Doctor Horrible - Act One

"I hold a PHD in horrible-ness" ~ Dr. Horrible

Wowsie Wow Award to this...so funny and so awesome...
Watch ACT I
Watch ACT II
Watch ACT III

Here is the trailer...

Dr Horrible's Sing-along Blog, is a three-part musical mini-series which will be available for free from July 15-20. The schedule is: Act I goes up on July 15, Act II on July 17, and Act III on July 19.


Dr Horrible tells the story of a would-be villain (Neil Patrick Harris) who dreams of joining the Evil League of Evil. He's thwarted by arch-nemesis Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion) and by his affections for the girl from the laundrette (Felicia Day). There will be action. There will be singing. And you can sing along.

Free viewing finishes on July 20, but the whole 42 minutes can still be downloaded via subscription. After that, a DVD will be available. And - get this - even the DVD commentaries are planned to be in musical form.

Character Animation Crash Course ON SALE TODAY!

Eric Goldberg has a new book coming out
and you can pre-order it on Amazon.com

Amazon doesn't seem like they have it released today, but I just got an email from Eric and he says, "Shipments of the book started arriving yesterday, so it should only be a matter of a few days before Amazon starts shipping. If you can't wait, they already have some on the shelves at Samuel French in Hollywood!"

Eric changed my life as an animator. I worked with him on the Disney spots for almost 2 years, at Digital Domain. I learned more about animation from him - during that time...than any school or any show in my career. He changed everything about how I animate today. His philosophies taught me how to think about every pose down to the tips of the fingers and push every acting choice to the very edge.

The book isn't out yet so I haven't had a glance, but I imagine it's full of great stuff and all animators should have a copy. Details below on his book signing in August.

Eric Goldberg Book Signing

Host:	Samuel French Bookshops/The Creative Talent Network

Date:	Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Time:	7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:	Samuel French Bookshop
Street:	11963 Ventura Blvd.
City/Town:	Studio City, CA
	View Map

99 Rooms

So kewl...Turn your speakers up...

99 Rooms is a unique internet art project that interweaves wall painting, photography, animation and sound in a manner entirely unknown until now. Shortly after its launch in June 2004, more than two million individuals throughout the world have already visited this interdisciplinary composite work of art.

99rooms stemmed from the mystical, often apolocalyptically charming pictures created by Berlin artist Kim Köster within the countless vacated premises of East Berlin‘s industrial sector. Photos of these paintings were initially produced in digital form and then animated through a cooperative effort between Richard Schumann & Stephan Schulz and then subsequently complemented through a personal sounddesign from Johannes Buenemann. The final product of this year long effort is a scintillating intermediary world which invites the observer into an journey through its morbidly-beautiful rooms.

ROSTLAUB Gbr Mainzer Strasse 1, 10247 Berlin, Germany Email: wir@rostlaub.com Kim Köster (The Artist) Richard Schumann (Art Direction) Johannes Bünemann (Sounddesign) Stephan Schulz (Flash / Programming)

Arthur Ganson: Sculpture that's truly moving

I am so addicted to the TED Talks and this guy's wish bone machine is just too kewl. It does look like a cowboy who has been on his horse too long trying to walk down the street.

LA Commute for a Freelancer

I recently took a job where I have to drive to Westlake Village two days a week. The drive could be much quicker probably if I were to take the highway...but, what is the fun in that? It takes me about an hour and a half to get to work, but it's exhilarating. I bought a new Mini cooper Convertible almost one year ago and I haven't really broken it in ,until now. I take all the windy roads from the PCH up through Malibu Canyon.

Talk about fun! I was inspired by the time lapse video posting I put on the blog here and thought I would try my hand at recording the experience with my little digital camera. It's very unstable because I am holding the camera braced on the steering wheel as I shift gears and drive. Dad, don't show Mom...she might have a heart attack.

Below, are some snaps I took as well, some through my dirty windshield. I'm afraid the video doesn't compare to the real experience. If anyone has a suggestion as to how I could mount the camera to the dash or something and I could drive freely while recording, don't hesitate to post it in the comments. The drive makes the commute so fun. The landscape reminds me of when I worked up in San Luis Obispo for Oddworld. The mountains, the wind, the speed is all very addicting. Although the driving takes it out of me and I am exhausted on the days I commute, I had to share some of the fun here.

Looking at all those telephone poles on the side of the mountains makes you wonder sometimes how they stay upright? Kind of ironic because I just worked on a T-Mobile spot for Giant Steps where a hell bent chick chainsaw a bunch of poles down. I animated the poles and cables falling. To see it click the link below and look for the Sunday Drive spot.

TMobile Spot

Bolt Trailer vs. American Dog

Talk about a story that has some history...

Originally this was Chris Sander's story (creator of Lilo and Stitch)
called American Dog and it looked more like this in 2005.

The original story in 2005 went like this...

Henry is a popular dog. He stars in his own television series, in which he is a James Bond style secret agent who manages to survive the most wonderful adventures. Henry is the toast of the town, but then one day one of the stunts in his show goes terribly wrong, Henry loses concsiousness, and when he wakes up he finds himself on a train, thousands of miles away from his home. Henry has been a celebrity all his life and does not know how to handle himself in this new situation, but luckily he is able to make some new friends that he convinces to get him back home.

So, here is what Disney/Pixar has come up with after they fire Chris Sanders and reworked both the story and the artwork.


Bolt tells the story a dog who plays a heroic pup in a hit TV show and has some trouble recognising that he is in fact not possessed of extraordinary powers beyond the ability to lick his own nether regions. This becomes something of a hindrance when he is accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York City. From there he has to make his way home with only the help of a manky old cat and an overweight hamster in a plastic ball. John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton provide voices.

The Art Change: I honestly am not crazy about the new designs, but then I am really partial to Chris Sander's style and design sense because it is so different than most Disney styles. I feel the new Disney dog looks just like any other dog now - very homogenized, as well as the cat. The hamster character is cute and almost more fun to watch that the lead characters, from what I can tell from the trailer above.

The Story Change: I think the idea Chris had for Henry the Dog - as a celebrity on a train headed for who knows where? is stronger, and offers more of a change in Henry's personality. Chris's story offers an opportunity for Henry to learn about himself by being placed in a world he knows nothing about and with new people who know nothing about him. The whole Jame's Bond angle gives the dog more of a sophistication than the idea of "ohhh I am so hard headed that I think I have super powers like I do on TV?" The premise being he discovers he doesn't need superpowers to be a hero...I just think it's playing down to the audience and makes the lead character seem dense and not someone I would root for.

Watch this little clip from the original movie being made to see how much potential that one moment has where he wales up to discover he is on a train to somewhere far away.

The new Disney story creates almost an idiot savant personality for Bolt because he thinks he has the powers he has on the show. The dog isn't really learning anything about himself or growing, he is just going to realize like there is no Santa Claus and that he has no super powers and then goes back home.

I was REALLY looking forward to American Dog, but I am not sold on the Bolt turnaround just yet.

I welcome any comments.

How to Draw Manga

Mark Crilley demonstrates how to draw Manga.
I love that he uses a simple writing pencil to do it.
It's not the tool, it's what you DO with it.

His YouTube page has more stuff there.

The Whale at Digital Domain

Ever wonder where the whale conference room at DD came from?
Watch this Frank Ghery TED Talk.
It's at about 8.5 minutes into the talk.

Little People

I am pretty sure this guy is a genius.
It's like theater, plus animation, plus street art.

He even sells images of his street art now
and has a book of his images for sale.

The Inner City Snail Project is pretty funny too.

Little People Blog

WALL•E Featurettes

The PR Peeps at Pixar contacted me and as the premiere of WALL•E nears, they have four new featurettes! Each of these videos provides a behind-the-scenes look at the production of WALL•E. You can frame by frame these movies in hi-REZ and see all the Squash and stretch that happens to a robot! Don't miss when WALL•E is hit by lighting! ~Angie

“Lots of Bots” Featurette
“A Space Journey in Sound” Featurette
“The Man & The Machine” Featurette
“Pixar Goes to Space” Featurette

WALL•E has a MySpace page (http://myspace.com/wall-e) for more fun features, such as giving WALL•E commands, building your own bot through the Build-A-Bot feature, and grabbing the social widget to use on your own personal sites.

For more information about the film, visit http://wall-e.com, and remember that the debut of WALL•E, June 27th, is just around the corner!

WALL•E – “Lots of Bots” Featurette

Quicktime:

High

Medium

Low

iPod:

WALL•E – “A Space Journey In Sound” Featurette

Quicktime:

High

Medium

Low

iPod:

WALL•E – “The Man & The Machine” Featurette

Quicktime:

High

Medium

Low

iPod:

WALL•E – “Pixar Goes To Space” Featurette

Quicktime:

High

Medium

Low

iPod:

Hp Maestro

I was working at Psyop when they cut out all those letters for the shoot.
GORGEOUS!

Produced by Psyop for agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners/SF.

Young Illustrator's Award

As principal art festival for contemporary illustrative and graphical art the ILLUSTRATIVE Berlin is contacting you both as artist and as part forum for designers and artists.

For the selection of the new participants of this year's exhibition a concourse is again on its way at the moment, the YOUNG ILLUSTRATORS AWARD.

YIA is now looking for young illustrators (between 20 and 40 years) to motivate them to participate in the concourse which is giving them the possibility to present their art works in an international field. The winner will be awarded by an internationally renowned jury comprising the leading representatives of graphic art magazines (Shift, Page, Id Pure, Novum, etc.). He will have the chance to create the new limited edition for SWATCH watches. The artists can present their works until August 31.

www.illustrative.de

Slow Mo Stuff

Not sure what is more interesting - the footage or the narrator!
The slap is insane!
Talk about heightened entertainment!

Seeing it with a camera up to 400fps.
-water balloon
-disposable lighter
-brick
-propane balloon
-slap
-crossbow
-soap bubble

49% MF and 51% SOB - Lemmy The Movie

Lemmy - The Movie

So, this also has very little to do with animation - but I guess I am in a mood. Let's just call it "off-topic Monday" because I have a 3500 frame playblast that is taking forever and I am sitting here surfing round da net while the computer make pictures!

So, I just saw Helmet at the Malibu Inn on Friday and it's no secret I am a metal head. I cannot wait for the Lemmy movie!

www.imotorhead.com announced 2009 will bring us “Lemmy The Movie”, like that title says, the movie will be about the God-Father of heavy music, Lemmy Kilmister.

Lemmy’s story is about to move from the concert hall to the big screen. Tentatively titled “Lemmy”, the documentary movie promises fans more access than ever before to Kilmister’s life, and includes interviews with past and present bandmates and such peers/admirers as Slash, Dave Grohl, the Clash’s Mick Jones, Alice Cooper, Steve Vai and wrestling superstar Triple H.

Directors/producers Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski are shooting the movie on a combination of HD video and super 16 mm film. “Lemmy” is planned for release in 2009 and a teaser clip is already available at http://www.lemmymovie.com/

Some other Motörhead news, the band started the recording of the “Kiss of Death” follow up earlier this year. Drum tracks have been recorded in Dave Grohl’s studio.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus Dig!

I know this has nothing to do with animation,
but it's my blog
and I love Nick Cave
and I really love this video!!!!
It's really well done!

Official video for 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!' by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Directed by Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard. Taken from the album 'DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!!'

Click here to see it HIREZ!

Time Lapse Video of Guy Driving Across the Country

Guy Driving Across the Country.
This is a music video by director Michel Gondry.
The song is called "Behind" with Lacquer.

Cro Customs

The climate in animation/VFX and CG today changing so quickly...

runaway production,
overseas studios,
downsizing,
underbidding,
shorter schedules,
smaller budgets,
lowering of animators salaries...

In light of these changes in our industry, many artists are starting their own businesses to create additional income. Most artists and animators have to be self starting individuals to last in this industry. CG artists are an unusual breed who believe they can make anything happen - even turn a hobby into their career.

I think it's because working in CG you incorporate so many facets of life and experience like writing, acting, anatomy, cinematography, lighting, storytelling, textures, design, kinetics, math, code, architecture...the list goes on and on. Think about it. How many other jobs use so many parts of your brain and so many skill sets? I have seen many people turn hobbies into careers in the past few years, artists who started their own businesses like: camping guide websites, fine art painting, bass fishing dvd's, clothing design, motorcycle fabrication, and toy production.

So, I will spotlight one CG artist a month on the blog who has taken something they love to do outside of animation and turned it into additional income - as inspiration for us all. Don't get me wrong here...I still support animation as a fruitful, and fun career. But! I also believe change is good and comes from the willingness to allow new ideas, different opinions and maintaining an open mind to the infinite possibilities there are when one is willing to take chances. I believe in the power of creativity and doing what you want to do creates more opportunity and an empowering state of mind.

If you would like your business spotlighted here on the blog, send me an email angie@spicycricket.com

The first artist to be spotlighted is:

My good friend Caleb Owens has started
a blog for his bike shop Cro Customs.

Cro Customs Blog

Caleb is another "artist friend" of mine
making way towards doing what he loves.

I love the quote on his website...
"Does Over Time make up for Time Lost?"

I say...Nope.

Go out and turn your love into what you do everyday!
Make something with your hands!

What is Art?

So awesome...I put it on BOTH my blogs.

Various Americans are interviewed about art.
Animated by Aardman.

Rest My Chemistry

Interpol music video for the track “Rest My Chemistry” by Blip Boutique

The abstract data mapping was created from scratch by visual artist Aaron Koblin.

Watch Interpol “Rest My Chemistry”

John Kascht - Caricatures

This guy is just so awesome...I have no words. All of his observations are the same thing animators look at before making a character move and emote. Sorry bout the ads - it's worth the wait. Youtube has version of these but you cannot embed them.

John Kascht is an amazing talent.