3-D Animation Workshop

Organized by The Animation Workshop on 14 to 15 April 2007 at Den Danske Filmskole, Theodor Christensens Plads 1, 1437 København K
Teacher: Kyle Balda (Pixar Animation Studios, Industrial Light & Magic, McGuff Ligne and more). Kyle’s credits include A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Toy Story 2 (Directing Animator), The Mask, The Flintstones, Mars Attacks, Jumanji, The Frighteners
Fee: 5.000 DKK (coffee and lunches included)

About The Workshop
The Kyle Balda Masterclass is a two day workshop designed to offer an approach to 3D character animation that is widely used in feature animation production. The workshop is based on methodology, not a specific 3D animation software, so users from different backgrounds can benefit from the program regardless of the software they are familiar with.

For the most part, the material in the workshop is not technical. There will be no explanations of particular softwares; however, a lot will be said about the graph editor and dope sheet tools which are universal among 3D animation software programs. The majority of the topics covered during this weekend will have to do with the approach and completion of 3D characters, the procedures used, and tricks of the trade. See below for a list of topics that will be covered in detail.


About Kyle Balda
Kyle Balda has been working professionally in feature animation for the past 12 years, most notably with Pixar Animation Studios and Industrial Light & Magic. He began his career studying traditional animation at The California Institute of the Arts in 1991, continuing his training during summer internships with Lucas Arts and Pacific Data Images in the summer of 1993. Shortly after, Balda joined the crew of Industrial Light & Magic, where he participated in such films as The Flintstones, The Mask, Mars Attacks and Jumanji where he played the role as Supervising Animator. After animating on Peter Jackson's The Frighteners at Weta Digital in New Zealand, Kyle returned to California to work at Pixar on such films as A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc and as Directing Animator of Toy Story 2.

Kyle Balda

Kyle is presently living in France where for the past three years he has been conducting animation workshops at various European film schools including Les Gobelins, The Animation Workshop, and Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg as well as leading a 3D animation workshop at Richard Williams 2002 Masterclass and numerous lectures at European film festivals. Kyle also stays heavily involved in 3D animation production as a director and supervising animator at Macguff Ligne and Passion Studios in Paris.


Topics covered in detail during the Workshop

A new look at the Classic Principles Has computer animation altered the way we think about the classical principles? Here we will explore this question. Participants should already have a working knowledge of the 12 principles. Basic concepts in Computer Animation What are the dynamics that make 3D computer animation different from other animation mediums? These are the foundations of a solid methodology to approaching 3D. The Graph Editor From circular movement and arcs to overlapping action, the graph editor is the best existing tool to master your animation. Here we will explore how to fully utilise this otherwise un-intuitive tool. Character Set-up Without getting too technical or software specific, we will talk about the various controls that are needed by the animator, the importance and not always obvious placements of joints and ways to deal with the evils of gimble lock. A Production Model How are 3D animated movies created? This is where we look at the production pipeline and explore the various ways departments have been set-up to establish a creative and efficient environment. We will also discuss the relationships betweens the departments and the question of specialising in any one aspect of the industry. The Approach of Physically Based Animation: Animating from the Inside Out Physicality makes up half of the problems faced by animators. How to deal with weight and action based animation where the poses are less important to the nature of the movement. In this section we will take a detailed look at... - Two-Legged Basic Walk Cycle - Re-mixing the Walk - Other Walks - Four-Legged Locomotion - Complicated Physicality Made Simple

The Approach of Acting Based Animation: Animating from Pose to Pose
The other side of animation has to do with the abstract art of acting. This is where the animator becomes a story teller. As well as exploring the various elements involved in acting we will look at the more practical side of how these aspects apply to the animator.

- The Eyes & Brows - Facial Expressions - Dialogue & Lip-Sync - Principles in Acting - Story and Changes

Staging
The vastest principle of animation; in fact staging is an art form all to itself. In this module we will discuss…

- Dealing with Multiple Characters - Leading the Eye of the Audience - The line of action and 180 line - Character Staging & Silhouette

Approaching the Shot: Putting it all together
Now we understand the two major challenges in character animation; physicality & acting. How do we put them together to create natural believable motion in a performance that is both entertaining and moving?

- Blocking
- Beyond Blocking
- The Animators Role in Production