MAAC 24FPS 2009 on youtube!

MAAC 24FPS 09 (Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics 24FPS 2009)

This time MAAC (Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics) one of premier 3D animation institue in India has changed their perception to choose winner of most awaited annual animation event 24FPS. The event includes catogries:

Best 3D animated short film - Individual Students

Best VFX short film - Student Team

Best VFX short film - Student Individual

Best animated short flm - Student Team

Best 2D animated short film - Student Individual

Best game design 2009 - Studios / Professional

Best Visual effects feature film 2009 - Studios Professional

Best TVC 2009 - Studios Professional

The institute have uploaded entire short films on "youtube" created and submitted by animation students across India for rating purpose and the winners are more likely going to be declared according to their ratings received on youtube site along with the judges panel.

You can watch these short fims on youtube by simply type MAAC+24FPS+2009 in youtube url and can give your ratings or alternatively you can watch it here MAAC - Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics 24FPS 2009 award films.

: Animation News

Disney-Pixar is all set to make another history in cinema this year

Disney-Pixar

It would be first time in the history of cinema that moviegoers will watch double feature at the price of one movie exclusively in the latest advance digital 3D technology.

The Walt Disney Studios prepares to debut the Disney Digital 3D version of Disney-Pixar’s beloved and the industry’s first ever computer-animated feature “Toy Story” released by PIXAR Animation Studios in 1995 and the critically acclaimed sequel “Toy Story 2” that debuted in 1999-during a special engagement starting on October 2, 2009. Both 3D animated pictures were directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker John Lassester.

“Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2” both films have been re-rendered in 3D from the original digital files using the latest state-of-the-art technology. According to Mark Zoradi, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, This fantastic double feature will let moviegoers see two or their all-time favorite films from Pixar Animation Studios in a way that they’ve never seen them before, and all for the price of one movie ticket.

Animation Industry News

Is Animation Right Career Option for You?

Animation the most glamorous career of today: Animation is becoming most demanding career option for today’s youngsters and why it shouldn’t be? It has everything which every young professional wants to have. It has glamour, it has fame, it has money I mean it has everything which a young mind dream to have but the big question is-is animation right career option for you?
Don’t follow anything blindly because of just shiny advertisement or suggestions by your neighbor or friends. Before moving anywhere or choosing any career option do study about yourself and find out the things that are you really eligible for that career or not? Do you comply the requirements of that career? Note down the things in which you are good and in which you are bad? What affectionate you most and what scares you lot.

Here are few guidelines which every fresher or new animation students must read before going to choose animation as a career.

HOW TO BECOME AN ANIMATOR

Research about schools, colleges, universities or animation institutes and interview them about their curriculum, their faculty, their teachers, their students, the work that they create and what type of placement assistance they provide to animation students looking for jobs.

Find out what is the job placement rate of that animation institute or animation school or animation college.

Clarify your professional and personal goals that what types of projects would you like to be working on? What type of work would give you the most satisfaction? Are you interested in developing your artistic skill or technical skills are just fine for you.

Animation is a strong and rapidly developing sector. You can make your career in animation by working in various fields such as…

1. Electronic Entertainment (Gaming)

2. Broadcast or Film Industry and

3. Professional Visualizations

In detail you can make your career in animation as

3D Animator
Character Animator
Character FX Artist (Hair/Cloth/Fur)
Lighting Artist or Lighting Supervisors
Matte Painters
3D Modelers
Renderers
Roto Artist
Storyboard Artist
Art Director
Animation Director
Animator
CG Supervisor
Character Designer
Hair and Cloth Simulation Artist
Compositor
Concept Artist
Creative Director
Effects Director or Supervisor
Environment Designer
Fur / VFX Artist
Layout Artists
Technical Director
Modeling Supervisors
Modeling Technical Directors
Producer
Rigging Artists
Rigging Supervisor
Rigging TD (Technical Directors)
Shading TD
Texture Artist
Texture Supervisors
Game Programmer
Video Game Technical Director
Video Game Producer
Video Game Engineer
Designer
Game Artist
Visual Effects Supervisor
Visual Effects Artist
Water/Flame/Smoke Artists

But the important factor is you have to decide yourself that what you want to do and which one is right career for you? You can do it or not? Do art affectionate you or just it is fine for you. Seriously if you are not an art lover, you are not interested in art or you don’t like team work or you are not a good team player then forget about all these things animation is not a career option for you, but if you like art, you love to do it, you love artists or artist work then definitely animation is right career for you.

Now if you have made your mind to choose animation as your career then create plan for your career specialization, research schools and institutes to find the best fit for you.

Understand the types of jobs available in the animation industry and what skills are necessary to get them. Find the type of job that is the best match for your interest and talents.

Nowadays there are many software being used in animation industry such as

Autodesk Maya, 3D Studio Max, Adobe Photoshop, After Effects,Renderman, Softimage XSI, Fusion etc.

There are many great websites and publications available nowadays to learn about art of animation and animation industry. Some suggested reading and references are…

1. Animators survival kit by Richard Williams
2. The complete Animation Course: The Principles, Practice and Techniques of successful animation by Chris Patmore.

3.  The Illusion of life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston
4. Treasures of Disney Animation Art by John Canemaker
5. Character Animation Crash Course by Eric Goldberg
6. The Artist’s Complete Guide to Facial Expression by Gary Faigin
7. Atlas of Human Anatomy of the Artist by Stephen Rogers Peck
8. An Atlas of Animal Anatomy for Artists by W. Ellenberger, H. Baum, Lewis S. Brown and H. Dittrich

9. The Male and Female figure in motion: 60 Classic Photographic Sequences by Eadweard Muybridge

10. Animal in Motion by Eadweard Muybridge.
11. Acting for Animators: A Complete Guide to Performance Animation by Ed Hooks

12. Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Second Edition by Steve Wright

13. 3D Human Modeling and Animation by Peter Ratner
14. The Art of Maya by Alias Wavefront
15. Maya Character Animation by Jae-iin Choi
16. Visual Effects in a Digital World: A Comprehensive Glossary of over 7,000 Visual Effects Term by Karen Goulekas

17. Techniques of Special Effects of Cinematography by Raymond Fielding

18. Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 most powerful film conventions every film maker must know by Jennifer Van Sijll

19. On Directing Film by David Mamet.

Except all these there are many useful websites and blog available nowadays providing information regarding art of animation and animation industry. Which you can find easily by using your common sense even such of them are providing completely free animation tutorials, Visual Effects Techniques, Special Effects Techniques, News and lot more stuff. But the condition is how much you apply your skills to find out all of them.

3D Animation Principles-Principles of Animation!

What are principles of animation? Actually animation solely depends upon observation and these principles also describe the skill of observation which has been used for long time in animation industry by traditional 2D animators and artists and there's no any exception of it. Nowadays technology being change rapidly but these are the principles which cannot be change forever, without it you can't give life to a character. And these are the principles only which is used for 3D animation also.

Once Sir Charlie Chaplin the king of funniest movie making had said about animation that…

Animation is what?

Animations is...Tell the audience you going to do something, do that thing, and tell them you have done.

Here are the principles of animation or 3D animation principles which have been established by great animators or artists...

1. Staging - Presenting an idea so that it is unmistakably clear.

2. Anticipation - The preparation of an action.

3. Squash and Stretch - Defining the rigidity and mass of an object by distorting its shape during action.

4. Exaggeration - Accentuating the essence of an idea via the design and the action.

5. Timing and motion - Spacing action to define the weight and size of object and the personality of character.

6. Secondary Action - The action of an object resulting from another action.

7. Follow Through and Overlapping Action - The termination of an action and establishing its relationship to the next action.

8. Arcs - The visual path of action for natural movement.

9. Straight Ahead and Post to Pose - The two contrasting approaches to the creation of movement.

10. Slow In and Out - The spacing of the in-between frames to subtlety of timing and movement.

11. Appeal - Creating a design or an action that the audience enjoys watching.

There's a book of Disney which is called "Animators Survival Kit". This book is very useful for animation students, it is like oxygen for every animators. No any animator can survive without it. You may also find a DVD video tutorial of Animators Survival Kit by Richard Williams in the market. I definitely recommend it to every animation students who wanted to be a good animator.