Interview

Check out my latest online interview. It's featured on a site about women animators. We are few, but we are out there! Here's a little more about me for those interested. Rebecca's Interview

CGtarian is open for business!

I constantly get emails asking for advise about the animation industry and how to get in or what does it take to work at a big studio. The answer is: hard work and skill. Having said that, there are a few places I often recommend student go study. Well, here's the newest one! It's called CGtarian.com. I along with some really talented animation co-workers have created a curriculum for beginners - intermediate - and advanced students and professional animators.

My specific course is called "Characters in Motion: Intro to Body Mechanics" I encourage any students and/or professionals looking to polish their skills or get into the animation industry to sign up for a class. The best part about this site is that you can take any course you like at any time, there's no obligation. The courses range from very beginner like "Animation Bootcamp: Intro to Animation" to "Pushing the Limits: Cartoon Animation".

I highly recommend these courses if your interested in animation. The classes consist of a weekly tutorial/video accompanied by an assignment. These courses are all developed and taught by industry professionals. You can take any course for 12 weeks and then be done. Or continue by signing up for another topic interests you. There are no grades, just upfront and honest feedback and weekly critiques based on your assignment by a professional animator! It doesn't get any better than that!

Sign up today!

Hang Gun!

Here's another test my David created. Pretty impressive since he just learned AfterFX.
Not to worry... I wasn't really hurt in the filming of this video. It was quite fun to act out!

Facebook King song and video!

I wanted to update everyone with the latest project I'm a part of. It's called Facebook King and it's a fun whimsical song based on that person we all know who lives on facebook. It's the creation of David Stodolny (of stodoestudios.com) and Reston Williams (of BlueMan Group). They've paired up to create this hilarious song and video. I've had the pleasure of co-Producing this fun project and am very proud of the end result. I look forward to many more productions together.

Please check out their new comedy production studio Secondary Inspection. If you love the video you also have the opportunity of downloading the song for your music collection on itunes or amazon! Check out their site for more info! Here's the video!

I am Art

For those interested in what's going on lately, here's the latest animation by David Stodolny. I was so excited to be a part of it by Producing it. By all means, David did ALL the hard work, I just helped schedule him out and plan the execution of it. It was a really fun project to work on. Check it out and please share with your friends!!

Lucasarts Closed.

A sad day in the industry.

This week an industry icon closed it's doors. Lucasarts is no more.

I have to say, I spent some of my most memorable years working at that studio. Even though I haven't worked there in close to 10 years, I feel as though it will always be a part of me in a special way. I made some of my best friends there. I miss you all. And I have no doubt you will all land on your feet.

Rest in Peace LucasArts. You will always be my first love.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/lucasarts-gaming-studio-shuttered-disney-article-1.1307749

What if Money didn't matter?

What if money didn't matter? I've been pretty busy with work and life in general so I haven't had a chance to update my blog for months. For those who continue following me. Here's a little bit of wisdom brought to you by Alan Watts. They really are words to live by. Do what you love and do it often. You will be a much happier person for it. And money...that will come, but first needs to come the passion and love.

Happy Holiday's everyone!

CNN Interview with Dreamworks CEO

Here's a really great interview with our CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. He has some really great insight into what makes a company successful. Take a look.

Footage-Loose

Ever wonder what a bunch of animators do in their free time? Well... it's not exactly free time, but it's time well spent. I think most people can relate to this awesome short Directed by David Stodolny and Steve Meyer, two amazing animators and fellow co-workers at Dreamworks. I was honored to be a small part of this fun live action project. Check it out!

Panda 2 and Puss Nominated for an OSCAR

Congratulations to everyone involved in making these films amazing. It was a true honor and dream to have worked on such great films. And now to be recognized... that's just amazing.

Check out the video of all the noms.

Harrey Podder: Say the Magic Word

For all those Harry Potter fans here's a real treat. In honor of the final film coming out, my boyfriend David Stodolny has created an amazing 2d short spoofing this world. Check out the funny short and feel free to repost if you like it!



And then don't forget to check out THE MAKING OF video. I don't know which I like better?!?

Turbo : Dragons : ianimate

So much has been going on in the last few weeks. I've officially wrapped up animation the Dragon's Holiday Special coming out this Christmas. Keep an eye out for it. And hopefully I'll be able to post more soon.

In the meantime, I've been cast on my next film called TURBO. Here's a link to AWN which talks a little bit more about it. AWN: Dreamworks TURBO I'm currently doing some performance and acting tests and getting to work with Head of Character Animation Dave Burgess again, which is really great. I find him and his work very inspiring. I'll have more info in the months to come.

In addition I've decided to start teaching at ianimate.net. I'm really excited to be involved with Jason Ryan again. He has started an online animation workshop called ianimate.net It's similar to animation mentor, only it's NOT a school. It's a workshop where students from around the world and any level of experience can join and refine their animation skills. There's a lot of great work being done here and I think it gives a really good alternative to those who might not be able to commit to an 18 month course at AM. Don't get me wrong Animation Mentor is a GREAT school, I went and taught there myself so I highly recommend it! However, ianimate is another option for those who are thinking of just taking a specific level workshop. Check out the site for more info! www.ianimate.net

'Kung Fu Panda 2' Featurette - "Animating Pandas"

Check out this very cool featurette on the Production Team's trip to China. They got to meet real panda's and experience their world first hand.

Puss n Boots

There's a new trailer out for the next Dreamworks movie. I didn't get a chance to work on this film but I have a few friends who did. I've also seen some sequences from the film and they are looking amazing. The animation in this film is truly breathtaking. Check out the Trailer and lemme know what you think!

Physics of Animation

Here's a cool video I found on the net profiling some great artists here at Dreamworks talking about Physics in Animation. If you're going to be a great animator you *have* to know your physics first.

Extra News - Latina animator on a roll with ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’

Extra News - Latina animator on a roll with ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’

Check out another interview with me about Panda 2. This one's in English so most of you guys can read it. Cheers and if you haven't already, go see PANDA 2!!


Latina animator Rebecca Perez on a roll with ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’
by Kiko Martínez | trad. Víctor Flores

Working as an animator for DreamWorks Animation Studios since 2009, Rebecca Pérez has been part of the creative team known for making such well-received films as “Megamind” and the Oscar-nominated fantasy adventure “How to Train Your Dragon.”

In her third animated film with DreamWorks, Pérez, who has also worked as an animator during her four-year career with Walt Disney, Sony Pictures, and Twentieth Century Fox, takes on a new challenge in “Kung Fu Panda 2,” the sequel to the highly-entertaining 2008 animation about a chubby panda bear named Po (Jack Black) who learns a prophecy has identified him as the Dragon Warrior.

In the “Panda 2,” Po must lead the Furious Five – Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Crane (David Cross) – to defeat a villainous peacock known as Lord Shen (Gary Oldman). Along with showing off his martial arts prowess, Po is given the opportunity find out more about his family roots.

During an interview with EXTRA, Pérez, who is Cuban-American, talked about the character she grew most attached to in “Kung Fu Panda 2” and the moment in her life when she knew she wanted to be an animator.

EXTRA: What was your specific role as an animator on “Kung Fu Panda 2?”

Rebecca Pérez: I had the opportunity to work on most of the characters – Tigress and the rest of the five [main characters] as well as some of the others like the sheep.

Is it easy to get attached to these characters after working on them for so long?

You definitely get attached especially if you get to work on one particular character more than the others. I actually got attached to the sheep character, which is interesting because I don’t think she even has a name.

What was it about the character that you liked so much?

I think it was because I just got to work with her so much. The majority of her scenes were all my shots. I also felt for her because she has so much innocence. There was a lot of emotion in her character.

What kinds of cartoons did you grow up watching as a kid?

I watched all sorts of Saturday morning cartoons like “The Smurfs.” I really like the short animations that were funny and whimsical.

Did you watch cartoons like any other kid would or did you feel there was more to them on an artistic level?

I don’t think it was until later in life when I saw “The Little Mermaid” when I realized there was more to it like storytelling and performance. I knew right away I wanted to be part of that.

So, was that the moment you knew you wanted to be an animator?

Actually, the point in my life where I knew that was when I saw an animated TV commercial for Listerine that I would later find out was made by Pixar before they were know for making films. When I saw it at the time, I wasn’t even sure what I was looking at. When I saw that animated bottle of mouthwash it transformed animation into something I had never seen before. I wanted to know how they did it.

What does it feel like when you finally get to see all your hard work as a final product on the big screen?

It’s very moving especially when you have kids around you laughing. Seeing it with an audience is so refreshing. It definitely enriches the whole experience.

Jennifer Yuh Nelson breaks new ground

Jennifer Yuh Nelson breaks new ground
There aren't very many women in the field of Animation and even less who've held the title of Director. Here's a great article about Jenn Yuh Nelson our Director on Kung Fu Panda. She really has been one of the best directors I've worked with. Although gender plays it's roll in who and what we become in life, at least as far as society tells us. Jenn (as a person and individual) is a fantastic Director always taking our work and adding her insight to make it better. Thank you Jenn for letting me be a part of such a fantastic film and team.

AOL Latino.

Here's a cool little online interview for AOL Latino. For those who don't understand Spanish, the interview is about Latino's working as artists in the Animation Industry and in this case at DreamWorks on Kung Fu Panda 2.

Here's the full AOL Latino Online article

Sabía usted que Dreamworks recluta talento de creadores latinos para sus películas?
Cuando pensamos o hablamos de artistas, nos imaginamos un Picasso, Monet o talvez un Van Gogh. Pero, y que de los procreadores del Panda Kung Fu? Aunque parezca un poco divertido, este tipo de arte animado ha fundado una nueva generación de creadores de películas. Particularmente en países latinoamericanos donde los artistas talentosos son reclutados para trabajar en los estudios de Dreamworks.

Alberto Corral, Manuel Almela, Manuel Aparicio, Sean Eckols y Rebecca Pérez han sido incluidos como parte de la nueva ola de artistas latinos. Cada uno tiene su propia historia en particular, pero el tema primordial que tienen en común, es que si tienes el talento, tú lo puedes hacer.


Video producido por Carlos M. De La Vega

Aunque suene bastante simple, ustedes escucharan en el video que la perseverancia, juega un papel muy importante en el desarrollo de este talento. Especialmente, si vives en un país deficiente de escuelas especializadas a enseñar este tipo de arte.

Así que, si tu ere padre de un niño/niña que desea ser artista y crees que esto sería muy difícil de lograr, piensa de nuevo. Este sendero ya está establecido, solo se necesita un pequeño empuje para salir adelante.

Ali Villavicencio Escritor AOL Noticias

Panda 2 Premiere & Cast and Crew Party

Like the title of this post states this past weekend we had our Crew screening on Panda 2. It was incredible. The studio rented out the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal to screen the film and then immediately after we had our Wrap Party on the Universal lot. I even got to see Jeffrey and take a picture. We were also treated with a surprise visit by Jack Black who thanked us all for our hard work, which, as he said, he would take full credit for in every interview. He's a very sweet fun guy and we could tell he was genuinely proud to be part of this film, as we all are.

Now, having seen the whole film completely finished I have to say, I'm soooo proud to have been a part of it. I would even go as far as to say that I found it to be even better than the first! And I'm a HUGE fan of the first film. There are tons of laughs, action, and heartfelt moments all over this film. There's something for the whole family. I've already seen the completed film twice and I can't wait to see it again this Friday.

On a side note, in addition to all the fun events with the screening, I also got to be a part of this films press marketing. They asked me to do some phone and on camera interviews for this coming week about my experience on the film. Hopefully I'll have more to report this week and maybe some links to video's that I can post here. The whole experience was extremely fun and exciting especially when I get to talk about such an amazing film.

Congratulations to Director Jen Yuh Nelson and the whole Kung Fu Panda 2 Team.

Dreamworks on The TODAY Show

The TODAY Show launches a new segment called "Give Me The Keys TODAY" And the goal is to pull back the curtain and see the behind the scenes in how different people and companies work. Today their segment is all about Dreamworks and what goes on in our studio. It's a pretty cool video, I recommend checking it out! A few of my coworkers and friends made it in the video even my foosball nemesis Adam Strick made it on camera (he's the one playing foos... lol) Congratulations to all the hard working folks who made the cut including my good friend Steve Meyer who animated the last couple of "Puss" shots in this clip.

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