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.

Animators, motion graphic artists, visual effects artists, screen designers, title designers – here’s your chance to show the world your work. Each month we select two reels from the motion community to screen during the reels@motion segment on our monthly motion+connect broadcast.

It’s easy to enter:

1. Upload your 3-minute or less reel to Vimeo
2. Add the tag: reels@motion to your reel on Vimeo
3. Tweet the Vimeo link to your reel with the hashtag: #motiontv

…and then stay tuned. Winners will be notified. Good luck!

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.

motion09 officially came to a close, Wednesday October, 15, 2009.

“It was our best year ever,” said Becky Padilla, co-producer of motion09. “We started motion three years ago. As working professionals in the industry, we were frustrated that nothing like it existed. As creatives – we were looking for an event that provided inspiration.”

“We’ve attended many conferences over the years,” said Elaine Montoya, co-producer of motion. “They all focused on learning software. While this has it’s place, we were at the place in our careers where we were looking for creative inspiration as a means to revitalize. With tight deadlines, and the pressure of the industry, sometimes you just need to get away from all of it and rejuvenate. That’s what motion is about.”

With motion09, these goals were realized. This year’s show included some of the top talent in the industry, including Karin Fong and Rod Basham (Imaginary Forces), Andrew Orloff (Zoic Studios), Synderela Peng (yU+co.), emmy award winning director Jamie Caliri, animation master Dan Haskett, Michael Waldron and Erik van der Wilden (nailgun*), visionary screen designer Mark Coleran, Patrick McDonough of PMcD Design, and many more.

“The intimate atmosphere allowed for some great one-to-one conversations. I made some great connections that will be invaluable as I continue to define and develop the new Department of Motion Design at Ringling.” Ed Cheetham – Ringling College of Art and Design

“It was so enjoyable to share time and space with other creatives who didn’t seem to be worrying about their place in the scene!” Erik van der Wilden – nailgun*

“We had a wonderful time, thank you – looking forward to next year already!” Alicia VanHeulen – Toolfarm

“I think the whole experience of motion is the people you meet. I have always found some great people that become friends that last much longer then the conference.” Jason Sorbie – Sorbie Design

“Congratulations on the conference! I am so glad I participated!” Patrick McDonough – PMcD Design.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. This year we were honored to have the amazingly talented photographer, Chelsea Nicole capturing the event. Take a look…

“A shout-out to the rockstars of motion09, attendees, volunteers and sponsors of motion. You are what motion is all about,” said Montoya.

“I’ll say it once again,” added Padilla. “We truly appreciate your support!”

Next year’s motion, will take place in October 2010, in ABQ, NM. Details coming soon.

At motion, we are always inspired by the talented work we see coming from the future of our industry – students! This year we provided two unique opportunities for students to have their work seen at motion09:
– the reels@motion competition and
– our interstitials competition

Post-secondary students studying motion graphics, animation, and vfx were asked to submit their reels – 5 minutes or less. The top three winners in two categories – motion graphics and vfx, were announced at this year’s motion conference.

In the category of motion graphics, the winners were:

1st place: Tommy Strickland (Ex’pression College for Digital Arts)
2nd place: Cassandra Chisom (Ex’pression College for Digital Arts)
3rd place: Matt Aubuchon (Ex’pression College for Digital Arts)

view winning reels:

In the category of vfx, the winners were:

1st place: Anna Tonrungroj (Vancouver Film School)
2nd place: Corey Coates (Vancouver Film School)
3rd place: Peter Choi (Vancouver Film School)

view winning reels:

Congratulations to the winners of the motion09 future@motion reels competition!

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.

view all winners of this year’s competition

view all winners of this year’s competition

Want to attend motion09, but your company’s fiscal year begins in October?

Not a problem. Reserve your tickets now at the discounted rate, simply by sending us a purchase order or letter of intent. You won’t have to pay until October!

And we’ve even provided you a sample letter of intent. email it to us at contact [at] motionconference [dot] com or fax it to 505-344-9787. After we receive your purchase order or letter of intent, we will send you a special code to register now. See you at motion09!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

sample letter of intent

September 17, 2009

motion conference
po box 70102
albuquerque, nm 87197-0102

attention: motion 09 registration

This letter serves as [your company's name] Letter of Intent to submit payment in full for the following motion09 conference and training fees:

– motion09 {m}ticket $599
– motion{u} registration $249
– guest ticket for planetmotion party $38
(sample items – replace these with the specific tickets you are purchasing)

TOTAL $886.00

Payment will be made in full no later than October 10, 2009.

This representation is made with full authority and responsibility of [your company's name].

Sincerely,

your name
your title

We negotiated a great group rate this year for motion09 attendees – just $119 a night at the ABQ Doubletree.

This offer expires midnight, Friday, September 18, 2009. Yes…that’s tomorrow! Regular room rates start at $159 a night, so reserve your room in the next 24 hours and save $40 a night – that’s enough to pay for your plane ticket*!

Well…what are you waiting for? Reserve your room at the discounted group rate now!

*based on Southwest Airlines discounted specials to certain markets