Conan Low

Futurama, Clone Wars, Shrek, Madagascar...I like moving pictures.

[monkeybolts]

(via GIPHY) Creating these way-finding infographics is relatively simple using Google Earth Studio and Adobe After Effects. I’ve documented my current process here: http://www.monkeybolts.com/2020/07/mapping-route.html

[monkeybolts]

Diving into Unity, Cinemachine, and PostProcessing stack.

Music: Dreams by Joakim Karud

[giancarlovolpe]

Composition for dummies part two:  The Dead Center Focal Point!**

I have found that storyboards that use a nice mixture of the “Rule of Thirds” and “Dead Center” focal points are the most visually pleasing.  Remember, SHOT VARIETY is good.

Next:  Screen direction and crossing the 180!

**Read part one here.

[giancarlovolpe]

I did some compositional how-to’s in my early weeks at Warner Bros. studios.   I thought it’d be great to post a series of these on the Tumblr’s for beginning board artists.

This is the first part - the rule of thirds.

Read part two by clicking here.

[monkeybolts]

This week it was announced that one of the software tools we used on Futurama, Toonz, would be released as an Open Source platform and would be free to download today. After modeling, shading, animating, and rendering our layers, we used Toonz to integrate our 3D elements with our 2D ink and paint layers. One of the things I liked was how it mimicked the 2D production and scene planning timing sheets into its user interface. Toonz has since been used in many of Studio Ghibli’s productions. May it continue to live on in many future animated productions.

[monkeybolts]

Madagascar end titles

Towards the finish of making the first Madagascar the directors were looking for a fun way to end the movie. Sacha Baron Cohen’s performance as King Julien was such a revelation that everyone wanted to try and reprise the “Move It” song from the jungle party sequence. We only had a few weeks left in the schedule so we needed to be resourceful. Using Totoro’s opening titles as inspiration, I took some existing animation and re-purposed it in sync with the track. The director’s liked it and from there it was a race to the finish. Now almost every time I go to a kids party at a gymboree or bouncy house I hear that song and remember that amazing and crazy production!

[monkeybolts]

The Planet Express neighborhood from Futurama

In preparing for a few talks I gave last year I re-discovered these process breakdowns we did at Rough Draft Studios. What a great team and project this was. From Mike Smith’s original storyboards for the title sequence, to Edgar Duncan’s initial designs, we were given such great launching pads with which to build that universe. Eric Whited and I designed, modeled, animated, and composited almost all the elements seen in these shots. Even though this work was created with old software years ago, the skills and methods are still relevant today. 

[monkeybolts]

People on their cell phones. #hotlinebling #instaart #sketchbook

[monkeybolts]

People on their cell phones. #hotlinebling #instaart #sketchbook

[monkeybolts]

People on their cell phones. #hotlinebling #instaart #sketchbook

[monkeybolts]

Merry Christmas to me. #instaart #mightymenandmonstermaker #adultcoloringbook

[monkeybolts]

Always fun when a kid comes trick-or-treat(ing) dressed as a character you worked on. #halloween #futurama https://theta360.com/s/kb8XrgGWHdyBPsmDqgKw4ZZtw

[monkeybolts]

Cross-site Communication

This summer I gave a talk at Mundos Digitales in the north of Spain about cross-site communication on the Dreamworks Animation feature film: Penguins of Madagascar.

To help illustrate the challenges and successes I created these quick animations.

http://www.mundosdigitales.org/en/conferencias/conan.html

http://www.monkeybolts.com/2015/09/un-idiota-en-el-extranjero.html

[monkeybolts]

After having so much fun with 360 photos I decided to try a collage of some of my sketches from this summer. The originals were small black and white ink drawings done in a moleskin. I scanned them in and added a little color digitally. Using the program Hugin I was able to comp in some sketches for the zenith and nadir of the 360 collage. Hope you like it!

[monkeybolts]

la exposición de Federico Guzmán: Tuiza. #reinasofia #theta360 #madrid #theta360contest (at Palacio de Cristal)

[monkeybolts]

Sagrada Família #barcelona #theta360 #theta360contest (at Sagrada Família)

[monkeybolts]

Primer partido de fútbol de Christian. ¡que afortunado! (at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu)