Program

Master classes

The first master class (2,5 days) will be given by our animation teacher Frederic Nagorny and will focus on the study of swinging movement, indispensable in character animation. Such movement, allied to the rules of gravity and inertia, leads the audience of spectators to believe the character really exists. A good execution of this type of movement involving key poses and timing, brings greater credibility to the character. Covering the aspect of swinging arms in a walk cycle, a character swinging vines (liana) in a jungle to brachiation or monkeys swinging from branch to branch, the analysis of such movements can be applied to both realistic and cartoon styles as well as to both 2D and 3D animation.

The second master class (2 days) will be devoted to 3D character animation. It will be given by Kyle Balda, an American 3D animator who has worked in the USA for ILM and Pixar and for studios such as Mac Guff and Passion Pictures in France. Kyle Balda has taught at GOBELINS since 2003. The goal of the class is to help animators increase their skills for creating believable and entertaining performances in the characters they animate. There are two major aspects of successful animation that contribute to this.  The first is that the characters move in believable ways and have proper weight and physicality.  And the second, more important aspect is that the characters think and feel through strong acting, so they may come alive on screen.

The third master class (1.5 days) will be given by former GOBELINS student Kristof Serrand, animator at DreamWorks Animation. During this short module, Kristof will show samples of how to animate a dragon taken from the recent DeamWorks feature film How to Train a Dragon. During the workshop, Kristof will evaluate and mentor students working on exercises begun in earlier master classes of this summer.

The fourth master class (2 days) will be given by former GOBELINS student Alexandre Heboyan, until recently animator at DreamWorks Animation. This class is designed to offer an approach to 3D character animation that is widely used in feature animation production.  What are the essentials points to master to make a successful animation? Crucial concepts for making a believable and lively character will be covered, from rigging to the first rough version all the way to the finalized animation. Inspired by his experience at DreamWorks, Alexandre Heboyan will present a flexible method for getting to the essentials of a good animation while making the best use of the time available.

The fifth master class (2,5 days) will be conducted by Robert W. Bennett, mime and performance actor, and a teacher at GOBELINS since 1994. Robert Bennett will orchestrate performance activities that will help animators practice the gestures and movements that they will apply in their animations.

The sixth master class (2 days) will be given by former GOBELINS student Louis Clichy, until recently animator at Pixar Animation. During this short module, students will make a very short film or narrative sequence using limited animation techniques. The focus will be on efficiency, both in the subject and in the animation technique, using as an example a three picture newspaper cartoon strip. Simple but efficient designs easy to animate will be used, in order to concentrate on strong key poses.

The master classes will be given in English or in French with simultaneous translation in English.

 

Workshop

On certain days following the morning master classes, a workshop with the master class teacher will be held in the afternoon for experienced animators who wish to put into practice the tips from the teacher.

This workshop will be held in a classroom equipped with 2D and 3D equipment including light boxes. This classroom and its equipment will remain available without teacher supervision from 8h30 to 10 AM from 5 PM to 8 PM.

 

Certificate

At the end of the two-week course "Character Animation", participants will receive an official certificate from GOBELINS, l'école de l'image with a course description.

This announced program may be subject to modification for reasons of unavailability of instructors for professional reasons.