Long-Hai Artist/Animator Blog

So this week for animation mentor we’re going to bounce a ball through an obstacle course. I think we have default obstacles given to us from AM to move around. Then we throw the ball in and have it go nuts. We get the squash and stretch ball this week. So that’ll be crazy fun. We also have a new pose to do, in which the topic is DEVESTATION. Which is pretty depressing if you ask me, definitely not an assigment you wanna spend toooo long dwelling on.

Check out this Ink and Paint exhibition!

Another post before I refine today.

Theres no wonder I try to dl every podcast and try to catch every speaker series that he’s a part of. Dude’s got animation / acting/ directing/ writing chops.. you name it. And hes very out of the box and forthright about it. Check out this article. For those that have had the chance to work with him, I love hearing your stories. Hopefully I’ll get my chance one of these days.

Brad Bird’s Innovation Incubation

Visit my website! I just uploaded a clip from AVPR that I had the pleasure to animate. Hydraulx was the primary vendor for AVPR and it was cool to work with such iconic characters of cinema history. The character I animated was the facehugger in ” stasis” that springs forth to the screen.

www.longhaipham.com

Also here is my ball planning for this weeks AM assignment. One light ball and one heavy ball falling and bouncing.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the 12th Marc Davis Celebration of Animation, “Drawing on the Future: Mentorship in Animation,” on Friday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The evening will feature an onstage panel discussion moderated by animation critic Charles Solomon. Honored guests James Baxter, Andreas Deja, Pete Docter and Eric Goldberg will spotlight the mentors who fostered their professional development as well as provide insights into their individual approaches to their art. The celebration will include clips from the masters’ work that inspired each of the panelists, and from the panelists’ work reflecting that inspiration.

Baxter oversaw “star” performances as the supervising animator for Belle in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991), Quasimodo in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1996), and Spirit in SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON (2002), as well as the animation sequences in ENCHANTED (2007).

Deja brought to life characters as diverse as Gaston in BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991), Scar in THE LION KING (1994), and Lilo in LILO & STITCH (2002).

Docter earned Oscar nominations for Original Screenplay for TOY STORY (1995), Best Animated Feature Film for MONSTERS, INC. (2001), and Best Animated Short Film for MIKE’S NEW CAR (2002).

Goldberg served as the character designer and supervising animator for Genie in ALADDIN (1992), and co-directed POCAHONTAS (1995) with Mike Gabriel, and directed the “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Carnival of the Animals” segments in FANTASIA 2000 (2000).

Tickets for the Academy’s 12th Marc Davis Celebration of Animation are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. They may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office or by mail. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3600.

THE MOVIE THAT INSPIRED ME

Often imitated but never duplicated, The Movie That Inspired Me is an occasional series in which leading directors, actors, writers and other filmmakers present films that have influenced their life and art. The Archive’s Honorary Chairman and series curator Curtis Hanson hosts.

Tonight’s guest is John Lasseter, the Academy Award-winning director of Toy Story (1995) and Cars (2006). A pioneer in computer animation, Lasseter is now the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation. Under his supervision as Chief Creative Officer at Pixar Studios, Finding Nemo (2003) won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film and became the highest grossing animated feature of all time. Additionally, Lasseter has written and directed a number of highly regarded short films including Tin Toy (1988), which became the first computer animated film to win an Oscar.

Lasseter has selected Dumbo (1941) and a special program of animated shorts for the evening.

Monday April 21 2008, 7:30PM ( Buy Ticket )

DUMBO
(1941) Directed by Ben Sharpsteen
Befriended by a mouse with a flare for showmanship after being separated from his mother, Dumbo the Elephant, with his outsized ears, overcomes the barbs of a callous world and learns to soar. Walt Disney’s fourth animated feature, this timeless classic finds the studio’s artists working at the height of their powers. Though dated in parts, it continues to delight audiences young and old.

Preceded by: A Lasseter selection of animated shorts.
In person: John Lasseter, Curtis Hanson

Disney. Screenwriter: Joe Grant, Dick Huemer. Cast: Ed Brophy, Sterling Holloway, Cliff Edwards. 35mm, 64 min.

http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/screenings/screenings.html

The event was great. We were treated to three warner bros shorts and the entirety of Dumbo. I ‘ve loved that movie since i was a kid. I think I almost fried the VHS that it was on because I viewed it so often. Lasseter was very motivational. In a nutshell, a very determined, knowledgeable, ” out of the box” thinker. The way he speaks of animation shows his true passion for the art and you can’t help but be inspired as well. I particularly liked his little inside notes on his experiences at Cal Arts, early Disney days, the nine old men, and being in the ” war room” concocting stories for films.

Here is my basketball bounce and excitement pose. I’m not too happy with the final result, could have used some more drop in inertia/momentum near the end. I feel good about the pose this week. I expect to have to refine the ball bounce when I get my critique back from Martin, but that will be great! Thats why i’m doing this, to learn.

Had another Q and A tonight. Some great tips for our next assignment, the ball bounce. And some good intro and tips on layering, pose to pose and straight ahead. Stay tuned for some planning for the ball bounce and another Stu pose.

Here are some cool links on story. I have to admit, as much as I love animation, theres something crazy appealing about pitching story, doing boards, and helping everyone create a world.

Gag Session

Continuity

Boards

So I finally picked a pose with the help of my classmates and peers. Posed the rig to the pose and posted it up for a public review. Good thing too, because I got a good comment or two about pushing the pose further. So here goes: The drawing. First pass pose. Second pass pose.

Tell me what you all think!

Also on a side note, I’ve been a sick addict of the podcasts from Animation Podcast.

The sheer history and knowledge you can pick up from those things is great! You truly get inspired when you hear Andreas Deja practice and practice his whole adolescence to get into Disney. Or that Glen Keane’s dad Bill Keane ( of Family Circus) would take time away from work and help out his son on drawing advice. All the snippets too of the old days of disney are great. Anything from how productive the 9 old men were, to the political intrigue, loss of Walt, arrival of Eisner/Katzenberg, to even the cliques ( Cal arts students / old school/ Bluth group). Whats particularly inspiring above all else, is the common theme amongst all these greats. They really valued their apprenticeship under a great animator when they started out, and felt it was a great way to learn animation. Of course this all ties back to AM, and how all of us are seeking that student/ teacher experience. Although its transformed to a different animal via technology and the sheer demand of people’s goals to become animators, its a great modern day version of the old master/ apprentice formula.

Pretty awesome Q and A last night. Mostly discussing the principles of animation and seeing how Martin prefers to work. Which of course makes one think about their own animation workflow. Good ways to start, good ways to keep animation clean and readable, good keys/poses, good arcs, exaggeration, inner feelings, empathy and many many more just pile into my head. Lots to think about! But hopefully via AM, I’ll be able to sort out the mess.

Disney’s Movie Slate

Interesting! I’m particularly interested in Up, The Bear and the Bow, and Newt. Up, mostly because its from my favorite Pixar director, Pete Doctor ( Monsters Inc)!