to a very short shutter speed (1/4000 sec) in order to freeze the spinning sculpture.
John Edmark is an inventor/designer/artist. He teaches design at Stanford University."
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Last Year's Industry Day Commercial -- Milestone #2
Here's last year's Industry Day Commercial. It really shows off the range and artistry of our program. It was compiled from the workflow test shots done for Milestone #2.
https://vimeo.com/89344536
https://vimeo.com/89344536
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
WINTER 2015 - MENTOR DROP IN HOURS
Here are the public Mentor Dropin Hours for all the 4th Year mentors this semester. Feel free to drop in on any mentor if you have questions about their area of specialty, be it Maya, music or whatever. Or if you just want a general discussion of the state of your project.
This page will be updated regularly.
This page will be updated regularly.
Stephen Barnes - Thursdays 10-11; Thursdays 12-2
Nancy Beiman - Mondays 9-10:30; Wednesdays 1-2:30
Trevor Davies - Thursdays 4-7
Bruno Degazio - Mondays 2-4 Thursdays 12-1
Blair Kitchen - Mondays, 9-12; 4-6
Tim McCormack - Thursdays 10-11, 12-2
Kaj Pindal - Mondays, 1-3
Mark Palowich - Wednesdays 11-12 Thursdays 12-2
Chris Walsh - Mondays 12-3 Thursdays 10-11
Maury Whyte - Mondays, 1-2, Wednesdays 12-1, Fridays 2 -3 pm
Invitation to influence the future of the Bachelor Of Animation program - Tuesday, January 27th, 5 pm
Coming up soon is a special opportunity for 4th Year BAA students to voice their view of coming changes to the Bachelor of Animation program, from the vantage point of nearly completing it.
The opportunity takes the form of a student focus group meeting on Tuesday, January 27th (5 pm - 7 pm) in the President’s Boardroom (2nd floor, B Wing). You don't need to prepare anything, just bring your memories and experience as a student. In the words of our Associate Dean Angela Stukator, " We need to get a sense ... of what’s working, what’s not, and how the new (program) map might address learning gaps in the program."
A free dinner will be served.
Attendance is by invitation, and there's room for only 5 students from 4th Year, so email me right away if you are available on that day and are interested in discussing the program.
Bruno Degazio,
degazio@sheridancollege.ca
The opportunity takes the form of a student focus group meeting on Tuesday, January 27th (5 pm - 7 pm) in the President’s Boardroom (2nd floor, B Wing). You don't need to prepare anything, just bring your memories and experience as a student. In the words of our Associate Dean Angela Stukator, " We need to get a sense ... of what’s working, what’s not, and how the new (program) map might address learning gaps in the program."
A free dinner will be served.
Attendance is by invitation, and there's room for only 5 students from 4th Year, so email me right away if you are available on that day and are interested in discussing the program.
--------------------------
Bruno Degazio,
Professor, Academic Advisor
Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design,
Sheridan College, Oakville, ON
Sheridan College, Oakville, ON
website: http://www-acad.sheridanc.on.ca/~degazio
The Art of the Music Spotting Session
The Art of the Music Spotting Session
In two weeks the U of T musicians will be visiting us, with their purpose in mind being specifically to work out the details of the musical score for your film. This important meeting between film-maker and composer is traditionally known as the the "Music Spotting Session."
To help you prepare for this meeting, Wednesday's Lecture and Workshop are both oriented to an explanation of the Music Spotting Session.
(You might want to also read this recent blog posting by Mark Kennedy, Disney's Head of Story. He talks about the importance of spotting temp music while working on the Leica reel, links to some interesting examples of the use of musical score. Thanks to ames Caswell for pointing out this blog to me.)
LECTURE
A while ago I wrote the music for Chris Walsh's stop-motion film, True Family Story. We recognized our collaboration as a "teachable moment", so I saved the files I created as the score developed. These files now make a very effective demonstration of the collaborative process between a film-maker and a composer.
This year I'm supplementing the talk with examples from a more recent project, Save Our Bees, a Public Service Announcement animation, with music in the style of the Warner Bros classics.
During the lecture (11 am, S235) I'll walk you through the three stages of the Music Spotting process as it took place in recent work, and play for you some famous and not-so-famous historical examples of "Temp Music" and musical scores.
WORKSHOP
The 2 pm workshop (A151) gives you a chance to "spot" your own film with me and the other students. Consider it practice for the real spotting session with the U of T musicians when they visit on February 4.
In two weeks the U of T musicians will be visiting us, with their purpose in mind being specifically to work out the details of the musical score for your film. This important meeting between film-maker and composer is traditionally known as the the "Music Spotting Session."
To help you prepare for this meeting, Wednesday's Lecture and Workshop are both oriented to an explanation of the Music Spotting Session.
(You might want to also read this recent blog posting by Mark Kennedy, Disney's Head of Story. He talks about the importance of spotting temp music while working on the Leica reel, links to some interesting examples of the use of musical score. Thanks to ames Caswell for pointing out this blog to me.)
LECTURE
A while ago I wrote the music for Chris Walsh's stop-motion film, True Family Story. We recognized our collaboration as a "teachable moment", so I saved the files I created as the score developed. These files now make a very effective demonstration of the collaborative process between a film-maker and a composer.
This year I'm supplementing the talk with examples from a more recent project, Save Our Bees, a Public Service Announcement animation, with music in the style of the Warner Bros classics.
During the lecture (11 am, S235) I'll walk you through the three stages of the Music Spotting process as it took place in recent work, and play for you some famous and not-so-famous historical examples of "Temp Music" and musical scores.
WORKSHOP
The 2 pm workshop (A151) gives you a chance to "spot" your own film with me and the other students. Consider it practice for the real spotting session with the U of T musicians when they visit on February 4.
This is also an opportunity to bring & discuss any demo music that you might have already received from your composer or other musician working on your film. Copyright issues relating to the use of pre-recorded music will also be discussed.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Advanced Colour Design For 4th Year Films
Advanced Colour Design For 4th Year Films - Michael Hitchcox
Please forward your background paintings to Michael so he can illustrate his lecture with examples from your work.
Please send your files to mhitchcox@cogeco.ca before Tuesday January 13.
Happy New Year, 2015
Greetings and best wishes for the New Year!
There's a lot coming in the next few weeks. You can take a look at the outline for the semester here (pdf): It lays out the production and post-production timeline for the coming semester. Especially important is the Scene Workflow test, which is due in Week 2. I'll explain this one in our first lecture on Wednesday January 14.)
You can also take a look at the Lecture and Workshop schedule here. Please note that many of the bookings are still tentative and subject to change.
================================
For now, please take a look at this list from Joshua Dennenberg at U of T. It lays out the partnerships between Sheridan animators and U of T composers, as understood from their end. (Note that the list is not entirely complete because two students did not respond to Joshua's inquiry.) If your name is missing or in the wrong place please let me know ASAP so I can try to clear things up with Joshua.
There's a lot coming in the next few weeks. You can take a look at the outline for the semester here (pdf): It lays out the production and post-production timeline for the coming semester. Especially important is the Scene Workflow test, which is due in Week 2. I'll explain this one in our first lecture on Wednesday January 14.)
You can also take a look at the Lecture and Workshop schedule here. Please note that many of the bookings are still tentative and subject to change.
================================
For now, please take a look at this list from Joshua Dennenberg at U of T. It lays out the partnerships between Sheridan animators and U of T composers, as understood from their end. (Note that the list is not entirely complete because two students did not respond to Joshua's inquiry.) If your name is missing or in the wrong place please let me know ASAP so I can try to clear things up with Joshua.
| COMPOSERS | ANIMATORS-> | ||||||||
| Alex Chang | Valerie Ng | ||||||||
| Adrian Ling | Terra Zhang | ||||||||
| Alex Lambermont | Yolanda Liu | Raymond LaFebvre | Ken House | ||||||
| Babak Taghinia | Huifang | Mara Soriano | |||||||
| Cara Tors | Alex Biasutti | Chelsea Tierney | Richard Kosner | ||||||
| Dinuk Wijeratne | Jane Li | ||||||||
| Eleanor Hart | Kelsey Ryan | ||||||||
| Fintan Quinn | |||||||||
| Joshua Denenberg | Daniel Fountain | Nicole Turner | |||||||
| Kirk Russell | Mara Soriano | Dan Fountain | Yanjun | ||||||
| Kenzie Yango | Andrew Bromfield | Ann WG | Steph Garth | Maria Nguyen | Victoria E - | Koko | Maria Nguye | Ben Szabo | Nathan Alcee |
| Kristina Orel | |||||||||
| Liam Gallagher | Jordan Ruttle | Claudia Tanjung | Cody Forkes | ||||||
| Liam West | Anna hau yin Chan | Ashley Adams | Kaitlin Sutherland | Peter Holland | |||||
| Michael le Ruggiero | Margaret Perrie | Jonathan Chan | |||||||
| Mouna Benhadjtahar | Darik Smith | Kaitlin Sutherland | |||||||
| Ross Au | Khoebe Mangsaysay | Yanju Liu | Xiying Zhai | ||||||
| Sarah Basciano | Kat Purificato | Didi Wang | |||||||
| Sae Lon Lee | Alison Chan | Helen Bohee Seong | |||||||
| Xintong Wang | Melody Wang | Sam Lloyd |
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
WEEK 14 - ANIMATIC SCREENING WILL BEGIN AT 10 AM WEDNESDAY IN S235
Mario has now had a chance to total the running time of the animatic screening submissions, so we will begin our screening at 10 am on Wednesday morning, in SCAET 235.
Note that the presentation order is randomized and will be different from the order of the Leica Reel screening in October.
Due to the length of the screening there will be no workshop this Wednesday. Workshops will resume next semester on Wednesday, January 14 with "Advanced Colour Design" by Mike Hitchcox.
degazio@sheridancollege.ca
Note that the presentation order is randomized and will be different from the order of the Leica Reel screening in October.
Due to the length of the screening there will be no workshop this Wednesday. Workshops will resume next semester on Wednesday, January 14 with "Advanced Colour Design" by Mike Hitchcox.
-------------------------------------------------Bruno Degazio,
Professor, Academic Advisor
Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design,
Sheridan College, Oakville, ON
Sheridan College, Oakville, ON
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
ANIMATIC SCREENING FOLDER NOW AVAILABLE
Just got this in from Mario Positano. The HANDIN folder for next week's Animatic Screening is now available on the HANDIN server.
The folder is entitled: LeicaReel_DueDecember8_8am
Don't be confused by the phrase "Leica Reel" in the name; it's the correct folder for the Animatic Screening (note the deadline date embedded in the folder name.)
It's located in G drive, 4thYear_SCREENING folder.
- Bruno
The folder is entitled: LeicaReel_DueDecember8_8am
Don't be confused by the phrase "Leica Reel" in the name; it's the correct folder for the Animatic Screening (note the deadline date embedded in the folder name.)
It's located in G drive, 4thYear_SCREENING folder.
- Bruno
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
INDUSTRY DAY PRIMER and TWO EVENTS TO FOCUS ON YOUR SOUNDTRACK
1. Industry Day Primer - Tony Tarantini
Tony Tarintini will first give us an overview of the preparations for Industry Day 2015, including times and places, what to expect and how to prepare for it. There'll be some important news regarding the scheduling, so be sure to there.
Tony Tarintini will first give us an overview of the preparations for Industry Day 2015, including times and places, what to expect and how to prepare for it. There'll be some important news regarding the scheduling, so be sure to there.
Many of you know Tony Tosti from the 3rd Year Sound Design course. Tony is with us this week to help you with two aspects of the sound design for your film.
2. Collaborating with Your Composer - Tony Tosti
The first is the Wednesday Lecture, at the usual time, 11 am. Tony Tosti will give a talk entitled "Collaborating with Your Composer." He'll attempt to walk with you through the process of effectively communicating your musical intentions for your film to your composer, avoiding the common pitfalls and misunderstandings.3. Adobe Audition Refresher and Soundtrack Discussion - Tony Tosti
At 2 pm, we have our workshop in A150. Tony Tosti is again on hand to give you a refresher course on the how to use Adobe Audition, and how to mix for effective presentation in the SCAET Theatre. Bring your work-in-progress soundtracks (in Premiere, Audition, or already mixed in a Quicktime file) for specific advice from Tony.
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