Why Animation Thrives -- Part X

Catching up on what the hell's been going on in animation land, I run across this (from a week ago):

International Ticket Sales:

1. "Skyfall," $156 million.

2. "Paranormal Activity 4," $14.3 million.

3. "Hotel Transylvania," $13.7 million.

4. "Wreck-It Ralph," $12 million.

5. "Madagascar 3," $7.9 million.

6. "A Werewolf Boy," $7.5 million.

7. "Asterlix and Obelix: God Save Britannia" $6.8 million.

8. "The Bourne Legacy," $6.7 million.

9. "Taken 2," $6.2 million.

10. "Frankenweenie," $5.3 million.

Of the ten movies listed above, four were animated. And one, Asterlix and Obelix, was a live-action film based on a French comic book.

I've been working in and around the cartoon biz for a healthy chunk of my adult life, and there is one thing I've figured out about our fine, entertainment conglomerates. When they're holding winning hands and running the table, they don't change their methods of doing business a whole lot.

Animated features return more on investment than any other kind of theatrical film. That's why Fox, Disney, and Sony (among others) stay in the business. Animation is an expensive business to get into. Even Chris Meledandri (of Illumination Entertainment) with his studio in Paris, spends a bunch of money. And Blue Sky Animation, with its tax rebates and non-union work force, spends $90+ million per film.

No, the reason that so many companies frolic in Cartoonland is because, if they make a quality feature, they can open their own mint. So lots of them give it a shot.

Click here to read entire post

I'm Back

(Kind of.)

I have recently been on vacation, and away from electronic keyboards. A few observations of recent events (which I was paying little attention to, since no access to news or internet.)

Live-action film-making in L.A. is going through a rough patch. I get this from all the business agents to which I talk. Lots of work has left Los Angeles due to tax incentives (rebates) elsewhere. This is true of t.v. series and feature films alike.

Animation, on the other hand, is fairly robust. Sony Imageworks is sending work to Vancouver (a HIGH cost city, but with BIG tax rebates for Sony.) However, the rest of Los Angeles animation is still pretty much in L.A.

How do I know this? I look at the job stats. TAG members are working in large numbers. I attribute this to the difficulty of outsourcing animation jobs. It's one thing to train an individual for a job on a live-action set; quite another to train a board artist or designer who has worked years to acquire her skill set.

L.A.'s wide and deep talent pool of animation artists makes many jobs harder to outsource. And animation studios seldom want to change winning hands. Wreck-It Ralph, after all, is a box office winner. Anybody think Disney is going to close the Burbank studio?

(A bit of anecdotal evidence: Just before I left, I talked to a CG animator who turned down Sony's offer of a job in Vancouver. He didn't want to uproot his family for a job that had few guarantees of lasting long-term. He stayed in L.A. and picked up a job at a contract studio a couple months later. I would submit that you don't do that if there are few prospects for jobs.)

All that said, I'm aware that nothing is forever. Just because L.A.-based feature and television animation is weathering the current jobs downturn in the entertainment industry doesn't mean it will do so into the infinite future ...

About the recent ballot festivities, I'll make a couple of observations:

The Presidential election: Mitt Romney lost because he was a weak candidate running on a platform a majority found hard to swallow. There have been three Presidents re-elected over the last century with unemployment above 7%: Franklin Roosevelt (twice), Ronald Reagan, and now Barack Obama. Some of that had to do with Obama's strength as a candidate and some with economic trends, but if the Republicans had been running Dwight David Eisenhower on an Eisenhower platform, Obama could well have lost.

California's Proposition 32: The proposition went down because private and public unions worked hard to defeat it. And the reason that the Animation Guild worked against it was that the guild's wages, benefits and pensions were in serious jeopardy if it passed. Simple.

If you don't vote your own economic self-interest, you're made of different stuff than I am.

Click here to read entire post

10 Shorts Picked For 2013 Oscar Contention

A few days late on reporting this, but report it we shall. The list of ten candidates for Best Animated Short has been released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

Adam and Dog," Minkyu Lee, director (Lodge Films)

"Combustible," Katsuhiro Otomo, director (Sunrise Inc.)

"Dripped," Léo Verrier, director (ChezEddy)

"The Eagleman Stag," Mikey Please, director, and Benedict Please, music scores and sound design (Royal College of Art)

"The Fall of the House of Usher," Raul Garcia, director, and Stephan Roelants, producer (Melusine Productions, R&R Communications Inc., Les Armateurs, The Big Farm)

"Fresh Guacamole," PES, director (PES)

"Head over Heels," Timothy Reckart, director, and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly, producer (National Film and Television School)

"Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"," David Silverman, director (Gracie Films)

"Paperman," John Kahrs, director (Disney Animation Studios)

"Tram," Michaela Pavlátová, director, and Ron Dyens, producer (Sacrebleu Productions)

The above list was whittled from fifty-six candidates. These ten short films will now be reviewed by the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee. They will be responsible for picking three to five to be the nominees for the coveted Golden Man.

Click here to read entire post

AAI announces winter 2013 semester

The American Animation Institute has announced its winter 2013 semester of classes, being held in January and February 2013 at the Animation Guild offices.

To register, call (818) 845-7000. After registering by phone, make out checks to the American Animation Institute and send to 1105 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505. Payment is due by December 28, 2012. No refunds will be given after the first day of class.

A PDF flyer of these classes is available here.



——————————————————————

Weekday Classes

——————————————————————

HEAD AND FIGURE PAINTING
Instructor: Karl Gnass
$150.00
6 Mondays, January 7-February 11, 9:30 am to 4 pm

Close attention will be given to the fundamentals of anatomy, structure and form followed with emphasis on character, mood and action. We will examine and explore different theories of color, the value scale, direct and indirect light and procedures used by various artists throughout history. Finally, a discussion of personal approach, inviting the student to challenge established norms and limitations.

——————————————————————

FIGURE DRAWING: LONG POSES
Instructor: Glenn Vilppu
$150.00
6 Tuesdays, January 8-February 12, 10:30 am to 4 pm

This class will focus upon the high developed figure drawing, utilizing one- and two-hour poses — gesture, construction, to rendering of form using a variety of techniques.

——————————————————————

FIGURE DRAWINGS TO CHARACTER DRAWINGS
Instructor: Karl Gnass
$150.00
6 Fridays, January 11-February 15, 9:30 am to 4 pm

We will utilize figure-drawing concepts, reviewing and clarifying them, to transform figures into characters for storytelling and animation. We will also work on character development and expression for portfolios.

——————————————————————

Evening Classes

——————————————————————

FUNDAMENTAL FIGURE DRAWING
Instructor: Karl Gnass
$90.00
6 Mondays, January 7-February 11, 7 pm to 10 pm

A basic foundation class featuring figure drawing mechanics. Emphasis on description of form, quick sketch gesture and construction of volume and structure. The goal is to develop the ability to draw with skill and imagination. With lectures, demos and personal attention.

——————————————————————

DOING CUBISM
Instructor: David Tanner
$60.00
5 Tuesdays, January 8-February 5, 7 pm to 9 pm

Why is Cubism the most profound and lasting of all the Modernist art movements? Why does it remain mysterious even today? What can we learn from it? In this class we will look briefly at the history of Cubism, then break down how Picasso and Braque made their drawings and paintings. We will apply their techniques to our own drawings and try to bend Cubist practice into a springboard for new and original abstractions. We will undertake one large drawing per class. We’ll start with a geometric human figure and introduce Cubist techniques a few at a time until we arrive at total fusion of figure and background. In general we’ll use dry media and paper, but at the end we may stretch out to include additional experimental techniques (wet media, collage, assembly, or others) if there is interest.

——————————————————————

DRAPED FIGURE AND COSTUME
Instructor: Karl Gnass
$180.00
12 Wednesdays and Thursdays, January 9-February 14, 7 to 10 pm

We will take the confusion out of drapery by covering the important basic folds and how they relate to non-active folds and wrinkles. We will also explore the expressive qualities of drapery, drapery as costume, and costume as character.
Click here to read entire post

November's Second Weekend Box Office

The latest Bond installment slots in at the top:

1. Skyfall (Eon/MGM/Sony) NEW [Runs 3,505] PG13
Friday $33.0M, Weekend $80.0M

2. Wreck-It Ralph (Disney) Week 2 [Runs 3,752] PG
Friday $7.8M (-42%), Weekend $31.0M (-35%), Cume $90.6M

3. Flight (Paramount) Week 2 [Runs 2,047] R
Friday $4.2M (-48%), Weekend $13.0M (-42%), Cume $46.0M

4. Argo (Warner Bros) Week 5 [Runs 2,763] R
Friday $1.8M, Weekend $6.0M, Cume $85.0M

5. Taken 2 (Fox) Week 6 [Runs 2,487] PG13
Friday $1.1M, Weekend $3.9M, Cume $131.3M

6. Pitch Perfect (Universal) Week 7 [Runs 1,391] PG13
Friday $785K, Weekend $2.3M, Cume $58.8M

7. The Man With The Iron Fist (Universal) Week 2 [Runs 1,872] R
Friday $745K, Weekend $2.4M (-69%), Cume $12.7

8. Cloud Atlas (Warner Bros) Week 3 [Runs 2,023] R
Friday $710K, Weekend $2.4M, Cume $22.7M

9. Here Comes The Boom (Sony) Week 5 [Runs 2,044] PG
Friday $685K, Friday $2.4M, Cume $39.0M

10. Paranormal Activity 4 [Paramount] Week 4 [Runs 2,348] R
Friday $620K, Weekend $1.9M, Cume $52.6M

Ms. Finke reports this to be the biggest Bond ever, smashing records in its native land.

She also noted the strong week for our only animation contender on the list. Box Office Mojo puts the international cumeulative earnings at just under half the reported production budget. This all spells success for Disney with Ralph.

Click here to read entire post

The Nassos Vakalis Interview -- Part III

TAG Interview with Nasson Vakalis

Find all TAG Interviews on the TAG website at this link

Nassos Vakalis has been one of the story pillars at DreamWorks Animation for a dozen years. One of the pioneers of digital storyboards while most in the business were still drawing on paper, Mr. Vakalis has lent his expertise to a wide variety of DWA features -- everything from Flushed Away to Kung Fu Panda to Puss In Boots. ...

And inbetween his DreamWorks Animation assignments, Nassos founded his own company Time Lapse Pictures -- which worked on a variety of European commercials and animated features, as well as the Rugrats theatricals that Klasky-Csupo was turning out.

All in all, Nassos Vakalis has been a busy animation artist, but that should be apparent as you listen to his TAG interview. Click here to read entire post

Hotel Transylvania 2

Fresh off the internet, we hear that Sony Pictures Animation will be making a sequel to the popular and successful Hotel T:

Sony Pictures Animation will make a sequel to “Hotel Transylania,” one of the year's surprise hits, a spokesman for the studio told TheWrap.

Tentatively titled “Hotel Transylvania 2,” the film is set for a 2015 release. There is no director attached at the moment. Genndy Tartakovsky, who directed the first one, will be helming Sony Pictures Animation’s “Popeye.”

This is great news in the recent reports of Sony forcing their entertainment divisions to tighten belts due to the company's overall lack-luster financials. While the transformation of a hit movie into a hopeful hit series is the very foundation of MovieLand itself, we're glad to hear of the impending successes coming to members working in the Culver City area.

Click here to read entire post

Artists Taking a Stand

A little over a year ago, we posted about our discovery of the hiring practices of The Mill in Santa Monica and were introduced to the EOR company, Yurcor. As mentioned in that post, we asked for artists who had experience working through Yurcor to contact us to explore the possibility of recovering wages we felt had been taken illegally.

We've recently received word that some of those artists have been able to file a lawsuit against The Mill and Yurcor:

Recently, three Los Angeles artists filed a lawsuit in state court against The Mill and Yurcor. The Mill, a visual effects production company, employed the three artists on a temporary basis. Yurcor, which processed the paychecks of artists at The Mill, told the artists that it was their “employer of record” while they worked at The Mill. In the case, which was filed in California state court as a class action on behalf of themselves and an estimated 500 other California artists, the artists allege that The Mill and Yurcor failed to pay them the compensation that they were promised.

The lawsuit alleges that The Mill and Yurcor schemed to treat California artists as independent contractors when in fact they were employees. Under California law, the artists were employees and not independent contractors because The Mill exercised total control over the manner in which they worked, and also set their wages, hours, and other working conditions.

In addition to taking standard employer payroll deductions from the artists’ paychecks for their work at The Mill, Yurcor also took illegal deductions from their wages for Yurcor’s “administrative overhead costs.” As alleged, The Mill and Yurcor sought to confuse and deceive the California artists about their employee status in order to enrich themselves, deliberately misclassifying the artists as independent contractors when they were in fact employees. This meant that the artists lost wages they were promised.

The artists allege, among other things, violations of various provisions in the California Labor Code. They seek relief including lost wages, interest and penalties, as well as an order prohibiting The Mill and Yurcor from engaging in this conduct in the future.

Congratulations to the artists who took a stand and did their part to make the visual effects industry a better place to work. We will continue to keep you up to date on developments in this case as they are presented to us.

Click here to read entire post

The Nassos Vakalis Interview -- Part II

TAG Interview with Nassos Vakalis

Find all TAG Interviews on the TAG website at this link

Nassos Vakalis's first job in the animation industry was with the California studio of Bluth-Sullivan Animation. He started as an in-betweener while still attending classes at Cal Arts, but his strong work ethic propelled him rapidly upward. Starting as an assistant on Thumbelina, Nassos was soon promoted to journey animator. ...

The Bluth studio came to an end a few years later, but feature animation was expanding, and over the next few years Mr. Vakalis worked on a variety of projects. He was a lead animator on the featureSwan Princess and Warner Bros. QUest for Camelot, also animating on Pocahontas II, Titan A.E. and The King and I, among numerous others.

All these things and more are detailed in Part II of this week's interview. Click here to read entire post

Disney Meets Q4 Earnings Targets

Our fine media conglomerate has meet its Q4 financial marks:

ESPN and theme parks powered Disney in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2012, as the media conglomerate hit analyst expectations for earnings per share on the dot at $0.68.

For the year, Disney posted year-over-year growth, earning $9.96 billion in segment operating income -- 13 percent higher than last year. Net income rose 14 percent to $1.2 billion in the quarter.

Morningstar analyst Michael Corty said Disney produced "another solid quarter" particularly with its cable networks business, though revenue was below what some analysts expected. "Disney has so many good things going for it that any weakness in the stock would be a buying opportunity," he said.

Great news for Disney as the dust settles on the news of their latest shopping spree. As the report highlights, Disney has multiple in-flowing streams of money that helped to boost the company earnings over the expected marks.

Congratulations to Disney on its achievements and to the artists and members who create the properties that create those successes!
Click here to read entire post

The Nassos Vakalis Interview -- Part I

TAG Interview with Nassos Vakalis

Find all TAG Interviews on the TAG website at this link

Nassos Vakalis, who has worked on a plethora of animated features, loved animation as a kid and wanted to get into it. But growing up in Athens, Greece where animation studios and careers were clost to non-existent, Nassos assumed there would be next to no chance of that happening ...

Mr. Vakalis turned out to be way wrong. A well-to-do uncle who lived in New York financed a year of art education at the Pratt Art Institute and then three more at the California Institute of the Arts.

And the doors to various animation studios swung open. Mr. Vakalis talks about those early days here in Part I of the newest TAG interview. Click here to read entire post

401k plans rise in value

Fidelity Investments reports that for the third quarter of 2012, the average balance of individual 401(k) accounts rose by four percent.


According to Business Week:

Employee 401(k) accounts grew more than 4 percent in the third quarter as a rising stock market boosted investment returns, and contributions from workers and their employers increased ... [T]he average balance of $75,900 at the end of the quarter was the highest since it began tracking the data in 2000.

Three months earlier, the average account balance among the 12 million accounts that Fidelity administers was $72,800.

The Standard & Poor's 500 stock index rose nearly 6 percent in the July to September period, boosting investment returns in 401(k)s. The gain helped investors recover from a nearly 3 percent market decline in the previous quarter ...

Click here to read entire post

Thanks from President Loeb

I would like to thank all of the leaders and members of this great union who contributed to the re-election of President Obama last night. We built a political machine throughout the United States. From my office to the Districts to the Locals to job sites, homes, friends, family and neighbors we made a difference in this crucial election that bears so heavily upon the lives and security of IATSE members. I am proud of the work we did and the results, but we must remain engaged and active into the future.

Make no mistake that efforts to weaken unions both at the bargaining table and in the political arena will continue. We must remain prepared and agile to engage in these battles as they arise. We must also support and fight for progressive legislation and policy that supports workers, and hold government accountable to its obligation to protect the interests and meet the needs of working families.

Please accept my gratitude to those who volunteered, sacrificed time, donated money and voted. Your participation is crucial.

-- Matthew D. Loeb, President, IATSE

Click here to read entire post

Guild matches donations for Sandy relief

The Animation Guild will match contributions made by its members to the Walsh/Di Tolla/Spivak Foundation for Hurricane Sandy relief.


IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb announced Monday that the Trustees of the Walsh/Di Tolla/Spivak Foundation will be providing financial assistance to IATSE members and their families who are suffering serious financial hardship as a result of the devastation from Hurricane Sandy.

“Many IATSE members have suffered losses”, said President Loeb. “Some may face unexpected medical bills or need assistance with the costs of temporary housing. It is our hope that financial assistance from the Foundation will enable these members and their families to better cope with the challenges created by the aftermath of this storm.”

To qualify for the Guild match, checks should be made payable to the “Walsh/Di Tolla/Spivak Foundation” and be mailed to the Animation Guild, 1105 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505. The Guild will match the donation and forward it to the Foundation.

IATSE members needing assistance should submit a written request to their local union. The Local will then forward the request to the Foundation for review by the Trustees.
Click here to read entire post

Where's Hulett?

As you might have noticed by now, Hulett hasn't been posting much ...

There's a reason for that. Hulett is currently off the grid and will remain so for a little while yet. Except for the interviews, and a couple of short items (like this) he will be gone for the next several days.

Even union business agents need the occasional break. Click here to read entire post

Will Ferrell Begs You To Vote

With the election taking place tomorrow, there has been plenty of chatter in social media and internet channels regarding how, where, and whom/what you should vote for. One of the most comical, is the video above from actor/commedian and "Facebook Founder" Will Ferrell.

While some regular readers of this blog take umbrage with the fact that elected officials and employees of the Guild, myself included, have written enourcaing posts for specific candidates and positions on propositions, I'm hoping everyone can find the humor in Will's request that everyone do their civic duty and make the effort to cast a ballot.

For those who tend not to agree with the Endorsements from the House Of Labor, be sure to skip the last minute or so of the video. Click here to read entire post

Ralph Wrecks It

With a final tally of $49.1 million, Wreck-It Ralph officially racks up the biggest opening weekend ever for a non-Pixar Disney animated film.

Hurricane Sandy may actually have had a positive effect on Ralph's box office. The Christian Science Monitor quotes Disney distribution head Dave Hollis:

Wreck-It Ralph became something of a distraction and an opportunity for families to do something separate of the storm ... Schools being shut down on Friday also played a role as parents were looking for things to entertain the kids and keep them out of the cold.

Click here to read entire post

November First Weekend Box Office

Disney's latest big-screen production has swept the Top-Ten list with the reckless abandon that was predicted:

1. Wreck-It Ralph 3D (Disney) NEW [Runs 3,752] PG
Friday $13.4M, Weekend $50.2M

2. Flight (Paramount) NEW [Runs 1,900] R
Friday $8.0M, Weekend $23.6M

4. The Man With The Iron Fists (Universal) NEW [Runs 1,868] R
Friday $3.0M, Weekend $7.6M

3. Argo (Warner Bros) Week 4 [Runs 2,774] R
Friday $2.9M, Weekend $9.4M, Cume $75.1M

5. Taken 2 (Fox) Week 5 [Runs 2,639] PG13
Friday $1.8M, Weekend $5.7M, Cume $125.4M

6. Cloud Atlas (Warner Bros) Week 2 [Runs 2,013] R
Friday $1.5M (-56%), Weekend $4.8M, Cume $17.9M

7. Paranormal Activity (Paramount) Week 3 [Runs 3,006] R
Friday $1.4M, Weekend $4.0M, Cume $49.3M

8. Hotel Transylvania (Sony) Week 6 [Runs 2,922] PG
Friday $1.1M, Weekend $4.2M, Cume $137.3M

9. Silent Hill: Revelation (Open Road) Week 2 [Runs 2,933] R
Friday $1.0M (-70%), Weekend $2.9M, Cume $13.6M

10. Here Comes The Boom (Sony) Week 4 [Runs 2,314] PG
Friday $1.0M, Weekend $3.4M, Cume $35.4M

Even with a good portion of the North East still struggling to return to a sense of normal, Wreck-It Ralph has stolen the top spot with extreme prejudice. If the reviews shared with us via our Twitter account are any indication, Ralph should enjoy a long run at the top of the list:

@ardaniel: @AnimGuild I laughed so hard and so often during Ralph that I came out light-headed. Absolutely a smart, funny film.

@thirdmonster: @ardaniel @AnimGuild It was the loudest/fastest clapping from my 4 yr old when credits rolled that the rest of the audience had to clap too.

Also noteworthy is the profitable performance of Sony's Hotel Transylvania. Six weeks in and with its international tally, has already past the "twice cost" mark.

It's always comforting to see animation tow the mark.


Click here to read entire post

Ralph's Weekend Predictions

This weekend brings wide release of Disney's latest animated feature, Wreck-It Ralph. The internets are all a-buzz with positive speculation as to how it will fare:

LA Times:
This weekend, the animated movie "Wreck-It Ralph" is expected to wreak havoc on the box office. The Disney film is projected to make between $45 million and $50 million.

IGN Movie Review:
Wreck-It Ralph is not only the best animated film of the year, it's the best video game movie ever made. Filled with wit, heart and nods to games ranging from Q*Bert to Gears of War, it is a movie for gamers by gamers, but the story and execution are so brilliant you don't need to be a game fan to enjoy it.

MTV Review:
'Wreck-It Ralph' Readies To Rough Up Box Office! Disney's videogame flick is expected to clobber fellow newbies 'Man With the Iron Fists' and 'Flight.'

Rotten Tomatoes currently has it 85% Fresh

The Wrap collects multiple positive critiques.

As the MTV article pointed out, even in the Sandy-Ravaged east cost predictions are that cineplexes will be quickly made ready for people to try to forget their woes through the magic of movies. Even still, another Wrap article puts the opening weekend prediction at $50 Million for the film.

We wish the film great success through its run. We also send our best wishes to those on the east cost whose lives have been effected by Sandy and hope they find their lives quickly returned back to normal.


Click here to read entire post

More DWA News: Q3 Profits 24% Higher over 2011

In a busy news week for DreamWorks Animation, The Wrap reports on the recently released Q3 Earnings Statement:

DreamWorks Animation breezed past analyst estimates with its third-quarter financial results, posting significant growth over last year thanks to “Madagascar 3” and “Puss in Boots.” The company posted $186.3 million in total revenue and $24.4 million in profit, up from $160.8 million and $19.7 million in the same period last year.

"DreamWorks Animation's third quarter results were driven by the blockbuster international box office success of ‘Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted,’ which has earned nearly $720 million at the worldwide box office to date, to become the fifth highest-grossing film of the year on a global basis," Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation, said in a statement. "We are looking forward to the next major event film for the Company during the fourth quarter, the November 21st theatrical release of ‘Rise of the Guardians.’"

As mentioned many times before in this blog, the success of DreamWorks is as fantastic as the tales they tell. The independent studio who keeps knocking the proverbial cover off the ball and beating both expectations and the box office tallys of rival submissions from their Big 6 counterparts.

We offer congratulations to everyone at DreamWorks Animation along with wishes for continued success.

Click here to read entire post