Ratchet and Clank Cinematics: Layout to Final – 2010 – Youtube Link

I’ve always loved seeing a breakdown of professional animators’ shots, from layout to blocking to finish, so I decided to do that with a few of the cinematics I animated on Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time. For most scenes, I was given a 3D layout created by the awesome Dave Cumbo to work from.  Also included is the time taken, from the moment I received the layout through completion of the scene.
NOTE:
In Terac Sequence, Ratchet and Azimuth animation not by me. Included only for continuity.

Insomniac Animation Tests (7 mb) – Youtube Link

A compilation of the tests I did for the Associate Animator position at Insomniac Games.

September 2008 Demo Reel (31 mb) – Youtube Link
This was the demo reel that landed me my first animation job as an Associate Animator with Insomniac Games in 2008.

Scratch (54 mb) – Youtube Link
“Scratch” is my student thesis film from 2007. It has been shown in various film festivals including the 2008 California International Animation Festival, where it won 1st place in the 3D category.

Scratch Animatic (20 mb) – Youtube Link
I have also included the animatic for “Scratch” in which you can see a number of differences, including a complete change of the ‘macguffin’ from a pocket watch to a car. It was suggested by my instructor, Gav Gnatovich and was definitely a good change. Also, I had not anticipated how short the green character (Clyde…yes, I gave them names) really was. In all of my boards, I had him standing and hitting in pool shots, but when it came time to animate, I realized that wouldn’t work. The solution of jumping to hit the balls ended up being some of the funnier gags in the film, and solved the problem nicely. You might also notice my complete lack of backgrounds in the animatic. Not a good idea and I really recommend not doing that. The background environment is one of the strongest elements of design you have onscreen to control where the viewer is looking, besides the characters themselves; use it to your advantage and plan it early on in your boards!

My First Animations – 2003 (21 mb) – Youtube Link
I decided to put up some of my earliest forays into the animation medium. Crude? yes. Ridiculous? Undeniably. My voice over talents? Impeccable. I include this here as an example to those striving to get into this medium that we all had to start somewhere. These are my humble beginnings.