A sneak peak at Pixar’s latest short film

Fast Company have a quick interview with Saschka Unseld, a very talented animator, director and DP who has worked on Brave, Cars 2 and Toy Story 3. He is also the man behind Pixar’s latest short film Blue Umbrella which will be screening before Pixar’s Monster’s University.

How is this short animated to look so lifelike?

When we were building the city and the umbrellas it was not only about simulating the light, shadows, reflection, and rain realistically. It was about giving everything a sense of realistic physical history. For example, cracks in the asphalt are like wrinkles in a human’s face: They are not randomly spread, they are shaped by weather, people, their surface material and usage. If there is grass growing in the cracks it needs to look as if it has been stepped on a million times.

The attention to detail in regards to the physical history of the world is what makes us believe in it.

How to edit an Animatic

If Blue Umbrella has inspired you to get back to work on your own personal projects, an animated short maybe, then Judith Allen’s excellent breakdown of her workflow and creative process behind creating an animatic, which is the watchable version of an animated film, should help you get started. Judith provides plenty of great detail on her process starting with the audio bed, adding the storyboards, sound effects and then working to refine the timings and incorporate the ensuing feedback.