Siggraph in Boston

We're headed up to Boston for Siggraph. It should be a good time. If you're up there, stop by the http://www.colonnadehotel.com/ and say hello. If you're looking for work, drop off your reel at the front desk.

If you aren't going to Siggraph, or would rather not carry around reels, go ahead and mail us your work:

Bishop Animation
ATTN: desired position (ex: "attn: rigging")
214 Ninth Street
Honesdale, PA 18431

Cats playing ping pong... for no particular reason.

Siggraph 2006: Boston

So the biggest computer graphics get together of the year is in Boston this time. Bishop Animation will be heading north. If you plan on being there, let us know so we can meet up!

Floyd the Fruit Fly

A character with great character

There aren't too many cartoons today with characters that are as well animated as Tom & Jerry. Take a look at the model sheet for Jerry. Every drawing on there gives a great sense of what the character is thinking or feeling.

We've got a few projects right now where we are trying to capture that same sense of character through posing, but using the tools of today to try and do it in 3D.

It's really tough.

How tough? It's so tough that our main rigger (Chris Boylan) has pulled out so much hair, he now has a mohawk.

It's much easier to put in a little bit of fat here or there using your pencil rather than with polygons, but I think we're getting very close though to the poseability that was impossible in CG only a few years ago. Keep watching this space for updates.

Hot enough for you?

I think it was a billion degrees today. It was really only about 93 degrees, but it felt very hot. hopefully tomorrow is cooler. Hooray for Air Conditioning!

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" - some of the best CG I've ever seen

When you do CG as a career, you look at movies in a different way. You can sometimes see some subtle hints as to how things are done, whether it's make-up, compositing, digital doubles, etc. I had no idea while I was watching the film how they were making this character happen. ILM did a fantastic job with this character. If they don't win an Oscar for this phenominal work, there is no justice.

When I saw "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest", I was blown away by the character of Davey Jones. If you like adventure movies, pirates, or special effects, you'll really enjoy this film. Go see it if you get a chance.

The film is the sequel to "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl". Both films are based on the Disneyland ride "Pirates of the Caribbean". Go to http://www.tellnotales.com to learn more about the ride that inspired the films, and see some of the incredible talent that helped create the attraction.

Evening news getting worse and worse

It looks as though things are bad in a lot of different places right now. It reminded me of this song. If you're in any of the rough spots in the world right now, take care.

-Floyd

On the road again...

There was lots of driving on Monday. We had a meeting in Connecticut, and then I had to go to a wake that evening. I drove a total of 365 miles. Fun fun fun.

-Floyd

More images of Amber

Give me a hand

Meet Veronica's friend Amber. Veronica is modeling Amber using a variety of anatomy sources, including anatomy books, photos, and Victoria Secret catalogs. As we finish Amber, she'll be decked out in a variety of ways. We plan on putting realistic hair and clothes on her. Her first task will probably be one of a Greek or Roman goddess.

We do a lot of cartoon stuff, which we enjoy greatly, but Amber is our way of showing that we are capable of realism as well. Let us know what you think!

A face only a mother could love

Recently, we had a challenge to create an appealing character based on a fly. This is the microscopic photo of a fruit fly... not exactly a golden retriever puppy.

I saw a bit about Ward Kimball designing Jiminy Cricket and how he had struggled to get a nice looking character from an animal so repulsive. At first, I thought it wouldn't be too tough, but it's harder than it sounds.

If you strip out too much "flyness", you end up with something that doesn't read as a fly. If you keep too much "flyness", you get something that is not too appealing. Hopefully I can post some of the stuff that J. Chad came up with here soon.

Great music for the 4th of July

Happy 4th of July. Have a listen to some music from a somewhat happier time: The Firehouse Five Plus Two.

The Best Chicken Possible

We've pushed back our self-imposed deadline for "Poor Professions for Poultry" in order to create the best chicken we possibly can. Factor in the backyard BBQ's and parties for the 4th of July, and it's going to be a little while before we finish off the project.

In the meantime, here is a link to some delicious grill recipes for grilled chicken:

Grilled Chicken Recipies

My own personal preference when grilling chicken is to use a rub, consisting mostly of Jerk Spice. You can't go wrong.

"One Cab's Family" - a great example of animated cars.

Long before Lightning McQueen and Benny the Cab, there was "One Cab's Family"



Although this film came out the same year as Disney's "Susie The Little Blue Coupe" (1952), I think "One Cab's Family" is more successful. It's got a lot of great gags, but a lot of emotional impact as well.

Cars were much more expressive fifty four years ago for some reason.