Over the past 30 years, the art and techniques of animation have changed drastically. The advent of computer animation ushered in ‘better and faster’ ways to work. But at what cost? How did it affect the art of animation?
In this month’s motion+connect, Legendary Disney Animator, Dan Haskett shares his views and insights on the current [...]
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Concept Vehicle Design in 2D and 3D Using Sketchbook, Maya and Mudbox
Marcel de Jong is a visionary when it comes to his concept vehicle designs. His inspired designs simply state, ‘what if?’ and ‘why not?’ From his ‘Maasai’ motorcycle that Batman would drool over, to his ‘futuristic’ bomber that looks like…well, [...]
We are continually amazed by the talent we see in the up-and-coming members of the motion community . . . students! This year we provided two unique opportunities for students to have their work seen at motion09.
Congratulations to Alyx Loos, a senior at Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville, CA
Congratulations to Lisa Hetherington, a senior at Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville, CA
motion09 is an event that inspires.
Once a year, animators, motion graphics artists, title designers, visual effects (VFX) artists and broadcast designers come together to share their skills, work, and professional insights at this unique summit.
Industry professionals and students spend four days together in a collaborative environment designed for experiencing and participating in the creative process.
And [...]
motion09 is honored to announce yU+co.’s Synderela Peng
Specializing in broadcast design
Dan Haskett is a master animator with four decades in the business
Flash animation expert and founder of High Bar Films in Los Angeles
Brad Swardson, had a passion for computer animation and special effects since before he knew what it was.
Former Disney animator, Phil Nibbelink, now makes his own films.
Illustrator, Cedric Hohnstadt’s specialty is character design.
Fast Company recently released
motion09’s most recent rock-star
motion09’s most recent rock-star
Ex’Pression College for Digital Arts – part of the motion community
A graduated from Ex’pression College for Digital Arts, Tina was an attendee last year at motion08.
Last year at motion08, Jamie Caliri surprised and amazed the audience.
A look at Brandon Sugiyama’s reel. Brandon is a recent graduate of Ex’pression College for Digital Arts.
Mark Coleran’s screen designs appear in The Bourne Ultimatum, Mission Impossible 3
Jamie Caliri is a storytelling genius who connects with his audience
An interview Chris and Trish Meyer – the After Effects experts.
An interview with Zoa Martinez from Zona Design. Design Made to Move.
Dan Haskett, a Harlem native, is a master animator with four decades in the business, an extraordinary character designer – and an all around ‘great human being’. I am one of the lucky ones. Dan lives in Albuquerque, so I’ve been able to interact with him on several occasions. I’ve never met a more remarkable animator – and one who is unbelievably humble to boot.
the art of expressivenessWhen I first saw Dan’s work, what caught my eye the most was the expressiveness of his animation. It made me realize – I hadn’t seen this in years. What happened to expressiveness in animation? Did we loose it when everything transitioned from traditional animation to computer animation? Is it possible to animate ‘expressively’ with digital tools? Have deadlines become such a factor in animation, that we no longer have time to ‘go the extra mile’ in adding the details and characteristics of expressiveness? Or is it just that, somewhere along the way, we’ve lost the art. Fortunately, because of animators like Dan Haskett, more and more young animators are being given the opportunity to explore this lost art – and hopefully carry on the tradition for years to come.
a brief historyWith many credits to his name, Haskett is well-known for creating the characters of “Belle” for Beauty and the Beast and “Ariel” for The Little Mermaid. He began his career setting up an animation department for a New York company that did commercials and corporate films. A co-worker told him about a man named Richard Williams, who would later go on to make Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Because of Williams, Haskett got an audience with Frank Thomas, one of Walt Disney’s famed “Nine Old Men” group of directing animators. Haskett was offered a job as a junior animator under Thomas on The Fox and the Hound.
Freelancing for Disney, Warner Bros. and many others since then, Haskett’s credits include Toy Story, The Prince of Egypt, Sesame Street, Scooby Doo. He won an Emmy for his work on The Simpsons and has done commercial work for Kellogg’s and Nestle. Haskett helped pioneer a resurgence of classic Disney qualities and “organic” animation.
When it comes to animation, it’s easy to say Dan is a role model. Everyone wants to be able to animate like Dan. It’s a given. But beyond this, he plays a very special role in the African-American community. As an African American animator, he serves as a role model. In a 2005 article by Esther Iverem, on the portal seeingblack.com, there is an excellent interview with Dan about what it means to be a Black animator. I was intrigued by this article, and soon realized Dan’s role and how it will be written in the history of Black America.
But what amazed me even more, was the first time I received a phone call from a young African American who learned that Dan lived in Albuquerque, speaks at motion, and is involved in our community. He wanted to get in touch with Dan – his lifelong idol. And, this wasn’t a one time occurrence. Since then, I have had calls from other young African Americans to see if I could help them get animation cells signed by Dan, and even met a young man who travel to ABQ from Atlanta to meet him in person. Dan is definitely a ‘rock-star’ in the industry and a ‘rock-star’ in the African American community.
Back for his second year, Dan is a favorite at motion. This year, he will be on a special panel of Disney (and former Disney) animators, titled The Art of Animation: Now and Then. Additionally, with hopes of carrying on the traditions of the art of animation, Dan will be presenting a 3-hour interactive session at motion09, in the promotion series.
“I’ve been able to influence a lot of young talent,” said Haskett. “A lot of people like what I do and they like how I do it and they want to learn. And it’s very important to me to create characters that have a life of their own—and apparently I’ve been successful at that.”
Dan’s an amazing man, with extraordinary talent. motion09 is honored to welcome him to the stage!
speaking at motion09
Dan Haskett will be one of the ‘rock stars’ at motion09
10.11 – 10.14 2009 | abq | nm
motion | experience inspiration
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author: Elaine Montoya
motion.tv
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copyright: © 2008 – 09
motion.tv
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Animators, motion graphic artists, visual effects artists, screen designers, title designers – here’s your chance to show the world your work.
A shout-out to the rockstars of motion09, attendees, volunteers and sponsors of motion. You are what motion is all about!
Top students in the motion graphics and vfx industry win reels@motion competition.
register now…pay in October. Great for company’s whose fiscal year starts in October!
ABQ Doubletree discounted rate ends 09.18.09
motion09 pre-conference pricing ends 09.30.09
Barbara Geary has led her innovative Physical Expression For Animators all over the world.
A couple of months ago we ran a Twitter contest, with the winner receiving a free {m}ticket for motion09. The winner? Ken Latman.
To provide motion09 attendees a unique experience that only an intimate conference can offer, we limit the number of attendees to 360
motion{u} welcomes Alex Lindsay, founder of the Pixel Corps. Hands-on greenscreen & digital sets training.
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