2018 was another amazing year for video games across all platforms. VR might not have been the paradigm shift that many predicted, but it’s still a really fun and immersive new frontier for developers to explore. We had amazing strategy games, crazy party games as well as some incredible characters and stories that show that gaming is firmly an art form that deserves attention and respect.   Into the Breach   Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC Genre: Turn-based strategy, roguelike This is an amazing little strategy game from the studio that brought you FTL. You’re a trio of mech p ..read more

  Virtual reality is an innovative medium that’s altering how we consume entertainment and information. When faced with a millennial generation that’s unpredictable in the way they spend their time and money, VR seems to be meeting an increased demand for ‘experience’ over ‘material’. This desire to achieve greater levels of immersion and proximity is where exiting new narrative possibilities are being explored in virtual experiences. The ripples of this trend are definitely being felt in the animation space as well – more studios than ever are experimenting with productions for VR and AR ..read more

  1900 – The Enchanted Drawing   We kick things off with a silent film by J. Stuart Blackton, who some call the father of animation. His silent film shot in Thomas Edison’s Black Moria studio in New Jersey is credited as the first animated sequence on film ever. An actor essentially does a bit of prop work and a cartoon man drawn on an easel occasionally changes expression thanks to some basic stop motion photography. Nothing fancy, but enough to capture the imagination of its viewers and other’s looking to run with this new and exciting visual entertainment medium. 1906 – Humo ..read more

  Vimeo has established itself as a friendly, accessible and supportive platform for budding artists and jumbo studios alike. This is fortunate for us because animators are just as prone to running low on inspiration as the next creative! So, for a handful of channels bristling with inspiring show reels, practical tutorials, and thoughtful curation that’s all bundled up with a community that fosters all things creative, take a peek below.   6. Method We kick things off with a channel that will definitely give students and animation newbies something to shoot for. Method offer a real ..read more

A new trend has emerged in animation production over the last few years. One that champions smaller studios with projects of passion, giving more power to the fans that want to see them made real. Crowdfunding is a means of project funding whereby you ask the internet at large to stump up a bit of cash in order to show your support and prove that a project is worth getting made. Funds partially or fully pay for animators, software, studio space, all sorts. There are some awesome video games, movies, albums, board games and inventions that have been created only with the help of the donations g ..read more

  Motion capture is already a vital tool in the repertoire of many filmmakers looking to represent creatures, robots, monsters and aliens. Andy Serkis, arguably the face of mocap, has even co-founded The Imaginarium, a production company and digital performance-capture studio dedicated to the invention of believable, emotionally engaging digital characters using performance capture technology. It’s a discipline set to go from strength to strength thanks to the relationship between motion capture actors and animators. But do you know who was in the mocap suit behind your favourite CGI char ..read more

  This week, grab the popcorn and join us as we take a chronological romp through what we think are the most iconic visual effects scenes in movie history. Although stuff like the melting faces in Raiders of the Lost Ark and the werewolf transformation in American Werewolf in London are incredible, we’re going to be sticking a little more to animation-related VFX. Let’s get into it!   Jason and the Argonauts (1963) – The Skeleton Duel Let’s kick things off with a classic moment of stop motion model work. Each 8-10 inches high, these 7 skeletons burst from the ground and attack Jason ..read more

  Animation is like a lion on the Serengeti: alluring, fascinating but also pretty intimidating. There’s plenty of interest in this profession and the industries associated with it for good reason: it’s one of the coolest jobs going. So because we love you lot so much, this week we’ve done our utmost to answer some of the most frequently asked questions in an effort to demystify animation. Let’s crack on. Where can you work in animation? We get it, TV and film is the obvious draw for many of you who are curious about the profession, but it’s by no means the only path to becoming a success ..read more