Dust off the tablet and get those animation gears turning again...

Hello, World!

It is good to be back, and posting again on here. First of all, let me say happy holidays to all, and best wishes towards the New Year!

I have now finished my time at IMAX and I am back at home working on more animation yumminess! I am, of course, still trying to learn as much as I can to become a better animator, so please bare with me if things may seem a bit rough. :P (It has been awhile after all.)

But before I get to what I did today, I just want to first mention a website I have found very useful so far in my pursuit of knowledge. I am currently learning from some of his tutorials found online and and I'm finding them very helpful and inspiring. The website is www.jasonryananimation.com , and oddly enough, his name is Mr. Jason Ryan. He is a supervising animator for Dreamworks, and I believe he just finished working on the last Shrek movie. If you have the time, or better yet just make the time, check out his site and some of his work. Very nice stuff all around.

Anyways, here's two quick clips of a simple exercise I did today to ease back into animation. It also let me test out some new software I found to help doing planning and layout of a shot before even going into a 3D package. The software is FlipBook and sorry for the watermark over top of everything, but I currently just have the trial version.

2D Planning and Layout in FlipBook


3D Animation in Maya


Well, there you have it. Please let me know what you thought. As always, all comments are welcomed! With this post I hope to get back into somewhat of a regular consistency with these posts, so please leave comments to let me know it is worthwhile to keep up on my work! :D

Thanks again for stopping by, and see you next time! Muahahahahahahaha!

Onwards towards the future!

Well, looks like it's been just over a month since my last post...yeah, sorry about that. November was a crazy busy month for me. IMAX was super busy with the rotoscoping work I was doing there, but it looks like things are coming to and end there soon as the project comes closer to an end with each passing day. Soon I'll be on the hunt for another job. Hopefully things have opened up a bit in the industry since the last time I checked the job boards within the area. I, of course have plans to get back to working on animation pieces and refining my skills, but a source on steady income would help further those efforts for sure. I also attended the CTN Expo down in Burbank, CA during November. I was down there for a week, and wow, there is some serious talent down there. I found it all very inspiring and motivating to see so many skilled animators in on place, and willing to give talks to everyone about theirs experiences within the industry. I could write a whole another post on just what it was like at the show, but I don't have the time right now. I have a feeling I'll have some free time real soon, so maybe I'll get to do such a post.

For now though, I just wanted to say that I will be out of work soon and will be on the hunt for something new to experience. Hopefully, it won't be too tough to find my next animation job.

Finally, an update! And a job...

Greetings all!

It's been awhile since I've updated the blog, but that was since I was using it strictly as a place for studios, and possible employers, to come and view my resume and demo reel online. After a long search, I finally got contracted for a job at IMAX Productions, in Toronto, as a Digital Artist Trainee. It's not in animation, as I would have liked, but I am learning about rotoscoping with Shake, and how 3D IMAX movies are made. Interesting stuff for sure. As I stated before, this is just a contract job, and it looks as though it may last me until around Christmas time. After that, I'll be on the hunt again for an animation job. Hopefully, there will be one out there waiting for me! :D

I have a feeling that this IMAX job will be keeping me busy for awhile though, so I might not be getting to continue animating as much as I'd like to be, but I'll try to sneak in at least something once in awhile. For now, I have a simple little clip of an animation I made while job hunting. It is one of the few I actually finished during this time, and I think it turned out pretty neat-o. I'm also trying to design a business card for myself, for when I meet others within the industry. Anything to help them remember me would be great.

So please check out the stuff below, and please let me know what you think about it all. Criticism is welcomed as always!

Peace out!

Probe Animation:

Business Card Design #1:

PS: Almost forgot to mention, I'll be heading down to Burbank, CA on November 19 to 25 for the Creative Talent Network Expo! It's their first year of operation, but there is going to be a slew of amazing talent and information down there. Plus, it's in the Toon Capital of the World! I cannot wait!

If you are interested to find out more, visit here: http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/

Daniel Man - July 2009 - Demo Reel

Here is a link to the final version of my recent demo reel:

http://www.vimeo.com/5784529

Please feel free to leave any feedback after checking it out. It would be greatly appreciated.

And here is my current resume breakdown:

Daniel Man
Home: 905-728-2129 Cell: 905-767-6092
Email: dan.man.86@hotmail.com
Blog: http://nerdwerks.blogspot.com/
1049 Beaver Valley Crescent, Oshawa, ON, CA L1J 8N2

Career History

Character Animator for Keyframe Digital Productions, 2007 – 2008

• Pinky Dinky Doo: Season 2

Responsible for character and prop animations within weekly deadlines, along with:

· Creating assets for production, such as new character and prop texture maps
· Organizing the viewing of dailies in the edit
· Filled in for our group’s lead on occasion
· Kept open communication between other departments, such as Design and Technical
· Kept a positive atmosphere throughout the studio

Other Experience

· Stockroom Coordinator/ Sales Associate, The Bombay Company, 2004 – 2007
· Inventory Counter, RGIS Inventory Specialist, 2005 – 2006
· Deli/Bakery Associate, Kendalwood Price Choppers, 2003 – 2004

Software

Maya 6 - 2009 3dsMax 2008 Final Cut Pro Photoshop 7 - CS Flash 2008

Education

3 Year Advanced Diploma, Computer Animation, 2004 - 2007
Durham College, Oshawa, ON

Interests

Video Games – Cartoons – Reading – Movies – Board Games

Warhammer 40K – Vinyl Figurines – Toys/Action Figures


References Available Upon Request



Cheers, and thanks for stopping by!

Let's try this again...

Here's a NEWER pass at my demo reel. I think this one is getting close the the final. Some small tweaks here and there. As always, please let mek now what you think : D

Finally here, for your viewing pleasure!

Here's my first first official pass at a new demo reel...finally.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Push it...Push it real good...

Quick post. Just a Heavy Push here i finished today. Nothing too over the top, just more of a test to see if I could convey believable weight and resistance. Let me know what you think! Other than the last piece I did, the Weight Lifter, I've never tried these kinds of aniamtions. Despite how fundamentally important they are : P

Let's Get Physical, PHYSICAL!

Quick post. Just an exercise I finished last night. I just wanted to work on weight and timing, so I figured something like this would help wrap my head around it. I think it turned out pretty nicelt, it I do say so myself :P But please, let mek now what you think! And thanks to everyone who stopped by for the last post. I appreciate the feedback. Peace out!

Character Weight Lift

Jumping for Joy...

One quick update this week. I started and finished this piece last week. I think it came together pretty nicely, but please let me know what you think. As always, take it easy.

Jump Project

UPDATE: 05/26

Just thought I share this one with everyone too. I finished it today and I think it turned out pretty nicely. It's my first tryign a horse animation, so please let me know what you think! :D

Just another day...

Hey there,

This week's post is a quick one. Not too many things going on lately. Just being watching some tutorials, and really trying to learn as much as I can. I attended a Starz Animation recruiting event on Thursday night for the first time ever. I really only got to drop off my reel for them, since the place with just PACKED with people. And I mean PACKED. I really don't do well with huge shoulder to shoulder crowds, so I just wanted to get in and out as quick as possible. (Thanks to Mike and Linz for coming down there with me too.) It's a shame though, as I would have liked to have talked to at least someone there from Starz. Oh well, maybe I'll get lucky and hear back from them. *crosses fingers*

In other news, I found out shortly after my last post, how I did in the April contest for the 11 Second Club. I placed 40 out of 160, with an overall score of 4.89 out of 10, which is between "Decent" and "Good." I don't really care for how I did and what not, but it's the feedback and everything I learned just from the process that I valued. I highly recommend to any aspiring animator!

That's about it for this time....oh, but I shall leave you with some videos to check out too, because it just doesn't feel right otherwise.

Starz Quickie Reel


Leica Reel for next project - "Eat to Bite"


Take it easy everybody!

Phew...

Well then, that was a refreshing month. I finally finished my entry for 11 Second Club this month. I think it turned out pretty good. But I sure did learn a lot through the process of it. It had been a while since I had used Maya for animating, as well as done some acting, and it felt good to get back into it. Take a look at the entry below and let me know what you think :D

As for what's next, I've got some things planned. First, I'm looking forward to seeing what May's audio track will be for the 11 Second Club. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would love to take a crack at it again. So we'll see what happens with that next post. Secondly, I'm planning to get down to some more learning. I've been reading up on some animation notes, and have been learning a lot from them as I get further into them. But I've always been a more visual learner, so I've decided to purchase some video tutorials from Gnomon Workshops and Digital Tutors. I want to make sure I keep on top of my "animating game", and want to learn as much as I can on my "down time," so I figured this would be a good way to accomplish that. I first batch will be:

"Facial Animation & Lip Sync"

"Acting & Lip Sync"

I figured I could use some boning up on my acting animation the most, and I was never really taught but about lip sync with a 3D rig in school, so I could due with more knowledge on that topic anyways. Hopefully, they will prove to be most helpful, and I'll let those of you who stop by, know how they turn out.

Well, I think that's it for this week's post. Oh, and I almost forgot : S Thanks to Mike & Mack for taking the time to stop by and post. It is proving to be very difficult to get others to do so. So I greatly appreciate guys. I mean it.

Take care all, and I'll see you on the flipside!

Shifting Gears...

Greetings again all, or should I just say Mike?

Anyways, another two weeks have flown by and that means hopefully I've got some work done.

There's a mediocre amount of work this post. I've got a video showing a collection of the Soldier animations I worked on for the past couple months. It's cool to see them all together. There are some clips missing from it however, since I didn't think they were quite up to snuff yet.

I'll also post the fixes from last post's clips. This pretty much marks the end of the Soldier stuff though. I've posted the collection video on some other forums to get additional feedback though, so I'm sure to revisit them at some point.

The main focus this month though, is my return to what I like to call, "acting animation." I decided to make an attempt at an entry to the 11secondclub, like I stated last post. So, it will probably be the primary focus of my animation for the remainder of the month. I've done another pass at blocking, but there's still a good amount of work to be done. I'll be busy, busy.

So thanks to all who have stopped by during the Soldier work. Your comments were all greatly appreciated.

Now it's time to move on...

Fixes

Grenade Roll

Knife Drawn from Sheath

Stealth Walk

Soldier Collection

Second Pass at Blocking April Entry

Update: 04/23

Here's a more recent pass at this month's entry. It is only focusing on the machine for now. Enjoy!

Looky, looky!

Aloha All!

This week, I come bearing fixes to the March, Regular Throw, and Roll. As well as, two new clips: Knife Drawn from Sheath and a Stealth Walk.

Thanks to Salty, Mike and Keith for stopping by. I appreciate the feedback as always, but was a little extra excited to receive feedback from a non-animator :D

Onwards and upwards, my friends!

FIXES

March

Regular Throw

Roll

NEW

Draw from Sheath

Stealth Walk

PREVIEW of Things to Come...
Ballet WIP* Still in the very early stages, as I'm sure you will notice the jerkiness and snapping...

And as one final thought, I've also decided to try my hand at entering the monthly contest at 11secondclub.com

Check out the site and this month's audio clip to find out more.

UPDATE 04/07:

Here is the Blocked Version I've whipped up for the contest. Please let me know what you think:

Until next post, keep on rocking in the free world :P

Heads Up!

Greetings all!

Thank you too all who stopped by and posted for the last entry....Mack, salty, Jess, Mike, and whomever the Anonymous visitor was. The feedback was very helpful and as thorough as ever. I greatly appreciate it : D

Got a couple more clips sent off as finals too, thanks to the input.
Oh, and theres one clip from last post, "Hit", that received some thorough, but needed, criticism. So instead of hurrying, I am going to take my time with those fixes and hopefully get it up with the next post.

Onwards to this weeks post:

Fixes

Jump Down


Load Ready


March


New

Regular Throw


Roll

This week in Animation!

Here's to a long over due update. Thanks to Mike and Jess for being the only ones who managed to stop by & post over the last two weeks. Appreciated as always :D

As stated before, the fixes here are the last of my Hand Gun clips, and I have moved on to the Assault Rifle, which consists of those posted today.

All feedback is welcomed and please let me know what you think. I welcome all criticism, not matter how small. : )

Enjoy!


Fixes

Jump Down



Put Away

New

Load & Ready

Strafe

Hit

March

A Change of the Guards

Just a quick post this week to let others know that I will now being posting every other week. I've heard from some that it is tough to post on here every week, so I'm going to change it up and hopefully get some more input in between posts. And there will be more clips to view with each post as well. Hopefully this change will help everyone out and make things easier. Thanks for sticking around.

Keep Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', What!?

Got one stinkin' new animation done this week, but a good bunch of fixes done. I blame the lack of new work on Family Day...legit holiday wannabe....Thanks to those who stopped by, Mike, Mat, and Salty. The feedback is greatly appreciated as always! : D

But, this will mark the last of the handgun animations with the soldier. The next small chunk will be with an assault rifle. The handgun clips were the most I had planned with the Soldier, so all other weapons from here on will only have 4 to 5 clips involving them.

And the rifle clips will be different from the handgun ones, not just weapon changes.

But enough with the reading, here's this week's clips:

NEW

Gun Put Away

FIXES

Run

Walk Upstairs

Jump Down

Pressing onwards...

This was a weird week....for some reason I had some really dull and slow days. I blame it on the louzy weather....

But anyways, thanks to Mike this week, as he was the only one who managed to crit the videos. Special kudos to him! :D

Like last time, I shall post the new clips, followed by the older ones with fixes made.

Oh, and the 2 clips from my first real post, Holster Draw & Walk, have been put into the DONE folder for now, since I am happy with how they look.

As before, Comments & Crits are greatly encouraged please!

Thanks for stopping by....

NEW!

Run

Jump Down

Crouched Walk

FIXES

Walk Upstairs

Walk Downstairs

Gun Fire

Round 2.......FIGHT!

Alrighty, firstly I want to say thanks to everyone who visited and posted....Salty, Mat, Mike, and Jess. Thanks you guys, for taking the time to give me some input. I really appreciate it!

This week's post will start off with the newest pieces I've been working on, followed by last weeks pieces, now with changes made based on the feedback I received.

Tell me what you think, whether good or bad!

Take it easy, and thanks again.

Step Upstairs and Aim

Walking Upstairs

Walking Downstairs

Fixes to Holster Draw

Fixes to Gun Fire

Fixes to Walk with Gun

So it begins...

Here we go. These are just some quick cycles I've started working on towards a new reel, as well as just for something different. These are all still WIP's but please, let me know what you think, and what needs a lot more work on.

Heck, if you've got some ideas let me know.....I've got plenty already to work on, but I can't have too many.

So have a look and C&C always welcomed!

Oh, and the model I'm using is the 'Cryptic Rig.'

Welcome to all.

With this wonderful blog I hope to post some creative stuff I'm working on at the end of every week. And if you aren't too busy(: P), I'd appreciate it if you could check it out, even leave some feedback or criticism. Through this blog, I hope to learn and develop as an artist, as well as help out whoever stops by. Whether its inspiration needed, problems needed solving, or just shooting the breeze.


Oh, and if you have something similar to this, please let me know....I would be more than happy to do that same for you.

Thanks for stopping by, and hopefully this will be the start of something awesome.....