2012 Chelsea Manifold visiting artist report

preparing to work in the field

You need a reel. A reel should show a range of styles, materials that you can work with. You don't need to be a character animator to work in this field, you could animate objects such as the work of the animator PEZ. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBjLW5_dGAM) Networking skills are very important. Network with people in school. The faculty are important. Contacts and relations with others very important. Prof's can be helpful for first project if they see how your work ethic is. So brownnose. Nurture relationships. 90% of her jobs come from recommendations. Don't oversell yourself. It's way detrimental. If you tell them you can do it and don't they will black list you and tell other people not to hire you.

how much money can you expect to make?

If you are in New York, fresh out of school, the rate in NEW YORK is 8 hours for 150 dollars that's considered a day rate. Animators who are experienced make 675 a day. (8 hours) based on Experience. Sometimes you may take on projects that have zero money because of the concept and the freedom to do something more interesting. Other times you work on projects with more money then god, such as the Sony Bravia commercial with the animated bunnies. How to know when to do it for free? You can take a job for free if you can survive a month without pay and its something you feel passionate about, then do it. The minimum on a free project is they should give you transportation and food.

how to bid and how to do a contract

Figure out your basic needs (rent, utilities, food +500 dollars for a month) Sometimes you need to charge more to get more jobs. For example, she gave discovery channel a "buddy/friend" price. Before she knew it was for Discovery Channel. Her friend told her she needed to increase her bid. IF you undersell yourself they think you are inexperienced.

building puppets

There are several methods used for making models in the industry. Some of these have inherit issues such as using oil based clay which can shiny when it heats up under lights, also moving the objects can leave dents in the clay from fingers. Loose fabrics can cause "Ghost Wind" issues. The method used for supporting the puppets on set is the tie down method. (screws in the set hook into nuts in the bottom of the feet of the puppets) The professional software used in Dragon Frame. http://www.dragonframe.com/

types of puppet bodies:

FOAM BODIES: Not as popular as it used to be. Materials are changing. (Celebrity death match is an example of this type ) Cost of materials affects the kind of materials used from ball and socket to wire armature. Her puppet Failure is Cold foam Krylon foam 2 part mix. (not baked) Cold foam is not as fine as Baked foam. It starts as non-sulfer based Chavant medium clay (http://www.chavant.com/chavant_ob/index.shtml) create form on a steel armature for sculpting process. Finish sculpt then make mold. Material for mold is Aqua Resin (http://www.aquaresin.com/). It's healthier for you as an fabricator.

MIXED MEDIUM: The mold for a mixed medium is not a one piece mold, it's separate. Body one mold, hands and head different mold. Head and hands silicone. Silicone looks much more like skin.

BUILD UP METHOD: Don't create molds. wrap it with foam. There are limitations with this method. THe material bunches up making it uneven. But, it's a good beginner method.

ANimation production process

The team can be made up of a variety of people, a D.P. several fabricators. to maybe an assistant animator.

The animation is mostly straight ahead animation instead of key framing, although planning goes into determining where the character is going in the shot and how the camera moves. A Salon camera stand is used for incremental camera moves. To start, they take a frame in the first position to see how the lighting is working on the models and the set. Maybe you find out that a shadow is going to be on the face. So you check it out to make sure before animating. You need to check where the character and camera is going. "Pop through" make sure they work before hand. With Jack, she drew out some key positions to know. Usually with a "pop through" you take 10 shots just to check the shot. Send it to the director for review. Camera moves are another animal trying to make sure that you have eases in and out. The dragon software allows you to scrub the image and hear the sound, she usually marks in the consonants before hand.

A tip for animators, be mindful of your body. Stop-motion animators stand all day. Use a yoga pad to stand on. Lots of repetitive motion.

process breakdown:

1. A project will include a production bible with all the information about the cast, storyboards, style type of shots needed. Location and crew. Equipment needs. Animation model notes. Scale.
2. Concept ideas made along with reworks.
3. Roughs are modeled out in clay. Pictures are sent during the progress.
4. After approvals. Models made.
5. animation created.

Case study 1

Sony production (passion pictures) created the largest outdoor stop-motion project shot in the U.S. ever. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8g94N_zAQI&playnext=1&list=PLBCD7A964F1483138&feature=results_video) It was shot using a system called replacement animation. In replacement animation a cycle of animation is sculpted out with individual pieces then, after each shot of the camera, the sculpture is replaced with a new sculpt that has been changed slightly, creating the effect that one sculpture is moving. Cycles of seven used for the effect. It was shot in the financial district in New York. Mostly all practical, on set animation. During the process they would only have a few minutes to run out as a team and replace and move their bunny, then they would have to race back outside the cameras view so that the shot could be taken. The Assistant director was the voice calling out for the animators to run out and move the rabbits. Not a lot of contact otherwise with the production director. Here is the making of video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqprQH-uJ4E)

Case study 2

College humor an online humor site (http://www.collegehumor.com/) usually provides a month to do a stop-motion short. (a very short turnaround) She had two weeks to do 3 puppets and one set. She had one week to make the puppets and set, and one week to animate. This is a tough production schedule but, you can use circumstances such as this to show how you can make a bad situation work and build a reputation for yourself as a problem solver. Here is one of her most advanced, complicated pieces for college humor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29a2ldtBiOE

Case study 3

The Discovery channel was producing a documentary on the Presidential quarters at the White House. Access to the White House since 9/11 is restricted so in order to film the White House interior, they used a large model created by a craftsman in Florida. The process involved gaining access to the 20 ton model during off hours when it was not being viewed as part of the exhibition where it is shown in Clermont. Animation was difficult because of the constricted spaces. For a clip that includes some of her animation see: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/discoverys-flipping-white-house-sneak-383438

advice for students

-Create a Vimeo account to showcase your work.

-Volunteer and work on other projects as a p.a. or intern. So you can be trusted with small projects to build to larger projects.

-Don't have an ego.

-Make a Web-site.

-Look at craigslist for jobs outside of your area.

- Get involved with ASIFA for networking and connecting with other animators.

Chelsea Manifold

chelseamanifold@gmail.com