Animation Tests

~ Met with my tutor and discussed the next stages of my project and was given back a review of my work so far. It was indicated a 1st classification. I have noted from the critical feedback that I need to make more clear what I am researching and focus on it more. It is simply 'a better understanding of the 2D cel processes and Disney ethos as a whole' during the 'golden age' of animation.

~ I have taken home a light box so that I can start work on some Disney-style pencil tests as the development part of the project.

~ I have gotten out two books from the library which may help my pencil tests: Richard Williams 'The Animator's Survival Kit' and also 'Drawing for Animation' by Paul Wells.

~Next I intend to choose a Disney character to use when I am creating tests and do a few sketches and studies of them in preparation. I will probably download and print out some screen captures of them.

~Here is a link I found of some classic episodes of Mickey Mouse in great quality:
http://www2.disney.co.uk/DisneyOnline/mickey/

~Pencil test video reels!: http://www.penciltestdepot.com/

Tigger and Tests Reel from Rune Bennicke on Vimeo.

~ Animation Podcasts: http://animationpodcast.com/show-31-disney-talent-development-alumni-animation-mentor-exclusive/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+animationpodcast+(Animation+Podcast) Disney one

~ Some of the careers in the Disney Animation Studios and what they require:
http://www.disneyanimation.com/careers/animation_careers.html

To Do

I have made notes on the production of Disney animation from this book I got from Northumbria University Library. I will make further notes.
Soon I will be making screen captures of a small part of a Disney film and tracing them onto acetate, ready to paint and animate.

Lasseter Talks Princess and the Frog and 2D

The next hand-drawn animation the Disney Animation Studios will be creating will be Winnie The Pooh in the style of Walt Disney's original version.

Lasseter Talks Princess and the Frog and 2D
Source: http://www.awn.com/news/films/lasseter-talks-princess-and-frog-and-2d

"As we started working on this film and getting people to come back, it was so exciting because some of the artists left the studio that were working on hand-drawn animation because they didn't want to be re-trained for computer animation. Some of the artists were re-trained. So we brought both of those groups back together -- and never, ever in my career, have I worked with a group of artists that had more to prove to the world that this art form is spectacular…

"And I believe strongly that there are certain things you can do in 2D animation and still can't do in CG. I think, actually, when you look at PRINCESS AND THE FROG and the amazing animation of Louis the alligator, I'm not sure that would be quite the same way in computer animation. And I always say that if you look at SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, that the animation of the dwarfs themselves is something that's pretty much impossible to achieve in computer animation. That fluidity, that squash-and-stretch, that kind of stuff just works with hand-drawn animation. Also, the rich painted backgrounds, we took a look at the films that Walt Disney made because I asked them to aim high: I said, 'Let's make great art.' So we chose LADY AND THE TRAMP and BAMBI for the bayou scenes, the nature, the way that that was represented there, almost an Impressionistic point of view at times. And then with LADY AND THE TRAMP, the scenes of the humans and the architecture of the character design is just the pinnacle of what was Disney's personal style."

Princess and the Frog: Interview with the Makers

Source: http://www.awn.com/articles/2d/clements-musker-go-deeper-princess-and-frog

We wanted to recapture the feeling we had watching Disney films as a kid and what inspired us. And yet wanted to re-examine and reinvent it too for a new audience.

Well, that brings up a point about something we now do at Disney, where, like at Pixar, we screen the animation every day together with all the animators. It's a free forum where everyone critiques and we make decisions on what to do...

We tried going paperless on this movie, actually, and we did do paperless effects animation and that worked out. But with rough animation and cleanup there were problems and it didn't seem to be practical with this movie, so we went with hand-drawn on paper. But paperless could happen in the future... It's a very ambitious movie and was done very efficiently, which is good for the future of this medium given the economic environment that we're in.