Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1493292
D E PA R T M E N T 37 KEYFRAME HOW IT ALL STARTED The WGA had Written By. Art Directors had Perspective. The Editors Guild had CineMontage. The list goes on and on. The Animation Guild was one of a few Locals that did not publish a magazine celebrating its members. The idea of creating a magazine to celebrate TAG members had been percolating amongst the Executive Board for awhile, but it wasn't until Jason MacLeod was elected that the idea gained momentum. He believed that a publication could celebrate the craft and elevate the work we do in animation, and also educate and inform not only our own members but many others in the entertainment industry and beyond. "Most articles about animation were led by the big studios' marketing departments, so they would spotlight the producers or the voice actors. Rarely would you see a Design Lead or Animator even mentioned," says TAG President Jeanette Moreno King. "We felt that by having our own magazine, we could put a face to the crew and show the world the artistry and skill [animation] takes." The initial Publishing Committee included Moreno King, MacLeod, Paula Spence, Jason Mayer, and Dave Thomas. They hired magazine editor Alexandra Drosu to create the new publication. She wanted to understand what the members hoped to read in the pages of the magazine and conducted many focus groups at six different studios, using the research to create the columns, stories, and tone. Drosu reached out to Art Director Jenn Logan to join the team and create the visual style of the award- winning magazine. "The first issue was amazing. I obviously got sneak peeks into the art and design, but I was still blown away by the quality level of it. It's one of the things I'm most proud of in my tenure on the Board, being a part of its creation," says Mayer. Adds Spence: "I loved the way we highlighted a member on the cover, and presented all of the various features and artwork in such a colorful and engaging way. It was a pleasure to see so many members' lives and talents revealed and celebrated, and it felt so satisfying to know that each of the members we met in the workplace could introduce us to even more members with interesting stories." THE IRON GIANT TURNS 20 Summer 2019 The 20th anniversary of The Iron Giant gave us an opportunity to look back and revisit older productions. Until this point, Keyframe had focused mostly on current and upcoming TV shows and films, but we decided to explore the past in this feature article that reflected on the creative process of The Iron Giant. Five artists who worked on the production shared their memories, including: Head of Effects Allen Foster, who described how he used gaming CG software for the ocean scene; Head of Animation Steve Markowski, who talked about infusing the metal giant with humanity; and Head of Story Jeffrey Lynch, who reflected on how they blazed new territory. GOLDEN AWARDS Winter 2019 In the fall of 2019, The Animation Guild hosted its first Golden Awards celebration in more than a decade, paying tribute to 28 Guild members who reached the significant milestone of working in the craft for 50 years. Among those honored were Bob Richardson, who produced and directed all episodes of the 1990s Spider-Man series; Jerry Eisenberg, who regaled attendees with funny anecdotes; Animation Checker and Continuity Supervisor Carla Washburn, who acknowledged her mother, Master Inker Manon Washburn; and Animator and Animation Director Tim Walker, who poked fun at himself by wearing a red clown nose. Bringing together so many talented artists and writers who spent their entire careers building the Union inspired many new members to acknowledge the contributions of our elder members. SPRING 2023 37