KCA Shot Progression

Until I get the chance to recut my animation reel, I thought it'd be fun to see a progression of the Kid's Choice Awards shot.  It was really fun to see everything that the compositor added in - such as the ground getting torn up, birds scared from the roar, and footdust effects.  It was also a fun surprise to see they added a virtual camera move to the shot, pushing in quite a bit towards the end - which I loved because it really helped make the dinosaur run more dynamic!

University Press Release for Nick Project

The University interviewed me about my work with Buster on the Nick Kids Choice Awards.  The article got picked up by many of the local news sources as well, as well as a few national ones.  I had a great time talking to the writer Colin Harris and think the article turned out really well.

Check out the full text below or at:  http://www.apsu.edu/news/professor-scott-raymond-brings-dinosaur-life-nickelodeons-kids-choice-awards

Despite how the old saying goes, at Austin Peay State University, those who can really do teach.

Assistant professor of animation Scott Raymond recently came to APSU following a successful career in computer animation, working for DreamWorks Animation on recent films, including “Kung Fu Panda 3,” “Home,” “Penguins of Madagascar” and “Mr. Peabody and Sherman.” However, his work in the industry did not stop when he entered the classroom.

In early March, Raymond contributed to a piece that aired promoting Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards show that featured country music star – and show host -- Blake Shelton as he stumbled into, and often ran his way out of, a number of the year’s most popular movies.

Working alongside Los Angeles-based production studio Buster, Raymond got to fulfill a childhood dream, creating an animated T-Rex that the country megastar reacted to, and then comically fled from, during a segment seen by an international audience.

“Everyone has their movie that made them want to get into the industry,” Raymond said. “For my wife, who also works in the industry, it was ‘Toy Story,’ but for a lot of people, it was ‘Star Wars’ that captured their imagination.

“For me, though, it was definitely ‘Jurassic Park,’ so when I was told that (Buster) wanted someone to work on a dinosaur, I was like ‘yes!’”

A native of Nebraska, Raymond left the west coast in 2015 so his wife, a native Tennessean, and their young children could be closer to family. But both he and his wife remained involved in animation and visual effects on a freelance basis, which sometimes means long nights spent hunting for creative opportunities.

“I go through job boards and I check sites like LinkedIn, and I keep this big spreadsheet of companies and job posting sites just so I can keep up on what opportunities are out there,” Raymond said. “I was already familiar with (Buster) because I knew of their work on a poster for ‘Game of Thrones,’ so when I saw they were looking for some animation help, I just sort of reached out to them cold with my demo reel.”

Raymond impressed the LA-based company with both his work and his experience in the industry. Following an interview, Raymond said he was offered the job – as well as a humorous clip of Shelton that would serve as the model with which he would base his dinosaur’s animation.

“It’s kind of funny because I was sent all the documents and I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement which said I wouldn’t talk to anyone about what I was doing,” Raymond said. “But here I was, looking at this funny video of Blake Shelton, running around in front of a green screen like there’s a dinosaur behind him.

“I had to laugh because I had just moved to Nashville, and I’m already working on a video of Blake Shelton and a dinosaur,” Raymond said. “The company I was working with joked ‘hey, if you see Blake on the streets of Nashville, give him a shout for us.’”

Working out of his home office, Raymond animated the dinosaur using Maya, a 3D modeling and animation program. From there, he worked remotely with other artists and animators who added textures and other graphic effects to bring the dinosaur to life.

Raymond said the project took roughly two weeks from start to finish. The final product aired mid-April and was in heavy rotation on Nickelodeon in the month-long buildup to the live Kid’s Choice Awards.

“I had a great time working with Buster, and really excited how it all came together,” Raymond said. “It's a really fun spot, and I had a blast animating it.

“At 2 a.m., when you're getting a little punchy, it's great to look up and remember that you're animating a T-Rex chasing after a country star.”

For more information on APSU’s Department of Art and Design, visit online at http://www.apsu.edu/art. For more information on Raymond, including a blog and examples of previous and current work, visit animationalchemy.blogspot.com.

Nick T-Rex Behind the Scenes

The Kid's Choice Awards were this weekend, and Nick posted this behind the scenes video from the ad I did the T-Rex for.  About a minute in Blake Shelton even talks about getting chased by a dinosaur and you can see the before and after footage.  Fun stuff to see!

Kids Choice Award T-Rex Animation!

I loved working on this project!  I got to animate the T-Rex chasing after Blake Shelton for Buster

It's a really fun spot and I couldn't be happier how it all turned out.  Jurassic Park was THE movie that made me really want to get into animation and visual effects. Most people point to Star Wars as their inspiration to get into the industry - but nothing could beat that first reveal of the brontosaurus or the t-rex attack in the rain.  I remember reading everything I could about it leading up to it's release.  I can remember seeing it that first time while on vacation in Chicago.  It was also the first "traditional" movie I ever saw as an IMAX release on yet another vacation.  It was one of the most impactful filmgoing experiences I had ever had.  It's the one franchise I dream of working on.  So the chance to bring a version of that to life on Nick was too good to pass up!

I had a great time working with Buster, and really excited how it all came together.  It's a really fun spot, and I had a blast animating it.  At 2am when you're getting a little punchy, it's great to look up and remember that you're animating a t-rex chasing after a country star.  Good times :)

Waterpik Freelance Project

The freelance project I did with my wife, Heather, is online.  It was a promotional video for Waterpik Clearview system and we did all the computer graphics for the video.  I did the rigging and animation, while my wife handled all the modeling, surfacing, and overall wrangling of this surprisingly large job.  It was fun to work together on a project again, but there were a lot of client redo's and it took a bit longer than we had wished.  A good project on the learning curve as we become full-time freelance artists while still balancing the homelife we moved to TN to have.

The full company page on the product can be seen HERE.

"Better Bot" Racking up National Ad Awards

Well, the fun little robot my wife and I helped create has ended up having quite an exciting life.

First it won a AAF Nebraska Professional Gold ADDY Award.  And several AAF District 9 awards.  As well as several Webby awards (including Best of Show).  Now it's apparently also won 2 National ADDY Awards!  You can read the main ad agency's press release here.

Here's the full list:

National ADDY Award 2014

Silver in Digital Advertising: Advertising and Promotion
Silver in Elements of Animation: Visual

AAF District 9 AAA (ADDY) Gold Winner 2014

Elements of Advertising: Animation or Special Effects
Digital Advertising: Banners, Rich Media

AAF Nebraska Professional ADDY Award 2014

Professional Gold in Digital Advertising
Professional Silver in Elements of Advertising
Professional Silver in Integrated Campaign

Internet Advertising Competition "Webby Awards" 2014

Best of Show: Rich Media Online Ad
Best Financial Services: Rich Media Online Ad

And don't forget to watch the whole video we made with Outpost 12 for Bailey Lauerman here!

TD Ameritrade Ad for Outpost12

Excited to share this fun project that my wife, Heather Abels, and I did for Outpost12 Studios in Lincoln, NE.  It's a website takeover video for the launch of a new TD Ameritrade Exchange site.

I did all the animation and rigging of this little guy, along with a previs animatic to get a buy off from the client on all the different beats of the ad.  Heather handled all the models, texturing, and 2d graphics animation.  Sound was added by Outpost12.

We're really proud of this video.  It was our first collaboration since our graduate thesis project...and this one we managed to complete after work hours while taking care of a 8 month old!

Here's a link to the project page on Outpost's site:
http://www.visualawesome.com/outpost12/portfolio-items/better-bot-2/