[back | home | info@awn.com | mail | next]
ASIFA San Francisco, Newsletter March 1997
WHO DID THAT AD?
Rhythm & Hues in Marina del Rey did the cgi work on the recent Garfield ad that has his suction cups holding him onto a car. The live-action and special effects ad was produced by Bozell Worldwide in Detroit.
Windmill Lane Productions in Santa Monica animated the ad in which the character in the painting "The Scream" by Munch comes alive and drives off in a Pontiac Sunfire. Meiert Avis was the director. Discreet Logic Flame was used to composit the work.
Aardman Animation in Bristol, England is responsible for a Starburst Fruit Twist ad. Sam Fell was the head animator. To get the characters to look more like candy their bodies were made of silicon instead of clay.
Olive Jar in Boston animated the Nestle Quik bunny in an ad in which the rabbit persuades a live-action granny to serve him and a Little League baseball player a couple of glasses of the stuff.
DEIRDRE'S CHOICE, MACHA'S CURSE AND CERRIDWEN'S GIFT - "THE CELTIC TRILOGY OF ROSE BOND" ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON VIDEO from the animator. Her tales of pre-Christian Ireland were animated by drawing directly on to the surface of clear 35mm film. The soundtracks feature Celtic music. On two of the films Fiona Ritchie,
who has a Celtic music show on National Public Radio, narrates the stories. She has a wonderful voice. The 48 minute long award winning trilogy represents 10 years of work.
Rose Bond was born in Canada and raised in Oregon. She has a MFA in filmmaking from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and currently teaches animation in Portland at the NW Film Center. She is a past president of ASIFA-NW.
The Celtic Trilogy sells for $29.95 and there is a shipping and handling fee of $4.95. It is available for home use from Rose Bond Productions, PO Box 25756, Portland, OR 97298. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.
Educational and institutional sales of the films are available from the University of California Media Extension Services, 2000 Center Street, 4th Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704. Individual titles are available in 16mm from the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019.
RUSSELL MERRITT REPORTS A NEW CD OF ANIMATION MUSIC IS AVAILABLE FROM RCA VICTOR The music by Paul Dessau was written in Europe during the silent era to accompany four Disney Alice cartoons and Starevitch's The Magic Clock. It is conducted by Hans Zimmer. The disc is titled Four Alice Comedies and The Magic Clock in one place and Alice Comedies on the spine. The inventory number is RCA Red Seal 09026681442.
Merritt has arranged for the Starevitch film to be shown on June 22, at the Pacific Film Archive. It will be part of a series called "Cinema of Enchantment." They will play the CD soundtrack with it. Additional films will complete the program.
TWO MORE STORES TO ADD TO YOUR LIST OF PLACES THAT SELL CARTOON RELATED ITEMS IN SAN FRANCISCO For moderate priced mass produced plastic items and a few nice things (most are too tacky to be collectable - or does that make them more desirable?) there is Cartoon World just off the main street of Fishermans' Wharf. You want key chains and fridge magnets with Bugs Bunny or Betty Boop on them? They got 'em. How about a Darth Vadar or Tanzanian Devil Coffee Cup? 2801 Jones Street, Suite 112, SF CA 94133.
Fox Hughes reports that T.T. Globetrotter at 418 Sutter Street carries a line of quality items ranging from rare comics to an antique statue of Tin Tin that they recently sold for $3,000.
ANIMATION COLLECTIBLE CENTER Animation producer Kevin Coffey of Cartoonland gave me a flyer for ACC. Among the items illustrated in the flyer were several drawings from Tex Avery cartoons and MGM Tom and Jerry shorts. There was even a nice Barney Bear drawing. The prices range from $150 to $275. The company also had two daily Pogo comic strips priced at $350 and $425. If interested call (800) 959-CELS (no address was on the flyer).
As for Coffey, he is busy producing visuals for a CD-ROM with a small crew at his studio.
ANIMATION JOURNAL, FALL, 1996 AND SPRING, 1997 If you enjoy reading serious informative essays about animation, this publication is a must. The most recent issues are full of well researched and carefully written articles covering a wide range of topics. The latest issue opens with a fascinating article about Carl Barks and his years at Disney. He worked as a writer on Donald Duck animated shorts from 1936 - 1942. In '42 he quit the studio and was hired to do Donald Duck comics. Author Thomas Andrae from Berkeley studies the development of the characters in the films Barks worked on including misogynist elements and the influence of the Depression on his storytelling.
Andrae's excellent contribution is followed by a look at letters Walt Disney wrote to his studio while he was in New York trying to find a sound system and distribution contract for Steamboat Willie in 1928. The studio was making The Barn Dance and Walt, acting as a producer/director gives instructions to his staff in his correspondence. This look at his input to the studio's product is by J.B. Kaufman, the co-author of Walt in Wonderland (his co-author is ASIFA-SF member Russell Merritt who teaches at Stanford).
Next comes an overview on the recent development of animation studios in the United Kingdom. It is followed by an excellent article on Bordo Dovnikovic, the current International President of ASIFA. It discusses his professional career from the 1950's to the present, including the inspiration for several of his best works (which unfortunately have rarely been seen in the USA except in Tournees of Animation years ago).
The final article in the Spring issue is on the development of Chuck Jones' character Sniffles (a mouse, 1938-1946) by David Williams, an outstanding British animation scholar.
The issue also has reviews of several books. They include a serious study of Jan Svankmajers work, essays on Japanese animation, and Trina Robbins' The Great Women Superheroes.
The Fall, 1996 issue contains two fascinating scholarly papers by Dr. William Moritz from CAL Arts. One is a critical study of Lotte Reiniger's career and the other is on Gasparcolor, an excellent color film developed in Europe before WWII that was used by Oskar Fischinger, George Pal and other artists/animators. Maureen Furniss, the editor of this valuable journal, includes her article on Phyllis Craig, who began her career as a color key artist at Disney in the 1950's. Her study adds a great deal to our understanding of the role of women in the animation industry.
The issue also has a review of the 1996 Zagreb Animation Festival, a reevaluation of Chuck Jones work with Tom and Jerry at MGM, a brief history on the aesthetics of computer animation, a list of new web sites, a negative review of Hugh Kenner's book Chuck Jones: A Flurry of Drawings, 1994, and positive reviews of three other books.
Subscriptions to Animation Journal are $20 for one year (2 issues) from AJ Press, 2011 Kingsboro Circle, Tustin, CA 92680-6733
NEWS ABOUT A NEW PUBLICATION FOR ANIMATION FANS ANIMATION PLANET will appear for the first time later this year. It is being published by Michael Dobbs, the former editor of Animato! Patrick Duquette will continue to publish Animato! (issue #37 will be out soon). For information about the new publication contact Dobbs at 17 Spruce Street, Springfield, Mass. 01105.
ANIMATION MAGAZINE, MARCH 1997 AND APRIL, 1997 The March issue continued to highlight the animation industry that advertises (or should advertise) in the publication. There are several product reviews, an interesting article on the Cartoon Network, an update on new mid-season TV series, another article on promotional tie-ins and a series of photos and short statements about "The Most Creatives in Animation, Part 2" (ranging from Tim Berglund and Ed Bell who used to be with Colossal to Faith Hubley, John Dilworth and Bill Plympton). There is more sound advice for people seeking careers in animation, lots of news items, etc. One surprise in the issue was a really long and informative article on the career of Ernest Pintoff by Maureen Furniss. Check it out.
The April issue appears to be designed as a program for the World Animation Celebration. It is loaded with slick ads for companies who are taking part in the event. Many of the "articles" are really program notes about the shows to be presented - however since the writers didn't know what films were going to be shown in advance many of their articles are nothing more than general information. For example the piece on the best cartoons from Warner Brothers was written before the selection jury had voted for their favorite toons. On the other hand the article on Chuck Jones by Jim Korkis (he appeared at the Celebration) is a wonderful tribute to the old master.
The issue also has the articles you would expect to find in this publication including a short one on the 4 nominees for this years Oscar for best animated short.
Subscriptions to Animation Magazine are $45 for a year or $84 for two years from 30101 Agoura Court, Suite 110, Agoura, CA 91301-9987.
RECRUITERS FROM PIXAR, PDI AND ILM HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT HOW TO LAND A JOB WITH TODAY'S TOP ANIMATION COMPANIES AT OUR MARCH ASIFA-SF EVENT All stressed the need for a solid background in drawing and animation basics, and all played down the value of courses in computer animation. Each company has their own proprietary software so no school can teach you what goes on at these companies. Instead each company wants to hire people who understand what animation is. They want to see you make a character come alive and act on your sample reel. They want to study your ability to tell a story and to communicate through the performance of your character. Impress them and land a job. The recruiters showed no interest in knowing about your ability to render textures or to do detailed backgrounds.
The companies represented at the program put all new employees through training programs. Each person stated that you can teach a traditionally trained animator to use the computer, but you can't teach a computer person to animate. A placement flyer for Pixar says, "Computer animation experience is helpful, but not necessary. A person with good traditional animation skills can easily learn our animation programs."
Computer people with a great deal of experience and knowledge become technical directors at these companies, but nobody suggested a college program was sufficient background to land a student trained on computers a job as a technical director. They don't have jobs as assistant TDs. This negative information is important as too many students believe they are going to become great animators overnight by taking a lot of technical computer courses. There are companies that will hire these students, but apparently Pixar, PDI and ILM have little interest in them.
People should be selective in what they put on their sample reel. Pixar got over 4,000 applications for work last year and hired about 65 people. PDI gets between 100 and 300 a week. Everybody said they look at each reel, but how many do they remember? To demonstrate that you can do what they are looking for, your reel should open with your best work that shows off your skills as a character animator. The entire reel should be short and to the point. Again, don't put your best work last.
One recruiter said that it is ok to include your experimental student film at the end of the reel, but show them your commercial potential first. They would rather see a short exceptional pencil test of a character in motion than a slick looking reel that has little or nothing to do with character animation. Being able to fly a camera around a computer generated model isn't what they are looking for anymore. Neither is fancy lighting.
If you are looking for work in model design, backgrounds or another department, state that clearly in your cover letter and send them whatever slides or drawings you have that best shows off that skill. One person said Pixar had recently hired somebody for their modeling department who was well qualified for the job. The person wants to become an animator so they will attend good ol' P.U. (Pixar University - Chuck Jones used this joke in The Dover Boys, 1942). They will be taught how they animate at Pixar and eventually they will be able to switch jobs.
The companies ask that you put your name and addresses on your reels and other items. Mark everything clearly. Don't do fancy labels. It is the content of the reel that is important, not the packaging. Pixar, ILM and PDI don't hire package designers.
Don't use fancy type faces on your resume and labels. The people who get them do not want to hire a cryptographer to figure out what your address or phone number is.
Don't expect to get your materials back from Pixar or PDI (and probably ILM). PDI keeps them on file for 2 years. Pixar and ILM didn't state how long they keep material. Whatever you do, don't send your originals. Good copies are all that are needed. Limit the number of samples you send as they don't need to see more than 10 or 20 drawings, slides and/or photos.
If you are entering a college program, the only schools mentioned as being outstanding are Cal Arts and Sheradan College. Graduates from other colleges are of course hired by the industry, but the recruiters seem to feel more comfortable recommending their companies hire people trained by what they consider to be the best schools. One person said they don't care if you have a degree, but the longer you stay in college the better educated you will be. That makes you a better asset for whomever hires you. That could make a difference in your career.
The speakers talked about what their companies are doing today and gave some indications of the size and growth of the companies they represented. Rachel Hannah, Recruiting Manage from Pixar, said they have 325 employees at present (up from about 110 when Toy Story was completed) and they expect to have about 400 at the end of the year. The company plans to move to a larger space in Emeryville in about 3 years. They eventually hope to release a feature every other years and in off-years they want to release CD-Roms, direct to video sequels, etc. They project the company having 600 or 700 people on staff in a few years.
Marilyn Friedman, a production manager and recruiter from PDI said they had a staff of 90 a year ago. Now the company has 211 staff members. They are still growing and may outgrow their new building soon. They are presently working on their first feature (with Woody Allen as a voice artist), doing special effects work for other features (Batman and Robbin for Warner Brothers, Peacemaker for Dreamworks), doing TV commercials for a variety of companies and doing in-house research and development projects in the form of short personal films. A 2nd feature from PDI may get underway late this year.
Ken Maruyama, Manager of Digital Animation and Creature Development, and Dave Andrews, Animation Supervisor, represented ILM. The company has 900 employees and about 400 are in the cgi department. Unlike PDI and Pixar the company only works on outside projects. Maruyama listed some of the projects in-the-works. One that will keep them growing in size for several years is the continuation of the Star Wars saga.
Special thanks to the representatives of PDI, Pixar and ILM for their time and information. It was an important education for all who attended. ASIFA-SF will present another free program on careers in animation in the not-too-distant future.
For further information:
ILM has a job hotline at (415) 258-2100, or check the Lucas Digital Ltd. website at http:\\www.ldlhr.com For information about positions in computer graphics (only) call (415) 258-2400 or write ILM/CG Recruiting, PO Box 2459, San Rafael, CA 94912.
Pixar can be reached at www.pixar.com or write Pixar Animation Studios, attn: Recruiting, 1001 West Cutting Blvd., Richmond, CA 94804 (510) 236-4000.
PDI can be reached at www.pdi.com or write 3101 Park Boulevard, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (415) 846-8100.
XAOS SEEKS FULL-TIME AND FREELANCE COMPUTER ANIMATORS Freelance animators should have 2+ years of production experience in SoftImage and/or 3DS Max. Full-time animators should have a strong fine arts background. Applicants should have an excellent portfolio of computer animation. Production experience in SoftImage and/or 3DS Max is a plus.
Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, demo reel (VHF or 3/4") and a credit list for animation on your demo reel. If you would like your materials returned please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Xaos is a San Francisco computer graphics design and animation facility which specializes in high-end digital effects for feature films, commercials and broadcast. Contact Recruiting, Xaos Inc., 444 De Haro Street, Suite 211, San Francisco, CA 94107. No phone calls please.
LAST CALL FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL BRAINWASH MOVIE FESTIVAL (FORMERLY THE CACOPHONY DRIVE-IN MOVIE FESTIVAL) This is a fun event where films are shown outdoors on a portable screen. The last event was in a warehouse district off Third St. This year the event on July 5 & 6 will be at a new location thanks to the help of the SF Film Commission. The festival's director is touring a program of highlights from past events. He will start April 5 in LA and end April 27 in NYC at C.B.G.B. Gallery. The Exploratorium has lent him a video projector for the tour.
The event offers dubious prizes (not cash) with silly names. Bishop Joey from the First Church of the Last Laugh will present the awards. To enter an event that nobody should take seriously, send work under 13 min. long on VHS tape by May 1 to Shelby Toland (aka David Krzysik) at PO Box 881911, San Francisco, CA 94188. $10 entry fee. Make checks out to "Film Festival." Add $3 for postage if you want your tape back. "Do not send your parent's home movies."
SEE LAST MONTHS NEWSLETTER FOR DETAILS ABOUT THE NEW YORK EXPOSITION OF SHORT FILM AND VIDEO (July 1 deadline), MARIN COUNTY FESTIVAL (April 11 deadline), INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ANIMATION FESTIVAL OF OTTAWA (July 1 deadline), VERMILLION (May 10 deadline) BRADFORD (May 1 deadline) and ODENSE (May 1 deadline).
14th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL deadline is May 30 for an Oct. 9 - 19 event. $35 entry fee, they preview 1/2" tapes, There is one cash prize of $2,500 and several jury awards (certificates). There are both adult and children's juries and each gives awards to work in the animation category. For details and entry form contact Facets Multi-Media, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60604 (773) 281-9075.
GOLDEN CALF AWARDS deadline is April 15. No cash prizes, awards given in animation category. Accepts all kinds of formats, $10 entry fee. Oliver Kaever, Golden Calf Awards, Campus Cinema, 21 South Hall, University of Ca. Davis, CA 95616 (916) 752-7570.
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO SHORT CINEMA FESTIVAL deadline is April 18 (26th if you are a student there). Awards given. For details write CCSF, Cloud Hall Room 126, Film Department, 50 Phelan Ave., SF CA 941112 (415) 239-3651.
[back | home | info@awn.com | mail
| next]