The world we live in can be harsh.  Our culture seems to be having problems caring about anything but maximum profits. I wonder how many projects that have real merit have been shelved because the powers that be didn’t feel they’d make enough money, not that they wouldn’t make a profit, that they wouldn’t make a huge profit.

We’re deciding for our children what their taste will be by denying them access to films that don’t fit the profile of what’s “selling” right now. We’re limiting their exposure to a wider range of content and styles.

Technology may change the game for the better. Film makers can already distribute through Amazon. When creating an animated film becomes less costly, film makers will be able to bring films to life that just can’t seem to get produced today for purely financial reasons, and they’ll be able to distribute through outlets like Amazon!

My guess is that you lucky people who are currently in school will have much more freedom as creators in the future than those of us who are trying to create now.

Speaking of being in school, we are now in the heart of second semester and the time of year when people with mood problems often find themselves depressed. The Canadian government is asking everyone to take vitamin D supplements!  It seems that up here in the north, we are deficient. Lack of sufficient levels of vitamin D is associated with depression, and can also leave you vulnerable to cancer. Please check this out with your doctor, or look it up on a reputable web site. You can get vitamin D in liquid form and take it as a tasteless drop a day. My suggestion is to take natural vitamins, not synthetic vitamins.

I would also like to suggest almonds, trail mix and apples as snack foods that will give you ongoing energy. Stay away from processed foods, especially soft drinks and candy that can give you a rush followed by a crash. This advice is critical for students with a predisposition to depression, but really it’s sound advice for all of us.

( And my apologies: I hadn’t realized that soda pop had snuck into our vending machine! I’ve asked that it be replaced with water and juice.)

Last but not least, I’m determined that this week we’ll finally get some  work from Advanced Environment Design posted.  Please let me know if you’re as impressed with it as I am!

I’m writing this in answer to questions I’m asked on a regular basis!

There seems to be confusion about the difference between Video Game Design and Concept Art :  they are very different. The confusion is increased by the fact that many schools indicate that they teach both when in reality they are essentially teaching game design,  and offering a few concept art classes as part of the curriculum.

Video Game designers conceive and program games. Concept Artists design the environments, props,  and characters. To become a Concept Artist you will need more than one or two concept art courses.  This is a position that requires very developed art and design skills. Take a look at the curriculum of our four year diploma program in Concept Art for Animation and Video Games. Every course listed is part of the knowledge base required for this profession!

Although studying illustration in a degree or diploma program will teach you some of the skills required, they will not all be covered. Concept Art is really a mix of illustration, traditional fine art  skills, product design, animation and applied computer skills. It took us a year to work out our curriculum and we’ve been fine tuning it ever since.

I hope this helps!

Maxine

I’m happy to write that first year animation students are having a really exciting time in their first classical animation course, and Tina Seemann tells me  their enthusiasm makes it a joy to work with them.

Twenty year one students have signed on (pending successful completion of the first diploma) for the Advanced Diploma in 3D Computer Animation and Production. We’ll be introducing this group to 3D with workshops during years 2 and 3.

The current year 3 animation students are working on  the animatics for their film projects under the direction of award winning director Jean Pillote. The  films will be completed during a 3 week intensive at the end of this academic year. I’m looking forward to seeing them !

Carla Drmay,  Tina Seemann, James Miko, and the third year animation students recently visited Cuppa Coffee, a prize winning Toronto animation company, well known for stop motion animation, but also involved with computer animation. Three ‘09 graduates are working there, as well as some graduates from former years, and the company is very happy with their professional attitude! The report is that Cuppa Coffee is expanding and has added many computer stations.

In fact, the animation industry in the GTA seems to be rebounding from a very slow fall.  The spring should see many companies ramping up.

Sequential Arts: Comic Books and Graphic Novels and Classical and Computer Animation Basics students who are slated to graduate in the spring, will be using Blog Spot to post their blogs very soon. Year 3 Concept Art for Animation and  Video Games students will also post. There will be links to all their blogs on our gallery page. Since all graduating students must put up a blog as part of their portfolio development course, everyone  who wants to will be able to see the full range of work produced by all Max the Mutt’s senior students.

That’s all the news for now. I’m hoping to have the time this week to get some recent art work from Concept Art students posted!

In any art form what matters is what you have absorbed during your education, what you understand deeply enough to give you the resources to use your past experiences to meet the new challenges you face. For hopeful animators this includes a deep understanding of animation basics. There never will be a better way to do this than studying classical animation first.

What I like about programs outside the academic system is their ability to be professional schools, to dedicate all the student’s time to hands on courses.  I’m old enough to remember when if you wanted to be a fine artist you went to art school, if you wanted to be a classical musician you went to music school, if you wanted to be a dancer you studied at one of the schools associated with a dance company. If you wanted to be an animator, once you had art skills you’d get hired and be trained on the job by an animation company.

With the advent of computer animation, there is simply so much for the student to absorb that I’m hard pressed to understand how a degree program can do it in less then six years. I’ve been watching as Tina, in consultation with some top retired animators and animation teachers, has redesigned Max the Mutt’s animation program to enable students to start animating sooner, concentrate more on character animation, and take those skills into 2D and 3D computer animation. Even with all of our curriculum directed towards the career the student is aiming for, we find ourselves short of time (which is why year 4 has become so essential).

The big news at Max the Mutt is that for the first time the year one students, in addition to their Visual Arts Literacy courses, are taking Intro to Animation and are having a great experience in that course. We are also working to introduce 3D animation earlier to those students who have committed to the Advanced Diploma. The plan is to offer them  3D workshops in years 2 and 3 so that they’ll  walk in to the Advanced Diploma program already familiar with Maya.

Our current year 1 students are the first students who will experience the new animation program in its entirety. However, Tina has been offering summer animation workshops, and this year students will also be able to submit work for review through Concept Share, so current year 2 students will also get additional training. Those going on to year 4 will take a 3D workshop during year 3 to give them  preparation.

Any art form takes practice, practice, practice. One needs first to understand the principles, but that’s a long way from being able to use those principles well.  Animating is no different than any other art. It takes passion, dedication and lots of hard work to develop as an artist.

It also takes passion and dedication to work to keep Max the Mutt, in the face of all obstacles, as good as it can be!

Hats off to all our hardworking students, staff and instructors. The dream lives on.

Date: The last Saturday of each month
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Information Session 11:30 a.m.

Visit Max the Mutt Animation School in the heart of Toronto’s Art & Design
District. If you have not already booked a tour, this is your opportunity to
see our facilities, view our student demo reels and find out what Max the
Mutt Animation School is all about!

Remember, we’re more than Animation - we’re also Illustration, Comic Books &
Graphic Novels, and Concept Art for Animation & Video Games!

RSVP to Information Sessions: Carla Drmay - cdrmay@maxthemutt.com or 416-703-6877

Bring your family and friends!

Dates to Remember!

September 26

October 31

November 28

January 30

February 27

April 24 (Features first year show)

May 29 (Features graduate show)

June 26

Today I posted a response on AWN to a young man worried about chances of  ending up at a top company. I thought I’d share it with you, so here it is!

Studying Animation

You didn’t say what you’re studying. Do they have an animation department?

Does it include life drawing, anatomy, cartooning, character design, layout, story boarding and lots of classical animation? 2d and 3d computer animation? Acting and improvisation? Drawing for animation? Visual storytelling?

Studying all of this will definitely get you on the right path. If that’s what they offer, you’re on the way.

Once you graduate, the fact that you don’t start at Dreamworks doesn’t mean you won’t eventually get to work for them, and it also doesn’t mean that that’s the only good gig in town. Sometimes you can actually learn more working for a smaller company where you may be called on to do a number of different jobs.

Certainly in my experience, graduates have been hired based on their demo reels, portfolios, professionalism, and ability to sell themselves at an interview, not on what school they went to. When we first began and were unknown, we had some students who were hired by big companies that only learned about the school because grads had submitted portfolios and demo reels!

Companies need good employees. They don’t make more money because you went to a certain school.

Which reminds me, if some schools have so many applicants that they can take in people who already have lots of skills under their belts before they even begin (and would probably succeed no matter where they went to school) those students may end up ahead of you…but not forever!

It’s the right thing to pursue your dreams and start to develop your potential even if you’re a late bloomer. You still have the right- and the obligation to yourself- to try. If you have the curiosity and the passion and you keep animating and thinking and learning, you’ll get better and better. You’ll catch up and you may even surge ahead.

The grads who end up at top companies share passion, work ethic, and a desire to be shown where their work could be better. They can’t wait to get back at it and do it better the next time. They take direction well, which also makes them desirable employees.

With animation students, it’s also telling who does extra work, who keeps animating over the summer. . who are the students who redo exercises?

Ken is right about criticism. The instructors who have high standards are your friends. They’re telling you what isn’t working, what to redo, what to work on. That’s what you should crave! It should be expected, if you’re a student, that work will not be perfect and that you’ll need to try and try again.

If you have a positive attitude about learning, can deal with frustration, and know that you’ll need to do more than satisfy the course requirements, you’re well positioned to improve.

It’s more about working at it than anything.

This post is from Animation Magazine. We are reprinting it out of respect for Roy Disney and his fight to bring Disney back to the vision and standards it began with!  Thanks Roy.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009
By: Ramin Zahed

Roy E. Disney, Walt’s nephew and longtime exec producer and senior exec at the Disney Studio passed away today (Wednesday, Dec. 16) in Newport beach, Calif. after a year-long battle with stomach cancer, reported the Associated Press.

“He was a great man who believed deeply in the art of animation. He put his heart and soul into preserving Disney’s legendary past, while helping to move the art of animation into the modern age by embracing new technology,” noted John Lasseter, Disney/Pxar’s chief creative officer, who first met Disney while a student at CalArts. “He was a visionary and passionate supporter of the art form.”

Disney was a champion of the company’s classic animation and helped bring about the first renaissance of traditional animation in the 1980sa nd 1990s by supporting the animation teams behind classics such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. He was also recognized widely as a powerful shareholder in the company who spearheaded two successful campaigns to oust company heads (his cousin-in-law Ron Miller and later on, Michael Eisner) who he believed were taking the company in the wrong direction.

Soft-spoken and unpretentious, Disney was also seen as the “soul” of the company by many insiders. “The thing that distinguishes [Disney] from everybody else, and always has and always will, is our past,” he once said “The goal is to look over our shoulder and see Snow White and Pinocchio and Dumbo standing there, saying, ‘Be this good.’ We shouldn’t be intimidated by them; they’re an arrow pointing someplace.”

Disney grew up on his uncle’s now-classic retellings of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio. He also received a sound education in finance from his father Roy Sr., who oversaw Disney Co.’s business end. Upon graduating from Pomona College in 1951, the younger Disney followed his uncle and father into the entertainment industry, working as an editor, screenwriter and producer on a host of projects, from TV’s Dragnet and Zorro to the Oscar-nominated film Mysteries of the Deep.

He would also later produce 2004’s acclaimed Destino, using mid-century animation Salvador Dali created for Walt Disney Co., and Fantasia 2000, a sequel to his uncle’s 1940 classic.

Disney, who also founded the private equity firm Shamrock Holdings, is survived by his wife, Leslie, four children from a previous marriage —Tim Disney, Roy Patrick Disney, Abigail Disney and Susan Disney Lord—and 16 grandchildren. Following private funeral services and cremation, Disney’s ashes will be scattered at sea. Plans for a memorial will also be announced soon.

Reader Comments

• Jim Wickey : Director : Vistavox Entertainment

  Thursday, December 17, 2009

  Roy was the link to the past, a very human reminder of the importance of story, character and Disney tradition. The fact that he was unwilling to bend the Disney name and legacy for pure financial gain is sterling tribute. If all of us in the Animation community could learn from the Disney integrity our industry would be that much richer. He will be missed. As for the future of Disney, thank God for John Lasseter.

• Wayne Sung :

  Thursday, December 17, 2009

  If it weren\’t for Roy we wouldn\’t have gotten Fantasia 2000. It goes to show how much Roy believed in his uncle\’s dreams, making them his own. I still remember how surprised I was at how much he looks like Walt. I hope he got to see the final version of Princess and the Frog before he passed. I would think he\’d approve.

• Tom Sito : animation director :

  Thursday, December 17, 2009

  In his softspoken way, Roy guided the animation dept into the 21st Century. His modest folksy demeanor masked a shrewd businessman, who masterminded two revolutions in upper management in 1984 and 2006. He was a billionaire who seemed genuinely in awe of creative people. It\\\’s rare to find a photo of him with us where he was not smiling. We animators loved him, and when he appeared at our Guild holiday party in 2005 he cheered him like a returning Caesar.
  Through his humility he repaired old feuds like the one between Art Babbit and the Disneys, something Art never forgot until his death in 1991.
  Roy didn\\\’t draw, but he could lead. And without him, we would have No Ariel, No Belle, No Roger, No Buzz, no Simba and no Tiana.
  See ya, Roy!

• Seymour :

  Thursday, December 17, 2009

  Roy didn\’t always have it easy at the company his dad and uncle founded but he persevered and was there to make a difference when it really counted.

Princess and the Frog Opens Nationwide

Friday, December 11, 2009
By: Thomas J. Mclean

Having completed its limited, debut run, Disney’s long-awaited return to 2D animation, The Princess and the Frog, is about to run wide.

The studio’s return to its fairy-tales and princesses roots opens in more than 3,400 theaters this weekend amid solid reviews and high box office expectations.

The film has earned a 78 percent positive rating on RottenTomatoes.com and a score of 69 on Metacritic.

Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, The Princess and the Frog stars Anika Noni Rose as Tiana, with Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen and Keith David as Dr. Facilier. Also providing voices are Oprah Winfrey, Terrence Howard and John Goodman.

This article is reprinted from Animation Magazine. Max the Mutt had several graduates working on this film!

Classical animation has it’s own special feeling and will never be out of style.  The only threat to its existence is the need for animation artists who can DRAW.  Max the Mutt’s animation program is dedicated to drawing and classical character animation, and the use of those skills in classical, 2D and 3D computer animation.

This past  Saturday our friend and publicist Pat Christmas  lost a battle with cancer we never knew she was waging. My first reaction was regret: I hadn’t had a real talk with her in a long time, and I wished I’d had the chance to thank her again for all her support, advice, and generosity.  I’ll always regret not having had that last conversation.  Pat had an upbeat personality and a love of life.  The last time we saw her was at our industry evening in May 2009.  We never knew anything was wrong.  Pat believed in what we were trying to do and was always excited by the student work.  Her contacts in the world of publications trusted her- she was a publicist who worked for causes and companies she believed in, many of them non-profit.  It was her enthusiasm about us that brought a reporter from the Toronto Star to Max the Mutt. We ended up with a feature story about us and half a page of photos of student work.

We will all miss her, and in her memory we will establish a scholarship, the Patricia Christmas Memorial Scholarship. The first award will be announced this spring. We are in the process of working out the details.

Pat, it’s hard to think that we will really not see you again. Thank you for all you gave us.

We were told that she spent her last week with her husband and best friend watching her favorite comedienne, Lucille Ball, in old episodes of I Love Lucy. She left this world with the same positive spirit that energized her life. She will be missed.

As Head of the IT Department at Max the Mutt, I find that adding new software to our digital environment and introducing it to faculty as well as students can be trying - especially when the list of new programs needed continues to grow each year.  It is very rare when something comes along that is intuitive and simultaneously feature-rich without being overwhelming.  This is what makes ConceptShare such a welcome addition to the Max the Mutt staff and student body.

The software is a collaboration tool that will enable faculty to view student work via the internet - suggesting ideas, clarifying concepts and developing a dialogue between student and instructor.  Essentially, ConceptShare enables users to upload work for review - both in its original format and as generic converted media (images are converted into .jpeg and video to .flv).  This allows instructors to view a student’s workflow and the finished product to generate feedback in a variety of methods.  This includes the instructor’s ability to draw directly onto a student’s work - whether it be a digital painting or an individual frame of animation - and make notes suggesting alternatives to reach the required result.  The instructor may also attach reference images to a student’s work to provide a different perspective that may not have previously been considered.

The fact that ConceptShare is browser-based goes a long way in terms of not having to upgrade software, while at the same time providing students and staff with ability to access work and notes from outside of the classroom.

IT-MTM Niall Dowdell.