Above: Chad Weatherford accepts a well-deserved Emmy Award. Photo Credit: Bill Dow

Award season is in full bloom! With the recent Golden Globes, and the Oscars just around the corner, we sat down with 2016 Emmy Award winner and Bardelian Chad Weatherford to talk life, design, career and what it’s like to win the Juried Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for his work on the DreamWorks/Netflix animated TV show DinoTrux.

Ashley: Congratulations on your Emmy last year. What does it feel like to win such a prestigious award?

Chad: Thank you! It still feels pretty surreal, even a year later.

Ashley: Quick – What does it taste like? What does it smell like? First thing that comes to your mind!

Chad: It smells like gold-plated resin but I haven’t tasted it. That’s taking the question a bit too literally. Its super heavy and the wings come to a pretty sharp point. It’s potentially a lethal weapon. I had to check it through baggage & customs to transport it to Canada

Ashley: What was the red carpet like?

Chad: It was an experience! I stumbled through this alternate world where people were yelling my name and snapping pictures. There were spots where we were supposed to pose for the cameras but I didn’t know where to stand. I gave a few interviews. It was an optional part of the night, but I am really happy I did it.

Ashley: When did you find out you were nominated?

Chad: I knew that DreamWorks was putting me forward for the award. In fact, I was pretty involved in selecting the submission images and I had to compose a summary of the challenges I overcame while engaging in the design process. I knew the competition would be fierce, so I didn’t have high expectations anything would come of it. Then, one idle workday morning in February I received a call from Executive Producers David Kidd and Ron Birch along with Randy Dormans. I thought that I might be in trouble. They informed me that I had won the Emmy for Character Design.

After our conversation I said, “Wait, did I get nominated or did I already win?”

They laughed and reconfirmed that I had won, but then somberly informed in me that I couldn’t tell anyone. I was pretty shell shocked after that phone call. That was a couple months before the nominees and honorees were announced. For two months, keeping this secret felt like an alien wanting to burst out.

Ashley: I can only imagine…who nominates you? Do you know anything about the selection process?

Chad: The award I received was a Juried Award judged by industry peers. I think there were around 115 submissions and maybe 10 to 15 judges. The vote had to be unanimous or it simply wouldn’t have been awarded.  Needless to say, I was incredibly honoured to have received it. I am told that it was also historic, in that it was the first CG show to ever be associated with the award. Normally a CG show won’t feature 5 new characters in a given episode, which is one of the criteria for eligibility. In Dinotrux we did!

RELATED: BARDEL’S KING JULIEN DIRECTOR GOES TO THE EMMYS!

DinoTrux – Daily Life

Ashley: Tell me, how would you describe DinoTrux?

Chad: At its core, the property is about mashing together some of the passions typically associated with young boys: trucks and dinosaurs. These mashups are the DinoTrux characters and they are the stars of the Mechazoic. The show tells the story of these unlikely friends coming together, fighting off danger, and building their way out of trouble at every turn.

Ashley: Why is it special or different from the other shows Bardel works on?

Chad: There is a heavy toy component of the show and the characters are designed, largely, to be really cool toys. This drives decision-making for the characters and their interaction with the world they inhabit. The other big difference is there is no ‘Squash and Stretch’ in the animation of this world. The characters need to function in a semi-realistic manner, which results in a lot of engineering to try and balance the design aesthetic with the practical needs of the characters (to be able to move and emote). This balance dictates things like what shape a body section needs to be, and how large a piston can be to look impressive without causing issues in animation.

Ashley: You are the Design Supervisor on DinoTrux but prior to the win you were a Character Designer. What did your job entail prior to the win and what challenges did you face?

Chad: My primary focus was on the characters. The original cast of characters had a bit of a long road. When I was still with Oktobor Animation, a lot of exploration had already been completed on the major cast. We received literally hundreds of sketches by the brilliant Luca Zampriola. These were a goldmine of ideas but the explorations didn’t necessarily finish off the characters. We took those as a launching point and injected a lot of appeal to the designs. There was a huge learning curve for me as I had never done mechanical design or industrial design to that degree.

Ashley: And what does your job entail now?

Chad: The major thing that has shifted from my Character Designer role is I am responsible for making a lot more calls now. I’m directly involved with the props and sets, as well as the characters. Thanks in large part to my history on the show, my finger is on the pulse of the world, which qualifies me to guide the assets on the Bardel side. On the DreamWorks side, Jonathan Pyun is active in steering the look and feel of the designs. I interact with him on a regular basis and we confer on the designs heading in and out.

I do still get my fingers dirty with characters, but often, I’m in a coaching role helping to guide the other designers in shaping their creations to fit the stylistic feel for the characters. I get real excited when one of the other designers gets a go ahead with their character designs! The characters and sets tend to be more involved and complex design-wise.

Ashley: What does a good day in your life (at work) look like?

Chad: I’m usually yanked in a hundred different directions, so a good day at work would involve no meetings, and relative ‘quiet’ so I can be hands-on with some designs and sweep them off my plate.

Ashley: And a good day outside of work?

Chad: I really enjoy it when I can get out somewhere and experience something new with my family. As a silver lining, I always take away some fresh inspiration. Something I may not have thought of under the normal day-to-day grind.

Ashley: What is the most challenging part of your job and working on the show?

Chad: When I first started DinoTrux, I had limited knowledge of mechanics and hydraulic systems. I had to research it relentlessly and draw in the evenings to solve problems for the next day at the studio. I put in a lot of extra work to overcome my own deficiencies to be able to design these characters.

Presently, one of the more challenging aspects of design has to do with recycling. The economy of a TV Budget often puts restrictions on what we can and can’t do with the sets and props (the characters have proven to be less restrictive). We must reuse a lot of things created in earlier seasons to cobble together our designs. This is more challenging than designing something from scratch in many ways, especially in the early ideation phase. More-so than ever, we all rely on 3D to visualise designs for the show, allowing us to incorporate previously created models.

Ashley: I can see how working within those limitations keep you thinking creatively…what would you say is the most rewarding part about working on the show?

Chad: Seeing the episodes and characters come to life. The riggers, modellers, lighters and animators have done such a fantastic job with what was once just schematics on a page. I binge watch the episodes with my wife and daughter when they come out.

Ashley: What’s the best thing about working at Bardel?

Chad: The people.

Ashley: Oh, yes! I totally agree…

Career Growth

Ashley: From your experience, can you speak a little about the opportunities Bardel gave you which opened the door?

Chad: Bardel was instrumental in getting me here and helping me set up in a new country, as well as providing an environment for me to excel. I had already worked on DinoTrux for a year in New Zealand (prior to the project switching over to Bardel). I helped establish the early design philosophy and I had a history working with these complex characters. This led to Florian Wagner, Bardel’s Studio Creative Director to reach out to me on a recommendation from DreamWorks. Prior to arriving in Canada, [then Art Director] Zoe Evamy made a short period of working remotely really fluid. Once I arrived, I was allowed to thrive. I revisited older characters during this time period, and helped create some new ones. The creation of these characters led to the Emmy.

Ashley: What opportunities do employees have for career growth and advancement at Bardel?

Chad: If you work hard and are able to implement notes creatively and effectively and – most importantly – strive to make someone’s job easier, you will be a valuable asset. This will open the doors to new opportunities. Bardel is small enough that this will be noticed. And it’s large enough to have new shows and projects ready to launch for people who want to take on larger roles. There is also shuffling around on the floor for people who want to try something new. Bardel is very accommodating to that.

 If you work hard and are able to implement notes creatively and effectively and – most importantly – strive to make someone’s job easier, you will be a valuable asset. This will open the doors to new opportunities.

Ashley: So, how did you get into this industry?

Chad: Interestingly enough, I didn’t get full time into the industry until my late 30s, so I brought a bit of life experience coming in. I was working in graphic design and sign-making 10 years ago, and my wife encouraged me to get a Master’s Degree to help broaden my skills. Enrolling in graduate school was the only way I could devote time and focus on a body of work to bring into the industry. Interestingly, my portfolio wasn’t tailored for animation whatsoever, but more so for games and feature film.

I was casting the net pretty wide, so I applied at games companies, as well as animation studios. After just missing the cut for Disney’s intern program, I supplied images for Game of Thrones Ascent on a freelance basis over the summer after graduation. Finally I was hired by Oktobor Animation in New Zealand, and enjoyed a short stint at Weta Workshop before coming to Vancouver to work on DinoTrux.

Ashley: How long have you been in the industry?

Chad: I have been full time in the animation industry for almost 4 years. It has been tremendously rewarding.

Ashley: …did you always know you would eventually get into animation?

Chad: Honestly no. Oktobor Animation was the first studio to give me a shot at full time studio work and I’ve been surfing the animation wave ever since. I have managed to keep myself versatile, so I could potentially survive by plugging into related industries such as film or games.

Ashley: What kind of advice would you give someone coming into the industry who wants to advance their career?

Chad: Be open to criticism and have a genuine desire to get better at what you do.

Be open to criticism and have a genuine desire to get better at what you do.

Ashley: There’s a lot of attention put on awards for recognition of good work. I’m curious, do you think awards are important? What place do they have? What does it mean to you and the recognition of your work?

Chad: I believe they are important. However, when you are putting all your energy into something and you are simply trying to make it the best it can possibly be, there is no thought of an award. I know there are so many people who have bled their souls into this show. The fact that DreamWorks appreciated and understood all the hard work was truly a humbling experience. I am so grateful for it.

Last Words

Ashley: What is something that no one knows about you?

Chad: I’ve worked with a writer since the age of 10, fleshing out his abstract visions into tangible images by wielding everything from crayons to digital paintbrushes. We’ve created posters, album covers, comic books, and recently film pitches which are making the rounds in Hollywood. I credit this for keeping me sharp when it comes to Previz work.

Ashley: What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any passion projects?

Chad: At this stage in my life, spare time equates to idle time at the bus stop or in transit from one place to another. In those moments I am either fleshing things out in my head for grander projects or if I have a tablet handy I will paint up images. I recently started my “365” project: which means painting ‘a sketch a day’ for one year. This is all in the hope that I’ll hit the ground running when spare time does truly open up.

In addition to this, I’ll occasionally strum a guitar or write portions of songs.

Ashley: What’s something you still want to achieve career wise?

Chad: I’d love to try and have enough projects in my inbox that I could pick and choose. Also, I want to build a studio in a treehouse. If I’m lucky enough to still be alive in 10 years’ time, I want to transition to fine art.

Ashley: …And what’s something you want to achieve life wise?

Chad: Travel. It is really an amazing period of human history where we can get anywhere in the world relatively quickly and I’d love to take advantage. I’ve personally lived in 3 countries but my scope of travel experience is still pretty small.

Ashley: Do you have a favourite quote, author, artist or philosophy you live by? Or aspire to live by?

Chad: “Art is never finished only abandoned.” – Leonardo da Vinci

This isn’t necessarily a philosophy to live by, but just a reminder that creative endeavours will hardly ever reach perfection to my mind. In the end, hopefully they’ll be better for clawing for the unattainable, but they will eventually need to be divorced and abandoned. When to abandon is a difficult question. This is much easier to answer with client work on a fixed deadline.

Ashley: Thank you so much for answering my questions!

Chad: You are welcome, thank you for asking them!

The post Spotlight: Emmy Award Winner Chad Weatherford appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

Founded in Vancouver back in 1987, Bardel initially produced punchy shorts for Spike & Mike’s Festival of Animation, or delivered work for local commercials. However, a team with that much talent wasn’t going to stay small for long.

Annex Pro (also Head Quartered in Vancouver) is proud to have supported Bardel’s impressive growth over the years, providing its artists not only with the tools that they use, but also the necessary mentorship to master them. From fostering creativity to developing talent, it’s a reciprocal partnership maintained with one core goal in mind: delivering great animation.

The post Bardel Entertainment: Bringing Animation to Life appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

Caption: Lenny’s High School days in Laguna Hills when he and his best buddies were terrorizing the gridiron!

We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Lenny Brown, Manager, Business Development, to work in Business Affairs & Sales at Bardel. I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his new role with Bardel and his thoughts on business/market expansion opportunities in the entertainment industry and the role content plays within a digital ecosystem.

He recently moved from Toonz Entertainment and brings more than a decade of industry experience having held corporate development and management roles at film and television studios such as THQ, HBO, Sony and Universal.

Ashley: What is the most exciting aspect about working for Bardel?

Lenny: Working with like-minded people. Folks who have a high personal standard of Excellence and who are inspired by Creativity and awed by the power of Art.

Ashley: What does a Manager, Business Development do?

Lenny: Devise sales strategies and cultivate relationships with smart people who can help Bardel make cool stuff that engages the studio, wins awards, and generates boatloads of money.

Ashley: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Lenny: A soldier. My father was 24-yr US Army war veteran.

Ashley: If you were a Star Wars character who would you be (you can mix characters)?

Lenny: Dengar

Ashley: Ah ha! You’re a Bounty Hunter! I’m getting the picture (laughs).

What’s your vision for your role with Bardel?

Lenny: My role is to extend the vision Barry (President; Co-founder of Bardel) and Delna (CEO; Co-founder of Bardel) have already established by bringing in new projects and partnership opportunities that will excite our Artists and continue the growth trajectory of both Bardel and Rainbow.

Ashley: What is the most challenging part of your job?

Lenny: Getting people to understand that Animation is NOT a commodity. Great animation requires a studio of incredibly talented people and that can be more expensive than you think.

Ashley: Why is this an exciting time for animators or people looking for a career in animation to come work for Bardel?

Lenny: Because we are committed to Quality and evolving into the best animation studio in Vancouver. I wouldn’t be surprised to see us working on feature films, creating our own original content, or working with video game and VR companies in the future

Ashley: You’ve worked for some major players in the entertainment industry such as Sony, Random House, CAA, HBO and on hit projects such as Sopranos, Sex and the City, Everybody Love Raymond and South Park. What is it that makes a series or a show successful on that kind of scale in your opinion?

Lenny: A singular POV and a team of incredibly smart and talented people.

Ashley: How is development and strategy different for animation than live action?

Lenny: Development is actually very similar: lock a great script; storyboards; animatic/pre-visualization; production. Strategy is more about ROI and target demographics, which usually means the narrative in animation is more broad (i.e, four quadrant Pixar stuff), while the stories in live action can be more narrowly defined by genre and sensibility (Games of Thrones /Breaking Bad).

RELATED: NEW EXECUTIVE MEMBERS & COMPANY REBRANDING

Ashley: Ten years into the future, how is the viewer’s experience going to differ today and how is that going to affect how animators work?

Lenny: I think the viewer’s experience is always essentially the same: content is either Good or Bad. But ten years from now what will change is the consumer’s ability to access more content on her/his terms and on a wider variety of screens both in the home and mobile. I don’t think this evolution will have a tangible impact on animators work per se, but I do believe technology will deliver a more powerful set of tools for animators to create their Art. Which is a good thing.

Ashley: What motivates you and is it the same thing as when you first started out?

Lenny: I’m motivated by Failure. It’s something I’ve come very close to mastering, but I’m still somehow clever enough to find new ways to muck it up. But it’s all good: Fall down nine times. Get up ten.

Ashley: If you could change one law what would it be?

Lenny: GUN CONTROL

Ashley: What’s a hobby you have that not everyone knows about you?

Lenny: I’ve maintained a regular Yoga practice for the past 25 years.

Ashley: Is there anything we don’t know about you that we should?

Lenny: I’m always available and thirsty for coffee or a drink with fellow Bardelians. Let’s hang out and get to know each other.

Ashley: Yes, that’s approximately 600 new friends! It’s one of the perks of the job. Any last words?

Lenny: Thank you.

Ashley: Thank-YOU, Lenny!

For further reading, check out Bardel Entertainment Inc. Announces Key Hire, Lenny Brown, Manager, Business Development

The post Lenny Brown Plays Ball with Bardel appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

I had a chance to interview Chris Browne, Bardel’s Studio CG Supervisor about working on the new PBS series, Mack & Moxy! Also featured in this interview is the SPARK lecture: Mack and Moxy: Lessons You Need to Deliver a Massive Ambitious New Show with Chad Van De Keere & Chris Browne, as part of the 2015 Spark Animation Festival.

Ashley: What’s Mack & Moxy about? 

Chris: A funkadelic Moose named Mack, and a zany off the hook Raccoon/Badger hybrid named Moxy. They travel on comets to other worldly adventures rescuing tiny creatures out of glowing orbs.

Ashley: What does a CG Supervisor do? What does your job entail?

Chris: A CG sup sets up the pipeline and workflow for how the shows are created. They develop the tools that the artists use, while also ensuring that they achieve the creative vision of the director: in this case, Chad Van De Keere, Director (Animation) of Mack & Moxy.

Chad designed the main characters of the show, Mack, a loveable, moose-like lummox, and Moxy, a feisty whirlwind of a raccoon/fox-inspired entrepreneur. It was my job to create a way for the design team to quickly implement Chad’s designs into three-dimensional sets more dynamically than on a traditional background. This allowed Bardel to create new environments quickly for every episode in an economic fashion.

Ashley: What did you enjoy most about working on the show?

Chris: What I enjoyed most was working with SUCH a talented team. They are all very innovative and highly skilled people. Animation lead Daniele Mieli did an amazing job with his team bringing these characters to life, and Lighting/ Compositing lead MJ Alajmi and his team nailed the look of this fantastical world. Modelling Lead Warren Dowsen, Rigging Lead Sheik Ghafoor, and Surfacing Lead Derek Goodfellow killed it in the asset department. Andrea Mayo, Production Manager and Liz Scully, Creative Producer did a fantastic job holding it all together. Thanks Guys!!!

 “Mack & Moxy LRC Team: Victor Bok, MJ Alajimi, Alex Krulicki & Usama Siddigui.”

Ashley: What was the most challenging part of your job and working on the show?

Chris: Finding creative solutions on a tight schedule and on a show with such high creative demands.

Ashley: What is the most rewarding part about working on the show? What is one of the biggest successes you’ve experienced?

Chris: The most rewarding part is watching the work that we created and seeing it all come together. It’s a lot of fun! The biggest success is seeing how thrilled the client is with every episode we create.

Ashley: Why is Mack & Moxy different than other Bardel show such as Puss in Boots, Dinotrux or King Julien?

Chris: Mack & Moxy involved a tiny team that developed everything entirely in house. From concept design straight through to final picture. All the technical tools, workflow, and everything was custom made and developed for this unique show. We rarely had any errors once we set everything up.

Ashley: How much leeway do the artists have to be creative on Mack & Moxy?

Chris: There were many wonderful and epic moments where the artists could spread their wings and throw everything they could at it…you’ll have to watch the show to see!

Ashley: What’s one of the best things about working for Bardel?

Chris: The People, the positive energy… and the ‘Bean Bag-Multipurpose Room of Excellence': the sacred room that we screen our work to the team.

Ashley: What kind of advice would you give someone coming into the industry?

Chris: Working 9-6pm is for survival, anything beyond that is for success. I know it’s a cliché but it’s true.

Ashley:  Does this show have longevity?
Chris: Most definitely! Mack & Moxy is the kind of show that will stand the test of time, simply because the writing is incredible; the characters are iconic; the show explores modern themes that resonate with families all over the world – all of this is on the cutting edge of children’s programming today. Not to mention the show is hilarious!!

Ashley:  Why is the show unique?

Chris: It’s that zany character Moxy. She (I believe it’s a she…) is just totally off the hook! Who would have thought that genetically splicing a badger with a raccoon would end up like that?!?!?! 

Ashley:  What do you do in your spare time?

Chris: Fly remote control drones. I have three.

Ashley: What’s something that no one knows about you? 

Chris: I’ve been to the arctic twice. And once I was chased by a heard of Muskox.

Ashley: We heard your film just won a Leo award! Congratulations!! Tell me about that. How do you balance your job with such a passion project?

Chris: Yes. I just won the Leo for Best Visual Effects for my live action short film. I did all of the CG and VFX work myself on my home computer. It was challenging but fun! I put in a lot of hours, it’s just what you have to do

Ashley: Any last words?

Chris: Looking forward to season 2!

Ashley: Where can people watch the show?

Chris: MNM is airing on PBS!

Mack & Moxy is the first kids’ show about causes that teaches children life-long lessons of charity and compassion. Partnering with the world’s leading charities, each episode brings awareness to important subjects like Wildlife Conservation, Preserving National Parks, Anti Bullying, Staying Healthy, Emergency Preparation, Autism Inclusion, and Hunger. 

Check out Spark Animation Festival 2015. Mack and Moxy: Lessons You Need to Deliver a Massive Ambitious New Show with Chad van de Keere & Chris Browne

The post Chris Browne, CG Sup & Leo Award Winner Talks Mack & Moxy appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

“Wootie: Left to right: it’s Justin Wallace (who made the long list for this year’s Outstanding Storyboarding Emmy -yay Jussin!), Craig Laviolette (super suave, super capable coordinator) and James ‘Wootie’ Wootton (ass-hat).”

Vancouver – Bardel Entertainment Inc. is thrilled that our very own All Hail King Julien, DreamWorks show on Netflix, has been nominated for an Emmy again, and Bardel Director, James Wooten is flying to the show this weekend! I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about the nomination.

Ashley: What are you nominated for?

Wootie: I’m nominated, along with the two other team’s directors in LA, for Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program.  EXCITING.  All Hail King Julien is kickin ass once again this year with a total of six Emmys! There’s Outstanding Writing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Song AND, the big one, Outstanding Children’s Animated Program.  So, the whole KJN team might be kissing that Emmy for a second year in a row!  Which is so well deserved.

Ashley: What’s King Julien about?

Wootie: This cartoon is about a mad-cap-ass-hat king of lemurs who screws everything up in the kingdom and then through his perfectly exuberant charm fixes it all…. well actually his lemur entourage fix it all, but don’t tell him that. YES, it’s a FUNNY show – thanks to amazing writers, storyboarders, editors, and incredible animation artists.

Ashley:  What does the nomination mean for you and your team?

Wootie: It means I’m crazy stoked!  My Mumma’s proud, and a nifty notch is on the belt. And that’s just for being nominated.  I hope the team gets a bit reassured that their mad-cap-ass-hat director seems to be steering the ship the right way… but that’s asking a lot.

Ashley: Who’s going with you? Do you have a speech prepared?

Wootie: DreamWorks has been so generous with flying me down, puttin me up and driving me around, it’s understandable that we couldn’t get airfare covered for my lady, so it’s just me. Then we tried to get the amazing Steve Evangelatos, the other Bardel KJN director a ticket to the Emmys, but alas, they sold out!  But Chad Weatherford from DinoTrux (another Bardel/DreamWorks show), who won the Juried Award for Character Design is going down, so, I won’t be solo. …oh my god, I gotta write a speech…? Uhh,  I’m not really gonna win, it’s ok… I won’t really have to get up there in front of all those soap opera stars.

Ashley: What’s it like directing King Julien? And working on the show?

Wootie: LOVE IT.  I’m surrounded by such a ubiquitous force of talent on this show that it pushes me to keep up and stay sharp.   To see the show running so well and looking so good inspires greatness out of everyone involved.  I laugh at least three times a day… that’s all I look for in a gig.  Oh and Julien is a mad-cap-ass-hat like me so that helps.

Ashley: How does this nomination feel different than last’s year’s Emmy nom and win (if at all)?

Wootie: It feels like Sting’s orgasms.  Prolonged awesomeness.

The post Bardel’s King Julien Director Goes to the Emmys! appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

Interview with Jake Biberdorf – DinoTrux Animation Supervisor

Ashley: What is DinoTrux about?

Jake: Machine meets reptiles. The bigger picture: DinoTrux is about friendship and working together to overcome obstacles.

Ashley: What do you do on DinoTrux and how long have you been on the show?

Jake: I’m an Animation Supervisor. I oversee five teams and 43 animators. I’ve worked on the show for two years, since its inception.

Ashley: What does your job entail?

Jake: I’m basically “quality control”. I review the animation before it goes to DreamWorks. I’m the in between person for DreamWorks and Bardel. My workflow varies from week to week depending on what phase of animation the teams are on. At the start of each phase, I don’t have many shots to view… as the end of the phase nears, I’m looking at over 100 shots per day. I try to make myself available to the animators at all times to answer questions and help solve any problems that arise. I also spend a lot of time managing the crew to make sure that we are able to meet the deadlines.

Ashley: What’s a good day in your life?

Jake: I always enjoy looking at the animation…and good days are when I enjoy the animation I’m looking at (laughs). I also enjoy the Launch at the layout phase and watching the animatic with the team. After we watch the animatic we talk expectations; discuss the problems we had to overcome for the episode, and things to watch out for.

I also work with the Design team and the Storyboard team about character ability, functionality and do-ability. Storyboard artists need to know what the characters are capable of, so they can storyboard actions that my teams can animate. The characters are very mechanical and they have limitations that can become a challenge.

Ashley: What’s an example of a challenge?

Jake: Rep-tools and their solid bodies. The bodies don’t bend or move. The character is basically a solid wrench with legs, so they can’t really move much before tail crashes through the ground, they can’t turn their heads, so they have to turn their whole bodies to change their focus. There are certain limitations the characters have that actually “build” character but these limitations still pose challenges that we have to sort out before animating them.

Ashley: It’s like saying “how human can you make them without losing the character.”

Jake: Yes, exactly, it’s like in the early stages we may have a character climb the ladder but we can’t just do that in animation without comprising their character. At that point we look for solutions or ‘work arounds’ with DreamWorks. We have to think about how a machine would climb a ladder. They might have to jump up the ladder. Or if they need to pick something up, the may need to pick it up with their mouth. These seemingly “simple” actions are character choices that add to the quality of the work.

“At Bardel you have the opportunity to work on a variety projects and styles. Bardel brings in games, features, TV shows, 2d, and 3d. I don’t feel like I don’t need to go another studio to work on something different. And the people are great! It’s always been a job I enjoy.” – Jake Biberdorf

Ashley: It’s interesting, it’s a lot like making choices in acting. Once you know your character, you have a variety of choices you can make within that character.

Jake: An easy character animates themselves because they can only do so much. With the more challenging characters, there are lots of different ways to get the same result. I like the characters who are limited enough that there’s only a few choices but open enough that those choices are appealing.

Ashley: What is one of the biggest successes you’ve experienced?

Jake: That’s a hard one (pauses). What I’m most proud of is when the animators take a certain initiative and bring their own ideas or personality into a sequence they are animating. We had a particular episode where they built a race track and the character was racing around. One of our animators took his sequence and did a lot of research with camera moves to make it more like Nascar and it really paid off! It’s nice to see animators take that extra step and who are that passionate about their own work!

Ashley: How much leeway do the artists have to be creative?

Jake: We encourage the animators to act out the shot and bring their skills to the table. We want them to inject the life of the characters into the show. We don’t want them just to follow the animatic or storyboards. I’ve been in both situations. I worked on a show where the client said, “Follow the animatic” but it often resulted in boring, stale animation. Whereas, the more freedom we give the animations, the more we reveal the character’s personality.

Ashley: What’s one of the best things about working for Bardel?

Jake: I’ve worked for Bardel on and off for 18 years. My first job was on Joseph in traditional animation. I had the opportunity to work in 2D and 3D, flash, harmony. At Bardel you have the opportunity to work on a variety projects and styles. Bardel brings in games, features, TV shows, 2d, and 3d. I don’t feel like I don’t need to go another studio to work on something different. And the people are great! It’s always been a job I enjoy.

Ashley: What kind of advice would you give someone coming into the industry?

Jake: My advice to animators entering the industry would be to treat your job like a career.

I’ve been artistic my whole life and I’ve always taken the time needed to grow and further my career. What you learn in school is only a fraction of what you can learn during a production. It takes time to develop all the skills needed to become a successful animator. To those who want to be at a certain level very fast or to climb to director status or to work on a feature, I say: take your time to build your skill. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to work on a DreamWorks show straight out of school! You should respect those opportunities and use that time to further your skills.

Ashley: Is there a career in DinoTrux?

Jake: Absolutely. Working on a show like DinoTrux makes you a better-rounded animator. It makes you more adaptable to taking a job in other fields. It gives you a skillset to work on shows like Transformers or Hot wheels. For example, someone who works on DinoTrux might have a better sensibility towards working on the robot in a movie such as Sucker Punch.  I also feel that if you can give DinoTrux life and a soul, you can give anything life and a soul. Much like the Pixar lamp in “Luxo Jr.”.

Ashley: Why is the show unique?

Jake: There is nothing else like it! The idea is genius. When I first started, Eric King, Animation Director at DreamWorks, and I spent time playing with the models. We didn’t have anything to reference for the show. We had to be creative with our references. For example, our character’s jaws only rotated in one direction. So, the Muppets became our reference. On the other hand, shows like King Julien or Puss in Boots have the movie to reference. I spent a lot of time looking at cars and construction sites for reference. It was a lot of fun. When Eric and I first started developing the characters movements we learned the DinoTrux needed a lot more weight. That was one of the challenges. In the beginning we animated them moving a lot faster which made them seem light weight and made of plastic! (Laughs) But these DinoTrux are huge, both in real life and in Maya. One of our main characters Skya, is the same size as a set from King Julian…and we have even bigger Characters showing up near the end of season 2!

Ashley: What is something you do outside of work?

Jake: I love cars. I’ve rebuilt motorcycle engines. I love driving and watching motor sports. I have an old Porsche 914 that I’m trying to find the time to restore. My brother is also mechanically inclined and I grew up watching him restore engines. I understand the physics of how cars to move and how to put character into them.

Ashley: I know you have a five-year old daughter. Does she like DinoTrux?

Jake: Yeah, I have a 5-year-old daughter named Kate. She sings the theme song but she doesn’t like it quite as much as Winx club! Maybe if we got a Dinotrux fairy that sparkles!

Ashley: What is something you do outside of work that people don’t know about you?

Jake: I’m pretty low key. I like to go home and spend time with my family. I also love to paint. That’s my creative outlet. I’m trying to learn watercolor right now. I’ve been watching You-tube videos and reading books. And just doing it! The best way to learn is just doing it. My daughter is very crafty too and she inspires me in new ways! My interests are changing a bit. I’m actually interested in landscapes, whereas 10 years ago it was more so, pop art.

Ashley: Any last words?

Jake: Just how awesome the DinoTrux animators are! I’d be nothing without them.  I never look at my successes; I always look at their successes! I’m super proud of all the work they produce!

The post Spotlight: Jake Biberdorf appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

RELATED ARTICLE: MEDIA INVITE TO KELOWNA OPEN HOUSE

About 2 months ago, after seeing all the growth and expansion going on out here – not only within Bardel, but within Kelowna on all levels…housing, condos, restaurants, schools, businesses, tourism… this place is booming – I figured, “I better get in on this too! …lest Kelowna reach the imaginary price ranges of Vancouver and I never have a chance at affording something again” …I began the hunt for my first house.

If you have ever shopped for a house before, you know what I was in for, and if you’re considering it at all, it’s a blast, but also a huge learning process. You start out all excited about that final goal – ” I WILL OWN A HOME!! …I’m going to have yard to BBQ in, my own living room to crank movies up as loud as I want, my own washer and dryer!! :P”

It’s a very exciting road to start down. And the search begins! You meet realtors every free minute you have, you’re constantly searching MLS for that dream home in that dream location (that you can actually afford – and ya, out here in Kelowna, you actually have a chance at affording something! – sorry Vancouver, but the last time I checked my budget, a million dollar tear down wasn’t in the books) And finally you find it!

You step off the plank and throw down an offer, and after maybe a couple of back and fourth exchanges between realtors, the sellers except!! YOU HAVE JUST BOUGHT YOUR FIRST HOME!! Well sorta. Actually now the hard part really begins. And this is what this blog is really about.

Welcome to the world of searching for a mortgage whilst holding a contract position. Mortgage lenders read the word “CONTRACT” in your letter of employment and what that word really means to them is “LIABILITY”. And thus, a whole new sort of search begins – “The Adventures of Mortgage Shopping.”

Now don’t get me wrong here, finding a mortgage is really not that hard, every Bank of JoeBlow offers mortgages, what really became the challenge for my partner and I was finding a “Variable Rate Mortgage”.

Without getting into all the details of the economy and such (which you will almost have to get into upon searching for a home), a variable rate these days is really what you want to find. It’s very flexible in the long run, it offers you the lowest rates available based on the Prime Lending rates the Bank of Canada is offering – bla bla bla- you want a Variable mortgage- it can save you hundreds a month. Wellllll, 4 mortgage brokers/lenders later into my search for the elusive variable rate, and still we were coming up with “Yessir Aaron! You’ve been approved! …for a FIXED rate.” BOOOOOO!! The fixed rate WILL get you a new home, don’t get me wrong, but it wasn’t ideal for us.

So! Now we’re down to basically 15 days before closing on our home – meaning we had better get a mortgage in place or else a new home was not going to be in the cards for us, and oh ya, you loose your deposit on that home too! OUCH! Enter Bardel saviors Barry and Delna! Perhaps you’ve heard of them??

Barry and Delna happened to be in town that week, and we got to talking of my mortgage woes, the issues I was running into with the contractual nature of our work, and how the banks really didn’t want to make that their issue. B&D quickly perked up upon hearing this. They mentioned that they were planning on starting up a bit of a program in partnership with their lenders out here to help folks like myself, in my “contractual situation” who were looking at buying a home. B&D said they’d had great dealings with these lenders and that the lenders were in a bit more of a position to take “risks” on us contract sorts. Well with the clock ticking, I figured there was nothing to lose. B&D put me in contact with lending firm #5, I sent them all the papers and documents and proof my being a real, honest to goodness working contributor of society (I was getting very good at this by this point), and sat back with fingers crossed, and with Barry and Delna’s best wishes to back me … … …

Can a Contractor land the mortgage?

And??? In the shortest period of time YET dealing with these blood thirsty, skeptical, and heartless lending firms, my VARIABLE rate came through!! It IS possible for us un-reliable contractors to land the mortgage of your dreams! The relief I felt was amazing!! I quickly ran over into Delna’s Kelowna office and gave her a huge hug and thanked her for all their help in helping me get my first home!!

So – if you like Kelowna and you’re ready for a bit of a change of environment, mayyybe you should consider Kelowna?? I’m just sayin’ – homes don’t cost 3 times what they should, B&D wanna help you get there, and you probably won’t have to ride that stinky Hastings bus anymore – and Kelowna needs your skills and pioneering spirit too!

That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.

~Aaron

(new home owner, variable rate success story)

The post Key Animator Gives Insight on Mortgages in Kelowna appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

MEDIA ADVISORY/ PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

 Media Invite to Bardel Animation Kelowna Studio Grand Opening October 1st

Kelowna, B.C. (Sept 21, 2015) – Media are invited to attend the grand opening of Bardel Entertainment’s (“Bardel”) animation studio located in beautiful downtown Kelowna, British Columbia. The occasion will commence with opening remarks from Mayor of Kelowna Colin Basran followed by a reception and speeches from Bardel’s co-founders: Delna Bhesania CEO and Barry Ward, President. The event will feature studio tours, interactive pipeline demonstrations and complimentary wine tasting selected from the Okanagan region.

Where: 215 Lawrence Ave, Kelowna, BC

When: October 1^st.  

Media Press Conference 3:30pm

Open house from 4pm until 6pm

Bardel currently employees over 650 artists and professionals throughout three state-of-the-art studio locations within beautiful British Columbia with two studios located in Vancouver and one studio located in downtown Kelowna. Bardel provides animation services for a diverse slate of partners including DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Disney, Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network-Adult Swim.

In 2012, Bardel commenced operations in Kelowna with only four employees. With the continuous support from its partners and stakeholders, Bardel now employs over 50 artists and professionals in the region, projecting to grow to over 100 employees in 2016.

 “Bardel was looking for a way to expand but still remain in Canada, and Kelowna was an untapped area poised to grow in our industry. Moving to Kelowna made economic sense with the both the regional tax incentives and Kelowna’s rapid growth. Plus, it is a beautiful area to do business and live.” - Delna Bhesania, CEO, Bardel Entertainment

Due to successfully operating in the region for the past three years, and in collaboration with local businesses and the City of Kelowna, Bardel has recently completed construction of a state-of-the-art facility with connection to broadband fibre optic cable enabling Bardel to connect both regionally and internationally with both its studios and partners.

 “Access to dark fibre optic connections is becoming critical infrastructure for organizations like Bardel that need to move massive amounts of data. Having access to world-class communications infrastructure positions Kelowna as a desirable location to establish or grow a business.” - Mayor of Kelowna Colin Basran

According to the Kelowna City Chamber of Commerce, Kelowna is quickly becoming a high-tech hub in animation, video game development, aerospace development and Information Technology services.

 Please join us to learn more about one of Canada’s fastest growing animation companies.

 For more information about Bardel please visit www.bardel.ca

About Bardel

For over 25 years, Bardel has been the leading animation services provider in North America due to its stellar reputation built on three core values: quality, creativity and innovation. Led by its founders Barry Ward President and Delna Bhesania CEO, (Nominated for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2015) Bardel is recognized as one of the most trusted names in the industry.

Employing 650 staff, Bardel spans across three state-of-the art studios with two locations in Vancouver and one in Kelowna. Bardel is the only full-service animation studio concurrently providing animation services for a diverse slate of U.S. blue-chip partners: Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Disney, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network-Adult Swim. The current production slate includes award-winning series such as King Julien, Mack & Moxy, Puss in Boots, VeggieTales, Dinotrux, Rick & Morty, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jake & the NeverLand Pirates, Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls.

Media Contact:

Ashley Evans, aevans@bardel.ca Bus: (604)-235-2664

The post MEDIA INVITE: BARDEL’S KELOWNA STUDIO GRAND OPENING OCTOBER 1ST appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

Bardel Animation Sets New Standard in 2D & 3D with The Prophet Starring Salma Hayek – Opening Vancity August 14

August 6, 2015 – When Roger Allers, Director of The Prophet (The Lion King) teamed up with award winning Actress/Producer, Salma Hayek, to turn the best-selling novel Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet into an animated film – they handpicked Canada’s fastest growing animation company Bardel Entertainment Inc. The Prophet, which opens in theatres across the U.S. this August with select screenings in Canada, has set a new industry standard in hand drawn 2D & 3D animation.

“The movie is about freedom,” said Salma Hayek in an interview to Reuters. “And [the] animation gave us the freedom to be more faithful to the theme of the film.”

Bardel’s Supervising Animation Director of 3D, Eric Prebende and Studio CG Supervisor, Chris Browne, can attest to just how complicated and nuanced the process was to mix 2D hand-painted backgrounds with CG animation.

“What we were tasked to do is similar to building a bridge while also running across it,” says Prebende. “Most of the backgrounds were done as water color 2D backgrounds and it was our job to create and combine CG animated characters in a way that still looked and felt like hand painted animation – but with an entirely different technology.”

Although, the film started out in 2D animation, six months into the project the producers started exploring the idea of CG for the speed it could be done, and also to allow more freedom in “framing”. Initially, Allers was not convinced and with good reason. Adding CG to hand painted backgrounds could ultimately sacrifice the vision, style and the integrity of his art. In short, if not executed with upmost skill and integrity, the outcome would be a film Allers didn’t set out to make. His goal was to engender enthusiasm about the art. Being the kind of storyteller he is, he was not willing to sacrifice this.

Over the past two decades, Bardel Entertainment Inc. has garnered a reputation for impeccable standards in animation providing animation services for top US ratings hits such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Teen Titans Go!, Rick and Morty. When bidding on The Prophet, Bardel had 48 hours to create and fit a CG character into a 2D hand-painted environment. After a 48 hours of testing and re-testing, Bardel came up with a sample that not only won the job, but proved to Roger they could deliver on his vision for The Prophet.

“Roger is obsessed with traditional hand drawn animation,” said Chris Browne, Studio CG Supervisor. “The first thing we had to do was analyze the sequence of the different frameworks for the backgrounds and then determine what CG models had replicated to match the hand painted set. This included texturing to match the hand painted style, and the various render treatments for line quality, shading, and color. It all had to fit seamlessly.”

Roger summed up the experience by saying, “Working with Bardel was amazing. They have an incredible crew run by incredible people. There was so much Creative Intelligence that went into this project while working under extreme pressure…I’m just so proud of what we put together.”

The Prophet captivated audiences at its U.S. premiere screening in L.A this July and received a standing ovation when it opened the 2015 Annecy Film Festival. It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and will be screening at Vancity Theatre from August 14 -23.

To purchase tickets online please visit www.viff.org

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Ashley Evans at 604-235-2664 or email aevans@bardel.ca

The post Bardel Animation Sets 2D/3D Standard in Prophet with Salma Hayek appeared first on Bardel Entertainment.

1. Great client
2. Great studio support
3. Great crew
4. Great scripts
5. Great design
6. Great creative satisfaction

Most productions have their challenges and not all of the successful ingredients are present, some of them are less important than others. A weak script doesn’t necessarily affect the success of a show but it usually dictates whether or not it will be brought back for another season.  Some might have one or two ingredients that are less than ideal but for in the case of TTG, all the best ones are there.

I asked the crew how they felt about working on the show and this is what they said:

“It’s awesome when you talk with kids from different countries (in my case Italy, France, Mexico and England) and they all know what the show is! Usually if you mention it to their parents, the barely know that you are talking about a cartoon series… but for kids you are a hero, and looking at their face is the best reward that you can have. Also, discovering that you can find toys of the characters you are animating all day long at fast food joints, is the icing on the cake!”

• Allessandro Adamo

“I’ve always wanted to draw comics, and now I get to animate superheroes on Teen Titans.”

• David Truc

“Teen Titans GO! has consistently been the most well planned and structured production I have ever worked on as an animator! Warner Bros know what they want, keep it flash friendly yet high quality and we get to make a really funny show. I’ve always enjoyed seeing the final product when it’s done!”

• Justin Smith

“TTG is all about team work; both on screen and off. The show is genuinely hilarious and my fellow animators are an inspiration! I feel pretty lucky to be a part of something this special.”

• Anita Dekok

RELATED ARTICLE: VEGGIETALES: IN THE HOUSE

“I had a great time animating on TTG, the show gives you the chance to do all sorts of wacky, cartoony, fun shots while working with an excellent team and under great supervision.”

• Ricardo Osuna

“On a professional level, working on Teen Titans GO! has been fantastic. Many hardworking, and extremely talented individuals have made this production painless and enjoyable. Personally, I’ve grown as an artist and I’ve got to know some wonderful people. I can also say that I’ve made a small contribution to the legacy of some iconic DC characters, which is unbelievable. I consider myself very lucky.”

• Shingirayi Zvavamwe

“The Teen Titans GO! team are the funniest people I’ve worked with, and that’s saying a lot in animation :)”

• Reetta Linjama