Carlos Baena (animator)
Carlos Baena | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Cofounder of AnimationMentor.com |
Carlos Baena is a professional animator and now a cofounder of the online school Animation Mentor, which was started in March, 2005. It was the first post-secondary school that helped students to pursue a career in animation. At the school, students work with mentors from major studios in a production-style environment, and graduate with a professional demo reel.[1]
Baena currently lives in San Francisco, CA., where he spends his leisure time studying and making short films, composing music, skateboarding, and working on animation.
Past Work
Born on the Canary Islands and raised in Madrid, Baena came to the United States to attend the University of San Francisco and the Academy of Art University. After graduating in June 1998, he found a job animating commercials at Will Vinton Studios in Portland, OR. Four months later, he returned to San Francisco to work on spots and short films at Click 3X and WildBrain, Inc. Baena primarily focused on character animation and slow motion imagery. The imagery he created helped him secure a position at San Rafael, CA.-based Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in March 2001. At ILM, Baena worked as an animator on Jurassic Park 3, Men in Black 2, and Star Wars: Episode 2-Attack of the Clones. Eventually, Baena left ILM for Pixar in 2002 where he has worked on the films Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, and Ratatouille, as well as the short film Boundin’. In Ratatouille, he worked mostly on the chief villain Skinner, finding creative and subtle funny ways to show the character’s anger. Baena’s current projects at Pixar include the upcoming release of Andrew Stanton’s WALL-E and Toy Story 3, which is scheduled for release in 2010.[2]
Animation Mentor
Baena works with fellow cofounders, Bobby Beck, AnimationMentor.com’s CEO and President, and Shawn Kelly to define and shape the school’s overall direction. Baena balances his cofounder responsibilities with his full-time animator job at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif.
Awards
In Cars, Baena animated several scenes with the two Italian cars Guido and Luigi (he describes them as two of the funniest characters he has ever animated) and received a 2007 Annie Award nomination for Best Character Animation for his work.[3]
Filmography
Animation Department:
1. Ratatouille (2007) (animator)
2. Boundin' (2003) (animator)
3. Finding Nemo (2003) (animator)
4. Exploring the Reef (2003) (V) (animator)
5. Hubert's Brain (2001) (animator)
Visual Effects:
1. Cars (2006) (animator)
2. The Incredibles (2004) (animator)
3. Men in Black II (2002) (animator: air chase and post office sequences, ILM)
4. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) (animator: ILM)
5. Jurassic Park III (2001) (CG animator)
Has Worked With
1. Fred Willard (WALL-E)
2. Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille)
3. Owen Wilson (Cars)
4. Craig T. Nelson (The Incredibles)
5. Ewan McGregor (Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones)
References
- ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.animated-news.com/2004/learn-the-trade-online-with-animation-mentor/%7C title=Learn the Trade Online With Animation Mentor| publisher=Animated News|
- ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.3dsense.net/interactive/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=73%7C title=Adjunct Lecturers| publisher=3DSense Media School|
- ^ {{cite web|url=http://annieawards.org/35thwinners.html%7C title=Legacy: 35th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2007)| publisher=The Annie Awards|
Further Reading
- Carlos Baena Interview at CG-Node
- Carlos Baena Interview at CG-India
- Carlos Baena Interview at 3D Total
- Carlos Baena Video Interview at Blender Nation
External links
- Carlos Baena at IMDb
- [ http://movies.nytimes.com/person/493444/Carlos-Baena Carlos Baena] at New York Times
- Animation Mentor Website