“What a fantastic night for the CSI team and Zoic,” says Zoic VFX Supervisor Rik Shorten. “I’m so proud of the artists whose immeasurable talents helped make this episode special. It was nice to be recognized for all our hard work. A truly great moment.”

Emmy Award Credits:
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation · Family Affair · CBS · A CBS Paramount Network Television production in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television

Sabrina Arnold, VFX Producer
Rik Shorten, VFX Supervisor
Steve Meyer, 2D Lead Artist
Derek Smith, 3D Lead Artist
Christina Spring, Compositor
Joshua Cushner, Visual Effects Cameraman
Tom Bremer, 3D Artist
Mark Byers, Special Effects Supervisor
Zach Zaubi, Compositor

Andrew Orloff of Zoic Studios to speak at motion
motion is proud to announce that Zoic Studios VFX Supervisor and Creative Director Andrew Orloff will be speaking at motion October 17 & 18 in ABQ. An attendee favorite, Andrew’s sessions are always thought provoking, inspirational, and on target. Join us this year at motion and experience the talent of Andrew Orloff – as well as the other rockstars of motion.

About Zoic Studios:
Zoic is an award-winning Digital Studio involved in producing high-end visual effects and animation for feature films, episodic television, commercials, videogames, and interactive media.

Spanning from visual effects, to live action production and specialty shooting, Zoic Studios’ imprint can be seen on “V“, “Human Target,” “Fringe“, and “True Blood“, spots for ESPN, Killzone 2, Mountain Dew, NASCAR, and Tour de France, as well as numerous gaming projects for EA, Activision, Pandemic and Sony. Zoic Studios has offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.

To read more about Zoic Studios please visit the Zoic blog.

KEYNOTE: Apple Motion and Cinema 4D

Today’s rapid development cycle in the motion graphics and vfx industry calls for efficient workflows. Sometimes the best workflow comes from integrating multiple software applications, creating the ‘best of both worlds’. Such is the case with Apple’s Motion and Cinema 4D.

With the release of Motion 4, it’s easier than ever to create astonishing 2D and 3D motion graphics. When integrated with the powerful tools in Cinema 4D, it takes your work to the next level. However, using Motion can be tricky for folks with a strong After Effects background. Join Apple Motion and Cinema 4D pro Mark Spencer for an evening of tips and techniques on how After Effects users can quickly get up to speed with Motion, and how Motion and Cinema 4D can be used together to create stunning motion graphics.

Mark Spencer is a freelance producer, editor, teacher and writer based in the Bay Area. His company Day Street Productions is a production and post studio focused on corporate video. Mark is an Apple-certified instructor for Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, and Motion, teaching for organizations such as BAVC, Stanford University, DVExpo, MacWorld, and consulting for corporations and individuals. He is the author of the Apple Pro Training Series book Motion 4 from Peachpit Press and has written for print and online publications including DV Magazine, EditWell, ProVideo Coalition and kenstone.net. Mark maintains http://www.applemotion.net, a resource for Motion. He has an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Join Mark for a full-day training this year at motion{u}: Apple Motion & Cinema 4D: A Crash Course for After Effects Users read more »

This is the first in the series: Popcorn.

KEYNOTE: Kick it up a Notch! Flash Animation with After Effects

In Hollywood, the demand for quality animation on a budget inspired Stanton Cruse to incorporate After Effects into his production process. In our next motion+connect, join Stanton Cruse as he shares quick and effective techniques for compositing, animating cameras, and adding subtle to stunning visual effects to bring out the best in your film making.

Stanton Cruse has used Flash for television broadcast animation for over 8 years. He co-founded LA based Six Point Harness studios in 2003. There he trained artists new to Flash, directed animation and animated numerous pilots and shows for Disney, Fox, ABC, Warner Brothers, Film Roman, Klasky Csupo, and Cartoon Network. He supervised Flash productions at Film Roman in 2008 including ABC Family’s A Cranberry Christmas.

Stanton is a graduate of the CalArts School of Film and Television where he studied character animation under the industries finest. He split his time between traditional hand-drawn animation and 3D production. Now working in Flash, Stanton brings the sensibility of a traditional animator to his characters, and the problem solving of a 3D technician to maximize efficiency. Stanton currently lives in Burbank and teaches Flash and Illustrator at Studio Arts.

Join Stanton for a full-day training this year at motion{u}: Full-Throttle Flash: Creating an Animated Film in a Day read more »

Boris Continuum Complete 7 AE brings over 200 filters to Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. Version 7 features 11 new filters including a 3-way color grade filter with built-in keying and masking tools, a new video noise reduction tool, a spline-based warp filter, an audio-driven keyframe generator, a new OpenGL particle engine, and still and video morph technology. In this session, Paul Ezzy will highlight some of these amazing new features.

Paul Ezzy is an independent filmmaker and videographer. Trained formally as a filmmaker, editor, and actor at NYFA and the Rockport Photographic Workshops, Paul also has degrees in Education, Chemistry, and Psychology. His choice past-times include creating visual special effects, art, and video games.

motion+mini1 : Scott Valentine: Using Repousse and 3D in Photoshop CS5 Extended

Join author Scott Valentine as he demonstrates how to create a realistic 3D theater marquee using the new Repousse and 3D tools in Photoshop CS5 Extended. Learn how to convert text into a 3D object and composite it into an image using lighting and cameras.

Scott Valentine is an award-winning experimental photographer and Photoshop finger-painter. Recently, he has been adding 3D to his experiments, hoping to get other photographers interested in the amazing flexibility this tool offers.

Jamie became a household name in the world of animation for his work on the title sequence Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events. Most known for his artistically creative stop motion animation pieces, Jamie recently directed this amazing piece, Jubilee and Her Doll Beat Cancer for the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.

This piece was based on a true story about a little girl named Jubilee. About a year old, Jubilee stopped eating. Doctors at Children’s Medical Center diagnosed Jubliee with Neuroblastoma – a cancer that starts in the nerve tissue. After therapy and two bone marrow transplants, Jubilee’s true personality blossomed. According to her mom, she’s now quite the comedian.

Check out the Jubliee’s full story… read more »

Jamie Caliri is a director at DUCK Studios.

In this month’s motion+connect, Legendary Disney Animator, Dan Haskett shares his views and insights on the current state of animation. How has computer animation helped the industry – and how has it hurt.

Register now to attend this special motion+connect session.

about the speaker:
Dan Haskett, a Harlem native, is a master animator with four decades in the business.

With many credits to his name, he is well-known for creating the characters of “Belle” for Beauty and the Beast and “Ariel” for The Little Mermaid.

Haskett 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, and has done commercial work for Kellogg’s and Nestle. He won an Emmy for his work on The Simpsons. Haskett helped pioneer a resurgence of classic Disney qualities and “organic” animation.

mini-session:
Immediately following Dan Haskett’s presentation, join Alicia VanHeulen from Toolfarm for a quick up-to-speed on Giving Life to Still Image Composites. You won’t want to miss it!

overview:
7:30-8:20 PM: Dan Haskett on Animation
8:20-8:30 PM: Q&A
8:30-8:40 PM: Giving Life to Still Image Composites
8:40-8:45 PM: Q&A
8:45-8:55 PM: reels@motion
8:55-9:00 PM: giveaway: Toolfarm Expert Series After Effects Camera Training, taught by Rob Birnholz

*all times are MST | UTC-7

when: tuesday, march 9, 2010
where: online | in ABQ**
time: 7:30 – 9:00 PM {MST | UTC-7}
url: http://experts.na3.acrobat.com/motionconnect/
user name: your real name (i.e., anna mae). This is and sponsor opt-in required to be eligible to win prizes.
password: not required

**live in ABQ?

Join us as we watch the event live from the Art Center Design College, located at 5000 Marble NE. Doors open at 7pm. Network and enjoy the show!

Help spread the word. Tell your friends about this event!
We look forward to seeing you online at motion+connect.

Register now to attend this special motion+connect session.

Join us for motion+connect!

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, not like any plane we’ve ever seen, you’ll have the opportunity to take a peak at how Marcel creates his magic.

In this motion+connect session, he’ll walk you through a simplified version of his workflow process in creating these amazing concept vehicles – from sketch to matte painting to render – using Sketchbook, Maya and Mudbox.

Beginning with Sketchbook, we’ll take a look at its functionality that accommodates storyboarding as well as the initial design process when laying out early vehicle concepts.

Next, Marcel will demo some basic exercises he uses to build and lay out the base model in Maya that then gets exported for detailing and texture paint in Mudbox.

Finally, all data will end up in Maya for animation setup or final rendering.

Along the way, we’ll get a healthy dose of inspiration from witnessing Marcel’s genius.

Marcel is an award-winning concept designer, a highly regarded digital effects consultant for clients like DreamWorks, Digital Domain, Pixar, and Sony Pictures Imageworks, and a favorite speaker at motion events. His feature film credits and production experience include Inspector Gadget, Sphere, Mortal Kombat, Armageddon, and Batman Returns. His work has been widely published in an array of publications including, ID Magazine, Popular Mechanics, CGW and Innovation. He is co-founder of Gnomon School of Visual Effects and is currently a Senior Solution Engineer at Autodesk Media and Entertainment Division.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

online:
time: 7:30 – 9:00 PM {MST | UTC-7}
url: http://experts.na3.acrobat.com/motionconnect/
user name: your real name (i.e., anna mae). This is required to be eligible to win prizes.
password: not required

in ABQ:
time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM

UNM ARTS Lab

131 Pine St NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106

overview:
7:30-8:20 PM: Concept Vehicle Design in 2D and 3D
8:20-8:30 PM: Q&A
8:30-8:40 PM: Managing Fonts for Motion Graphics
8:40-8:50 PM: Beauty Box: Skin Retouching in After Effects and FCP
8:50-8:55 PM: reels@motion
8:55-9:00 PM: software giveaways
*all times are MST | UTC-7

RSVP to be eligible for software giveaways. Must be present (in person OR online) to win.

Students were invited to create interstitials that express the concept of motion. There were no strict guidelines. Our goal was simply to provide an opportunity for students to be creative, and have their work seen.

First, second, and third place winners were selected – and Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in Emeryville, CA took home the bragging rights – sweeping the competition!

“There were numerous outstanding entries in this year’s competition”, said Elaine Montoya, co-producer of motion09. “We had an extremely difficult time selecting the winners.”

“It was very difficult”, reiterated Becky Padilla, co-producer of motion09. “Almost every entry was good enough to be a winner. We saw some amazing creativity. I think this was partially due to our lenient guidelines. We wanted students to be creative – and they were. Ultimately, it came down to selecting the entries that best expressed the only guideline we did provide: to create an interstitial that expresses the concept of event – motion.”

Third place winner, Lisa Hetherington was selected for a piece she created using Cinema 4D and After Effects. “Lisa’s piece conveys the concept of establishing roots as a means for creative growth”, said Montoya. “We felt this expressed one of our primary goals for students attending motion – to establish roots in the industry through their participation in the event and on-site networking with professionals.”

Second place winner, Alyx Loos submitted an elegant type treatment, with a old-time ‘theatrical’ flair. “Alyx’s piece had several elements that caught our attention in relation to the event,” said Padilla. “First, the overall concept of ideas in motion was a good match. While most conferences focus on learning software, our mission with motion, is to produce a show where professionals in the industry can come together to inspire and be inspired, to share ideas, and to be revitalized. ‘Ideas in motion’ fits this goal. The theatrical flair through the film look was a bonus – in many ways, motion is more a creative ’show’ vs. a ‘traditional’ conference.”

Finally, Audrey Karleskind took 1st place in the competition and Best of Show for her interstitial. “When providing guidelines as broad as our were, it’s common to see submissions with outstanding creativity. We basically gave students carte blanche to create whatever they wanted to,” said Montoya.

“Most students use this as an opportunity to experiment – to come up with something they haven’t done before. In Audrey’s case, we felt like she took it a step further. She considered ‘the client’ – motion. It’s the exception rather than the rule that creative professionals are given carte blanche. In most cases, their objective is to create a piece that best meets their client’s marketing and/or communication objectives. Audrey did her research. In a simplistic, illustrative cut-paper animation style, Audrey captured the feel of  downtown ABQ – the event venue. From the historic buildings that line Central avenue, to the modern day high-rises interspersed, it was readily recognized as downtown ABQ.”

“We also like that she included the ‘tourist’ side of the event by including the NM Railrunner, the Sandia mountains, and hot-air balloons,” said Padilla. “We always encourage motion attendees to ‘make it a vacation’ if possible – and the unique attractions of the southwest are part of this.”

“And, she went as far as to use the motion09 logotype in her piece,” added Montoya. “Another sign to us that she was designing this with her ‘client’ in mind.”

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s competition – Lisa, Alyx and Audrey.

Kudos to Ex’pression for sweeping the competition – solidifying their reputation as one of the ‘elite’ post-secondary motion graphics programs in the country.