Animex Workshops
Wednesday 8 February
Foyer, Europa Building, Teesside University, Middlesbrough
Animex Workshops give you access to some of the most highly respected artists in the animation and games industry, giving you a unique opportunity to meet and learn from the best.
Workshop Wednesday sells out very quickly, so book your tickets as soon as you can.
All workshops on offer will be detailed below as and when they become available.
WORKSHOP: Acting for animators
Ed Hooks, Author of Acting for Animators
9.30am - 4.30pm (lunch break 12.30pm-1.30pm) |
One session (full day) 50 places £25
This workshop is specifically for animators. The fact is that animators and stage actors use the same acting theory, but they perceive and apply it differently. Stage actors work 'in the present moment'; animators have 24-frames-make-a-second, i.e. the illusion of a present moment. Animators do not need to learn how to emotionally stimulate themselves in the present moment. They do not need to practice relaxation exercises or sense memory or emotional recall - all of which are standard for stage actors.
Get a pass for this workshop
Ed Hooks's biography
MASTERCLASS: Creating Believable Fight Scenes
Professor Stuart Sumida, California State University San Bernardino
9.30am - 4.30pm (lunch break 12.30pm - 1.30pm) |
One session (full day) 10 places £25
Hot on the heels of his webinar for Animation Mentor on the Anatomy of a Fight, Stuart will combine his experience as an anatomical consultant for numerous studios and films with over 40 years as a martial artist to focus on the biomechanics of fighting and fight scenes - aimed particularly at animators. To do this he will draw from the many films on which he's worked that included fight scenes including Cats and Dogs, Mulan, Tarzan, and many others. This class will help animators to consider fight mechanics, weapons handling, and scene construction with an eye toward exciting and animatable scenarios. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. There will be no actual fighting, but you won't be sitting still!
Get a pass for this masterclass
Stuart Sumida's biography
MASTERCLASS: Creating an effective story and how to pitch it
Max Howard, Max Howard Consulting Group
9.30am - 12.30pm |
One session (half day) 20 places £20
In this interactive session, Max will provide detailed information on how to succinctly create and effectively pitch a story for any type of film and TV production, live action or animation.
Get a pass for this masterclass
Max Howard's biography
WORKSHOP: Engage your left brain - practical maths and physics for digital artists
Hans Rijpkema, Production Technology Lead, Rhythm & Hues Studios
1.30pm - 4.30pm |
One session (half day) 10 places £25
Maths and physics formulas might be intimidating and scary for many digital artists. But understanding a little bit of it might actually be quite useful. This workshop explains the mysteries of coordinate systems, the troubles with rotations that cause the locking up of joints, the physics of characters jumping and falling and how to avoid motions that look unnatural, and much more. It's aimed at digital artists without a deep scientific background but who wish to gain an understanding of the technology in order to improve their art.
Get a pass for this workshop
Hans Rijpkema's biography
MASTERCLASS: Practical storyboarding
Fraser MacLean, Penciltown Animation
9.30am - 4.30pm (lunch break 12.30pm - 1.30pm) |
One session (full day) 20 places £30
As a veteran of Warner Brothers and Disney Feature Animation, Fraser MacLean brings his Masterclass to Animex for the first time. In this full day session, you will plan and create a rough first-pass storyboard for a three minute music video, working from a choice of three different story-telling pre-recorded music tracks.
Get a pass for this masterclass
Fraser MacLean's biography
WORKSHOP: Creative visualisation
Ken Wong, Freelance Artist and Designer
9.00am - 12.30pm and 1.30pm - 5.30pm |
Two sessions (half day) 20 places £20
Creative visualisation, also known in non-fancy words as 'concept art', is all about coming up with ideas and being able to draw them clearly and awesomely for other people to see. You'll learn techniques for producing bigger, more interesting and more varied ideas and how to get them down on paper clearly and rapidly, through a series of brainstorming exercises, sketch sessions and assignments.
Get a pass for the morning workshop
Get a pass for the afternoon workshop
Ken Wong's biography
WORKSHOP: But is it fun?
Alex Trowers, Designer/Project Manager, Remote Studios
9.30am - 4.30pm (lunch break 12.30pm - 1.30pm) |
One session (full day) 40 places £25
It may have an epic storyline, use the latest incarnation of the Awesomesauce Omni-Engine and feature voice talent from beyond the world of daytime TV, but is it actually any good to play? Gameplay is the silver bullet. It's what keeps players coming back after the warm, post-purchase glow has subsided, the achievements have all been gathered and the credits have rolled. It's that 'just one more go' feeling that takes you well beyond bedtime and causes you to flunk college. This workshop aims to show how gameplay can be extracted from just about everything around you. It is also really good fun to play.
