Here are the sketches for my  multi character assignment. First image is the thumbnail sketch for the shot.

The second image below is the camera layout. After some discussions with my mentor a few things have been changed since creating these. One of the biggest most notible ones is the gunman character in the layout diagram.

He has been moved across the counter. Which is where he was originally going to be. However at the last minute I ended up using new rigs that became available to us.  The new characters are Dan and Glenn from AnimationRigs.com. Glenn happens to be short and stubby and Dan super tall.  I really liked their contrast but it posed a problem getting them to fit balanced in the same shot. If I had them both on the same side of the counter that fixed the problem. With Glenn closer to the camera he was higher in perspective. However after the discussion my mentor Mark had stated since he is behind the counter and we never see his true size or feet, to fake it. Raise him up to where he fits nicely in the shot. He mentioned that this happens all the time in the big studios to make a shot better.  Since raising the Glenn character up the shot now seems to be working better. No one the wiser except you fine folks who made it this far into the post know he is floating a foot or so off the ground.

Below is a screen shot of an early layout shot

With the dialog shot they always start out with pick an audio clip. While fun it can be pretty daunting going through hundreds of audio clips until one clicks.  We have to pick three that we feel we could do and later narrow it down to one after discussing with out mentor. Below were the title cards I used to turn in with the audio.The first clip is from Tropic Thunder. The second two were from the office. I really liked shot two but at the time did not have any clear vision for how to lay it out. Shot 1 came to me instantly and with looming deadlines it was the clear winner. Not only that I also could easily picture in my head the facial expression and thoughts going through both characters heads.

If you click on the pictures they will take you to a site to hear the clips

 I will be attending the CTN Expo (Creative Talent Network) on the 21st. I will be there all day Saturday. I am keeping Sunday open depending how well the floor events are. If anyone is going and would like to meet up send me an e-mail! 

Below is the official CTN-X Press release

Hosted by the Creative Talent Network®
Be a part of the only dedicated Expo for animation talent in the USA—located in the #1 market, Burbank California, this event fills a substantial void by providing highly focused conference programming, workshops, recruiting, presentations and networking opportunities designed to connect animation artists, studio executives and industry leaders both locally and internationally.

Launched in 2004 CTN (The Creative Talent Network) is a virtual community of animation artists from some of the highest grossing films in the history of animation who come together once a year to showcase their work and connect with other creatives. As the leaders of this community our mission is to empower the talent and engage with studios and educators. Making meaningful connections that propel talent into positions within the animation, games and surrounding industries is at the heart of what we do.

“Great ideas and meaningful connections happen most often in the hallways and casual gatherings of creative and talented people!.” says Tina Price founder of CTN and award winning animator, industry pioneer and 24 year former animation professional with the Walt Disney Animation Studios. The CTN Animation Expo is a unique event that brings these creative talents together by providing a collaborative arena in the heart of the animation market to promote employment, education and industry growth — and have some FUN doing it!

Event includes:
Artist panels / interviews
Special exhibits and demonstrations
2D and 3D demonstrations
Speed Talent Recruiting Mixers
Privileged access Networking
Leaders of the Industry Discussions
One on One Critiques

Dreamwork's new trailer for How to Train Your Dragon was just released. Looks pretty good. Co directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo and Stitch). I was lucky enough to meet him a few years back at the Comicon. He was very cool.

Here is a cool spooky animation. I really like the simple style. Happy Halloween!