Rodney

Thanks for the responses. That provides some excellent insight into the choices made. I know of the video essay you refer to. I always enjoy those from Tony Zhou (and many others too!) The minimal movement in Chan's camera work is important because of his overabundance of movement expressed in his action. If the camera moved, we'd miss parts of that action. I do note that even when Chan says he doesn't move the camera we see movement in his camera. He mainly means the camera itself is locked down (to prevent an excess of hand-held movement. He still uses zooms and pans to great effect, progressing the action, foreshadowing and revealing thing we didn't see clearly before. Ex: That ladder over there in the background as they enter the scene is just a useless prop... oh wait.... no it isn't... Chan is using it as a weapon. Ha! Look at him go! (Chan knows his stuff) The locked down camera becomes even more important when dealing with multiple actors interacting with Chan. The camera can't follow everyone, everywhere so it stays (primarily focused on Chan) although wide enough so that we can anticipate and eventually see the most action. An aside from this; the video in question covers how American directors/cinematographers tend to cut on a hit/contact. This contact is an area of interest to me that is still in refinement and I haven't formulated an approach. Just when I think I've got it down, (for instance, always showing the contact frame(s), I find myself reversing that approach (leaving out those frames). The story/sequence/shot will dictate and therefore doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing approach. But that doesn't stop me from trying to find an optimal way to approach it. In the case of your boy and bear dancing there isn't much overlapping action in there dance. As such a locked down camera doesn't carry with it as much importance. The importance story point is that this boy and bear are dancing. Not that I'd expect you to do this but a fun exercise would be to take shots from the boy and bear dance and crop each to emphasis specific actions; esp. feet moving, turning/twisting, pan with them as they glide across the stage, etc. And HEY! I just noted that your boy has similar car shoes to that guy in detbear's latest lego parody. Hmmm... now there's a mystery to be solved. What is it with bears' friend's and their rollerskates that look like cars...

I wish id thought to use the multiple models on a path wizard last time i had to put candles on a cake!

The thing that draws me to this from several angles is 'simplicity'. You've got just what is needed to relate the story. That's why I think I'm so drawn toward cartooning and caricaturing... those simple relationships that don't try to fully capture are representative. I also like your camera angles and setup that bring focus to the areas of interest. These two latest wireframes are good examples of that where the team of four are center staged in the first and the prop of specific interest bathed in light in the second. I suppose it does also help to start out with very simple (overly simplified?) characters. In that way it's easy to transition from them to their specific storytelling situations. You've also added nice bits of detail for subsequent viewing which is important for storytelling longevity. It creates 'real' worlds that 'real' characters can 'live' in.

Ha! Great stuff KevinWilliam! I hope that gets out to where folks can see and appreciate it. More please!

I love it when questions like these get asked and answered. We continually discover new stuff. Both methods work great and can be used quite well. I'd say using the text editor for really complex paths and Chor/Modeling Mode for everything else. Once upon a time I had hoped to use paths to create a modular/modifiable building-city set but set that project aside as being too complex for my limited patience. Most of the modifications would be driven by pose sliders. Of course the beauty of instanced models (on a path or otherwise) is that they can easily be modified in the original, via an Action or Muscle Mode. Added: bowling pin tree

Nice. I like. It's good to finally see everything in context. My first impression is of the obvious amount of detail you put into each shot. Regarding this I'm talking about performance factors such as the boy entering, turning on the light, going back to close the door... all this works well because you took time to do it right. My thought for that is 'wow. that's a lot of work!' Good on you! The sound seemed to sync just fine for me. If it slips in sync it's probably in the dance sequence of which see below for some camera movement suggestions. I don't think my suggestions would be for this short as much as considerations for future work so keep that in mind as your read the following: Camera Movement Some shots would definitely benefit from a moving camera even if the camera moves or zooms or pans ever so slightly. This would break up some of what seems to be monotony (a monotone pace). Consider that change is important in animation so any frame that is exactly the same as another should have a purpose for repetition (i.e. to emphasize something). A moving camera can make two shots that are otherwise exactly the same different because of the perspective of the shot. Transitions and Story Through Lines I'm not sure quite what to suggest here so I'll try to figure it out while typing. Some of my examples would change story elements so again I'm not suggesting they be incorporated as much as considered for future work. My thought regarding transitions is that it's difficult to see what is happening from scene to scene (specifically from walkway at bottom of stairs to opening of bedroom door to dancing with bear). The final transition at the very end works because I was looking for an answer to what was going on and it supplied that. Nicely done! Here's what my mind thinks it needs to see; some change of pace on the part of the boy who has just returned (from school?) and is anticipating having a great time with his friend. As such dropping off some props at the base of the stairs as he enters and turns on the lights would suggest what he's departing from in anticipation of what is to come. Moving up the stairs a bit more rapidly would suggest he's motivated toward or looking forward to something. Then as he opens the door perhaps a closeup on his face that smiles broadly and wham... we are into the dancing session. The only time we really get the sense of his emotion is at the very end where he's falling asleep and much of that we get through the bear's subtle facial reaction. I'll have to watch the video a couple more times to see how much fast vs slow pacing you've already got. Regarding the Through Line it echos what I've just said with regard to transitions. The boy's interest in getting to his room, the first shot of the bear, the main attraction and the conclusion. You hit the throughline well from at the end but there is little anticipation for it at the beginning. Going from memory alone it seemed to me the boy was not particularly excited to get to his room. The greatest jolt is the change from 'ordinary pace of life' to dancing on the stage. Although I was anticipating seeing that scene (as I'd seen your earlier work on them in the forum) my immediate reaction is 'what just happened there'? It's like a shot of the sequence is missing. If none of the shots were to be altered I'd say adding a short shot of the boy reaching for the bear (who is not moving) would be enough to bridge the two shots (entering the room and dancing with bear). The good news is that we do get the answer to that question at the end of the tale. It's just not foreshadowed/anticipated in the earlier shots. Alternatively, just showing the bear on the bed as we get a look into his room would help. My favorite part is that last shot with the boy going to sleep with the bear. Very nice. It does seem to me that a voiceover of 'goodnight' from the parent is missing with or without a verbal response from the boy. He's waving as if responding to such at the end. Hope that all makes sense. You've put a lot of work into this one and it shows.

I love the mood you are creating with the lighting and textures. Simon already hit on the way your compositions are directing our attention. Very nice.

I apologize for burying this link here in this topic but it does relate to 'The Good Dinosaur' in that it's director, Peter Sohn, is a featured panelist along with Steve Martino (The Peanuts Movie), Roger Allers (The Prophet), Pete Doctor (Inside Out), Charlie Kaufman (Anomalisa) and Richard Starzak (Shaun the Sheep). The video is a one hour long 'Animation Roundtable' conducted by The Hollywood Reporter's editors Gregg Kilday and Carolyn Giardina. LINK One of my favorite take aways from the interview comes from Pete Doctor who, agreeing with the panelists (and referring to lack of dialogue in efforts like 'Shaun the Sheep') suggested that one pass of reviewing a film in production at PIXAR was to view the film without any dialogue to make sure it still works. Of course, there are many more gems of value to be found in the video and accompanying article.

I think he may mean 'access' as in 'turn on' rather than open a file that is already created. If that is the case: In the Project Workspace listing under Post Effects>New>Post Effect (Shortcut: Double Clicking on the Post Effect label will get you to this stage) The above creates an empty Post Effect1 container. Now Right Click on Post Effect 1>Change Type to>Hash Inc> (Select the type of Post Effect) These Post Effects can be used either on a Camera (drag and onto the Camera in the Chor) or via A:M's Composite feature (In the PWS listing: Right Click on Image>New Composite. The Post Effects you create can now be dragged/dropped onto into the Composite where you can add effects to any previously rendered imagery. Please note that a few Post Effects have more powerful equivalents in more recent GPU Post Effects which can be turned on in the Render Panel. Blur is an expecially useful improvement as the standard Blur has very little effect while the GPU Blur is what one would create blurring as expected. The rule of thumb of which Post Effect type to use would be that if the Post Effect exists as a GPU option (via the render tab) that should be used instead of the older standard Post Effect which is manually added to a Camera. I've added an image that shows the basic differences for accessing PWS and GPU Post Effects. The PWS Post Effects on shown on top/GPU Post Process on bottom.

It looks a bit like there is a shelf on the wall but... no wall. That may be an element that is causing some confusion. In other words, there are flying things (drones) that aren't flying and then there are stationary things (shelf and object on shelf) that are flying? That may be part of the riddle of the image but if intentional then perhaps additional riddles can complement that idea. If unintentional perhaps something could be done to further orient the viewer. higher camera angle to see that the objects are on the desk), hint of the wall, etc. My eye wants to move to a specific location (I think it wants to go to Santa's face) but it can't quite get there because it's trying to ascertain other stuff. With the theme of 'rein drones are falling on my head' I'd love to see a down shot where Santa is looking up and/or reaching up to a flying drone. Something falling/flying... something 'on/over my head', etc. Speaking of over my head... I'm in over my head here so I'll say, "Keep it up!" (Nancy, this is a first draft of a post that I was refining but browsed away from. There are several inaccuracies on my part which I wanted to fix such as referring to your post title as the theme etc. I'm posting this 'as is' for now. Sorry for any confusion this may cause)

I note that one of the guys that was heavily involved in the Bluth forum. weekly seminars and attended the masterclass was asked if he wanted to move to Phoenix to help with the project. In today's terms the book doesn't seem to dig quite as far as one might hope but back when it was first released it was a very welcome guide as there were very few books available on animation. While it has a lot of good visuals it's strength (as I recall) is mostly in word; practice and theory of hand drawn animation. For instance, a page or so devoted to more obscure topics as inspiration such as listening for 'the blue note' and courting the muses. Speaking of muses... music is covered very well in the book too and up until the time of Don's book music hadn't been emphasized much. While Don is certainly a master of animation my personal interest in Don's work tends to gravitate toward Layout. Don is an amazing layout artist. Once upon a time when I asked for a quick sketch, other folks wanted drawings of Banjo, Mrs Brisby etc. but I asked for a simple 'layout construction' sketch which Don happily assented too do. In a few seconds he'd captured a tiny sketch that captured more about layout than I recall every seeing in an animation book; just a few quickly placed lines of a thumbnail drawing in a tiny little sketchbook. As for working on the project, I'd say that if it does get going (the film.... not just the pitch) then a whole lot of folks will be vying for the opportunity. I admit to being jealous of Lavalle's opportunity to work with Don (assuming he chooses to do so) and I hope that if the opportunity arises there will be work there for you and many others too. One of the reasons I went to Don's master class was that I felt that if I didn't go I would never again have the opportunity.

Just a note to say that with 13 days remaining this project has less than $3000 to go. Looks like Don and Gary are about to have to get to serious (animation) work, making the pitch for the movie, etc. Update: The goal of $250K has been reached with notice stretch goals soon to be released. .

Nice test. So far so good! I like the idea thus far.

Yes, perhaps we should bring that back. I can see why it disappeared... users would have to remove that chor (or create a new chor) prior to being able to build something of their own but for new users (and upon renewal) it was a nice touch to welcome folks in such a way as that. Perhaps if it was just added to the Library folks could open it from there.

I vaguely recall someone modeling Playmobil sets/characters but I don't think they shared any of those with the community. A quick search didn't turn up anything.

For those that would like to use Renderman with A:M and those that have been making inroads to use A:M with Blender this should be of interest... The (initial) Renderman for Blender plugin was released back in Jun/Jul and allows use of the non-commercial license of Renderman. I don't know much more on the subject but wanted to update this topic. There are quite a few issues with the plugin and some documented pitfalls can be avoided by following the development of the plugin on github. For the latest Renderman release (currently v20) see: http://renderman.pixar.com For some getting started info: https://community.renderman.pixar.com/article/906/introduction-to-prman-for-blender.html

This is a bit of a pitch for University of San Francisco but provides some additional behind the scenes as well. The video highlights the contribution of USF alumni and PIXAR storyboard artist Rosana Sullivan on 'The Good Dinosaur'. xhttps://vimeo.com/148139574 And here's a link to an exclusive fandango video that covers a bit of background on the team real world research and a couple seconds on volumetric clouds in the film. http://fandan.co/1IHV8ck

Yes, that'd be a great way to go (for long shots) and it'd reduce your patch count from it's current number to somewhere around... 20 patches. That number of patches will save really fast. Of course you'd want to keep (at least sections) of the more detailed building or some facades for close up shots such as for use with someone standing in or looking out of a window, walking through the front doors, etc. Not to complicate the approach that Robert is suggesting but as desired using a transparency map the (black) of the windows could be made partially (or completely) transparent as well. I'm not entirely sure how well that wil always work with displacement maps also in the setup but as long as the displacements aren't too crazy it should work well. Added: Another thing the approach does is speed up the entire process for a production. If we don't spend a lot of time initially on models that require less detail we'll have more time for additional detail later where we deem it necessary.

Congratulations Dan! Aside: I find it interesting that other parties are already selling your book (at a slight markup) via Amazon's link to 'new and used'.

Thanks Matt, apparently my inability to follow the link and get to the resource was a permission thing. Admin's that can't see what everyone else can... what is the world coming to!!!** I figured something was up when I only got two responses for a search on 'pinetree' one of which was this topic. I see it now. Thanks! I like your latest but wonder if it wouldn't benefit from a little post processing (I'm thinking blur for the shots with depth primarily). But as always...as long as the client is happy! **I can see it now but don't have access to download. For that I'll probably have to log in as non-admin. This seems all very familiar to me.

I like the styling of that. Its within that range where you cant help but wonder if parts are CG, parts are stopmotion and if all the various elements have been composited together.

Unless there is something significant happening (such as free stuff being given out) I will probably post updates to this project only on my blog. That way I won't spam the forum with other folks desire for you to give them all your money. The occasional exception may be made such as when/if the project is funded or if some reward is added that is significantly relates to Animation:Master. It is worth noting the new project is now just 50K away from it's goal of $250K with 39 days remaining. Quite a difference from the slower fundraising over at Kickstarter. As such I can't foresee any reason the project will not be funded. Unless I missed something there does appear to be one casualty of the move over to Indiegogo and that is the digital course notes I mention above, 'Digital Animation: One Way to Approach It'. That seems to have fallen off the list of rewards. Oh disregard. Gah. I see they've added that to the $5 tier reward. I'd say that the info contained in that 39 page handout will be well worth five bucks. I see at the $15 tier they are giving out digital copies of the now out of print books 'The Art of Storyboarding' and 'The Art of Animation'. Both of these books should be in every animator and cartoonists library.

Objects don't tend to move for no reason so we'd just have to figure out what that reason is and address it. I'd say one of the most likely reasons is that something is accidentally animated. There are several ways to get a group of objects to move as one object. The first would be to make them the same object (i.e. combine them). Another approach would be to establish a Relationship that treats them as the same object (or as Parent/Child). This is usually the approach of using Bones. Where the mesh on one or more objects is assigned to a single bone those objects will move together as if it were one. Where two or more bones are involved that aren't in a Parent/Child relationship objects are constrained (manually linked) together in such a way as to dictate their location and orientation. It should be no surprise here that the method used here would be to use Constraints of which there are many types; Translate, Aim At, Orient Like, Path Group, etc. Quite often a Bone that doesn't have any mesh attached to it will be used as the target of a constraint. A special bone called a Null is often used for this purpose. An example of this would be having two eyes (each having their own single bone) following a Null via an 'Aim At' constraint. In this way wherever the Null is located the eyes will follow. The most likely reason objects move (when no movement is desired) is that we have created that movement on the timeline. This can usually be avoided by making sure we are on frame 0 of the animation (as opposed to some other number where a keyframe will be generated resulting in the unintended movement. Another way we can prevent keyframed movement from occurring is to turn off the option to create keyframes (via the Animate button - the A button on the top menu). Just be sure to turn it back on or the problem will reverse and the question then become, "Why isn't anything I animate moving?"

Here's a behind the scenes look via Wired (covered by fxguide's Mike Seymour): xhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ9UGFsWexM

There's an article at Huffington Post that hits on a lot of elements of what the old story would have been versus the film that launced into cinemas. For those interested in the world of 'The Good Dinosaur' it's well worth reading. It details why there were so few dinosaurs in the film and outlines the changes that made the two primary characters younger. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-hill/by-thinning-the-good-dino_b_8738842.html Now, here's the thing... Technically, they could still make (most of) the originally planned story as a sequel to 'A Good Dinosaur' although a few things (character plot points) would obviously have to change. I'm actually glad the additional cast members were set aside because the entire film would have taken on more of a 'Land Before Time' feel. I do wish they'd hinted at a little more of the outside world (specifically the characters that inhabit it) as that would have sparked many a creative imagination. Of course that may be very intentional on the part of PIXAR as the lack of detail gives them considerable time so that at their leisure (that is to say... based on the economics of creating divergent properties related to the film) they can develop the world as they see fit. .