Day 1- Studio AKA
(Lloyds TSB adverts, animated shorts)
Studio AKA
Ren Pesci
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the company’s studio
space; instead, we were taken to a meeting room, where we saw a demonstration
of one of their adverts. The company has won several BAFTAs, Yellow Pencils,
etc.
While watching their advert in stages, Pesci explained to us
the process of submitting proposals for clients. The company is given roughly about
a week to come up with concepts, ideas and storyboards before the idea is
‘pitched’ to the client. Once an idea is accepted and approved, production
usually takes ten weeks, so the company doesn’t have much time.
The industry calls for animators who can deal with all sorts
of jobs. An example is the feathers in the ‘Smile’ advert, which don’t need
specialist attention. Pesci gave us a comparison: which was Disney, who had
specific artists who specialised in cloud animation for all the clouds in their
films.
He also explained that most of today’s ideas are surrealist
in nature, and you shouldn’t be afraid to let go of reality once in a while.
Day 2- Blue Zoo
Productions(Coco Pops adverts) + Astley Baker Studios (Peppa Pig)
Blue Zoo
Tom Box
After being introduced to Tom, we saw Blue Zoo’s studio
space, which was full of people but the workspace was very compact. It was also
very apparent that most of the artists were using Cintiq digital tablets for
drawing on, which they explained to be massively beneficial with their line of
work. Tom then explained that the business had started with five graduates (one
of whom was him) after graduation from Bristol University. He also explained
which programs the company uses: Final Cut, Autodesk Maya and 3DS Max.
He then explained their pipeline process of working in a cyclical
process, so that the company is divided into three main teams. He then showed
us the company showreel, then one of their adverts that they had produced for
Coco Pops.
Then they showed us the work they’ve done on their own show,
Olly the Ostrich. They have separate background designers, layout directors and
animators. We then got to look around the space at what people were doing, and
I remember that they showed us how 2D animation works in Maya, as I didn’t know
how it would work in that program.
Astley Baker Davies Studios
Phil Davies
On entering, we saw the company’s studio space, which seemed
very social and friendly. They even had an area where the team watched the
day’s work on couches at the end of the working day. The company uses their own
developed program for making Peppa Pig, which is called CelAction and is
available for outside companies or individuals to buy. The studio also has creative
directors (Davies was the program’s producer) who develop all the story ideas
and scripts, etc.
He explained that in the industry, some creative directors
also develop character designs, depending on their passion. In order to have a
successful children’s series or program, your designed characters must hold
water within at least 52 different scenarios or environments. They also
revealed that when they take on new talent, they are willing to train them in
the use of CelAction, as they try to bring on new talent who are versed in
hugely different areas of animation.
Day 3- Picasso
Pictures (adverts) + Cartoon Network/Turner Studios (Gumball)
Picasso Pictures
Melissa Venet
We were shown stages of a developed advert that the company
produced for a bank in the US, and I found that Picasso Pictures’ way of
working was not too dissimilar from Blue Zoo. They even had a similar working
environment and process of pitching ideas.
The company uses programs such as Flash and Final Cut, and
their body of work was quite vast, but was mainly aimed at adverts. They then
showed us an advert that they were currently working, which featured an anthropomorphic
animal interacting with the environment (similar to a beaver, but nobody was
sure what animal it exactly was!). Finally, we were shown the top floor, where
the rendering towers were stored. It is notable that they used Macs to render,
while they used PCs to actually animate.
Turner Animation Studios (Cartoon Network)
Sarah Fell
Without doubt my most favourite visit, the Turner Studio
branch of Cartoon Network works fully on production of Gumball, using a very
unique combination of live action backgrounds with 2D and 3D animation to
critical acclaim. Along with Peppa Pig, Gumball is one of the few animated
programs to actually be animated directly in the UK. Although not yet released,
we were then privy to development of an episode that had not yet aired.
Live action backgrounds are constructed from bits of
photographs in Photoshop, and tuned up to fit HD resolution. We saw every
element done individually, such as the layout, animation, effects, sound and
were even lucky enough to see original storyboarding as well, all before it is rendered
together to make the final episode.
Like Picasso Pictures, Cartoon Network had a render tower on
the upper floors, and like Blue Zoo, the majority of the animators and artists
utilised Cintiq tablets to work. One thing that stood out in Cartoon Network
was the crew’s attitude towards their animation: there was plenty of laughter
and goofing around amidst the hard work, and almost every worker had lots of
paraphernalia relating to cartoons (specifically Gumball’s neighbour on Cartoon
Network, Adventure Time) on their
desks, so it was crystal clear that these people had real passion for what they
were doing, and put their heart and soul into their work.
The visit was cut a little short as the representatives who
showed us around had to leave to attend an awards ceremony, but one of the more
significant things that Sarah said to us, was that she wishes she could have
gone into video games, as they are getting increasingly popular and the working
environment is pretty much the same as in an animation company.
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