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noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:15:00 +0000

2021 Toronto’s Animation Industry Conference! ONLINE AGAIN!

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 01:13:00 +0000

TAAFI has a cluster of creators, a smattering showrunners, a dash of directors, a dogpile of designers, and one unparalleled writer. Their speakers represent a diversity of stories, voices, and skills, from the foundation of the animation art form, to the inspiration guiding our industry to new heights, and new audiences.

James Baxter, Director of Character Animation, Netflix. James was born in 1967, in Bristol, and raised in Bishop’s Stortford, England. He started experimenting on little animation tests with a 8mm camera at age 16. James attended Cambridge College of Arts & Technology for one year and West Surrey College of Arts & Design for one year before leaving to work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit in London. James moved to California to work for the Walt Disney Company, where he worked as the supervising animator on classic characters like Belle in Beauty and the Beast and Rafiki in The Lion King. He then moved to DreamWorks SKG where he worked on Prince of Egypt, Spirit, Stallion of the Cimmeron and Shrek 2. From 2005 to 2008, James had his own studio, James Baxter Animation which produced several projects, including the hand drawn animation for the Disney feature film Enchanted, and the opening sequence of DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda. He returned to DreamWorks Animation to work on How to Train Your Dragon 1 and 2, and The Croods. James is now the director of character animation at Netflix.

Lindsey Olivares, Production Designer / Lead Character Designer, Sony Pictures Animation. Before joining Sony Pictures Animation, Olivares worked as a freelance visual development artist and illustrator with a focus on character design and caricature. Her freelance clients have included Disney Television Animation, DreamWorks Animation, Locksmith Animation, Nickelodeon, Google, Furry Puppet Studio, Titmouse, Hornet Inc, Psyop, Airbnb, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Her film credits include DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Penguins of Madagascar, and Trolls, as well as Sony Pictures Animation’s The Emoji Movie.

Megan Nicole Dong, Creator, Netflix. Megan Nicole Dong is the creator of Centaurworld (and voice of Glendale). She's worked in feature film, adult, and kids/family series, and makes silly comics for social media.

Jorge R. Gutiérrez, Writer, Director, Creator, Netflix Animation Studios. Jorge R. Gutiérrez is a Mexican animator, painter, voice actor, writer, and director. Born in Mexico City and raised in Tijuana, Gutiérrez has completed various films, cartoons, illustrations, and paintings exploring his love with Mexican pop and folk culture. He was the director & co-writer of the Guillermo Del Toro produced animated feature The Book of Life for Fox, which earned him a 2014 Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. He was also the writer & director of the Emmy nominated Son of Jaguar VR short for Google. Along with his wife and muse, Sandra Equihua, they created the multiple Emmy Award–winning animated television series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera for Nickelodeon. Gutiérrez most recently wrote and directed his animated event limited series Maya and the Three for Netflix.

And dozens more speakers!

See all the details here: https://taafi.com/industry/2021/home

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD TO SCREEN AT THE TORONTO ANIMATION ARTS FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 19:50:00 +0000

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD TO SCREEN AT THE TORONTO ANIMATION ARTS FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL

TAAFI 2019 FESTIVAL RUNS FROM FEBRUARY 15 TO 17, 2019

Toronto, ON (January 25, 2019)

– The Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI) announced today that it will host a screening for DreamWorks Animation’s feature film, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD, followed by a Q&A with Canadian Director and Writer, Dean DeBlois and Canadian actor Jay Baruchel.

The screening runs on Saturday, February 16 at 7:15 PM at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema during the TAAFI 2019 Festival, which showcases more than 100 animated shorts and four feature films from more than 50 countries worldwide. “We're excited to screen this animated feature film by DreamWorks Animation, a world-class animation powerhouse,” said Ben McEvoy, Chair, TAAFI. “Additionally, this is a special screening for TAAFI as we celebrate Dean DeBlois and his work to elevate Canadian talent in the animation industry.”

Dean DeBlois is a Canadian born and raised filmmaker. He directed LILO & STITCH, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2. He started his career working as an assistant animator and layout artist while attending college. He graduated from Sheridan College where he studied animation.

Jay Baruchel is a Canadian actor and screenwriter. Baruchel is known for his roles in the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON franchise, KNOCKED UP, THIS IS THE END, THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE and more. He began his career in television prior to his role in the Oscar®-winning film ALMOST FAMOUS.

About How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World From DreamWorks Animation comes a surprising tale about growing up, finding the courage to face the unknown and how nothing can ever train you to let go. What began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon has become an epic adventure spanning their lives. Welcome to the most astonishing chapter of one of the most beloved animated franchises in film history: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD.

Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid (America Ferrera), Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they’ve known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destinies are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together—to the very ends of the Earth—to protect everything they’ve grown to treasure.

For How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, series director Dean DeBlois returns alongside the all-star cast. The film is produced by Brad Lewis (Ratatouille, ANTZ) and Bonnie Arnold (Toy Story, How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2).

www.howtotrainyourdragon.com.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD opens in theatres in Canada on February 22.

RotoJam: Spring '17 is now online!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 14:17:00 +0000

RotoJam: Spring '17 from Ash Lo Russo on Vimeo.

The 4th animation jam, RotoJam: Spring '17, is now online! The list of every segment animators worked on:

1. Ashley Lo Russo 0:01-0:10
2. Leslie Martinez-Garcia 0:11-0:14
3. Franky Plata 0:15-0:25
4. Cheryl Aiken 0:26-0:35
5. Meryl Jocktane 0:36-0:42
6. Alexandra Papouchina 0:43-0:52
7. Jill Johnston 0:44-0:50
8. Marc Bedard 0:53-1:03
9. bekky O'Neil 1:04-1:10
10. Edward Ramsay-Morin 1:11-1:13
11. Nikole Hidalgo 1:14-1:23
12. Amen Shafiq 1:16-1:23
13. Shawna-Lee Tai 1:24-1:30
14. Grayden Alexander Laing 1:31-1:34 and 1:39-1:43
15. Chris Jack 1:35-1:39
16. Evy Yu Qian Huang 1:44-1:52
17. Chyenne McKenzee Alexander 1:53-1:59
18. Lynn Dana Wilton 1:54-1:56
19. Catherine Vu 2:00-2:04
20. Kaya O'Hearn 2:05-2:11
21. Lukas Conway 2:12-2:18
22. Anna C. Gilmore 2:19-2:29
23. Tami M. Poliwoda 2:30-2:33 and 2:45-2:49
24. Vera Drmanovski 2:34-2:39
25. Anthony Moscuzza 2:40-2:44
26. Vanessa Lee 2:41-2:43
27. Véronique Girard 2:50-2:55
29. Janet Cheung 2:56-3:04
30. Daniel Thériault 3:05-3:13
30. Pete OHearn 3:14-3:23

Music
Aaron Robertson

Choreographer
Alysa Pires

Dancers
Esabelle Chen
Kealan McLaughlin

Video
Ballet Jorgen Filmed as part of Solos and Duets 2012

Contact Ashley Lo Russo (ashlorusso@gmail.com) if you would like to be a part of RotoJam 5.
*Disclaimer: I am the founder of RotoJam, so maybe I'm a tiny bit biased, but I think it's a great way to collaborate with other artists, be in film festivals, and display your individual style through rotoscoped animation.

Stop-Motion Animation Festival 2018 Spotlight: Bone Mother by Dale Hayward and Sylvie Trouvé

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 22 Sep 2018 19:52:00 +0000

Brown Bag Films Toronto Wants YOU!

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 21:46:00 +0000

Over the next few months, Brown Bag Films Toronto will be hiring production teams for three new shows.

They need 2D Animators, Animation Supervisors, Designers, Background Painters, Compositors, 2D Riggers, Producers and more.

Want to learn more about working at Brown Bag Films? Check out their blog for behind the scenes, artists profiles and more.

And here is a list of some of the perks Brown Bag Films would like you to know that they offer as a studio:

– Full family benefits

– Flexible working hours

– Summer hours

– Regular in-house training including regular life drawing

– An active social committee

– And they also love cake, lots of CAKE. Brown Bag Films really loves cake.

YOUTUBE LIVE: A Chat with Emily Ann Hoffman about "Nevada"

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 01:08:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of chatting with Emily Ann Hoffman this morning via Skype and live streaming to the Canadian Animation Blog You Tube channel.

We chatted about her film "Nevada", her inspiration for the film, how she found her way to stop-motion animation, an upcoming short film she is working on, and then we delved into our feeling on the current heads of state in the US and Canada. It's a worthwhile interview and Emily has mad skills - so check out here stuff! To stay up to date with her activities she recommends following her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyannimation/

Other ways to follow what Emily Ann Hoffman is up to:
Website: http://www.ehoffmanportfolio.com/
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/ehoff

Audio Notes: The audio levels are equal this time and I was able to eliminate the reverb... but for some reason OBS decided to only output my audio via the left channel. I swear there is a ghost in the machine that is just messing with me. I even did a test broadcast before going live, and everything was fine! I swear.

Nevada Trailer (2017) from Emily Ann Hoffman on Vimeo.

YOUTUBE LIVE: Hector Herrera and Grayden Chatting About Animation

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 20:02:00 +0000

Hector Herrera took time out of his busy schedule to chat with me about his animation career, the series his studio is working on, and about how he wants to see more artist who are working in similar fields (eg. motion graphics and animation artists) to connect up and work together. At the end of the chat Hector names some of the motion graphics companies and people that animators should check out.

There are lots of other great pieces in this interview too - so sit back (or pull out some art or animation to work on) and enjoy the chat!

I also embedded Hector's story Animatic TO's "The War Stories on Christmas" series for you to enjoy.

*For some reason, OBS decided to add some serious reverb on Hector's Skype feed, which isn't too bad once you get used to it - but I'm going to add that to the list of things to fix for my next YouTube Live stream next week!*

To see more of what Hector is working on check out his studio:
Together: Words+Pictures for Art & Culture - http://wearetogether.ca/

Cool design pieces are also going up on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/togetherwordsandpics/

For the artist feature we published on Hector follow this link:
http://www.canadiananimation.com/2014/09/artist-of-day-hector-herrera.html

YOUTUBE LIVE: A Chat with Peter Peake about "Take Rabbit"

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 16:48:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of chatting with Peter Peake this morning via Skype and livestreaming to the Canadian Animation Blog channel.

There's a bit of a video lag with the jump across the pond, but that's just the way it goes with livestreaming sometimes - The audio is audible and that's the main point!

It was a real pleasure connecting up with Peter. He just took a year off to make "Take Rabbit" so please take a minute to check out his work and then have a listen to the livestream to get some insight into his creative process. I guarantee you'll enjoy it and glean some important tips, such as how to guilt people into watching the films that you've slaved over.

Take Rabbit trailer (high quality) from Peter Peake on Vimeo.

Call for entries – Festival Stop Motion Montreal 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 19:51:00 +0000

Festival Stop Motion Montreal invites directors, producers and film distributors of the stop motion community to submit their short films in the call for entries for the 10th edition of the festival, which will take place from September 14-16, 2018.

Deadline for film submissions: June 30th, 2018

For a tenth year already, the Festival continues its mandate in promoting all forms of stop motion animation from puppet animation and claymation, to object animation and pixilation. Through screenings of short films from across the globe, introductory workshops for all ages, special guest conferences and practical workshops led by industry professionals, Festival Stop Motion Montreal demystifies the secrets behind this century-old art that is taking the big screen back by storm!

Participate in making this milestone edition the grandest celebration to date and submit your films!

Only short films under 30 minutes in length, produced after January 1^st, 2016 will be accepted.

There is no fee for film submissions.

DIRECTOR IN ATTENDANCE: TAAFI ANNOUNCES AN EXCLUSIVE SCREENING AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES TALK BY DOMEE SHI, DIRECTOR OF “BAO.”

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 15:12:00 +0000

DIRECTOR IN ATTENDANCE: TAAFI ANNOUNCES AN EXCLUSIVE SCREENING AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES TALK BY DOMEE SHI, DIRECTOR OF “BAO.”

Toronto, ON (May 30, 2018) — Today, the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI) announced an exclusive event with Toronto-raised director, Domee Shi. The screening includes an exclusive, behind-the-scenes talk with the director of the latest short from Pixar Animation Studios. Shi will give a presentation on the Making of “Bao.”

The screening and director talk will be held on Monday, June 11th at Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Dundas.

“We are very excited to host up-and-coming director Domee Shi,” said Barnabas Wornoff, Chair, TAAFI. “Not only do we get to celebrate the fact that Domee is Canadian, but we get to elevate diversity within the industry.”

Bao will screen before Pixar Animation Studios' Incredibles 2 which opens in theatres across Canada on Friday, June 15th. In Bao, a mother wrestling with the empty nest syndrome hatches a fantasy in which one of her handmade dumplings comes to life.

Shi was born in China and moved to Toronto when she was two years old. She graduated from Sheridan College’s Animation program, and following an internship at Pixar, Shi storyboarded on Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4. Shi is currently in the development stages of a feature film with Pixar Animation, based on one of her many other concepts.

Details of Bao Special Screening and Discussion

Making of Bao

Premiere Screening and Behind-Scenes Talk with Domee Shi

Monday, June 11th

7:00pm - 8:30pm

Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Dundas — 10 Dundas St. E #402, Toronto, ON M5B 2G9

Purchase tickets here: taafi.com/bao

VIDEOS - TAAFI x CASO Job Fair Presentation Zone Talks

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Thu, 24 May 2018 17:41:00 +0000

These videos are from the Presentation Zone at the 2018 TAAFI x CASO Job Fair. There is a lot of great info contained within them - especially for new comers to the field of animation. My recommendation is to put them on in the background while you're working on something.

----------------------------------------------------------------

This is the official write up for the Job Fair:

Presented by the City of Toronto, the TAAFI Animation Job Fair is a one-of-a-kind recruitment fair connecting top studios with Canada's best animation, visual effects, gaming students and professionals. This year's job fair is multiplied exponentially through our partnership with Computer Animation Studios Ontario (CASO), representing studios from across the Ontario region.

This is a FREE to attend animation recruitment event, targeted at connecting top studios with animation, visual effects and gaming job seekers from across Ontario and the GTA, in a turn-key, highly promoted event designed to make jobs happen!

TAAFI Website: http://taafi.com/
CASO Website: http://www.casont.ca/
City of Toronto Website: https://www.toronto.ca/

----------------------------------------------------------------

All the videos in a playlist:

The individual videos:

2018 TAAFI X CASO Job Fair: How to Nail the Interview / Recruiter Panel

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Sun, 20 May 2018 23:22:00 +0000

Presented by the City of Toronto, the TAAFI Animation Job Fair is a one-of-a-kind recruitment fair connecting top studios with Canada's best animation, visual effects, gaming students and professionals. This year's job fair is multiplied exponentially through our partnership with Computer Animation Studios Ontario (CASO), representing studios from across the Ontario region.

This is a FREE to attend animation recruitment event, targeted at connecting top studios with animation, visual effects and gaming job seekers from across Ontario and the GTA, in a turn-key, highly promoted event designed to make jobs happen!

TAAFI Website: http://taafi.com/
CASO Website: http://www.casont.ca/
City of Toronto Website: https://www.toronto.ca/

2018 TAAFI X CASO Job Fair: City of Toronto, Welcome and Keynote

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Sun, 20 May 2018 23:21:00 +0000

TAAFI x CASO 2018 Job Fair - A Photo Essay

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Mon, 14 May 2018 16:31:00 +0000

The TAAFI x CASO 2018 Job Fair was another success. Once again dozens of exhibitors and thousands of job searchers had a chance to meet face to face. There were also animation job related talks in the theatre (Presentation Zone) and animation portfolio reviewers who offered to provide portfolio advice to job seekers through out the day (Portfolio Zone).

There are more photos up on the Canadian Animation Blog Facebook page. The remainder of the photos and the as yet unposted videos will go up on the TAAFI Website/Facebook pages.

Front entrance about mid-way through the day.

Photo Credit: Zoe

"How to Nail the Interview" Panel

Photo Credit: Grayden

The board with Magali Simard, Toronto's film sector development officer.

Photo Credit: Grayden

Magali Simard chatting with the Exhibitors at the Pixomondo booth.

Photo Credit: Grayden

Magali Simard presenting the Welcome and Keynote for the TAAFI xCASO Job Fair

Photo Credit: Grayden

Aaron Hong providing animation portfolio advice to an attendee.

Photo Credit: Grayden

Long line up at the Guru booth.

Photo Credit: Grayden

Guru exhibitors posing for a group shot at the Job Fair.

Photo Credit: Grayden

House of Cool exhibitors taking a couple seconds photo break before continuing to interview applicants.

Photo Credit: Grayden

House of Cool Exhibitor interviewing a Job Fair attendee.

Photo Credit: Grayden

Brown Paper Bag Exhibitor interviewing a Job Fair attendee.

Photo Credit: Grayden

I think Pipeline should get an honourary award for bringing more reps to the TAAFI x CASO Job Fair than any other studio each yeaar. This shot doesn't even have everyone in it, but it was the most I was able to capture at the booth in a single shot.

Photo Credit: Grayden

I love this shot.

Photo Credit: Grayden

"How I Got my First Animation Job" Panel

Photo Credit: Grayden

"How I Got my First Animation Job" Panelists with Barnabas

Photo Credit: Grayden

I love these shots from above. I think next year I'm going to add a time-lapse camera here to really capture the amount of footage traffic.

Photo Credit: Grayden

And that's another TAAFI shoot down! This is my "And we're done here!" face. Keep an eye on the TAAFI Website/Facebook pages for further photos and videos from the Job Fair.

Studio Pascal Blais becomes TONIC DNA - A rebrand to mark 35 years of creativity and innovation

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 14:23:00 +0000

Just in time for its 35^th anniversary, internationally acclaimed and Academy Award winning Studio Pascal Blais has reinvented its brand with a new name and image that represents the essence of the organization and what sets it apart: its creative animators and directors and their dynamic, innovative spirit. As of today, the animation production studio will be known as TONIC DNA.

35 years old... and it’s just the beginning

2018 is a true turning point for the brand as it adopts a new look and feel that represents both its 35 years of experience—and its approach looking ahead to the next 35 years. “TONIC DNA reflects our Directors ‘N Animators. With their fresh and dynamic approach, they play a key role not only in our new name but also in our strategy moving forward” says Stefanie Bitton, Vice President and Executive Producer, Advertising. “The coming months and years will set the stage for our future and certainly that of the animation community in Quebec.”

The TONIC DNA team is made up of internationally awarded directors, artists and animation experts, known for the range of animation styles they’ve mastered including 2D, 3D/CGI, Motion Graphics, Stop-Motion, VFX and Live-Action. The studio’s productions include Academy Award winner The Old Man and the Sea, and nominee The Old Lady and the Pigeons. It’s ever-expanding advertising clientele counts high-profile brands such as; McDonald's, United Airlines, Nestlé, Got Milk, Coca-Cola and Cadillac.

Founded in 1983, the studio quickly became a pioneer in Canada thanks to its versatility and the high quality of its productions. “We distinguished ourselves, first and foremost by the creative force of our team,” noted Bernard Lajoie, Co-Founder, Vice President and Executive Producer. “Our portfolio is rich in history with internationally recognized and awarded work. Our Oscar, BAFTA, Genie and Jutra awards have only strengthened our desire to continue producing the highest quality animation content. We want to remain the reference in terms of innovative and original animations.”

Local talent, global projects

Winner of various prestigious awards on the international stage, TONIC DNA will continue to strive to be synonymous with the quality of work on which the studio built its reputation. With offices in Montreal, Toronto and Mexico City, the studio is actively developing co-productions and services for the international entertainment industry. More than ever, TONIC DNA strives to develop and produce top-level content for the advertising industry, Web series, Television and Film, as well as interactive media solutions, for diverse clients around the world.

"This decision to change identity came naturally. Over the past 30 years, many things have changed,” said Howard Huxham, Vice President and Executive Producer, TV & Film. “We are reaching our full potential in terms of advertising, animated series and cinema and we are confident that our new brand will help shine a brighter light on the talent of our directors, animators and artists—both at home and abroad.”

About TONIC DNA

Located in the heart of Old Montreal, TONIC DNA (formerly Studio Pascal Blais) is an internationally acclaimed animation production company. With over 35 years of experience in the animation industry, the studio is at the forefront of creative innovation, offering a full range of services related to the production of commercials, animated series, short films and feature films, as well as branded, digital and interactive content solutions for clients across the globe.

Photo credit: Félix Renaud

TAAFI AND CASO ANNOUNCE 2018 ANIMATION/VFX JOB FAIR

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 02:12:00 +0000

TAAFI AND CASO ANNOUNCE 2018 ANIMATION/VFX JOB FAIR

Industry event to attract top talent and employers

TORONTO, ON – The Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI) will kick off this year’s programming with its annual job fair. TAAFI is once again partnering with Computer Animation Studios of Ontario (CASO) to host the TAAFI x CASO 2018 Animation/VFX Job Fair in Toronto at George Brown College Waterfront Campus on May 5, 2018.

The TAAFI x CASO Animation/VFX Job Fair is a one-of-a-kind recruitment event connecting top studios with Canada's best animation, visual effects and gaming students and professionals.

“This year’s job fair will once again be a top draw for studios, professionals and students in the industry,” said Barnabas Wornoff, co-founder and chair, TAAFI. “Last year’s attendance proved that, not only do we have a sizable and versatile industry in Ontario, we also understand the importance of making connections in the industry. TAAFI and CASO are delighted to continue providing this job-seeking, recruitment and networking opportunity for our community.”

The Exhibitors’ Concourse will include more than 30 studios and recruiting booths for networking with students and professionals. The job fair space will also feature a Portfolio Zone that allows attendees to meet directly with senior artists and receive feedback on portfolios and demo reels. An expanded Presentation Zone will also involve inspirational talks and informative presentations for attendees and recruiters.

Last year’s Job Fair was attended by more than 1,200 industry professionals and students. It included more than 25 companies and schools representing Ontario’s animation, VFX and gaming industries, as well as studios from Montreal and Winnipeg. Toronto Mayor John Tory also made a keynote speech at the event.

The event is free for students and professionals to attend and connect with studios. Companies that are interested in exhibiting or sponsorship can inquire about availability with the organizers at jobfair@taafi.com. To see the growing list of attending studios, visit taafi.com/animationjobfair.com

WHAT: TAAFI x CASO 2018 Animation VFX Job Fair

WHEN: Saturday, May 5, 2018 – 10am to 6pm

WHERE: George Brown Waterfront Campus, 51 Dockside Dr, Toronto, ON M5A 1B6

WHO: Studios and attendees may register at taafi.com/animationjobfair.com

2015 TAAFI Job Fair - What do Animators get from working at Nelvana?

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 14:57:00 +0000

The 2018 TAAFI Job Fair (http://taafi.com/) is fast approaching (May 5, 2018) and in honour of that I'm digging into my archive of all things TAAFI and posting never before seen clips!

The speakers in this clip explain to conference attendees the type of animation that Nelvana makes and the work and training opportunities available for members of the Corus/Nelvana family.

For the 2018 Animation Job Fair TAAFI has partnered with Computer Animation Studios Ontario (CASO) (http://www.casont.ca/).

2015 TAAFI Job Fair - Ben McEvoy Discussing the Donut of Influence (Donuts Included)

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 22:59:00 +0000

The 2018 TAAFI Job Fair (http://taafi.com/) is fast approaching (May 5, 2018) and in honour of that I'm going to dig into my archive of TAAFI footage and post some clips from past events!

This clip features Ben EcEvoy (http://benmcevoy.com/) discussing the Donut of Influence and his philanthropic endeavour "The Smartist" (http://thesmartist.com/).

For the 2018 Animation Job Fair TAAFI has partnered with Computer Animation Studios Ontario (CASO) (http://www.casont.ca/).

5 Female Artists You Need To Know About

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 04:36:00 +0000

I had a chat with the Affolter brothers (Foreshadow Films) today because it is the eve of their attendance at the Canadian Screen Awards for their film Soggy Flakes. As it's International Women's Day I asked them to give a shout out to some of the female artists they know and admire.

So, without further ado, scroll down, click on the links and enjoy the artwork of Laura Bifano, Rebecca Dart, Grace Kim, Sabrina Alberghetti, and Karen Poon.

Laura Bifano

http://www.laurabifano.com

Rebecca Dart

https://r-dart.livejournal.com

Grace Kim

http://jjacsso.tumblr.com

Sabrina Alberghetti

https://sibsy.deviantart.com

Karen Poon

https://poonfolio.portfoliobox.net

Live Stream: Affolter Bros the on the eve of the Canadian Screen Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 20:04:00 +0000

Soggy Flakes has a Canadian Screen Award nomination for 2018 BEST WEB PROGRAM OR SERIES, FICTION and the ceremony is tonight so I arranged to do a live stream with the Affolter brothers (http://www.foreshadowfilms.com/) this afternoon before the ceremony.

We had a quick chat via Skype and I Live Streamed the feed to the Canadian Animation Blog YouTube channel as well. The Live Stream software I'm using has difficultly controlling audio channel volume - so please bear with the audio shifts. I'm hoping to have the kinks worked out for the next broadcast.

While chatting we talked about their web short Soggy Flakes (funded by Telus Storyhive), what category they are nominated for, the fact that the DHX series "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" (which they also worked on) won a bunch of CSAs last night, places Vancouver animators can meet up such as Vanimatic and Drawn Together Vancouver - a group organized to empower and advance women in art (http://drawntogethervancouver.org/), and to wrap up we talked about some of the amazing women in animation that we admire in honour of today being International Women's Day.

The hotel connection started to fail as we were going through the list, so here they are with links to their websites so you can check them out as well:

Lynn Dana Wilton - http://lynnscrowbar.com/
Nora Twomey - @nora877
Rebecca Dart - https://r-dart.livejournal.com
Grace Kim - http://jjacsso.tumblr.com
Sabrina Alberghetti - https://sibsy.deviantart.com
Karen Poon - https://poonfolio.portfoliobox.net
Laura Bifano - http://www.laurabifano.com

You can view the talk here and below that I've embedded Soggy Flakes, so you can see the amazing short these fellows made.

6 Bad Artist Habits to Avoid - Bobby Chiu

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 15:57:00 +0000

Bobby Chiu released this video on his YouTube channel last year that contains great advice for all levels of artists. I'd recommend checking it out!

"The Artists" is a Beautiful New Series All About Video Game History from CBC Arts

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 01:08:00 +0000

CBC Arts has just released a sneak peak at a new series called "The Artists" that delves into stories from the first three decades of the video game industry. This is the official description for the show:

"The Artists dives into the relatively undocumented first three decades of the video game industry and tells you the stories of the designers, companies and, of course, seminal games that have transformed video game history through these eras." - CBC Arts

The two preview episodes are beautifully crafted pieces of art in and of themselves and are a great introduction into video game history. Being a former gaming addict myself, these two preview shorts ("Episode 1: Seeing Farther" and "Episode 4: The Doom Generation") were a nice a trip down memory lane. I still remember playing DOOM on a local area network in the computer lab at the private school one of my uncles taught at.

Anyway, check these two preview episodes out:

Sidenote: Main stream media may not have documented the history of the video game industry - but one look on YouTube and you can easily spend years watching fans go into the history of even the most obscure video games. I'd hazard a guess that video game history may actually be one of the most accessible oral histories in the world due to the fact that gamers have the passion and tech know-how to both consume and make video content about video games. As a result, you have a feedback loop that continually amplifies the signal - that situation results in some very prominent YouTube channels that are based purely on video game history such as "The Gaming Historian" - which has 401,105 subscribers at the time I am writing this.

Animatic T.O. "War Stories" - Barry A Sanders

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 01:01:00 +0000

For one festive night each year Toronto’s animation community comes together to tell their best “War Stories” about life in the trenches of the industry.

This is Barry A Sanders' story.

Recorded in Toronto on December 13, 2017.

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Special Thanks to Barry for sharing his story.
http://www.barrysandersart.com/

Event Organized by Animatic TO, Barry A Sanders - Founder/Organizer
https://www.facebook.com/AnimaticTO

Filmed @ Good Gorilla (formerly The Station)
401 Richmond St. West - Suite LL03
https://www.bygoodgorilla.com/

Filming & Editing by the Canadian Animation Blog
Grayden Laing - Producer/Camera Operator/Editing
http://www.canadiananimationblog.com

Animatic T.O. "War Stories" - John Lei

noreply@blogger.com (Grayden Laing) — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 12:26:00 +0000

For one festive night each year Toronto’s animation community comes together to tell their best “War Stories” about life in the trenches of the industry.

This is John Lei's story.

Recorded in Toronto on December 13, 2017.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Special Thanks to John for sharing his story.
https://vitaegraphicus.wordpress.com

Event Organized by Animatic TO, Barry A Sanders - Founder/Organizer
https://www.facebook.com/AnimaticTO

Filmed @ Good Gorilla (formerly The Station)
401 Richmond St. West - Suite LL03
https://www.bygoodgorilla.com/

Filming & Editing by the Canadian Animation Blog
Grayden Laing - Producer/Camera Operator/Editing
http://www.canadiananimationblog.com