Hey guys! Instead of a traditional meeting this week, we’re encouraging you guys to go to the presentation by David Stone, the sound supervisor on Beauty and the Beast! Remember, jobs with the Walt Disney Company are not limited to animation and working in the parks–there’s so many more opportunities to work in a creative position with our favourite company!

See you there!

We’ve had a few people asking about the cookies themselves, whether they need to buy their own and such. Don’t worry — our secretary, Mallory Paddock, has it covered.

 We’ll bake the cookies and we have the decorating supplies! So come by, grab a cookie, socialize, and then feel free to get back to those midterms!

See you at 6!

Phil Bloom, the Ride Guru.

Yesterday at Crites Hall (next to the SCAD Museum), Phil Bloom spoke on his experience concerning rides he’s worked on and their respective parks. Some of these rides included landmarks like Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, the Tower of Terror, and — although it’s not Disney — Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

Also at the lecture were members of the Themed Entertainment Association and their “Next Genertation” initiative.

Next Gen Initiative members from left to right, Marissa Blake and Shelly Martin.

Both Blake and Martin (above) are in production design and part of the group (not yet an official club) that serves as a “scad chapter” for the TEA’s Next Gen Initiative. If you’re a part of the SCAD Mouseketeers because of our focus on creative careers, both in Disney and out, then this group is definitely for you.

As our secretary, Mallory Paddock, said, “It’s a great way to get involved and learn more about the industry.” She also hinted that the Next Gen might come and give a presentation at one of the Mouseketeer meetings later this quarter.

Come make a cookie for your hero!

Hey guys! The cookies have been baked (and tested, they taste fabulous!). So stop by the o-House ballroom around 6pm Saturday (tomorrow) evening to decorate a Hero cookie and hear a little more about what the Mouseketeers are up to this quarter!

- Mallory Paddock

Hey guys! Here’s the info about the Disney Imagineer Presentation: Phil Bloom, Friday April 26th, 2-4pm Crites room 306.
Nicknamed “The Ride Guru” Phil Bloom has worked as a show set designer for  The Great Movie Ride, Catastrophe Canyon, Roger Rabbit’s CarToon Spin, Tower of Terror, and Indiana Jones/Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Most notably in recent days he created and designed the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride for Universal. He has several new project in the works that he will talk about and share information about the world of Disney Imagineering.

- Mallory Paddock

A great turnout for Disney!

We had a very special guest tonight, a SCAD animation alumni – Zach Parrish. Once a SCAD RA, he is now the Head of Animation at the Walt Disney Animation Studios in southern California.

Since graduating in 2007, Parrish has worked on various movies such as “The Hulk” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” He got his foot in the door with Disney after he worked on “Alice in Wonderland,” and was hired on for “Tangled.”

“It was a Disney movie,” Parrish beamed. “I got to animate ‘Prince Charming,’ for lack of a better term.” Disney gave Parrish a lot of wiggle room for the film. “They let me prove myself.” Showing the clip where Flynn and Maximus face off at the dam, Parrish recalled working on the scene.

“I didn’t have a layout. They gave it to me and said I had to make him fight the guards, fight the horse, and the horse had to knock the pan out of his hand.”

Parrish also had a hand in animating Rapunzel herself.

“A Disney princess. A Disney princess crying,” Parrish said, noting the importance of Rapunzel’s expression during Flynn’s ‘death.’ “Not every day you get to do that stuff.” With so much room for mistake in the close-up of Rapunzel’s tears, restraint was key. “Get the expression right. Get the right expression, and really, that’ll carry it through.”

After “Tangled,” Parrish was hired on for “Wreck-It-Ralph.”

“Wreck-It-Ralph was incredibly complicated,” Parrish laughed. “It had 188 original characters.” And, as an animator, it was his job to help bring them all to life. Especially Ralph. “We wanted to separate him. He’s given up on it – given up on his code.”

Playing a slideshow, Parrish showed some early concept designs for Ralph. A happy amount of 2D art could be seen, still key in the early stages even for a 3D movie. Everything from Venellope Von Sweet to the ship Ralph crashed in Sugar Rush had an original 2D counterpart.

“Flex your animation muscles as much as you can,” Parrish said. And there’s no excuse not to at Disney. “You get an idea, you get to try it out.”

That’s how Wreck-It-Ralph’s short, “Paperman,” came about. Jeff Turley, visual developer at Disney and “Paperman” creator, proposed a short clip called “Pet” he made in Maya to Disney. And while “Pet” itself wasn’t expanded upon, Turley’s coworkers agreed that the style of his clip had great potential.  “That 2D/3D hybrid approach led to Paperman.”

Disney Internships were also a topic of conversation, particularly a new one called the “Apprentice Program.” It’s an internship with a three month “trainee” period, with a 3-6 month internship available immediately following trainee completion.

“You can apply anywhere from one to three years after graduation,” Turley explained. “Though we have been known to make some exceptions.”

Why wait? Apply now!

Please walk in a group! There be some questionable characters out there…

The presentation will take place on the second floor, so once you check in just go up the stairs either to the immediate left or right of you and take a seat. The lecture starts at 8 p.m. sharp.

We’ve also got a Disney Imagineer presentation this Friday at 2 p.m. at Crites Hall in room 306. Phil Bloom, “The Ride Guru,” will talk about his most recent projects and share some information about imagineering.

Thanks to Mallory Paddock for keeping us all up to date on the Facebook page!

If you couldn’t make her presentation, Corrie did post her PowerPoint online:

Here’s the presentation from tonight if you all would like to review the information again! I had to upload it to a file transfer website since it’s too big for Facebook; click the link and click “Download”:http://we.tl/m41iNSLbht
Also, here is the artist I mentioned several times during the presentation:http://andrewchesworth.com/ Make sure you watch his Wreck-It Ralph shot reel

 -Corrie Young

Also, Mallory Paddock gave a reminder about the upcoming presentation by the Walt Disney Company this Wednesday on April 24.

It has been moved from Trustees Theatre to the Student Center, so we recommend you get there early. It’ll be at 8 p.m., so maybe show up an hour ahead.

- Mallory Paddock

See you there!

Corrie has taken plenty of classes with SCAD’s wonderful (retired Imagineer) professors, and she’d like to share their know-how with you! See you there!

First, our president, Mark McKinsey, will not be joining us this quarter. Instead, he will be in Walt Disney World as a Character Attendant for the Disney College Program! Congrats Mark!

Farewell gift from Corrie Young.

Also, our first meeting will be on April 6. See you there!