Timbuktoons Studio

Client, Project: Saddleback, concept development, visual development, art direction, character design, frame by frame and limited animation, post production

Description: Saddleback’s thriving work with preschoolers includes a turtle puppet character as part of their castle themed environment. They contacted Timbuktoons to create an animated version of the turtle and an intro sequence to kick-off events. We also created a graphics package including loops and background stills for use with green screen filming.

Panel at the 2011 CTN Animation Expo for the "Chief Artist Officers, those CAO’s Who Create Companies and Brands" workshop.

Another valuable workshop I attended at CTNx was the CAO (Chief Artist Officers) Workshop. Running a studio while being a “hands on creative” is not easy at times and it was refreshing to hear how these wildly successful studio heads balanced creativity, business acumen, shaping studio culture, forecasting, and navigating the pitfalls inherent to the animation industry.

CAO Workshop (From CTNx’s Website)
Artist-Driven Companies that are beating the odds, and finding new ways to innovate. With a general concept and stronghold supporting the long lived misconception that artists can not create or run a business CTN welcomes the CAO’s (Chief Artist Officers) of successful studios, brands and companies.

One common topic discussed by all of the studio heads, was the economy. The economy hit Timbuktoons hard in early 2009 and it was interesting to hear the similarities in how these studios dealt with the economy and how it reshaped aspects of their business and creative workflow.

Below is an overview of each company and a list of key statements that I took away from the discussion. As with other CTNx posts (Andreas Deja, Marcelo Vignali), much more was said, but these are things that resonated with me personally or that I found worth noting. They are not exact quotes in all cases but an overview of what was said.

DUNCAN STUDIO: CAO KEN DUNCAN
www.duncanstudio.com
From CTNx’s Website:
In a remarkable career spanning more than 25 years, visionary animator Ken Duncan has thrived with each new phase of artistic and technological development. After earning three nominations for the outstanding character performances he created at Walt Disney and DreamWorks, Ken opened Duncan Studio in 2007. With the flexibility to work traditionally or in CGI, Duncan Studio is the go-to animation studio for DreamWorks, Disney, Playtone, Focus Features, and other luminous names in the entertainment industry.

Duncan Studio first got on my radar when I saw the Legend of the BoneKnapper short (on DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon DVD release). I loved the art direction, timing, character posing, and humor and had to find out what studio created it. So when I found out Duncan was at this workshop I had to go. Here are some statements from his talk:

• We focus on quality work and have a character animation focus.
• Many studios were started by animators or other creatives.
• You need to give clients clear bids.
• 2008 was tough and the economic crash forced us to let people go after having just started the company 1 year before. It forced us to restructure to spend money wisely in a new climate.

THE THIRD FLOOR: CAO CHRIS EDWARDS
www.thethirdfloorinc.com
From CTNx’s Website:
In 2002, Chris Edwards joined a team of digital artists at Lucasfilm, that were tasked with previsualizing Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Afterwards, Edwards spearheaded the creation of THE THIRD FLOOR, an independent previsualization company in Los Angeles, in 2004.

I didn’t know much about Chris or The Third Floor since Timbuktoons is primarily a 2D character animation studio, but I really tracked with Chris’ thoughts about leadership, studio culture, and customer service. Chris Edwards and the other 5 founders all worked on the 3rd floor at Skywalker Ranch (hence the name) and wanted to build a company that had an employee friendly culture. It has now grown to 120 employees and their main clients have been Marvel and Disney. Here are some statements from his talk:

• We use mocap to mock it up in previz then go thru several iterations before finalizing our previz spots.
• Many scenes are barely touched once the assets are handed over and tweaked for final output.
• You have to build your clients on a personal level.
• You have to focus on high quality.
• Previz is fast paced. You have to be flexible and customer friendly.
• Budgets are built based on day rates per employee. That lets it be flexible/scaleable since there are so many unknowns going into a previz spot.
• We wanted to create a studio environment that was employee friendly, that wouldn’t burn them out even though it’s a fast paced industry.
• Communication is key to employee and customer relations. Over communicate. Stay Close.

(Click here to read CAO Workshop: Part 2)

Talking about animation can be hard sometimes.

Although this is a fictional account, it’s based on actual conversations we’ve had with clients, friends and family. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Timbuktoons:
Thanks for choosing us for your animation needs. We’re excited about starting your project!

Client:
Thanks! So, is this going to be like Toy Story?

Timbuktoons:
Not quite. That’s 3D, and we’re primarily a 2D animation studio.

Client:
Oh…so you can’t make stuff fly out at you? Cuz I really like that! I brought my glasses.

Timbuktoons:
I mean 3D animation versus 2D animation, you’re talking about Stereoscopic 3D.

Client:
3D stereo? Isn’t that called surround sound?

Timbuktoons:
No. Let me explain it this way. Toy Story is CG, as in computer generated. Anything that flies out at you is Stereoscopic 3D…where you wear 3D glasses to see it.

Client:
You mean your animation isn’t computer generated?

Timbuktoons:
Yes, it is. Let me try and explain it again, 3D animation is like moving sculptures and 2D animation is like moving drawings.

Client:
I want a cartoon, not sculptures and drawings.

Timbuktoons:
Ok, nevermind, I understand. You’re cartoon will be either hand-drawn…on the computer, or it’s stylized 2D graphics moving around on screen. Sometimes we’ll do 2D animation composited with a 3D camera. It’s known as 2.5D.

Client:
Ok, so you draw on your computer and think you can split dimensions. Sounds like a personal problem to me. I’m starting to wonder if part of my budget needs to go to your psychiatrist.

Timbuktoons:
Listen. You will like what we produce for you. It will make your wildest dreams come true. People will flock to see it.

Client:
Oh. So, it will be like Toy Story then. That’s exactly what I’ve been saying I want. Why are you confusing me with all that parallel dimension, stereo, and drawing on your hardware talk? I’m not into that string theory stuff.

Timbuktoons:
Sorry. Let’s get started then.

Client:
Great!

Andreas Deja, presenter at the 2011 CTN Animation Expo. Spent 30 years at Disney, currently an independent animator and producer.

Another workshop I attended at the 2011 CTN Animation Expo was the Creator Conversation with Andreas Deja, legendary Disney artist who worked on such films as: The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and more- IMDB).

From CTN’s website:
Deja is best known as the supervising animator of some of the most memorable Disney villains: Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin and Scar from The Lion King. He also animated Roger Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, King Triton from The Little Mermaid, the title character from Hercules, Lilo from Lilo & Stitch, and Queen Narissa from Enchanted. In addition, he is the current resident specialist for the animation of Mickey Mouse.

As a key player during Disney’s “Second Golden Era” and beyond, Deja shared with us from his incredible experience and insight into hand-drawn animation.

The nature of the Creator Conversations is casual, random and in a Q&A format. There were many different topics covered but here are a few key categories that I tuned into during the back-and-forth discussion. These are not all word-for-word quotes or full descriptions, but the general idea of what he was saying.

ON HAND DRAWN VERSUS CG

(His thoughts completely tracked with 2 other CTNx workshops I attended led by Marcelo Vignali and Mike Nguyen (1988 CalArts Grad, Iron Giant, Beauty and the Beast- IMDB)

• Walt Disney always added on. He never killed old mediums.
• I loved Toy Story…but I’m inspired by Jungle Book.
• There is a level of polish on some CG films that takes away from the artists touch. The slicker it looks the less I like it.
• I want to see the artists hand on the screen. I want it to be personal.
• I had a Maya tutor for 2 weeks…but this is for other people to do.

IMPORTANCE OF THUMB-NAILING

• Thumb all possibilities.
• Thumb-nailing takes the most thought and energy.
• Thumbs must convince you it will work.
• Thumbs shouldn’t be any bigger than an orange.

DEVELOPING THE ARTIST WITHIN

• Never be satisfied with yourself. Never stop growing as an artist.

DISNEY FACTOIDS

• Lilo doesn’t have teeth. There are a few scenes where she has to show them, but for most of the movie she has no teeth.
• Disney only has a few scenes of rough animation from the old classics…which is tragic. They mostly kept clean ups.
• Everything on the Deja View blog is pretty much borrowed from Disney.
• Jafar was eccentric AND subtle. Physical and still. Subtleties and holding him back is what made it work.
• A key scene in Lilo was cut. She made up a sad song that really was about her self. It was cut from the film, but it’s on the bonus disc. The same thing happened with Winnie the Pooh recently. Sometimes budget or executive decisions win out over story.

Deja left Disney in January 2011 to venture out on his own as an indie animator/producer. Be sure to check out his inspirational blog Deja View.