Cartoon Brew
- TALKBACK: The Regular ShowThe first episode of the fifteen-minute series The Regular show premiered yesterday on the Cartoon Network. It can be seen below. Thoughts and opinions by those who have seen it are welcome. […]
Mayerson on Animation
- The Provenance of a Painting(Click to enlarge)Leon Schlesinger was the producer and owner of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies that were released through Warner Bros. While his studio had cartoon stars like Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny surpassed both of them to become a major hit with audiences. As a result, Schlesinger had this painting made and hung in his office.The artis […]
Cold Hard Flash
- Sexy Animation Too Hot For YouTubeHarry Partridge created this new teaser for Starbarians, a Flash-animated project he’s been cooking, and uploaded it to his popular YouTube channel. While there’s no nudity in the short, YouTube nixed the video for being “too sexually provacative.” Luckily Newgrounds welcomed the short with open arms, and it’s already nearing 200,000 views. [NSFW […]
Drawn
- Animated Mouk!Marc Boutavant’s amazing Around the World with Mouk (previously) has been made into a pilot. The video is not embeddable, so I took the above screenshots. See the full pilot here. (via our friend Claire) Posted by David Huyck on Drawn! The Illustration and Cartooning Blog | Permalink | 4 comments Tags: Animation, Marc Boutavant, mouk, pilot […]
ToonBoom Resource
- Tutorial: More Drawing Tools by Toon BoomToon Boom has just released a new tutorial pack for Animate et Animate Pro, titled More Drawing Tools. Check them out! […]
Tag Archive
jobby: Ottawa scene
I’ve been struggling for a week with this. I want to write a simple post about the job market in Ottawa, with specific emphasis on some unique opportunities. Maybe I’m being overly cautious, but here’s the thing: I don’t want to shill. About two weeks back, I noticed a bump in job posts here on… »
Events: Cartoon Connection Canada-EU application
Following up on my earlier post, I heard back from Azarin Sohrabkhani, who runs TAC. She provided us with the following info: TAC and the Ottawa International Animation Festival are very excited to announce CARTOON CONNECTION Canada-EU, a new networking event co-organized with the producers of Cartoon Forum and Cartoon Movie. With the help of… »
The art of staying sane
Or: Even crappy McJobs can give you valuable experiences. I was at a conference this week (Casual Connect) for the social online gaming space and had a fun discussion about the awful jobs people have had to do over their careers. It struck me that even that worst job that you have had can be… »
Uncertainty is the principle
Or: Heisenberg would have made a great Producer. A great quote from Ed Catmull: “On managers self-destructive tendencies for creative work: The notion that you’re trying to control the process and prevent error screws things up. We all know the saying it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. And everyone knows that, but I… »
More from Ron Doucet on setting freelance rates
Ron posted a while back about setting freelance rates and provided some guidelines that he used. Well, it caused a bit of a stir, as he quoted some very low numbers. If you read the post, you might do well to red through the comments as well, as an excellent discussion ensued regarding the rates… »
Starz Animation for sale
Our friend Mark Mayerson posted this little tidbit on his blog the other day: Toronto’s Starz For Sale Variety is reporting that Starz Media, which consists of Overture, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Film Roman and Starz Animation are for sale. The companies are available as a group or separately. Starz was formerly owned by IDT and… »
Awesome advice from Ron Doucet: Setting Your Rates For Freelance Work
Setting Your Rates for Freelance Work As I have been doing many freelance jobs from storyboards to design and animation over the past year for many clients both big and small. I’ve realized how difficult it can become to figure out what to charge clients for your services. Here’s a small guide based upon by… »
Events: Jalloo Festival of Animation and Games, Miramichi NB
It’s coming up next week, June 16th and 17th, and I’m gonna be there this year, the Jalloo Festival of Animation and Games, in Miramichi, New Brunswick. This’ll be the first trip to Jalloo for me, and a return to Miramichi. Animation in the maritimes has been struggling since the big dip a year or… »
the challenge of animation, part IV: TCAF and Animation, by Mark Mayerson
I linked to this yesterday, but I really feel it needs to be read. I asked Mark Mayerson if I could repost it and he was good enough to say yes. So, here are Mark’s words: TCAF and Animation Last weekend, the Toronto Comic Arts Festival was held at the reference library at Yonge and… »
The Production Bible.
Or: there are more than ten commandments in this one. There are many bibles that exist in a production, with many more rules than the ten from the Christian bible. I prefer to call them Manifestos. These Bibles/Manifestos are used to create a baseline or fundamental guide for everyone involved in a production to follow…. »
Press Release: Guru Studio expands, hires former CORE tooner, Aaron Linton
April 26, 2010 – Toronto-based Guru Studio welcomes its latest recruit Aaron Linton to its production team. Linton, who headed up the Toons division at C.O.R.E. Digital, joins Guru Studio as part of the Justin Time team. Justin Time is an energetic pre-school show developed by Guru Studio in production for Family Channel and Playhouse… »
Weekend Reading Cheat, Video: Pixar’s Ed Catmull
Posting on the run the past few days. I’m in Toronto and I’m busy, busy, busy. Here’s a great piece of video with Pixar’s Ed Catmull. A few select quotes: I don’t like hard rules at all. I think they’re all bullshit. I do believe you want a vision, so you start off with a… »
Events: Toronto Animation Industry Night, April 22, Toronto
Looks like I’m going this year! Here’s the details: You’re invited to the 3rd Annual Toronto Animation Industry Night – THURSDAY APRIL 22nd 7pm-2am, $10 @ the door. The Field House 315 Queen St. E. Music performance by Drasko V (Drastic Music) and VJ Performances by Markus Heckmann (Derivative) and VJ Nokami, Screening, Prizes (including… »
Pixar Canada is open for business
Articles here and here. The second link has a video that Pixar made for the announcement. I’ll post more… »
CORE Closure update: Globe and Mail gets some details
The Globe and Mail’s Michael Posner has continued to follow up on the closure of CORE Digital last month. His article from Fridays’s Globe and Mail gives further details behind the FX shops demise. It looks like the company was further in debt than I’d heard: The bankruptcy followed a seven-month negotiation involving C.O.R.E., the Royal… »
the challenge of animation, part III
March 30th, 2010 Another quickie, just a link really, but as we address the challenge of animation, it’s important to be looking for a solution. I’m struggling these days to put it all on paper, but it’s there, and I’m going to try to spell it out. At the very least, here’s one of the… »
From the internets: Special edition, Teletoon names Alan Gregg to position of Director of Original Content
I’m a little miffed, since I don’t seem to be on Teletoon’s list for press releases, but it seems they’ve foound Michael Goldsmith’s successor: Alan Gregg. Here are a few links: Broadcaster Magazine Hollywood Reporter C21 Medi I don’t know Alan, but I’m hoping I can track him down for a chat. This position affects… »
Mattel’s Monster High VS Neptoon Studio’s Monstrocity High, you decide, UPDATED
March 22, 2010. This kind of thing happens all the time: you have an idea for a show, you draw some sketches, come up with some characters, maybe even put together a pitch, then discover that someone’s pitching, or already producing, something similar. Often enough, you can chalk it up to dumb luck and sheer… »
The state of the animation industry?
Or: I think we are going to need a better boat. You may have noticed some rather spectacular news in the last few days concerning closures of animation studios and layoffs of seasoned folks at others. While this is not a new phenomenon it sure smarts when it happens. Over the last two years there… »
CORE Digital closure update, Now with more Shatner, UPDATED @ 2:25pm, 11:40 pm
March 17, 2010 9:30 am: A source out of Toronto provided me with some information this morning. The problem, inarguably, is that CORE was in debt, pehaps as high as 2 million in debt. According to my source, management had worked out an agreeement with the province to bail them out, basically step in and… »
CORE Digital closure coverage, updated March 16, 3:30 pm
March 16th, 2010 The news is finally starting to break elsewhere. Amid at Cartoon Brew got the word out to his readers yesterday, and linked back to our coverage. Now you can find news bits here (Holywood Reporter), and Playback will be running something this afternoon. There isn’t anything new to report as of yet…. »
Cookie Jar cuts 35 animation jobs
More bad news folks. Sorry to be the one who brings it to you. Etan Vlessing sent me the link today so I’m going to repaste it here (via Hollywood Reporter) Cookie Jar cuts 35 animation jobs Canadian indie producer eyes more live-action production By Etan Vlessing March 16, 2010, 12:00 PM ET TORONTO —… »
Words of Wisdom from Ron Doucet: Creating an Online Presence
March 9, 2010 Looks like our little list of contributors is growing! Please welcome Ron Doucet. I’ll get Ron to give us a proper intro soon, for now, I’m just going to go ahead and yield the floor to him for the first of what I hope will be many contributions to Canadian Animation Resources…. »
the challenge of animation, part II
Part II in an ongoing conversation. I’m sick as a dog today, so I’ll keep this short. Oh, and cryptic. The challenge of animation here in Canada may actually be more challenging than even I suspected. That’s all I can say today. More to… »
Casting your net
Or: the importance of networking I am heading off next week to the Game Developers Conference. I hope to be able to post some things from there but I thought that sharing some of the reasons for going would be fun! I am generalizing here but something about the animation industry seems to attract a… »
the challenge of animation, an ongoing conversation (plus a call for feature talent)
March 2, 2010 Chapter one in an ongoing series. I was speaking with a distributor this week. They’ve been approached by an American client who is looking to do a feature film. It’s got a low budget (but still in the tens of millions) and they’re looking to produce it in Canada. Great right? You’d… »
When is a job not a job?
When it is a career? Words have power so I like to read the meanings to them when formulating my thoughts: job 1 |jäb| noun 1 a paid position of regular employment : jobs are created in the private sector, not in Washington | a part-time job. 2 a task or piece of work, esp…. »
If I were in Edmonton, I’d go to this.
The NFB and the NSI are co-hosting a workshop directed specifically at how filmmakers can use social media to engage their communities. Matt Forsythe (Content Manager, NFB.ca) and Liz Hover (Digital Media Manager, NSI) will provide practical advice on: • How to Create a Social Media Strategy • How and When to Use Social Media… »
Boring Freelance Tax Preparation, Part 1
Tax time is almost upon us, and at this time of year many freelance animation artists are busy preparing a mess of receipts and write offs. It usually takes a few years to figure out exactly what can and can’t be written off, and many artists struggle to take full advantage of all the tax… »
Press Release: Atomic Cartoons wins both Pixie and Producer
Vancouver, B.C. Canada – Atomic Cartoons’ Director, Tyler Schroeder, recently brought home a Pixie Award to the Olympic city for his stellar work on Mythunderstood, a short format animated cartoon created and directed by Schroeder and produced by Atomic. The Pixie Awards is sponsored by the American Pixel Academy and judging is done by professionals… »
Nick Cross announces production of The Pig Farmer: Updated with link to Cartoon Brew commentary
Award-winning Canadian animator, Nick Cross showed off a few drawings from his latest independent short, The Pig Farmer, over on his blog Friday. Nick is familiar to regular readers of this site as the director of a long list of animated shorts, most recently, 2009′s Yellowcake. These films take a long time to produce, as… »
Portfolio launches content contest
PORTFOLIO ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES WORLDWIDE “IN TOON WITH TWEENS” ANIMATION CONTEST Option & Development Deal Prizes Totaling $10,000 CDN Awarded To Top Two Winning Entries Toronto, Canada (February 8, 2010) – Portfolio Entertainment Inc. unveils its inaugural “In Toon With Tweens” animation contest, an initiative designed to encourage creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking by throwing the doors… »
Employment Status
In the fluid nature of the animation industry, most workers can encounter a number of different relationships with a prospective employer. Small jobs, relief work, contract, sub contract, volunteer, employee, literally every combination you can imagine can apply to a job. I’ve worked in a number of different circumstances, and the main lesson I’ve learned… »
A conversation with Gene Fowler: What’s the opposite of outsourcing?
I got word the other day that Gene Fowler and his gang at Loogaroo had just picked up a gig from a company out of Singapore. Never one to miss an opportunity, I hit him up on MSN to find out more about it. Gene was good enough to indulge my questions and even drew… »
The Value of an Artist
I’m often asked by artists to judge whether the work they are doing is worth the money they are being paid by a studio. It’s a tough question, as every studio I’ve ever worked for or heard of has paid their crews different amounts for work, and in very dissimilar ways. Some studios pay by… »
2009 year in review, part I
We’re a now a chunk of days into 2010, and personally, I’m excited about it. 2009 was a great year, despite all the crap that hit us, and I’m keen to wrap it up and see what’s ahead. So let’s get on with it. When I put it to you guys, there seemed to be… »
