EPIC

ONLINE 6-9pm PST

EPIC INTENSIVE

3D CHARACTER ANIMATION

4 Speakers, 4 Mondays, 12 Total Hours

Everyday Low Price: $130

WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO

April 8th

WEEK THREE

April 15th

WEEK FOUR

April 22nd

Mon. April 1st, 2024

Michael Woodside
Walt Disney Studios

The Art of Unimation

Less is more. Let’s explore the benefits of simplifying performance choices to the fewest possible. Through examples from Live Action as well as Animation, we’ll discuss how to distill ideas to their essence as we build our performances.

Michael is an animator who has been working in the industry for 15 years. Currently at Walt Disney Animation Studios, he has contributed as an Animator on films that include Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, and Moana. He was an Animation Supervisor for Frozen 2 and Encanto, helping to shepherd the musical sequences through Animation. In 2022, Michael received the VES Award for Virtual Cinematography for his participation in the construction of the “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” sequence.

Mon. April 8th, 2024

Shawn Krause
Pixar Pictures

Character Animation Masterclass

Shawn will share his process for infusing honesty, history and humor into an animated performance. (This was the most simple way to say it. But I plan on talking about the importance of leaning into imagination along with realism in a performance. Successful use of reference. Leaning into opportunities-not only for character moments but for artistic growth. Etc…)

My career began as an animator and leader at Pixar Animation Studios. A 26-year run there started after my freshman year film was noticed at the California Institute of the Arts’ (CalArts) annual Producers Show. I animated and directed commercials before rolling on to Pixar’s first feature film: ‘Toy Story’. Working at the forefront of the computer animation industry, I have always enjoyed the collaborative process required with evolving, cutting edge technologies and the creation of feature films. I led the animation teams for three Pixar features: “UP”, “Cars 2” and “Inside Out”. ‘UP’ was the first animated 3D film to open the Cannes Film Festival. It won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature and was also nominated for Best Picture. I then went on to become a Supervising Animator on ‘Cars 2’ and ‘Inside Out’. The latter won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature as well. Simultaneously, I helped guide Pixar’s animation department as it grew from sixty-plus artists to well over a hundred. During my tenure, I also directed promotional work, supervised on short films, oversaw the animation production on several Pixar attractions at the Disney theme parks and animated on 12 other feature films. Along the way, I picked up a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award as the lead on Joy from ‘Inside Out’ and was Creative Director at a start up for 3 years. I am also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Currently, I live in Northern California with my wife, two kids and an ever revolving roster of pets.

Tom Gibbons

Mon. April 15th, 2024

Tom Gibbons
Tippett Studios

Physics and Weight for Animation

In this “Physics and Weight for Animation” lecture. I will discuss a more granular understanding of Gravity, Bio-Mechanics & Weight, to help serve more convincing performances from animators. Have you ever noticed a house cat walks with the same Timings as a Lion? (Because they do). But do you ever think a Lion is a House Cat ? The Devil is in the Details, (and understanding why we perceive them as what they are) but when you lose the familiarity that the audience has with Cats and Lions, say you are animating an Alien Cat Crocodile? Or even animating
a Lion in a Disney movie. (Animated movies are not Nature Photography, so the audience has to “Suspend Belief” in order to accept the creatures as believable) it
becomes very important to know all the reasons why we (the audience ) Know what we Know……. Or do we?

I’m a CG character animator with roots in sculpture, painting, stop-motion, digital manipulation, and collage.

My artwork reflects a childhood fascination not with life after death, but with the pieces of death that rest beneath everyday life. It is the hidden detritus unearthed from beneath the Bright and Shiny, the bent and broken forms that make up the underpinnings of the world, exhumed and rebuilt with string and paper, and forced to play the part of life once again.

….”everything is about the interaction between me and the surface, and my limitations or experience at that moment. As I work I inevitably break it or destroy it, and then I must fix it, and through that process I learn about what I am doing…..

…if I let go of the “ego” that makes me want to force it into what I thought it ought to be; if I can do this, the work goes in directions I hadn’t thought of before. Sure, there is some technique to my work: I may start with a familiar process, but I always feel clumsy because it is not a well-engineered technique, but rather one rooted in a lot of “accidents.”

Mon. April 22nd, 2024

Humberto Rosa
Sony Pictures

Beyond the pixels: Integrating External Influences into 3D Animation

Join Senior Animation Supervisor Humberto Rosa in a journey through the lessons he learned on both Spider-Verse films and how looking for inspiration in unconventional places helped him become a better animator.

Humberto Rosa is a Senior Animation Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Originally from the vibrant city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Humberto has a diverse background in animation, spanning from traditional 2D animation, advertising, television, and gaming. During his time at Imageworks, he has made significant contributions to films like the Academy Award®-winning “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Over the Moon,” “The Sea Beast,” and the groundbreaking 2023 hit “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.” Rosa is a two-time VES Award winner, awarded by the Visual Effects Society, for his work on Miles Morales in “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” and The Spot in “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.”His talent and dedication continue to make Sony Pictures Imageworks a beacon of innovation in the animation industry.

WEEK THREE

TUES, AUG 8

Gwen Enderoglu
Pixar

Practical Polish

The final 10% of the shot’s life can make all the difference in the perceived level of quality and craftsmanship of the animation. Take a deep dive into feature-level polish and shot refinement and learn tangible tricks to further refine your animation curves.

Gwendelyn Enderoglu has worked in the animation industry since 2006, starting her career at Sony Pictures Imageworks where she animated on wide ranging projects including Surf’s Up, Beowulf, I am Legend, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Hotel Transylvania. She has spent the last decade at Pixar Animation Studios contributing to such films as Inside Out, Coco, Onward and Luca. Gwendelyn most recently served as Directing Animator on the upcoming release Elemental.

Michael Woodside

THUR, AUG 10

Michael Woodside
Walt Disney

Animating a Musical Performance

There are incredible opportunities for nuance in performance to be found when animating a character singing. Join Michael as he breaks down his philosophy when crafting a musical performance in animation.

Michael is an animator who has been working in the industry for 15 years. Currently at Walt Disney Animation Studios, he has contributed as an Animator on films that include Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, and Moana. He was an Animation Supervisor for Frozen 2 and Encanto, helping to shepherd the musical sequences through Animation. In 2022, Michael received the VES Award for Virtual Cinematography for his participation in the construction of the “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” sequence.

NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING OF THE PRESENTED MATERIAL OF ANY KIND IS PERMITTED

Terms and Conditions

CANCELLATION POLICY
Ticket purchase fee includes non-refundable registration fee of $75.00 USD. Cancellations for refund of remainder of ticket purchase fee will be accepted up to 3 weeks before the event. From 20-10 days before the event, a cancellation fee of $100 USD will apply. From 9 days before the event and after, refunds cannot be provided. Event tickets are non-transferable.

EVENT CHANGES
The Animation Collaborative reserves the right to Cancel the Event if a minimum number of attendees is not reached by two-weeks before the event start date (minimum attendee deadline March 18th, 2024)

The event organizer, The Animation Collaborative, reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event with reasonable discretion and for any reason (inclement weather, low enrollment, instructor illness, or any other unforeseen disruptive circumstances). In the case of cancellation by The Animation Collaborative, the full event fee, including the registration fee of $75.00 USD, will be refunded. If the event is postponed, registrants will have the option to either receive a full refund, or transfer their registration to the rescheduled event. In all cases, The Animation Collaborative shall have no further liability beyond the event fee. We regret that any transportation and hotel costs, cancellation penalties, or any other non-recoverable costs incurred by registrants are not refundable. In the event of any unforeseen last-minute scheduling problems, we reserve the right to substitute an equivalent, qualified instructor who might not be listed in the class description.

AGE RESTRICTIONS: Attendees must be over the age of 18.

RECORDING: A pen and paper are recommended for taking notes. Laptop/tablet computers are permitted, but please no recording with these or other devices. NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING OF THE PRESENTED MATERIAL OF ANY KIND IS PERMITTED. Out of respect for fellow attendees and the instructors, we ask that attendees please refrain from live tweeting, texting, phone calls, etc. during the class.

QUESTIONS? Please contact The Animation Collaborative at: staff@animc.com