Strong Year for Best Animated Feature Oscar Nominations

It was a strong year for Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations, and an underdog triumphed. At the 97th annual Academy Awards at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles last night, Flow beat competition from Pixar’s Inside Out 2, Dreamworks’ The Wild Robot and Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

Underdog Story

Gints Zilbalodis’ tale about a cat in a flooded world missed out on the Oscar for Best International Feature Film but still became Latvia’s first Oscar win. And it was surely also the first Oscar winner to be made entirely in the free 3D modelling software Blender, cementing the open-source program’s place among the best animation software.

The Film

Flow is a surprisingly peaceful post-apocalyptic tale about a black cat, dog, capybara, ring-tailed lemur, and secretary bird trying to survive a flood. It has no dialogue, instead allowing its expressive artistic style to do the talking, and the almost painterly style of animation is beautiful.

The Team’s Achievement

Flow was one of our highlights of Annecy 2024, and it still seems incredible that it was made by a small team using Blender alone. It was rendered in EEVEE, Blender’s real-time render engine.

The Director’s Reaction

Gints thanked Blender when accepting the award. Speaking to press afterwards, he said: "Any kid now has tools that are used to make now Academy Award-winning films, so I think we’re going to see all kinds of exciting films being made from kids who might not have had a chance to do this before. And it’s a great tool. It’s not in any way a compromise. It’s as good as anything else out there, and we’re going to use it for my next film."

Conclusion

Flow’s victory continues a trend for more interesting and diverse animation Oscar wins in recent years. It follows on the heels of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio in 2023 and Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron in 2024. Another underdog, the stop-motion film Memoir of a Snail, was the fifth title in this year’s list of nominations.

FAQs

Q: What is Flow about?
A: Flow is a post-apocalyptic tale about a black cat, dog, capybara, ring-tailed lemur, and secretary bird trying to survive a flood.

Q: How was Flow made?
A: Flow was made using the free 3D modelling software Blender, rendering in EEVEE, Blender’s real-time render engine.

Q: Who won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature?
A: Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

Q: Who won the Oscar for Best Animated Short?
A: Iranian filmmakers Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi earned the Oscar for Best Animated Short with In the Shadow of the Cypress.

Features

Wix is a well-known website builder with two products: Wix Classic and Wix Studio. Both products offer similar features, including a comprehensive suite of eCommerce features, CMS features, form features, and support features. They also provide templates to choose from and the ability to generate websites using AI. On the administrative side, features include SEO, marketing, analytics, and design systems. Wix Studio also offers real-time collaboration, allowing entire teams to work on a website simultaneously.

Performance

The performance of Wix Classic and Wix Studio differs in terms of generative AI. Wix Classic generates the entire website, while Wix Studio allows users to choose between a sitemap (pages and sections only) and wireframes (pages, sections, elements, content, and layout), leaving the aesthetics entirely up to the user. Wix Studio also offers more control over design, with precise values, alignments, grids, padding, and even advanced responsive design settings.

Support

Both Wix Classic and Wix Studio offer 24/7 customer support, including an AI chatbot. However, Wix Studio offers priority support on the plus, elite, and enterprise plans, which enables users to skip the queue and get dedicated assistance. Wix also provides self-help resources, including a help center, guides, courses, webinars, resource centers, blogs, podcasts, and newsletters, as well as a forum and Discord community for third-party help.

Pricing and Plans

Wix Classic and Wix Studio offer similar pricing plans, ranging from £9 to £119 per month (excluding VAT). Both products offer a free domain for one year and free hosting. The main difference is that Wix Studio has a limit on CMS items (starting from 1,500 on the most basic plan), while Wix Classic does not. Wix Studio also has an enterprise plan, which requires a demo to learn the cost.

Verdict

Wix Classic’s clunky drag-and-drop movements are no match for Wix Studio’s granular controls, which even first-time website builders can operate. In terms of pricing and user-facing features, both products offer the same thing, making Wix Studio the clear winner.

FAQs

Q: What are the main differences between Wix Classic and Wix Studio?
A: Wix Classic generates entire websites using AI, while Wix Studio allows users to choose between a sitemap and wireframes, with more control over design.

Q: What are the pricing plans for Wix Classic and Wix Studio?
A: Both products offer similar pricing plans, ranging from £9 to £119 per month (excluding VAT).

Q: What is the difference in support between Wix Classic and Wix Studio?
A: Wix Studio offers priority support on the plus, elite, and enterprise plans, while Wix Classic does not.

Designing a Conveyor Hall and Hive Setting in Alien: Romulus

01. The importance of finding good references

When designing a feature-film set, it’s crucial to have a solid understanding of the overall aesthetic and atmosphere the director and production team are aiming for. For the conveyor hall and hive setting in Alien: Romulus, I relied heavily on references from the second film in the Alien series, Aliens. Screen grabs from the film provided valuable insights into the shapes, angles, lighting, and materiality used in the colony hallways, which I drew inspiration from to create a dark, industrial, and ominous atmosphere.

02. Sketch out a cross-section

To get started, I sketched out a cross-section of the corridor, focusing on the overall shape and feel of the space. I wanted to create a sense of tension and discomfort, so I opted for a tall, narrow space with dramatic angles and a sense of weight and oppression.

03. Create a floor plan

Next, I created a floor plan of the corridor, using the sketch as a guide. This helped me to visualize the layout and ensure that the design was functional and logical.

04. Block out in Blender

I then blocked out the design in Blender, using the 3D software to create a basic shape and structure for the corridor. This allowed me to experiment with different shapes and angles, and to get a sense of the overall scale and proportions of the space.

05. Add details, lighting, and materials

With the basic shape and structure in place, I added details, lighting, and materials to the design. I used a combination of 3D modeling and texturing to create a sense of depth and realism, and to bring the space to life.

06. Paint over the render

Finally, I painted over the render to add additional details, atmosphere, and texture to the design. I used a combination of brushes and filters to create a sense of grit and grime, and to add depth and dimension to the image.

07. Bring in glow and dust, and place a character

To enhance the atmosphere of the design, I added a range of elements, including glow and dust particles, and placed a character (Kay) within the scene. This helped to create a sense of scale and to add a sense of drama and tension to the design.

08. Head over to Photoshop and complete the scene

I then exported the image and took it into Photoshop for final touches, adding a Levels adjustment layer to increase the contrast and drama of the image. I also added a 50% grey layer with a Noise filter to create a sense of texture and depth.

09. Write up notes and present the concept

Finally, I wrote up notes capturing the key ideas and design decisions, and presented the concept to the production team. This helped to ensure that everyone was on the same page, and that the design met the expectations of the director and production team.

Conclusion

Designing a conveyor hall and hive setting for Alien: Romulus required a thorough understanding of the overall aesthetic and atmosphere of the film, as well as a range of technical skills and tools. By following a structured approach, from researching references to painting over the render, I was able to create a design that met the expectations of the director and production team, and that brought the world of Alien to life.

FAQs

Q: How did you approach the design of the conveyor hall and hive setting?
A: I approached the design by researching references from the second film in the Alien series, Aliens, and using those references to inform my design decisions. I also used a combination of skills and tools, including 3D modeling and texturing, to create a sense of depth and realism.

Q: What were some of the key challenges you faced during the design process?
A: Some of the key challenges I faced included creating a sense of tension and discomfort in the design, while also ensuring that the space was functional and logical. I also had to balance the need for detail and realism with the need for a sense of scale and drama.

Q: How did you ensure that your design met the expectations of the director and production team?
A: I ensured that my design met the expectations of the director and production team by being open to feedback and suggestions, and by presenting my design in a clear and concise manner. I also provided detailed notes and concept art to help illustrate my design decisions and ensure that everyone was on the same page.

The Best Stop-Motion Animated Films

The best stop-motion animated films bring something purely imagined to vivid life in a way that other animation techniques can’t. While stop-motion animation is regarded as the easiest way into this medium, the films on my list elevate animation to an art form.

The Best Stop-Motion Movies

1. Coraline
   Did you know? Rapid prototyping 3D printing was first developed at the LAIKA Studio for Coraline (2009), and later ParaNorman (2012) and The Boxtrolls (2014).

Studio: LAIKA
Release date: 2009

Based on an imaginative story by Neil Gaiman, Coraline is about a girl who discovers a secret door leading to a parallel world where her ‘mirror family’ wants her to stay. The film’s stop-motion animation technique is used to great effect to create vivid, contrasting worlds that enhance the eerie atmosphere.

Where to watch: Coraline is available to watch on Amazon Prime

1. Pinocchio
   Did you know? Guillermo Del Toro and his co-director Mark Gustafson worked on the film for 15 years.

Studios: Netflix Animation, The Jim Henson Company and ShadowMachine
Release date: 2022

Pinocchio is a visually stunning stop-motion adaptation of the classic tale, reimagined with dark fantasy elements. Co-directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, the film’s story is set in Fascist Italy, and explores themes of mortality, identity, and love. With breathtaking handcrafted animation and a rich emotional depth, it offers a poignant take on Pinocchio’s journey.

1. The House
   Did you know? The House is an off-beat 2022 British stop-motion adult animated anthology television special that features three tales set in the same mysterious house across different time periods.

Studio: Nexus Studios
Release date: 2022

The House is an off-beat 2022 British stop-motion adult animated anthology television special that features three tales set in the same mysterious house across different time periods. Directed by Emma de Swaef, Marc James Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, and Paloma Baeza, the film blends surreal horror with dark comedy. Each segment explores themes of obsession, transformation, and decay, brought to life with intricate stop-motion animation. With its unsettling atmosphere and unique storytelling, The House is a haunting and visually stunning exploration of human nature.

1. ParaNorman
   Did you know? ParaNorman was the first stop-motion movie to utilize a 3D Colour Printer to create replacement faces for its puppets in a process called ‘Rapid Prototyping’.

Studio: LAIKA
Release date: 2012

Following LAIKA’s groundbreaking Academy Award-nominated animated feature Coraline, ParaNorman is a 2012 American stop-motion animated comedy horror film directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, and written by Butler.

1. The Adventures of Prince Achmed
   Did you know? The Adventures of Prince Achmed premiered in Germany in 1926 and was immediately hailed as the world’s first feature-length animated film.

Studio: Comenius-Film GmbH
Release date: 1926

The Adventures of Prince Achmed is a 1926 German animated fairytale film by Lotte Reiniger and is considered to be the oldest surviving animated feature film.

Conclusion

Stop-motion animation has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the early 20th century. With its unique blend of artistry and technology, stop-motion animation has given us a wide range of captivating and often haunting films that continue to captivate audiences around the world.

FAQs

Q: What is stop-motion animation?
A: Stop-motion animation is a technique used to create the illusion of movement by physically manipulating objects, puppets, or clay, and taking photographs of them in small increments, creating the illusion of movement when played back.

Q: What is the history of stop-motion animation?
A: The history of stop-motion animation dates back to the early 20th century, with the first stop-motion animated feature film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, being released in 1926.

Q: How do I get started with stop-motion animation?
A: With a smartphone and a sturdy stand, you can get started with stop-motion animation. You can use a variety of software and apps to create your own stop-motion animations.