Crazeewalrus Studio

JAZZ, PUPPETS AND [insert something clever]…

2010-09-05T06:43:00.004-04:00

So here we are again, standing on the precipice of something fantastic (hopefully). This past week, I submitted my entry in to the Jacksonville Jazz Festival poster contest. I like the design, but I think it may be too contemporary/modern for Jax, but hopefully not. They tend to find traditional mediums of art more appealing it seems.

Was really inspired by Al Hirshfeld and old school cartoons. Wanted to play with tapering lines to describe and create the performers as well a give life to the visuals. I really enjoyed the line work in black and white, but I added a few splashes of color to make it pop.

Initially, I was fabricating puppets for this poster, but time caught up with me. I will have to complete my "3-D" poster this time around and submit it as my entry next year. IT. WILL. BE. AWESOME.

48 hour film

2010-06-25T00:17:00.002-04:00

Here is a little motion graphics bumper created for the Jacksonville 48 hour film festival. Unfortunately, it was cut from the final product.

Hot Rod Todd from boaktree on Vimeo.

Giant Puppet: UPDATE

2010-06-21T22:09:00.009-04:00

Sorry for the delay in picture posting. Have the backpack puppet finished. It takes three people to operate, and stands about 8ft tall once put on. The body of the puppet moves nicely, but I will have to solidify the backpack structure to support the puppet.

In the beginning…
Constructed the head using cardboard to get the face shape. Once the shape of the face was together, the feature were built up using newspaper to form the features. Finalizing the features and built them up applying newspaper with a cornstarch glue mixture.

Once the head was done, begin the detailing process by painting, adding teeth and hair. Pretty fun process. I don't thing I got the colors right, so next time we'll get it right!

…coming together.

Pretty much after the detailing, everything was set except tying up some loose ends, and creating the covering for the puppeteer. The hands were created using the same build-up process, but I forgot to photograph :(.

Anyhoo, here is the final puppet with all of the fixin's. I have no name for him, so feel free to submit name ideas.

Til' next time, make good choices.

TINY INVENTIONS

2010-06-16T18:55:00.003-04:00

Something Left, Something Taken from Tiny Inventions on Vimeo.

Here is a cool little short created by Tiny Inventions (Electric Car music video). The short is an animated dark comedy about a vacationing couple and their encounter with a man they believe is the Zodiac Killer. Very funny and I love the style and design.

New Stop Mo show on Adult Swim

2010-06-15T01:36:00.002-04:00

Greetings! I was just browsing through some post over at Lineboil.com, when I came across a posting for a new show produce by Shadow Machine in LA called Mary Shelley's Frankenhole. Its seems really interesting as far as the creation of the puppets. They almost have a paper cut-out look to them. I guess I will have to get cable soon so I can take a look at the show which debuts on June 27th.

Until next time, make good choices.

Giant Puppet

2010-06-10T12:13:00.002-04:00

New backpack puppet is coming along. Will post some pics here shortly. I have a very strict deadline, so i'm racing to the line to get it done and looking awesome. Who knew it would be so much work. ;D

IRON BABY!!!

2010-05-28T19:43:00.001-04:00

Words cannot describe how awesome this is!!!

I Love Three Legged Legs

2010-05-18T13:13:00.003-04:00

Ever since Kevin turned me onto this studio with the Zombie Puppet ZUNE commercial, I've been taking a great interest into this company. The most current little piece of theirs is a quirky little animated commercial for Starbucks. Completed from start to finish in four days, these guys are hard core artist. Check out the vid here.

Starbucks | Crazy Beliefs - Three Legged Legs

ZOMBIE PUPPETS!!!

2010-05-15T20:40:00.004-04:00

DANG MAN!!! I thought I'd do it first, but this is awesome. Thanks to my buddy Kev, he sent me this pretty sweet zune commercial made with felt puppets that are…ZOMBIES!!!

Not only is there an awesome commercial, but they go through pre-production and production of the storyboards and puppets. A definite must see for you guys.

Love the idea of soft puppets operated by puppeteers, and them being composited out. Thanks for the link Kev.

AMAZING!!!

http://www.threeleggedlegs.com/repertoire/zune/

OMG, I suck at this.

2010-05-11T23:09:00.002-04:00

So, I've been uber busy with classes the past couple of months, so I've neglected my two followers, LOL. New Goal as of 5/11/10, I will create a blog post every week. the blogs will relate to animation or puppetry in some shape or form. So...the new one for today is I've revamped my flatbook. I have some new materials I have to add, but it's moving in a good direction I think.

Boy Bingo

2010-02-26T21:43:00.003-05:00

Here is a small little flash short I threw together to submit to a local animation festival. I still want to get some more stuff with it cleaned up, but I'm really happy with the outcome thus far.

Let me know what you think!

LAIKA ONLY TO DO STOP MOTION!!!!!

2009-09-19T16:27:00.003-04:00

Hello all.

Well just found this small article posted over at Cartoonbrew.com stating that Laika has decided to scrap making any CG features to focus on producing stop motion features. WHA!!!! Thats AWESOME!!! Don't get me wrong, but I feel terrible for the several talented CG artist that were laid off, but hopefully this will open up the doors for up any up and coming stop motion artist to get their foot in the door.

Considering the specialization of the field, as well as its tight knit community, I hope the studio will use this move to offer up chances for newbies to start their new life as stop motion animators and artist. I for one and super excited about this news, and hope to get the opportunity to work with Laika in the future.

You can read the full article here: http://www.cartoonbrew.com/stop-motion/laika-cuts-computer-animation-staff.html

Lets take a Ride in an Electric Car!!!!

2009-09-10T17:16:00.003-04:00

Well, I was browsing the motionographer.com and they posted a really interesting stop motion style video. Its for a song by They Might be Giants, and the animation was created by Tiny Inventions. Very fun little video using what appear to be found objects and recycled materials to further promote going green. Love the idea and the concept. Looks like most of the character animation was done in After Effects, which in and of itself is a pretty hardcore program.

Well, here is the video, I hope you enjoy. Be sure to watch the making of vid too...shows a ton about how they created the video.

La Nostalgia del Sr. Alambre

2009-08-12T11:33:00.001-04:00

La Nostalgia del Sr. Alambre from Jonathan Ostos Yaber on Vimeo.

So I got this tweet from Marc over at animateclay.com about this new stop mo festival film thats going around called La Nostalgia del Sr. Alambre (I have no idea what it means). Anyhoo... It uses stop motion puppets and 3D sets and backgrounds. Not only that, but it uses many other forms of animation to convey the story as well(2d, shadow/silhouette puppetry).

I love the design of the characters, and I'm pretty please with the CG backgrounds. I think it makes the film somewhat of a treat for the eye. Will be very interested in seeing this film dubbed or sub titled.

**UPDATE** I was sent a message from the animations Director Jonathan Ostos Yaber and he supplied me a direct link to the trailer for the film.

Thanks Jonathan for the information!!!

Romance

2009-08-11T00:05:00.000-04:00

Here are some puppets I created for a short film for the 48hr Jacksonville Film Festival. For the time I had to make them, I think they turned out fairly well, but as always, much room for improvement. Enjoy!!!

Here are the puppets in action too!!!

Oldie but a Goodie!

2009-08-03T22:41:00.000-04:00

I was searching through the interweb when I remembered one of the first found object stop motion projects that I screened. The title was Mr. Resistor. It was done by Mark Gustafson at Will Vinton Studios. A very strange but interestingly funny piece. Fun and clever little animation. Just thought I would share it with you.

** Side note, this is what partially inspired a film Hanna Bliss and myself created entitled "The Yard".**

Stop Motion Workshop

2009-08-01T13:11:00.001-04:00

Soooo.... I will be hosting at Stop Motion workshop for my School, the Art Institute of Jacksonville later this month. Its gonna feature a puppet fabrication workshop on one day, and then an animation workshop on the following day. SUPER EXCITING!!!!

Another STOP MOTION FEATURE!!!!

2009-08-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

@ Yahoo! Video

Very different from anything we've seen in recent years. I will be one of the first in line to see it, but I am not sure what I think about it. I love the fact it has the traditional characteristics of old school stop motion, but will the style hold up as a feature? Thought?

Playing around with Flash and Illustrator....

2009-03-18T22:36:00.000-04:00

I AM ALIVE!!!! Sorry I haven't posted in FOREVER, but I have been busy working at my new job as a college prof, so I've been keeping busy. So A friend of mine sent me a link to this animation tutorial, so I thought I'd play around with and see what developed. So here is the result. I created two characters as well as a bloo character in the style of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Then created a quick background in Illustrator. Fun with Flash!!!

Playing in flash from boaktree on Vimeo.

Still Alive

2007-09-06T00:42:00.001-04:00

Sorry Guys...I know its been a while since I've updated, but I've been working like a fiend and in between moving and tons of other stuff. Hopefully after I get settled wherever I end up, there shall have some new material.

-B

I'VE BEEN TAGGED: 7 THINGS ABOUT BRIAN

2007-07-09T18:33:00.000-04:00

1. I am from Raleigh North Carolina, but I currently reside in Savannah, GA. I am in the process of starting my career as an artist, and I'm looking forward to relocating to some amazing destination.

2. Other than my love and passion for stop motion an animation, I am an avid roller coaster, amusement park and theme park enthusist. Ultimately, my life's ambition is to design and build my own theme park.

3. I come from an amazingly wonderful and crazy family. Moving to Savannah to go to school was one of the most exciting, yet hardest things for me to do, considering how close knit my family is.

4. During the summer of 2006, I was fortunate enough to be a puppet fabrication intern at Shadow Machine Films on a show called Moral Orel. I got to work with several animators and fabricators that I admire and look too for inspiration. Not to mention, they worked on several stop motion movies and shows that I love!

5. I love to laugh, and make people laugh. Being silly is probably one of the things that I do best.

6. Before I began studying to become an animator, I was pretty much set on becoming an architect or a mechanical engineer.

7.The most surreal moment of my life was when I was given a cake by Seth Green (but the cake was baked by my buddy ROSA, who is an awesome baker ;D...). I made an elaborate scheme to spark a conversation with Mr. Green before I left to come back to school, but the tables were turned, and thus the joke was played on me.

Sorry, forgot to do this before, but I tag...Michael Granberry.

Vinnie has made some PROGRESS!!!!

2007-05-20T23:53:00.000-04:00

Hey All!

I finally have some new and up to date photos of my puppet Vinnie.

I am thinking as far as the fur bell bottoms go, I think that I may trim it down a little. I have been thinking of using a different process to make the head for the character, but as of right now it it a little foam buildup over a resin skull.

Look for finished photos soon! ::FINGERS CROSSED AGAIN::

New Stuff!

2007-05-11T11:54:00.000-04:00

Hey all! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been working hard putting together my portfolio package, considering I will be finishing school in 3 weeks, and graduating with my MA. So in honor of that, I wanted to post a more up to date demo reel with some new stuff.

I hope you enjoy, and hopefully soon, I will have more puppet photos and a finished puppet soon!! ::FINGERS CROSSED::

Also, I will give you a glimpse into work other than my stop motion too; in my animation flatbook.** The file is a 18 mb pdf, but I think its worth the download :D!

Animation Flatbook.pdf

New advancements!!!

2007-02-28T15:12:00.000-05:00

Well, just a little update from my previous new project. I am currently working on making a mold for a character that I am using for a small project. Here is the semi final sculpt of the character to create my stone mold from.

The mold is done, and as soon as I get more photos to post, you will see'um here first!

Peter and the Wolf: Stop Motion Goodness

2007-02-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

Simply amazing!!! I Found this info over at Animate Clay. Production on Peter and the Wolf finally wrapped at Simafor Studios in Poland. There is an article from VFXTalk.com that has some nice clips of cleaning up rigs and backgrounds in the animation.

Read the article and see the amazing clips here:

Stop motion goodness

SAVanijam

2007-02-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone... just thought I would post one of my most recent animations. I recently participated in the SAVanijam, which is a 24 hour animation competition.

We were given a theme, which was spin and twist this year, and given a full 24 hrs to create a piece. It was a last minute decision to enter the competition, but I did, and I was going to animate in flash. I KNOW, I KNOW...thats blasphemous to my stop mo heart, so that is why I ultimately decided to do it in stop motion.

::and the crowd cheers::

Well, here is the product, done in around 14 hours! Introducing, Magical Max.

New Project

2006-11-04T17:58:00.000-05:00

Hey all...(the two people who read this), lol. Here is my most recent project. I made this maquette for a stop motion a character that I am about to start working on. I am planning to use foam injection or either foam build up to create this character. For a maquette, I thought it turned out extremely well, and I only anticipate the acutal puppet being even better.

The characters name is Vinnie, and he lives in a world of crazy little creatures much like himself. Hopefully, I will have some maquettes of some of the other creatures in his world. Keep an eye out for updates.

Vote for MEEEEE!!!

2006-08-17T00:34:00.000-04:00

Hey all... I have entered two of my stop motion shorts into this online animation festival called AniBoom, so please visit the links and vote for my movies. Even if you hate them, give'em a five, or however the ratings go. Thanks a ton for the help.

The Yard:

http://aniboom.com/Pages/Application/Player/Player.aspx?animationID=1585

The Stone Dragon

http://aniboom.com/Pages/Application/Player/Player.aspx?animationID=1584

THE YARD

2006-08-15T00:32:00.000-04:00

Hey Hey Hey... Here is my very first stop motion animation (besides cut-out) completed during the summer of 2004. This project entitled "The Yard" was created and animated by myself and my classmate Hanna. The story chronicles a creature who goes to the yard to find something that he feels will complete him, but little does he know, he is not the only one looking for this same piece. ENJOY!!

THE YARD

A few of my stop motion creations!

2006-08-11T02:28:00.000-04:00

A few on my stop motion creations! All of these characters are the ones I am planning to use in my thesis film at SCAD. There will be one additional character, but he will be completely 2D.

AJ Newman: One of the main characters in the story. His head has been redesigned a bit, so I should have more up to date pics when I get back to SAV.

Barrit Von Doogle: Another one of the main characters in my film. He is the main Oddity at Mr. E's Famous traveling freak show.

Another shot.

The Bear: TOOO Cute eh? This is a special little addition to the story.

Ethan Ogler: Crazy tall character that is the operator of the High Strike game on Mr.E's midway.

This is one of the props that I created for the project. I couldn't have asked for a better turnout.

A closer detailed shot.

About time...

2006-08-11T01:47:00.001-04:00

Wow... My first post. Now that I finally figured out how to do this, thanks for stopping in to read my blog. In case you didn't know, my name is Brian Oakley, and I am a stop motion animator who is currently interning at Shadow Animation as a puppet fabricator. The internship is AWESOME, and is going very well. Not only have I been learning tons of stuff about making puppets for television, but I have met several great animators like Misha Klein, Ethan Marak, Chris Calvi, Josh Jennnings and several other talented people (some of which you can find under my links). Well, I will try my best to keep you informed on the internship and the developments in my projects as they come up.

-B