Animation Magazine August 2008

Emmy award winners:

Emmy for New Approaches- I Got a Rocket! by Kabillion.
Really annoying, simple, cookie cutter animation. most likely won because Kabillion is trying to bridge the gap between watching animations and playing online games. They have a free interactive game website that is supposed to be a "safe" community network for kids.

Quote from "Letter from Editor" about website:
Our shows are safe – nothing rated TV-14. We keep it strictly kids, nothing risqué. This is not Youtube or MTV. We work hard to give your kids a full robust “cool” destination, while still keeping it parent trusted.

It's an Australian series, here is clip:



Emmy For Outstanding Directing- Jeff Gordon, Dir. of Jakers! the Adventures of Piggley Winks made by PBS

Textures and animal animation are very nice. Achieves and imaginative hyper-real. Content of show is really for young kids, it's not something they would sit down and re-watch (like Barney as opposed to Sesame Street).

Short description: Jakers! is a celebration of the joys good friendship can bring while the excitement of adventure and imagination inspires kids to learn from their own experiences. Through Jakers! children learn about life lessons and each episode conveys a moral that kids learn through daily experiences. Each episode of Jakers! is set in two distinct places and times: 1950’s Ireland and the present day.

Clip:



Emmy for Individual Achievement in Animation- to Peter Frank for Storyboarding Growing up Creepie made by Discovery Kids

Nice colors and background plates (different perspectives), imaginative take on "being different". Character animation is terrible. It the character animation was better I, as a college student, might watch for fun. Same old same out thick black lines but, the character designs are a still nice.

Clip:




Books mentioned that sound good.

"The pixar touch: Making of a Company" by David A. Price
Interviews with Ed Catmull, early days and feuds. Interview with John Lasseter

"The Animation Bible" by Maureen Furniss
Lots of illustrations, case studies, tips, bill pymption, michael sporn, virgil widrich, michael dudokde wit.

"Art of Kungfu Panda"
Brilliant character designs by Nicholas Marlet (Prince of Egypt, Sinbad)

Animation Festivals and events:

July 27-aug 23
Sandieago International Children's film festival
sdchildrensfilm.org

aug 7-11
hiroshima's international animation fest
hiroanim.org

aug 11-15
siggraph, LA
siggraph.org

aug 25-27
Nvision visual computing mega event
San Jose, CA
nvision2008.com

Ottawa internaational animation fest
sept 17-21
animationfestival.ca
310 studios Animation post production 310studios.com-interesting look at what post-production does.

other
Batman Movie special effects.
-Double Negative in Loundon
-BUF in Paris

Mike Wassel- Matte painter supervisor on Hell Boy II and Time Machine

Student Academy Awards- look it up! we could do this.

Peque's Patchwork life 1977 at sundance, want to see.
http://www.nftsanimation.org/departments.htm

Mad House

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