CGTalk - www.animationmentor.com

Jozvex

03-31-2005, 07:15 AM

If I am not wrong Jozvex have a 256 kb/s and it seems working for him...

I do have 256. It's actually 320 but when there's heavy server traffic they lower it to 256. I am having the video problems though, it resets back to the start randomly. I honestly don't think that it's a speed issue though because....if the video is buffered then you've already downloaded it....so it should just work! But it doesn't. I used their speed tester and it was constantly only showing my speed as about 150 kbps, but tests on all other sites show a constant 250 - 320 kbps.

So I'm clueless! I'm confident they can fix it all, I hope!

Guiliguili

03-31-2005, 07:26 AM

Hi Jozvex,

same here. My connetion never gone upper 300. Most of the time near 190. LAst night I had download from Animwatch at 589... very fast.
I think that there is a technical problem with AnimationMentor site.
Hope they fix it soon.

Rikki

03-31-2005, 01:52 PM

wow! i had no idea Indian food had a following in the west. Feels so very nice.[/img]

We don't just have it - Indian-inspired food (tikka masala) has now overtaken fish & chips as the UK's most popular meal!

Kimotion

03-31-2005, 06:15 PM

We don't just have it - Indian-inspired food (tikka masala) has now overtaken fish & chips as the UK's most popular meal!

OMG I love chicken tikka masala. But my Indian friend told me that it is the "typical" food Westerners love. Sort of like the General Tso's chicken in take out Chinese.

I also love the lamb curry with those beans.

supergrover

03-31-2005, 09:42 PM

Rikki

03-31-2005, 09:47 PM

I logged in to my live Q&A this morning - ( the alternative location ) - It said it was running but nothing at all was happening. Did this happen to anyone else?
I tried typing in a few questions but nothing returned from the ether - was I alone in this "experience"?

At around 8:30pm PST the audio and video died during Ike's Q&A. I don't think it came back, but I couldn't stick around to find out. They're doing a video player upgrade today for it.

There's more details as well as reschedules in the AM forum :)

Bentagon

03-31-2005, 10:03 PM

Aja, check your pm's!

- Benjamin

AjaBogdanoff

03-31-2005, 11:38 PM

Hey Bentagon! Bad news: I've been deathly ill for the past several days. Good news: I'm better now, and I lost 10 pounds in 24 hours! :p

I'll go check my PMs right now!

swadepgh

04-01-2005, 12:01 AM

Aja sorry to hear that you were so ill. I hope that you are feeling better now and ready to roll on AM! :)

3FnD

04-01-2005, 12:06 AM

I lost 10 pounds in 24 hours! :p

10 pounds?? that's a lot. no wonder you were sick! Just a joke. Well, hope you're okay now!

Mentor
There was a lot of confusion with the QA I was in. Where, when, who, was it just not working? -nothing was certain. He brought me into a regular chat but the window blipped away and I couldn't get back in. Did anyone in JCantor's group ever talk with him last (Wed) night? I know we've been rescheduled for Saturday now.

kenny r

AjaBogdanoff

04-01-2005, 05:07 AM

Lol, I'm going to have to write a new self-help book and make millions! "How to lose 10 pounds in 24 hours... The Stomach Flu Way!" Sure to be a bestseller. :D

Just finished the chat with Derek... Wow! It worked really well, and it was such a blast getting to talk to everyone and hear some of the juicy animation tidbits Derek had to offer!

Personal Homework: Rent Spiderman 2 and freeze-frame through scene where bank robbers are shooting at Spiderman! :bounce:

Edit: Exhaustion-induced typos!

Rabid pitbull

04-01-2005, 05:13 AM

:scream: That was soo cool, really a very personalized approach to learning. Derek is quite cool and has done some really great shots. I am gonna have to watch some scenes in harry potter again. So amazing to be taught by such experienced animators. I cannot stop saying it this is sooooo coooool. :thumbsup:

3FnD

04-01-2005, 06:08 AM

wow, I'm glad your guys' QnA went well, that's sooper cool. totally looking ffwd to our rescheduled one Saturday!

SheepFactory

04-01-2005, 06:42 AM

we are in the process of q&a with Victor Navone now , its going without a single problem , this is awesome!

Jozvex

04-01-2005, 06:46 AM

For people out there who have seen us students mention video issues etc, there's been a big breakthrough released today! A new version of the video player that seems to be rock solid and totally a million percent better!

I watched over 2 hours of AM video today without a single hitch whereas before I was lucky to get 15 minutes. So the AM guys are doing a great job at resolving all the problems.

:thumbsup:

Bentagon

04-01-2005, 07:52 AM

Sorry to hear you were ill, Aja, but good to hear you're all better now :D
Hope you'll have a good time at AM!

It's also nice to hear the vids are working now, so let's hope it stays that way. And Victor Navone... man! I've seen the two Incredibles commentaries yesterday and he did some seriously AWESOME shots! And that easter egg of him was incredibly funny too :D

- Benjamin

SheepFactory

04-01-2005, 07:55 AM

yes and he just posted all the shots he worked on at his website along with some other cool animation tests! check it out.

mixolydian

04-01-2005, 08:05 AM

I have to say if you are waiting for the next round of AM, then you are in for a treat! This is the best school ever. Best. School. Ever. And for us space monkeys in the first class, every issue is figured out and solved immediately... it is cool to see how quickly things are resolved, and how much everyone at AM cares about the student.

As for the content, all I can say is WOW. This is only the first week. I can only imagine how much info is going to be dumped into our poor little sponges. Soak it up, young Padawans!

I have learned more about animation in three days than every book I ever bought and read cover to cover on my own. Deeper realms especially, like philosophy behind the illusion of life/reality and character and emotion and motivation and differences between 2d vs. 3d and how they interrelate and how we can bring 2d to 3d and 3d to 2d by understanding the differences and similarities of the two and... and... sorry for the tangent but this just rocks! Everything in the videos is brought to the forums and immediately discussed and enhanced, then expanded upon. You get to see the best animators even thinking about how to improve the art! Right in the forums! This just kicks a**.

BTW, all in Victor's Q&A tonight, was that just awesome or what???

swadepgh

04-01-2005, 08:15 AM

Victors Q&A was great!

I agree that this is going to be a fantastic experience!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Bentagon

04-01-2005, 08:18 AM

yes and he just posted all the shots he worked on at his website along with some other cool animation tests! check it out.Cool! Checking it out right now!

- Benjamin

textureyes

04-01-2005, 09:39 AM

Im happy to hear they have sorted out the video stream problems.
I used to design flash interfaces and although they have had a few problems... this one rocks.
It really is a good way to learn and the hyper enthusiasm of the students helps.
cant wait for my QA session with Chris Hurtt on sunday morning. It will be at 6 am for me. But with the way things are going i wont sleep with excitment anyway.

immerzeelpictures

04-01-2005, 10:48 PM

Victor Navone is a superdope guy. I hope I will have him as a mentor in one of the blocks to come.

vnavone

04-01-2005, 11:38 PM

Victor Navone is a superdope guy.
"Superdope" is good, right?

My Fault

04-01-2005, 11:46 PM

"Superdope" is good, right?

It's at least 4 times better then "Regulardope"! =)

The Derek Q&A was great and went off without a hitch. The AM mentors are kicking so much butt it's not funny. I feel privileged to be a part of this. Woot!

immerzeelpictures

04-01-2005, 11:49 PM

Victor, It is 'far beyond good'. Not in a narcotic way. Haha.

stewartjones

04-01-2005, 11:49 PM

I feel privileged to be a part of this. Woot!

Echo that!

Jason Schleifers Q&A was SWEEET. He went over by around 30mins too :D ! I am loving every second, watching every video, and man, those AM forums are busting, I think there's about 2000 posts in there already! :bounce:

bobbyc

04-01-2005, 11:54 PM

"Superdope" is good, right?

I'll add HELLA-dope :)
I'm not you're mentee, but big fan of your work.

BTW... love your Incredibles reel!
esp the ending... the stuff that i didn't see (but was mentioned) on the DVD.

immerzeelpictures

04-01-2005, 11:56 PM

Jason Schleifers Q&A was SWEEET. He went over by around 30mins too :D

I am very glad he did! I missed about 30 min, due to technical issues. He must be as excited about this as we are.

This is going to be soooo much fun.

jschleifer

04-02-2005, 01:43 AM

that was SUCH a blast. I had a tough time shutting up. :)

fluffybunny

04-02-2005, 02:22 AM

that was SUCH a blast. I had a tough time shutting up. :)

hopefully I'm not wrong about this, but Happy Birthday, Jason!

my mind remembers the strangest things...perhaps cause my birthday is on monday...but for the life of me, I can't find where I saw this fact....the engineer in me likes to double check things, but sometimes ya just gotta go for it ;) (which I'm actually doing more and more...and I think it's starting to freak out my engineering co-workers :D )

eric

stewartjones

04-02-2005, 02:35 AM

hopefully I'm not wrong about this, but Happy Birthday, Jason!

I actually think it's tomorrow (3rd of April)... I could be wrong of course :)

Modus

04-02-2005, 06:45 AM

The Q A with Delio was amazing guys. It was at the same time than Jason but we had some technical troubles. Some of the questions we were askink to delio were asking to Jason. The opposite was quite but a bit disturbing for our poor Delio..
So DElio : " how hard is it to come from Lord of the ring and start working on Madagascar ? "
answer :" euhhhh.. actually i didnt work on those films... " but he was so gentle even with this kind of question, he found somethin interesting to say.

Delio, you're the man !! :thumbsup:

supergrover

04-02-2005, 10:57 AM

I am very happy to report that the video problems I was having earlier in the week are now a thing of the past. I just watched over an hour of video without a single pause! Fantastic job AM! Very inspiring content. I'm so happy that things are working - I hope that they can keep it up.

Mechis

04-02-2005, 11:19 AM

What did you all think of the first instructional video? What topics were covered?
Thanks!
~Mechis

stewartjones

04-02-2005, 02:33 PM

What did you all think of the first instructional video? What topics were covered?
Thanks!
~Mechis

Think of 3DBuzz but with Delio, Bobby, Shawn, Carlos etc taking you through it! Topics covered are animation mediums, traditional, stop motion, and 3D. They are all top quality, and tell you everything you need to know! What more can I say... AM ROCKS!!! :buttrock: :buttrock: :buttrock:

vanlicht

04-02-2005, 03:57 PM

in the preceding thread there are already some providing a way to check the time difference. Though, I found this FREE world clock desktop which is very handy.
i am not sure where in the AM forum to post it, so i just post it here too.

WWW.QLOCK.COM (http://%20www.qlock.com)

and gonna have my first mentor Q&A tomorrow morning, can't wait!

About the first lecture session, it's simply great, to hear different ninja animators talk about their philosophy and about animation and attitude etc. For me it's the one of the best way for a fresh start of whole course, i.e. to shape up the mind for the right direction before the following loads of knowledge to pile on the solid basis.

Guiliguili

04-02-2005, 06:25 PM

Hi Vanlicht,
Thanks for the link for the clock.
Very useful and the best I have found.

Thanks

xboxdynasty

04-02-2005, 06:26 PM

You are currently using 0 MB (0%) of your 2051 MB

Mechis

04-02-2005, 11:23 PM

Do you all have an animation assignment for this first week? I'm really curious to know what all you lucky folks are doing!
~Mechis

My Fault

04-02-2005, 11:48 PM

First week was some readin, watching lectures, meet your mentors (live Q&A) and fellow classmates, get used to the Stu model. Mostly like a big orientation. Looking at the sylabus things will start moving shortly. Really glad they started this way as it gives us all time to get acquainted and mentally prepare. :thumbsup:

polymath

04-03-2005, 01:20 AM

Don't rely entirely on the syllabus for the assignments, if you go to Classroom:Lectures&Assignments there is more in the assignment list ;)

including an essay/paragraph, etc. Take a peek!

That clock is AWESOME, I have been looking for something like that for a loooooooong time. Thank you!

Manta

04-03-2005, 07:08 AM

Just curious, Is it possible to follow the Q&A sessions without a webcam?

Jozvex

04-03-2005, 08:02 AM

Yes, you can watch it without a webcam and microphone, but you just can't directly ask a question in person.

Although.....they get you to type a short general idea of your question in before you ask it in person in case you're hard to understand or your audio isn't that good, so maybe you could still ask stuff without a webcam too.

Nitefyre

04-03-2005, 10:42 AM

You can ask a question without a webcam or mic just make sure that you are specific enough with your question. We had a couple with Ike on Wed where the person asked a real general question or he didn't understand it exactly so when Ike tried to get clarification it was a no-go and he had to completely skip the question and hoped they asked again better worded.

Manta

04-03-2005, 10:52 AM

Then, if you want, you can type your question to the mentor, right?

jschleifer

04-03-2005, 05:53 PM

hopefully I'm not wrong about this, but Happy Birthday, Jason!

haha :) yep, 'tis my bday indeed.. thanks eric & stu!

woohoo!

and my wife got me a pair of bose noise cancelling headphones as a gift.. woah! sooo sweeeeet!! :)

off for dimsum with the fam!

boing!
-jas

andre22uk

04-03-2005, 06:01 PM

haha :) yep, 'tis my bday indeed.. thanks eric & stu!

woohoo!

and my wife got me a pair of bose noise cancelling headphones as a gift.. woah! sooo sweeeeet!! :)

off for dimsum with the fam!

boing!
-jas

Hey Jason,

Cool, so you are growing up now?? :]

Have a great celebration with the family! :thumbsup:

best wishes
drew

mattmos

04-03-2005, 06:05 PM

Happy birthday Jas!

SheepFactory

04-03-2005, 06:05 PM

Happy birthday Jason!

My Fault

04-03-2005, 06:18 PM

haha :) yep, 'tis my bday indeed.. thanks eric & stu!

woohoo!

and my wife got me a pair of bose noise cancelling headphones as a gift.. woah! sooo sweeeeet!! :)

off for dimsum with the fam!

boing!
-jas

Happy Birthday Jason!

Heheh, so do you go to Yank Sing in San Francisco or do you have some other super ninja like Dim Sum place you go to? I am so addicted to that place it ain't funny!

baenca00

04-03-2005, 06:29 PM

haha :) yep, 'tis my bday indeed.. thanks eric & stu!
-jas

Same here Jason,

Happy birthday man.
Have a superduper wicked kick ass amazing birthday day.

Carlos.

liquidik

04-03-2005, 07:24 PM

Happy birthday My mentor :)

mayakindaguy

04-03-2005, 08:51 PM

Happy Burstday Jason!!!

Jozvex

04-03-2005, 11:37 PM

Happy birthday!!

You're the greatest mentor named Jason S EVER!!

jschleifer

04-04-2005, 01:31 AM

Happy Birthday Jason!

Heheh, so do you go to Yank Sing in San Francisco or do you have some other super ninja like Dim Sum place you go to? I am so addicted to that place it ain't funny!

cheers all! :)

and yep! we did indeed go to yank sing.. first time there, and it was AWESOME!!

yuuuum! :)

agreenster

04-04-2005, 08:15 AM

Yank Sing, yummy.

Methinks they catered our Shaba Christmas party....Jeff can correct me on that

Happy belated birthday J, and thanks for giving so much of yourself to the online community. (and for your awesome Schleifer spine! ...love it!!)

Modus

04-04-2005, 08:37 AM

Happy Birthday man !! have fun with your fam ! and what a great gift from penny ! i would like to have the same here :thumbsup:

darkefire

04-04-2005, 08:43 AM

eek! i logged into Session 2! i had to click on a little disclaimer stating that i understand im logging into session 2. i've watched all the videos from session 1, and did all my "homework" so far, but it still feels like a big dramatic, no-looking-back sort of move. im still able to watch the same Eric Goldberg guest speaker video, but not the first week's Lecture video. d'oh! i wish i would have watched that at least 1 more time. it was pretty inspiring. :cry:

edit: oh and happy birthday, Jason!:thumbsup:

My Fault

04-04-2005, 09:28 AM

Hey darkefire, have you tried to see if you could still view last weeks lecture on the separate video page?

BTW, the new lecture is fantastic. Any chance to listen to Carlos is a good thing. I have long had a Carlos Baena section in my "inspiration" folder filled with any of his work I can find. What a crazy talented guy and that doesn't even count the many other ninjas running this show. I was planning on going to sleep but after watching it I know there is no way I can.... must animate more! :thumbsup:

andy_maxman

04-04-2005, 11:01 AM

I was planning on going to sleep but after watching it I know there is no way I can.... must animate more! :thumbsup:
someone said it all so true -
plenty of time to sleep when you are dead
keepAnimating!

darkefire

04-04-2005, 01:17 PM

Hey Brian, yes, i can still watch the first lecture on the separate player page. DONT TELL ANYONE! lol.:thumbsup:

3FnD

04-04-2005, 01:40 PM

Hey Brian, yes, i can still watch the first lecture on the separate player page. DONT TELL ANYONE! lol.:thumbsup:

Yeah, verified, same for me. On the subject...

Was I the only one TOTALLY UNPREPARED for that video to be 75 minutes long!! WOW! With the old player I had to bail out before the end because of the Tuesday founder QnA. Now that the new player shows the running time that probably won't happen.

But 75mins! That freakin' rocks! I don't know if the other lectures will be that packed with peanuts, but there was so much just in that one video!

Bobby, Carlos and Shawn, more than just inspiring me to become a great animator, that video makes me hope to one day be such a sooper-ninja that I can also teach and inspire others!

Kimotion

04-04-2005, 05:02 PM

That first lecture was SOOO inspiring. At first, a very small part of me was saying "Ugh, I want to get on with animating!" But I ended up watching it 3 times because it was so cool! Having all these animators tell you about what it is about animation they love. It's like you already knew why you got into animation, but having seasoned professionals tell it in words makes it all the more valuable.

I actually took notes. You know when you go for an interview, they would ask, "So....why do you like animation?"

That's one of those questions that throws you off because there is just so much to say! A very simple question, yet a complicated one.

And I loved the way they actually made it entertaining. They were all shot in different locations and with Shawn Kelly driving and talking made it look like a documentary style show.

sinbad

04-04-2005, 07:31 PM

I actually took notes. You know when you go for an interview, they would ask, "So....why do you like animation?"

I was about to ask how many mentees take notes, and if so, does this distract you from actually listening and watching? I guess its like being in a lecture, but one in which noone would notice if you were if you were sat in your jim-jams and your homer simpson slippers! (yes I own some, the secret is out!:blush:)

Don't worry, as soon as they make AM slippers, I'll get a pair!;)

paul

btw, thanks guys for coming back to this thread, us summer puppies can't join the fun just yet...:cry:

stewartjones

04-04-2005, 07:39 PM

Its just like sitting in a normal lecture. Apart from you can watch it 3 times. I do it like this -

1 - Watch it
2 - Take notes while watching
3 - Watch again, and take extra notes if needed!

Oh, and for the Simpson slippers... Mine are Scooby Doooooo! :thumbsup:

sinbad

04-04-2005, 07:50 PM

Originally posted by Vyntax
Its just like sitting in a normal lecture. Apart from you can watch it 3 times. I do it like this -

1 - Watch it
2 - Take notes while watching
3 - Watch again, and take extra notes if needed!

Ah, I see. Perhaps i'll get my wife to do some short-hand he he, she does that at work. On the other hand I think this animation obsession of mine wears her down. "Thats nice dear" is her pre-programmed response whether I show her a stick man scribble , or a 2 day render.

Originally posted by Vyntax
Oh, and for the Simpson slippers... Mine are Scooby Doooooo! :thumbsup:

He he, come on guys, own up on the slippers! :D

3FnD

04-04-2005, 09:36 PM

I was about to ask how many mentees take notes, and if so, does this distract you from actually listening and watching? I guess its like being in a lecture

I find that it is very, VERY different from a normal (in person) lecture (at least the first week's). With the tv-style editing, cuts from one mentor/speaker to the next, cut-aways to examples, it's 1000x more interesting and informative than a regular lecture ever was.

I will probably take notes as necessary, but we have it so good with this...I mean, if your screen-space allows, you can be typing notes in a window while the video plays, pausing if necessary and watching it 2 more times to really sponge-up every possible tidbit!

The regular lectures are maybe closer to an "in person" lecture, but with the added bonus of it being on a video we can pause and watch 3x!

So cool. (Hey, where'd I put my fuzzy slippers?)

darkefire

04-05-2005, 05:18 AM

yeah, im one of those suxx0rz that have been keeping hectic notes during the vids. i have me a copy of Notepad open along side the videofeed and im clickin away keywords and such on the first run. im planning on rewatching and taking more notes, or just sitting down an listening to the video after my first sitting, but im finding trouble making the time in between reading all the posts on the AM forums. I NEED MORE TIMMMME!!! http://cgtalk.com/images/smilies/scream.gif

coop

04-05-2005, 05:47 AM

mmm. yank sing.

My Fault

04-05-2005, 06:09 AM

Yeah, the lectures are both informative and entertaining at the same time. I'm continually blown away by the excitement level of everyone involved. Cracks me up seeing them doing all those interviews in odd little places so they can fit it in to what must be crazy busy schedules.

And double yeah, Yank Sing is amazing. About the only place I have ever been to where the food you want is on the table before you actually sit down. Also odd that you generally have no idea how much anything costs until you get the bill. If you are anywhere near the Bay Area it is a must dine at!

Kimotion

04-05-2005, 08:01 AM

Yank Sing...

WARNING: they only serve LUNCH! 11am-3pm are their hours. And if you are doing take-out, prepare for long lines and snooty financial district people.

sinbad

04-05-2005, 10:29 PM

Is it me or has this thread become veeeeeeeery quiet, now AM proper has begun.

"I'm so rrrronry, soooo rooonry......":sad:

Where are all the rest of the summer guys? Damn, maybe they're animating furiously, whilst I am wasting time here browsing..... right gotto go.

p.

sinbad

04-05-2005, 11:05 PM

jschleifer

04-05-2005, 11:46 PM

Roger Eberhart

04-06-2005, 12:10 AM

Why does the web site list the Spring semester as still open? I'm assuming the page just hasn't been updated recently. Or are there still spaces available?

Kimotion

04-06-2005, 12:27 AM

Hey kimotion I read your blog and posted you a reply. Best of luck to you man.
I have worked in equally demoralising jobs, 12 hour shifts in a factory etc. I'm sure the guys who have made it and are now mentors have struggled too and have found a way through it because they believed in themselves. If I was down to my last 20 bucks, I would spend it on an animation book. There is nothing else for me (apart from friends and family of course.)

I work as a lecturer on a degree course. Yesterday I made the first year students assess themselves. I also asked them to name the 12 principles of animation. Some of the answers were "anti-movement", "recoil" and "music". Depressing. They don't seem to read any books. It sound like your course is full of talented students, they are very lucky.

p.

I wow, now it hit me that people actually do read my blog! HAHAAH...

The purpose of my blog was to write down whatever I see that is interesting, or whatever I'm feeling and relate that to animation. One of the many key points that was drilled in the first lecture was that animation = observation. Hopefully a blog can be a good way to pile up all those ideas and thoughts (no matter how trivial it may seem at the time of writing). The wierdest things can become fodder later for animation.

I gotta do more of that, since now I know my blogs are actually being read!

Kimotion

04-06-2005, 12:43 AM

I've had a number of demoralizing jobs.. door to door shoe salesman.. data entry.. stationary sales.. stock boy.. janitor.. ice cream scooper.. car washer..

I'm sure there were more, but I'm old and tired & have only had 3 cups of coffee today.. heh :)

AH! And another thing they pointed out on Lecture 1 was that any past job can be material for animation! It all depends on whether you decide to use them or not....if you look harder, there is such a wealth of experience to draw from.

I mostly only had those cubicle jobs and every day there are soooooo many instances that are just plain "wierd." Or just obnoxious. You hear the weirdest conversations where you can easily jump to dubious conclusions. I have all these little sticky post it notes piled up on the corner, jotting down thoughts and observations. I try to not let anyone see those notes because it's usually about them. I have the luxury of having very unreadable penmanship and can write English words in phoenetic Korean....my own little pseudo-language. At the end of the day I stuff them into my front shirt pocket, go home and stick them on my desk....those notes are just itching to be "blogged" or animated.

Anyway, the worst job I had was a telemarketer for an Internet mailing list portal. The language that comes out of these customers' mouths! I would have to call them during their business hours (and usually the manager of the business who had to deal with their customers in the store), get him/her to sit down at his/her computer (if they had one) and show them our Internet mailing list portal. Yes, so I was engaging in junk phone calls to sell lists for junk mail! It was a dot-com in the year 2000....my role went from being a sales associate to telemarketer. I still can't believe I actually lasted a year.

Kimotion

04-06-2005, 01:00 AM

Why does the web site list the Spring semester as still open? I'm assuming the page just hasn't been updated recently. Or are there still spaces available?

I would think they just haven't updated the site. If they accept you now, it would take at least a couple of weeks to get all the paperwork and stuff sorted out agreement forms, time it takes for your HS or college to send them the transcript, testing, etc). By then it would be worth it to wait for the summer since you would've missed several weeks of spring.

But I could be wrong and wouldn't want to have AM not have another student just because of my thought!

You should contact them now and confirm.

mgarward

04-06-2005, 01:34 AM

I mostly only had those cubicle jobs and every day there are soooooo many instances that are just plain "wierd." Or just obnoxious. You hear the weirdest conversations where you can easily jump to dubious conclusions.
I had one of those today, from a nearby cubicle came (on phone): "Again? Have you tried pushing his nose, did it come out? No it's okay... he's been told not to put things in his nose! W'll be right there."

It wasn't so much the person I could hear that was sparking my imagination, but thoughts of the teacher and the kid at the other end. Ah, I'm sure it won't seem so funny when my youngest is wreaking similar havoc.:)

mgarward

04-06-2005, 01:36 AM

I would think they just haven't updated the site. If they accept you now, it would take at least a couple of weeks to get all the paperwork and stuff sorted out agreement forms, time it takes for your HS or college to send them the transcript, testing, etc). By then it would be worth it to wait for the summer since you would've missed several weeks of spring.

But I could be wrong and wouldn't want to have AM not have another student just because of my thought!

You should contact them now and confirm.
I think, because each weeks' lecture rolls off and the new one starts, that Spring would be closed since you'd be starting out having missed 4 weeks of lectures, assignments, etc. I would still call to confirm, but I'm betting the website just hasn't been updated since support have been flying around the site like bug-fixing superheroes lately.

My Fault

04-06-2005, 01:42 AM

Oh man, we just had this killer surprise chat with Bobby Beck. It was freakin awesome! The amount of energy that guy puts off is incredible. Honestly this just gets cooler and cooler every day. Getting to talk to Bobby and my fellow students is just plain inspiring. Having guys like Mohsin, who was up at 4am in Pakistan to chat, blows my mind. It was cool hearing how impressed Ed Catmull was with Animation Mentor or hearing what it's like to work with John Lasseter. Oh man I gotta go sit down.... too freakin cool!

bobbyc

04-06-2005, 01:52 AM

All the Charles Alleneck mentees in here... just got word the Q&A is tonight at 8.

I think they just sent out the email.

agreenster

04-06-2005, 06:04 AM

This could be an entirely new thread, but yeah, I've had my share of crappy jobs too!

In fact, just before moving to SF and working at Shaba, I worked part-time as a custodian/office cleaner at a factory for over 4 years. (mopping, trash, ungh) I was also freelancing web design stuff at home. Before that, I worked as a parts grinder at 5 am while I was going to school. Many times at 6:30 AM I would wake up with my glove and hand caught in the grinder because I had fallen asleep from staying up the entire night before studying. Im lucky I still have all my fingers!

Kimotion

04-06-2005, 06:07 AM

Many times at 6:30 AM I would wake up with my glove and hand caught in the grinder because I had fallen asleep from staying up the entire night before studying. Im lucky I still have all my fingers!

:eek: :eek: :eek:

OK, I'm gonna stop whining about my job after hearing this...

andy_maxman

04-06-2005, 06:36 AM

Where are all the rest of the summer guys? Damn, maybe they're animating furiously, whilst I am wasting time here browsing..... right gotto go.

hiyao! another summer peep here. i wonder how many are there around :hmm:

Manta

04-06-2005, 07:27 AM

I'm waiting too for the summer term and can't wait for that. These days I'm reading some animation books and working on a personal shortfilm.

RayenD

04-06-2005, 07:47 AM

I should be there in summer, but I am afraid I'll have to delay it for autumn. Just too much of work. Yes, I am animating ;). Can't wait anyway and I am glad everything goes well at AM!

FUG1T1VE

04-06-2005, 07:53 AM

ice cream scooper..

whoa, can't say I've met many folks who've done that. I was pretty young then so I made the most of it when I was doing it and had fun.

I'm planning for fall.

Rephrased from Homer "Can't post, I'm animating"

edit: oh yeah. happy belated b-day.

Shreds

04-06-2005, 08:10 AM

What's Up Summer guys!

I am also waiting for June to roll around. But in the mean time I've been attending the local community college to finish up my 2-year degree in Audio Engineering, working in the school's studio, attending my figure drawing class, and practicing my animation since I just started about a month ago. I found a ton of free rigged models from Kiel Figgins, he's got some awesome animations, website about a week ago that I'm recently practicing with(thanks to Kiel and all of the awesome modellers that made them). Before that I quickly modeled and rigged the ballman that is shown in some of Animation Mentor's priview videos and have also been animating him a bit. So yeah, I've been pretty busy, hence the reason I haven't been able to reply on this GREAT Animation Mentor forum.

Can't wait till Summer!

Good luck to everyone that's in it now and everyone that is going to be in it!:thumbsup:

icedeyes

04-06-2005, 08:22 AM

i am thinking of enrolling for the summer class but i am not sure yet... do you know if there are any vacancies and if you get a cerftificate per module or upon the completion of all of the modules?

Thanks...

andy_maxman

04-06-2005, 09:13 AM

I found a ton of free rigged models from Kiel Figgins, (thanks to Kiel and all of the awesome modellers that made them).

this guy has quenched my thirst for mecha rigs......woah! aaahh!! :drool: and i must say the rigs are pretty cool and fun to play around with.
i've been working on a six seconder live action + cg (again a cherished dream) with the mecha claw and bug . will upload it ASAP. cant wait more to get some c&c.

waiting to hear from bentlamma and Adam's (agreenster) colleague on 'how is it all going?

Jozvex

04-06-2005, 09:22 AM

and if you get a cerftificate per module or upon the completion of all of the modules?

After you complete the full 18 month course you get a Diploma in Advanced Character Animation Studies.

Shreds

04-06-2005, 09:31 AM

do you know if there are any vacancies and if you get a cerftificate per module or upon the completion of all of the modules?

You get the diploma/ certificate after you finish all of the terms and I think they kind of prefer that people to enroll for the full year or two rather than taking just one semester.
It is definitely something to seriously think about though. I think it is going to be a great thing and from the sounds of it from the others that are currently enrolled, it is! Wish I could be there.
Hope you find what you're lookin' for icedeyes!

i've been working on a six seconder live action + cg (again a cherished dream) with the mecha claw and bug . will upload it ASAP. cant wait more to get some c&c.

Hey andy_maxman!

yeah man all those models are great! Haven't been able to do a ton of stuff with them yet but I've checked most of them out. I don't think the facial rigs are going to be as friendly as packageman, guy with goggles in tighty whities, but all of them for free, I have got no complaints!

sinbad

04-06-2005, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Shreds
I found a ton of free rigged models from Kiel Figgins, (thanks to Kiel and all of the awesome modellers that made them).

Can anyone possibly post a link to these? I only have the IK Joe/ packageman rigs to play with (i had permission from rigging 101 to let the students use them). If anyone knows of any other rigs we could play with, that would be cool.:)

Yeah previous jobs are a great source of material. I worked in a pea processing factory as a student during the summer, and I made up some strange dark film about a character who gets caught on a conveyor in a factory and carted down into some dark subterrainian world.
I've also worked in bars (pubs in England), a stinky diner frying chips for old ladies with no teeth (I've seen a lady pull her spit-covered dentures out, still clasped firmly around an overcooked chip :D ), and in a library putting books back on shelves.

stewartjones

04-06-2005, 02:34 PM

http://www.3dfiggins.com/gallery.php?id=38

:thumbsup:

swadepgh

04-06-2005, 04:34 PM

Speaking of ice cream scooping...

My first job when I was still in high school was working at a Dairy Queen. I got fired after only a week. The boss said that I didn't make the ice cream cones fast enough. What is even funnier is that the DQ was across the street from where my dad worked until he retired. For years after the firing incident he insisted that none of his coworkers ever go to the DQ for any reason. It was sort of an "I'll teach that jerk to fire MY daughter!" kind of thing.

jschleifer

04-06-2005, 04:40 PM

we used to put on shows for the customers by throwing ice cream scoops back and forth across the store & catching them in the cups.. the tips would be flyin then!

I was also a cake decorator there for a while.. but I'd make cake art that wouldn't sell. For some reason people didn't buy cakes with nature scenes on them.. especially if they involved an innocent deer drinking from a stream with a tiger crouched behind it ready to pounce.

Shreds

04-06-2005, 08:22 PM

Here's the link for CGtalk's thread "Post your free rigs"

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=190975&highlight=free+rigs (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=190975&highlight=free+rigs)

I thought this would be a good thread to add the link to!

Good Stuff!

My Fault

04-06-2005, 09:05 PM

I was also a cake decorator there for a while.. but I'd make cake art that wouldn't sell. For some reason people didn't buy cakes with nature scenes on them.. especially if they involved an innocent deer drinking from a stream with a tiger crouched behind it ready to pounce.

I hear they still have your infamous "Lions Fresh from the Zebra Kill" birthday cake in their window. :scream:

Mojo Rizen

04-06-2005, 09:27 PM

I'm setting things up for this fall. To much to do in summer with full time work, and a seasonal summer job. Then it's going to be animation at night for 18 months at AM.

AjaBogdanoff

04-06-2005, 11:36 PM

Nothing says I love you like a "fresh from the kill" birthday cake. ;)

stewartjones

04-07-2005, 09:23 AM

I SLEPT IN... SOMEONE SMACK ME WITH A FISH! LOL :argh:

Had my Q&A with Jason this morning, and I missed most of it DO'H!!! I still got a question answered, but I missed most of everyone else's stuff. :banghead:

Well, life goes on so they say HAHA!!! ;) I'm going to to do some sketching today, and see if I can come up with anything!!! :arteest:

Jozvex

04-07-2005, 10:49 AM

No amount of sketching will EVER make up for what you have missed, foolish boy!!

Hehe, I'm just being mean. :twisted:

stewartjones

04-07-2005, 04:16 PM

No amount of sketching will EVER make up for what you have missed, foolish boy!!

Hehe, I'm just being mean. :twisted:

HAHA... I will find where you live... I'm EEEVVVILLL... (ahem) LOL

mayakindaguy

04-07-2005, 07:58 PM

As in Doctor EEEVVVILLL? and Sharks with friiickin lazer beams on their heads?

stewartjones

04-07-2005, 09:57 PM

As in Doctor EEEVVVILLL? and Sharks with friiickin lazer beams on their heads?

Is there any other! BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA :rolleyes:

JamesAmI

04-08-2005, 06:19 PM

I'm another "summer peep." pleesetameetchyall.
(Man, only two more classes with my community college after this semester. I wish I could have dropped out, and have been AMing already...)

TRi-14

04-08-2005, 06:54 PM

Skip-a-de-do-daaa! I just got my e-mail as well. Congradulations to every single animator who has gotten in and good luck to everyone else. this is the best day! haha!

weeeeee

-chris

swadepgh

04-08-2005, 11:08 PM

Hey CONGRATULATIONS to all the summer people! YOu guys are gonna LOVE IT!

:thumbsup:

Ejecta

04-09-2005, 10:16 PM

Hey CONGRATULATIONS to all the summer people! YOu guys are gonna LOVE IT!

:thumbsup:

I echo that 200%. You are going to love it. I've learned more in the last week than I have in months of production. Well worth the price of admission.

Kimotion

04-10-2005, 02:39 AM

Hi All,

Here's a picture of an AnimationMentor gathering in San Francisco. It was at a Turkish/Mediterrean restaurant. Thanks to Ali (Sheep Factory) Tezel for organizing the event! We even had a surprise guest!

I'd like to write all the names correctly, but please understand if I've forgotten or mispelled your names!

OK, starting from the lower left and going up the table:

Aaron Robbins
Ali (Sheep Factory)
Jeff (Kimotion)
Steve (Husband of Adele "WooHooGirl")...we had an interesting conversation about how he animated some shots for a notorious Star Wars prequel character.
Bobby "BOOM" Beck
Erin (MonsterSauce)
Jonathan (forgot your cgtalk avatar name!)
Jonathan's girlfriend (never got her name!)
Kenny

Going across the table...

The guy waaaaaay in the back...I forgot your name. Sorry! Oh wait, is it Tayor? (I'm not talking about the guy with the laptop in the corner. Forget about him, hehe.)
Next in front is Conrad (SadLittleBoy)
Brian "My Fault" Niccolucci (sp?)
DanK
Sally (Sallymander)
Adele (WooHooGirl)
Keith
Mike (MikeP1980)
and finally, Theresa, ArronRobbins' wife.

We had such a good time, lots of laughs and GREAT food!

SheepFactory

04-10-2005, 02:51 AM

Oh yea this meet up was awesome! Looking forward to next months already! :)

My Fault

04-10-2005, 05:33 AM

Yeah, that guy with the laptop in the background is just wishing he was in AM :)

Soooo awesome to meet everybody. Our surprise guest was quite BOOMbastic and it was a blast that he showed up. Can't wait for the next meet up to get to hang with this gang again!

Kimotion

04-10-2005, 05:37 AM

Oh, Simon should've been in the pic too but he left earlier. And there was some other dude there too!

woods_word

04-10-2005, 08:04 AM

This looks like a pretty cool oppurtunity. It makes being enrolled in a two year animation course at a traditional college look like child's play, honestly. That's coming from some one already in one though. It'll be interesting to see where this goes.

3FnD

04-10-2005, 09:04 AM

Yeah, that guy with the laptop in the background is just wishing he was in AM :)

a spy for another school maybe? he was doing a lot of typing!

Great fun everyone, hope to see the other pictures soon.

kenny r

Modus

04-10-2005, 09:38 AM

Man i would have loved being there with you guys... may be another time :-)

Bentagon

04-10-2005, 02:01 PM

Oh man, that meetup seems to have been amazing! Wish I were there! And one day I will be, because I'm pretty sure now that I'll come to SanFran for at least a month or so during my AM time... I actually already have my visa for it :)

And Boom might have already said this during the meetup, but he loved the birthday card we sent him (for the ones that don't know what we're talking about, some of us have hooked up to send him a card to show him our gratitude for AM on his birthday). Unfortunately, there seemed to be a mistake on Boom's member info at CG-Char, because that stated his birthday was the 4th, while actually, or so I have heard from PixelTales, it is on the 13th. Nontheless, Bobby really appreciated it! So you all be sure to wish him a happy birthday once again in a couple of days!

Thanks to many requests for it, here's the card (not full quality), and his wonderful reply :) :

http://users.pandora.be/hihabyte/bentagon/img/hbb_web.jpg

DUDE!!! ! This is amazing! You guys are utterly the coolest on the planet! Thanks man. That SOOO made my week! you guys are freaking amazing.

-BOOM!!!

- Benjamin

Modus

04-10-2005, 02:13 PM

let me join to this :-)

http://www.youladesign.com/downloads/hbb_web.jpg

clockwerkz

04-10-2005, 02:52 PM

That did look like an awesome time at the meetup! If you guys have those every month or so and become a regular thing, then who knows..maybe we'll fly in for one.

Carlos

darkefire

04-10-2005, 03:35 PM

awesome job on the card, Ben! looks great!

and thanks again to all the kids who made the meet. I was nicely surprised there was meditterranean food on the menu. Love that stuff (and i've never really had indian food, though im always one to try new things under proper circumstances). I really liked the atmosphere, and the staff was unusually friendly (though im sure Ali had a bit to do with one, yes?). If i ever move closer to the Bay, Pera's will definitely be on the map of my stomping grounds!

here's an alternate shot of the meet, enjoy!

polyplay

04-10-2005, 06:43 PM

doh! i wish i didn't have to cut out so early and i wish i handn't eatin lunch already! that food looked so good. i vote we do have meet ups relatively regularly, that was really fun and it was great meeting such a friendly group of people. the other guy who cut out early was Niem. I think his handle on AM is "Niem," stragely enough.

see you all in "class!"

Simon

swadepgh

04-11-2005, 02:29 AM

Hey SF people looks like you had a fun time. I don't know whether or not we will be moved in time to make it to the May meetup, but we should definately be able to make it if you have another in June.

We just had a nice "spring blizzard" here in Colorado today. I can't wait to live in a place that doesn't get a foot of snow in April.

Can't wait to meet you all in person!:bounce:

animboom

04-11-2005, 02:56 AM

Hey all! I'm SOO happy things are off and rolling with AnimationMentor.com and that people seem to be happy with the learning experience!!! :bounce: :bounce:

I want to take a moment to thank all the folks who put together the Birthday card for me. I can't tell you how proud and jazzed that makes me feel. Honestly I feel very honored to know such great people who really care so much about Animation and each other. Whooooo!

I'm in the process of printing this out to put in my office! Thanks again to everyone. My real B-day is Wednesday the 13th!! I'm gonna be 6 years old! Haa haaa.

-BOOM

Shreds

04-11-2005, 08:43 AM

The get together you guys had looked freakin awesome!:thumbsup:

Why does everything cool happen on the coast?

Well, I guess I'll sit here at my computer and just keep animating while I check in on this great thread every now and then to admire all of you that are able to get together.:sad:

Adam.

Jozvex

04-11-2005, 09:20 AM

Hehe, I'm in Australia so unfortunately I couldn't get to the meetup by bus.

Shreds

04-11-2005, 09:38 AM

Hey Josvex, I know! I'll catch the next bus straight over to see you and we can have our own get together! I don't know why I didn't think of this before? Oh yeah, I'm in KANSAS. AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!

Just kidding! I guess it isn't too bad. I'm just glad we have this little community of ours going on this thread.:)

Adam.

andy_maxman

04-11-2005, 10:15 AM

Hey all! I'm SOO happy things are off and rolling with AnimationMentor.com
-BOOM

congrats! and kudos! to the entire 'am' crew.....:thumbsup:
wishing the school a long and successful journey....cheers!
-

*envy-the-guys-who-jammed-up* -
i hope you guys took some hi-res pictures with Boom?!

stewartjones

04-11-2005, 06:53 PM

Hehe, I'm in Australia so unfortunately I couldn't get to the meetup by bus.

Being in Newcastle (UK) is a total bummer too... Everyone met up in London! LOL :) ... Would still kill to be over at US meet-up for sure! *loads shotgun* :twisted:

Shreds

04-11-2005, 10:28 PM

Being in Newcastle (UK) is a total bummer too... Everyone met up in London! LOL ... Would still kill to be over at US meet-up for sure! *loads shotgun*

Good call on the *loads shotgun* Vyntax. That was pretty funny.

But anyways, back to the point of the message.

Happy early 6th B-day Bobby! :thumbsup:

I meant to put it in my previous message.

Adam.

p.s.
I know you're not really going to be six. :applause:

My Fault

04-12-2005, 04:56 AM

andy_maxman

04-12-2005, 07:03 AM

congrats to the halo team ( LINK (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=229889) ) for being featured in 2005 TIME Magazine 100 most INFLUENTIAL People in the World....

congrats! Nathan :thumbsup:.....how is AM going?

Kimotion

04-12-2005, 08:19 AM

Oh man, it looks like I am the only one eating in that picture. For the record we just bought one sandwich and all shared a bite, it just happened to be my turn in the picture. That's why Bobby was making that face, he wanted more sandwich! :D

In that picture, I was the only one NOT staring into the camera! I was staring at my own camera. I must look so self indulgent.

Brian, yes, it was YOUR FAULT! :banghead:

sinbad

04-13-2005, 12:42 AM

Originally Posted by vyntax
Being in Newcastle (UK) is a total bummer too... Everyone met up in London! LOL :) ... Would still kill to be over at US meet-up for sure! *loads shotgun* :twisted:

Hey lets have a meeting in the uk for brit based or Euro AM'ers! There's more than just the two of us from this little island hopefully! :shrug:.....Sigh, I wonder how much is a ticket is to the US?
Hey Bobby come over to the uk, there's some great restaurants in Lincoln & you can stay at my place! (well its good to dream! :))

p

Hotdawg

04-13-2005, 01:09 AM

Animation Mentor = 15% serious animators, 85% fanboys

Jozvex

04-13-2005, 01:28 AM

And after 18 months of AM class we'll be 100% great animators!

Hotdawg

04-13-2005, 01:41 AM

that's the illusion, at least- or should I say delusion?

polymath

04-13-2005, 01:51 AM

I'm not sure those percentages are entirely accurate, granted, statistically there will be both categories but just about every one involved in the program fanatically loves animation; yes, some are already experience and ahead, while others are learning for the first time. But the environment found in AnimationMentor has been overwhelmingly motivating and inspirational for every single person I've seen there.

Instead of getting ego-boosting or esteem-deflating anonymous comments, you get honest, motivating critiques from people who really know their stuff. Would I want to stay up to 2 am reading and improving my work if I'm all alone or if the only people who can give me feedback on my work can't figure out how to help you improve? Probably not. AnimationMentor isn't like taking a short cut, after all, there are no short cuts, right?

In every education system, especially college-level, it has ALWAYS been the student's responsibility to succeed. Some do ok without studying and don't give it another thought, others take the extra mile and really soar. That has nothing to do with how the program is marketed, it never has (but if certain schools are bad, like some can attest...). If you really love doing something or really do want a certain job, you'll make it. And I think that if you're surrounded by people just like you, who are just as motivated and passionate, doing what you love becomes even more satisfying and entertaining.

In every place you look, there will be people who work hard and excel and others who may be disillusioned or more likely ... lazy.

The only reason I have taken the time to write this all out is so that someone might be inspired to put in the extra mile no matter what field they go into. Not because I think I am better than those people, but because I, most of the time, AM one of them. I didn't like school, was unmotivated to study on my own without any direction.

I'm just starting to appreciate all-nighters and falling asleep in-class if it means I'm doing something that I don't have to think: "Ok, I have to spend x hours animating," instead I think: "What else would I do but animating?!?!?!?! Sleep?!?! You're CRAAAZY MAN!" (Adapted from quote of David Weinstein, ESC animator, correct me if I'm refering the wrong person!)

------------------
And if you actually read this through, I leave you to try to realize that serious animators can be huge fanboys too, and Hardcore fanboys (dang it, and fangirls! Can't leave them out, ever or they'll kick your @$&) will learn things (even life lessons and motivation) and can become serious animators if its right for them or otherwise apply lessons learned to whatever they end up doing in life :). Thanks for reading!

Hotdawg

04-13-2005, 02:02 AM

Rabid pitbull

04-13-2005, 02:13 AM

Animation Mentor = 15% serious animators, 85% fanboys

Wow that is amazing troll bait, but i will respond simply this way. Do you really think people would shell out $2000 a term to make a friend? I certainly didn't. As far as I have seen the students are all serious and quite excited about the lessons and assignments so far. The school is really about teaching the way these successful animators approach animation.

fluffybunny

04-13-2005, 02:31 AM

Animation Mentor = 15% serious animators, 85% fanboys

Correction: Animation Mentor = 100% Serious animators :wise:; 80% fanboys, 20% fangirls. :thumbsup:

If you're not both, there's a problem! :eek:

Only problem I see is that we need to work on equaling out that gender ratio! (which I just roughly judged based on posts here...I could be way off)

eric

RobertoOrtiz

04-13-2005, 02:32 AM

Knock it off.
Last warning.

-R

Jozvex

04-13-2005, 03:01 AM

Positivity is the spice of life! (variety is SO overrated) Try some on your next meal!

I signed Bobby's birthday card because I wish him a happy birthday. He (along with everyone else on AM) has been nothing but nice and supportive to me. And frankly, I like him. He's cool. People I like I consider my friends, so he's a friend to me whether he slips me in the door to Pixar or not (hehe).

It's not necessarily about getting in the door of a studio that one of the mentor's works at, just any studio will do me just fine. I live in Australia and there ain't no Pixar or ILM here either, but there are still some nice big studios.

Most students I've seen "on the inside" are just eager to learn, full stop.

3FnD

04-13-2005, 03:40 AM

Okay, let's see then. All mentees who are only at AM because you think you can use whatever friendships you make with the mentors to get into a biggie studio speak up now...

3FnD

04-13-2005, 03:41 AM

...see? a full 20 seconds went by and no one responded.

I can't speak for every mentee, but personally I consider any half-decent, friendly person my friend until they prove otherwise. Even if they don't work for ILM. And so far everyone I've met, mentor or mentee, has been beyond half-decent and friendly. Some may have very high expectations but I think realize (since it's been stated so many times) AM is no guarantee of anything other than an opportunity to learn and grow. I'm there because I love animation and love the idea of being "around" so many other talented individuals. Everyone I see is supporting each other, encouraging, whatever. We're having FUN. At the end some may get jobs, many might not, especially at first. But those who apply themselves will most certainly graduate better artists and animators. And we'll all go on from there, wherever this path leads, glad for the jouney and the incomparible learning experience. It's up to each of us to take it from there.

darkefire

04-13-2005, 04:04 AM

hi all. im trying to log into my QA Session right now, but the website seems down. anyone else able to get in???

magicrub

04-13-2005, 04:05 AM

yeah, me too. I'm in Charles Alleneck's group.

bobbyc

04-13-2005, 04:06 AM

yeah.. me too :(

darkefire

04-13-2005, 04:06 AM

poopers. ok, so its not just me then. everything was working fine till exactly 8 pm. im also in Charles' group. ...... weak!!!

Afr_CG

04-13-2005, 04:07 AM

hey wassup Darkfire!

I have the same problem man :(. I guess we have to wait and see.

bobbyc

04-13-2005, 04:07 AM

hmmm.. they must be rebooting the server again.. i guess another f5 moment

darkefire

04-13-2005, 04:09 AM

hey Afr_Cg! i think you should use this downtime to change your sig, dude :p

EDIT! IM IN! ITS JUST STARTED NOW AT 809 PM!!

skelly6

04-13-2005, 05:28 AM

It might have been a local Comcast ISP issue - I couldn't get on the internet at all around 8pm, so maybe Charles was hit by that too. Glad to see that it was worked out though...

SheepFactory

04-13-2005, 05:46 AM

Its a comcast issue nationwide Shawn. Its weird , the only site i can open up is cgtalk when comcast goes crazy , nothing else works.

polymath

04-13-2005, 05:55 AM

Word around the net is its a DNS problem in the comcast network, supposedly if you use an IP address to go to a website instead of the domain name, it will work.

This implies that non HTTP traffic works without a hitch, like games that connect via IP I think.

I hope they get it fixed soon, Comcast over charges as it is!

Anyone notice sluggishness in the Q&A (or in any buffered video on the site) while using comcast? (probably should ask in AM forums but busy!)

rhino23

04-13-2005, 06:20 AM

anyone having trouble viewing the lecture? i was in the middle of watching it just a few minutes ago and it stopped and now I can't get it re-buffer, or do anything. just wondering if it's something on my end or not...

andy_maxman

04-13-2005, 07:29 AM

congrats and wish you many happy returns of the day, bobby.....:beer:
http://scrapbook.momsbreak.com/PageLayout/6th%20Birthday.jpg

andy_maxman

04-13-2005, 07:31 AM

jeezzzz.....for some reason the attached image wouldn't scale down.....

SheepFactory

04-13-2005, 08:21 AM

Anyone notice sluggishness in the Q&A (or in any buffered video on the site) while using comcast? (probably should ask in AM forums but busy!)

nope videos and q&a's work like a charm here.

Modus

04-13-2005, 08:22 AM

works totally fine here .. hey guys, back on the thread ? Nostalgy ? :)

My Fault

04-13-2005, 08:25 AM

Kimotion

04-13-2005, 08:32 AM

Regarding the Comcast issue, it's all Brian Nicolucci's fault! Thank God I have dsl. hehe.

Kimotion

04-13-2005, 08:39 AM

For the folks who are starting in the summer (and the one or two thread trolls throwing their poop around) we had our first video critique this week. As enlightening as things have been so far this really was incredibly educational. Being able to see not only your own critique but everyone elses is so bringing this whole thing together. There's a heap of work for us all to do but man it's been fun so far. I'm guessing it will start getting quieter in this thread as each week has us doing more and more involved assignments (if you can call animating work).

I spent several hours watching and--most importantly--learning from all those critiques and I haven't even gone through 1/4 of the students yet! It's like literally having an animation class every single day, any time you want! I still can't get over how awesome this is...really feels like you are living and breathing animation.

My Fault

04-13-2005, 08:43 AM

Regarding the Comcast issue, it's all Brian Nicolucci's fault! Thank God I have dsl. hehe.

I think that one may not have been my fault, besides, Timmy's still down that well Jeff! :)

And is just me or is Zebra Jones a bad to the bone animator or what? :D

AKS

04-13-2005, 08:53 AM

Hey lets have a meeting in the uk for brit based or Euro AM'ers! There's more than just the two of us from this little island hopefully! :shrug:.....Sigh, I wonder how much is a ticket is to the US?
Hey Bobby come over to the uk, there's some great restaurants in Lincoln & you can stay at my place! (well its good to dream! :))

p

Why didn't you come to the London Meeting? I think there's going to be another get-together soon. Email me your address & I'll add it to my notification list. There's about 8 of us (at least) here in London.

My Fault

04-13-2005, 08:53 AM

Modus

04-13-2005, 09:01 AM

Bentagon

04-13-2005, 02:23 PM

Right, but it seems like there's a lot of people who are doing animation mentor with the misunderstanding that they'll become best-good-friends with some bigtime animator who will sneak them into ILM. That's completely unrealistic, especially for us folks in the UK. And the icing on the cake is the gushy birthday card to the owner of the school (no offense to him). Ungh.

That screams of fanboyism.

To those who actually work hard in the program, AM will probably be a major benefit for their skills, but dont count on it to "make" your career.Since I was the one who started the birthday card, I can't help but to take that somewhat personally. Look... imagine you spent the last year searching internationally for schools that could give you a good education in CG, and then to bump into this thing. You try to follow its news, and because of all the info and passion you get from those guys your own liking of CG suddenly changes into a HUGE passion for animation, for which even less good schools are available. The passion grows and grows evermore, only to find out that everything new you learn makes you even more excited, but with each step you also realise the animation schools you were looking at wouldn't do what you want them to. Some are not dedicated enough to animation as an artform, others just aren't on a good level. The only thing affordable (as in not going to US) that remains was this. Animation Mentor. What happened to be the thing that ignited your whole passion. What happened to be taught by passionate professionals of a very high level. So you realise this really IS the thing you want to do. And as it happens, this was started by three guys. It also happened that you had to do an assignement for school: an interview with an artist. So you think of those guys, and the first one you contact immediatly accepts to spend a lot of time for a webcam based interview, and altering the text afterwards, so you could share it with others and it clearly showed what he meant. And a few weeks later, you happen to notice that guys birthday date somewhere. A guy that, quite frankly, has already CHANGED your life, in a VERY good way, and will continue to do that, by helping you making your dreams come true, through the school program you will be attending in a few months.

Wouldn't you write him a birthdaycard?

This simply was the PERFECT opportunity to express my gratitude, cause that's what it is, GRATITUDE, and not the kind of fanboyism you are implying. And thanks to the interview and posts he made on the net, I knew how much he liked it that people appreciated this, so I thought of letting other people sign it too, so they could also express their gratitude, and simply wish him a happy birthday. This is such a small thing to do considering what he did for me, and others, and I find it truly disappointing and sad that you think of it the way you do. But anyways...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOBBY!

- Benjamin

PS: the rest of the interview will be uploaded later today!

mmkelly011881

04-13-2005, 03:05 PM

word bent :)

andy_maxman

04-13-2005, 03:08 PM

maybe i missed this....but do you guys get to see the critiques made by mentors other than your own?
and if you are allowed to.....boy! that will be some much of content to go through.....

Nitefyre

04-13-2005, 03:26 PM

Yes, we get to see everyone's video crit ! Its like an endless amount of knowledge here, I can sit and watch the mentors teach forever (there are about 250 of us at the moment.) I'm still working on the A's :D. Its really great the way they can paint over your assignment to show exactly what they are talking about.

havoc21

04-13-2005, 03:27 PM

I really didn't want to respond to this Hotdawg thing for fear that this would evolve into a flame war. But I feel the people at the school need some representing.

As someone that works in the industry already I can assure you I am not just some "fanboy". All I can say was that I planned on attending this school really from the very beginning as it sounded like a great opportunity to upgrade my skills without having to leave my current position. Now all that I can attest to is my own experiences within the school and I have to say they have been truly inspiring. The level of professionalism, excitement, and energy from everyone involved with this school is amazing. I mean everyone from the person who answers the phone, to the person that handled my app, to the founders, to the tech guys, all they way down to my personal mentor who takes the time in addition to his full time job to really guide me to improving.

Now maybe I have missed something but in this day and age where many people hate what they do and are generally miserable it is refreshing to work with peole that truly love what they do and pass that energy on. In just the short 3 weeks I have been involved I have to say I have learned a ton.

Not sure if your intention was to come off negative but you truly did to me.

AjaBogdanoff

04-13-2005, 04:21 PM

boy! that will be some much of content to go through.....

It is an INSANE amount of content! I'm drowning in animation expertise! :scream: Between the 250+ video critiques, constant forum posts, student work being posted and revised, and the lectures and Q&A's, there's way more awesome stuff on this site than I'll ever have time to watch! Unbelievable! :thumbsup:

My Fault

04-13-2005, 04:25 PM

Bent, do not feel guilty for your enthusiasm, not for a second. We were actually talking with Bobby at our gathering of how bummed the mentors were that you weren't able to start yet.

And holy crap I had no idea you were still in High School. How did I miss that!

Bentagon

04-13-2005, 04:28 PM

:eek: you're kidding, right?
that's SO great, and strange, to hear... really feel humbled now :blush:

- Benjamin

AjaBogdanoff

04-13-2005, 04:29 PM

I have to say, one of the things that surprised me about the community on AM.com was how so many students were expert critiquers! Like, long before my mentor ever saw my first assignment, two dozen students had already posted incredibly detailed comments, like "this should go here, this should be more like this, this is good but this needs to go more this way, etc" that were immensely helpful as I was working. By the time my mentor saw it, there wasn't much more to critique!

The helpful, motivated, and talented classmates are a huge part of what's making this program so incredible for me. Go classmates!! :thumbsup:

(Dang, I'm running out of hyperbole. Better bust out the thesaurus.... here, I can use "astonishing", "magnificent", "stupefying", and "wondrous" the next time I talk about AM. :D )

My Fault

04-13-2005, 04:31 PM

It is an INSANE amount of content! I'm drowning in animation expertise! :scream: Between the 250+ video critiques, constant forum posts, student work being posted and revised, and the lectures and Q&A's, there's way more awesome stuff on this site than I'll ever have time to watch! Unbelievable! :thumbsup:

Yeah, I also naively thought I could go through it all but I don't know if it's possible. The sheer amount of it is staggering.

And not to embarrass her but a certain person who's name sounds a lot like Asia got a killer critique with more uses of the word awesome then I've ever heard. I won't reveal her name though :D

clockwerkz

04-13-2005, 07:25 PM

Animation Mentor = 15% serious animators, 85% fanboys

Dude, post with your real name or your usual handle if you're so serious about your comments. Join date Feb 2005? And you have a total of 7 comments? Yeah ok, I don't buy it.

I'll happily sign a birthday card for Bobby at the risk of being called fanboy by someone who hides behind the anonimity of the internt. At least that's my REAL NAME and my REAL HANDLE on that card.

CARLOS

sinbad

04-13-2005, 07:35 PM

Originally posted by aks
Why didn't you come to the London Meeting? I think there's going to be another get-together soon. Email me your address & I'll add it to my notification list. There's about 8 of us (at least) here in London.

THANKS! Geesh I must have missed that one, I've sent you an email.

As for this fanboy issue, and I don't want to perpetuate this thing, but I've already got good friends working in the industry and I see them as amazingly skilled and inspirational people, not life support systems for a company name. Everyone knows that of course you only get jobs at the big studios based on your skill. But It also helps if you are friendly, positive, passionate and uncynical. Of course people are going to want to try to meet you, or compliment you if you have been extremely successful, its just human nature. If it was me, I would give back as much as I could to those trying to learn the craft, and do my best to help them, meet them etc. Not all AMers will get in the big studios, but they will have learned so much and made so many new friends along the way.

mayakindaguy

04-13-2005, 07:40 PM

Fanboy! Why I've never used a fan in my life! I've got air conditioning, mind you.
Doh! I did it again. <-actually a great song by Homer Simpson, originally sung in Springfield, Illinois. But I guess a fat Homer dancing in a school girl uniform wasn't as popular as...well you know who. heh

In all seriousness though, AM is really all about LIVING and learning animation, through a community that inspires and brings out the best in people. It is a community of growth where students can learn directly from mentors who are now able to openly communicate and share their ideas and secrets with all in the AM community. The information to be "soaked up like a sponge," as Shawn says, is simply amazing, but what's honestly great is the inspiration that I personally get from all the positive energy of the students and the mentors as well! Everyday, I browse the AM student pages, and I see growth, and honestly that's what this is all about. So, without a doubt many of us WILL be excited and overwhelmed with enthusiasm, and I'm glad that it shows because that's real.

Anyways, Happy 6th Birthday to Bobby!!! and Happy Unbirthday to everyone else!!! Anyone know where I can buy some 3 and 3/4 birthday candles for my unbirthday cake?

Slurry

04-13-2005, 07:49 PM

Hey Guys and Gals,

I'm curious, how many people were accepted into the AM program?

Keep updating us on how it's going!
I'd be interested in applying in the future (once I save up some money).
Stay positive folks, don't let the haters get ya down.
My Fault, great attitude man!

Peace,

Art

stewartjones

04-13-2005, 08:17 PM

Would someone add me to the fanboy list pleeze! :thumbsup:

Hotdawg, if you wanna sign the card you could just ask! :D

AjaBogdanoff

04-13-2005, 08:52 PM

Speaking of the Simpsons, if I'm going to be a fan-anything, I'm going to the the FanMan! Or, FanWoman. Whatever lets me buzz around in the air. :cool:

Hotdawg

04-13-2005, 09:28 PM

clockwerkz

04-13-2005, 09:37 PM

Whether or not it is true, to those of us who are not animators and are just cruising the boards, it seems really cultish (lol) and kinda wierd to see everyone gushing about how this program is going to change their lives. Therefore, it seems more like it stems from the love of a particular movie or studio or artist, and not as much about the craft of animation.

Stems from the love of a particular movie, studio or artist? Where else is our love for the craft going to emerge from? Mine stems from a whole host of movies and Chuck Jones stuff.. is that wrong?

cW

And we're NOT in the 3rd grade. I take offense. It took me 3 years to get out of third grade. We are ALL now in the 4th..everyone knows that! :applause:

Bentagon

04-13-2005, 09:49 PM

BOBBY BECK INTERVIEW COMPLETE!
Check out the General Discussion forum!
You won't believe what he says about stopmo!

- Benjamin

mattmos

04-13-2005, 09:52 PM

Okay okay, I can see I touched a nerve.

I'm not a troll or a flamer, just an artist who has been following this thread and decided to post. And for the record, enthusiasm for your job (or future job) is healthy of course. It's just that when I started following this thread to search for more information about this school, ALL I found was the gushy love stuff and thought it was silly, that's all.

Whether or not it is true, to those of us who are not animators and are just cruising the boards, it seems really cultish (lol) and kinda wierd to see everyone gushing about how this program is going to change their lives. Therefore, it seems more like it stems from the love of a particular movie or studio or artist, and not as much about the craft of animation. It reminds me of 3rd graders clambering for the teachers attention. (oh! look what I did! I made the teacher a birthday card!)

Anyway, good luck to everyone in the program. I just hope you have realistic expectations, not only through this school, but after school.

You can see you touched a nerve but you failed to actually read any of the responses and understand them?

Has anyone on this thread actually said 'when I finish this I'll be working for Pixar' in any kind of seriousness? No. Do we all think we will get jobs in Cali after graduating? I doubt it, some of us are happy to be able to apply the knowledge gained to our little corner of the world.

As for this appearing like a cult, well this thread is hardly a useful tool to judge. it is specifically a thread about AM which people are using to get to know eachother and chit chat. The AM forum itself has the most in-depth discussion about all aspects of animation that I've ever had the pleasure of taking part in, and has already paid for itself (imo). of course people are going to get excited about this, the chance to learn from some of the most skilled animators on the planet is truly amazing and the communal learning atmosphere is second to none.

Do yourself a favour and lose the very British cynisism, it's one of the aspects of our culture that I'm least proud about.

Hotdawg

04-13-2005, 10:00 PM

Do yourself a favour and lose the very British cynisism, it's one of the aspects of our culture that I'm least proud about.

What can I say? I was born with it. (actually, I just moved back here from the colony!)

So alright, I'll chalk it up to a lack of understanding and I'll lay off. I was just making an observation, and Im sorry for the "insulting" comments. I can see where being called a 3rd grade fanboy might be insulting, or maybe just too close to home. Either way, the best advice I can give you all is, spend less time kissing butt, and spend more time being an artist. The job will come to you. Animation Mentor isnt a quick fix, and at least 30% of you will come out of the program as mediocre animators...just remember that.

Off I go then! Taking my own advice...

My Fault

04-13-2005, 10:21 PM

BOBBY BECK INTERVIEW COMPLETE!
Check out the General Discussion forum!
You won't believe what he says about stopmo!

- Benjamin

Nice job there Benjamin. Bobby is a total crack up and it's great that he's so willing to share his experience with anyone else who is even remotely excited about animation. Great interview!

AKS

04-13-2005, 10:36 PM

Hotdawg, one of the things that you also might not have taken into account is the real lack of good animation schools out there. The ones that are out there often have people teaching that either have no idea what they are talking about or are there really just to show off their own skills, not to help other people learn. Then there is the matter of the really good ones would require moving country and having a lot of money. This is an opportunity that a lot of people have been waiting for for a really long time. A place that is accesable to all, affordable, where the teachers know what they are talking about and are actually interested in helping their student. At least that's why I've been so excited, I can't speak for others, but it's something that I've been waiting for for a really long time.

stewartjones

04-14-2005, 05:56 AM

Either way, the best advice I can give you all is, spend less time kissing butt, and spend more time being an artist.

Hhmmm! That could be why we're at AM, doing some work trying to become better artists! Plus, did this theory work for yourself at all? :thumbsup: Ok, ok, I'm just taking jabs now, and am gonna shut up... It's 5.55am so I'm just gonna go and have my Q&A! :bounce:

-Stu

andy_maxman

04-14-2005, 06:59 AM

It is an INSANE amount of content! I'm drowning in animation expertise! :scream: Between the 250+ video critiques, constant forum posts, student work being posted and revised, and the lectures and Q&A's, there's way more awesome stuff on this site than I'll ever have time to watch! Unbelievable! :thumbsup:

gosh! this is gonna sound scary for all those guys who are working full-time and joining the summer camp. it would be tough to decide on when to watch and when to animate.

and i really appreciate all you guys (spring students) in keeping this place alive and informed.:buttrock:
ps- hotdawg, its a community what we have here not cultism
and guess what?! i got a weird feeling some one has got his fingers itchy over this subject. so the next time you post, refer to point no.1. and then refer to point no.2. cheers!

sternio

04-14-2005, 07:42 AM

What can I say? I was born with it. (actually, I just moved back here from the colony!)

So alright, I'll chalk it up to a lack of understanding and I'll lay off. I was just making an observation, and Im sorry for the "insulting" comments. I can see where being called a 3rd grade fanboy might be insulting, or maybe just too close to home. Either way, the best advice I can give you all is, spend less time kissing butt, and spend more time being an artist. The job will come to you. Animation Mentor isnt a quick fix, and at least 30% of you will come out of the program as mediocre animators...just remember that.

Off I go then! Taking my own advice...

hmm 30%, On what grounds are you making these predictions? You are talking about something that you know nothing about.

If you browsed around inside the AM site for an hour and saw some of the lessons, forums, and student work you would totally have a different attitude.

I don't know why you would want to take one of the most positive things that has happened to education and toss all this negativity at it. So why don't you lay low for a bit at least until the first round of students make it through the program. At that point if you see the work and it doesn't meet your standards, then feel free to chime in.

icedeyes

04-14-2005, 08:08 AM

AKS

04-14-2005, 08:15 AM

Picking a school is always a really hard choice. My only advice would be talk to as many grads from the schools as you can and see what they thought of it. Try to talk to ones who are both sucessful in the industry and ones who are not. That should give you a better handle on the quality level of the program at least. And then you have to take into account the brick & mortar vs. internet thing. One may be more suited to you, that's something you have to decide. And I'm sure there are tons of other factors that you are considering too, but I would defintaley say talk to the grads of the various schools, that'll give you a good idea of what's going on there.

Shreds

04-14-2005, 08:23 AM

andy_maxman;
and i really appreciate all you guys (spring students) in keeping this place alive and informed.:buttrock:

I Second this! I am very appreciative of all the awesome AM students for not ditching us and keeping us clued in on how everything is going with AM. I think it is really great!

By the way those of you that are in the AM spring semester, do you have to have your own website to post your animations, assignments and non-assignments, or do you just upload them to thier site? And if so, does anyone know of any good free web hosting sites?

Thanks.

Adam.

My Fault

04-14-2005, 08:27 AM

We each have a workspace where we upload assigments, revisions, public reviews (separate from our normal assignments), sketches and view our personal critiques. We also each have an individual comments section for every weeks assignment.

Having your own website is a good idea to keep old assignments though.

Modus

04-14-2005, 09:23 AM

RayenD

04-14-2005, 10:25 AM

gosh! this is gonna sound scary for all those guys who are working full-time and joining the summer camp. it would be tough to decide on when to watch and when to animate.

and i really appreciate all you guys (spring students) in keeping this place alive and informed

Hey Andy, always animate then animate then watch :). I am working full time as well and I still have hope that I'll be able to join in summer, even if I know right now that there are 99% of chances I'll be involved in some projects which will require a lot of my attention, especially in animation department.

Unless you work for some of those companies which keep you in the office 20 hours a day, I think it is possible to arrange time, so you will have enough hours for AM.

I am not sure if watching every critique out there is nedeed. At least in my case the best learning is by doing it yourself, leave it for a day or 2, then watching it again and fixing obvious mistakes, then giving it to my friends to destroy/tear apart/anihilate (and believe me they are mean, because we know each other very well). Unless of course I do it for my job, so I have director, agency and a couple of other people tearing it apart every other day :). I have ego part pretty much done since last century ended ;).

It should be nice change for me that at AM only one person will criticize my work heheh..

As for AM concers which showed up recently on this thread - it is very simple - we don't know how it will turn out, but everything is done right so far.

I am sure AM crew will do everything and MORE to make it great, it's very good that people are excited, and even if there are any folks who went to AM for contacts I am sure they will be very disappointed. So eventually it will filter out.

p.s. Happy Birthday Bobby! :bounce::bounce:

AKS

04-14-2005, 11:52 AM

I don't think keeping up with EVERY critique that is given to everyone is really necessary, but I've already been accused of not spending enough time with my friends & family b/c I am on the site so much.... oops....

AM is whatever you make of it. I personally would find it really hard to get everything out of it that I am now if I was holding down a fulltime job too. Not to mention spending time with friends & family. At the same time I know people who are doing all of the above and seem to be getting along just fine. It all depends on both your personality (how much sleep you need) and how quickly you learn. If one of those people who can watch something once, get it immeditaly & go off and create amazing animation then yeah you'll have lots of free time. If your like me & have spent the last umpteen hours making a so-so ball bounce then you'll have less.

Also, just another quick note to icedeyes. AM is awesome, and I would not have choosen another way of learning animation, but it hasn't been all sweet roses so far. There have been complications with the website, uploading problems, assignment clarifications, and all the q&a's so far have been scheduled at times that I am either really supposed to be asleep (11pm to 6am at least) or already have proir commitments. AM is a new school and is going to have some issues for thier 1st few terms. They are working really hard to correct these and I know they are doing their best, but it is frustrating sometimes to be in the 1st few itterations of anything new. On the flip side I have learned more about animation in the 1st 3 weeks there than I did durring my entire college career and I already feel like my work is improving by leaps and bounds. The mentors are really great and the other student are really great. They all give insightful and well thought through feedback on everything you put it. It's awesome!

Just figured if I was going to tell you go talk to alumni about the various programs I would give you one student's summary of my AM experience as there is no alumni yet.

andy_maxman

04-14-2005, 11:54 AM

I am working full time as well and I still have hope that I'll be able to join in summer, even if I know right now that there are 99% of chances I'll be involved in some projects which will require a lot of my attention, especially in animation department.

At least in my case the best learning is by doing it yourself, leave it for a day or 2, then watching it again and fixing obvious mistakes, then giving it to my friends to destroy/tear apart/anihilate

As for AM concers which showed up recently on this thread - it is very simple - we don't know how it will turn out, but everything is done right so far.

i really hope you do too.

and i'm pretty much in the same situation as you are in. my project manager says he will try and consider me for not over-loading me with work, so i would get some time off for the classes.
also, i believe the same too, for the learning process.

mmkelly011881

04-14-2005, 02:29 PM

It should be nice change for me that at AM only one person will criticize my work heheh..

Hey Rayen... dont worry man... we students dont let up on the critique either.. you just dont get it by video.... except for the fact that now we have a huge network of people who are also sharing their IM, MSN, yahoo, and ICQ accounts... we may be starting up a webcam critique BONANZA... the board is set!

RayenD

04-14-2005, 02:49 PM

Hey Rayen... dont worry man... we students dont let up on the critique either.. you just dont get it by video.... except for the fact that now we have a huge network of people who are also sharing their IM, MSN, yahoo, and ICQ accounts... we may be starting up a webcam critique BONANZA... the board is set!

LOL.... looking forward to it :thumbsup:

mmkelly011881

04-14-2005, 03:02 PM

I wonder if we get to pick on the freshmen (aka "first quarters")! :twisted:

be prepared for some hazing

harmonic01

04-14-2005, 03:19 PM

I wonder if we get to pick on the freshmen (aka "first quarters")! :twisted:

be prepared for some hazing

Heh heh, well, I really, really, REALLY hope I'll be one of the freshmen in the summer. :) Being picked on by AM students doesn't sound bad at all. :thumbsup:

Bentagon

04-14-2005, 05:46 PM

Ok... right now i am a little confused... I had decided to go for my masters degree in Sheridans (Canada) or Bournemouth (UK) university next year (digital effects or character animation) as i said in another thread... Now that i got to read more posts in this thread i am, kind of, caught in a mindtrap... I really want to go to Sheridans but i also want to enroll in AM... I dont really have the money for both ( i am still gathering money for the uni from my current jobs)... I really don't know what to do right now even though i tend towards the uni solution, i will have to quit my day job and stay off the market for a year or so (unless i can get an internship in a company during my studies)....

Suggestions???That sounds like a tough choice. I'd definitly pick Sheridan between Bournemouth and that, since Bournemouth is a more technical school, so I've heard, and Sheridan is really more about animation as an artform. But a good acclaimed school versus new and ambitious is a harder pick Sheridan is actually one of the few schools of which I've heard the AM guys find good too. I think the best decision you can make is by using your instinct whether you will really like it/need to have real people around you, or whether that doesn't make much of a difference. Have you already applied for Sheridan? Because I don't think it's a school you can get into as easily as with AM. Might be wrong though.

Good luck with the choice!

- Benjamin

Kimotion

04-14-2005, 07:44 PM

Yeah summer guys, use your time before AM to set up a quick website/blog , this is really useful to keep track of your progression.
As we have 3 slots to upload sketches (and believe me, that's definitely not enough compared to the amount of drawings you are gonna have to make :) ), it could be great having a website where you could put everything related to your shool work or animation work on it. Think about it :thumbsup:

I am so embarrassed and clueless when it comes to making a website, but I know the value of having. One I registered a domain name w/ Yahoo! business quite a while ago and it's just sitting there in outer space.

How much gig space would I need to host a 3 minute demo reel? What's the minimum? 2? 4?

Since I am not a web designer, I'll just make it extremely simple. I'll just have my demo reel clip ONLY, so if the person tyes in the address, it would only have the reel playing.

Anyway, any thoughts about the amount of space one needs to have a demo reel?

Thanks!

3FnD

04-14-2005, 08:31 PM

Kimotion: You probably want at least 5MB but I would go for 10 or more, 50 if you can afford it. That gives you room to put WIP animations and other things besides your reel. It really depends on how small you make your reel, and what compressor you use. One of my short sample videos came out to about 800kb when using DivX, but using MPEG-4 with QT it was more than 2MB and the quality was lower!

My site was originally 10MB, but the co. was bought out and I think they say it's only 5MB now. Doesn't seem to matter...I've put more than 5MB of content on there and nothing broke!

Bentagon

04-14-2005, 08:32 PM

it all depends on how many people would watch it ;)

I'd also suggest not showing your reel immediatly... some people just don't want to download that much. Post one page with a cool image with some text on, and if you click it, then your reel should be showing.

@3FnD: he's talking about bandwith, not webspace

- Benjamin

My Fault

04-14-2005, 09:49 PM

I am so embarrassed and clueless when it comes to making a website, but I know the value of having. One I registered a domain name w/ Yahoo! business quite a while ago and it's just sitting there in outer space.

How much gig space would I need to host a 3 minute demo reel? What's the minimum? 2? 4?

Since I am not a web designer, I'll just make it extremely simple. I'll just have my demo reel clip ONLY, so if the person tyes in the address, it would only have the reel playing.

Anyway, any thoughts about the amount of space one needs to have a demo reel?

Thanks!

Probably the biggest issue with hosting the demo reel is less the space needed to host it then the amount of gigs of traffic you are allowed per month. That's why when a popular animation is put up on CG-Talk you can literally burn up all your available monthly traffic in one afternoon.

As for how much room, I would say 50megs is probably safe, but most web hosts make 100+megs available. I would also suggest, from talking to various pros and reading numerous interviews, that a minute and half is the upper end of time for a character animation reel.

And I know I will make extensive use of my fellow AM students as I am finishing up my demo reel.

3FnD

04-14-2005, 11:02 PM

Brian's right, it's the bandwidth that could be the biggest issue. My site has never had that much traffic so it's not been an issue so far. But word gets around and forget it. I don't know what my limit is, maybe I should test it out some time! hehe.

Kimotion

04-15-2005, 12:04 AM

Thanks for all the info guys. Getting my reel on a web page isn't a top priority now since I actiually need material for one in the first place! It's just something I've been thinking of in the back of my head for a long time.

Hmm...maybe in the future, AM can give each of us webspace to show our work to the public? Like Vancouver Film School and SCAD? I should address this in the AM forums.

Thanks again.

agreenster

04-15-2005, 12:12 AM

Yeah, but poor VFS servers always get tanked the second they go up on CGTalk!!

I used to use hostway (hostway.com) and was always REALLY impressed with them. They were a touch on the expensive side (not bad tho), but unlimited bandwidth. It was probably more than what I needed, but the last thing I wanted was a potential employer getting to my site and finding it down because of exceeded bandwidth.

olioli

04-15-2005, 03:34 AM

you guys may have already heard boom's interview on skwigly, but I thought I would post this anyways.

http://www.skwigly.co.uk/magazine/news/article.asp?articleid=463&zoneid=4

mybad...already happend...sorry about that.

andy_maxman

04-15-2005, 06:28 AM

any news on the AM t-shirts and posters?
i want to be in uniform on the first day of class in summer...

Manta

04-15-2005, 06:55 AM

What video format and compression codec are you using for the assignments?
Can you download other people tests to your HD?

icedeyes

04-15-2005, 08:04 AM

Jozvex

04-15-2005, 10:17 AM

What video format and compression codec are you using for the assignments?
Can you download other people tests to your HD?

There are a few different codecs you're allowed to submit in, including quicktime. It seems that they require these codecs because the site converts the movies over to the preferred format, which I guess is a format that Flash likes. The codecs are good enough, examples are Indeo for avi and Sorenson for Quicktime.

As for downloading peoples' work to your hard drive, the most basic level answer is no, because it uses the same streaming type of setup as all the video on AM. However a few people seem to provide links to outside copies.

But really, at this stage we're not doing that much animation so there's not that much to want to save! We're doing bouncing balls at the moment (no squash and stretch allowed! eek!).

Here's a link to mine:

http://www.jozvex.com/AnimationMentor/jozvex_basketball.avi

:thumbsup:

andy_maxman

04-15-2005, 10:36 AM

Here's a link to mine:

http://www.jozvex.com/AnimationMentor/jozvex_basketball.avi

hi jozvex,
had look at the exercise. :thumbsup:.
a pointer..... i thought the ball would bounce back a bit more when it hits the wall. in this case, i feel the ball has suddenly gained weight when it hits the wall and lands on the floor.
it could just be me...

stewartjones

04-15-2005, 11:04 AM

hi jozvex,
had look at the exercise. :thumbsup:.
a pointer..... i thought the ball would bounce back a bit more when it hits the wall. in this case, i feel the ball has suddenly gained weight when it hits the wall and lands on the floor.
it could just be me...

... It's like AM! Critiques from students! HAHA, you're gonna love it when you get in there! :)

Bentagon

04-15-2005, 06:27 PM

Thanks a lot AKS and Bentagon for your replies.... will think it through so more since it isn't such an easy choice....

@Bentagon: I haven't apllied yet since i have that planned for the october class next year... As i said i am still gathering up cash since i wont be able to work once i am there and i got to able to study without thinking of money etc... BTW How hard is it to get accepted? I have a bachelors degree and about three years (on and off because of my army duties) of work experience and an award for the best multimedia application in Greece back in 2002 (not alone, i was working in a team)... Anyway... I will see how it goes...

Thanks again for your replies and sorry for setting the thread off track...I believe you should be able to show some decent art skills, and maybe a portfolio of some sort. Considering you've won an award and such, it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem... check out Sheridan's site for what they're looking for in an application. If you're intermediate at most stuff, I think you'll probably get in. But once again, I'm not sure... maybe ask in General Discussion... there must be some people up here who've been to Sheridan.

good luck!

No squash and stretch? EEK! That is a serious challenge! Do you just have to bounce, or can you already put personality in it? That would be really hard, but great fun and practice to try!

- Benjamin

3FnD

04-15-2005, 07:38 PM

What video format and compression codec are you using for the assignments?
Can you download other people tests to your HD?

The orientation guide said to use Cinepak or Indeo and file formats of AVI or MOV (QT). I haven't seen anything about other codecs to use for assignments, but would love to know if others can be used...I dont really care for Cinepak! Guess I'll browse for info on AM.

Manta

04-15-2005, 08:18 PM

Sounds good. IMHO, Today QuickTime is the standard format for online movies. Sorenson and MPEG4 are really good codecs. The new video service offered by Google seems interesting for sharing tests.

Kimotion

04-17-2005, 01:28 AM

OMG, my eyes are just shot from looking at about 50 bouncing balls. 200 more to go....

Bentagon

04-17-2005, 12:57 PM

You're not serious about that, are you? Although it might look like a good idea to look at them all, it's much better to look at all critiques, and even then, I'd keep it at about 2-3 critiques/mentor. Reason for this is that you might be capable of looking at all those animation right now, because there's not too much in them yet, but once you're in the second or third class and things get much more complex, you will not be able to watch them all, since there's so much more to see in just a one or two second animation of a biped. I'd suggest using all that time practicing... I believe you'll learn more doing 5 BB's yourself, then watching 50... I've really had that feeling myself. I was constantly critiqueing and thinking about what was wrong in other people's bouncing balls, and noticed a lot of mistakes, but when I tried my own bouncing ball, it suddenly was a bit more difficult to get right then expected.

- Benjamin

Kimotion

04-18-2005, 03:51 AM

You're not serious about that, are you? Although it might look like a good idea to look at them all, it's much better to look at all critiques, and even then, I'd keep it at about 2-3 critiques/mentor.

HAHAHA, I was half joking. Realistically it's about 20. But still...looking at 20 bouncing balls in one sitting can make you go nuts.

Everything you said is true. But one of the main things about AM is that you have so much access to other people's work and you can never get enough exposure to animation.

I feel like I'm still in the "breaking in phase" and now it's when things are starting to roll faster. It's animation overload now!

It's all about balance. One cannot learn about animation by just observing other people's work. You have to do it. One cannot learn how to draw by just looking. One cannot learn a muscial instrument by just listening.

For people waiting for Summer/Fall...you guys are in for a treat.

Kimotion

04-18-2005, 03:53 AM

Oh, thanks for all the advice regarding web space for animations/demo reels. It's one of those things that's always in the back of my head and ever time I think about finally starting my web page, or trying to learn html, etc., I feel like I should use that time animating. But then again, I keep hearing how important having a web site is these days.

Oh well, time will tell.

AKS

04-18-2005, 09:17 AM

Kitimotion, you can pick up something like Dreamweaver or any other WYSIWYG html program for pretty cheap these days. I don't actually know what the price of Dreamweaver is right now, but if it's pricey I'm sure there are lots out there that cover all the basic and are cheap/free. Then you just layout your images & your text & press the little "make into html" button. I think you can even make webspages out of Microsoft Word these days. So I wouldn't try to learn too much of the html if you are really not interested in that. Just get a simple program & go from there. A website is really useful when you are looking for work as some people hiring freelancers only want to see work on the web, they don't want to deal with waiting for a reel in the post & will delete anything you send them as an attachment. It's a quick and easy way for people anyone to see your work.

andy_maxman

04-19-2005, 06:30 AM

any news on the AM t-shirts and posters?
i want to be in uniform on the first day of class in summer...

just to bump this one up again.....any news on this one yet?

Nitefyre

04-19-2005, 08:50 AM

Hey Andy, we are still eagerly waiting for them on the inside as you are on the outside :thumbsup:. No word yet on when this will happen.

Cind

04-19-2005, 02:18 PM

yeah, i cant wait for the tshirts, haha. Then i can sit at my puter while wearing the shirt and feel like a real animator. :buttrock:

Rabid pitbull

04-19-2005, 07:22 PM

Well they did send us a e-mail asking our sizes, saying maybe Santa would have a surprize for us. So maybe not till end of year.:shrug:

dimension10

04-20-2005, 02:57 AM

Sizes and username :)

Shreds

04-21-2005, 08:15 AM

Hey Everyone,
first of all I would like to thank everyone that put in thier knowledge and opinions of websites and blog pages! Since then I went ahead and started a blog of my own at http://adamstrick.myblogsite.com ! So if you've got some time feel free to stop on buy but if not don't worry about it because it is still pretty raw and only a few things to see. Welp, until next time!
Adam.

iliketheska

04-21-2005, 02:32 PM

So is there the general consnsus or feeling that AM will be around for at least a few more years? Because I'm a graduating high school senior, and I'd love to take these courses and actually and surprizingly have the means to thanks to a great scholarship, but I don't want to kill myself freshman year. I get the impression that it'll last for a while, I just wanted to make sure so I don't neglently lose my chance. Thanks!

polymath

04-21-2005, 07:33 PM

Every single one of the mentors love teaching and I don't think they'll give up that pleasure anytime soon ;). If anything, you'll benefit from the first groups' bugs, feature requests, and future enhancements by enrolling later on. :)

Metro-Digital

04-21-2005, 08:54 PM

Do they teach you how to use maya, cos I have zero experience on it, and only really know 3d max. I cant wait to sign up

polymath

04-21-2005, 09:11 PM

There are over 2 hours worth of instruction on Maya, 20 minutes worth on traditional hand drawn, and about 25? minutes for stop-mo. These were created with the assumption that we have zero experience in any of them.

I didn't have any experience in maya but already I'm making many many bouncing ball tests that are slowly showing improvements! Its addictive and motivating!

Metro-Digital

04-21-2005, 09:16 PM

thanks for the info. I just sent off my admission form now. Hope I get in. I can't wait. How are you finding it so far?

stewartjones

04-21-2005, 09:20 PM

The guys at AM clearly explain the areas of maya you will be using, then its up to you to get on with it, and actually get some experience in it! This is MUCH MUCH MUCH better than regular schooling/college/uni wotever! In my experience college tell you the name of the program, and then tell you which books to buy! If you think of the tutorials (VTMs) you find on 3dBuzz, then you get the idea! :thumbsup:

Kimotion

04-21-2005, 10:58 PM

I think I've said it before on this thread, but AM is sheer animation overload. And that's a GOOD thing! For the same price as a private art school, it sure beats it out of the water. And I agree with Vyntax...here they just don't tell you what books to buy, what pages to read and pay $2000 for that info.

mikefeil

04-22-2005, 04:40 AM

how are all the aussies finding it ?

jono, jozvex etc ?

whats the time difference like and all that sought of thing :D

sounds great anyway, I can't wait, and with my new appointed job of packing shelves at woolies at night, I'll be well on my way ;)

seasterling

04-22-2005, 05:32 AM

Hey guys, will the AM models work in Maya 5? I noticed the catalog spec'ed Maya 6. Just submitted an app for summer, fingers are crossed.

Jozvex

04-22-2005, 08:42 AM

how are all the aussies finding it ?

jono, jozvex etc ?

whats the time difference like and all that sought of thing :D

It's going great! Jono and I had a two hour Q&A today with Chris Hurtt (our mentor) and Derek....Freez'n'snorkle.....sorry I've momentarily lost all concept of spelling his name! Bobby was also pretending to be there by ringing them and then posessing the avatar of a student in the chat roomy thing. There was talk of bears......it was all very odd but fun. Those two mentors have worked together and are doing so at the moment on Open Season I think. They were a great combo! Lots of insight and ideas coupled with sheer weirdness, which is cool.

As far as the time difference goes, it was definitely a bit confusing at first as to when I had to get assignments in by, etc, but now it's no trouble. Especially using that free Qlock program is very helpful. It was mentioned some pages back.

Luckily for me I work from home and my mentor Q&As are at 12:00 midday on fridays which is excellent.

Hey guys, will the AM models work in Maya 5? I noticed the catalog spec'ed Maya 6. Just submitted an app for summer, fingers are crossed.

Well, the models/rigs will probably work in 5 but they only provide files for Maya 6. And they're not in the MA ascii format so you can't backwards convert them. I would suggested somehow upgrading to 6, but for the first month you could probably just make your own similar models in Maya 5 because all you need is a bouncing ball and a character to pose.

EDIT: Oh! And you guys should see my avatar in AM, it's about as far away from Sairmshellgella as you can get. You're likely to hear it say "Oh-oh-oh come now Archimedes!! Leave the boy alone!".

;)