Jasmine Finishes her Animatic!

November 13th and 15th

Week 8 is over (I forgot to make one of these last week, oops) and with it, I have officially finished my animatic and started on my background concepts/ sketches. Hopefully next week I get the opportunity to speak with someone in the background area so that I have a bit of a better understanding of what’s going on. On other notes, I’m also very tired… probably because I’ve recently been affiliating myself with cringy children’s superhero cartoons into the wee hours of the morning and or re-watching some of my favourite Dreamworks animations (how to train your dragon and rise of the guardians were amazing). As such my sleep schedule has been a little lacking and my eyes like to do this thing where colours mush together when I’m tired. Good thing I have a PD day tomorrow. I will finally be able to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Next week is more backgrounds, let’s hope they go well!

- Jasmine

Molly Wraps Concept Art & Starts Storyboarding.

My art block seems to have resolved itself, so I've been able to finish most of the concept art this week. I decided to start storyboarding on my own so I didn't get too off track, so I surfed google for a solid 20 minutes trying to figure out how to show camera movements on individual shots and how to cut down on unnecessary frames. One thing I realized was that you have to be really efficient when storyboarding, which apparently means short-handing the drawings. I had to simplify my art style a lot for the concept art itself (I usually go towards realism), so the storyboards look nothing like the original designs lol

At the beginning of the placement, I told myself to have everything finished by the end of November so I could have more time to animate, but I doubt that's going to happen at this point, considering that I spent a month working on character design and procrastinating on storyboards. I think I only have backgrounds to work on before I start builds though, so I'm not as far behind as I thought. I'll try to work more efficiently over the next 5 weeks, and maybe I'll be ready to animate by the new year.

- Molly

Molly Starts Storyboards and Concepts!

These past three weeks have gone by really fast, but I feel like I've accomplished a lot; as of Thursday, I have officially started working on the visual aspects of the 30-second film (so concept art and storyboards).

 After finishing the script on Tuesday, I started designing the girl I'm going to animate later on in the year. I wanted a simple enough design to make the animation process easier, but this ended up being more challenging when clothing/hair movement came into the picture.

Even though I never got around to meeting any of the storyboard artists this week, I'm hoping that I'll get the chance to do so soon.

- Molly

Jasmine does the Script Thing and Hugs a Turkey.

This is the end of my second week here at Smiley Guy and it's been great! This week I got to work on my script and figuring out the format of that (thank you Erin and Wikihow). I also got the privilege of talking with a few of the department heads about what they do and how their job contributes to the overall animation process. In total, this week has been very informative and was really interesting to me. Next week I think I'll be working on… something. Probably my script more but I'm not really sure. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it :) - Jasmine

Anyways, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Introducing Molly!

'm Molly, and I'm one of the high school interns at Smiley Guy Studios this year! It's only been a week since I started my placement here, but I have been busy planning the 30-second short that I'll be working on this year. Although I have a few ideas (barely lol), I really don't know what I'm doing, but I'm hoping I'll have a better idea of what I want to accomplish by the end of October.

During the brainstorming process, I realized that I came up with some (probably) overly complicated ideas and that I have no idea how I'll animate them. I barely got everything to fit into the 30-second time frame I've been given, so now I have to figure out how to finish the project for the end of May.

I don't really know anyone near my work space except for the guy to the left of me (I still can't remember his name, even though he told me a bunch of times). Overall, I've had a good first week and am looking forward to the rest of the year.

- Molly

Please Welcome Jasmine!

Today marks the end of my first week here at Smiley Guys! So far I've brainstormed some ideas and created an outline for my short. Or what I hope counts as an outline. Making a 30-second film doesn't sound like a lot but in actuality, it will take a lot of time. When I was writing my outline I had to keep reminding myself not to add too much detail because a 30-second idea can quickly spiral into a 30-minute idea if I'm not careful.  Currently, I'm waiting to get my outline back and make some changes as well as starting on my production schedule.

A few notes about my first week:

1. The guy who sits beside me (I think his name is Christian, or Christopher or something with Chris in it) has a salad every day for lunch and it smells really good and inspired me to order a salad last night when I went out for dinner. My digestive tract thanks you. 
2. Apparently, Lisa knows CPR which is cool.
3. Someone who sits in front of me and to the left has some really awesome funko pops on her desk
4. I suck at remembering names

All in all this week has been amazing. I can't wait to see where this goes! - Jasmine

Chien Ying Yu - A 2017 Sheridan Intern

Hello there!

My name is Chien Ying Yu, but feel free to call me Chien! I’m an upcoming fourth year from Sheridan College, really nervous about starting the school semester but still excited!

I’ve been interning/working at Smiley Guys since mid-May and today was actually my last day. This is my first job within the animation industry and I’m so grateful for them to have hired me. I feel a bit sad that it’s come to an end but overall the experience I had here was great! The people who work here are all amazingly nice and friendly! As proof, they even got me a goodbye dessert!!

Erin has been really great with helping me feel comfortable when I first started interning. Joel and Joe has been so patient with me when they taught me about building flash assets and cleaning up, its helped me become more efficient and understand how rigging a character works. Last but not least, shout out to Brad, Michael, and Darien for helping fix the technical difficulties I’ve encountered. You’re the real MVP.

It’s difficult to express what I feel about my time at Smiley Guys but thank you so much for letting me be a part of this team!

Eila Espinoza - 2017 Sheridan Intern

Hey ya'll!

Welp, today was my last day here at Smiley Guy and its pretty bittersweet.  My time here went by insanely quick and I learned so so much! During my time here I learned how to navigate through Flash (which was super intimidating at first but practice makes perfect!) and managed to help out doing builds and animation clean up. Both came with their challenges but I'm super grateful for them because they allowed me to really think about how I'm going to approach my fourth year film! 

In addition to having incredibly talented and patient supervisors, I'm happy to say that everyone I've met here is SO charming and made this entire experience the best! I mean, GEEZ, the free food is pretty darn great! Everyone is so encouraging, willing to help and all around great to be around. I couldn't have asked for a better experience and am forever grateful. I'm really going to miss everyone here and I'm extremely proud to have been a part of a really cool project! 

With everything I've learned, I definitely feel way more prepared to tackle my fourth year film with confidence and I can't wait to put my new skills to the test!

I wish everyone here the best and can't express my gratitude towards everyone! Thank you for a wonderful experience and for making me feel right at home! Kick ass guys!! 

Hasta luego!!

Rae's Last Week

Hi! It's almost the end of my internship, I only have about a week left here, and to finish my film!

I'm sad for my time here to end, but I'm excited about almost finally finishing my film. So far I have completed about nine shots, I still have a lot to go, and not a lot of time to do it, but I'm having a lot of fun putting it together and I'm determined to finish it somewhat within my deadline. I decided to use a mix of Flash, and Anime Studio Pro to animate my characters. I felt it would be the fastest and easiest way to do the easy and fast shots in flash, and the more complicated shots in Anime. I just started learning how to use Anime Studio Pro, and so far I love it. I rigged my main character for a few shots for the first time, there were a lot of technical difficulties and it took a while, but I finally figured out how to do it, and I'm pretty happy about the way it turned out. I'm trying not to be a perfectionist, and just focus on getting it finished. I have quite a lot more to do, but it's the only thing that I'm doing on my spare time, so hopefully I'll have it done sometime by next week, and I'll be able to show it!

- Rae

Rae Works on a Walk Cycle

Hello!

It’s only been a week or 2 since my last blog post, and a lot has happened already! I continued working on my walk cycle, and then showed it to Mat one of the animators, for some feedback. There was a lot of that needed improvement, and he started a new one and walked me through each step, showing me how he goes about blocking a shot. It was really cool getting to observe how he works, and learning about his approach and technique to animation. He showed me how he breaks stuff down and works with one part at a time, starting with the main movement of the torso, and letting the rest follow. It gave me a new perspective on how to approach animating, and made things a lot simpler. With what I had learned I started my walk cycle over again, which turned out a lot better than my first try. I’m starting to understand flash a little better, and how to work in it.

I was also just told that I will be making my own short film during my time here, and I’m very excited! I’m about to start on my first stage of pre production, by brainstorming ideas, Hopefully by my next blog post I’ll have a story down, I can’t wait to get started!

See you on Thursday!

Say Hello to Rae, Our New High School Intern!

Hi i'm Rae, the new high school intern at Smiley Guy Studios!

My first few weeks here have been great! I’ve already learned a lot and met a lot of great people. Everyone is really nice and encouraging, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to talk to people about animation and art. It’s really cool to be surrounded by people who all share the same passion. I was given my first assignment, to do a walk cycle in Flash using one of the walk cycle tutorials. It’s my first time using Flash, and it’s a bit foreign to me, but I feel like I am starting to get the hang of it. I’m still settling in, but I’m really looking forward to getting to know everyone better and learning more! I think it’s going to be a great year!

Bendix Loves Beef Tongue and Hair Animation.

Halløj alle sammen!

My weekend at Cherry's place was incredible! She showed me a bunch of new food and I can now say that I have a deep craving for beef tongue, preserved egg and matcha ice-cream. It's right up my ally, it's savory and full of flavor! She also has the most adorable dog. 

 

Monday I was assigned a laughing shot – laughing is incredibly hard to get right without making it look like the character is shaking like a coke bottle full of mentos, but it's also fun to get a challenge and experiment until you get it right.

Tuesday we went out for Karaoke and it's probably one of the funniest things I've tried while being here. I was really nervous at first, but seeing how Ash and Aaron screamed their lungs out and everyone was laughing, I dared to be just as ridiculous despite not being able to hit even half of the notes (I'm sorry for any bleeding ears I might have caused)! At work I was also assigned a shot where I got to do hair animation!!!! I couldn't stop writing to Cherry about how excited I was and I still am! Hair and clothes are my favorite things to animate! My shots this week have been challenging, which has sadly slowed me down significantly, but thankfully they've been a lot of fun. 

We also carved a bunch of pumpkins at the studio before going out for Karaoke, which is yet another thing that I've never tried before. There was a lot of trial and error but in the end, my pumpkin ended up with a decent face. His name is Gregory.

Today we're going out for a ladies only lunch at a vegan place and tomorrow we're going to watch Cowboy Bebop and play games! The weekend is pretty packed and I'm really looking forward going to High Park and see if all the leaves have changed color, especially since I've been told that it's one of the most beautiful things to see when you're in Canada, so Canada, you have a lot to live up to now.

Next week is my last week, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to sneak in one last blogpost. If not, then I won't say goodbye but see you all later, as I hope to come back to say hello in the future at least once more!

- Bendix

Bendix Draws Butts and Makes Frikadeller.

It's Friday again! 

This Monday I celebrated thanksgiving with Kris, Jia and two of my friends with drinks and yummy food, except for the poutine we had later in the evening. I promised I would try Canadian food while I was here, which is only fair considering that I constantly throw Danish food at the studio, but it was uh... definitely an acquired taste. A taste I have yet to acquire. A taste I might never acquire. Same goes for the Nanaimo bars we had Wednesday, it's simply too sweet for me! 

I brought in Frikadeller yesterday, 70 of them, and it seems that people liked them as they were gone by lunch!

Tuesday I finished a shot that I've been working on for quite a while. It's probably my favorite shot so far as every single frame was customized drawings with skewed angles and forced perspective, and I am now very familiar with Atticus's butt. Before we head out for drinks, movies and other shenanigans today, I aim to finish up another long shot to add to the pile! 

Tomorrow I'll also try live drawing for the 3^rd time ever. Everyone at the studio is always talking about it, and it's about time that I thoroughly practice my life drawing skills, and in the evening, Kris and I will venture into the realm of swing dancing once more.  

Erin is also out of the studio today, so this weeks comic is dedicated to her! I can't believe that I haven't drawn her before as she is an absolute sweetheart and has so many golden moments that are comic worthy. This one in particular, is from some time ago when we talked about tattoo's. 

That's all for now, until next week! 

- Bendix 

Bendix Animates Better Than She Swing Dances!

Ello' again!

This week has been pleasantly busy compared to the last! I caught up with the Inktober challenge, and then managed to fall behind again. I went out eating with a friend (whom I get to see maybe once a year as he is usually found in Sweden) who happens to be in Toronto right now. I went swing dancing with Kris (more on that later). The entire studio went for sushi yesterday. I took David to a mysterious licorice candy store that he refused to believe actually existed. Cherry came back from Japan and brought gifts and food back. And today a pet cockroach crawled over the desk in the meeting room this morning. It was a very effective way to wake us all up! We fed the roach orange peels and kept it safe in a jar until it could be taken away.

Swing was absolutely amazing! I've always wanted to try dancing, but I've sadly been born with very white genes and five left feet, thus all I can really do is bounce back and forth to pop music, and even that requires a huge amount of concentration. Luckily it was a beginners class, but after the class, the pro's came to dance to the live band that played way past midnight. 

Work started out slightly confusing this week. Shots are being sent back and forth as they get feedback and requires immediate attention, which means I sometimes have to be able to juggle a number of shots and keep focused on all of them at the same time. I've found, after a few days of getting used to it, that I actually enjoy working like this, as when one shot frustrates me, I can very easily move on to another one and work a bit on it before going back to the former with fresh eyes, so I'm never wasting time. This morning, it was also really nice having my shots shown to the creators of the Todd show and to see their reactions! It's was a very rewarding and humbling feeling :)

I'm also incredibly happy that Cherry is back, as now I finally have someone to be a nerd with again and talk about Osomatsu and how great the wonderful sextuplets are! MUSCLE MUSCLE! HUSTLE HUSTLE! (that one is for you Cherry)

One last thing to end the blog with: it's Thanksgiving this weekend! Hopefully Kris, a danish friend of mine and I, will go somewhere to celebrate it together!

- Bendix

Bendix Works on Her Awkward Hugs

Hello and happy Friday!

Today I brought in a danish version of pierogi (or Pirogger if you wanna try the danish name out. Good luck.) and they're a hit! I made 30 but it seems like I should have made double the amount, hah. I'll definitely have to bring in a batch again next month, and perhaps some mini hotdogs. Credit to both of those recipes go to my mother :)

This week I've had another food adventure and went to have ramen with Cherry and Kris (see I got your name right this time!) and it was so delicious, my god. We finished off with bubble tea and it is the fullest I've been all week.

Work wise I'm getting faster at animating and I finally feel like I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I still feel like I'm too slow, but I am confident that I'll finish all the shots I have for this month!

I'm also trying to learn how to communicate better with my co-workers and it's... a work in progress. 

We're going out for drinks today, so maybe I'll have a chance to practice my awkward hugs again.

- Bendix

Bendix Starts to Animate!

This week we had Monday off, so I spent it finishing up my first draft of my bachelor thesis and sleeping. Mostly sleeping.

Tuesday I was introduced to my first animation task, and as I have never animated in flash before (except for a one week course 3 years ago), needless to say I was very confused by the program. After two years of animating in Maya, my brain has been 3D-fied in many ways. Wednesday, Matt gave me a short and very informative lecture on the program, and I feel like I'm a little less scared of diving into it! It's still very hard getting comfortable with all the different buttons and ways of using layers and rigs, but I'm slowly getting there.

I have a quota of 20-30 seconds a week, and I've reached about half of that this week, but I hope that I I will soon enough get up to speed and conquer Flash!

Yesterday, Cherry, Kris, Darien, David, Gia and I, went to a Thai place called Pai (you've probably noticed a theme of food by now in all of my blog-posts). It was extremely good food, but I did manage to get one bad mouthful of spice that nearly sent me on the verge of tears!

Today feels like a chill day, leading into a very chill weekend of thesis writing and getting my hair done (which is about time)!

And to finish off the blog, here is another glorious Cherry moment from this week.

- Bendix