Light and Color in Film - Winter 2015 Class at the Animation Collaborative

Last winter I taught this class for the first time, and enjoyed it very much, so am happy to have the opportunity to do it again. Though I've taught classes for many years on light and color, with an emphasis on observing and analyzing natural light, this class allows me to focus the curriculum on the kind of problem solving I do at Pixar, and while it may certainly be influenced and inspired by nature at times, it is primarily in the service of the narrative, and uses contrast and color as a means of expression, symbol, continuity, and other mechanisms that underly film design.

The class begins in late January, and runs for 12 sessions on Thursday evenings from 7-10. If you're interested, go to the Animation Collaborative web page here to sign up. I am requesting a portfolio submission for this class to understand the skill set of the applicants, and to even it up a bit, if I can. I don't wish to discourage anyone from submitting, but I am looking for folks with enough art skill to engage with this subject with confidence. You'll be using your visual and conceptual skills to solve problems in film.  It is NOT a beginning painting, or landscape class.  We will be looking at film as a sequential structure, and how color plays a significant (and delightful) role in the process. That said, we will be venturing outside to paint a few times on the weekends to examine first hand how nature fits into the equation...

The image below is a compilation of lighting and set concept studies I did for an abandoned Pixar project called 'Newt', that was to be directed by Gary Rydstrom. The eagle eyes among you might suspect that the final image at the bottom is more than reminiscent of a certain John Twachtman painting, and they would be correct! Inspiration can come from anywhere when solving problems for film. The art of the 'dead' is a fantastic resource.