Get Rich in Television!
We’re on TV! … sort of…
OK, so we’re not REALLY on TV– unless you’re watching tube-like shows and whatnot on line.
THEN, we’re on TV. Ok.
Back to business: Canada’s BravoFACT.com has just premiered their official, online portal to host a plethora of fun, exciting, and exceptionally cool short films produced under the Bravo! banner over the last few years. We made the cut, so we’re online again, eh? Once more, we humbly present our animated offering to the judicious Gods of Animated Hilarity.
Get Rich In Television without Really Trying! is indeed on the roster. So have a break, do yourself a favour and have fun courtesy of the wonderfully generous (and utterly tasteful) folks at Bravofact.com– they’d love to have you all come by, watch some films and share in the sheer enormity of the human experience, via their collection of short films. Laugh or cry, there’s something for everyone.
Moved to words? Drop a note below– and thanks for hanging in there.
Excelsior!
-M
Timber Timbre & Je Regarde Do the VooDoo
Caught betwixt seasonal candy-fueled celebrations, I offer up a creepy case of animated existential confrontation, thru a child’s eyes…
Being a big fan of all things of AMC’s Breaking Bad, I got worked up (in a good way) when Canadian band Timber Timbre got some air time -musically speaking- during one of last season’s episodes. That in itself was neat to see/ hear, and of course when this video dropped, I once again launched myself into Timber Timbre- land to check out the view. I’m really happy I did, and hence, I share my find with you.
Do I Have Power?
I’m not talking about me here, but of the band’s release last summer; a musical stroll thru swampy blues strung with slim folksy homeliness. Perfect for an early evening float through a fav foggy bog. Pushing the song visually thru the moor is illustration and graphics guru/ video director Carlos de Carvhallo, a key player in French production company Je Regarde (seen their stuff)?
Doing the VooDo They Do So Well
Carlos and company managed to pull this creepy little gem out of their collective hats in a mere three months– which may get some of us inspired to launch a project and pronto! Neat to see this come together quickly and with such poetic eloquence. Good things can happen for those who can’t wait. Can’t wait to see the vid? Here you are, Timber Timbre’s ‘Do I Have Power’, ala Je Regarde:
Credits: Do I Have Power
Direction : Carlos de Carvhallo
Production manager : Aude Danset De Carvalho
Animation : Pierric Danjou, Thomas Lecourt and Charles Lemor
Technical direction : Guillaume Baratte
Production Company: Je Regarde
Animation Desk brings the Easy to Animation!
Photo: macattck @ flickr
Another Animation app for the iPad. This one is Way Cool.
Animation Desk is a sort of digital version of the traditional, 2D approach to animation; much like using digital software and Wacom-type tablets for digital image animation creation, only this thing enables your handy iPad to get into the fray. Neat-O!
Just got my hands on the latest update. So much for getting any work done in THAT meeting.
Seriously, as a working animation professional, I see this being useful in a whole bunch of ways- lots of options and so easy to use! Here’s my blast of initial production-based thought bubbles:
- work on animation/ sequence ideas quickly & on the fly, sans parking at your computer, drawing table, etc. Great for water cooler meet-ups!
- As a director, rough out actions or sequences with thumbnail drawings for storyboards, then save them in your photo gallery for storyboard meetings, et al. Cut & paste into Celtx Studio storyboard templates!
- Speaking of meetings, I can doodle and animate during long winded diatribes, switching back to serious notes when I get busted. Instantly. Who’ll be the wiser?
- sketch conceptual stuff at the cafe/ coffee shop, waiting for traffic, sitting out a ticket roadside, etc. Beats the hell out of using napkins & coasters. Or the back of your hand.
Get Up and Go Draw
The portability factor is the keen thing, here. iPad’s are inherently meant to be functional everywhere, so it’s only natural that an app like Animation Desk would surface, and surface it did! It’s a miniature, virtual version of a traditional animation desk, complete with peg bar, rear light and glass. Think of it, all that stuff is now in your hands and not in your office. With the full screen mode available, you can utilize the full size of the iPad’s workable space to draw much as you would on a sheet of punched paper. I love it; I can leave my laptop and Wacom on the desk, instead just bringing my iPad and a stylus to the park, Starbucks, pre-movie, laundromat, the tree house, dog house, where ever. Start drawing. How cool is that?
It’s a Digital Flip book… I like it!
Sure there are a plethora of similar applications out there for iPad, if not better for certain animation functions as well. What I love about Animation Desk is the ease of its elegant interface, usability, shallow learning curve, and effectiveness for translating quick sketches into individual files or animation sequences quickly & easily. Practically anybody can use it, it’s so simple. Kids can learn traditional animation concepts on this from the get-go. Neat thing is, the app has a lot of flexibility with the tools at hand, too. Sketchbook Pro it isn’t but for under 4 bucks, it still delivers animation fun and is great for sketching what you need, when you need it. It’s even cheaper than a spiral bound notebook! What’s not to love?
If You Love Something, you don’t HAVE to let it go…
This thing makes drawn animation truly portable. something I’d never imagined when I got started, outside of a traditional flip book approach. In that, individual sketches and animation sequences are saved to your photo gallery, Facebook page or Youtube channel. Super handy for sharing with teammates, production staff, friends or just for creating an archive for yourself.
It’s a nice feature for tracking changes, iterations, sequences concept development or just tracking your progress as an animator, all stored online and accessible from any machine, anywhere you’ve got the interwebs. Save all your drawings/ sequences, store them in your photo gallery, print ‘em, assemble them, and voila! You’ve got a flip book to hand out to friends and family. Make one, or a dozen; the office will love you for it.
The New Definition of Easy
Using the app couldn’t be easier; very intuitive with a super shallow learning curve. I had it in hand about 30 seconds, and had the thing working. Lotta fun. The interface is really basic, with most everything you need on the desk top: right there in front of you. Simple enough for kids to learn quickly, and for adults to wrap their heads around, too. Got a questions? Down lower right you’ll find a ‘?’– pop that, and you’ll get your fill of How To in a jiffy.
Drawing is super simple, too. Choose your pencil or brush from the menu on the right and have at it! Like eating fried chicken, it’s cool to use your fingers, or opt for a stylus, your choice. Personally, I tried my fingertip, but liked having a plastic tipped stylus in hand for more control. That’s just me. The demo shows off some animation magic happening with merely a fingertip; all up to you!
All This – and Colors, Too
How about some color? You’ve got a reasonable selection – a bunch of ‘paint pots’ show you what’s available. Nice addition when you’re onion-skinning your drawings, and looking to quickly separate the stacked layers for clarity.
Updates, too! Here are the latest, greatest ‘glad to have ‘em aboard’ updates:
- Five additional brushes! Exquisite.
- Palm Rejection! Don’t take it personally… it’s a nice feature to have. Really.
- Pressure sensitive brushstrokes! No-brainer there as per coolness factor.
The views are cool, too, with three of them being available. Yeah, three! Fun Factor tripled. There’s Desk mode, Full Screen mode and Film Strip Mode. Check the neat little video demo of the application in action below. Excelsior!
