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AWN Oscar Tour Travelogue

Blogs

Screenings Come to a Close at ICM

By Dan Sarto | Saturday, February 23, 2008 at 10:10am

When the agents cringed at the time it takes, tour host Ron Diamond said, “Animation is a painful process and this brings it to a new low.” Hugh added that he would have liked more time to finish Peter, but they had already sold out the Royal Albert Hall for the premiere and they wanted to continue working in the U.K., so they had to keep the debut date.

Blogs

Closing the Day with William Morris Agents

By Dan Sarto | Friday, February 22, 2008 at 2:20pm

After a late screening in the Aidikoff Screening Room for the William Morris agents, the filmmakers had a chance to meet with a few of the agents. Like many people have said along the tour, the agents felt that this year is one of the strongest years for animated shorts in quite some time.

Blogs

DreamWorks Day on the Oscar Showcase Tour

By Dan Sarto | Thursday, February 21, 2008 at 3:42pm

When it comes to development of stories, John said they have the entire story department brainstorming on the projects at the beginning then pare down the writers on each film. He added that usually the scribes will be the first on the project and can stay involved with the project as late as three months before release.

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An Afternoon with Disney TV

By Dan Sarto | Thursday, February 21, 2008 at 3:20pm

A new question for the Peter and the Wolf team was how they came about designing and animating the animals. The main goal of the design was to not make them caricatures. Hugh said the duck was the toughest and the look they chose was based on how goofy the breed looked, which would help create instant sympathy for the doomed character.

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Nominees Hang Ten with Surf’s Up Directors & Sony Artists

By Dan Sarto | Wednesday, February 20, 2008 at 2:53pm

While the films were screening for the studio artists, we were treated to a backstage look at the making of Sony’s Oscar-nominated animated feature Surf’s Up. VFX supervisor Rob Bredow gave us a nice overview of creating the beautiful waves and mockumentary style of the film.

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No One Wants to Ever Leave Skywalker Ranch, Because…

By Dan Sarto | Saturday, February 16, 2008 at 2:00pm

Once arriving at Skywalker Ranch’s breakfast area, after much more sleep than I had on my last visit, many of the tour members were already having a bite to eat before starting the hectic three-screening day. During the screening, the tour group split into two to tour the main house. Despite having seen the sights last year, it doesn’t diminish the wonder at all, especially when accompanied by a group who have never experienced it before. Adjectives like “awesome” and “insane” wafted through the air.

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ILM’s Valentine’s Gift — A Night at Skywalker Ranch

By Dan Sarto | Friday, February 15, 2008 at 4:27pm

As we drove up to Skywalker Ranch, the excitement was clearly growing in the packed van. After watching the Skywalker Sound reel and some animation clips in the impressive Stag Theatre, we met with Randy Thom, who is nominated for his sound work on Ratatouille.

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Nominees Have A Date with Brad Bird, Ed Catmull & The Rest of Pixar’s Staff

By Dan Sarto | Friday, February 15, 2008 at 3:50pm

A first for the tour, but most likely not a first for the Madame Tutli-Putli team was about their enigmatic ending. Maciek explained that the intention of the film was less about plot and more like a poem where one scene doesn’t dictate the next, but informs the preceding scene.

Blogs

Love for Pixar on Valentine’s Day

By Dan Sarto | Friday, February 15, 2008 at 3:34pm

The Animation Pit, where the artists work, is filled with intricately decorated offices, a haven for toy lovers. When more office space was needed, traditional cubicles were brought in, but the artists hated them. So after a little research, for the same amount of money, they were able to bring in little huts called tough shed, which have been transformed into mini-offices in the middle of the wide halls.

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Peter and the Wolf Director Suzie Templeton Answers The Six Questions

By Dan Sarto | Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 4:44pm

I banned them from talking about it as I was getting so nervous and then I checked the Oscar website in the afternoon and there we were! And then the phones all started ringing and Rosto gave me some flowers and champagne and whisked me off to dinner!

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