Jen Cram Talent Reel, 2009

I call it a "talent" reel because it's really a big conglomeration of stuff! You've already seen the Sleasel TD work on here, but please bear with it! As you can read in the notes for this on YouTube, this is almost all of my 4d animation-related work to date in one place. I've got mixed feelings about a lot of it, but I thought I should post it for you guys as a point of comparison - because I am now at SCAD and taking a heavy interest in my own self-improvement! =D

From YouTube:

Jen Cram Talent Reel, 2009



Hey guys! Here's a showcase of (almost) all of my animation work up through 2009. I put it together for my application to SCAD's MFA in Animation. Jennifer DiMassino Cram is the creator and owner of all characters, and is responsible for the creation of all content unless otherwise stated.

Notes:

1) Sleasel the Weasel, Character Animation. 56 sec, pencil and Lightwave 9, 2009. This represents my first attempts at 2D animation, rigging, and 3D animation. Sleasel was the second character model I'd completed.

2) Sleasel the Weasel, Modeling/TD Reel. 2 min 7 sec, Maya 2010, 2009. I brought Sleasel into Maya and explored some more advanced rigging when my school (Montclair State University) got Maya 2010. I give a lot of props to Steven Murdoch for his excellent biped rigging tutorial, and to Swinburne University of Technology in Australia for making it available (link at the bottom). Also, thanks to my old prof, Wobbe Koning, for helping me iron through the rough parts.

3) Funk Skunk: Trippin' Up! Animation Layout and Keyframes/Color Script. 2 min 12 sec, pencil, Prismacolor marker, crayon, and Adobe Flash, 2009. Music by "The Inferno" - Guitar, Dante Cornella, Bass, Jeff Little, and Drums, Sulaiman Ismail. Sounds collected from The Freesound Project (http://www.freesound.org/). Massive props to the prof I never had, Kyeong Won Youn, for his help with Flash. =)

I used a free version of TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress to compile everything - hence the stamps in the upper right corner at the beginning and the end.

Murdoch's biped rigging tutorial - (http://www.swinburne.edu.au/design/tutorials/P-maya/T-Maya-Rigging-Rigging-a-biped-character-for-animation/ID-125/)

Sleasel the Weasel

Introducing Sleasel the Weasel! (And Jen Cram as a modeler/rigger, ha ha.)

Sleasel is best friend and worst enemy to Funk Skunk, the lead character of my main animation endeavor lately (more on that later). He's a sweet, well-meaning guy, but somehow always manages to cramp Funk Skunk's style and throw awkward wrenches into situations. Still, his happy-go-luckiness and winning-but-goofy smile always manage to patch things up.

Here's my second attempt at rigging a character - the first time I've tackled things like spline IKs, controls and stretchiness expressions (and expressions at all, for that matter).



I'll post some character sketches for Sleasel in a bit - I'm just a bit giddy about how this turned out. =}

So what are you up to now, Jen?

Well, I'm currently in the process of putting a portfolio/animation reel together for graduate school/post-grad internships. Pixar and Blue Sky only take undergraduate interns, or interns who have graduated in the last 9 months - so this is my big shot. Wish me luck!

While searching for a format to show off the updated rigging I put in my Sleasel character last semester, I stumbled across the idea of a TD reel. Basically, where riggers show off all of their fantastic abilities and try to get a job. I found this one really impressive, actually...


The squash and stretch capabilities are something I was really struggling to get in my Sleasel rig. He's supposed to be a rubber band! This stuff is really energizing to see.

If you want to see more, search for "TD character reel," or "technical reel," in Google Videos or YouTube.

Best!
Jen Cram