Ashley's Aardman Adventure: Clip o' the Day

Starting the other day, we get a clip from a film...EVERYDAY!!! A couple of days ago it was, 'Singing in the Rain' and today we had...well I can't remember what it was called but they used the line, "Badges?!?We don't have badges...we don't NEED to SHOW you NO STINKIN BADGES!". I'm guessing that anyone who knows Frank will know this...he says it everyday.

Ashley's Aardman Adventure: So what evolutionary studies have you been doing?

um...uh...eh...mostly looking into time travel in the womb. (Jess and Jay, Improv class. 13/05/2008)

Thursday...just pitched my ruffs for my second sequence. This was a speed test so we had to get a pass done quick (six days inc. a weekend...I didn't work the weekend) for approval before cleaned them up, added/minus/rework panels, etc. It went alright for everyone and we all pretty much got told to clean up for final pitch, which, to be honest, I found a bit unnerving. Rarely do you pitch and the director says, "Great! Throw a B drawing in here and there and go to clean up". Leaves you wondering if they really liked it. Anyway, final pitch next Wednesday and then it's onto the final sequences...after that we'll have first pass boarded/got some onto reels, a whole feature!! In only 8 weeks!! Whay else happened this week?? We had improv class on Tuesday which was soooo much fun. At one point (with much hilarity) we were all marching around the story room shouting, "I am a very important story artist...look at me as I march around". The guys in model making must of thought we were nuts, or just very, very, very pretentious. How time flies when you are having fun...I can't believe its all gone so fast. And just FYI, the story dept. really is as cool as it looks on the special features of DVDs (at least it is here at Aardman).

And Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is out on the 22nd!!! I've got my ticket...do you have yours?

Ashley's Aardman Adventure: Friday is for...

Oh my God!! Another post so soon after last one. How unheard of!
I discovered the scanner at work today...Revelation. I like Friday beacause:

1. Its the last day of the week, so I get to go home to London for the weekend



2. We get gesture drawing classes in the morning (fun)



3. 5 o'clock is affectionately termed "BEER O'CLOCK"

Anyway, I read over the last post and realised I didn't really say much about what is happening. There are 10 of us (Me, Gabriel, Helen, James, Jess, Dave P, Dave B, Theresa, Jay and Oli) from around the UK who are being trained by the one and only Frank Gladstone (see image...i'll put some of the rest of us up next post). Apparently there is a lack of feature animation story artists over here so the whole point in this course is to knock us all into shape. The first week, we were all surprised by the fact that we have all got the brand new Wacom Cintiq 12 inch screens...very awesome piece of kit. Along side that we were lucky enough to have Christian Lignan (very talented French story artist) teaching us, so it was a hell of a start and alot of fun.

And now I am on my second sequence...and its a speed test to see how we cope with rush deadlines, so I need it all ruffed by next Tuesday for a pitch, before final first pass pitch the week after...INTENSE! But its all good.

Ashley's Aardman Adventure: I'm an Aardman Crustee

Howdy!! It's been a while but I have actually been meaning to post stuff for a while...thing is I get home on Friday nights and have stuff to scan and post but the web has been down at home for the last 2 weeks...and I haven't been there because *drum roll* I am a story artist trainee at Aardman feature studios down in Bristol!! It's 8 weeks of training and then there is the opportunity of a possible job at the end!!

Naturally I can't post anything which I do at work, so you get a doodle instead. I've been here for two and a half weeks now and am about to pitch my final first pass on my first sequence...exciting and nerve racking too. hopefully it'll work out alright. We've been doing everything paperless on Wacom Cintiq's and it took about a week to get used to the method and working out a work flow which suited me. Organisation is the key, which means I am failing miserably. Haha. Right, anyway I gotta go for a pitch meeting but I'll post this as soon as I am done...hopefully they'll (director, etc.) like it!!

******

So just pitched!! whew...not as bad as I imagined it would be and there was a pretty good response and some decent feedback and a few changes to make. For now that board is being shelved and we get our new sequences today!!