Sausage Party Gate - Were the Animators Treated Fairly?

A hot topic amongst animation type social platforms have been the reports from the animation crew on Sausage Party, not being paid fairly, and not getting credit in the end titles. Check out the comments section of this report from Cartoon Brew to see what I mean.

I have so many mixed feelings on this. My first reaction was "gahd, cry me a river" and then, my reaction changed more towards a "gahd, that's terrible".

Having managed my own team of staff (sometimes up to 40, as well as being a manager of managers) for a considerable time, I know first hand how difficult some staff can be when things don't go how they feel it should. The work place can become very toxic, once people start feeling entitled, and let their ego over take their professionalism. I guess, what I mean to say is, why is it so important that your name isn't at the end of a movie? Sure, it's a lovely to see your name in the credits, but if it's not there, that doesn't take away from the fact that you did it. It also doesn't mean that you can't include the work you did on your show reel to show future employees. It's just an ego thing right?

If staff are being over worked, and under paid, then that's not good. However, if you're employed to deliver a service (which let's face it, is what every animator is), then bloody do it, and don't whinge about it. Put your head down, and deliver. Of course, easy for me to say, as I'm not in their situation, but I have read anonymous comments from animators who didn't suffer any stress or pressure to deliver their shots on time. It reminds me of a story a senior animator told me a while back, at their studio, the staff more or less went on strike as they were "made" to work until late to get their work done. When my friend was asked why he wasn't striking too, he simply couldn't, because he left eh studio at 6pm every day and.he.delivered.all.his.work.on.time. I wonder how many of those whingy Sausage Party worked spent most of their working day on facebook or youtube, instead of prioritising their work?

So, yeah, I guess I come from a place of bias, when I hear moany staff, to lean towards the side of the employer. However, of course, there are always employers who take the piss. It's finding that balance, I guess. Either way, I bet the Sausage Party studio are LOVING all the free publicity this controversy is getting them.

What do you think about it all?

Love
Marc x

21 Tips for a Magical Disney World Holiday

This post has been a long time coming. The force of Disney has me hook, line and sinker. It's been almost a year since my partner and I made a our epic holiday to Disney World in Orlando. We spent just over 2 weeks, spending our time across 8 parks - 6 at Disney and 2 at Universal. Whilst I was there, I started to think of all the things I would advise someone to do, if they were to make the same trip. 

Sooooo, here's my list...hope some of it is useful to someone...

Choosing your accommodation. Resort or Private:
1) There are a couple of ways to do accommodation at Disney World. You can either get a private villa or hotel, or stay in one of Disney's many resorts. We stayed in the Art of Animation resort (obvs), and would 100% recommend to stay in one of their resorts. Not only is the service industry in America waaaay better than here in the UK, but the quality of Disney resorts and hotels are excellent. But, moreover, one of the biggest benefits of staying with Disney is their transportation! Outside every resort hotel, are buses that run every 10 minutes that take you to whichever part you need to go to. Super easy, right? An alternative for transport at non-Disney resort hotels would be hire cars, taxis or other random bus services...go with a Disney resort...every time!

Nom noms. Better ways to eat at the Disney parks:
2) The Disney parks host many, many amazing restaurants...from fine dining and gorgeous themed restaurants, to quick fast food. However, you should know that if you want a reservation at one of the top themed restaurants, they can fill up super quick, so you should book your table as soon as you have booked your holiday. The restaurants that we loved the best were:

The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre

Be Our Guest - the dining room at the Beast's palace. We couldn't get a dinner reservation, only lunch. Personally, I'd go for an evening reservation, where you have proper table service. At lunchtime, it's more of a canteen set up - still beautiful, although perhaps slightly less magical.
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre - super cute themed restaurant, where you eat in the back of a car and watch a movie.
Boma, Flavours of Africa - African themed (at the beautiful Disney lodge, its worth going and visiting the hotel anyway) all you can eat buffet.

3) Buy an all you can drink cup. If I remember rightly, these cost about $20, but you can get unlimited fountain and hot drinks from the hotels. You can save a lot this way.

4) Take water bottles with you into the park. Florida can get super hot, but there are water fountains everywhere in the park. So instead of buying loads of drinks on site, just fill up your water bottle every time you pass a water fountain.

5) Try to go in October/November for the Epcot food festival. When we went we caught the tail end of the food festival at Epcot, and I wish we could have spent longer there. There were even more countries represented with their national dishes, and all sorts of beers and wines available to sample. A really fun addition to the Disney experience - and lots of super cute souvenirs to collect too.

6) Take Berocca. Disney isn't really the place for optimal health. There's a lot of fast food and treats that you should indulge in, but with all the walking you'll do, you'll probably get tired out at some point during your holiday. Take some berocca with you in your luggage, and take them every day, to help boost your immune system a bit.

7) Make sure you get some dollar bills to leave for tips, whenever it's appropriate. The tipping culture is completely different in the States, than over here, and tipping is expected - usually around the 20% mark - we always found it handy to keep some dollar bills spare, so we'd always have cash left over to tip with.

Coping with the weather at Disney:
8) Get a poncho. The weather in Disney can be interchangable. But generally, you want to travel light and not take an umbrella around with you. If it starts to rain, you can buy a poncho from many outlets within the park, but they are pretty pricey - just take your own from home...why pay through the nose, when you pick one up really cheaply next time you're at a big supermarket?

9) Take sunscreen. Again, you can buy this at Disney, but just take your own, it's cheaper and means you don't need to bother hunting some down when you get there.

More tips for when you're in a Disney Park:
10) Take flipflops for the water rides. Although the weather is pretty great in Orlando, there's nothing worse than getting soaked on a water ride, and not being able to dry off properly. Even more so, if you've got soggy socks and shoes. More water rides ask you to leave shoes on, but I noticed lots of people getting on in flipflops - which I thought was genius. Stow your shoes and socks away in a plastic bag somewhere, and pop on the flipflops, then when you come off the ride completely drenched, it doesn't matter...as you're perfectly dry shoes and socks are ready to put back on.

11) Fast Passes. It can be tricky getting your fast passes planned properly - there might not being any left for the rides you want. It's always a good idea to check the online Disney Experience (which you should have access to, along with your booking) and see which rides are the most popular, and choose those ones first. Then you can top up the rest of your Fast Pass spaces with whatever you fancy.

12) Take comfy shoes. You will do a lot of walking, so make sure you have shoes that are kind to your feet, and that you can do a lot of walking in! 

13) Hire a patio. If you go to one of the Water Parks (Blizzard Beach, or Typhoon Lagoon), and you're in a group (or can afford it otherwise) consider hiring a "patio". They work out about $240 for the day, and can hold about 10 people. It's just a really cool way to make sure you have a base for the day - you don't need to worry about finding a free lounger, they're all there for you, and you only. The hire also includes a waiter, so you can really chill out whilst someone fetches you whatever refreshment you want. Fab, right?

Shopping at Disney World:
14) Get a hire car. Undoubtably, you'll want to buy loads of souvenirs, gifts and everything Disney. I wanted to buy everything in the parks! But I was in for a pleasant surprise when we got a hire car and went out to the local mall...there was a Disney outlet shop! Disney + Outlet = Bargains! They were selling things that you could get from the park at less than half the price. If you're looking for souvenirs, then I recommend, 100% having a look at what you can get there, before you start paying through the nose at the parks. 

Getting around Orlando whilst you're at Disney:
15) Again, get a hire car! Not only are they super useful to get you to a Disney Outlet, but you'll probably want some down time, away from the parks...and especially all the kids. Some evenings, we drove outside of resort to a regular restaurant, and it really hits you how few kids there are "in the outside world" and it's bliss!

16) In your hire car, hit the "regular" shops too. The funny thing about the surrounding areas of the Disney resorts, is there are a lot of the big shops at the mall, that also sell Disney souvenirs too. Get along a Target Superstore and enjoy the cheaper sweets, treats and Disney merch!

17) Universal! Consider getting tickets to the Universal theme park. For me, the ticket price was worth it alone for getting to go to Harry Potter world. Although, I enjoy the Disney parks more, Universal has some excellent rides. Disney seems friendlier all round, both the staff and the park visitors, but it's still worth checking out!

Fun things to consider before you leave the UK:
18) Group t-shirts! On my trips to Disney, I noticed a lot of groups wearing personalised t-shirts. Not only is it a really cute way to celebrate your big holiday and create lovely memories - but it can be much easier to spot each other, if you get separated.

19) Buy and take a Hidden Mickeys book. I'm a bit obsessed with the Hidden Mickey's in Disney movies (check out Clauhauser's right cheek). You can buy books that give you clues where ot find the Hidden Mickeys throughout the parks, as well as how many they are on each ride, or area. A lot of fun, especially as a way to keep younger ones engaged and not bored in queues!

 20) The Sorceror's Challenge! A bit like Hidden Mickeys, in the Magic Kingdom, you can embark on a quest called the Sorceror's Challenge. We didn't get round to doing it, but I wish we did. You have to find clues around the park, to help you on a mission to help Mickey. It's bit like a cross between Pokemon Go and Mystery challenge. A lot of fun, and adds a really cool new dimension to being in the park.

...And Lastly, Go and Spoil Yourself!!
21) Go to the Disney Spa, Senses. It's located at the Grand Floridian hotel, in beautiful surroundings. After all the walking, fun and adventure seeking, you are going to want to unwind. Find a little bit of tranquility and ultimate indulgence, and book yourself in for a massage treatment. There are no kids, no loud noises...just peace and quiet, whilst you get pampered. You can thank me later. Oh, and by the way, treat yourself to a Champagne Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian once you're done! Ultimate bliss! Mmm!



Soooo, that's it. Hope some of these have come in handy when planning your epic trip to Disney World. Please share this page with any of your friends who might be planning their adventure too!

Cheers
Marc x

P.S. If you're an Animation enthusiast, go and check out the artwork on display at the Art of Animation resort...some really awesome pieces there...especially the Animator's Chandelier ;)

How to Survive Annecy Animation Festival

A few weeks back, I made my way to my first experience of the Annecy Animation festival, in a beautiful town in the south of France, called, funnily enough, Annecy.

Anyone who works in animation, will know about the festival. Everyone talks about it at some point in their career, and often with high reverence.

I've wanted to go for years, but the opportunity never came up, but this year, I was pretty chuffed to be invited along by the first training school that gave me a taste of the CG world, Escape Studios. They're in the process of launching a new animation course, and as their head of animation is Alex (my first animation tutor, from Animation Apprentice), it was the perfect way to experience the festival.

For most of the time, I was based at MIFA, which is like the business division of the festival. It's here that schools, colleges, technology and industry meet and present their projects and attract attention. There are hardly any screenings here, as they all take place in the main festival area about 10 minutes away...but I got a bit giggly when noticing that Disney were very close by, doing mini screenings about past and future productions. Strangely, they weren't that busy either, which seemed really odd to me, but as MIFA costs a lot more to get into than the "regular" festival, it would explain why traffic wasn't high.

One of the things that really hit me about being at Annecy, was the atmosphere. You keep bumping into so many people you know! It was a joy going out for a meal with colleagues, then heading to the pub and being able to chat to industry folk. It felt like networking on a super high level.

Believe it or not, I didn't get to any screenings. I tried queuing for stand-by tickets to Secret Life of Pets, but as the staff at Annecy are truly hopeless at any sort of queue management, many people were pushing in front of those who had waited a long while already, so the opportunity passed me by (...why hasn't Annecy perfected an organised way for "first come" to really mean, "first served"?). It was fun though trying to get into that particular screening, as french animation students staged a protest. To be honest, I didn't really understand it, something about their entry level job titles changing, bringing with that a lower starting pay rate. They were wearing plenty of orange, and chanting all sorts of frenchiness. Moreover, the one thing I loved about it, was although it was noisy, it was very peaceful.

I'm looking forward to going back another year. Annecy is a truly beautiful town with its vast, crystal clear lake. It's a truly wonderful holiday destination, with or without animation. When I go again, there are a few things I would do differently, so this is what I would recommend for next time:

1) Take an umbrella. 
It bucketed down with rain when I was there, so was very happy to have my trusty brolly with me. Don't be fooled into the thinking the weather will be perfect all the time! If you don't want an umbrella take a poncho!

2) Take something warm to wear. 
In the evenings, it can get chilly, but also if there's as much rain as there was at Annecy2016, it will be cold. Be prepared for crazy weather, even though typically the june weather is excellent.

3) Check the offical Annecy website for screening tickets
...sounds obvious, but going to the standby queues are unpredictable and might not necessarily be fruitful! In fact, they're pretty poor.

4) Snacks
Either take some sort of snack with you (energy bars, that sort of thing), or pick some up from the Monoprix supermarket shop in Annecy, and keep them on you. I found myself running around quite a bit, and inevitably kept missing lunch... or when I tried to buy lunch, I couldn't find anything I wanted. A little snack bar can keep you going until dinner, where you can enjoy some beautiful french yumminess.

5) Good shoes
You'll do lots of walking, so look after your feet.

and lastly...
 

6) Paper Airplanes!
Take paper for paper airplanes...no idea why this is a tradition...it just is. Or just get one of these awesome paper airplane sheet book things...and show everyone how it's really done!

Were you there this year? What would be your Annecy survival tips be?

Cheers
Marc x

What Does Brexit Mean for the Animation Industry?

Image used with permission © Francesca Adams

Unless you've been under a rock for the last week, you will of course know that the UK is facing a very strange time. The EU Referendum resulted in a 52% vote to leave the European Union. This is all well and good if you are a leave voter (of which, I am not), but the problem is, no one knows what this all means?

Apart from watching the GBP drops faster than you say "It's-Brexit-Bitch" what else will happen? Will there be international travel restrictions of some kind? Will we have to get different passports? And most importantly, as people who work in animation, will this mean it's harder for us to get work within other EU countries, and will our EU friends have trouble getting over here?

Much is still unknown (nice one, leave voters, thanks for that), although slowly but surely we are finding out a little bit more clarity amongst the murky aftermath of the toxic, political nightmare. We are finding reports and opinion on what exactly this means for all of us. Here are a few articles I've found that have been super interesting.

First up Skwigly online animation magazine, address the issue straight on: How Will Brexit Affect UK Animation Production, refering to many productions that may have not been made, had it not been for grants provided by EU money from Creative Europe UK. Somewhat worrying, right?

Secondly, another article I found interesting was from Stephenfollows.com - a writer and producer, who also researches stats and data from film industry. His post How will Brexit affect the UK film industry talks very practically about the pros and cons of Brexit, so we can get a very rough guess of what could happen in the near future, or at least once Brexit actually happens.

Well, in these uncertain times of stress, fear and anxiety, let's be reminded about the wonderful things animation can bring...and what better way to do that, than by sharing this trailer, to a lovely looking documentary about how animation helped an autistic child communicate and lead a better life. A friend at work shared it with us, just as things were looking twistedly dark - so I hope this can bring you a little ray of joy amongst the impending gloom of a Brexit country...

 

Cheers

Marc x

The Power of Networking

Since working in London, I've started attending different meet up and networking groups for animators. Many of my tutors have taught me the importance of networking, and I can't say for sure whether or not these animation groups can really work for someone, career wise. But, in terms of keeping up with what peers are doing in the industry, what other people think of your work, and just getting out and having a pint over an animation chat with like minded individuals, attending group meets really has highlighted the importance of networking to me. I wanted to share with my experience of each group, so hopefully it will inspire more to try a visit of two.

There are three groups I go to, are all in London. The first one I ever attended was Bring Your Own Animation, held in the Lukin pub, just off Great Portland Street. The idea of the group, is to go along and show some animation you've been working on, to a peer who will critique it for you. The level of criticism is excellent, most of the people who give up their time to view work, are lead or senior animators in studios across London, so their insight is excellent. I've been a few times, and whilst I've never shown my work to anyone, I've always had a good time. You don't have to be an animator either, people from across the industry go along too, such as modellers, concept artists and riggers. It's just a good excuse to have a good catch up with a pint.

The second group I go to, as often as I can, is the ACM Siggraph meets. They're usually on monthly and are more of a structured talk. Often held at MPC, or a bigger cinema, they are perfect for anyone who likes attending lecture style talks. Over the last year, the talks I've gone to have ranged from presentations from the creative team behind Big Hero 6 talking about how they developed their characters. As well as a talk by director of Penguins of Madagascar, Simon Smith. It's not solely animation focused either, they also host many talks that encompass more of a VFX angle too. The presenters are usually high profile, so there is always something to learn. The best thing is, it's free...usually. Recently, they started a membership programme, where you can get first access to reserving a ticket...but if you can't afford the £20 annual membership to suppor them, then don't worry, you should still be in the chance to get your hands on a ticket regardless.

Lastly, and so far my favourite, is Festivus. It's a social meet for anyone in the world of animation. I went for the first time last week and loved it. I got chatting to a guy who wrote one of the episode of Tree Fu Tom, that I animated on, I met a guy who worked on Disney's Tarzan, and chatted to people who worked solely in 2D animation, which was really interesting to chat about, with me coming from a 3D animation background. 

Keep an eye out for the next meets as they happen, and go along. For a few hours of your time, you could become inspired, strike up a new friendship...or just get drunk. What's not to love?

 

Cheers

Marc x

COMMUTER GLITCH: My First Short with Blue Zoo

Last summer, I worked on my first short with Blue Zoo. Commuter Glitch was a super fun concept. We created a piece of animation with a "pass the pose" mindset, or I believe the technical term for it is ‘Cadavre Exquis’.

(one of my poses from the end of the film)

Animators signed up, and created poses of the lead character, an old man listening to his walkman. We all used the same locked off camera, then took it in turns to animate a few short frames making the character move between a start pose and end pose, and of course, due to the virtue of the whole piece, no one knew what anyone else was doing.

(one of my poses from the end of the film)

It worked kinda like that drawing game, where you draw a head, fold over the paper, and pass it to someone else to draw the body, then pass to someone else to finish off. To add a layer of complexity, each shot created was given to different lighters, to light however they wanted.

I didn't actually animate on the shots, but I created a series of poses with the character, that you can see flicker on screen at the end of the shot.

(one of my poses from the end of the film)

Joe, our director, wanted everyone who worked on the piece to be as creative and out there as we could. 

It was a really fun project to work on, as there was so much freedom to do with the character whatever we wanted. It was also really exciting waiting to see what the finish short was going to look like!



The result, a crazy and surreal animated adventure telling the tale of an old guy on a journey through public transport!

You can find a cool article about the project here!

Cheers
Marc x


P.s. by the way, incase you can't click on the Vimeo link to check out COMMUTER GLITCH, you can watch it here on youtube...but if you can, go to Vimeo as the quality will be much better ;)

Being at BAFTA Guru Live

This weekend was the BAFTA Guru Live event, at BAFTA HQ in Piccadilly, London.  It's a bit like a mini festival featuring masterclasses, panels and keynotes by the leading names in Film, TV and Games.

A few months ago, I applied for a place with BAFTA Guru Pro. There were only 150 places, and it's for industry professionals with 6 months to 2 years experience working across film, TV and games. As there were so few spaces and it was for professionals across all three areas, I didn't hold much hope in getting a spot. However, a few weeks back, I got offered a place.

I was in a bit of a confusion about actually going, there wasn't a very big representation of Animation, or panels and masterclasses that were directly relevant to me, but the appeal was being able to network and meet people from the wider industry. I remember being offered a place on the Aardman Character course, and talking to my tutor Alex, about whether or not it was the right thing to do, and he simply said "take every opportunity that comes your way" (or words to that affect)... so with that in mind, I took the place.

It was a fascinating experience. As a BAFTA Guru Pro, we had access to exclusive talks and panels. We were also given one to one's with industry professionals. I had dedicated time with Grant Orchard, director and creator of Hey Duggee, and Becky Overton, who's a writer on Cbeebies shows such a Justin's House and Thomas and Friends. Both were able to offer insight and thoughts on where I can take my career over the next 5 years. Really useful stuff, and both delightful people.

My favourite talk, was the Film Keynote talk from director, Justin Kurzel. His thoughts on his favourite moments from his favourite films was really fascinating, for instance, in Jaws, he talked about the juxtaposition between the domestic nature of families on a beach, against the terror that lies in the water - although we never see the shark (in the film clip he shared with us), we still felt its presence. It highlighted for me the importance in every element of a picture, and how to structure a scene so everything plays a part in telling your story.

Other interesting panels were hearing from professional execs in My First Three Years in Television, and hearing commissioners and developers talk in Idea, Pitch, Commission. There were a few panels set up too for Guru Pros only (which was kinda cool being in such a small audience), my particular favourite was Delivering the Final Cut, with Film Editor Yan Miles, about his work on Sherlock. Also the Diary of a Series Producer was really interesting, although somewhat irrelevant to me as an Animator, it just affirmed that I never want to be a Series Producer!

It's a shame there weren't more talks directed specifically at animators, or professionals working in Kids TV, but I can't knock it. All in all, it was a great couple days. Of course, the free lunch and unlimited Nespressos helped ease the burden of being inside on a sunny bank holiday weekend, but hey, each time I clocked a BAFTA mask and realised the professionals I was meeting, I realised it was time well spent.

Cheers
Marc :)