FAMOUS GAME DEVELOPERS:
A GLIMPSE OF THE SUPER STARS OF GAMING
BY PETER RIZKALLA

Think about a game that you know and love. Titles such as Gears of War, Super Mario Bros. and Fable are probably the kind of games that pop into your head. Now, think about who created those games. These people are what you could call leaders and influencers of the video game world. So what made these developer's games so great? What led to their success?

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FROM SCRIPTED TO INTERACTIVE:
THE ADVANTAGES OF WORKING AT A GAME STUDIO

Ten years ago, if asked, "what is your dream job?" a junior animator would likely mention one of the major film studios who were creating blockbusters like Monsters, Inc., the Star Wars prequels, Shrek, or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Today, many of these 10-year veteran animators have moved from film animation to game animation to work on mega-hit series like Halo, Team Fortress 2, Half Life, Ratchet and Clank, and Uncharted. What happened in the game industry to encourage such transitions? And what does game animation have to offer current junior animators?

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Check out this month's short film:

Cookie Kid by Animation Mentor alumnus, Emilie Goulet. Read further to discover Emilie's process of her short film from conception to completion.

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Animation Mentor:
What inspired you to learn character animation?

Wayne Gilbert:
Popeye was my inspiration. In grade six I answered the question, 'What do you want to be if/when you grow up?' The answer – an animator, and I had no idea what that meant.

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Animation Mentor:
Why did you select Animation Mentor to study animation?

Jess Morris:
I was frustrated. I had graduated from college not really feeling like I knew how to animate. I knew enough to get into a motion capture game studio as an intern, which turned into an animation position. But after a couple of years there, even though I was learning a lot, I didn't feel my skills were moving in the direction I wanted them to. I was constantly doing studies and animation tests on my own. I read every animation book I could get my hands on, but I still felt like something was missing. I didn't know if anything I was doing was right! None of my animation felt "alive," and I couldn't figure out why. I felt like there were so many holes in my animation knowledge and I had no idea how to fill them.

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NEW CLIENTS: THE FREELANCE ANIMATOR'S SIREN
TIPS & TRICKS WITH KENNY ROY

Many animators will find freelance employment well before finding a studio gig. And most of the clients who work with new animators are new to animation themselves. You need to know a few things in order to navigate these rough seas, or you might find yourself up against the breakers.

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Geek Fact

Did you know that the earliest surviving example of an animated film is Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) by newspaper cartoonist J. Stuart Blackton?

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Movie & Games Preview

The Animation Mentor Newsletter is your inside guide to U.S. movie and game releases and the visual effect companies who make movie magic.

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