The Art of Open Season

Everyone should head out to their local bookstore and pick up "The Art of Open Season."





What makes it so good you ask? Well... it's all of the amazing art and concept work for "Open Season," with none of the Martin Lawrence or Ashton Kutcher!

That's worth the price right there alone, if you ask me.

The Art of Open Season on Amazon

The Character Design Blog

EDIT:

Though the cover for the one posted on Amazon is the one shown below, they are in fact the same book. I would imagine just different printings.

Fartbot

Floyd Bishop, one of the animators on "Ice Age," has started up a company called Bishop Animation, which provides animation for TV, film and videos, among other things. As a sample of his company's amazing talent, he created a robot.

That farts.



Swing on over to the official site to see some of their work,

Fartbot Short Animation

Bishop Animation Website

Bishop Animation Blog

RE-Animation Blog

Sugar Rush

If you guys have 2 or 3 minutes to spare, I really don't see how you could spend it better than watching Guillermo Careaga's "Sugar Rush."



We've all felt this way in the gym. The difference is that I wind up with my head stuck in the vending machine slot, since my gym shorts don't have pockets, and I never have change to buy the candy bars. So there I am, head stuck in the slot, yelling at the poor boob who works at the gym about the fact that they probably shouldn't have chocolate candy bar vending machines at the gym.

Guillermo Careaga's Site

Sugar Rush Short

The New York Times Scares the Pants Off of Animators

The New York Times has published an article spotlighting the recent struggles that some 3D animated films have had at the box office recently.



This summer’s “The Wild,” from the Walt Disney Company, proved anything but for moviegoers, bringing in only $37 million at the domestic box office. The bigger disappointment was “The Ant Bully,” produced by the actor Tom Hanks and distributed by Warner Brothers Entertainment. That movie’s powerful ant wizard could muster only enough magic to garner $27 million.

By contrast, the debut of “Open Season,” the tale of a defiant grizzly bear and feisty mule deer who battle hunters, brought in $23 million over the weekend for Sony Pictures Entertainment, putting it in first place. But only the coming weeks will tell whether it will be widely embraced by moviegoers.

It's an extensive, and often scary, article for someone like me, who has dreams of being an animator, but it really isn't anything we haven't heard before. Heck, even this idiot managed to write an article about a similar topic, that still holds true in light of the NY Times piece: If companies choose to make quality animated films with solid stories and characters, they will find an audience, and they will turn a profit.

In any case, I've decided on a new dream... I'm going to become a professional body waxer. My first class start next week, so I'm off to buy wax and paper strips.

Wish me luck!

The New York Times Animation Article

What's In A Name

Today I decided to change the name of this here blog to "Bleeding Pixels." The reason for this is simply that I didn't want it to carry my name any longer as I am totally ashamed of this blog and the work I've done on it over the past 5 months.

Actually, the real reason is that the focus has shifted off of me and squarely onto the world of 3D Animation where it belongs, so there was no sense in having my name on it at all. Nothing is going to change, and it will sill be updated on weekdays as I find things to post. There also shouldn't be any need to update your shortcuts or links, as the actual URL will remain the same.

ONWARD!

Open Season Opening Weekend

It looks as though "Open Season" brought in around $23 million this weekend, and took the number #1 spot at the box office.



Here is what Box Office Mojo had to say about the opening:

The influx of computer-animated movies in 2006 has lowered the bar for the format. Whereas before, Open Season's $23 million opening would be considered weak compared to the format's pre-2006 average of $40 million—Shark Tale consumed $47.6 million on the same weekend in 2004—it now seems solid after the recent low returns of Everyone's Hero and The Ant Bully among others. Sony Pictures Animation's next feature is the penguin mockumentary Surf's Up on June 8.



It really is quite amazing to think about the fact that "Shark Tale" brought in $47.6 million on its opening weekend, despite being beat up on by critics. I really thought that "Open Season" would also open in at least the $30 million, if not $40 million, range, but it didn't come close. If other films that have opened at this range are any indication, "Open Season" will probably wind up grossing between $70-$85 million at the box office. Nothing to scoff at, but certainly not up to the level of CGI films in recent years.

The true test is going to be when an established franchise, such as "Shrek the Third," or a film by like Pixar's next film "Ratatouille" is released. It will be very interesting to see if films such as those can hit the mark set by CGI films to this point, in terms of box office revenue.

Cars Are Real!

As if you didn't already know it, the automotive cast of "Cars" are actually quite real. Don't believe me? Check this out:



If you need further proof, swing on over to Animated News for even more exclusive shots of Sally and the gang at the Food Lion Auto Fair.

It's only a matter of time before "Maximum Overdrive" becomes a reality...

Animated News' Exclusive Cars Article

Open Season Diaries

Animation World Network has posted the first of nine exclusive artist diaries for "Open Season" over at their site.



I'll be taking in the film either this weekend, or at the very latest, next weekend for sure. Once I've done that, I'll feel confident in keeping a bear in my garage with only a TV to keep him from pulling my face off with his giant bear paws.

Animation World Network's Open Season Diaries

Surf's Up Trailer

You need to go watch it now.



Right now.

The water is absolutely amazing.

Surf's Up Trailer

EDIT: Here's a few more screen grabs from the trailer, but believe me when I say you have to see it in motion. That above the water shot from the sky where you can see the coral below the green water looks 100% real.

Shot Breakdown for Everyone's Hero

Animator, Justin Barrett, has posted a really neat little series of videos on his blog, showing what went into animating one of the characters from "Everyone's Hero," from the blocking right through to the final rendering.



It's great to see just how much work goes into making one very quick shot like this one.

Justin's Hero Breakdown

Screen Grabs from Upcoming Cars DVD

From the folks at Ultimate Disney (in no way affiliated with the Ultimate Warrior), come a bunch of new screen grabs from the upcoming "Cars" DVD.



Follow the link below to see more grabs, including storyboard shots and concept art.

The Link Below

The Ugly Duckling and Me Website

I had seen little to no info regarding the upcoming film, "The Ugly Duckling and Me" up until today when The Re-Animation Blog posted a link to the Official Site



Lots of clips and trailers from the film by following the link.

The film actually looks like it's going to be decent, which is a surprise, as it's coming from a relatively unknown company. Or at least it's unknown to me. Which is sort of like your grandma telling you that Paris Hilton is relatively unknown to her.

Take that as you will.

The Ugly Duckling and Me Official Site

The Re-Animation Blog

Open Season Movies

Lots of clips and music vids of Open Season over on Yahoo Movies today.



I'm really excited to see this film, even though it stars Martin Lawrence and Ashton Moore. As much as I find wrong with their live acting attempts, I think their voices should lend themselves pretty well to animation.

I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that Open Season will have the biggest opening weekend for an animated film since Cars, and will wind up grossing $100 million domestically.

Of course, if I'm wrong, then I'll blame it on my dog, since he's the one who tells me what to write on my blog.

Yahoo Movies' Open Season Page

Shrek the Third Poster

IMP Awards has posted the snazzy new poster for Shrek the Third:



I would think after two extremely successful films, Donkey could get some nice new teeth, but from what I understand, most of his money goes to paying for fire damage on his home.

Get it? See... he's in a relationship with a dragon. That's comedy gold.

Pixar's Lifted!

According to the Laemmle Theaters website, Pixar's next short film is going to be called "Lifted."



To celebrate, here is the info on the short that I lifted from Laemmle's Site:

A bumbling young alien student from a distant world tests the patience of an increasingly weary instructor as he attempts a first-time abduction of a innocently slumbering farmer in Lifted, the comical latest short film from Pixar Animation Studios.

From the sounds of things, it will begin screening sometime next month!

Laemmle Theaters Lifted! Info

Barnyard DVD Details

DVD Active has brand new details on the upcoming Barnyard DVD release.



Extras will include an all-new "Barnyard Bob" music video, a "Mud" music video, a feature on Kevin James' hilarious method acting techniques, seven deleted scenes, three DVD-ROM games and a THQ Barnyard demo game, and much, much more.

For more details, swing on over to DVD Active.

DVD Active's Barnyard DVD Details

Arthur and the Invisibles Posters

IMP Awards now has a total of 5 posters for Arthur and the Invisibles, including the one below:



I think the little white flower kid is the one that makes my eyes swell shut in the Spring.

My first Mentor is Ray Chase

I'm going to keep my Animation Mentor posting separate from this blog from now on, so after today, if you'd like to check my progress at the animation school, please head over to 3Dave's Animation Mentor Blog. If you ever forget the link, you can always find it in the right hand column of this blog, down towards the bottom, under my avatar.

That being said, I just found out this morning that my Mentor for my very first quarter at Animation Mentor will be Mr. Ray Chase!



Ray's credits include Jimmy Neutron and The Ant Bully, and I couldn't be more excited to be working with him.

Ray's Site

Animation Mentor

A Real Wild One

I must say I was surprised by the following news from The Hollywood Reporter:

Buena Vista Home Entertainment snagged the top two spots on the national DVD sales chart for the week ending Sept. 17 with the theatrical underachiever "The Wild" and a season two DVD set of television's hot "Grey's Anatomy," both new arrivals in stores last week.



Of course the shocking part would be that "The Wild," which was seen as both a commercial and critical flop took the #1 spot in DVD sales, and not the fact that season two of "Grey's Anatomy" took second. I've never seen GA, but I think the lead character (also in Old School) is a very attractive woman.

That being said, who would have thought that The Wild would come out on top? On one hand, it's good to see that a 3D film is sitting on top of the sales chart, but on the other hand it worries me that executives will look at it and say that quality doesn't matter and anything in 3D will sell...

Of course the article makes no mention of numbers sold, and the film really had no competition, short of some new TV to DVD releases (go buy season two of The Office right now), and the original Star Wars re-re-re-re-releases, so it could simply be a matter of it ranked #1 by default.

Frankly, I have yet to see the film, and may enjoy it. It's sitting next to my TV at home right now, so maybe I'll take a run through the jungle tonight.

How many got the CCR reference?

John Lasseter to be Honored

According to The L.A. Times:

Animator honored: John Lasseter ("Toy Story," "Cars") will receive the 2006 lifetime achievement award from the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television during the school's Outside the Frame Festival on Oct. 9. Lasseter oversees animated films at Pixar and Disney Animation Studios.



Now I'm not sure if John went to the school or not, but I would have to assume that he did. If that is the case, then the Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television should do two things:

1) Apologize to John for taking so damn long to honor him. I know it's a lifetime thing, but if the graduated from my school, I'd be giving him an award ever 5 minutes. Then, if I ran out of awards to give him, I'd give him an award for taking all of my school's awards.

2) They should shorten their name.

Congratulations to John on a well-deserved award.

Animation Mentor Classes Begin Monday

Updates have been a bit sporadic as of late, but that really isn't due to lack of effort on my part. I continue to scan all of the major 3D news sites and magazines each day, as well as YouTube, hoping to find a neat little short or two to share with you. Frankly, there just hasn't been much. Keep checking back, because while the posts may have slowed down, as long as there are things to post, I'll try to get them on here in a timely fashion.

I'm always looking for submissions, so if you have something you think belongs on this blog, email me at davesj [at] gmail [dot] com, or add a comment and I'll get it posted!

On a much more personal note, my first quarter with Animation Mentor begins this Monday!



I couldn't be more excited if I tried. While I have mixed emotions over the fact that I'll have little to no social life for the next 2+ years, I couldn't be more thrilled for the opportunities that could arise from this training.

I signed in last night and set up my profile. Upon doing so, the first thing that I noticed is that, while the school is still very much in it's infant stages, the site is very well-designed. There are places to chat, post your work for critiques, get help, view and comment on the work of others, and connect in just about any way you can imagine.

Should be a lot of fun!

Forgot To Mention

I forgot to mention that I'm out on a short vacation. I'll be back at the computer tomorrow (9/20/06) and updates will resume at that time.

Sorry to all those who checked in yesterday and were greeted with nothing but an utter lack of updates. If you will send me a postage paid box and $300 to cover shipping and handling, I'll get you a nice gift to make up for it.

See you tomorrow.

Everyone's Hero Swings Into Theaters Today

Everyone's Hero hits theaters today, hoping to knock one out of the park.



Now while the combo of Whoopi and the Yankees would normally be enough to make me burn down every theater showing the film, I must say that I'm actually looking forward to seeing "Hero" this weekend. The models really appeal to me and the animation looks to be pretty good. I can't speak much on the story, but I'm sure I'll at least enjoy the film somewhat.

Of course, it's only pulling in a 50% currently on Rotten Tomatoes, so who knows... maybe only half of me will like it.

Official Everyone's Hero Site

Rotten Tomatoe's Collection of Reviews for Everyone's Hero

CG MPB&S FYI

Also from the fine folks over at Coming Soon today is the report that the Lion King's Rob Minkoff is developing a 3D version of Mr. Peabody and Sherman.



The bespectacled dog Mr. Peabody and his adopted pet boy Sherman were introduced in 1959 in a series of short segments as part of "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show." Together, they had more than 90 adventures, jumping into Peabody's "WABAC Machine" to travel back in time.

Coming Soon's Mr. Peabody Article

One More Who, From Me To You!

Coming Soon has another shot from the upcoming Carrey/Carell "Horton Hears a Who" film.



This is a really stunning shot, because it feels like it's in 2D, straight out of the book, yet is a fully rendered 3D still taken from the film.

I can almost smell the elephant poop.

Scrath that... I have something on my shoe...

Coming Soon's Horton Article

Bunnies

While I normally don't post CG from videogames, Matt over at Pile of Shame sold me on this one.

I think I played a Rayman game back on the Jaguar (stop laughing), but I really don't know much about the franchise at all. Seems funny though, and as Matt pointed out, they do a fine job of mixing live action and CG at the end of the clip.

Thanks, Matt!

Horton Hears a Who!

For those of you who have yet to hear, USA Today is reporting that Jim Carrey and Steve Carell are teaming up for a 3D adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who!" via the folks over at Blue Sky Studios.



Chris Meledandri, head of 20th Century Fox's animated division, says that Horton will not employ any live action, though it will use computer-generated animation by Blue Sky Studios, which also did Ice Age.

"I certainly was aware of some fan criticism that had occurred" with the live-action films, Meledandri says. "But this will be all animated, and true to the style of Ted Geisel. I think our (animation) and our artists will transport an audience into this man's imagination in a way that hasn't been done before."

I couldn't be more happy about this news. I love Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, and think they'll bring a lot to the characters. I'm excited to see what Blue Sky does with this one.

USA Today First Look At Horton

Hunting Short

Here's a nice little short called simply, "Hunting."

My only beef with it is that I'm not sure why a modern looking man in glasses exists in the same universe as cavemen. Other than that, it's very well done.

Love the grass.

The Wild On DVD Today

Disney's The Wild released on DVD today.



Now you can take home the magic that has managed to pull in an overall score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film will be presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Extras will include five deleted scenes, a "Real Wild Child" music video, Eddie Izzard Unleashed: Voice-Over Blunders & Blooper Reel, and a Meet Colin The Rock Hyrax feature.

EDIT: I like that they "NEW!" on the cover. You'll notice that most DVDs don't put things like "NEW!" on their covers. So why might The Wild do this, you ask? Maybe so that parents don't think "My kid already owns Madagascar."

Box Graphic and DVD Info Courtesy of DVD Active

Read the Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Monster House DVD Info

DVD Active has posted the cover and details for the upcoming Monster House DVD.



Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has officially announced Monster House, which will be available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats just in time for Halloween on the 24th of October. Retail price for each will be $28.95 and $38.95 respectively. The DVD edition will be available in separate widescreen and pan & scan versions. Extras for the DVD version will include seven featurettes...

See what I did there? I purposely cut off the rest of the details so that you would have to go to DVD Active's site and read the rest.

DVD Active's Monster House DVD Info

Nate Wragg Interview on Character Design

Character Design has a new interview posted with Pixar Character designer, Nate Wragg.



First I usually have an idea of what I want before I start sketching. You know, say I want to draw a Viking, ill I have that in mind before I put the pen down on the paper. Then if a Viking is what I’m shooting for, ill go and get some reference. Ill try and find as much as I can on the subject or idea. The thing about photo reference, is that there are so many details you might over look, that are actually very true to the type of character that you’re going to be creating. For example, I’m sure that not all Vikings wore hats with horns and big bear skin coats, they may have had other ways of dressing, different kinds of weapons, it’d paying attention to those detail that will give you a more accurately styled character, and give you new ideas to play around with. So once I’ve got that stuff covered, and explored I then start to scribble around. I’ll try and explore different shapes to help me push the design in a unique way.

Nate Wragg Interview

Animated News

Swedish Open Season Poster

IMP Awards has the new Swedish Open Season poster up.



Until I saw this poster I didn't even know there was a female character in the movie. At least I think that deer to the right is a female. At least I think it's a deer.

The Making of Cars

Because I know you're like me and can't get enough of John Lasseter and Pixar, here is a "Making of Cars" video that's up on YouTube right now. Don't expect anything technical as far as exactly what tools they used or anything, but it's still worth a quick look.

Can I just tell you that when I grow up I want to be John Lasseter? I mean it. From the wacky shirts to the office full of toys, I want to be John. Oh... and I want to marry Bonnie Hunt. Not that she's married to John, but she's in the movie, and that made me think of it. I'd still totally want to be married to my wife, but I'd like to have Bonnie around, just because she seems like a lot of fun. Speaking of fun, I'd like Richard Simmons to attend my wedding to Bonnie, because he seems like a real hoot.

That's rather weird, isn't it?

I should stop now.

Watch the video.

John Lasseter Audio Interview

Maximilian Schonherr has an interview up with John Lasseter that was conducted on September 6th.



Questions include the design decisions that lead to the eyes on the vehicles in Cars, John's hand-drawing skills, and whether Pixar has ever considered making a more "experimental" film.

Maximilian Schonherr's Interview with John Lasseter

Meet the Robinsons Artwork

The fine folks over at Jim Hill Media have posted some artwork for the film Meet the Robinsons.



Between shots like these and Pixar offering advice on this film now, resulting in its delayed release, I am growing more and more excited to see how MtR turns out.

Jim Hill Media's Robinsons Shots

Happy Feet Notes from George Miller

There is an article up on the USA Today site with some notes from the man behind the film, George Miller.



From the article:

Happy Feet uses both computer and stop-motion animation to tell the story of misfit Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood), whose lack of singing ability hampers his search for a mate. Instead, he has a knack for tap.

I had no idea that stop motion was used. I wonder if there will also be a scene where they film a chicken in the extreme foreground to make it look really huge as it tries to eat the Penguins. I'm not knocking stop motion, I'm simply saying that they should use all of the film tricks the industry has to offer.
George Miller Article on USA Today

International Flushed Away Poster

IMP Awards has the first look at the Flushed Away international poster:



It's got a nice James Bond feel to it, though I've never seen James drive a battery powered mixer through the water in any of his movies before. It may have happened, I just may have been out getting a popcorn refill or something.

Everyone's Hero Articles

Dark Horizons and Coming Soon both have articles up on the upcoming Everyone's Hero film.



I actually had no idea that Christopher and Dana Reeve were involved in the project before they passed away.

From the Coming Soon article:

You don't have to be a baseball fan to appreciate the last project Christopher Reeve worked on before he passed away. According to William H. Macy, who voices a character in 20th Century Fox's computer animated film, Everyone's Hero, "It's so pure and clean and it's about keep swinging and don't give up."

Reeve and his wife Dana took on the job after their son loved the story so much that he couldn't come to dinner one night because he wanted to finish reading. The next morning, Reeve called writer Howard Jonas and said he wanted transform the bedtime story into a film and that he wanted to direct.

Coming Soon's Everyone's Hero Article

Dark Horizon's Everyone's Hero Article

minuscule - The ladybug

This is why you don't mess with a ladybug:

Thanks to the fine folks over at Cartoon Brew for bringing this cute litle short to my attention.

IGN Visits Open Season Set

I guess you still call it a "set" for an animated film...

In any case, IGN swung by Sony Pictures Animation the other day to get the scoop on the upcoming Open Season.



Creator Steve Moore stopped in with producer John Carls to talk about the project.
"I always had this secret desire to get into entertainment as a writer," says Moore. "In the Bleachers opened some doors for me. It introduced me to John Carls (Moore's producing partner)… When I'm working with my cartoons, my head is in the trees… John said, 'Come out of the trees and look at the forest,' and he had spotted the potential for a movie based on these characters."

IGN's Open Season Article

Viva Pinata!

Sometimes you are working on a project and you don't even realize what exactly it is until you take a step back.

Case in point:

I run a blog about 3D Animation or 3D Cartoons as some might call them. All the while at my day job I've been working on a game called "Viva Pinata," which also happens to have a 3D Saturday morning cartoon that began airing this past week. However in all this time I never thought, "Hey... I should post about the 3D Cartoon for the game I'm working on!"

I'm dumb.



It's a great little cartoon, with some decent animation done by the folks over at 4Kids TV. Check out the first "webisode" here, which you can also download (along with 3 others) on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

I can't really speak about the game too much, as it's still in development, but you'll be able to get your hands on it soon enough. Until then, make sure you check out the cartoon with your kids this Saturday!

4Kids TV Viva Pinata Site
Viva Pinata Website

Everyone's Hero Trailer

Just in case anyone hasn't seen it already, the trailer for Everyone's Hero is now up in all its Quicktime glory.



The film actually is starting to win me over, despite the "Whoopi Factor." It looks like it has some pretty good slapstick humor, as well as some nice facial animations and models. It is about the Yankees, but it's about the Yankees of old that everyone loved and not the Yankees of today that everyone outside of the greater New York area wants to see covered in flesh-eating slugs.

Everyone's Hero Trailer
Everyone's Hero Site

First Flight Article

The Desert Sun has a new article up on Dreamworks' "First Flight" short.



The co-directors spent three years making the film. Their composer went to Prague to record the score with the Czech Philharmonic. Some 85 people at DreamWorks worked on it.

But, after starting the project in their shared apartment, they spent another year-and-a-half completing "First Flight" while working on other DreamWorks projects as studio animators.

The theater that I saw "Over the Hedge" at did not play "First Flight" before hand, like many theaters did.

So I burnt it to the ground.

Or at least I felt like I should have. Hopefully the short will be included on the "OTH" DVD release.

Otherwise I'll have to burn the DVD to the ground.

The Desert Sun's "First Flight" Article

A Little Box Office Mojo

Per Box Office Mojo and Animated News, here are the numbers for the 3D animated films currently in release:

10) Barnyard with $5,652,932 ($54,930,100 total; 4th week)
16) Monster House with $1,141,933 ($69,368,839 total; 6th week)
22) Cars with $734,162 ($240,555,222 total; 12th week)
25) The Ant Bully with $559,907 ($25,669,795 total; 5th week)
36) Over the Hedge with $172,121 ($154,767,362 total; 15th week)
76) Ice Age: The Meltdown with $9,860 ($195,316,542 total; 22nd week)

Again, it's a shame to see that "The Ant Bully" is underperforming at the box office. According to The Numbers it had a production budget of over $45 million, and it has grossed around $35 million worldwide. Hopefully with the few weeks it has left in theaters and DVD sales, it can at least scrape out $10-$20 million. Of course, that doesn't take into account what the advertising budget was.

Monster house currently sits at about $98 million worldwide, and I'm sure DVD sales will at least be decent for it. I'm sure it isn't the numbers that Sony had hoped for, but they should at least wind up with a little change in their pockets at the end of the day.

As for Barnyard, it's hanging in at number 10, with $55 million, though I have no idea what it's production budget was.

Now as for Cars? You know... the film that everyone is saying is Pixar's first film to "underperform" at the box office? Well, that "underperforming" little film has pulled in almost $400 million worldwide and currently sits at number 7 for all 3D Animated films, in terms of revenue generated in the U.S. theaters, where it has drawn around $240 million. So Pixar's little "clunker" is doing just fine.

Open Season IMAX Trailer

Looks like "Open Season" is heading to IMAX theaters as well, and not only that but it will be shown in IMAX 3D!



I've only seen around 3 films at an IMAX theater in my entire life, and I'm pretty sure 2 of them were on how the solar system was born. The third was a documentary about water buffalo during a dry season in some far off wilderness. I remember watching some massive cat rip a dead buffalo apart, and I must say that I'm glad it wasn't in 3D.

Details and Trailer for Open Season in IMAX 3D

Happiness Factory

This has been around for a bit, but I thought I'd post it for those of you who may have missed it. What you're about to watch is a Coke ad from the same fine company that brought you the GTA clone Coke ad that I posted here a week or two back:

I always wondered how one of those vending machines worked...

10 Quick with George Schermer

Ahh... my Blogger troubles continue. I was only able to get one of George's images posted for this 10 Quick, but it will have to do for now. He was kind enough to answer the questions in the first place, so I'd hate to delay this any longer. If Blogger manages to correct the issues it's currently experiencing, I'll most certainly get George's other samples up ASAP.

But enough whining from me.

In the meantime, you can visit George's Site and view them for yourself!

Now you may be asking, "But, Dave, why would I want to go to some guy's website who I don't even know?"

Well the answer is simple. George just happens to be a pretty darn good 3D artist. Better than most I'd even venture to say. Not only that, but he worked on "Gopher Broke," and "Rockfish," among other things, for Blur Studio, which makes him a-okay in my book!

Take it away, George!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you break into the business?

I'm originally from a small town in Tennessee. I guess I've always liked cartoons, but it wasn't until around junior year of high school that I found out there were people who created them and actual courses I could take to end up working in the animation industry. So, I graduated from The Ringling School of Art and Design, back in 2000. I got my first job at a small broadcast design company in Manhattan. After two and a half years there I decided to send out my reel and was lucky enough to land a job at Blur helping animate Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. Now I've been at Blur for over 3 years.

2. Which of your work are you most proud of?

Without a doubt it's Gopher Broke. I remember seeing the final product at the theater and thinking, "Wow, this is a professional looking cartoon." That was the
first time I watched something I had made and wasn't noticing the mistakes.



3. What are the main tools and/or programs you use to create your work?

I've used quite a few CG programs, but at the moment we're using 3Ds Max for most of our pipeline...and starting to use Softimage XSI for animation.

4. What's a typical day in your life like?

Full of aches and pains...I'm gettin' old, dangit!!!

I get into work around 9:30ish...do the email thing and surf the web for a few minutes, then it's time to work. I take off for lunch around noon, then I'm working til 7 or so. I don't really have a set schedule, sometimes I'll be sketching out new scenes in the morning, other times I'll be filming reference at 5pm. It's always different.

5. Who or what are some of your artistic influences?

Oh man...I have way too many to list. I'm an avid (I mean AVID) comicbook reader. Movies (The Incredibles being quite high on that list). Commercials. Since I worked in the broadcast business, I try to keep up on the newest commercials and the studios that produce them. Studio AKA has to be my hands down favorite commercial house right now. The work they produce is so creative...they really push the boundaries of our medium. But even when I walk around Blur I find myself looking over my coworkers shoulders seeing great work. I think to myself, "Why can't I be that good?" It's depressing...but inspiring at the same time :)

6. Would you say that you're a 3D artist who dabbles in 2D from time to time, or a 2D artist who happens to work in 3D?

I'm a 3D artist who dabbles in 2D, but then gets frustrated and goes back to 3D.

7. What are 3 of the best things about your job, and what are 3 of the worst?

The 3 best: Laid back environment, there's no heavy lifting, and I'm making cartoons....how cool is that?

The 3 worst: Sometimes that environment isn't so laid back, hours of work lost to a program crash, and I think computers will soon be able to do my job.


8. Tell everyone about your side project "Cathode and Propellarhead." Is this project still moving forward, and if so, what is your ultimate goal?

Well, I'd like to say I have future plans for it, but I don't.... Unfortunately..... Cathode and Propellarhead was a property I developed at my old studio. We were developing properties that could ultimately be made into TV shows and the like. I was planning on doing a monthly episode kinda thing (kinda like a comicstrip), but I never really got around to producing more than 2 (5 were developed, but only two were completed.) Maybe I'll go back to it someday, but for now my attention has been focused on a new project.

9. Tell us a bit about your role in Blur shorts "Gopher Broke" and "Rockfish." If either of these make it to the big screen, is there any chance we'll see your work in the feature versions as well?

I was an animator on both Rockfish and Gopher Broke. Rockfish was the project I cut my mocap teeth on. I did the shot where the guy sits in his bobber and the dog jumps up and hangs from the side. I think I animated about 7 or so shots on Gopher Broke. The shots where the gopher climbs out of his hole and jumps behind the rock, the "Cloud o' Crows" shot...which take note, was not made with Massive, just me and a notepad telling me what Crow 55 was doing :) and some of the end shots where he sees the truck and tries to dig a hole to get away.

And seeing as I'm still employed by Blur, hopefully I'll be able to work on those features if they come around :)

10. Jason Taylor suggested that I hit you up for these 10 questions. We've also interviewed Jeff Fowler, another of your Blur chums. Any dirt you'd like to dish on either of them?

Well, Jason will spontaneously start acting like a monkey (don't ask) and Jeff likes to steal my colored pencils....or maybe that's the other way around....but seriously, they're both great guys and I'm glad I've gotten the chance to work with both of them.



Thanks to George for taking the time to answer these questions!

For more of his outstanding work, swing over to George's Site.

I hear he just put on a fresh pot of coffee!

Thanks, George!

Blogger Downtime

Blogger has been rough this past week. I managed to piece together a couple of stories, but from about Wednesday morning on through Friday, was met with "Page Cannot Be Displayed" errors and images that wouldn't upload. Luckily this was a slow news week, so it didn't really matter, other than the George Schermer 10 Quick that I really wanted to post. I tried on multiple occasions to do this, but anytime I tried to upload the multiple images for the blog entry, the blogger system would choke.

Not only that, but it must have been just the server that this blog resides on, because I could post just fine to my 2D Blog.

It seems to be better now, so let's plan on that 10 Quick going up first thing Monday morning.

Sorry to George and everyone else for the delay!

Monster House in 3D

Animated World Network is reporting that Monster House will be scaring its way back into theaters in 3D.



Hoping to scare up a little more attention and revenue before the fall DVD release of MONSTER HOUSE, Sony Pictures will re-release the all-CG feature in digital 3-D on Oct. 6, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. MONSTER HOUSE will have a two-week engagement in more than 100 Real D screens nationwide. The DVD from Sony Home Ent. bows on Oct. 24. According to Box Office Mojo, MONSTER HOUSE has grossed $68M this summer.

AWN Article on Monster House in 3D

The Passenger

Chris Jones has posted a trailer for his new short, called "The Passenger," over on his website:



According to Chris (from a posting on his website):

The Passenger is the result of about six years spent in a bedroom with a computer. It began in 1998 as a proposed showreel piece, but then escalated into an unstoppable monstrosity that continued to absorb my life (and savings) until 2006. I created sound, music and vision for the film. Running time is 7 minutes.

The short looks quite amazing, based on the brief trailer alone, and Chris' amazing level of dedication seems to have really paid off.

I can't wait to see it!

View the trailer.

Visit Chris' site.

More 3D Bugs!

From what I can tell, someone in Hollywood decided that what the 3D Animated Film industry really needed was another film about bugs, as the Director of "Robots" and "Ice Age" is now set to direct a new film for Fox.



From Yahoo! Movies


The studio that made heroes of prehistoric mammals is turning to garden leaves and doodlebugs.

20th Century Fox Animation has optioned and is developing William Joyce's illustrated children's book "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs."

Described as an epic adventure centering on ancient elfin magic, the book follows a troop of brave bugs who march off to save a garden, where they encounter an evil spider queen and must summon the mythical Leaf Men to save the day.

I liked "Ice Age" and "Robots," but do we really need another 3D bug film? It just seems that there are so many other possibilities for subject matter, and the bug thing has been done more than a few times already. It will probably be a good film, but much like "The Ant Bully," could suffer at the box office due to a subject matter that has already been covered a time or two.

Leaf Men article on Yahoo! Movies.