Archive for July, 2009

Press release form the OIAF and TAC: Animation Producers to give their best pitch at TAC Producers find out if they have what it takes to create a hit series in the über-competitive world of animation at the fifth annual Pitch THIS! The Television Animation Conference (TAC), taking place on October 14 and 15, will… »

Decode sells 6 animated series to Irish channel TG4.  This is a big chunk of programming to sell at once, basically a whole programming block.  Shows you what can happen with a solid library and the right sales team. YTV/Treehouse fall lineup.  A few imported heavy hitters, like Penguins of Madagascar and Spongebob, but a… »

Toonboom did a promotional piece a while back for their Storyboard Pro software.  They posted a video, that I can’t imbed, interviewing the principals at Toronto’s House of Cool: Ricardo Curtis, Founder and President, Wesley Lui, Co-founder and Director of Operations and Andrew Ng, Television Story Supervisor. The interview is definitely a promo, but it… »

Job Description: Relic Entertainment, award winning developers of Homeworld, Dawn of War and the highest rated RTS of all time, Company of Heroes, is looking for an experienced and motivated SENIOR ANIMATOR to join our team. Experience freedom of creativity and know your contribution is valued and recognized – by the Relic team, and also… »

Job Description: Your friends will call in the middle of the night, cursing you. When you see them, they’ll wear sunglasses to conceal their bloodshot eyes, and they’ll be alone, because their romantic interests left them without even texting goodbye. They won’t be able to stop playing. It’s a terrible fate, but I’m afraid it’s… »

Darren Rawling’s Rex Bunyan is up again. Must be… »

If you’re not reading Mark Mayerson’s blog, you should be.  Mark is a smart guy.  He writes smart things.  I don’t necessarily think he’s always right, but I like what he has to say.  He posts a wide variety of animation-related topics on his blog, Mayerson on Animation, and has some very pertinent observations of… »

I haven’t mentioned or linked to this before, and that’s a shame. The NFB have made a whole buttload of films available for viewing over at their site. I’m going to link to Leonard Maltin’s Best of the NFB compilation, because I might get more hits by having Leonard Maltin’s name in my content. Leonard… »

It’s Monday, so that means Darren Rawlings has anothr Rex Bunyan strip… »

Ok, Rainmaker’s got another round of job posts.  There’s a lot of them so I’m not going to include the full descriptions, just links. Here you go: DESIGN Production Designer Posted: Jun 30, 2009 View Job Details Character Designer Posted: Jul 10, 2009 View Job Details FEATURE FILM VFX Supervisor Posted: Jul 7, 2009 View… »

I’m asking this question, not in the sense of “who are the people that make the cartoons we watch?”, but rather, who. out there, is making cartoons? There’s a lot of talk about how the advances in technology, both hardware and software, have created unprecedented possibility for the creation of professional quality animation. Home studios… »

It’s Monday, and Darren managed to get another strip… »

Second and final part of Mark Capello’s interview with M-A Kuttner former honcho at Collideascope Digital Pictures. (Mark Cappello in italics) How do you think the closing of Collideascope and even more recently Fatkat has affected the ‘decision makers’ in Toronto with regards to their perception of Atlantic Canada’s ability to produce full series? Do… »

Out of Calgary, courtesy of the Quickdraw Animation Society: GIRAF5: (Giant Incandescent Resonating Animation Festival) is an international festival of independent and experimental animation, presented by Quickdraw Animation, and takes place this November 4-8, 2009 at the Plaza Theatre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. GIRAF celebrates the spirit of independent and underground animation, showcasing animators from… »

Received a message from Lee Williams, owner of Boomstone Animation in Ottawa over the weekend. Hey Mike, Now it’s my turn. as of today after 13 years I’ve put Boomstone on hiatus. The studio was closed today and the equipment was donated. Time to seek something new. Lee Boomstone’s been around awhile here in Ottawa,… »

Got word that Max The Mutt animation school out of Toronto still has openings in their 3D program starting this August.  I spoke to Steve Sayer, an instructo in the program and formerly of the Arti Institute of Toronto.  Steve had this to say: This fall (actually late summer), we at Max the Mutt are… »

Friend to the site, and now contributor, Mark Cappello recently took the time to have a lengthy and probing conversation with Michael-Andreas Kuttner, formerly of Collideascope Digital Productions, the now defunct studio from Nova Scotia. Collideascope was the biggest shop on the east coast, and it’s closure came as a shock to the industry. Their… »

Production Designer OVERALL ACCOUNTABILITY: The Production Designer is the leader of the art and design team who develops and implements the overall vision of the film. The successful incumbent is responsible for creating an appealing and appropriate overall visual style for the film. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Collaborates with the Director and Producer to bring the… »

Development Coordinator: To provide administrative and creative support to our very active television development department. The ideal candidate should be enthusiastic about children’s programming and new media. Requirements: · 3+ years experience in the television and/or animation industry. · Excellent organizational and strong research skills. · Excellent written and verbal communication. · Familiar with trade… »

Nick Cross, on his blog, pointed out an interview that Dave Cooper did back in December with Hi-Fructose Magazine. This was back when Dave and Nick were unveiling the music video they had just completed for Danko Jones’ single, King of Magazines. I’m using this as an excuse to repost a great piece of animation… »

I saw this camera about a week ago when I was grabbing a quick tour of the IFCO offices.  wow.  I learned on one of these monsters back at Concordia in 1993.  The first year student s would get a quick crash course, followed by a lecture that would consist of “If you break the… »

Wow.  Lots to report today. Whew. On top of everything else, it looks like we’ve got ourselves an online directory everybody!  Props out to Jerrett Zaroski and everyone over at the Ottawa International Animation Festival for putting this together.  I think you’ll find it highly functional and easy on the eyes.  Go check it… »

Just got this news(via thestar.com) Video game producer Ubisoft is opening a shop in Toronto, creating 800 jobs over ten years.  The province is dumping ovr 260 million over the ten year period to support the venture, with Ubisoft (of Montreal) investing 500 million into the studio.  This should give us all some idea of… »

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From NFB press release: CHRIS LANDRETH’S THE SPINE AWARDED THE BEST OF FEST AT THE MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL Toronto, June 29, 2009 – Chris Landreth’s animated short The Spine, produced by the National Film Board of Canada in association with Copperheart Animation and C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, was honoured with the Best of the Festival… »

Normally I’d file this under the “from the internets” banner, but I wanted to draw attention to a few things in this piece on Adam Mimnagh and Huminah Huminah Animation in Nova Scotia (vi thechronicleherald.ca). The piece tells a story that has become familiar to many of us in the industry.  An animator finds himself… »

I came across this article today and really can’t think of a whole lot  to add.  Here are two animators in a region that has been particularly hard hit by our industry downturn, but rather than gripe about it, they’ve shown some entrepreneurial spirit and have decided to share their love of animation with kids…. »

(Toronto) Guru has announced that Janice Jacobs is stepping into the role of producer for their episodic and film department. According to Frank Falcone, Creative Director at Guru, “Janice possesses tremendous attention to detail along with the ability to manage demanding and complex productions. She will be a great asset to guru at a time… »

Videos after the jump…… »