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Monday,
September 25, 2000
New
Animation DVD Releases
Here is a list of animation related DVDs being released tomorrow.
* * *
Multimedia
2000 Announces New Bubblegum Crisis DVDs
Multimedia 2000 has announced the revamping of its Bubblegum Crisis
DVD line with the release of two new titles: Bubblegum Crisis Volume
Four: Hurricane Live! and the Bubblegum Crisis MegaSeries.
These new releases
extend the adventures of the Knight Sabers; four high-tech mercenaries
fighting a battle against corporate evil in post-apocalyptic MegaTokyo.
The DVD remaster of this animated series has been a consistent best-seller,
according to Multimedia 2000.
"We have always
been proud of our close relationship with Bubblegum Crisis' avid
fans, and it was their many letters and phone calls which brought
about these new titles," said Greg Hutcheson, VP New Business/Marketing
of Multimedia 2000. "Right from our initial release the questions
started coming in: 'Where was Hurricane Live?' 'When will you release
the series in standard Amaray packaging?' 'Where was the leader
of the team, Sylia Stingray?' These two new titles will answer all
of those questions and more."
Tuesday,
September 26, 2000
Mainframe
Signs Agreement for Wubbies World
Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. has announced an exclusive agreement
with Wubbies World International, Inc. to develop a pre-school television
series and merchandising and licensing program for international
distribution.
Mainframe
will develop 26 half-hours of computer animated programming for
the series based on the Wubbies characters, and will also participate
in all merchandising and licensing of the property.
Wubbies,
developed by John Martin Mokrenko and Christine Usvaltas of Toronto,
Canada, features a boy named Wilbur Wiggins and a cast of furry
characters called Wubbies. The world they inhabit is safe, soft
and warm, and designed to entertain and educate young audiences
by inviting them into a whimsical world of pretend and play, where
imagination and learning are part of the adventure.
* * *
Animators
Are Artists First
According to the Seattle Times:
"When self-described
traditional artist Roby Gilbert was hired to draw "The Adventures
of Ranger Rick," it was his hard-earned computer skills that landed
him the job.
Gilbert, who
teaches at The Art Institute of Seattle, took over the comic strip
in the environmentally conscious National Wildlife Federation magazine
for children last year.
'The magazine
wanted it submitted in the computer-format file, and (the former
artist) wasn't as versed in the computer as I've become, I guess,'
said Gilbert, 34. 'And because I'm an animator, I'm able to churn
out art fairly quickly because I'm used to doing tons and tons of
drawing.'
Even as a traditional
animator who has eschewed the corporate world for free-lance drawing
and teaching, the Bainbridge Island man still partially depends
on computers for his livelihood…
Click
here for the full story.
* * *
New Animation
Events Section
Animation Artist has just completed the redesign of the Animation
Events section. No longer just a calendar of events, upon entering
the newly created section of the website the visitor may now view
events in a month-by-month layout starting with the nearest dated
event coming up first. For example, events happening in October
are listed first at the top of the page, then November's, December's,
etc. Currently, the list includes events up through February 2001.
Animation Artist
covers animation events, festivals, workshops, competitions and
expos around the world. Companies and organizations may send these
announcements via mail, email
or by fax.
Animation Artist
Magazine
Animation Events
1072 Casitas Pass Rd, PMB 190
Carpinteria, CA 93013
Fax: 805-566-2994
Click
here to go to Animation Events.
Wednesday,
September 27, 2000
Rainbow Studio
Acquires Motional Realms
Rainbow Studios has announced the acquisition of Motional Realms,
developers of the ReelMotion real-time simulator that uses physics
and collision detection to realistically animate vehicles and objects.
Currently in use at many special effects facilities throughout the
world, including Digital Domain, Rhythm & Hues, Midway Games and
NASA, ReelMotion supports leading animation programs such as Maya,
3D Studio Max and LightWave.
"Adding Motional
Realms' technology to the Rainbow Studios brand is a strategic extension
of our company," says Tony Stutterheim, president of animation at
Rainbow Studios. "We are fortunate and delighted that the software's
creator and company President Rick Baltman has joined our team to
continue development of the software and help us focus on meeting
the needs of both real-time and high-end animation."
By simulating
the underlying physics, ReelMotion allows animators to quickly create
high quality animation. The product can be used to easily animate
any type of two or four- wheeled vehicle, a variety of aircraft
and other objects. It costs $795.
* * *
Animator
Paul Fierlinger Wins Grand Prize
 Drawn
From Life, Paul Fierlinger’s series created for Oxygen Media’s
"X-Chromosome," won the Grand Prize for Best Commissioned Film at
the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2000, it was announced
on Sunday, September 24. In addition, Fierlinger was honored during
the Festival with a special lifetime retrospective, "Dads, Drinks,
Dogs and Dante: The Life and Art of Paul Fierlinger." The Festival
celebrates individuals who have made a significant contribution
to the international animation landscape.
In addition,
two other "X-Chromosome" series were nominated for awards in this
year’s competition. Avenue Amy, an animated look at the life of
twenty-something hipsters looking for love and happiness in the
big city, was nominated for Best Television Series. The Ruth Truth,
an animated interactive detective serial created specifically to
live in both the online world and on television was nominated for
Best Animation Produced for the Internet.
A fresh form
of portraiture, Drawn from Life communicates that the ordinary
can be illustrated -- literally and figuratively -- in an extraordinary
manner. Every woman has a story to tell, and in each 2-minute episode
of Drawn From Life, an everyday woman relates hers. Drawn
From Life showcases the real-life stories of women like Melodie,
who grew up working next to her grandmother on her father's farm;
Patty Ann, whose life was changed by her childhood relationship
with her friend's deaf and mute father; and Jane, who longs to travel
the country with her truck-driver boyfriend.
Fierlinger,
creator and animator, was born in Japan before World War II to Czechoslovak
diplomat parents and spent his early years in the U.S. He lived
for 20 years in communist Czechoslovakia, then escaped back to the
U.S. in 1967. In his 40-year career as an independent film animator,
Fierlinger has created over 800 films, which have garnered him more
than a hundred major awards, including an Oscar nomination for It's
So Nice to Have a Wolf Around the House. He is the creator of
Drawn from Memory, an American Playhouse TV feature, which
premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Currently, Fierlinger
works in his Philadelphia home, where he and his wife have just
completed a series of children's films for the Children's Book of
the Month Club and Still Life with Animated Dogs, a half-hour special
for PBS and funded by ITVS.
Thursday,
September 28, 2000
Academy
Awards Finally to "Reconize" Animated Films
The Academy Awards ignorance in acknowledging animated films has
made a baby step to being rectified. According to the Daily Variety,
"In the first new Oscar category in two decades, the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences board of governors have created
a separate category for animated features, which could be handed
out as early as March 2002."
However,
it's not all good news because the article suggests:
1)
The award only singles out an individual, recognizing "the
creative talent most clearly responsible for the overall achievement."
A much better category should have simply been "Best Animated
Feature."
2)
The award requires there to be at least eight animated features
for that year or the award will not be given. So if seven animated
films are released, with several creative talents standing out,
none will be recognized.
The
controversial Annie Awards have gained in popularity the past several
years because it focuses on animated films, which are neglected
by the better known Academy Awards and Golden Globes.
Friday,
September 29, 2000
"Best
Animated Feature" to be Academy Award Category
New information published by The Hollywood Reporter and a
press release by the Academy Awards state that the new Academy Award
animation category will officially honor the "Best Animated
Feature". A Daily Variety article mentioned yesterday
suggested that the solo new category was to honor an individual
("the creative talent most clearly responsible for the overall
achievement") versus a film.
Here
is the official press release by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences:
An
Academy Award category for feature-length animated films, the first
new award category since 1981, was created last night (9/26) by
the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences. It could be presented for the first time at the 74th Annual
Academy Awards in March, 2002.
Long
a dream of Hollywood's animators, the new award for Best Animated
Feature will be triggered by the release of eight or more eligible
films in a calendar year. If eight to fifteen animated features
are released, a maximum of three films may be nominated. If sixteen
or more are released, a maximum of five may be nominated.
A
recommendation on whether or not to activate the category in a given
year will be made by the executive committee of the short films
and feature animation branch, which will review all of the feature
animation films released in Los Angeles County during the year to
determine their eligibility.
If
eight or more are found to be eligible, the committee may choose
to recommend to the board of governors that there be an animated
feature award given for that year. If the governors accept the committee's
recommendation, the nomination process will be set in motion.
For
this award, that process will begin with the recruiting of a screening
committee of 100+ members from among Los Angeles-area members from
all branches. That committee would determine the nominated films
in the category, and then all Academy members worldwide would be
eligible to vote to select the film that would receive the Oscar.
To
be eligible, an animated feature must be at least 70 minutes in
length, "primarily animated," and meet the other general requirements
for feature film eligibility as published annually in the Academy
Award Rules. The overseeing committee is expected to develop criteria
for the definition of "primarily animated" in the coming months.
Films
could use cel animation, computer animation, stop motion or other
recognized animation techniques.
The
Oscar for the new category would be presented to "the key creative
talent most clearly responsible for the overall achievement," normally
a single individual, on behalf of the entire production. In no case
will more than two statuettes be presented.
The
short films and feature animation branch will have the right to
resolve all questions of eligibility, rules interpretation and the
designation of award recipients. As with all awards, the board of
governors will make the final determination if an award is to be
presented in the category in any given year.
Films
submitted in the Best Animated Feature category may qualify for
Academy Awards in other areas, including Best Picture, provided
they meet the rules criteria governing those categories.
The
last time new Academy Award categories were established was in 1981,
and that year the Academy governors voted two new categories: Makeup
and a new honorary Oscar, the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, given for
a career of technological contributions that have brought credit
to the industry.
The
Hollywood Reporter quoted June Foray, a governor of the Academy's
short films and animation branch, who campaigned for nearly a decade
to get the category approved, as saying, "We're just delighted.
We've been trying for many, many years. There's such a multiplicity
of animated films now - and good ones."
(thanks
to Cartoon Research for the tip).
* * *
A Look at
"The Lampies"
 Behind
the passing glow of every street lamp that lights the way for thousands
of people each night, there is a world that few have ever imagined.
Not the seedy night life that is fodder for numerous novels, movies
and television shows, but that of the keepers of the light, the
Lampies.
 Their
story can now be told with the help of Uli Meyer Studios, Spider-Eye
and Cambridge Animation Systems’ Animo software. "The Lampies"
is an animated series about the creatures who live in and maintain
street lamps. But street lamp upkeep isn’t just about checking fuses
and removing burnt-out filaments. "The Lampies" have to
protect their territory, HO32, from the nefarious Roons, enemies
who often try to thwart their efforts. This conflict and a constant
stream of visitors and catastrophes to HO32 provide endless adventures
for the Lampies.
 The
series of 26 11-minute episodes was produced by Uli Meyer Studios
and composited by Spider-Eye using Animo. The London-China Connection
Characters were created with traditional 2D animation and combined
with 3D-generated backgrounds and camera moves in Animo. The software
provided the standard work format and color models that overcame
the obstacle of producing 260 minutes of animation in only 12 months
between studios in London and China.
 “If
we produce a color model here in Animo, we know that the scenes
painted in China are going to be the exact same colors every time,”
says Morgan Francis, director with Spider-Eye. “Likewise, if there
is a painting mistake made in China, we can go ahead and fix it
on-site rather than go through the re-shoot process.”
The project
was produced on a limited budget that didn’t allow for costly animated
cast shadows. Instead, realistic shadowing was achieved by having
animators re-introduce the animation level, make it black and transparent,
and then place it under the character.
"The Lampies,"
targeted at five- to seven-year-olds, was scheduled to begin airing
on BBC1 this month.
Saturday,
September 30, 2000
Journalists
Interview CyberWorld 3D Star
Imax Film Distribution and Spectrum Studios for the first time mixed
live journalists and a virtual movie star at a recent television
press junket for the October 6 release of Imax's CyberWorld
3D animated film.
The
event, attended by more than 30 television journalists from the
United States and Canada, was held in New York today at the Parker
Meridien Hotel. Traditionally, journalists are gathered together
at one location to conduct individual, one-on-one, live interviews
with the stars of a film. In the case of Cyberworld 3D, however,
since the stars of the film are all animated characters, the concept
of a press junket posed some very unique challenges requiring a
creative and highly imaginative solution.
The
animated character Wired, a blue, six-legged, rather fleshy, spiderlike
creature, was chosen as the virtual star to re-create and to be
interviewed at the press junket.
Spectrum
Studios accomplished this through sophisticated, state-of-the-art
proprietary motion-capture technology by which the Wired character
from the film was digitally rebuilt and able to respond to the TV
interviewer in real time. And while the journalist conducting the
interview viewed the character on a monitor, on the completed videotape
to be broadcast it will appear as if the Wired animated character
is actually in the same studio sitting opposite the journalist.
This
is all accomplished without benefit of any post-production process
and despite the fact that the journalist conducting the interview
and the Wired character are actually on two different stages in
the same building.
To
undertake the challenging task, Imax provided Spectrum Studios with
design art of the Wired character along with the actual film to
review. The 3D artists at Spectrum then began to work with computerized
modeling packages, employing Softimage 3D software to re-create
the character. Working in a totally digital environment, the artists
then sculpted the character in 3D to match the look and feel of
the character on-screen.
A
skeleton was then constructed, behaviors created, and the outer
"skin" of the character attached, much the same way as would be
done in replicating the process with human skin, tendons, muscles
and skeletal bones. A broad spectrum of emotional states -- happy,
sad, angry, surprised, etc. -- were then created, attached to the
character and programmed into the system.
In
connecting the behaviors of the character to the control systems,
Spectrum employed Kaydara FiLMBOX software, augmented with proprietary
software plug-ins developed by Spectrum.
Then,
using a magnetic motion-capture system by Ascension Technology Corp.,
sensors were placed on numerous points of articulation on the body
of the actor performing in the motion-capture apparatus. This provides
input of 90 elements of information affecting the position and orientation
of the 3D character.
A
motion-capture stage was erected in a room adjacent to the interview
stage, with the actor who provided the voice performance in the
movie (Robert Smith) similarly providing the motion-capture performance
for the junket.
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