Clint Donaldson Animation Blog

Updates, Rodeos, Books, and Premieres

2010-09-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Long time no see! Here's some of the stuff I've been involved in and worked on in the past few months...

First up is "TOP HAND RODEO TOUR", a PSN downloadable game for PS3 that is coming out in December. I was able to hook up with Perpetual FX Creative in Texas for a little while and do some animations for the game. This is the teaser trailer for the game:

Also, I was fortunate enough to have some of my work featured in Tina O'Hailey's new book, Hybrid Animation:Integrating 2D and 3D Assets.

It's a great book all about what the title suggests. She is a stellar professor at SCAD and I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in the subject.

Finally, regarding something that my dusty old Twitter account alluded to months ago, Jaguar McGuire, the group project short film I directed, had a successful debut at the Strand Theatre in Marietta. Here's some pics from the event:

The entire project was a great experience and the premiere event was a fitting way to celebrate it's completion.

Visual Storytelling...

2010-03-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Cool little act I came across on youtube. Check out how the body movements and sound create a good story with no 'facial animation' per say...

Update, and two very cool things...

2010-02-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I'm still here! I apologize for the lack of updates, but some exciting things are happening right now. I can't post what I'm working on, but hopefully that will change in the future. For now, check out these two sweet projects I've come across recently. Both of them are super impressive in their own ways.

Global Agenda Reel

2010-01-30T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! Quick update: Here is some of the work that I did on the newly released game Global Agenda for Hi Rez Studios. Working with the team at Hi Rez was a great experience and I really learned alot. They are a great group of guys, and the game isn't too shabby either!

Be on the look out for new content hitting the blog very soon!

A new Agenda....

2009-10-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

This week I have started an Animation Internship at Hi-Rez Studios here in Atlanta. Currently the studio is hard at work completing its debut game 'Global Agenda'. Be on the lookout for it!

As a result, I might not have as much time for personal work in the near future, but I still have a couple of near finished cycles that should find their way online soon enough.

I'm Still Here...

2009-10-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the radio silence these past few weeks, but life has been pretty hectic lately. I've still got some pretty sweet animations on the back burner, and hopefully those will show up on here sooner than later. To tide you over for now, here's a pretty cool interview with one of the animators on Project Offset that I came across:

Blending it up...

2009-09-14T03:16:00.000-07:00

I've been working alot with the trax editor and the concept of blending and layering animation lately. Here's a glimpse of my current animated undertaking using the Soldier Rig by Chirstophe Desse and Jason Gill:

The goal here is to give this guy a complete set of actions that blend seamlessly into each other no matter what order they come in. What you see above is the first three cycles (run, jump, roll) blocked out.

Before the end of the week I plan on finishing out his actions and making a fun little short "fake video game" sequence out of it. Here's a quick and dirty proof:

Animating using just cycles and the trax editor has been alot more fun that I expected. I can't wait to give him some more moves (idles, ducks, shooting) and really bring him to life.

Plant in Progress...

2009-08-18T01:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a peek at my latest animation. It's a contribution to Greg Perez's ongoing Senior Project. He's made an awesome plant rig (think Venus Flytrap) and I was tasked with bringing it to life.

This is what I've managed over the weekend:

Obviously, alot of it is still just blocking (mostly the middle and end) but I think the general sense of the action has been established. The dead zone in the middle there will be filled with the bug skittering around.

It's an been an interesting process for me because this is the first time I've animated both a plant and an insect.

The Soft Launch...

2009-08-13T09:33:00.001-07:00

Recently I have been attempting to carve out my own little corner of the internet. You can check out my handy work so far at www.clintdonaldson.com

The site is not full of content yet, but it does have my reel. New content will be added very soon.

The Big Easy (SIGGRAPH 09) pt.2...

2009-08-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

SIGGRAPH 2009 was a pretty cool experience. Aside from experiencing New Orleans for the first time, I got to chat it up with reps from game, film, and effects companies from all over the industry. There were lots of cool new projects and technologies on display and I scored a pretty good amount of swag.

After the convention, Adam and I hit some jackpots at the nearby casino, after which we gleefully headed to Bourbon Street. All in all, a great couple of days. Here's some sights from the convention...

The Big Easy (SIGGRAPH 09) pt.1...

2009-08-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

Headed down to New Orleans for SIGGRAPH 09 yesterday. I'd never been to the city before, and was surprised by the strange vibe they have going down here. The city is half deserted/ half party central, it makes for a strange scene.

The view from the hotel...

Time to dive into the meat market!

Reel Repost

2009-08-02T03:41:00.000-07:00

The Dream is Over...

2009-07-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

The trip may be nearing it's end, but today may have been the best day of all. We started the day off at Dreamworks Animation. As if touring the studio wasn't enough, they invited us to stay for lunch and chat it up with a couple of recent SCAD graduates who were currently working there. It was another amazing experience to throw onto the stack we've already accumulated on the trip so far.

After a quick stop at Buck Studios, we made our way to the 'Industry Dinner' with reps from Digital Domain. We wined and dined the night away, all the while being entertained by the war stories of our guests. It was great experience to top off an unbelievable week.

More Studios and a Great Night...

2009-07-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

I would say my day started off better than my roommate Adam, who woke up with a case of kidney stones. We rolled with the punches however, and after a quick trip to the ER, we started our studio tours for Thursday.

First stop was Star Dust, which was manned by some of the most laid back, genuine guys we've encountered so far. They were very honest and came across as a company that loves to do what they do. It's a shame that some of us had to miss out on that visit.

Next stop was Sony Imageworks/Sony Animation. Once again, I was blown away by how open and welcoming the studio was to us. They gave us a great tour(with a hilarious tour guide) and we even got to sit down and have an invaluable talk with one of the Executive Directors there. It was definitely one of the best tours of the trip.

Last and most definitely not least, was Motion Theory. During our visit, we had a great host that introduced us to several artists, who in turn told us their own success stories. It was inspiring to see people who were in a similar situation to me not that long ago working at a great company like MT. We left with a great impression of the company and the people that work there.

We ended the night on top of the hotel with the SCAD Alumni Dinner. We got to mingle and smooze with industry professionals while drinking and taking in the lights of Beverly Hills. It doesn't get much better than that.

In & Out, D & D, and Something on the Side...

2009-07-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

Another day, a couple more studios... We began our day by dropping by Side Effects Studios, who are the makers of Houdini, a production package that is quickly becoming the standard in many parts of the industry. We got to try out some of the software, and talked to some really informative employees about their experience working there. We got a free mousepad too, not a bad deal!

Lunchtime rolled around and we hit up the Los Angeles fast food staple, In & Out Burger. None of us had researched how to do any of the special ordering, and thus had to resort to ordering from the simplified 'tourist' menu. The burger was still good though!

The last official stop of the day was Digital Domain, one of the industry leaders in effects. The studio was in production lockdown at the moment, so we didn't get to see much of the main working areas. However, we did get to have an awesome meeting with the great recruiting team they have there. They were very open and informative, something I still don't expect when we arrive at a new studio. The experience was very cool, and I got to see minature buildings from 'The Fifth Element' and the Harrier Jet from 'True Lies'. It was a great experience.

After that, I split off from the group to go have dinner with my good buddy Bryan and his fiance, Rachel. The rest of the group went to an Improv Comedy Show, which you will be able to read an account of on Tina's blog. We're already halfway through the trip now, but there is still a lot of great stuff to look forward to. This trip has already surpassed all my expectations.

More Studios and Touristy Stuff pt.3...

2009-07-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

Another day is in the books and this trip just keeps getting better and better. The day started off with a visit to Electronic Arts' LA Studio. Again, the staff was very open and welcoming to us. The facilities were great and we even scored some cheap games from the company store, which was (wo)manned by a very informative young woman. We ended our visit to the cafeteria and got some good eats.

Next stop was Rhythm & Hues. The highlight of this visit (and the trip so far) was an hour and a half long round table with a SCAD alumn, animation director, composite supervisor, and recruiting manager. It was one of the most informative experiences of my life and was simply inspiring. We also saw lots of cool stuff that I can't write about because R & H will send thier ninjas after me. It was amazing.

Last stop of the day was the Santa Monica Pier...

Bring on Day 5!

Touristy Stuff pt.2 and Studio Stories...

2009-07-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

So today, we went to two studios as well as the City Walk in front of Universal. City Walk was cool, but it was just a side trip to kill some time before the good stuff...

We first went to Film Roman, which is primarily known for making 'The Simpsons'. Everyone we met there were really welcoming and open. We got to talk to Directors, animators, layout artists and even the President of the company. We even made it out of there with some sweet swag and autographed posters. Very cool.

The real highlight of the day was Disney animation, however. As we were waiting in the lobby, the man himself, John Lasseter came waltzing down a nearby staircase. Awesome. The rest of the tour was great as well. Once again, all of the artists and staff there made us feel really welcome and showed us alot of cool unreleased stuff.

The trip has been great and seems to be getting better every day. Also, for another perspective on the trip, check out our Great Leader's blog.

Touristy Stuff pt.1...

2009-07-26T17:59:00.001-07:00

When I'm back in Atlanta, I'll consolidate all the posts relating to the trip into one. For now though, I'm gonna post up pictures as we go along. Sunday was a good day. Great weather, cool stuff to see. We started off at the Getty Museum, saw some cool art (Monet, Degas, Van Gogh), then we headed over to the Chinese Theater and saw what there was to see. Lesson learned: Hollywood is a dirty, dirty place.

The City of Angels...

2009-07-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

In a few hours, me and my good buddy Adam White are boarding a plane for LA. Our itinerary includes tours and lunches at studios such as:

Disney Feature
Dreamworks
EA
Rhythm and Hues
Digital Domain
etc.

Needless to say, I'm pretty excited. Below is the cut of my animation reel that I'm bringing with me. It's not perfect, but it's definitely an improvement over the last one.

The day after we get back from LA, I'm boarding another plane to 'Nawleans for the spectacle known as SIGGRAPH. These next two weeks are going to be very exciting...

UPDATE 7/26:
The view from the hotel...

Monser Mash...

2009-07-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for LA next Saturday, so at the moment I'm racing to get my reel cut into a presentable form. I'm also trying to finish up this animation as the last "official" addition to the reel:

at the moment, the two little guys are roughly blocked in. In the end, they'll serve little more purpose than just standing there waiting to get hit.

Looking at it now, I'm going back to tighten up the impact the actual monster has when he hits the humans. I want him to be powerful enough to brush them off like flies, but also have a convincing amount of weighted impact.

This one has been really fun to animate so far!

Hot for Teacher...

2009-07-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

For the past week, I have had the pleasure of teaching an ambitious group of high schoolers who attended the 'SCAD Summer Seminars', a summer program here that gives kids from all over a chance to sample different majors.

The kids come from all over the south, with many of them staying in the dorms for the whole week. I had 5 days to get these kids animating, and they did a great job. From the bouncing balls they banged out in day 1, to the individual animations they spent the rest of the week on, they worked hard and put forth a sincere effort, which I appreciated.

Below is the video I edited together of all the kid's stuff. In addition to it being featured at the 'end of the week art show' earlier today, each kid got their own copy.

After some of the classes, a few students approached me and told me how excited they were about animation, which was great. This whole week had been an awesome experience and it is definitely a road I want to travel down again in the future.

Great job, kids!

Meching It Up...

2009-07-13T00:32:00.000-07:00

Been playing around with some free rigs posted up at Kiel Figgins site. Here's a quick and dirty walk cycle I'm working on with the mech rig:

The Big Take Down part Deux...

2009-07-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

So I got some good crits on this little clash of the titans, most notably from Jason Barnes:

"I feel the cross-over motion he does is what makes it confusing. in the shot the smaller guy is on the far right of the bigger guy, then he jumps in at him and ends up going around that left side of the bigger guy. "

He made a good point about the crossing up of the motion path of the "little guy". In this new version, I've had the little runt carry on through with his initial path and the result is much more energetic and impactful in my opinion. Check it out!

After I clean up the jump a little bit more, Im shifting my focus to the big man's reaction to being stabbed, which is fairly non-existent at the moment.

The Big Take Down...

2009-07-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days, I've been getting tons of great feedback and crits on the reel. For the most part, people seem to be debating the camera work more than the animation. Either way, it has all been positive and inspiring. There will be a new cut incoming very soon. For now, here's something totally new:

This is an animation that I'm slugging into shape to eventually replace the 'big man dying' shot in my game reel.

It still needs tons of tweaks, but I feel like it already has a lot of impact. I'm digging the core motion of the big guy so far, but my main concern is the readability of the action. At the moment, I'm trying to clarify the moment of contact between the two at the beginning.

A little peek...

2009-07-02T02:19:00.000-07:00

I reckon it's time to reveal what I've been occupied with over the last two weeks or so. Below is the first rough cut of my new "game animation" reel. The focus of this reel is physical action and the like.

Disclaimer: A couple of these animations are still a WIP, as are a couple of the transitions.

This is just a low res cut now, when it's finished it will have a few more animations jammed in there, as well as cleaner (hopefully seamless) transitions. I'm pretty proud of what it is becoming, which is why I wanted to share this lil' peek on here. Lemme know what ya think!

Wall of Fame...

2009-06-19T00:56:00.000-07:00

One of the things that's taking up alot of my time here is my thesis film/group project; Jaguar McGuire. It's a short little story about a stunt man who is injured to the point of being in a full body cast. You can get a more formal and thorough description here.

This is some of the wall art that I did for the film. Because they are not featured in any particular shot, all that mattered was that the general idea of each image was easily readable. I wanted people to pull away two things from just a periphery glance:

1. It's Jaguar.
2. He's doing something "stuntman-esque"

Anyways, these were really fun to do. I actually think the red poster on the bottom left would make a pretty sweet shirt.

Skeletons in the Closet...

2009-06-19T00:47:00.000-07:00

In cleaning out my apartment, I've come across a lot of old artwork and projects from my undergrad years at the Art Institute of Atlanta. What follows is a somewhat hilarious example of that.

At the bottom of an old box I spied a mysterious face looking up at me... It was Teddy Roosevelt.

Ah, The "Teddy Project". A project that I and my good buddy Jeff Baker know all to well.

According to the back of the DVD case, The TEDDY PROJECT was:
A project began in 2002 with a grant to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Its mission is to teach America's youth the value of wildlife and wild places by using the technologies they know and enjoy.

Suffice to say, I have dire memories of this project. Although my involvement was limited to some character building and small animation (check the awesome alligator at 1:26!), I still feel somewhat responsible for it in an odd way.

The reason I'm posting this, however, is because of how hilarious it is. How much of the hilarity is intentional, I'll leave to the viewer to determine. Just watch and enjoy!

(note: For some reason, the last minute or so got cut off. Don't worry, you didn't miss much.)

Pumping Iron...

2009-06-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

Here's two quickies for today. A couple of game animations using the Frank Rig from HighEnd 3d. The first is a sort of ground-pound attack and the second is a death/knockout. The bigger they are the harder they fall!

Hanging on...

2009-06-09T00:39:00.001-07:00

We are having our break between quarters at the moment and I decided that I needed to beef up the physical action on my reel. Here's a little ditty that's still a work in progress. More loving needs to be given in certain parts, like the area at the end when he attempts to pull himself up, but I'm happy with it so far.

Why he would want to jump from his relatively safe looking block to a rather precariously positioned pole, we'll never know...

Sketchy Gestures...

2009-05-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite gestures from my most recent sketchbook:

Bird Poop...

2009-05-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Had a spare hour between classes up at school today, so I thought I'd make a short film. This is what a 56 minute production schedule will get ya:

Look for it in next year's "Best Short Animation" category.

Poser...

2009-05-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

So I was working the other night, and I caught some of Katt Williams' "It's Pimpin' Pimpin" on Comedy Central. At first I didn't pay much attention, but I soon started to notice how Katt was moving around the stage. In particular the segment where he rants about tigers:

Warning: This vid has lots o' *Not Safe For Work* language:

If you really watch how he moves, you can see how much work he puts into creating visual interest in his act. He is constantly contorting, bending and deforming his body, yet he stays in the same relative position. Watching this made me realize some of the parallels between stand-up comedy (or performance in general) and animation. I had never realized that the problems I need to tackle as an animator we're so present in 'real life' performance art. In hind sight, I wonder why I didn't make the connection sooner.

No one would posture or wave his arms around in normal conversation like Katt does on stage. He's not accentuating the way he does just to act crazy. The main reason is to get his point across clearly. His body must be read by the camera filming him, the audience in the third balcony, and the guy at Applebee's who's half watching from a booth right under the television, all at the same time. Clarity and purpose of silhouette and strong lines of action help him accomplish this.

Imagine watching the same clip above if Katt was standing completely still, or if he just monotonously shifted back and forth the whole time. 90% of the impact in his act would be gone; dead in the water. He rapidly moves from a held pose to another held pose, arching his back or sticking his neck up, altering whatever he can to inject more dynamic energy into his motions. He rarely stands up straight unless he intends to, instead he skulks around the stage like a coiled spring, ready to explode. Most of this is instinct for him by now I suppose, but its source stems from years of cutting his teeth on the comedy circuit, learning what works and what doesn't.

Notice the timing of the whole segment in general. You'll see Katt settle down and bring his whole body in as he sets up a joke. When he's built up just the right amount of energy, he busts out and creates a dynamic change, either in pace or posture. This is the kind of stuff that keeps people interested in a static scene for extended periods of time.

Katt Williams may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I thought this was a cool real world example of some of the principles of animation in action.

Dead Man Walking...

2009-05-13T14:39:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick sketch I did this afternoon of a character from one of my own personal series pitches. The general nature and theme of the series can be gleaned from three key terms:

1. Cowboys

2. California Gold Rush
3. Zombies

This guy is an envisioning of one of the main characters. A 'traveling salesman' of sorts, he's figured out that he can turn the 'indjun disease' everyones so terrified of into a lucrative venture of his own. Things go awry, naturally.

Rough Demo Reel Cut

2009-05-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

I had an appointment for a portfolio review up at SCAD, so I threw together a rough cut of my animation reel to show:

It's still just a draft(hence all the playblasts) but I liked how it came out. There's a couple of new unfinished pieces in there, namely the first two. They still need alot of work, but I felt they were presentable for the moment.

Father and Son...

2009-04-20T13:18:00.001-07:00

Some gestures from the Zoo.

Rage against the Rotoscope...

2009-04-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out some of my old files today and found a piece that I did during my first quarter of grad school. It was a Rotoscoping project for a course called "Drawing In Motion". The concept was to convey an emotion using roto techniques. I drew up some "rage":

The reason I'm posting this is because it really forced an understanding upon me the important role the method of Rotoscoping has played in the history of animation. I remember being shocked and a bit disheartened when I realized just how much of the animation that I loved as a child had simply been 'traced'. Entire sequences of 'Snow White' were done this way, and while I never had a particular fondness for the film, the revelation did ruin a bit of the magic for me.

As an animator, the idea of 'Roto' and/or motion capture is not an immediately appealing one. All throughout our educations in the art, it is constantly beat into our brains that our purpose is to breath life into a nothingness; be it a fresh piece of paper, a blank Flash composition, an empty Maya file, etc. With 'Roto', you are using data that is pre-determined; your freedom is restricted. No longer are you a creator, but rather a supplementer or tweaker.

To some, this is blasphemy. The artist becomes an automaton. A faceless engineer at a machine that traces images, at least until they invent a better machine that can do that too. Why even take the effort to emulate 'real' animation if the end result is a soulless ghost of what it could or should be. If animation is a copy of life, then Rotoscoping is a copy of a copy. Less contrast, less resolution, and even more of a reduction of reality.

For the most part, barring the odd short film or commercial, 2d Rotoscoping has died out. However, it has risen again in recent times, like a phoenix from the ashes, in the form of motion capture. Being utilized for productions like Spielberg and Jackson's 'Tin Tin', Roto has entered the digital age and shows no signs of slowing down.

It is my humble opinion that a true artist can make due with what is given. An architect must sculpt beauty within the boundaries of utility and purpose. A sculptor must judiciously make use of the marble block he is cutting into. As an animator, one can look at Rotoscoping in two ways: A foreshadowing of the impending death of the art, or another avenue of expression to be explored.

I believe that before it 'kills' the art of animation, it will break off into it's own, almost utilitarian, art form. Key framed animation contains far too much potential in expression to be silenced by competing imitations of life. I do not harbor a resentment towards the method, nor do I fear it. I do think that it is a ever-growing beast that needs to be addressed with acknowledgment and understanding by the animation industry.

These are just some of the thoughts that rolled around in my head when I found that piece. This post also gives me an excuse to post the source footage of the animation, which was made with the help of my good friend John Thomas. Enjoy!

Eye of the Tiger...

2009-04-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a four legged walk I just finished up using the Tiger Rig from HighEnd3d. It's got a few hitches that I intend to iron out, but I'm pretty happy with how it came out. RWAAR!

Eavesdropping...

2009-04-10T19:59:00.001-07:00

Here's an acting study I did this week. A character hears something behind the wall and reacts. One of the things I tried to focus on in this piece was the characters internal processing as he is listens.

The Beginning...

2009-04-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hello! Welcome to my animation blog. My name is Clint Donaldson and I am a student currently closing in on my MFA in Animation at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta campus. On this page I'll be posting some of my animation work, please check back often!

This piece (featuring audio from 'Ferris Bueller') won second place in the SCAD animation society's dialogue competition last month.

A head turn I finished up last week.

Also, I am currently directing two short films: 'Jaguar McGuire', which is SCAD Atlanta's 2009 group project effort, and 'LUMA', my thesis film. I will be posting updates on 'LUMA' on this blog, while you can follow the production of 'Jaguar' here.

The shot above is a mock up of the opening shot of 'Jaguar McGuire'. Animation by Jason Walling.