Massive Black's Creating Dyamic Poses for Art and Animation with Chris Hatala

[Jason Manley]

http://massiveblack.com/hata/Witch-King_1024.jpg
Poses by Chris Hatala.



Lecture Title: Creating Dynamic Poses, Gestures and Communicating Body Language for Concept Art, Illustration and Animation.
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009, 10am-1pm (PST)
Brief: An In-Depth Presentation on the Art of Posing from Imagination
Prerequisites: No previous art or animation experience required to attend.
Duration: 2 hr Presentation + 1 hr Q&A
How Much??: Tuition is 75 USD and will be available by clicking the SHOP button in the top toolbar of the site here.
OR BY CLICKING THE DIRECT LINK HERE:
http://store.conceptartstore.com/angaandfipa1.html


http://massiveblack.com/hata/workshop_01.jpg


Biography:
Christopher Hatala began his career at Tippett Studio in Berkeley, California where he animated on two films, Cats & Dogs (2001) and Evolution (2001). Late 2001, he moved to Wellington, New Zealand to animate with Weta Digital on the feature films: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), I, Robot (2004), and King Kong (2005). Since 2005, Chris has been living in San Francisco working as Animation Director / Co-Founder of Massive Black Inc and has been working on some of the biggest games and projects in the business.

http://massiveblack.com/hata/Workshop_02.jpg

Presentation Overview:
This lecture is geared for all audiences, regardless of your drawing, painting, or animation knowledge and skill set. Chris will be sharing his knowledge from creating some of the most well known shots in film and games. Posing your characters in your work is a key challenge we all face as artists, whether we are drawing, painting or, posing 3d or animating. Communication of body language, emotion, and expression will be covered as well as capturing moments of drama and acting pose principles. Your work and knowledge will improve with this information in hand.

Selected demo reel animation shots from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and King Kong will be shown and discussed. Also, the demo reel shots to be discussed in this lecture have been keyframe animated by Chris. He gives very thorough presentations and you will find it entertaining and informative.

Along with the presentation, Chris will also be discussing his work on some of the following shots in Academy Award winning films.


http://massiveblack.com/hata/shot_01.jpg
Shot 1:
Shelob Cocoons Frodo – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Animated Elements: CG Spider (Shelob), CG digital double (Frodo)



http://massiveblack.com/hata/shot_02.jpg
Shot 2:
Kong attacked by bats – King Kong.
Animated Elements: CG Gorilla (King Kong), CG bats (15+)



http://massiveblack.com/hata/shot_03.jpg
Shot 3:
Felbeast grasps Gondorians – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Animated Elements: CG Flying Creature (Felbest), CG digital double
(Ring Wraith, Gondorian Soldiers 5+)


http://massiveblack.com/hata/shot_04.jpg
Shot 4:
Bats crawling/hanging in cave – King Kong
Animated Elements: CG Hero bat, CG background bats (12+)



http://massiveblack.com/hata/shot_05.jpg
Shot 5:
Cave Troll Walk Cycle/Muscle Test – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Animated Elements: CG Creature (Cave Troll)



http://massiveblack.com/hata/shot_06.jpg
Shot 6:
Kong protects his new toy – King Kong
Animated Elements: CG Gorilla (King Kong), CG digital double (Ann’s
legs)



As usual, conceptart.org proceeds are going directly to the community including helping to pay for the 25,000 dollars in servers we just had to buy for this year, as well as the upcoming major tech additions to the site. Thank you all for the support and thanks to Chris too!!!

See you soon!

[hatala]

Hey everyone,

Not many of you know me, but my name is Chris Hatala and I am a Co-Founder and also Animation Director here at Massive Black, Inc. You may have caught one of my presentations at the MassiveBlack/ConceptArt.org Workshops. If so, I hope you dug it!

I'd first like to say that I'm really happy to have an opportunity to support the Community and teach too! It's my job to convince you that your dreams can be a reality! (as long as you work hard to achieve them =)

This lecture covers the ideas and theories animators use to put characters, creatures, and monsters in lifelike and believable poses. I have tailored this course to directly apply to concept artists, illustrators, fine artists, and animators simultaneously. I've used these techniques constantly, from my work on Lord of the Rings and King Kong, to the other projects I put my life and time into. I gave a similar, 2-day lecture, at Paris GDC and it went over really well in the master classes. I have rounded it out for easy, entertaining digestion, so I hope it can help you!

Here are a couple images of characters I posed for marketing renders, which hopefully shows you that this topic applies to both 2d and 3d work at the same time.

Bioshock 2
http://www.massiveblack.com/MBwebolution/media/marketing/2_gi_aBS2og.jpg

TombRaider Underworld
http://www.massiveblack.com/MBwebolution/media/marketing/2_Eidos01%20copy.jpg

That said, I would be happy to take suggestions and input on what else you might like to see covered during this talk. I am here to help. I can do live animation and posing demos, talk more about gestures and body language, show more film shots and discuss animation, or outline creative problem solving techniques that span all media. I want to give you the info you want most. So, all comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks everybody and I look forward to the lecture!

[nickmarshallvfx]

OMG, this looks SO good...

[rinjii]

OMFG now i know i have to bear witness to this- this would help me massively! especially when finding models is borderline impossible and i gotta go with my imagination.. any chance you can cover how to do that effectively?

[Jason Manley]

That is exactly the point. Chris understands how to create any kinds of poses from the most subtle and beautiful to dynamic and intense from imagination. He will share his ideas on that in the presentation.


J

[hatala]

space-sprayer: thanks! i hope you'll be able to stop by.

rinjii: you can be sure I'll try my very best! By talking through some of my shots, the plan is to give you more options, ideas, and ammunition for when a model isn't available. =)

[sony]

wuaoo, Chris your poses are really dynamic and great.

[BigglesB]

I'm so there for this one.

[Nateman742]

Oh wow! Time to mow some lawns for that $75!

I must ask, are there any plans for a DVD? If so, consider it bought in triplicate.

[hatala]

Nateman742: no plans yet for a dvd, so this is pretty much a live only presentation. this presentation will likely only be given through conceptArt.org or through one of the massive black/conceptArt.org workshops. on a side note though, i have been creating a bunch of downloadable animation tutorials that should be available early November. they range from beginner to advanced, although the focus of those is mainly animation. the live presentation is structured to hopefully be helpful to all artists, regardless of medium. thanks for the interest!!

[rinjii]

thanks SOOOOO much hatala!! i seriously can't wait for it! :)

[Nateman742]

Nateman742: no plans yet for a dvd, so this is pretty much a live only presentation. this presentation will likely only be given through conceptArt.org or through one of the massive black/conceptArt.org workshops. on a side note though, i have been creating a bunch of downloadable animation tutorials that should be available early November. they range from beginner to advanced, although the focus of those is mainly animation. the live presentation is structured to hopefully be helpful to all artists, regardless of medium. thanks for the interest!!

Guess I'll have to pony up then ;) I'll keep an eye out for those animations, as well!

[Jason Manley]

You all are the best. Tanks!! Tanks much!!

This is a good one. I think you will find the info you need in Chris. He is one of the best animators on earth and knows posing masterfully. He is a very good teacher and is open with his ideas, perspectives, and theories. Learned a lot from this guy over the years.


Jason

[Eimajine]

Alright!!!! All signed up and ready to go.

Great idea to post on CGSociety and hopefully the word spreads fast. I'm really pumped to see some Animation love on the CA forums :).

Thanks!

CGSociety
Jayweb

CA
Eimajine

[hatala]

Eimajine: No, not that early! I wouldn't do something cruel like that to the Eastcoasters! =D I think it's more like 12:45 PM EST, since the presentation will start at 1 PM EST (10 AM PST).

[Eimajine]

Woops, I read the .txt file incorrectly. That's good to hear then.

[hatala]

whew! i would have felt horrible if you had woken up that early. now you can sleep in! =))

[BlightedArt]

I've seen Hatala at the Marama workshop, and learned a helluva lot from him, I totally recommend this presentation to all. :) (btw Chris, I was that ugly mug that asked about 2D animation if that rings any bells :P hehe)

[hatala]

BlightedArt: thanks so much, i'm stoked you got something out of my Marama workshop presentation! and of course i remember you, it's not everyday someone asks about 2D animation. in a world of computers, it's good to know there are still animators out there that enjoy drawing. also, everything you learn in 2D animation can be directly applied to 3D if you decide to go that direction, so no worries mate! thanks for posting!

[Roselyn]

Hi!

Fisrt; i'm still a newbie and if this is not the place to ask, forgive me! I'm still nervous around ^^;

Will this be sownloadable for some time, like other workshops? Because of timezone differences, i may not be able to get home on time so, i was wondering maybe i'd be able to get it later.

[hatala]

Roselyn: No reason to be nervous, we're all friends here =)) After the actual live presentation is over, it will be available 'On Demand' for a limited time (at least 2 or 3 weeks). So, the answer is yes!! Although you won't be able to partake in the live Q&A, you will still have the opportunity to purchase and view the presentation in its entirety after Saturday.

[Cranberry]

Thanks for this Jason & Chris! Looking good! Won't be making it though, so many other stuff to catch up on and school is about to start :(

Keep the classes coming I'd say! Would make hell of a great christmas gift :P

[riotorange]

OMFG OMFG OMFG OMFG!!!! chris hatala!!! i haven't even stopped talkin about you at Reverie to my friends yet. You ROCK!!!
if i get money magically in a day I'm FREAKING THERE!!!
w000000000T!!!!!

[riotorange]

ha got so excited i hit post twice. LOL

[Linkenlog]

I'm so excited for this! I've been so busy with college but I'm making time for this. I met Chris earlier this year and he inspired me to step up my work so much. Don't know if he remembers me, but I was the girl with glasses and the hat on the Disney Cruise/Microsoft conference. I've gotten a ton more serious with my art just by talking with him, so I can't wait to see what a real lecture does. :D

[Roselyn]

Thank you =)

Now i calcutated again and i might be able to come on time! Now need to get myself some sweet money to purchase. . . meow T.T

[hatala]

Cranberry: It's definitely our pleasure! Keep an eye out, there's lots of good stuff still to come!

riotorange: Wow, you rock! Thanks for the props, I really appreciate the support!

Linkenlog: If I remember correctly, I even ran back to my room to get a Massive Black Book to show you right? Or maybe I had it on hand, I do remember you flipping through it though. =) There's only one way to begin bettering your art, and it is to get serious about it. So, it's really great to hear you're more on your way!

Only 2 days left to register! Thanks everyone, you guys are just too awesome. I'm excited and really looking forward to Saturday. I have some great stuff lined up (even more than listed above), so I'm packing in the info to give you guys even more than what's expected!

[Linkenlog]

Linkenlog: If I remember correctly, I even ran back to my room to get a Massive Black Book to show you right? Or maybe I had it on hand, I do remember you flipping through it though. =) There's only one way to begin bettering your art, and it is to get serious about it. So, it's really great to hear you're more on your way!


Yeah, I was surprised that you ran back to get it but I'm glad you did! It was so awesome meeting you since I'd been lurking here since the beginning of the year and I was on the fence about getting serious about my art. That was the push I needed! I've been working hard everyday to get as good as the people in your book. :D

Can't wait for your class, anyway. I have to get through all the basic drawing classes to get to the animation ones in my college and I'm getting impatient with not learning anything useful.

[jfitt]

Can't wait for this class!! See you guys Saturday! =D

[hatala]

jfitt: Sweet! I'll see you there!

Here are a few more of the static, marketing poses/renders that we will also be going over (along with the animations and images already listed):

Golden Axe
http://www.massiveblack.com/MBwebolution/media/marketing/Sega01%20copy.jpg

TombRaider Underworld
http://www.massiveblack.com/MBwebolution/media/marketing/zactionb_04.jpg

The Saboteur
http://www.massiveblack.com/MBwebolution/media/marketing/1_EAPan01%20copy.jpg

[CecelyV]

This is going to be soooo great! The first thing I always notice about great work is the pose/gesture of the character, then the value treatment and perspective. Thank you so much! I'm all signed up and I can't wait ^_^

The Golden Axe and Tomb Raider pieces are exactly the caliber of art I'm working toward, thanks for sharing!

:yayca:

[rinjii]

sent in my payment! but i haven't received anything to download as of yet- i've already sent in an email though, so i hope i can get everything straightened out in time :)

[ru4it]

here is a stupid question... where do i register?

[ru4it]

nevermind found lol cant wait

[hatala]

rinjii: i'll look into it for you.

ru4it: There's never any stupid questions =) See you there!

T minus 10.5 hrs and counting! ! !

[artfan217]

So scientific,cool and interesting! It is filled with fantasy and adventure.

[Braintree]

Going to be awesome :)

I sent in my payment about 12 hours ago, still haven't received any e-mail.

[rinjii]

hatala- thanks for the concern! :) i double-checked this morning and finally saw where i put in the card number for the download, so now i'm all in!

now i just need 1pm est to hurry up and come :D

[Braintree]

Im still waiting on the order confirmation email.

[hatala]

Braintree: checking on this for you!

[Braintree]

Thank you. Awaiting your reply.

[hatala]

Braintree: I got our guy on it, you should be getting an email to hopefully suss it out. let me know how it goes.

[Braintree]

Thanks! got an email from scooter with the password :)

[hatala]

woot! showtime!

[ru4it]

hey where is my confirmation email so that i may attend

[ru4it]

crap i hope i didnt miss it T_T

this sucks where is my email T_T

[hatala]

ru4it: glad it came through and you made it!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone! You guys are great, and I really hope the lecture gave you some useful tips, ideas, and tricks to help you all improve gestures, posing, and animation in your medium of choice, whether it be 2D or 3D. I also hope to see you all the next Workshop! Until then, take care and thanks a quadrillion!

[Eimajine]

Just wanted to Thank Chris for such a great Lecture. It was well worth the money and time. The lecture was very inspiring and your answers in the Q and A were more then helpful. I can't wait for the tutorials in November!

Hatala Rocks!

Thanks,

Jayweb

aka

eimajine

[riotorange]

damn.my.lack.of.money.

i seriously hope you will do another one sometime in the future.
*off to cry once again*

[hatala]

riotorange: it will be offered 'On Demand' for a while if you happen to find cash in the street. =) The link may not in the proper place at the moment (although it still works just fine), Scooter said he would move it to the correct On Demand section first thing Monday.

Edit: Manley should be fixing the link location shortly.

[Onir]

whew I was hoping it would be up on demand; didn't have the money to join in on saturday, so that's great to hear :) thanks much, I'll definitely be checking it out asap!!

[etchesofthesun]

I will definitely be getting this "On Demand"! Ive been watching a lot of the massive black and On demand videos lately and they are all awesome. Big thanks to you Chris! Ive been looking for something like this for over a year and it seems like you are the only guy out there not keeping this a secret..lol

[Monkeydominator]

Some on-demand clips won't play, is it supposed to be like that or can it be fixed?

[hatala]

Onir: Awesome! You'll have to let me know what you think after you check it out.

etchesofthesun: lol, no problem! I wasn't even sure anyone would be interested in this sort of thing, so it was kind of a stab in the dark. So, big thanks right back at you! And if there's any additional content you'd like to see in future lectures, please let me know, I'll do my best to include it (that goes for everyone!).

Monkeydominator: That shouldn't be happening, so thanks for the head's up. The problem has been found and is being addressed. Everything should be up and running shortly. Sorry for the technical difficulties. ..grumble.. damn computers!!

[hatala]

Monkeydominator: Should all be good now.

[Toobs]

Love your work, I'm a real fan :)

[hatala]

Toobs: Thanks so much, I don't really know what to say... So, thank you for noticing my work, it means a lot to me!

[Daworm]

Looking good!

But

The Saboteur</img snipped>

Saboteur?
ANOTHER Commandos game?
*in love if so*

[riotorange]

[QUOTE=hatala;2442662] I wasn't even sure anyone would be interested in this sort of thing, so it was kind of a stab in the dark.


Are you freaking serious? you just don't even know how cool what you do is, do you? i wanted to scream "DO IT AGAIN!" at reverie, but i wasn't sure if repeat requests were allowed.
i could honestly watch someone go frame by frame, inch by inch, on something for 5 hours straight that turns out to be a second of animation. Or not even animation just getting a pose right. i could. i really could. i would rather be doing it myself, but i don't have the programs or funds yet...so..watching someone and taking notes on their work..2nd best for now.


still hoping i find money in the streets. found a quarter yesterday actually!

How long is the on demand up for viewing?

[hatala]

riotorange: Wow, thanks so much! Hopefully you can make it out to the next workshop, I'm going to have a ton of new content to show. There used to be a FREE downloadable 'Maya PLE' version (Personal Learning Edition) that has since been yanked from Autodesk's site. It may still be out there somewhere, so if you happen find it, I'd love to know where. =)

I think the On Demand version of my lecture should be available for another 20'ish days (hopefully longer!).

[leviathon]

Hi Chris!

I just bought the 'on demand' version of your class. Its says the order review is pending. How long does this take?? I was hoping to view the lectures today.

Thanks!

[hatala]

leviathon: i think you're all sorted now right? if you have any other issues please post it up. hope you enjoy the lecture, and please let me know what you think!

[leviathon]

Yup I'm good now :D. Absolutely loved it!

[ckmoore]

I still see this thread on the front page of CA... is it still available On Demand? If so, how much longer will it be?

Thanks!

-ckmoore

[hatala]

Yup, it's still available! There have been some requests to keep it up, so we are going to leave the On-Demand version up through most of December. Hope you get a chance to check it out, and if you do, please let me know what you think. Feel free to post any comments in here, all feedback is good feedback!

[danlucas]

Intense artwork, this guys badass!

[ru4it]

i have looked high and low for the PLE of Maya and cant find it anywhere :(

[hatala]

I spent a full day trying to search it out on the web with also no luck...

I think it's gone until Autodesk decides otherwise... =\

[bolow]

I dont think newer versions of maya have PLE, only 30 day trials.
It would be easier to go straight to the source & email autodesk and ask them or try their forum
http://area.autodesk.com/forum/autodesk-maya/

Older versions of Maya Ple (8.5) are still available to download.

[Royzy]

Kind of the same question as Ckmoore... is this still available On Demand?

You said it'd be up through most of December, but since it is January now... if I add it to my cart now... will I be out of luck? haha

Pretty excited about it, it'll be my first CA streaming class (this is why it sounds like I have no idea what I'm talking about).

Thanks in advance!

R

[zghani1988]

hi i wanna paticipate in these classes what shoud i do plz?

[Streetz]

I am debating about getting this on demand. Any feedback from anyone who participated or watched this class would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[H.J.Dag-um]

Hello there. I just bought the On Demand version of this course and have the password but I can't see the streaming file's link anywhere in the thread. The link that was attached in my .txt file was a blank post.

Any help resolving this would be appreciated. :)

[H.J.Dag-um]

It's been resolved thanks to the e-mail support people. Lovely lovely lovely. Thank you so much C.A.! :)

[Ccs]

How do I view the On Demand for this class? The live player says it's "Offline" and I can't find another link for download. I purchased the class last week, so I'm wondering when it'll be available to see? The live stream was last year, correct?

EDIT: I'm a tremendous idiot and didn't notice the "On Demand" option in the player. Apologies.

[Recluse]

Hi, im having problems with this too. I open up the thread with the livestream player embedded, but theres just an offline screen on it with a play button (which doesnt work) in the middle. Im not seeing any On-Demand option in the player like Ccs mentioned above.
Using firefox, if that matters.

[DBMiller]

Just watched on demand. Thank you Massive Black for the very generous discount this week!!!!
Everything came through clear, visually and audibly. Very nice info and access to behind the scenes shots.
The question I have is about the tutorials you (Chris) talked about coming in November. Have you done any work on them and are they available?
Thanks again for the great lesson.
DBMiller

[armando]

The title for this lecture is misleading: "Creating Dynamic Poses, Gestures and Communicating Body Language for Concept Art, Illustration and Animation." and "An In-Depth Presentation on the Art of Posing from Imagination"
It's more of a general overview for beginners on posing, some composition, and some behind the scenes 3D workflow. It's a good summary overview but I would have preferred more depth on just posing.