Genndy Tartakovsky

Genndy Borisovich Tartakovsky  is a Russian-born animator, director and producer and he is the creator of my favourite animated series of all time; Dexter's Laboratory. 

The character design in Dexter's Lab has always been something that has made me want to be an animator - it's probably the nostalgia of it all, but the simplisity of the characters with their distinctive expressions have always appealed to me.  Dexter's sister Dee Dee was inspired by one of Genndy Tartakovsky's drawings of a ballerina. After drawing Dee Dee's tall, thin shape, he decided to pair her with a short and blocky opposite, Dexter, inspired by Tartakovsky's older brother. The series was animated in a stylised way, which Tartakovsky says was influenced by the Merrie Melodies cartoon The Dover Boys. Dexter's Lab, however, was staged in a cinematic way, rather than flat and close to the screen, to leave space and depth for the action and gags. Tartakovsky was also influenced by other Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, Japanese anime.
I'll always love Dexter's Lab because of the nostalgia but it's the style of animation and its humour that has kept me a viewer throughout my young adult life. 

paperman

Paperman (stylised as paperman) is a 2012 black-and-white 3D hand-drawn/computer animated romantic comedy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by John Kahrs. The short blends traditional animation and computer animation.
I thought this video for the making of the Paperman. As a budding character designer, it's nice to see that in the workplace they do value their initial designs enough to put them into parts of their film. 
I think it's given a really nice feel to the film itself.

SVA Motion Graphics

This is a really nice piece of motion graphics that I came across on Motionographer.
The transitions of the cats are really smooth so it looks as though it could have been created using After Effects.
As I've probably stated before 1000 times, I'm a really big fan of simplistic animation and cats so this is right up my street.
The rest of the work in this portfolio is really nice too, and offers a lot of inspiration for trying different things in the future so I'll be keeping an eye on this company to see what else they come out with. 

Mameshiba

While I was in Tokyo a couple of years ago, I kept seeing these short animated adverts which were really weird. 
After remembering them again, I decided to have a look for them online. I literally only had 'talking green beans advert Japan' to go by in terms of a Google search but I managed to find the whole series of these ads on YouTube. Turns out they're called Mameshiba which are different varieties of beans that have dog-like faces and tell trivia and they're actually quite popular in the UK in terms of merchandise.
I really like the animated shorts however, I think the kind of watercolour style colour palette works really nice and the sad songs in the background when the bean is talking definitely gives it it's comedic value. 

The Employment

I saw this video after someone shared it on Facebook. It was titled 'The Best Animation of All Time' which I think is a bit strong but it is a really nice animation. After some research, I found out it was called 'The Employment'. It's a really powerful animation showing that everyone is pretty much someones employee in some way or another. The colour palette in this animation is really apt for the story with it's dull colours reflecting the daily grind.
I think it's really nice that it's been able to tell a story so well without any dialogue and it's no wonder it has won multiple awards. 

The Animated Self - Production

I used a programme called Paint tool SAI to create the frames for my animation as I think it's a really simple to use software that can create effective outcomes. I use the curve tool to create smooth edges to give a slick effect. 

Creating the movement of my previous animations was pretty time consuming. I added in the individual frames one by one to get the movement right. There probably was a simpler way of doing it but it worked fine I think. 

To make the eyes into stars for the ending of my animation, I used the translate tool to manipulate the curve of the eye. 

Once I'd illustrated each frame I imported them into Photoshop to see how they'd turn out as an animation. This method was pretty time consuming but I used a way I was comfortable with to get the animation done in the short time that we had.

Trusts and Estates

I found this animation whilst looking on Short of the Week. It's been adapted from a conversation overheard between four lawyers in a Santa Monica restaurant.  
I think the way Jeanette Bonds has translated the conversation into a visual really works well -  the animation style doesn't take away the focus from the conversation yet it is still visually pleasing in a quirky way. 

PPP Presentation - First Year Progress

These are the points I have to consider when making a presentation:

What have you learned and also what do you want to learn? 
I have learnt many different techniques including hand drawing frame by frame animation and digital.

What have you enjoyed during the year and why, also what have you disliked and why? 
I have enjoyed getting my ideas down into an animation - some of them turned out better than others but I've liked seeing my ideas come to life. 
I haven't really liked the documentation side of it all, which has been a major downfall for me. Time management has been a struggle for me also and I need to spend less time procrastinating.

What mistakes have you made (in and out of college) and how have you learned from them? 
I think for me a big mistake I always make is kidding myself I have more time to do projects than I actually do - I tend to leave a lot of things until the last minute (especially blogging!). Which isn't great when you have more than one deadline to meet...

Has this made you consider how you do thing or will approach things in the future?
Definitely. Next year I intend to visit academic support to help out with the written aspect of my work.

What are your strengths and how will you develop them further and begin to apply them? 
I think my strength is thinking of a good story - I'll be putting a lot more time and effort into my animations to do them justice. 

What are your weaknesses and how do you intend to address them? 
Again, blogging and documentation which I've already addressed. I think I could also do with improving my drawing skills, which I'll definitely be practising over the summer.

What did you want to get from the year? Have you achieved this?
I wanted to make some quirky animations that I'd be proud to show and to an extent I have. 

The Animated Self - Storyboard

Here is my storyboard for the animated self animation. Due to time constraints it's going to be pretty simple but I'll make it my own with using a simplistic design to my advantage. 

It'll probably be about 20 seconds long with the narrative so it should meet the brief. 

My Happy End

I really enjoyed watching this animation which I came across on Short of the Week. The use of stop motion in this '2.5D' animation is really clever and visually appealing. The story itself - a dog finally succeeding in catching his own tail, and in turn, his life changes irrevocably - is quite heartwarming and pleasant to watch. 

I'd really enjoy trying something like this, I like the style of character (reminds me of something but I can't put my finger on what) and the cut out technique adds effect to the story.

The Dam Keeper

I came across this trailer for 'The Dam Keeper' on Cartoon Brew. I was instantly drawn to the style of animation, which was achieved by a combination of TVPaint, Photoshop, and amazing skill created by Pixar artists Dice Tsutsumi (Toy Story 3 art director) and Robert Kondo (Monsters University art director—set design and shading). It looks really adorable, but also somewhat dark in its tone.


This short making of video is a really interesting watch. Erick Oh, supervising animator of short film 'The Dam Keeper', talks about his role on the film which is intriguing to see what goes into this style of animation.

A World Without Limits - Hyundai

This promotional video is also the work of Studio AKA made for car manufacturer Hyundai wanting to improve awareness of their 5 Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty as a series. 
It shows a very different animation style to their 3D animation Varmints but I personally prefer this style so much more. 
The dull, pastel like colours and simplistic characters really appeal to me as it feels like a clean, crisp animation.
This style of animation really reminds me of Dumb Ways To Die, with the style of characters and colour scheme. Both are using a kind of animation that probably appeals to kids whilst giving off quite a professional message. 
I'd like to perhaps learn After Effects so I could do something like this in the future.
This one is part of a series of really nice shorts which are really worth a watch. 
https://www.studioaka.co.uk/OurWork/hyundaicampaign

Varmints

Whilst looking at some of the animations Studio AKA have produced, I came across a trailer this cute looking 3D animated film called Varmints.
The thing that drew me to looking into it was the design of the character which appears to be a rabbit/bear personified. 
It's expressions are animated really fluently giving a real sense of it looking lifelike. 
The details in the backgrounds are really nice as well. The part of the video when the character is looking at the smoke cloud in the horizon shows a vast amount of detail in the grass. It looks as though it would have been effort to do when animating but the effect it has given has really paid off. 
I think it would be interesting to see the full film, I don't often watch 3D animation but this look beautifully done.

Alternatives to Copyright

Copyleft

Copyleft is a form of licensing and can be used to maintain copyright conditions for works such as computer software, documents, and art. 

Under Copyleft, 

an author may give every person who receives a copy of a work permission to reproduce, adapt or distribute it and require that any resulting copies or adaptations are also bound by the same licensing agreement.

Copyleft licenses (for software) require that information necessary for reproducing and modifying the work must be made available to recipients of the executable. The source code files will usually contain a copy of the license terms and acknowledge the author(s).

Copyleft type licenses are a novel use of existing copyright law to ensure a work remains freely available.

Creative Commons

Founded in 2001 by Lawrence Lessig, creative commons is a non-profit organisation that provides a legal framework to allow people to: 

Share

Remix

Reuse

Creative Commons licences provide a simple , standardised alternative to the “All rights reserved” Paradigm of traditional copyright.

Unlike the “All Rights Reserved” licence, there are different layers or levels of licence that the owner can apply

- ATTRIBUTION BY CC BY

This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. 

This is the most accommodating of licenses offered. Recommended for maximum dissemination and use of licensed materials.

- ATTRIBUTION ShareAlike CC BY-SA

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. 

This license is often compared to “copyleft” free and open source software licenses. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, so any derivatives will also allow commercial use.  Used By Wikipedia

- ATTRIBUTION - NoDerivs CC BY-ND

This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to you.

- ATTRIBUTION - NonCommercial CC BY-NC

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, and although their new works must also acknowledge you and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

- ATTRIBUTION - NonCommercial- ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.

- ATTRIBUTION - NonCommercial- NoDerivs CC BY-NC-ND

This license is the most restrictive of our six main licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.

Reflective Practice

“Reflective practice is learning through examining what we think happened on any occasion, and how we think others perceived the event and us, opening up our practice to the scrutiny of others.” 

Bolton, 2010 
Reflective Practice. 

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) Chinese Philosopher

Contemporary understanding of reflective practice as described by Donald Schön in 1996 as,

“Reflective practice involves thoughtfully considering your own experiences as you make the connection between knowledge and practice, under the guidance of an experienced professional within your discipline.”

It is a way of looking at oneself critically to identify what we are doing, how well we are doing it, and where we sit within our communities of practice.

Reflection is: To learn from both experience and theory to deepen understanding. 

Understanding Copyright

Copyright gives the owner, creator or author, publisher the right to control the way that their material can be used.

All works are automatically covered by the Copyright, Design and UK Patents act of 1998.

Materials that can be copyrighted:
Film 
Games 
Animation 
Music 
Computer Apps 
Drawings and Illustrations

What can you Copyright?

Basically anything that has been produced as the result of 

independent intellectual effort, or as the result of a collaborative effort.

This includes stories, scripts, lyrics and other literary works

Content produced and hosted in the UK is covered by copyright

You should not: 

Copying 

Adapting 

Distributing (electronically or otherwise) 

Public Transmission (including on demand, live or broadcast) 

Public Performance (busking etc)

Renting 

Lending

without prior, or express permission

Authors also have the right to object is their work is mutilated, defamed or distorted in any way.

Who Owns Copyright?

The author or creator in music, literary or works of drama.

If a film is made the principal director and/or producer own it if it’s a joint effort.

However, if a film for example is made whilst at work the company (employer) would own it.

Illustration - the Creator or Company/Employer

Video Game – Company or Employer or (Creator if an Indie Developer)

Sound or Musical piece – Creator, Publisher/ Producer or Broadcaster if it’s to be distributed or transmitted.

Copyright can be transferred, or sold to another party. 

Buying a game, or a painting doesn’t mean you own the copyright. Those rights need legally transferring

Duration varies, but generally for literary and dramatic, artistic and photographic works

Life + 70 years

Copyright - Getting Permission to use

You can contact the owner directly (if known) or contact the organisation or company who represents them eg record company or in the PRS (Performing Rights Society) for music.

Claiming Copyright

I am the author of a piece of work, how do I claim copyright?

If you are in the UK it’s automatic.

If the work is displayed internationally (eg a website)

Mark the website with: ©YourName and Year of Publication

Copyright and the Internet.

International Laws are often different to the UK. 

Mark up the footer of your webpages with the 

©YourName and Year information. 

Any legal action would take place in the country where the infringement took place. 

You should also be aware of some of the terms and conditions of social networking and image hosting sites as they may claim ownership over anything you may do. 

Don’t let this prevent you from sharing your work

This is a complex area in law and if in doubt seek advice from a professional in this area.

Klasky Csupo

I decided to do my PPP presentation on the animation studio 'Klasky Csupo'. 
This is becuase I've been a fan of their animations (usually shown on Nickelodeon in the 90's/early 00's) for as long as I can remember.

- Founded by artist/producer Arlene Klasky, and animator Gábor Csupo in 1982.

- Initially known for its work on logo designs, feature film trailers, TV show titles, promo and

  spot ID's for a wide variety of clients, in the process earning a reputation as the industry's  most imaginative and innovative studio.

- From this, they landed their big break when James L. Brooks of Gracie Films hired the studio to produce the title sequence for The Tracey Ullman Show. In addition to this, Klasky Csupo was given the opportunity to produce a series of one-minute cartoons called The Simpsons.

  

Before researching for my presentation, I was unaware that Klasky Csupo had a part in the making of The Simpsons shorts. However, looking at the pilot for Rugrats and an early short of The Simpsons, I can really see the similarities in the style of animation. Both seem pretty jagged with their movements, and the facial expressions/way the characters move also show big similarities. 
  
- Once Rugrats had been aired in the early 90’s, Nickelodeon released Klasky-Csupo's second Nicktoon series, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.
During this time Klasky Csupo ended production on Rugrats, due to the fact that they thought they were going to be cancelled after all the 65 episodes were aired. 

 

I've always thought the design of Klasky Csupo's characters are interesting. Their facial features don't really have very humanised features at all (typically with their huge/freakishly small eyes & mouths usually located on their chins) yet the personalities of the characters still make them very relatable as a person. 

 

One Klasky Csupo animation that really stood out for me was As Told By Ginger. It tackled some pretty hard-hitting stuff in it's 60 episodes (divorce, bullying, heartbreak etc) and I think it was a very suitable cartoon for under 12's (or even over, to be honest I still occasionally watch it!) to see as it may have even helped them out with their own similar problems. It's a shame Nickelodeon doesn't really show anything like this anymore and have just gone down the route of having every programme centred around toilet humour.

After not hearing much from divorcees Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupo since the early 2000's, they've started to create comics and webseries featuring the famous (yet creepy) robot logo.


My presentation on this to the class went pretty well I think. There weren't many questions but I think I gave them the gist of the company.

Effective Presentation Techniques

I think pretty much everyone has slight nerves before doing a presentation, so this was quite helpful for getting into the right frame of mind before doing one. 

Effective Evaluation Guide

Presentations are about effectively sharing your ideas, thought, concepts, progress or the resolution of a project with others, it is an opportunity to receive helpful constructive feedback from both your peers and tutors.

The presenter should know his or her audience, and assume that they themselves barely know anything about whatever it is he or she is about to present, and hence they can commence with informing them about it. The presenter should begin with explaining who they are, what they are doing, how they got there… OR plan to get there, and conclusively how they are planning to move forward from there.

A presentation is NOT about why the presentation sounds or looks like (While the presenter should of course give off a good impression to his or her audience, it is always best to be one's self and show the utmost confidence). Hence the overall presentation should never be stressed over, as long as one is prepared, and knows their subject, as well as know how to keep it simple, all should go well.

On the visual aspect, clip art should be avoided, proper imagery should be used when illustrating a point when necessary. Obviously during a presentation, one should not present too much text for their audience to read, or for they themselves to decipher and summarise right then and there. Each slide is considered important and should hence be communicated clearly.

Always consider how large the presentation area will be and make sure your text size is readable for those sitting at the far back (Consider the 8ft or 2.45m rule).

Rest assured that there is nothing to fear, for the audience is there for they want to listen. Be enthusiastic about whatever it is you wish to present to them, be persuasive, expressive, do not show your anxiety, better yet, try your hardest to push it far back. Even if a mistake is made right in the middle of that presentation, calmly correct yourself and carry on.

To summarise, know your subject, audience, yourself, prepare yourself, your script (With cue cards post its, or the notes feature on presentation softwares). Don't leave it until the last minute, prepare it early, practice it early, arrive and set it up early and finally, try to enjoy yourself.

10 Things to Avoid During Presentations

1. Avoid Jargon (Only use it when chatting casually with your nerdiest of buddies)
2. Make sure the type used on your slides are big and legible (Again consider the 8ft file)
3. Present only the essentials, keep things simple
4. Try to make sure every slide has a point
5. Titles help and getting a point across (Even faster than labels do)
6. Understand what type of presenter you are, don't try to copy others, be yourself
7. Try to avoid throwing in random charts and tables
8. Avoid clipart
9. Keep your presentation solidly structured
10. Try avoid using too many bullet points (At most try to use just three)

Presentation Anxiety Tips

Try exercising a little before a presentation, just to get the blood flowing, exercising has proven a positive effect on the nerves, lasting up to 12 hours, so just make sure you go for a walk or run within 12 hours of your presentation.

Rehearse, don't memorise, there is a difference. Rehearsing implies that you are prepared and confident. Memorising implies that you are dependent, unconfident, and are controlled by your talk (Which you are not).

Show that you care and appreciate your audience, and they will in return appreciate you, especially since you are trying to share with them something you consider interesting.

BAF

Bit of a delayed post, but recently (as in November) my course visited Bradford Animation Festival.
Before hand, I thought visiting it would just involve us sitting around for 3 days watching cartoons by obscure animators. While a lot of it was that (and don't get me wrong - it isn't a bad thing), we also got to witness some talks with some animators who have actually 'made it'.
The days featured some showings of animations created by students and professionals. 
On the first day, one animation that particularly stood out for me was one called  'In the air is Christopher Gray' by Felix Massie. I thoroughly enjoyed the fluidity and simplicity of the 2D animation. Massie managed to give such simple characters dynamic personalities and that is a tricky thing to do. 
The next day featured many more inspiring animations which were really interesting to see.
I did not attend the third day unfortunately due to illness but I throughly enjoyed BAF.