Rusty Mills, RIP

We are deeply saddened to report Rusty Mills passed away yesterday. This from his wife, Andrea:

Rusty Mills, the love of my life and Evan's wonderful dad passed away today at 12:40 pm. He went to the Lord peacefully and surrounded by family and all the love in the world. We could never get through this without all of you and your kindness, support, and love. Each and every one of you are in Evan's and my prayers.

Andrea and Evan could really use our help, now. Please visit their fundraising blog and give what you can.

http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/Rusty-Mills-Cancer-Fund/35172

Click here to read entire post

Hitting the Bricks

The Nikkster tells us:

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts will be out picketing against the college sports-orientated PAC 12 Network on Saturday, the union announced today. IATSE plans to set up lines at USC Los Angeles and several other schools on the West Coast and in Arizona. In calling the strike action, the union says PAC 12 Network is “an unfair employer” who use non-union workers in areas covered by IATSE.

Oooh, those union guys.

People should be satisfied with no benefits and ten bucks an hour. Don't people know they're making it hard for the Job Creators? Click here to read entire post

Box Office -- Second December Weekend

The Mojo forecasts the top contenders will be as follows:

1. Skyfall - $10.8 million (-38%)
2. Lincoln - $10.7 million (-20%)
3. Life of Pi - $10.2 million (-16%)
4. Rise of the Guardians - $10 million (-25%)
5. Breaking Dawn Part 2 - $8.7 million (-50%)

As Mojo says ...

" ... First place will come down to a battle between five holdovers. In fact, these titles will likely be so close that we won't know the clear winner until actuals report on Monday."

Add On: The Nikkster gives us early estimates of the weekend:

1. Skyfall (Eon/MGM/Sony) Week 5 [Runs 3,401] PG13 Friday $3.1M, Weekend $11.0M, Cume $261.6M

2. Breaking Dawn Part 2 (Summit/Lionsgate) Week 4 [Runs 3,646] PG13 Friday $2.7M, Weekend $8.7M, Cume $268.3M

3. Lincoln (DreamWorks/Fox/Disney) Week 5 [Runs 2,014] PG13 Friday $2.5M, Weekend $8.4M, Cume $96.7M

4. Rise Of The Guardian (DWAnim/Par) Week 3 [Runs 3,639] PG Friday $2.2M, Weekend $10.6M, Cume $61.2M

5. Life Of Pi (Fox) Week 3 [Runs 2,946] PG Friday $2.2M, Weekend $8.2M, Cume $60.8M

6. Playing For Keeps (Millenium/FilmDistrict) NEW [Runs 2,837] PG13 Friday $2.1M, Weekend $6.0M

7. Red Dawn (MGM/FilmDistrict) Week 3 [Runs 2,754] PG13 Friday $1.3M, Weekend $4.1M, Cume $37.1M

8. Wreck-It Ralph (Disney) Week 6 [Runs 2,746] PG Friday $1.1M, Weekend $4.6M, Cume $164.2M

9. Flight (Paramount) Week 6 [Runs 2,431] R Friday $910K, Weekend $3.1M, Cume $86.1M

10. Killing Them Softly (Annapurna/Weinstein) Week 2 [Runs 2,424] R Friday $890K (-65%), Weekend $2.9M, Cume $11.9M

Click here to read entire post

Of Subsidies and Rebates

Even as they raise taxes and chop benefits for everybody else, governments around the globe continue to shower goodies on the movie business:

Tax breaks for qualifying high-end U.K. TV drama and animation will mean a rebate of up to 25% for producers.

Draft legislation is expected next week as the details were confirmed in Blighty's mini budget ...

In our fine, corporatist culture, there are generous subsidies for qualifying entertainment conglomerates, even as the rest of humanity has to tighten its belt.

Lower benefits? Calls for "sacrifice"? Not if you are among the Chosen Few. Then it's moolah as far as the eye can see.

Of course, the spigot can always be cranked shut as quickly as it's turned on. All it takes is for another political party to be voted in, and some angry demonstrations in the streets. But the results will be inevitable. The studios getting the bennies will pick up their toys and move to the next locality that is offering big bucks to open up shop.

Trust me, it will happen. And then it will happen again. Click here to read entire post

Making 3D More Like 2D

Genndy Tartakovsky has spent most of his life in hand-drawn animation land, so (naturally enough) he leans toward this.

Tartakovsky applied his customary 2-D approach to "Hotel Transylvania," using a digital pen and tablet to sketch over computer renderings and often giving the characters more exaggerated poses and caricature-like expressions.

The end result was a familiar Dracula with a few new tricks up his cape. ...

Funny how audiences respond more to CG animation that has that "cartoony" sensibility, and how mocap animation tends to leave audiences flat.

Mars Needs Moms could be one of the biggest write-offs in modern Hollywood history. The motion-capture animated film cost $150 million to produce but earned only $6.9 million in its debut at the domestic box office, the 12th worst opening of all time for a movie released in more than 3,000 theaters and one of the lowest openings for a major 3D release. ...

It has often been such. It's doubtful that filmgoers flocked to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to see the rotoed damsel in distress or prince. It was probably the seven little men that did it. Click here to read entire post

The CalArts Tap Root

Mr. Moore talks about the California Institute of the Arts influence on 21st century animation.



Some animation historian once said: "Walt Disney is the D.W. Griffith of animation."

But it's way more complex and subtle than that. D.W. Griffith pretty much invented the language of film. D.W. didn't invent closeups, or tracking shots, or cuts. But he put everything together and advanced film narrative like it had never been advanced before.

Uncle Walt was a wee bit different. He put modern animation on the map, pretty much invented the animated feature with Snow White, but he was building on top of the narrative styles of live-action features.

Griffith was a spent creative force by the late 1920s. Walt Disney's power and influence -- a half century after his death -- goes on and on because:

Walt and his studio trained/employed the first generation of modern animation artists.

Walt and the Disney family founded and funded the California Institute of the Arts, which was (in the beginning) staffed by many Disney animation artists who had been trained by Walt (with the able assistance of the Choinard Art Institute) in the thirties and forties.

Cal Arts graduates -- John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Joe Ranft, Tim Burton, Rich Moore, Andrew Stanton (etc., etc.) are now major forces in animation, spreading their artistic visions and creative philosophies far and wide.

Almost everything animation is today goes directly back to Walt Disney Productions in the 1930s. And Cal Arts in the '60s and '70s. Click here to read entire post

Ralph Hulett's Christmas, day 6

Religious figure, redwoods, and holy light. Says Christmas to me.

See other Ralph Hulett Christmas cards on the TAG Blog

Click here to read entire post

The TV Animation

... continues to do pretty damn well.

... Adult Swim’s original series Robot Chicken ranked #1 in its time period among young adults 18-24, 18-34 and 18-49. A new episode scored double and triple-digit delivery gains across the board ... Adventure Time (7:30 p.m.) scored as the #1 telecast of the day among boys 6-11, #1 in its time period among all kids 9-14 and boys 2-11 & 9-14, and charted delivery gains across all kid demos ...

Adult Swim continued its success by once again ranking as basic cable's #1 network in total day among adults 18-24, adults 18-34 and adults 18-49 ...

And the one-offs were rolling along nicely as well.

... RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER (R) (S) was first in children 2-11 (4.8/15), children 6-11 (4.3/14) and teens 12-17 (2.1/08) and was second in households (5.5/09), viewers (10.09m), adults 25-54 (3.7/09), adults 18-49 (2.9/08) and adults 18-34 (1.8/06). RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER was broadcast television's top-rated program this season in both children 2-11 and children 6-11. ...

So how do we get broadcast networks not named "Fox" to gin up some animated series? Click here to read entire post

Numero Uno?

Will this come to pass?

... "Rise of the Guardians," the kids' holiday film that is off to such a bad start ... has a good shot at winding up No. 1 at the weekend box office. And that's in its third week.

The box office has a severe case of pre-"Hobbit"-itis. Warner Bros. will roll out the first installment of Peter Jackson's latest Middle Earth epic on December 14 and rival studios have pretty much run for cover. ...

The top spot looks to be a toss-up between "Guardians" and Sony's "Skyfall" and DreamWorks and Disney's "Lincoln," both of which are in their fifth week of release. ...

Recently, the thought has been that Christmas themed movies under-perform at the box office.

But Christmas movies being weaklings at the box office is an old conceit, dating back (at least) to It's a Wonderful Life. The reality is, Christmas Films under-perform (Arthur Christmas, anyone?) except when they don't.

[Polar Express] opened at #2 [in November, 2004], being outgrossed 2-to-1 by Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles, and brought in $23,323,463 from approximately 7,000 screens at 3,650 theaters in its opening weekend. ... Initially, the movie seemed to be headed towards becoming a box office failure after its first week, ... [However] The Polar Express ended up grossing nearly $160 million in the United States alone. 25% of the world gross came from just 82 IMAX 3D theaters, shocking many nonbelievers and film critics. ...

For our own selfish reasons, we would dearly like Guardians to pick itself up and climb to the top of the movie rankings. Whether that happens or not depends on how many people want to see Guardians' Team of Rivals*.

We'll find out in a few days.

* Lincoln, Skyfall, Twilight Umpty-ump.


Click here to read entire post

Changing the Game?

Some high rollers think so.

Netflix's day-old deal to be the exclusive pay-TV home for new movies from Walt Disney Studios is a "game changer" for the streaming video company and was "the highest value deal" possible for the entertainment giant, executives from the two companies said Wednesday.

Speaking at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference in New York, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said bidding away those rights from premium cable channel Starz beginning in 2016 was particularly valuable to his company because of its large family audience.

"The movies that constantly performed well for us are those big, animated features," Sarandos said. "There's lots of repeat viewing. It’s a safe brand halo."

... Indeed, family fare plays well around the world -- including in emerging markets such as Latin America, where children's programs are less available.

For many, the idea of an Internet company outbidding established cable channels for the rights to movies from giant brands like Disney's Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm marks an inflection point in the media landscape. ...

Trying to predict what constitutes a "new ballgame" and what doesn't is a risky business. Technology moves quickly. I remember when VHS tapes were the big drivers/saviors of the movie industry. Click here to read entire post

VES Understanding Unions Panel - Recap

*image by Jeff Heusser of FXGuide

Last Saturday, I spent the morning hours participating in a panel discussion about the viability, impact and repercussions of visual effects artists banding together and forming a union. The event was attended by Jeff Heusser of FXGuide, as well as Jonathan Handel of The Hollywood Reporter. They've done a fine job of capturing the happenings of the event in both long and short form, respectively. Here, I'll offer my recap for your review.

The discussion that took place was one that has needed to happen for a very long time. I've yearned for a time when open-minded business owners, a labor attorney whose interests and experience lies with representing employers and pro-union voices could gather around and openly and respectfully voice concerns and seek clarity on the matter of fixing a broken industry by using leverage and collective action.

VES Chairman Jeffrey Okun, Executive Director Eric Roth, the Business Labor and Law Committee (specifically Gregory Lemkin, Bob Coleman and Ray Scalice) should be praised for acting in accordance with the mission of their organization. This discussion certainly attempted to advance the craft by providing education and fostering community in a way only they could provide. I know of no other organization with the membership or structure to be able to bring this type of panel together.

This discussion proved another example that when faced with the facts, the prospect and purpose of focusing leverage through collective action becomes not only clear, but the only option remaining when seeking lasting and viable change. Both a union for visual effects artists and workers and a trade organization for the visual effects studios is required to face the AMPTP and force the changes both organizations seek. Both bodies are necessary to work in concert toward their common goal of making visual effects a viable and sustainable industry.

Many thanks to the panelists for their time and input and again to the VES executive officers and BL&L Committee members for giving me the opportunity to be the voice of the union in such an important talk. I hope to be able to do so many times again and in the near future.

See the discussion from the VES's Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/54898430 and http://vimeo.com/54957963

Click here to read entire post

It's the Leverage, Stupid

This is good news:

Work resumed Wednesday at the nation's busiest port complex after a crippling strike was settled, ending an eight-day walk-off that affected thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in cargo. ...

Clerical workers who said that shippers were outsourcing their jobs struck on Nov. 27 and thousands of dockworkers in the same union refused to cross picket lines, paralyzing much of the port complex that handles 44 percent of all container cargo that arrives by sea nationwide, including items such as cars from Japan and computers from China.

Negotiators reached a tentative agreement to end the strike late Tuesday, two hours after federal mediators arrived from Washington, D.C. No details about the terms of the deal had been released by early Wednesday, though a statement from the workers' union said it had won new protections preventing jobs from being outsourced. ...

The clerical workers had been working a couple of years without a contract. It seems clear that they finally pulled the strike trigger at the point where they had the most juice. It helped mightily that dock workers honored their line and stayed off the job.

Now there are those who will scream: "The clerks played dirty! They should have stayed in and kept talking! They hurt the economy!" (etc. etc.) Me, I admire their skill and tenacity. These folks finally got a result they could live with, after years of trying. (I'm guessing shutting down the port really, really helped in that regard.)

Here's the cold, underlying reality: Strikes are only unfair and unjust if you're on the wrong side. As I say over and over: There is no fair or unfair, but only the result you can achieve.

With negotiations, as with many things in life, the important element is who's got the most leverage, not who's on the side of the angels. (It took me a long time to figure this out, longer still to accept and embrace it. Once I did, my stomach stopped tying itself in knots so much. I realized the "fair" and "unfair" thingie is mostly in the eye of the beholder.) Click here to read entire post

Ralph Hulett's Christmas, day 5

Sill life from the 1960s, notable for the texture.

See other Ralph Hulett Christmas cards on the TAG Blog

Click here to read entire post

Netflix and the Mouse

Disney leaves Starz to embrace another distributor.

Netflix will replace Starz as the exclusive subscription television service for Disney's first-run live-action and animated films, per an agreement announced on Tuesday.

The deal, which covers films released in theaters from 2016 to 2018, will grant Netflix new Disney, Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel and Disney nature titles. Disney's deal for Lucasfilm has not closed.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although Netflix's will pay more than Starz had been ...

Ah yes. "Will pay more than Starz ..."

Our fine entertainment conglomerates are not in business for their health, but to maximize profits. And Starz loss is the Big Mouse's gain. Click here to read entire post

The Ongoing High Wire Act

From TheWrap:

"Rise of the Guardians" is projected to lose $50 million for DreamWorks Animation, an executive with knowledge of the movie's projections told TheWrap.

The company's stock hit a 52-week low on Monday, but closed Tuesday up slightly at $16.52.

A spokeswoman for DreamWorks Animation declined to comment on the projected loss for "Rise of the Guardians." ...

"What we take from this 'Guardians' experience is that where once there was an implied domestic box-office floor on a movie from the company, particularly in the 3D era, of $150 million, that is no longer the case," he wrote. "Also clearly no longer the case is the mantra that the lack of competing animated titles will automatically grant a movie clear box office sailing." ...

Here's the deal: There is never a "floor" for a movie, animated CG feature or otherwise. If people want to see it, they will. If not, not.

There may be some sort of built-in audience for a sequel, since that has tended to be the historical norm. But if a given motion picture fails to deliver what ticket buyers seek, the ticket buyers stay away.

It's that simple.

Rise of the Guardians has much to recommend it, but holiday-themed pictures can often be dicey propositions. As it was wth Chris Meledandri's Hop, so might it be with Guardians. (As one artist said to me last week: I think maybe films about Santa have worn out their welcome.") Click here to read entire post

At the Top of the DVD Sales Chart

Granted, sales of the little silver disks aren't what they used to be; even so ...

Brave stayed atop the DVD sales chart for the second week in a row, outselling newcomer Expendables 2.

Pixar's animated fantasy film was the top-selling DVD and Blu-ray disc in the U.S., according to Rentrak Corp., while aging action stars sequel Expendables 2 premiered at No. 2. ...

Animated DVDs continue to hold up better than their live-action counterparts. But let's not kid ourselves, discounting helps.

... Nielsen data shows the biggest beneficiaries of the shopping frenzy were recent hit theatricals that had been marked down to below $10. Consumers may have been lured in by the cheap catalog fare – Walmart had more than 100 DVDs at $1.96 and 60 Blu-ray Discs at $3.96, while Target was selling Semi-Pro and American Pie for a buck apiece – and they certainly bought plenty of it.

But they also opened up their pocketbooks to pick up deep-discounted summer theatrical hits like Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. ... Walt Disney Studios’ Brave remained the overall best seller for the second consecutive week on both the First Alert chart, which tracks total discs sales, and Nielsen’s dedicated Blu-ray Disc chart. It, too, was available in combo pack form for $8.96 at Walmart and $10 at Target. ...

Animated features, as much as we would like to believe otherwise, aren't totally immune from declining disk sales. Lower prices provide a helpful nudge in an upward direction.
Click here to read entire post

Another Afternoon, coming up

Over the weekend, the steering committee for the Afternoon of Remembrance met to make plans for the next ceremony to honor veterans of the animation community who have passed on.

The next event, honoring those who have died in 2012, is tentatively scheduled for March 2, 2013 at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, across the street from the Hollywood Bowl.


At the meeting, we made plans to honor the following veterans, plus any others who pass away before December 31:

• Frank Andrina
• Dick Beals
• Iris Beckerman
• Lucille Bliss
• Dave Borthwick
• Jack Bosson
• Richard "Kip" Carpenter
• Ernie Chan
• Kristine "Casey" Clayton
• John Coates
• Franco Cristofani*
• Tissa David
• Jim Duffy
• Jake Eberts
• Ethel Falkenberg
• Jean "Moebius" Giraud
• Karen Greslie
• Jim Hiltz
• Daphne Huntington*
• Thomas Kinkade
• Peter Kranjcevich
• Joe Kubert
• Bob Lambert
• Ken Landau
• Nancy McCullough*
• Sheldon Moldoff
• Conne Morgan
• Mark Nelson
• Margaret Nichols
• Rod Parkes
• Bretislav Pojar
• Buzz Potamkin
• Al Rio
• Geri Rochon
• Ken Sansom
• Mary Sarbry
• Maurice Sendak
• Mel Shaw
• José Silverio
• Marcia Sinclair
• Dan Thompson
• Ken Walker
• Manon Washburn
• Run Wrake
• Uvon Young

At this time we'd like your help. If you knew any of the people marked above with an asterisk (or knew someone who knew them), drop me a line if you're willing either to speak a three-minute tribute at the event, or write something to be read by someone else.

And let us know as well if there is anyone else who deserves to be on this list. Thanks, and hope to see you there!

Click here to read entire post

Brave, Ralph and Guardians top Annie noms

The nominations for the ASIFA-Hollywood Annie Awards were announced today, with Pixar's Brave, Disney's Wreck-It Ralph and DreamWorks's Rise of the Guardians receiving ten nominations each.

Laika/Focus's ParaNorman and Sony Animation's Hotel Transylvania each received eight, while Frankenweenie and The Pirates! Band of Misfits each received five. In the Best Animated Feature category, those seven films were joined by GKIDS' The Rabbi's Cat.

Oscar Grillo, Terry Gilliam and Mark Henn were announced to receive the Winsor McCay Award. Howard Green will receive the June Foray Award and Toon Boom will receive the Ub Iwerks Award.

The full list of nominees is here.

The 40th Annual Annie Awards will take place on February 2, 2013 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. Go to their website for more details.
Click here to read entire post

Ralph Hulett's Christmas, day 4

Yet another of Hulett's Siamese cat cards (of which there were several.)

This card is from the fifties, but it isn't inspired by Lady and the Tramp (on which Hulett worked.) The Hulett family had a couple of Siamese cats as pets, which is where these designs come from.

See other

Ralph Hulett Christmas cards on the TAG Blog

Click here to read entire post

Intelligent Investing

As we begin Week Two of TAG 401(k) enrollment meetings, more investing advice:

... Any fair study of mutual fund performance soon uncovers that low-cost index funds achieve better performance than a large majority of actively-managed mutual funds without adding risk. This statement is true for index funds covering every asset class, investment style and fund category. Index fund investors use this knowledge to effectively increase their portfolio performance. This decision embodies the very definition of investment skill.

What all persistence studies show is that active manager performance is mainly due to luck, not investment skill. Picking winning stocks or bonds isn’t like playing chess, where skill is the sole driver of performance, according to Michael Mauboussin, investment strategist and author of The Success Equation, Untangling Luck and Skill in Business, Sports and Investing. A champion chess player almost always beats lesser players because it’s a game of skill. With investing, this year’s winning manager often becomes next year’s losing manager. Mauboussin contends a pattern of inconsistency in an activity points to outcomes that are largely a result of luck, not skill. ...

In recent 401(k) enrollment meetings, I have emphasized that the parts of investing that individuals can control are 1) costs, and 2) asset allocation (your stock-and-bond mix; your stock-and-bond diversification.) Mr. Market controls everything else.

The small, quiet secret about smart investing is that, when you scrape away the b.s. of the financial media, a winning investment strategy is really quite simple. The thing that makes it hard is ... human emotion. When markets are dropping like anvils out of sixty-story windows, it's incredibly difficult for mortals to resist the fear impulse and not sell everything. Sadly, many people under-estimate their ability to withstand bone-deep financial pain, and sell at the wrong time.

Happily, the TAG 401(k) Plan offers different index funds with broad diversification and low costs, making it relatively easy to be a smart investor. (It also offers more expensive active funds if that happens to be your desire. We try to please everybody.)

All you have to do to get started is come to one of the meetings listed below.

TAG 401(k) Enrollment Meetings

Bento Box
Wednesday, December 10, 10 am
Main Break Room

Disney TV Animation
Tuesday, December 11, 10 am
Sonora Building, Room 1172

Disney TV Animation
Tuesday, December 11, 2 pm
Empire Center, Room 5223

DreamWorks Animation Television
Thursday, December 13, 2 pm
Main Conference Room

Film Roman
Wednesday, December 4, 2 pm
"Glass" Conference Room

Fox TV Animation
Thursday, December 6, 2 pm
Main Conference Room

Nickelodeon
Wednesday, December 12, 2 pm
Main Conference Room

Warner Bros. Animation
Wednesday, December 5, 2 pm
Building 34R - Main Conference Room

Click here to read entire post