CCAD Women in Animation: Part 4

I should tell you that it has been a busy week, so some of my own notes don't even make sense anymore.

The last presentation on Friday the 13th, other than the 7:30 screening, was one of our favorites. Animator Joanna Quinn showed many of her commercial and creative endeavors in animation. Her work is amazing and defies description. It is an amalgamation of incredible artwork and witty story telling. What is even more amazing is (from what I understand) that the drawings in the finished animations are actually her roughs, and (for at least some of her pieces from what I remember) she does it strait on paper, including backgrounds (in every frame? how exhausting!). That could be why her Charmin commercials (which you have seen on TV unless you live under a rock) have no or very simple backgrounds. She was a great presenter; very enthusiastic and funny. I recommend that you see as much of her stuff as you can get your hands on. If you ever have the opportunity to see her lecture or give a presentation, go!

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Links and notes from Tamara Lusher Stocker: 10 AM, 4/14/07

The first presenter on Saturday was Tamara Lusher Stocker, an alumnus of CCAD (class of 1990). She has worked for Diseny Feature Animation and Lucas Film.

She mentioned CAPS (Computer Animation Production System)

She mentioned Bruce Block, and his book The Visual Story. I attended a lecture by Bruce Block when I went to Promax/BDA last year.
[Click here] to see the graphs I drew which demonstrate his lesson on contrast and affinity.

She mentioned that the Disney softball team (probably of Disney Feature Animation, and which coast I don't know) is/was called the Slugs, their logo being a slug with a bat.

She said that story boards are done on a Cintiq nowadays.

She is currently consulting on her own project with Wild Brain in San Francisco.

She mentioned Art and Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland

She mentioned these 3 Steps:
1) Research: Read, look at images
2) Observe the real world
3) Incorporate (into animation?)

I don't remember (and didn't write down) what they were steps for, but they seem like sound advice.

She talked about pitches a lot. A pitch stick is used to point to boards while pitching.

She said that when you pin your story boards up:
1 pin means you are careless
2 pins mean you are willing to change
4 pins mean you are not going to compromise

It was funnier when she said it than when I wrote it. And that was horrible grammer, but I foolishly assume that you know what I mean.