Pixar’s Michal Makarewicz: Animation Demo + Lecture Masterclass at Gnomon

From Gnomon:

NOTE: Event runs 9am – 7pm on Saturday, February 20 AND 9am – 7pm on Sunday, February 21. 

The Animation Collaborative, and Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games + Animation are proud to present the Animation Demo & Lecture Masterclass with instructor Michal Makarewicz, Directing Animator at Pixar Animation Studios!

Geared toward students and experienced animators alike, this masterclass discusses animation from a variety of artistic perspectives, breaking down and explaining the simplest to most complex theories, ideas, and choices. This course focuses on a layered approach and features in-depth lectures with corresponding LIVE demonstrations in Autodesk Maya and industry-proven techniques for handling both common and unusual animation challenges.

Using examples of work by the instructor and other professional animators, each information-packed lecture is designed to deconstruct a specific topic and show the effects that various choices and techniques can have on your work. The corresponding live demos then illustrate how to incorporate these choices into your work so that your ideas read clearly from blocking to polish. Students are also shown tips and tricks for keeping a clean workflow in Autodesk Maya’s graph editor throughout the animation process.

We believe that true understanding of the animation process goes beyond simply discussing the subject matter. Our Animation Demo & Lecture Masterclass offers the unique opportunity to see how one of the industry’s most talented artists approaches animation – LIVE in front of you. Get the tools you need to create your own feature-quality animation, and don’t miss out on an exciting opportunity to meet and network with others in the industry!

Curriculum:

In-Depth Lectures Include: 

  • Acting and Performance
  • Eyes
  • Brows
  • Working With Dialogue
  • Variety of Animation Workflows
  • The Graph Editor
  • Planning and Blocking
  • Polish
  • Q&A

LIVE Demonstrations in Maya:

  • Bouncing Ball
  • Complex Physical Shot
  • Acting Shot


Includes 30-page booklet of Instructor’s Notes!

Instructor
Michal Makarewicz joined Pixar Animation Studios in early 2003. He has animated on The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Toy Story 3, Cars 2, Brave, and Inside Out. Michal has been a Supervising Animator on the Up DVD short film Dug’s Special Mission, Directing Animator on Cars 2, and was Supervising Animator on Pixar’s first half-hour TV special, “Toy Story of Terror.” Michal was awarded an Annie for “Outstanding Character Animation in a Feature Production” by the International Animated Film Society for his work on Ratatouille. Michal is currently working on Pixar’s upcoming feature film Finding Dory.

In addition to his work at Pixar, Michal has been teaching animation since 2005. He has contributed lectures as well as taught classes at the online school Animation Mentor, and has instructed classes at California College of the Arts and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Michal has also been a contributing mentor to the Pixar internship program for the last seven years, helping foster growth and development within the company. Michal owns and operates The Animation Collaborative, located in Emeryville, CA. The Animation Collaborative offers a series of workshops in animation, character design, story, and a variety of other subjects, all led by some of the most talented artists and instructors in the industry.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING:

“This class exceeded my expectations in every way. The content involved material that I could not have found in any book… It contained real and applicable solutions to problems that we as animators face regularly.”

– Carolina Quesada

“Mike’s approach to animating is just…refreshing. It not only allows you to be more exploratory with ideas but to solve issues quickly.”
– Faisal Naqvi

“The lectures and demos were extremely insightful, and Mike boiled down complex topics into clear, actionable lessons… His layered approach to animation sets the foundation for a more efficient workflow and faster editing. Take this masterclass if you want to push your skills to the next level!” – Jonathan Sundy

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS:

Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games + Animation
Called “the MIT of visual effects” by Fast Company magazine, Gnomon offers an unrivaled experience for students and boasts a 2015 placement rate of 94%. For over 15 years, Gnomon has educated many of the world’s best digital artists, and offers a variety of educational options to help students reach their goals in the entertainment industry, with full-time two- and three-year programs, specialized courses for high school students, and over 100 individual courses for professional enrichment. Gnomon’s campus is located in Hollywood, California. Every classroom has been designed to cultivate creativity and learning by mimicking the environments of real production studios. The 30,000 square foot facility has seven state-of-the-art computer labs, a green-screen stage, two cycloramas, dedicated sculpture labs, a drawing studio, lecture spaces, student lounges, a student store, and the Gnomon Gallery.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

CANCELLATION POLICY
Tuition fee includes non-refundable registration fee of $75.00 USD. Cancellations for refund of remainder of tuition fee ($400.00 USD) will be accepted up to 3 weeks before the event. From 20-10 days before the event, a cancellation fee of $100 USD will apply. From 9 days before the event and after, refunds cannot be provided. Event tickets are non-transferable.

FEES & TAXES
Tuition fee is $475.00 USD total. There are no taxes, ticketing fees or service charges. However, for international attendees, there MIGHT be a “foreign transaction fee” of 1-3% applied by your credit card issuer. This fee, if any, is beyond The Animation Collaborative’s control and is the purchaser’s responsibility, including for any cancel, refund, or discount transactions. Financial aid is not available for this event.

EVENT CHANGES
The event organizer, The Animation Collaborative, reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event with reasonable discretion and for any reason (inclement weather, low enrollment, instructor illness, or any other unforeseen disruptive circumstances). In the case of cancellation by The Animation Collaborative, the full event fee, including the registration fee of $75.00 USD, will be refunded. If the event is postponed, registrants will have the option to either receive a full refund, or transfer their registration to the rescheduled event. In all cases, The Animation Collaborative shall have no further liability beyond the event fee ($475.00 USD). We regret that any transportation and hotel costs, cancellation penalties, or any other non-recoverable costs incurred by registrants are not refundable. In the event of any unforeseen last-minute scheduling problems, we reserve the right to substitute an equivalent, qualified instructor who might not be listed in the class description.

AGE RESTRICTIONS
Attendees must be over the age of 18.

RECORDING
A pen and paper are recommended for taking notes. Attendees will also receive a 24-page booklet of instructor’s notes. Laptop/tablet computers are permitted, but please no recording with these or other devices. NO AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING OF THE CLASS MATERIAL OF ANY KIND IS PERMITTED. DISTRIBUTION OF THE INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES IS ALSO PROHIBITED. Out of respect for fellow attendees and the instructors, we ask that attendees please refrain from live tweeting, texting, phone calls, etc. during the class.

QUESTIONS?
Please contact The Animation Collaborative at:  info@animationcollaborative.com

WHEN
WHERE
Gnomon School of Visual Effects – 1015 North Cahuenga Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90038 –View Map

Registration is open for two full days of instruction by Pixar Directing Animator, Michal Makarewicz, at Gnomon on February 20 – 21, 2016. His Animation Demo and Lecture Masterclass is geared towards students and experienced animators alike, and will cover a variety of artistic perspectives. The two-day course features in-depth lectures with live demonstrations in Maya, focusing on industry-proven techniques for handling common and unusual animation challenges.

Members of our mailing list get to use coupon code ANIMCB75 for $75 off.

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