Disney Internship: Merry-Go-Round

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I spent a solid day exploring Disney World and sketching. This was a merry-go-round at Disney World. Late in the internship I would use a merry-go-round as inspiration for some story boarding I did.

I had already finished the second animation assignment which was a jump. I was feeling guilty that I finished so fast. So I started a second jump but abandoned it since I like the first animation better.

For some reason I had been given a Snow White poster and I wanted to give it to my niece Nikki. I was also given an Aladdin tape and I probably still have that packed away in some box somewhere.

24 at the Renaissance

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24 is set in a 1920s speakeasy. An email arrived that gave the secret password to be given at the door. I met Seth and Genevieve in the line to get in. They didn’t get the email, so I filled them in on the Latin password. Genevieve memorized the password immediately but I forgot it the second I told them.

Security is tight at the Renaissance Theater Company, 415 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL . I didn’t bring my art bag since bags are not allowed. I just brought my iPad. Getting through the metal detector with all my change, pencils, phone, keys, wallet and iPad took some time. We were all issued bright green arm bands.

Once inside I masked up. I was one of two who did. At the foot of a tall staircase we were introduced to the mantra of mother. A woman complained bitterly about the religious fervor of mother and the endless debauchery we were about to experience. Then we entered a laundry. The man behind the counter lamented the recent violence in the city. I was in his line of sight and he called me over. He asked if I wished to place an order. Since I didn’t know what he was talking about I said “no.” He told me to step aside and asked the next guest the same question. That person said “no” and was told to stand beside me. Finally the third person said “yes” and whispered the secret password in the mans ear. They were let into the venue through a beaded curtain. The laundry machines were actually doors to back rooms. I had to scan a code with my phone to get more words of wisdom from mother.

I was allowed in and sat at a table in the corner which was marked with my name. The woman seated beside me looked stunning in her vintage flapper dress. Quite a few woman had taken the trouble to dig out their flapper dresses and bejeweled headbands. A six piece band provided the music though I never caught sight of them. The singing was stellar. The show itself featured some fast paced dancing mixed with dark undertones. The dancers were in constant motion so I only ventures to capture a few fast gestures. Detail had to be lost. I switched my attention to the large vagina scrawled on the wall. Though celebrating sensuality there were was also resistance and counter protest.

Overall it was a mysterious and jubilant evening. A group of people tried to exit the way we came in. It turns out that lead to a backstage maze. The actual exit was at the back of the venue.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Tiki Room

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I had a full day off from animating in the Disney Feature Animation Internship. Some of the interns pretty much chained themselves to their desks to keep animating. There was so much on the line if the assignments sucked then it was very possible you might not get hired. I had finished my assignment and felt my mental health was just as important as cranking out drawings. so I went to Disney World as an employee.

This is a third sketch done on the same day in Disney World. This is the Tiki Room or, Sunshine Tree Terrace. Years later I would sketch one of the Tiki birds on display at the Orange County Regional History Center. All the birds inner gears and gyros lay open and exposed. I think I was just so excited to get away from the animation desk where I was sketching Mickey and Goofy. Having a solid day to just sketch on location felt like a real vacation. Some of the early animation assignments just felt silly and it was nice to get a dose of sketching from reality back into my blood.

Well I suppose sketching in Disney World as far from reality but it was a fair recreation of an exotic and new location to sketch. All these sketches were done as post cards. I would mail one off each night. The advantage is that they are all post marked which further verifies the dates.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Walk in the Park 2

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This is another sketch done in Disney World on a day off from animating. I had finished a third animation assignment and just wanted to walk and sketch to clear my head.There is nothing like direct observation to calm the nerves and clear the head.

This is the entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean. I did go inside and sail around the attraction before deciding to do this sketch. I do believe the Tiki Room was right behind me. I loved the Tiki Room. Those animatronic parrots are so simply animated, but the experience was magical.

Flash forward to today and OUC: The Incompetence One, turned off my power after I had paid the bill two weeks ago. On April Fools Day when I moved in to this studio, they also cut off my power even though I had signed up online and in person. They mailed my checks to an address I was at 8 years ago. When they sent me a bill I paid it immediately. Dealing with the phone robots is an infuriating experience they have no sense of humor and put me on hold for well over an hour. I think the OUC robots simply do not understand anything that is not digital like a check. I have decided I have to get out of Orlando just to get away from OUC. Dealing with power company robots is my idea of absolute hell. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Disney Feature Animation Internship: A Walk in the Park

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I had a day off from animating in the Disney Feature Animation Internship and I spent it walking around Disney World Magic Kingdom. I hit up the Haunted House and Space Mountain.I would have loved to sketch in the attractions but it is impossible to get a sketch when you are being shuttled along in a roller coaster carriage.

Actually sketching in a theme park is a real challenge since hoards of tourists are constantly rushing down the street. I chose to sketch the upper floors of Main street to keep the crowds out of the sketch.

It started to rain about 5pm so I escaped and went back to the apartment Disney had put the would be animators into. The rest of the afternoon was spent doing laundry and sketching up on errands before starting another week of animating.

Disney Internship: Mahoney and Webb

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These are the two Disney Feature Animation interns who sat opposite me in the office. There were 4 four animation desks then an opening to the hallway and four more desks in the room.

John Mahoney to the left held his pencil in an unexpected way. He is one of the most gifted visual development artists I ever met. His work today is twisted and brooding. I like it.

While I was struggling with each animation assignment he was creating entire sequences for an animated short. His drawings done in the life drawing classes were also spectacular. He would take the figure and twist it with elegant exaggerations. Darren Webb seated behind John went on to have a long career in the computer animation industry. I tried turning to computer animation but couldn’t take staring at a computer screen all day and started sketching from life once again.

The transition to sketching on location again has been slow. I teach most nights until 8pm which rules out the usual events I used to sketch. Right now I am designing a COVID Dystopia book which keeps me at my desk until I pass out most nights. My schedule is work, eat sleep much as it was when I was an intern. I had Sunday off yesterday and spent the whole day designing. I have decided I need to hire an editor to get the book solidly in the works. I am one of the worst at endless typos.

 

Disney Internship: Inbetweening

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All the Disney Feature Animation interns gathered around Sam Ewing‘s animation desk to watch him point out the mechanics of inbetweening. In an animated scene you often have tow key drawings which show the extremes of a motion.

Sam has Mickey on his desk, so I will use him to explain. If Mickey throws a baseball you will have the arm pulled back anticipating the throw and then you will have the hand extended forward at eh moment the ball is released. The inbetweens fill in the gap between the tow extremes.There are 24 frames of film for every second so it take 24 drawings for a one second movement. It is often possible to get away with 12 drawings and holding each drawing for two frames each. In any scene more that 3/4 of the drawings are inbetweens. in a 2 hour movie that means there are about 172,800 animated drawings that need to be done. That is why a small army of artists are needed to complete an animated film.

After work I walked around the empty MGM theme park with several other animators. The park was closed but the music was still playing. It felt eerie. The whole Disney experience was kind of eerie.

Disney Internship: Tower of Terror Construction

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The Tower of Terror at Disney’s MGM Studios was constructed right next to the parking lot trailer where we were learning the art of animation during the Disney Feature Animation Internship.

The construction itself wasn’t that distracting, but when the ride opened, we could hear people screaming bloody murder every few minutes when the elevator dropped. The ride designers were kind enough to make sure the elevator doors were wide open overlooking  the park and studio, where we were working, each time they dropped.

When construction was complete the designers needed guinea pigs to test out the ride before it was opened to the public. Of course the animation interns volunteered. As the elevator rose I started to think it was a bad idea. What if the brakes failed? What if one of the shaft panels wasn’t bolted in right?

Disney Internship: The Ball Bounce

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This is our group of Disney Feature Animation interns listening to a lecture I believe by Sam Ewing about the mechanics of a ball bounce.

I worked closely with Sam when he was the clean up lead animator on Koda in Brother Bear. Among the interns in my sketch I recognize Darren Webb, Peter Clark. He blew me away with the amount and quality of the animation projects he completed. He was an absolute machine. Yes that is a compliment, He was building whole worlds while I struggled with basic mechanics of getting my drawings to move. On Dinosaur, Peter got to shine doing what he does best which is visual development and creating whole new worlds.

I was surprised to discover that Darren Webb went on to work in the the animation department of many amazing computer animated films from Dreamworks like How to Train Your Dragon. I would love to find out his story some day. The main thing I remember about him as a roommate is that he took very long showers. I was in a room full of great artists.

Disney Internship: Apartment 3903.

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Getting into the Disney Feature Animation Internship Program back in 1993 had to be one moment in my life where I felt absolute brilliant Joy. I read the acceptance letter while on the streets of NYC and literally leaped for joy.

On the plane ride to Orlando I remember hearing the soundtrack for Aladdin and the song, “A Whole New World” was playing as we flew through some of the most gorgeous billowing clouds I have ever seen.

At the Disney Feature Animation studio, we were given a tour of the MGM lot. The rest of the day was spent doing drawings of Mickey Mouse and Goofy. By the end of the week we were required to produce a story sequence with the characters. The studio was actually a trailer in the parking lot behind the MGM Studios theme park.  It wasn’t exotic but it would be home for the following months of intensive training.

Disney put me up in an apartment with 4 other Animation Interns. We didn’t spend much time in the apartment. Once we all started the animation projects, we basically lied at our animation desks. Tony Stanley had a car and brought our group to one of those food warehouse stores. I purchased a whole bag of potatoes figuring I might bake one up each night. Those potatoes started to sprout since there was never time to bake. That reminds me, I purchased 3 sweet potatoes last week and I need to figure out what to do with them. The apartment was at 131501 Meadowcreek Drive Apartment 3903. There was a bus to the MGM studios where we set to work.

From the start I felt that I was in the company of some of the most talented artists I had ever met. The experience was to prove intimidating and inspiring at the same time.