The Kilted Animator: 2014

Thursday, May 29, 2014

2014 Demo Reel

I've been super busy working at powerhouse, my film, and even a bit of Beasts Fury. Until these shots are finished enough to show, I figured I'd share with you the latest Demo Reel I've scrapped together. Working at Powerhouse for the last 3 years has yielded a wealth of animation to pull from, and has increased my skills as an artist more than I could have imagined. The editing for this demo reel was done by my good friend Niles Bontrager, who if you haven't checked out already you should start now.

It's also interesting to compare this with my 2011 Demo Reel, the reel that got me into powerhouse, and see the style of my animation change as well as it's quality (for the better).

Without further adieu, my..

2014 Demo Reel

Patrick Stannard Demo Reel 2014 from Patrick Stannard on Vimeo.

Reel Breakdown!

Short film: "My Dad the Giant"

Company: Personal

Jobs: Animation, Clean Up, Color, Shadows.

Game: "the Banner Saga"

Client: Stoic Studios

Animation Studio: Powerhouse Animation

Jobs: Animation

Game: "Beasts Fury"

Client: Beasts Fury Studio

Animation Studio: Freelance

Jobs: Animation of Shark Character "Don"

Commercial: "Tone Def"

Client: Widen Kennedy

Animation Studio: Powerhouse Animation

Jobs: Animation of rabbit

Commercial: "Looney Tunes"

Client: Penny

Animation Studio: Powerhouse Animation

Jobs: Animation of Daffy

Commercial: "Colour Your World"

Client: Staedletter

Animation Studio: Powerhouse Animation

Jobs: Animation of dragon character

Game: "Epic Mickey 2"

Client: Junction Point

Animation Studio: Powerhouse Animation

Jobs: Animation

Game: "Disney Hidden Kingdoms"

Client: Disney Interactive

Animation Studio: Powerhouse Animation

Jobs: Animation of Villain "Sez"

Internship: "Mickey Mouse Short"

Client: N/A

Animation Studio: Walt Disney

Jobs: Animation of Mickey Mouse

Trailer: "Epic Mickey"

Client: promotional work

Animation Studio: Powerhouse Animation

Jobs: Animation

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Big Meaty Hands

"My Dad the Giant": Hands from Patrick Stannard on Vimeo.

"My Dad the Giant" focuses around two characters, one of them being almost literally a Giant. A major aspect of Brionelli, the dad in the film, is that he is an accomplished painter, sculptor, and craftsman. He is meant to be an intimidating presence in the film who often becomes completely engrossed in his work. As a result his hands are meaty, worn, and massive but move delicately with the precision of an artist.

These are just a few shots demonstrating that fact. These extreme closeups communicate his size and daily rituals as he prepares for a painting.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Metal Kilts

In between working at Powerhouse and my film, I've found a little extra time to spend with my girlfriend at the local Texas Ren Faire. Texas as you might imagine has some of the largest Ren Faire's in the United States, the one we recently attended was the Sherwood Forest Faire. My girlfriend Kaye adorned her gypsy garb as I proudly displayed my family colors, black and gold. The depth and seriousness of this was somewhat lost on Kaye, who continued to refer to me as Sir. Lemon, or the Lemon knight, during our entire stay at the faire. Below are some pictures to wet your curiosity.

I sat at the round table and conversed battle plans with lord blueberry....

We posed for pictures...

..as I rocked the handlebar mustache and beard jewelry...

...and generally let my badass-ness speak for itself.

In related news, I have also been during extensive internet research to find some proper and functional female armor. Kaye has expressed interest in SCA and Archery, as well as the desire to own a protective cuirass of her own. You'd be surprised (or not depending on how familiar you are with geek culture) to know that the majority of armor for women is nothing but glorified corsets and leather bras. It seems women need only protect their nipples and not their vital organs from swords and spears and other sharp metal objects.

However dismayed I was, determined I remained to find some proper protection for Kaye. During my searches I stumbled upon one of the most bad-ass ladies on the internet. Long Sword tournament winner Samantha Swords. Below is a picture of her in a custom made cuirass, done by a friend/coworker from the Weta Workshop. For those of you who don't know, they are an FX company who specializes in props and set design, and have worked on such amazing films as the Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Seriously, too bad-ass for words.

You can imagine my surprise when she responded to my email. Not only did she let me know how she came across her stylish and functional cuirass, she also put me in contact with the lady who made it! Now I am in talks with the designer and working on saving up some cash to get one for Kaye.

It's amazing how life can surprise you sometimes, and sometimes the best surprises in life come in the form of heavy armor and sharp swords.

Friday, February 28, 2014

New Film Animation!

"My Dad the Giant" Title Card

"My Dad the Giant" Title Card from Patrick Stannard on Vimeo.

As always it has been a busy year, with viking saga's, wrestling sharks, new opportunities, and new adventures. This isn't to say that I've forgotten about my film, which is at it's 4th year of development since I started it in 2010. It's been a struggle to continue work on it as I started a new job, moved to Texas, rented a house with my girlfriend, worked consistent freelance to help pay for bills, and dealt with the untimely death of my father. But in my hours of free-time, what little I've had, I have been steadily animating on my film, determined as ever to finish it. Above is the completely animated title card. I have been going through shot by shot in order of succession to avoid spending too much time on the juicy shots and not enough to the rest.

Expect more in the future!

Film poster drawn by me and rendered by Mel Bontrager (Mel B!)

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

The Banner Saga: Releases it's single player!

I've surfaced from my hole in the ground to tell you that Stoic Studio's "The Banner Saga" has released on Steam for $25!

I was a backer of this project way back in March of 2012 when it first cropped up on Kickstarter. Little did I know that I was going to soon find myself working on that very same game through my studio, Powerhouse. Myself and everyone around me had such a passion for this project, and it shows. It's visuals are stunning, it's story complex and miles deep, and the game-play challenging.

Don't just take my word for it, "the Banner Saga" has been critically acclaimed and praised by almost any reviewer who has come across it. Here are just a few examples.

IGN
"The Banner Saga deserves commendation for the strength of its art and music experience alone, which shatters conventions."

The New York Times
"What to make, then, of something like The Banner Saga, an unusual and sometimes skillful blend of old and new?"

GameSpot
"The colorful hand-drawn characters and cel-shaded villages would have been at home in a high-budget animated film."

Escapist Magazine

The hand-drawn visuals, interesting combat, and epic story mean The Banner Saga is crafted from flawless pieces
Read more at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/10910-The-Banner-Saga-Review-The-Gods-are-Dead#fRR314EwrpgirFse.99

"The Banner Saga's hand-drawn visuals and striking animation do wonders for it."

Inspired by the concept art for "the Banner Saga's" god-stones

Even my good friends at RageSelect.com reviewed the game. As tribute I did them this little doodle of Jeff and Jason as God-Stones.

Rage Select Playthrough Part 1

Warning: Foul language and sexual innuendos ahead

Part 2

Warning: Foul language and sexual innuendos ahead

Check it out on Steam when you can, this is a Saga worth venturing on.