Monthly Archives: April 2015

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Maxwell. A. Oginni

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Maxwell. A. Oginni. I’m an animation director, animator & illustrator, working mainly in commercial advertising.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Way back in my student days, when I was broke & hungry, I once took on a Summer job as a street fundraiser… That was pretty crazy. I met some very “interesting” people… I also (mistakenly) once asked a woman when she was “due”… she wasn’t pregnant.

 

 What are some of your favourite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Last year my good friend Gosia, who teaches at a primary school invited me to give an animation workshop/ pep talk to her graduating class of 11-12yr olds… Before my visit, I had the kids design their very own cartoon characters, as an exercise to explore their ‘personal’ creativity… The day finally came; the kids were so charming & adorable! Originally I was to choose only one winner from the bunch who’s character I would re-design & animate; but on seeing each design, I was so impressed by the effort & skill they had all put in, that I decided I’d get my industry pals involved… I made a quick announcement on my Facebook page inviting animator/ illustrator friends to help me in re-designing ALL the characters. Within two days I had over 20 artists on board! The project, which I hosted via my Facebook page, ran on for about a month or so. The re-designs were fantastic, & the response from everyone on my friends-list (artists/ non-artists) was great; people really got involved & it pretty much became it’s own thing… Anyways, I had all the re-designs sent over to the kids via their teacher as high-res images they could print & frame up as posters. According to Gosia, the kids nearly hit the roof once they saw their designs being “brought to life” by industry professionals… It was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I live in London, but was born in Benin- Nigeria. My story into animation I’m sure is pretty much the same as most other animators, really… As an introduction, back when I was a kid in Nigeria (about 5-6yrs old, late 80’s), I remember Continue reading

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Avner Geller

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What is your name and your current occupation?
My name is Avner Geller and I am a visual development artist at PDI/Dreamworks.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I guess the most extreme one would be serving 3 years in the israeli Military… doesn’t get much crazier!

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
One of the most creative and enjoyable experiences I had was creating the short film Defective Detective, with my friend Stevie Lewis. it was so satisfying to be able to conceptualize the story and bring it form early development to a fully realized film. We were very luck to share this film with many people on the web and in festivals around the world, and were honored to receive a student academy award for it, as well as an Annie nomination.  Prior to my job at Dreamworks, I was part of the team who was working on Henry Selick’s “The shadow King” (which I hope will get back into production soon). it was a true honor to work with one of the people who inspired me the most to get into animation.

 

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I was born in the states. My parents are both Israeli and when I was 4 years old we moved back to Israel  where I was raised. I always loved Continue reading

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Thunderbirds Are Go | Official Trailer

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On Sunday April 12… International Rescue are back! The major new children’s series – a co-production between ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures in association with the world-famous Weta Workshop (The Hobbit) – sees brothers Scott, Virgil, John, Gordon and Alan Tracy return to pull off amazing feats of heroism. When duty calls, Thunderbirds are GO on GO! TV.

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FREE Storyboarding and Storyboard Pro classes

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Toon Boom Storyboard Pro 4 What's New and Release Notes

Want to learn Storyboard Pro and storyboarding in general for free?

I’ll be teaching along with Pete Michels the next three weekends starting next weekend at the Union in Burbank.

Saturday 4/11 – Toonboom Storyboard Pro Intro (Grand Tour) – 1 day – At the Animation Guild location

Saturday 4/18 – Toonboom Storyboard Pro Foundation – 2 days (1 of 2) – At LAAFA location in Van Nuys

Sunday 4/19 – Toonboom Storyboard Pro Foundation – 2 days (2 of 2) – At LAAFA location

Saturday 4/25 – Toonboom Storyboard Pro Advanced – 2 days (1 of 2) – At the Animation Guild location

Saturday 4/26 – Toonboom Storyboard Pro Advanced – 2 days (1 of 2) – At the Animation Guild location

We are providing the equipment for the students (up to 12 students): Macbook pros with the latest version of the software and 22” Cintiq tablets for all.

Anyone interested in registering can email registration@eido-ed.com and provide the following information:

* Name
* local affiliation
* class name they’re interested in (one class per email, please)
* the members guess as to if they would be CSATTF eligible. (“I don’t know” is an acceptable answer)