7pm - 10pm
Meyer Hall
Three speakers, Tom Gibbons, James Brown, and Thomas Schelesny will discuss their animation work on the film Enchanted.

Guest Speakers
Tom GibbonsTom was schooled as an Illustrator and Fine Artist.

He found his way to animation back in 1987 working on Disney Saturday morning cartoons at Colossal Pictures and Skellington Productions before migrating to computers for Starship Troopers in 1995.

Since then, he’s worked on over 15 films as an Animator, Lead Animator, or Animation Supervisor, including the films Virus, Blade II, The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, Charolette’s Web, Cloverfield, and Enchanted.

He’s also made a 1/2 dozen short films. One of which (the Hunger Artist) won several Jury and Audience awards and was on the long list (380 submissions that were narrowed down to 8 before the final selection of 4 films) for the 2002 Academy Awards.

Right now, Tom Gibbons is the Animation Supervisor for the trailer of Disney’s South of the Border.

James BrownJames has been animating professionally since 1998.

After graduating with a degree in Art from the University of California at Davis in 1997, he plugged himself into the world of computer animation.

He eventually received a break in 1999 to work on the TV show “Starship Troopers: Roughneck Chronicles.”

After three years of working in LA, James was offered a job back in the Bay Area to animate at Tippett Studio.

At just over 5 yrs at Tippett, James has worked on several commercials and blockbuster films such as The Shaggy Dog, Son of the Mask, and of course Enchanted.

Currently, James is the Animation Supervisor at Tippett working on Disney’s upcoming film “South of the Boarder.”

Thomas SchelesnyThomas Schelesny is a Director, Visual Effects Supervisor, and Character Animator specializing in character performance, on-set effects choreography, and animatronics performance direction. Well-known for his work in creating memorable animated performances, he is now using these skills in live-action photography.

Schelesny began work as an animator and compositor in Vancouver, Canada, cutting his teeth on commercials and episodic TV shows such as, The X-Files, Sliders, and the Outer Limits.

In 1996, Schelesny found himself at Tippett Studio, learning under master animator Phil Tippett on films including Starship Troopers, The Haunting, and Hollow Man.

Success as an animator brought him roles Supervising Animation on films such as Virus, Evolution, and The Matrix: Revolutions.

In 1999, Schelesny moved into Visual Effects Supervision for the low-budget horror movie, Komodo - where his background in acting and theatre smoothly translated into the choreography and direction of live-action animatronics & puppeteering. This eventually included all the animatronic lizard rehearsal and on-set performance supervision.

Next, he Supervised the visual effects on increasingly elaborate projects at Tippett Studio, including animation-intensive films Son of the Mask, and The Shaggy Dog.

For Disney’s Enchanted, Schelesney’s distinctive high-energy approach to filmmaking and versatility enabled him to serve in several production roles at once—Supervising the visual effects for the entire production, Directing second unit visual effects plates, and choreographing on-set special effects.

Of particular note are the many scenes where he utilized modern digital techniques to create a performance aesthetic reminiscent of traditional Disney Feature Animations.

In recognition for his work on Enchanted, the International Press Academy has nominated him for a 2007 Satellite Award, for Best Visual Effects.

With a film and animation career that spans 15 years, Schelesny has worked in many genres including sci-fi, action, horror, and comedy. He’s currently Directing a trailer for Disney’s 2008 release South Of The Border.