iTunes Fixed!!
Sep 6th
It appears that our iTunes account is now fixed, Yeah!!! If you had subscribed through the iTunes store you probably will have to resubscribe(I did when I tested it). Thanks iTunes for the fix!
iTunes Broken
Aug 23rd
I’m sure some of you may have noticed that our feed from the iTunes store is busted. I’m currently working with iTunes to get it all fixed up.
If you had subscribed to the podcast by adding the feed (http://www.speakingofanimation.com/feed/podcast/) and not through the iTunes store you should be unaffected.
If you had subscribed through the store we should have the feed fixed soon(fingers crossed). If you can’t wait, you can add our feed into iTunes by going to Advanced/ subscribe to podcast Add this feed: http://www.speakingofanimation.com/feed/podcast/ and you will be good to go!
iAnimate.net :: The Character Animation School
Aug 9th
There’s a new animation school on the block!
iAnimate.net is a brand new online animation school designed for students at any level of experience and ability. The school is founded by DigiCel – creators of the animation software Flipbook – and is lead by famed animator and teacher Jason Ryan. There are many animation schools both institutionally and online, but iAnimate.net wants to bring something new to animation education. There are great features that everyone involved is very excited about, including us at Speaking of Animation. All four of us will be instructors at the school (some immediately and some later on). And a few of our previous podcast guests will be teaching as well!
The Basics:
- The full course load is six flexible 14-week semesters.
- All classes are taught by professional animators currently working in feature animation.
- Weekly live/recorded workflow lectures with Jason Ryan and other instructors.
- Weekly live lectures/Q&A with instructors.
- Weekly live critiques with instructors.
- Community forums where students can post work for peer/instructor feedback and discussion.
- Free and exclusive iAnimate.net rigged characters
- Free Jason Ryan Animation Webinars and Turorials
- Free Digicel Flipbook software
- Student Discount price for Autodesk Maya
How iAnimate.net is unique:
- Small class sizes.
The more one-on-one time you can spend with the instructor the better. That’s why class sizes will be restricted to 10-12 students. This also means enrollment will be capped when it reaches capacity. - LIVE instructor critiques by professional feature animators.
Where some schools provide prerecorded feedback from the instructor, all assignment critiques will be LIVE sessions. Students will interact with the instructor and ask questions, clarify notes, and discuss options, thus creating an environment similar to ‘dailies.’ These live sessions are also recorded. - Opt out of beginning semesters.
Jason Ryan personally reviews the demo reel of any applicant that wishes to skip ahead. He provides a realistic and honest assessment of the student’s ability and places them accordingly. - Less expensive.
iAnimate.net wants students to be able to afford to learn animation. Check out their site for tuition information and multiple payment options. - Course structure designed by Jason Ryan.
Jason has been teaching animation for over 17 years and knows how to create assignments that are both educational and challenging for students while pushing them to deliver their best work. - No Grades.
Many students focus too much on getting a particular grade rather than on improving their skills, and at iAnimate that distraction has been removed. This also makes it more like working in a studio since you get feedback on improving rather than a letter grade. - No minimum age requirement.
If you want to learn animation, you want to learn animation. You don’t need to reach a certain age to start improving your animation eye. - Group work.
The final semester is designed to simulate working in a production environment on a team of animators. With the guidance of the instructor, students will work together to create an animated short.
We are very excited to be a part of this new school and look forward to seeing it grow. Jason is incredibly passionate about teaching animation, so it is really wonderful to see this school come to life. We are honored Jason asked us to be involved and can’t wait for first semester to start! It’s going to be a blast and we know students are going to produce some really inspiring work. It will be an amazing experience for instructors and students alike, so we hope to see you there!
‘Plastic Animation Paper’ is now FREE!
Jul 26th
The 2D-animation software Plastic Animation Paper is now available online for FREE from the developers. They are no longer offering support, and it appears to be Windows only, but if that works for you then there are plenty of tutorial videos on the site to get you started.
Go experiment with it.
You can read the brief post about this decision and the future of the software, and download PAP Pro 4.0 for free at http://www.plasticanimationpaper.dk/
(thanks to Sandro for the heads up)
Toy Story 3 Opens Today!
Jun 18th
It’s opening day for Toy Story 3!
We are all really excited to see this film. It’s currently sitting at an amazing 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
For even more Toy Story fun, Andrew Gordon over at Spline Doctors has posted a new podcast featuring a round table discussion with animators from the film.
So go out and see it and let us know what you think!
