Having Soul: 45 Years of Nukufilm Studio
Estonia's puppet animation studio, Nukufilm recently celebrated their 45th anniversary. Chris Robinson traces their intriguing roots.
The Long And The Short Of It
Gene Deitch talks succinctly about why contrast is so essential to not only good animation, but all art in general.
Deeper into the Animatrix
Want to know even more about the upcoming Animatrix series? J. Paul Peszko continues with a Q & A with series producer Michael Arias.
The Animatrix: Adding to the Trilogy
J. Paul Peszko outlines The Animatrix, an ambitious anime-inspired undertaking that supports and expands upon the theology of The Matrix trilogy.
Anima Mundi: A Decade of Memories
Animation plus sun, samba and caipirinha equals Anima Mundi. After a decade of exposing Brazil to the world's best animation and stars, Anima Mundi isn't slowing down, and even if it wanted toit doesn't look like the locals would stand for it.
'FernGully2: The Magical Rescue' Storyboards
A visual supplement with several storyboard panels from the film FernGully 2.
After Espinho, Trouble in Portugal
Another successful Cinanima Festival was underscored by the pending closure of Portugal's new Casa de Animao, a cultural institution initiated by Abi Feijand a small team of enthusiasts.
The Two Towers: Face to Face With Gollum
The Lord of the Rings' Gollum is one of the most talked about performances of the year. Greg Singer goes behind the scenes with the Weta crew to see how they brought this pathetic creature to life over the course of three years.
Let's Boujou It!
2d3's boujou software makes tracking shots where natural and CG elements need to be combined, much easier than hand tracking. Here's what three studios have to say about the product and how it fits into their pipeline.
Fresh from the Festivals: March 2003's Film Reviews
Jon Hofferman reviews five short films fresh from the festival circuit: The Affectionate Punch by Thor Adam Goodall, Les Chasseurs de Poissons (The Fish Hunters) by Rosana Liera, The Dark Side of the Morning by Erik Rosenlund, Dog by Suzie Templeton, and From the 104th Floor by Serguei Bassine. Includes QuickTime movie clips!
Still Learning After All These Years
Darlene Chan interviews nine leading voice actors and finds out what surprised them most after making it in the business.
Oscar Nom Leads to Success for Brown Bag
An Oscar nomination has indeed transferred into real business for Ireland's Darragh O'Connell and Cathal Gaffney of Brown Bag Films. Give Up Yer Aul Sins came out of nowhere it seemed to capture the Academy's heart last yearby this year it has transformed itself into a phenomena. Article includes QuickTime movie clips.
The Two Towers: Built on Weta's Precious Mettle
Building on their earlier achievements, the creature and visual effects teams of Weta, Ltd. are bringing to life The Lord of the Rings trilogy with work that is blowing the industry away and garnering awards at every turn. Greg Singer reports.
The Animation Pimp: Elbows and Cakeholes
The Animation Pimp discusses the Academy's choices for Best Animated Short Film and suggests that some changes are made to their nominating process.
Career Coach: Business Plans Are A Valuable Career Tool
Oliver Wade reviews the book Animating Real-Time Game Characters by Paul Steed and gives the potential buyer some good advice on whether or not to make the purchase.
Animating For Games…Naughty Dog Style
While completing animation for gaming is similar in many ways to other forms of animation, there are some very particular concernslike console memory and interactivity that need to be kept always in mind. Bob Rafei of Naughty Dog explains. Includes QuickTime movie clips!
Figuring Out the Recruiting Game for Gaming
Darlene Chan talks with four gaming recruiters and learns which artists and skill sets have the easiest time crossing over from more traditional forms of animation production to gaming.
The Future Of NATPE: Stalwarts Are Concerned, Yet Committed
This year's NATPE, held in New Orleans, was down in attendance and exhibitors. Many distributors who did come, opted to hold court in hotel suites instead of mingling with the crowds on the floor. Photo credit: Heather Parlato.
Animated Propaganda During the Cold War: Part One
Karl F. Cohen investigates the CIA funding of animated propaganda during the Cold War, namely, in Part I of this two part series, the production of Halas and Batchelors Animal Farm.
The Great Footage Fallacy
Gene Deitch believes that measuring animation in footage does not help the creative process or make much sense in these global times, therefore, he proposes to make time the global unit of animation production.
A Tale Of Two Movies: Daredevil
Jerry Beck muses about 2002s slate of animated feature films.
The Animation Pimp: Why is it NOT DONE?
Animation festivals have sunk to a boring level of similarity, staid programming and a repetitious circle of participants. The Animation Pimp challenges a shake up.
The Kids Are All Right
How did kids survive prior to the introduction of educators into children's programming? Martin Dr. Toon Goodman takes a look at the impact of their presence.
Book Review: Animating Real-Time Game Characters
Oliver Wade reviews the book Animating Real-Time Game Characters by Paul Steed and gives the potential buyer some good advice on whether or not to make the purchase.
Career Coach: Revolution, Not Resolution
Do your new year's resolutions fall flat year after year? This year, why not try a life revolution, instead of just a tiny, little, puny resolution The Career Coach explains how.
