Check Out the New Blog + Reference Animation Tips & Tricks

 A few weeks ago, we launched our new Animation Mentor blog at blog.animationmentor.com.

Now even though we’ve given our blog a whole new look — you can be sure that it will still be THE stop for all things animation (think tips and tricks, industry news, general chatter) and all things Animation Mentor (new offerings, updates, events).

Animation Tips & Tricks Is Still a Great Reference

We’re also excited to announce that the Animation Tips & Tricks resource is still available. That way, you can check out the great posts and fantastic animation references. Think of it as the best of both worlds.

We look forward to sharing our new blog — and our ongoing love of animation — with all of you.

— The Animation Mentor Crew

Upcoming Newsletter Feature Takes a Visit to “Hotel Transylvania”

There are a lot things that we love about animation. We love how it makes us laugh and takes us through these wild adventures … and even the intimate stories. And boy, do we ever love a good story.

That’s why we are so excited for our upcoming newsletter and feature on Sony Pictures Animation’s “Hotel Transylvania.” The film brings together an all-star animation cast of Count Dracula and his daughter Mavis, Frankenstein and his wife Eunice, Quasimodo, the Mummy, and dozens of other characters.

Our newsletter feature takes us on a visit to “Hotel Transylvania” — through the eyes of mentor Patrick Danaher and alumnus Jason Malinowsky — and the technology, rigs, and talent required to tell the story of Count Dracula seeking a little rest and relaxation away from those pesky humans.

But we’re not going to give away the entire story. Check your inbox next week for the October/November issue of the Animation Mentor newsletter. If you’re not already a subscriber, checkout a past newsletter. Then visit our home page and subscribe today.

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Lighting Your Shot Workshop: Make Your Work Stand Out

Lighting plays an important role in the overall filmmaking process. Lighting helps to tell a story, evoke an emotion, and capture that moment in time. If you seek proof of the value of lighting — just check out our recent (and inspirational) Student Showcase. 

And now, with our six-week Lighting Your Shot workshop, you can add a new level and depth to your project to make your work stand out. The workshop includes aesthetic, technical, and cinematic discussions and teaches Autodesk® Maya®, mental ray®, Composite®, and The Foundry Nuke® techniques.

Here’s a quick summary of our workshop:

Session 1: Overview of the Maya Lighting and Rendering User Interface

Session 2: The Five Principles of Lighting

Session 3: Devising a Lighting Shot Plan

Session 4: Advanced Lighting Topics in Maya

Session 5: The Rendering Process Using Mental Ray

Session 6: Final Renders, Compositing, and Finishing Touches

And did we mention that you’ll enjoy the same Animation Mentor experience with live instruction from industry professionals?

We’re excited about our Lighting Your Shot workshop and we know that you are, too … after all, it’s always exciting to make your work stand out.

Learn more and sign up today.

Our Graduation Speakers: Truly Awesome/Amazing/Inspiring

Here at Animation Mentor, we’ve been doing the graduation thing for awhile (24 amazing classes and counting). We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have some of our industry friends join us for our big event. Truth be known, when we think back — starting with Eric Darnell at our very first grad … wow, what a collection of truly awesome/amazing/inspiring grad speakers: 

Simon Otto | Head of Character Animation | DreamWorks Animation
Dean DeBlois (introduced by Glen McIntosh) | Director | DreamWorks Animation
Dennis Muren | Visual Effects Supervisor | Industrial Light & Magic
Lee Unkrich | Director, Writer, and Editor | Pixar Animation Studios
Charles Alleneck | Digital Artist and Lead Animator | Industrial Light & Magic
Dave Burgess | Head of Character Animation | DreamWorks Animation
Tim Johnson | Director and Executive Producer | DreamWorks Animation
Glen McIntosh | Character Animator | Industrial Light & Magic
Pete Docter | Director and Writer | Pixar Animation Studios
David Schaub | Animation Supervisor/Sr. Supervising Animator | Sony Pictures Imageworks
Eric Darnell | Director and Writer | DreamWorks Animation

And today, we are excited (and proud … and humbled, too) to add Andrew Stanton — Executive Producer and Writer from Pixar Animation Studios — to our esteemed list of graduation speakers. If you ever wanted to see inspiration in action, be sure to check out Andrew's speech:

— The Animation Mentor Crew

11 Second Club: Check Out the New Look and Enter Now

For many of our long-time followers, the 11 Second Club has been the monthly stop to gain an inside view at Animation Mentor. You see, the 11 Second Club is a monthly character animation competition open to everyone. Aspiring animators submit their work — and one of our esteemed mentors rewards the winner with an Animation Mentor eCritique. Yup, it’s pretty cool.

And we’ve been busy giving the 11 Second Club a whole new look. We’re also excited to now host this great animation resource directly on www.animationmentor.com.

So be sure to check it out … then get your animation shot ready and enter. Remember, you’ve still got a few days to submit your shot for the August competition. Thanks and good luck.

— The Animation Mentor Crew

“Flat Frog” Short Hopes to Make a Great Leap

Margherita Premuroso graduated from Animation Mentor and went straight to work. Today, she owns and operates InkyMind, a studio with locations in the UK and Italy. InkyMind focuses on storytelling, character animation, VFX, postproduction, and titles … the same interests she shared with her classmates.

In fact, Margherita is still very much a part of the online Animation Mentor campus. With the help of classmates Frank Spalteholz, Jonas Manke, and Rodrigo Huerta — not to mention mentor Dana Boadway Masson — InkyMind has proudly produced the pilot episode of
Flat Frog.

Margherita and crew hope to get Flat Frog into production as a full series. The initial rave reviews included a feature in the Daytime Selects portion of SIGGRAPH 2012.

Margherita directed the pilot from Italy, with her classmates and mentor contributing from Germany and the United States. It was a great example of animators putting their brains together — remotely and creatively — to produce an amazing short.

So here is a big Animation Mentor WOOT to Margherita, Frank, Jonas, Rodrigo, and Dana. We are all so super proud of you.

— The Animation Mentor Crew

Shawn Kelly Shares the Value of HIS Animation Mentor

Animation Mentor's Shawn Kelly (left) and Becca Romeo (right)

Straight from SIGGRAPH 2012, our very own Shawn Kelly shares an exciting tale about his very own animation mentor experience.

Listen as he takes us on a journey of how an animation legend inspired him to pursue his dream … and to ultimately unite with friends Bobby Beck and Carlos Baena to create Animation Mentor.

THEN, sit back and watch Shawn do what he does best as he lectures on how blinks can bring life and emotion to an animated character. Big Animation Mentor thanks to our friends at Autodesk for inviting Shawn to their Autodesk Student Experience 2012.

Check it out. 

Student Financing Options

At Animation Mentor, we’ve always prided ourselves on being a full-service school. From the moment you first express interest to the day you receive your diploma (and beyond) — we’re there, right by your side.

So we want to make sure that you’re aware of our student financing options, including some new ones for our international students:

Character Animation Program, Student Financing Options

• Career Training Smart Option Student Loan – Sallie Mae
• Mountain America Credit Union (U.S. Only)
• UK Student Loans
• Portugal Student Loans
• Singapore Student Loans
• Dominican Republic Loans — FUNDAPEC
• Jalisco, Mexico Resident Grants
• Skills Training Grant Reimbursement Program — The Animation Guild

Animals & Creatures: Master Class, Student Financing Options

• Career Training Smart Option Student Loan – Sallie Mae
• Mountain America Credit Union (U.S. Only)
• UK Student Loans
• Skills Training Grant Reimbursement Program — The Animation Guild

Remember, we’re always here to help. If you have any questions, please contact our student loan advisor, Amiko Foster at 510-450-7232, to schedule a pre-loan counseling session. Or email your questions to loans@animationmentor.com.

And as always, a big thanks to you for being a part of the Animation Mentor community.

Happy animating.

— The Animation Mentor Crew

Watch (and Share) Our Summer Events Video

Okay, let’s be honest … the other week, when people asked, “so how was your weekend?” — you could not WAIT to tell them about your amazing and awesome Animation Mentor Open House/Graduation/BBQ weekend. Well, now, instead of telling folks about your weekend — SHOW them.

Watch (and Share) Our Summer Events Video

Our Video crew put together this piece that pretty much represents what Animation Mentor is all about. Wow, to gather all of you into our house … then watch none other than Andrew Stanton (yes, Andrew Stanton) address you at graduation … and then to celebrate like crazy at the BBQ … uh, that is truly amazing and awesome.

To all of you who joined us, and for those of you who were with us in spirit — we invite you to check out the video and to experience it all (again and again). Then be sure to Facebook, Tweet, Tumble, or blog about your experience and embed our YouTube video into your post. We want to hear all about what the Open House/Graduation/BBQ weekend meant to you.

Then send us a link to your post to events@animationmentor.com by August 31… and who knows, you could be randomly selected to win some Animation Mentor swag. Yup, that amazing and awesome stuff just never stops.

Big congrats to the newest Animation Mentor graduates and alumni … and big thanks to all of you for being a part of the Animation Mentor community.

— The Animation Mentor Crew

Heard Around Campus

Things are always buzzing in and around the Animation Mentor campus … and our blog is your place to be for all the awesome updates:

Student’s Animated Commercial to Air Nationally on CNN

And we’re talking prime time CNN nationally. Brock Boyts and his wife Nellie tag teamed to help commemorate Union Pacific’s 150th anniversary. The result is this amazing commercial that’s sure to bring out the little kid in all of us. So be sure to tune in and give an Animation Mentor woot to Brock and Nellie:

(Please note updated time.)
CNN

Thursday, August 16, 2012

6:17 p.m. Eastern Time

Animation Mentor Ranks No. 35 on Animation Career Review’s

“Top 100 Animation Sites You Need to Know”

Want to hear something cool? A trio of Animation Mentor sites landed their way onto Animation Career Review’s “Top 100 Animation Sites You Need to Know.” For starters, the Animation Mentor site ranked no. 35 on the prestigious list. And, our Animation Tips & Tricks (no. 68) and 11 Second Club (no. 37) also made the cut. It’s always good to be in the know — and thank you to all of you for helping us share the love of animation.

More exciting buzz to come.

Thanks again and happy animating.

— The Animation Mentor Crew

Our Recent Events: How Did We Do?

It’s been a fun couple of weeks. We had that great seminar — Breaking Down the Animated Shot. Then we had our favorite weekend of the year — the summer events of Open House/Graduation/BBQ.  

And we have to ask you: How did we do?

Send us an email to events@animationmentor.com and tell us what you loved and what you would like to see us do differently.

Since you’re sharing — how’s about telling us what you would like to see for the next Animation Mentor event? Some things to think about:

1.     What type of content would you like discussed in an event? Animation, visual effects, lighting, compositing, etc. Be specific.

2.     Where would you travel for an event? City, trade show, in-house, etc. Be specific.

3.     What times works best for you? Morning. Afternoon. All day. Be specific.

4.     How much would you pay for an event?

5.     You have total control to create your own event. Describe it from start to finish (content, guest speakers, lunch options, number of breaks, etc.).

This is your chance to shape the next wave of Animation Mentor events. So please email events@animationmentor.com and tell us about your perfect idea for an event.

And remember, we’re always doing/sharing/asking something fun on our Facebook page — so be sure drop us a comment there, too.

Big thank you for the help and happy animating.

— The Animation Mentor Crew