Chris Waltner-Character Animator

MY FIRST ANIMATION JOB!

2010-03-11T10:36:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone!

So I have landed my first animation gig! It is working for a studio called Gloomshade on a project called "City of Friends" This is my third week and it has been a lot of fun and hard work so far. I get to animate a good variety of characters and lots of different actions and emotions. I will post up my finished shots once they are released and I have permission. Check out the website to see more about the project:

http://cityoffriends.tv/

MORE TO COME SOON!

-C

December Update!

2009-12-02T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody!!

Happy December! I hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving! Mine was splended and I think I am still full from all the food.

Well, it has been a somewhat productive last few months. As I continue to look for an animation job, I am trying to stay motivated and continuing to add to my demo reel. I will be sending a few more reels out this month and then going to another Animation Mentor Job Fair on January 15th!

SO STAY TUNED!!

Below is my updated reel with a new dialogue shot and a new sequence of shots (I'll call it a short short short film) I would love to hear any comments or critiques you have as I am still tweaking and updating!

Thanks!!

-C

Still Alive!

2009-10-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

Hey there!

Yes...I am still alive and kicking...and animating! I am still looking for an animation job and working on my skills. I recently revisited this shot and am getting close to calling it final. I want to put in a few more details and then do a final polish but I'm pretty happy with how it has come out. As always, I would love to hear your comments!

Thanks,

C

HATH Shot - BREAKING

Whats new?

2009-08-26T13:56:00.001-07:00

Hey!!

So I graduated in March and am looking for an animation job in the film industry. I applied for Disney's Talent Development Program and made it to the final round! But, I found out last week I was not chosen. So, that is more motivation to keep working on my stuff and to make it the best I can! I've applied at most of the big studios and recieved a few rejection letters. Now, I feel like it is more about timing and opportunities that arise. I feel like i've learned so much at AM and am ready to work at a studio. I just need someone to give me that chance to show them I can do it!

For now, I've been working on a new dialogue shot. I'd love to hear your thoughts! The clip is from my favorite movie, "Harry and the Hendersons" Right now, I've taken it out of blocking and am starting to refine the movement and focus on little arcs and timing changes.

Here it is:

ENJOY!

Hopefully there will be some exciting news to come soon in the somewhat near future!

I'm Still Alive!

2009-06-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Yes, I am still alive. I finished up AM in March and am still working at EA as a lighter for the next few weeks. I have started looking for where I will go next and am super excited to jump into a career as a character animator. I have applied at 7 studios and waiting to hear back from 6. Also, the Animation Mentor job fair is coming up next so I am going to get reels together for that as well!

I've updated my website with my latest info and demo reel:

www.chriswaltner.com

Feel free to check it out! I'll keep you updated with the latest that is going on in my life.

-C

IT'S A WRAP!!!! ...almost

2009-03-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

HEY!!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but it has been BUSY!! The good news is, I just turned in my FINAL assignment for Animation Mentor and my last Q and A is this Wednesday!! Although this is a bittersweet celebration, I'm excited to be done with school, forever, and happy with how my film turned out.

I say almost because I still plan on polishing, lighting and rendering my short in the next couple weeks. Then, I will put that along with some other shots on my reel and start applying for a job! I'll keep you posted with all the latest. But for now, here is my short film, Kissing Booth!

KISSING BOOTH FINAL

Class 6: Week10

2009-03-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!!

Sorry for the late post. WOW have I been busy!!! There is a lot left to do on my film but I am happy with the direction it is going. I expect to get the film done to a satisfactory level with the animation and the will spend 4-5 weeks after that polishing it for my reel and lighting/rendering it.

Anyways, here is where my film is at currently. I have done a polish pass for the entire film (except one shot) and am going back through the first half this week and polishing everything that needs it. Then, next week is the last assingment where I will polish the second half of the film.

So, without further adieu here is...

1ST PASS POLISH FOR THE ENTIRE FILM

Class 6: Week 7!!

2009-02-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

HEY GUYS!!!

So i've finished Blocking Plus for my film and started on polish this week. This class is going so fast and I can't believe (fingers crossed) I'll have a finished film in 5 weeks!!! There is still a ton of work to be done but feel like it is do-able if I just work hard on it for the next 5 weeks.

Here is blocking plus for my entire film. I am currently polishing the first third of the film and will upload my progress in the next couple days. HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!!

-C

KISSING BOOTH - BLOCKING PLUS

FEATURED STUDENT!

2009-02-06T12:02:00.001-08:00

Hey!!

I was fortunate enough to be selected as the featured student this month for the Animation Mentor Newsletter!! I wanted to do something different from my interview so I did a series of videos telling people about myself.

Feel free to check out the newsletter here:

February Animation Mentor Newsletter.

If your scroll down you will see the featured student section. You will need quicktime to watch the videos.

Stayed tuned for more updates on my short film soon! Only 6 weeks left to go on it!!

-C

PROGRESS REEL

2009-02-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

Hey All!!

I thought I would post my progress reel for those of you who haven't had a chance to see it yet. This is my work for Classes 1-4. Also, scroll down the page to check out my short film layout with rough blocking. I am currently doing a blocking plus pass for my short and have 7 weeks left!!

More updates and exciting news to come soon...

PROGRESS REEL
*Update: The audio seems to be out of sync on my first dialogue shot. I'll fix that and upload and new version soon!

Class 6: Week 5

2009-02-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

HEY!!!!

So production is in full swing on Kissing Booth. This week I moved in Blocking Plus. I've layed out the basic poses and timing and now I'm going back through and adding more details and refining what I have.

There is only eight weeks left to finish this up so I have a LOT of work ahead of me. If I could give any advice to someone that wants to a short film, it would be...KEEP IT SHORT!! I'm so thankful I was able to cut my idea down to around 30 seconds or there is no way I would finish it.

Hope you all have a great SuperBowl Sunday!!! Stay tuned for the next third of blocking plus...coming soon to a blog near you.

1ST THIRD BLOCKING PLUS

Class 6: Week 4

2009-01-28T18:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys,

So its been a crazy couple weeks but i'm finally into the swing of things on my film. The last three weeks i have been doing rough blocking on my entire film. Basically i have put in the key poses and some breakdows as well. Next, starting this week, I will begin a blocking plus pass where I will be refining and adding more poses.

It is already week 4 so that means I have 8 weeks to get this short to polished animation. Wish me luck and stay tuned for the latest. Here is the film in its entirety in rough blocking. As always I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and opinions. Enjoy and have a great week!!

-Chris

KISSING BOOTH ROUGH BLOCKING

Class 6!!!!!!

2009-01-21T10:43:00.001-08:00

HEY!!!

Sorry for the late update. I'm currently in Week 3 of Class 6 already!!! I have a lot of work to do on my short film and will be buckling down this week for the final 10 weeks of production.

My mentor this term is Greg Wittaker. He is an animation at Dreamworks and has been for the last 12 years or so. I'm stoked to learn a TON from his this term!!

Stay tuned. I will post my lastest blocking very soon! Have a great week!

-Chris

Class 5: Week 12...THE END!!

2008-12-14T22:32:00.000-08:00

I say this at the end of every term but...WHAT IS GOING ON!!?? HOW IS THE TERM ALREADY OVER??

It has been a great term and I've had so much more fun planning my short film then I thought I was going to. I've learned a ton from the lectures and my mentor this term. AM is an amazing place to learn and I am so fortunate to be a part of it.

Here is my final layout for my short film! I will be moving into animation very soon to get a jump on it for next term. I'll be continuing to update my blog with the latest news and assingments. Thanks for stopping by and see ya next term!!

-Chris "Done with Class 5" Waltner

FINAL LAYOUT

Class 5: Week 11

2008-12-14T22:27:00.001-08:00

HEY!

Sorry its been so long since an update! I've been crazy busy here. I working full time at EA again on the My Sims team. Plus working on my short film and a SUPER SECRET project!! I know I know...but I can't tell I'm sorry. You will find out in February so stay tuned. Anyways, here is the third half of my layout. Next week I will tweak it all and upload the FINAL layout. Right after that I will start getting into animation because I only have 12 weeks to finish this thing. Stay tuned! More to come soon.

LAYOUT THIRD 1/3

Class 5: Week 9

2008-11-30T02:24:00.000-08:00

Wow...three weeks left...really??

If you've been following along...and even if you haven't, we are working on our layout for our short films. This last week we blocked out the second 1/3 of our short films. Each week I'll be getting notes on things to change and then in Week 11 I will make all those changes.

There will be some interesting technical challenges with pulling a mask off the characters faces but I think i've figured out a way to do it. Now, I'll move onto the final 1/3 of my layout and the term will soon come to an end.

For now, here is the second 1/3 of my layout. Hope you enjoy it and as always I would LOVE to hear your comments and feedback. Have a great week and an amazing December. Christmas is coming...fast!

-C

SECOND 1/3 OF LAYOUT

Class 5: Week 8

2008-11-23T01:10:00.000-08:00

Hey All!

Hope you are all having a great weekend! This week we worked on layout. As I mentioned last week, we are taking our finished animatic and translating that to Maya. In 3D, we are blocking out our cameras, characters and props so that we will have it all set up for animation next term.

For this week, we were asked to finish the first third of our layout. Our mentor asked that we focus a little more on posing the characters than you normally would on layout. So, I made sure to get the characters close to the poses they will be in during the final animation. This is just a BASIC layout for now and we will refine it once we go into animation.

Thanks for stopping by and here is my the first third on my layout and the rest is storyboards. Next week, the second third of the layout and then we'll only have 3 weeks left in Class 5. Then, we'll start animating in Class 6!!! I can't wait to have this thing finished and rendered!! Hopefully i can get it all done!! As always, I'd love to hear any comments or critques you have!! THANKS!

1ST THIRD OF LAYOUT

Class 5: Week 7

2008-11-10T18:57:00.000-08:00

HELLO!!!

So this last week we put together the second half of our animatic for our short film. I spent a lot of time trying to get the timing close to where it should be and trying to cut out as much as I can so it is within, or at least close, to the time contraints. I'm fairly happy with how it is flowing now but I have a few things I would like to adjust and my mentor does as well. So, this week I will be doing one last pass on the whole animatic and next week I will start doing layout.

Layout is taking the finished animatic and putting each shot together in 3D. This means the camera angles, character positions and general movement, and the timing for each shot.

For now, here is my "finished" animatic. I will be posting an actual finished animatic next week with all the last changes! Hope you all have an amazing week!

-C

FULL ANIMATIC

Class 5: Week 6

2008-11-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

Hey!!

Hows it going?? Last time we talked, I was deciding on my final story idea for my short film. Well, I've decided to go with...

KISSING BOOTH!

Week 4 we did our final pitch for it and then last week we started the Animatic. The animatic is basically all of the storyboards timed out into a movie. It gives an idea of how the story will play out and helps nail down timing and camera placement.

So, without further delay, here is my final pitch and the 1st half of the animatic for my short film, Kissing Booth. I'd love to get your thoughts, comments, and ideas!

This week I will be finished up the animatic and then we will get into layout. WE'RE ALREADY HALF WAY THROUGH THE TERM!!!

Have a great week!

-C

KISSING BOOTH ANIMATIC - 1ST HALF

KISSING BOOTH FINAL PITCH

STORY PITCH BLOOPERS

2008-10-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

It took me about an hour to film a 1 minutes story pitch.

Here is why...

BLOOPERS

Class 5: Week 3

2008-10-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hey!!!

So I finally came up with three story ideas that I am pretty happy with. I still need to flesh them out and refine them but at least its a start. This week my mentor will pick two of the these ideas and then I will do video pitches for both of them. After that, he will pick the best one and I will get to work on it, creating storyboards, an animatic, and then a layout by the end of the term. Anyways, I'd love to hear any feedback you have on these ideas. Have a great week and Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

-C

STORY PITCHES

NO-TALENT SHOW

Setting: A stage

Time of day: Evening

Characters: Tanner, a 13 year old boy. (Bishop)

We open with a stage. The red curtains are closed and a rickety Broadway-style sign with broken and burnt out light bulbs lowers on cables reading “No-Talent Show”. It ascends and the curtains open to reveal a nervous young man, Tanner, in a bow tie and cumber bun. Tanner is noticeably uncomfortable as he prepares to impress the audience. He raises his arms and performs the “pull your thumb off” trick. The audience is nearly silent except for a few sighs and the sound of crickets. He gets more nervous as he prepares for his next act. He tries to perform a little dance routine and trips over his own feet, stumbling to regain balance. Again, the audience is less than impressed and a few even boo and laugh at him. His bow tie droops down, emoting his disappointment. Tanner decides to give it one more try. He reaches in his cumber bun and pulls out three juggling balls. He tries to juggle and all three balls fall on the ground. Tanner is devastated, along with his bow tie. Defeated, he goes to walk off the stage and accidentally steps on one of the dropped balls. He slips and falls flat on his back. The audience gasps and are stunned into silence as some whisper their concern. Tanner gathers his last bit of energy to get up and embarrassingly puts his arms out, as to say “tada”. Immediately, the audience ERUPTS with applause and laughter and the “No Talent Show” sign descends with flashing lights and chiming. Tanner's bow tie shoots out with excitement and quivers with glee as Tanner looks around confused. He realizes what he has done and a big smile emerges on his face. As he takes his proud final bow, we hear his pants rip in the back and his face shoots up in shock. The audience laughs even harder and Tanner awkwardly runs and trips off stage. Cut to black.

THE WISH

Setting: A kitchen table

Time of day: Early Afternoon

Characters: 3 characters. Jimmy, a 6 year old boy. (Bishop) Jimmy's Mom. (Bishop) Jimmy's Dad. (Bishop)

We open with the title “The Wish”. There is a candle flame above the letter I and we hear it get blown out and the letters fade to black. We fade in and see Jimmy, a 6 year old boy sitting at a table in front of his birthday cake. He looks excited and anxious. His parents gesture for Jimmy to make a wish. He closes his eyes and furrows his bow in concentration. We then see Jimmy's thoughts and ideas for the wish he should make through a cloudy sequence of shots. We see Jimmy start to fly up but he smashes into the roof. We see Jimmy eating his hundredth cookie of a million he wished for and he gets sick, covering his mouth and turning green. Finally, we see him holding a leash and it quickly pans out to reveal a giant cartoon dinosaur that steps on him. The dream sequence ends and we see Jimmy with his eyes closed. He opens them with an idea, blows his candles out, and looks over at his parents with a smile. His parents stand close with their arms around each other and look proud. Suddenly, Jimmy's mom's stomach expands and we see she has become 9 months pregnant. Jimmy's parents look at each other with disbelief and fear and it cuts to black.

Point of the story: Be careful what your kids wish for.

KISSING BOOTH

Setting: A kissing booth at a fair

Time of day: Late Afternoon to Early Evening

Characters: 2 chracters. Young man. (Bishop) Young woman. (Bishop)

We see a young man approach a kissing booth. A sign on the booth reads “50 cents per kiss”. A hot, young girl stands behind the booth, awaiting her next customer. The young man gives a smile as he reaches in his pocket for a couple quarters. She sends back a casual and slightly unimpressed smile as he sets the money on the counter. He leans in and gets a kiss. He smiles wider and reaches in his pocket for more money and sets it on the table, getting a second kiss. More excited now, he reaches for money again and as he pulls it out, an alarm goes off. She reaches around and hangs a closed sign on the front of the booth. The young man looks disappointed. The young woman then reaches up around her neck and pulls off a mask, revealing she is an old woman. The young mans reaction turns to one of pleasant surprise. Smiling, he reaches up and pulls off a mask of his own. He is an old man. They exchange smiles and walk off into the sunset together as cartoon hearts float up above them.

Point of the story: Love can find you under the strangest circumstances.

CLASS 5 BEGINS!!

2008-10-06T23:52:00.000-07:00

Hey!

No, I didn't forget about you. Sorry about the late post. We are in the second week of Week 5 already and I KNOW this term is going to fly by. I just hope I can keep up. My mentor this term is Elliot Bour. He seems really great after having the first Q and A and reading about all the great projects he has animated and directed on. He has animated on such classics as The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, Aladin, Beauty and the Beast and much much more. He has also done directing at Disney where he co-directed Konk's New Groove and Whinnie the Pooh. I'm super excited to learn from him. Here is a picture of him with two of the greatest animators of all time, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. (he's on the right)

I'm coming up with 3 ideas for short films this week. I'll will post them here as soon and I can and would love to get your imput. Then, next week I will do a video pitch for two of the ideas. HERE WE GO! I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM GOING TO MAKE A SHORT FILM!! WOOT!

-C

Class 4: Week 12!!!

2008-09-15T00:25:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!!

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!!! Its the end of Class 4 and I'm going to be starting my short film in 2 weeks. Now, I am frantically searching my brain for any fun or original ideas that I can fit into 30 seconds.

Anyways, more on that to come later. For now, here is my "final" 2 person dialogue shot. I say "final" cause I will still probably tweak it before I put it in my final reel. Getting a finished, polished shot is very challenging but I've learned a lot from working on this scene and I'm ready to move on.

Here is my shot and stay tuned for short film ideas. I would LOVE to get anyone's opinions on ideas or changes...if anyone is still reading this...Hello??! Is anyone there...

2 PERSON DIALOGUE SHOT FINAL

Week 11

2008-09-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

WHAT?!?!?!

This is the last week to work on our two-person dialogue shot!! I can't believe I am at the end of Class 4 already...unreal. Here is my shot as it stands currently. I still have a lot of work I want to do on it to give it a finished, polished feel. I think i'm going to wait until I get notes for my mentor to do my final tweaks. Hope everyone is having a great week! Talk to you again soon.

-Chris

TWO PERSON SHOT POLISHED

Class 4: Week 10 PART II

2008-09-04T02:28:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

Finally!!! I am up and running again. Had some serious computer problems this week but thanks to my awesome roomate I'm back in business.

As promised, here is my current progress on my shot as well as my initial blocking on it. I think it has come a long way but there is still a LOT of work to do in the next week and 1/2.

I'll post another version at the end of this week. STAY TUNED!

-C

CURRENT POLISH PASS

BLOCKING

Class 4: Week 10

2008-09-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

WHOOPS!!

I forgot to mention I was going out of town. Sorry for the HUGE lack of posts lately. I promise to get back on track very soon. I've also been having computer problems this week so hopefully those get worked out and I catch up with everything.

I cannot believe and refuse to accept the fact that it is already week 10!!!!! I've been working on my two person shot for the last five weeks. It is going alright but still needs a lot of love in the next couple weeks.

I will post my progress very soon as soon as I get my other computer up and running. STAY TUNED!!!!

-Chris

Class 4: Week 5

2008-07-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hey!!

I'm SO excited to be moving on to the two person dialogue shot! I've picked 3 audio choices and await the advice of my mentor on which to go with. I tried to pick some clips that were fairly subtle and heart-felt so I can really test out my animation chops and do something that doesn't feel animated. I am leaning towards Audio 01 as my favorite clip. So, here are my 3 dialogue choices and the two face poses I did from last week.

This week we start planning and blocking on our shot. I'll post my final audio choice and some planning soon. Have a great week!

3 Audio Choices

Face Poses

Class 4: Week 4 Part 2

2008-07-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hey guys and gals,

Here is my dialogue shot as promised. There are still things I would like to tweak but its time to move on to two characters. I think I found some good audio clips to work with so I will be posting those at the end of this week along with 2 new face poses. Talk to you all again soon!

-C

Final Dialogue Shot

Class 4: Week 4

2008-07-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Man...week 4??!?!?!

Whats going on? This class is going so fast! In eight more weeks I will be starting on my short film!

I can't WAIT to start on my two person dialogue shot and I have been trying to find some good audio clips this week. I've decided I want to do something a little more subtle this time around and really want to put some genuine, heart-felt acting into this shot. So, hopefully that happens.

Here is my assingment from last week. Again, we had to do two face poses. Also, we finished up on our one person dialogue shot. I'll post my finished shot as soon as I get home today. Stay Tuned!

-C

Face Poses

Class 4: Week 2

2008-07-13T01:09:00.000-07:00

Hey!!!!

Another great week at AM! I'm a huge fan of my mentor this term...Keith Sintay. His Q and A's are a TON of fun and he definately knows his stuff! This week we did a polish pass on our facial animation. Next week is our last week to work on this shot and the we start two person dialogue!! I'm super excited about that but trying to focus on this shot and finish it up. Here is my polish pass for this week. Also, we were asked to get two pictures and copy the facial expression with the bishop character. Here's what I came up for that.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

-C

Facial Polish Pass

Face Poses

Class 4 : Week 1 END

2008-07-06T02:30:00.000-07:00

HEYYYYYYYY!!!

Week 1 was AWESOME!! Getting back into lipsync and facial animation has been a blast. I started off the week watching an AMAZING 2 hour lecture by Jason Schleifer all about the Do's and Dont's of lipsync which is definately one of my favorite lectures so far. Then, I spent the rest of the week working on blocking in the facial animation for my dialogue. I spent most of the time trying to get the lipsync to match up with the audio and will spend the next few weeks polishing and adding more character to the face. Here is my blocking and planning drawings for this week. Have a great week everyone!!

-C

DIALOGUE FACE BLOCKING

PLANNING DRAWINGS

Class 4 : Week 1!!!!!

2008-07-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hey!!

Thought I would post a quick update!! Yesterday was our first day back at AM after a week break. I am SO excited for Class 4 and digging deep into dialogue and advanced acting!

My mentor this term is Keith Sintay. Some films he has worked on include: Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Tarzan, Sinbad, Open Season, Surf's Up, Monster House and I am Legend!! I'm very excited and honored to learn from him. He has a very impressive reel that you can check out here:

www.keithsintay.com

I am so pumped up to add dialogue and facial animation to my shot from last term! I'll post at the end of this week when I have my first pass done for that.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

-Chris

Pixar, Wall-E, and Class 3!

2008-06-21T22:44:00.001-07:00

Hey!!!

I had the amazing opportunity this last Thursday to go to Pixar and see an advanced screening of Wall-E!!!!!! Much thanks to an amazing animator, Roger Rose. I've been waiting a LONG time to go to Pixar and I'm so glad I finally got the chance. What a great place!! And...not to spoil the movie...but...Wall-E was GREAT!! Pixar does such an amazing job of telling heart-felt stories and bringing awesome, loveable characters to life!! It was a ton of fun to see a few familiar Animation Mentor faces there (Doug Sweetland, Carlos Baena) and even saw the brilliant John Lasseter walking down the hall. Crazy fun times!

Also, Class 3 is officially OFICALLY over. I'm kicked out of the site for a week or so and I'm already having withdrawls. haha. I thought I would post my prgress reel so far at Animation Mentor. I am so excited for next term and finishing up this shot with facial animation!! Take care and I'll post a few pictures from Pixar soon.(just to prove I actually went.)

-C

CLASS 3 PROGRESS REEL

Class 3: Week 11...THE END!!!

2008-06-15T01:47:00.000-07:00

Hey!!!

Unbelievable....it is the end of Class 3...

This was our last week to work on our dialogue shot and turn it in. Next week we have a Q and A and a lecture but no assingment. So, I get a 2 week break!! Anyways, I have a GREAT term. I learned so my from Jay, my mentor, and all of the lectures. I probably learned the most from just working on my shots and facing different challenges with each one. Its crazy how much new stuff you learn every time you work on a new shot.

Anyways, here is my final dialogue shot for Class 3. I had a little time to light and render this one to give it a more finished feel.

A friendly reminder that will will be picking up on this shot in Class 4 to animate the face. Right now only the eyes and jaw are moving. I'm super excited to get into lip sync and facial animation again. STAY TUNED FRIENDS!!!

-C

FINAL DIALOGUE SHOT

Kung Fu Panda!

2008-06-09T10:42:00.001-07:00

And now, for something a little different...

HAVE YOU SEEN IT YET?! WHY NOT!?? GO NOW!

I saw Kung Fu Panda this weekend and was very impressed! Definately my favorite Dreamworks movie to date probably due to the fact that there was Animation Mentor allumni working on it!! WOOT! The art direction, character and set designs, and animation were all amazing. It had some of the most entertaining action scenes I've seen in a long time and Jack Black did a great job with Po.(the Panda)
WELL DONE DREAMWORKS...well done.

We to your regularly scheduled blog posts...

-C

Class 3 : Week 10 - Part 2

2008-06-08T02:15:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Its the end of week 10 here at AM and I just turned in my assingment for this week. I still have a TON of polish to do on this shot but I'll post where I'm at right now. Also, the hand pose for this week was "SUPRISE" so here's what I came up with for that. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. 2 MORE WEEKS OF CLASS 3!!!!

DIALOGUE SHOT - POLISHING

HAND POSE "SURPRISE"

Class 3: Week 10 - Part 1

2008-06-04T01:34:00.000-07:00

3 WEEKS LEFT!!!

UNREAL!! Here is some progress on my dialogue shot. Last week we took it to breaking. In this stage, we're supposed to move from stepped mode (pose to pose) and start working in splined mode. This means that a lot of the timing starts to get floating and messy. So, I started smoothing it out last week.

This week we I'm doing more polish on the shot. I've been adding overlap and drag and cleaning up the arcs. The first half of the shot is what I've been working on most so far.

Also, last weeks hand pose was "relaxed" so i'll post what I came up with for that as well.

More to come at the end of this week when I'm done the first polish pass. Next week is our last week to work on this shot. AHHHH!!!

Have a great week,

-C

POLISH PASS VERSION 1

RELAXED HAND POSE

Class 3: Week 9

2008-05-29T01:43:00.000-07:00

WEEK 9!!!

We're deep into blocking now for our dialogue shot. I've done a few re-blocks since my initial reference and thumbnails and I'm starting to feel good about the poses. Now, I need to refine them and add a ton of breakdowns to smooth this baby out. For the next couple weeks we've also been asked to do a hand pose that shows a mood or emotion. This weeks hand pose is relaxed. Last weeks hand pose was anger. So, here is my hand pose from last week and my current blocking. I'll post again soon as I move into spline and start to polish this out. Have a great week!

-C

BLOCKING

ANGRY HAND POSE

Class 3: Week 7

2008-05-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hey!!

Its already week 7! I cannot believe how fast the program is going. I'm actually starting to think about my short film already for Class 5 and 6. So two weeks ago we finished up with our pantomime shot. I tried to do a little lighting and render for this one to give it a more finished look. Then, the next week we starting...drumroll please....

OUR FIRST DIALOGUE SHOT!!!

Woot! I've been waiting to get back into dialogue for a long time now and I'm super excited. Last week we picked 3 of our favorite clips and did thumbnails and reference for them. I'll post the clip i decided to do with the reference and planning drawings. I've actually reworked the idea a bit since this so the reference will be a little more current than the gesture drawings I did.

Anyways, I'll get back to posting on a weekly basis...just incase anyone is reading this...hello? Anybody there? Haha. I'm also going to be looking for an animation job while I finish up at AM so i'll keep you posted on how that goes. Have a great week everybody!

-C

FINISHED PANTOMIME SHOT

DIALOGUE REFERENCE

DIALOGUE ROUGH PLANNING DRAWINGS

Class 3: Week 4

2008-04-26T22:15:00.001-07:00

Hey EVERYONE!!!

How's it goin!?!?!...oh me?! I'm great! Busy but staying alive. This week and last week we continued work on our pantomime shot. Last week we did blocking plus and this week we did our first polish pass. We still have one more week on this assingment and then we start DIALOGUE!! I've started looking for a audio clip. Its a tough challenge to find something I like that is the right length with one character. But, I'll find something. Here is my blocking plus and polish01 for my shot. HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

-Chris

BLOCKING PLUS

POLISH 01

CLASS 3!!!!!

2008-04-18T21:28:00.001-07:00

Wow!

I'm behind once again on posting believe it or not. Things are getting busy at EA. Our first big milestone, Alpha, is in a few weeks!! I started Class 3 at AM a few weeks ago! My mentor is Jay Jackson. He is a animation vet! Some of his film credits include: The Little Mermaid, Tarzan, Atlantis, Cats Don't Dance, and The Prince and the Pauper. More recently he started doing 3D animation and has worked at Rythm and Hues and is now doing freelance animation work. He has been a GREAT mentor so far and I'm excited to learn from him!

Our first of two assingments this term is a pantomime assignment. We must convey a change of emotion with the Stewie character. My idea was to have a chacter waiting for a phone call. Someone calls but its not who he's waiting for so he's upset. The assingment is due in Session 305 so we have a couple more weeks to work on it. Here is my planning, reference and blocking for my shot. This week we are working on blocking plus.

Also, the episode of The Price is Right aired that my best friend and I went to so here are a few screen grabs of that!! You can watch the full episode at:

www.cbs.com/daytime/the_price_is_right/video/

Just look for Full Episodes. It aired on 4/17/2008.

Have a great week!!

-C

Pantomime Reference

Planning Drawings

Blocking

The Price Is Right!

Keaton got called up...and we were excited!

He also won in Contestants Row and went up on Stage!

He gave Drew a BIG hug...

He didn't win his game but got to spin the wheel!

He got 50 cents but it wasn't enough...

I had a couple quick star-studded appearances including this one...where Drew Carey and I are in the same shot...

Class 2: Week 12!!!!!!!

2008-03-28T20:14:00.001-07:00

HEY!!!

We just finished out last week of Class 2!!!!!! This has been a GREAT term!! I've learned a ton!! I'm ready to move into the next class and learn a ton more! Also went on a trip to Hollywood this last week which was amazing. My best friend got on The Price is Right so you will be able to see me and him on the show on April 14!!!!! It was sooooo much fun.

Anyways, here is my final assingment for this term and my progress reel up to this point. I'll post again when I know my new mentor and assingment.

Talk to you soon,

Chris

Sticky Door Final Assignement

Progress Reel

Class 2: Week 9

2008-03-09T03:17:00.000-07:00

Man...I can't believe this...week 9. Absolutely crazy. It seems like just a few months ago I was waiting to start AM and was so excited!!! Now, I'm almost in Class 3. It has been so great so far. As anyone that is involved with AM knows...its an amazing school full of amazing people.

Here is my blocking and re-block/refining for the sticky door assingment. I made some changes to the blocking based on Steve's critique. Mostly in the section where he squezes between the door. The posing wasn't working at all so hopefully i reads a lot better now. This is the final assingment for Class 2. From here, we have 2 weeks to polish this and then I start Class 3 on March 31st!! CRAZY!

Hope whoever is reading this is doing great and I hope you remembered to set your clock ahead an hour!! Peace out.

-C

BLOCKING

RE-BLOCK/REFINING

Class 2: Week 7

2008-02-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

Hey!!
I'm once again behind on posting...sorry about that. Anyways, here is my blocking, breaking, and final shot for the pole to pole assignment. This week we are also starting planning for our FINAL shot for Class 2!!! CRAZY!!!!! Its gone so quick! I feel like i've been learning a ton so thats great. I am also posting my planning for the next assingment. I decided to do the "Open a Sticky Door" assingment. So, here is my reference and planning drawings.

Have a great week!!

BLOCKING

BREAKING/BLOCKING PLUS

FINAL

STICKY DOOR ASSIGNMENT

REFERENCE

PLANNING

Class 2: Week 5

2008-02-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

Whoops! I have been terrible about updating my blog lately. For that, I am truely sorry. I decided to cram everything into one entry. This week we starting blocking for our jump from pole to pole assingment. But, to catch you up...The last 3 weeks have been blocking, blocking plus, and polish for our 180 turn. Last week we finished up that and started planning for our next assingment. The assignment is to have Stewie, the no armed man, jump from one pole to another, recover, and then carry on. Anyways, here is my 180 turn assingment and planning for this next one. I'll be sure to post blocking as soon as I finish it this week. THANKS FOR READING!!

Class 2: START!! 180 Turn

2008-01-15T00:27:00.000-08:00

Hey!!!!
My new mentor is Steve Cady!! Steve has worked at Rhythm and Hues and Weta and now resides in Montreal. He seems super cool and passionate about animation and I'm really excited to learn from him. You can check out some of his film credits on IMDB.com

We started right in this week with a great lecture from Rick O'Conner and a 180 degree turn for the assingment. There is no frame limit on this one so its up to us to come up with an idea and length. This week, we are doing planning. The assingment is to shoot video reference and draw thumbnails. Next week, we will start blocking. Here is my reference and thumbnails. See ya next week!!

Reference

Thumbnails

Class 1: THE END

2008-01-04T19:44:00.001-08:00

Hey All,
Sorry i haven't posted in a while. I was on a wonderful vacation to London and Paris and then back to Washington State for Christmas. Hope everyone had an excellent Christmas and New Years. I wanted to post my final project from Class 1 and my progress reel from all of last term. Class 2 starts on Monday and I'm VERY excited!!!!! So, more posts to come...Enjoy
-Chris

P.S. The background painting was a random search I did on google for a dark forest. So, I cannot take credit for it. The artist that painted it is Judy Schmidt and it was posted on ice.org.

Final Character Walk

Class 1 Progress Reel

Class 1: Week 10

2007-12-09T02:56:00.000-08:00

Hey!!!!!!
This week was part one of two for a final assingment...A CHARACTER WALK!! According to the assignment, it doesn't have to be a cycle so i tried to break it up and come up with something a little more interesting. Right now, it is from a side view and some things may not read very clearly. Next week it will be from a 3/4 view and hopefully make a lot more sense. This week is blocking and next week we will take it to final animation. The character I was going for was a boy who has gotten lost and gets startled as he's trying to find his way home. Also, the stu pose this week was Exhaustion I'd love to hear what you think! Thanks!! Have a great week!

Class 1: Week 9

2007-12-04T18:03:00.001-08:00

This week we took our vanilla walk blocking from last week and refined it. It was fun to get back into walks and I forgot how hard a simple walk can be. We also had to do a concerned pose with Stu. Here is what I came up with this week. Next week...character walk.

Class 1: Week 8

2007-11-27T16:10:00.002-08:00

WOW!!! IT'S WEEK 8 ALREADY?!?! This weeks lecture was an introduction to walks. Walks are one of the hardest things to do right in animation and they bring together all the principles we've been learning so far. Also, we were asked to do a pose with Stu that conveyed Strength. Here's what I came up with. The walk is in Stepped mode this week and next week we will smooth out and finish the animation. Thanks to all who are reading! More to come next week as always!! PEACE OUT

Class 1: Week 7

2007-11-16T13:15:00.000-08:00

This weeks lecture was on arcs and path of action. This is a very important concept that is hard to nail but gives your animation fluidity and an orgranic feeling. The assignment was a choice of two: Animate One-Leg doing a single jump OR Animate Tailor, the ball with a tail, doing at least 3 jumps. I chose to do the Tailor animation and wanted to come up with a bit of story and character. I will post planning drawings in the next couple days. Here is what I have for the animation. The frame limit was 120 frames. Also, I've switched over to Quicktime for better quality and playback so let me know if you have any problems viewing the videos. If you have Quicktime istalled, you shouldn't. Thanks! PEACE OUT!!

*UPDATE: I also added the planning drawings I did for this week.

Class 1: Week 6

2007-11-11T02:24:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone,
OVERLAPPING ACTION!! This weeks assignment was a challenging one! The assignment was to animate a platform and the pedulum that hangs from it showing overlapping action. I did a few revisions and polished and this is what I came up with for the week. More excitement coming next week! Stay tuned...

CLASS 1: WEEK 5

2007-10-31T23:45:00.001-07:00

Hey there! This week the assignment is to do a "Devastation" pose for Stu as well as animate a ball with squash and stretch going through an obstacle course. Here is the final animation I came up with as well as the stu devistation pose. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

CLASS 1: WEEK 4 - PART II

2007-10-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hey,
I just finished working on this weeks assignment and have done a few revisions since the last time I posted. It is sure hard to get an interesting and complete animation with only 120 frames to use but it is a good challenge. Here is my final assignment for this week. The weights of the balls are a bowling ball and a tennis ball...

Animation Mentor Student Showcase - Fall 2007

2007-10-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the AM Showreel for the Fall. There is some GREAT stuff on here! Check it out!!!

CLASS 1: WEEK 4

2007-10-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

Yo, We just stared week 4 here and the assignment is to make any revisions to last weeks assignment based on Nicole's (my mentor) critique. Also, the animation assigment is to thumbnail and animate a heavy and a light ball using timing and spacing. Here is what I have so far...

CLASS 1: WEEK 3

2007-10-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

This week we started animation!!!! The assignment was to do a bouncing ball with the weight of a basketball or soccerball in 100 frames using timing and spacing. Also, for our sketchbook we were supposed to excited poses and then choose one and pose "Stu" in 3D. Here is some "exciting" gestures, the excited Stu pose. The bouncing ball animation is on the way once I figure out how to embed video properly...

CLASS 1: WEEK 2

2007-10-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

WHAT UP?!
This week our assignment was to go out and draw in a public place. We were told to draw people and observe motion. Also, we were told to focus on the line of action and keep the drawings simple. I went to food court in the mall because I knew there would be good variety of different people there and there DEFINATELY was. On the way over to the food court, a lady selling lotion and stuff made me sit down and she put stuff all over my face and then somehow convinced me to buy it. It was funny...but very strange. Anyways, our assignment was to then take one pose that we liked and pose Animation Mentor's "Stu" character in 3D. Here are some sketches and the pose that I came up with....

CLASS 1: WEEK 1

2007-10-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

After 2 years of waiting for it, the time has FINALLY COME!!!!!! My mentor for Class 1 is Nicole Herr. Her film credits include: Space Jam, Titanic, Hollow Man, Stuart Little, Open Season, Surf's Up, and most recently I am Legend. She is currently working at Sony Pictures Animation. I look forward to learning a TON from her. This week was just an introduction to the school and what we have to look forward to. The site is a ton of fun and there is a bunch of stuff to waste your time doing...in a good way. I'm looking forward to meeting as many students, mentors, and staff as possible and I can't wait to get started!

ANIMATION MENTOR!!!

2007-10-22T14:08:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone,
I'm a little late getting this blog started but wanted to do it anyway. I am in week 4 of Animation Mentor and am LOVING it!!! It is such a great community full of people that are passionate about animation and are excited to learn. All of the staff is so involved and helpful and have done a great job on every aspect of the school. I will be posting my last 3 weeks at Animation Mentor to get caught up and then will be post my assignments each week as I do them. Any comments or critiques are very much appreciated. I will also be posting other cool things I find that are animation related. Stay tuned!