(4):

Below's a duplicated text of a recent interview granted by Brad Bird, the Oscar winning director of such smash-hit animated features like 'The Iron Giant' (2D), 'The Incredibles' (3D), and the recent 'Ratatouiile' (3D). Enjoy!


Brad Bird, director-writer.

Interview by Debra Kaufman

Nov. 1, 2007


AWARDS: 2005 Academy Award for best animated feature film: "The Incredibles"; 2005 Annie Award for directing in an animated feature production, Voice acting in an animated feature production, Writing in an nnimated feature production: "The Incredibles." CURRENT CREDIT: Directed and wrote Disney/Pixar's rodent-with-a-heart-of-a-chef adventure "Ratatouille"; slated to direct "1906" for 2009 release. MEMBERSHIPS: Writers Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, ASIFA. Academy member since 2004.

The Hollywood Reporter: You're working on your first live-action feature, Warner Bros.' "1906." How is the work going?

Brad Bird: I'm not in a position to talk about it more than that except to say that I'm excited about it and it's a big project. A lot of people don't realize that in all my years wandering through development hell wasteland, half of what I wanted to make were live-action films and half were animated. The animated ones were the first I got to make, which led to other animation. My ideal career would be to bounce from genre to genre, from musicals to Westerns to political comedies. And also to go between live-action and animation. I don't consider animation a genre -- it's a medium that can do any genre.

THR: But computer animation does seem to have captured your particular creative talents. Is it the form of animation you prefer to work in?

Bird: Film is the most wonderful medium invented. It's recorded dreaming. And I think people need to recognize that the language of film -- using angles and shots and color and music and performance -- is essentially the same from medium to medium. I'm not one of those people who believe that CG is superior to every other form of animation. It's not. It's simply another tool that you can use to express yourself.


THR: By the time you took over "Ratatouille" from the previous director, Jan Pinkava, you only had a year and a half to put it all together for its original release date. What was that like?

Bird: There was a wonderful basis to start with. It was a magnificent idea, and the looks that had been developed were all wonderful, but the story had proven to be a tricky one to get to work. I had to very quickly get under the hood and try to make it work. It was a very scary thing for me. I joked to the crew that it was like the "Wallace & Gromit" film where Gromit is slapping down track in front of the moving train. In a strange way, TV proved to be the best education I could have possibly gotten. Working on (Fox's) "The Simpsons," I wasn't only around brilliant writers, but we had pretty ambitious stories. And the decisions had to be made immediately because another show was coming down the conveyer belt. I saw some amazing saves where the episodes were done, didn't work and one night of brilliant restructuring turned it into a brilliant episode. It absolutely saved me on (1999's) "The Iron Giant" and this film, both films that were done pretty quickly.

THR: Arguably, it's risky to make a movie with a rat as the protagonist. Was it hard to make those animals likable?

Bird: When I got involved with the film, they had dealt with peoples' aversion to rats by making them little humans, shortening their tales, making them walk on two legs, de-ratifying them, so to speak. I really pushed to put them on all fours and give them rat behaviors, so we could see our main character choosing to emulate humans. It was a visual barometer of how he feels. In front of his dad, he has to go on all fours; when he feels shame, he goes back to rat physicality. It was a way to physicalize his emotional state.

THR: What are you most proud about with regards to "Ratatouille"?

Bird: That it assumes the audience is not stupid. I think also it feels a little bit European; its origins probably have something to do with it and the fact that it didn't originate with me. I tried to be respectful to the rhythm and feels of a foreign film, without copying or being dishonest. I'm proud of the studio for rallying behind it. All the tools were assembled and built carefully, but we used them fairly quickly. They indulged me. Once John (Lasseter) and Ed (Catmull) and Andrew (Stanton) asked me to take this on, they said, "We don't have time to give the notes we normally do. We're here if you have any questions," and I certainly took advantage of that when I felt I was getting too close and needed perspective. But they knew the time for pondering was gone, and they really trusted me.

THR: How did winning the Oscar for 2004's "The Incredibles" affect you creatively?

Bird: I don't think it changed me. Probably the best practical thing that it did -- which probably could be said of awards in general -- is that it makes people relax a little bit about turning over the keys to the car to you. Hollywood, underneath its cocky suntanned exterior, is a place of very frightened people. I don't really like to work with frightened people. I like to work with people excited about possibilities who can't wait to explore them. If the award un-frightens people about me making a film with them, then it's an incredibly useful thing. It's not just an honor, which it is, it's practical.

THR: Are we in a golden age for animation?

Bird: What's most refreshing about this age is that adults realize that animation isn't just for kids. It never has been, but it's a hard perception to change, and we're wearing it down like water on stone. In the sense that people are making more films than ever, which I think is a really good thing, and people are willing to back more films, I think that's wonderful. I'd like to see more variety in the kinds of stories being told. That is the only thing that would keep me from saying it's a golden age. It's on the edge of a golden age or could soon be a golden age. People need to branch out -- and that goes for film in general. We need to start surprising people again.

culled from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/features/film/e3i653608aa3a0ea3bba6ec63fa98301e01

Aaron McGruder - The Boondocks Interview

By Troy Rogers

"It's a complicated show to do and it goes to three countries at certain points and if it's bad, it's really bad, so you have to get it right." The controversial animated series The Boondocks started out as a newspaper strip and quickly became the new star of Adult Swim. Debuting in 2006 to critical controversy, shocked gasps, and hilarious laughs, The Boondocks pushed the envelope through social comedy, racial parody, political accountability, and the writings of the show's creator, Aaron McGruder. Now that The Boondocks has finally returned to the airwaves, we dialed in Aaron McGruder to see what's in store for the second season of The Boondocks, what changes were made, and what controversies we can expect.

Aaron McGruder on the delay of the second season:

"It just took us longer to finish the show than we thought. It's animation and we wanted to get it right, so it took longer. Sorry it's not a longer answer. Production troubles would be a good way of putting it. It's a complicated show to do and it goes to three countries at certain points and if it's bad, it's really bad, so you have to get it right."

McGruder on his initial goal with the series:

"The goal was a job and to do the kind of humor that I wanted to see and I felt like it wasn't out there very much, which is kind of black political satire. I think when you go down that road and you do it with any success, shaking things up just comes with the territory. I don't think it really starts with the goal of shaking things up. I didn't expect the controversy, because I didn't expect the strip to end up being as big as it was as quickly as it happened. I think in order to start trouble, someone has to even know who you are and that kind of thing takes a long time in comics, even if you're incredibly lucky. So I think when the trouble started early that was a little bit of a surprise."

On the headlines surrounding the "N" word:

"I use the word a lot in the show because I'm a bad person, so I cannot in any way defend what I do [laughs]."

McGruder on the return of Samuel L. Jackson:

"Yeah, he's in it. We try to be really respectful to Sam and not put his name out there, you know. But we didn't promote it that way in the first season either. But yeah, he's in an episode this season."

On the changes from season one to season two:

"Here's how big of a change there was: When we finished the last script of the first season, none of us had actually seen the first episode come back from overseas yet. We wrote the entire season blind, essentially. None of us knew what the show looked like, so just knowing what the show is played a huge role in how we shaped season two. I think we got much better control over the animation, which really allows you to tell the story the proper way. When you're fighting with the animation, or the animation is controlling you, you're limited to what you can do. That was a big deal. We looked at season one and what worked and what didn't, and just tried to make it a better show all around. I do think the storytelling is much better, the pacing is much faster, and the show is much funnier. So all around I'm very pleased with it."

On restarting The Boondocks comic strip:[/b]s

"I think the show played a big factor in me having to walk away from the strip, because I didn't want to do both badly. In the first season I tried to do both and it took a huge toll on me,  But yeah, I constantly play with the idea of coming back, not to the newspapers, but online. It's something I think could happen and whether it happens after the show or while the show is still running, it depends on how many hours I can go without sleep. I don't know. I can't meet the newspaper schedule. Seven days a week is too much and they don't let you go. They make you do all or nothing, so I can't meet that kind of deadline situation."

[b]On the freedom of television and how it influences the stories:

"Compared to the newspaper strip there's much greater freedom on TV. So there's the freedom of animation and having all of these people work for you, and there's the freedom of storytelling in animation that you can go way beyond the scope of what a strip can do. Then, in terms of just content, the newspapers are a very conservative and a sanitized medium. In terms of the expression of ideas, we're allowed a lot more range on television. The impact is kind of,  it just is what it is. The show is pretty different from the strip and I think at the end of the day, like many of the things we did last season, such as the MLK episode, would have been totally beyond the scope of the strip."

On Al Sharpton's response to the MLK episode and what controversial episodes are planned for season two:

"[laughs] There will be absolutely no controversial storylines this season. We went in a totally different direction with the show. Okay, well, Al came after the show and I'm a big supporter of Al, so I also went after the show. But unfortunately the whole second season, we had to write that and that's all written now and I feel terrible about it, because now it's coming on and I can't change it. Honestly, it depends on what you think is controversial. Some people thought the Martin Luther King episode was controversial. I didn't think so. There may be some episodes that people think are controversial if they're sensitive to that kind of thing, but for me,  I don't know, it's tough for me to say."

McGruder on the state of hip-hop:

"My feelings on hip-hop are that I wish it was just better. I don't look too much into what kind of words anyone is saying as much as the quality of the work. I think if you're an artist and you're putting out work that you believe in, I think that naturally solves a lot of the problems that we're talking about in terms of content of the music and all of that. Positive music can also suck, so for me it's all about good music, [and] creating good art. To me that's the most important thing. I get mad when I hear rappers who can't rap or producers who can't make beats, that's what frustrates me. I could care less that people are saying what they're going to say and I think it's really easy to scapegoat the youth to a certain extent and forget that this language has been a part of our community for a long time, way before rap music."

Aaron McGruder on the anime influences for the fight scenes:

"We looked at Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop to make this work for black comedy and it would be a remarkable thing. We didn't get anywhere close to where we wanted on the first season, but when you see the animation in the second season, it's a big step up and that gives you the freedom to pull off sequences that have some visual impact. We went in that direction because we felt we were able to pull it off. I was impressed with some of the fight sequences of season one and knowing how much we learned, I felt like we could really push that in the second season and we did and it worked out really well."

@Lafem. I Love what u are doing with this thread. You r the true
spirit of NairaLand(not forgeting Seun of course!) but selflessly compiling and sharing
lots & lots of info to the benefit of every one in this field is very very
noble. I'm learning a lot. More grease to your elbows, Godspeed, and success in all your endeavours.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.

@everyone. P.S.:google the words "ToonBoom" and "Moho" (both are 2D animation softwares!)

Has any one seen the Supa Strikas cartoon ad? I like it and would like to know how it was done

Artboy:

Has any one seen the Supa Strikas cartoon ad? I like it and would like to know how it was done

Sounds interesting. I googled it and came up with the following article:


SUPA STRIKAS | GOOOAL!


Internet lines between Miramichi, Canada & Cape Town, South Africa just got a lot busier!

Cape Town’s Strika Entertainment and Miramichi’s Fatkat have just inked a deal that has both studios banding together to produce the new animated series “Supa Strikas” (13 x 22 minutes), based on Strika Entertainment’s popular comic book of the same name. The Supa Strikas comic book has a readership of 10,000,000 people across 14 countries, distributing in excess of 1.3 million comics every month… and those numbers are growing.

Supa Strikas have always been a successful and much loved club but things have just stepped up a gear. Supa Strikas have qualified to play in the world’s Super League, the ultimate prize for any soccer club and boyhood dream of any player.


Supa Strikas revolves around a talented young striker, Shakes, and his steady rise to the legendary No.10 position for the very team and number his late father held. Shakes must answer the questions left by his father’s legacy and ensure that he continues to deliver the one thing that matters most… Goals!

“We’re excited about banding together with our pals at Strika Entertainment, the comics are great and the translation of them to TV is going to be a lot of fun, you should see the first episode!” - Gene Fowler, CEO of Fatkat.

The production partnership has Strika Entertainment executing with Big Hug Productions on the scripts, while they handle the initial design, storyboards and post production processes. Dacapo Productions has been tapped for Sound Design and Fatkat follows up with design of characters, props, backgrounds, assembly and animation in both Flash and Maya.

“It’s very rewarding to finally see the Supa Strikas characters come alive on the small screen! We look forward to a very successful alliance with Fatkat!” -Oliver Power, Executive Producer of Supa Strikas.

The first full 22 minute episode will be available for screenings at Mip Junior and Mipcom in October 2007.

Lovies,

gene.

PS: With Big Show producing and Pat Proulx directing, this show is going to look amazing!!

culled from: http://fatkatanimation..com/2007/06/supa-strikas-goooal.html

The topic says 2d Traditional/cel Animation Corner, can we please try to keep this on track?

Big thanx to Graphikdon (for alerting the forum) and the Moderator (for promptly dealing with the spam[er]). Una do well, guys.

As y'all know, I haven't updated these pages for quite sometime now, and that's because I've been extremely busy lately. Though I've been working on some new material that I expect to upload very very soon. Do stay tuned, folks.

I enjoy your thread. It's what keeps me going. Thank you

@topetall: Awww! Thank you. That's very gratifying to know. It trips me whenever I meet females with a keen interest in animation. Keep representing!

Good day, good job done lafem. teach me animation

@ Lafem, I watched Road to Eldorado for the first time yesterday (Yeah, I know, I've been waiting for the price of the DVD to go downhill ). RTE has awesome visuals and animation, not sure about the story. It is is a collector's item and well worth the loooong wait. I'll be watching Sinbad toaday. I am on a roll, Spriggan, Jin-Ro, Akira, Princess Mononoke - - -

Duplicate post, mods please delete.

@Graphikdon: YEah bro, the visuals and animation of RTE is as good as it gets, 2D-wise -- that and the 'Iron Giant' and 'Curious George' animated features look. Another Dreamworks 2D animated feature you might want to add to your collection is 'SPIRIT: Stalion of Cimaron'. Bro, the visuals and animation is just as good! Plus it's one of those flicks that highlights what a perfect/seemless blend of 2D and 3D looks like. Very entertaining movie! As an artist, I study the storyboard reel of the flick as a textbook of sorts, to help me hone my storyboarding skills, because boy! the leica/animatics/storyboard reel is MINDBLOWING! You can check it out in the special features section. The artist that boarded the screenplay has to be the best in the trade! I'm really trying VERY hard to become that good. The skill with which he boarded the camera-angles gave the scenes so much depth, it's incredible. Sinbad is another visually stunning Dreamworks flick, and I'm sure you'll love it if you loved RTE's visuals because I believe the same Dreamworks team worked on both flicks. Another 2D collector's item, IMO, is the 1980 Hayao Miyazaki directed "Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro" feature anime. The storyline is so well-executed that I didn't want the movie to end! The animation isn't bad either and is very good on the eyes, even though it uses low-frame rates -- as is the norm with most Japanese animation (I recently came to realize/understand that the low-frame rate practice is the main reason why animes don't lip-sync properly, because if you're going to time any dialogue to animation, the mouth movement has to be done one 'ones' or the normal film 24fps rate). Speaking of Akira, it's been so long since I last saw that classic movie. I think its about time I rewatched it. Princess Mononoke is another Miyazaki classic; it's the first Miyazaki flick I saw and own.

Does 2D still stand a chance on the big screen or do you think it will stay limited to 30-min TV series?

Artboy: That's just like asking if other animation styles [like Stopmotion, Claymation, Cut-out] still stand a chance on the Big Screen. Ofcourse it does. Till today the Japanese are still making them. Disney's last major 2D hits were Tarzan and Mulan, and they were BIG hits! Warner Bros. "Iron Giant" by the famous director of 'the Incredibles', Brad Bird, was also a huge hit. Just that rite now the Big studios are still caught-up in the 3D-fad/craze. Not all 3d movies that've been released in the past 5yrs have been hits either. I can name tons that you prolly never heard about. But 2d is still flourishing the world over. The biggest selling movie in Japan last year was a 2D animated flick. So yeah, it's ever alive and flourishing.

"There's nothing that takes the place of what happens when an artist, an animator, gives life to a character with a pencil on to a paper. There's nothing else like it in the world. It has so much emotion, so much personality. Computers can't do that. Not yet." --- Jefferey Katzenberg (Producer and Co-owner of Dreamworks SKG -- He jointly owns the studio with his partner Steven Spielberg )

Screenshots from the production footage of the Dreamworks 2D animated feature, "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron".

Collage 1:

Collage 2:

Collage 3:

Collage 4:

Collage 5:

Collage 6:

The End.

The next couple of posts will contain YouTube links to some of my favourite 2D pencil-tests -- including one from yours truly. Don't worry, they're extremely short clips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMfbl19dcVw

-- A FANTASTIC 8-second pencil-test clip of a Dancing Bugs Bunny, animated by [late] Warner Bros. Master Animator, Ken Harris -- one of my mentors. Very fluid and smooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeee! It takes tremendous SKILL and YEARS of experience to get that good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWYiYThlQH4&feature=related

-- BEAUTIFULLY ANIMATED 7-second pencil-test clip of Timon [of the "Timon and Pumba" Fame]. Animator: Marco Regina. One day sha, me sef go join the league of the(se) masters; I'm getting there, slowly but surely, I'm getting there .

Mine  . A 7-second pencil-test practice exercise.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy-sGcVdtDA

I'm still a 'work in progress', compared to the preceding animators. But I'm proud to say that I've gotten to a point where I can confidently animate ANY KIND OF WALK [or RUN], even with my eyes closed -- be it on 4's, 8's, 16's, 24's, or 32's  . Ken Harris once had these to say about 'WALKS' in an interview he granted years ago:

[b]"Well, a walk is the first thing to do;  I'll do other things too, but I wouldn't make a great production out of anything until you get pretty good at animating;  Walks are about the toughest thing to do right. Don't try to do dancing and all this theatrical stuff until they get the basic thing down right;  It's not easy;  After you've flipped a fellow's drawings to see what's going on - then it's easy to tell him what to do; But it's pretty hard to come right out and say how to start animation.  You've got to know what's in your mind;  You've got to be an actor, really, because that's what you're doing - you're sort of acting with a pencil.  You've got to learn to draw well enough to draw them - which is the hard part."

"Ask the average guy to do an animation test, and he'll try to make a big production of it.  He'll want to do a whole scene of a guy coming in and causing a fight, picking another guy up and throwing him out and all that sort of thing -- instead of just doing a walk, or something simple.  And then they get all lost in the timing and everything else. Then they get discouraged when you criticize them."[/b]


Hmmmm, true words of wisdom!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKuUaZ81xSU&feature=related

-- WONDERFULLY animated 21-second pencil-test clip by animator James Baxter, of himself dancing! He's one of the best animators around today, and is also one of my mentors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVveB-a9mvI

-- Another Beautifully animated 14-second pencil-test clip from the Disney Feature "Treasure Planet". Animator: Sergio Pablo. Eye-Candy!