Animation Skillnet and Screen Skills Ireland are proud to welcome Oscar winning Animation Director Hal Hickel to Dublin.
In the first talk of the evening, “Anatomy of an Animation Supervisor” Hal will discuss the role of the Animation Supervisor in feature film Visual Effects. Drawing on his 23 years at ILM, he will share his thoughts on presenting work to directors, conducting dailies, inspiring the crew, tackling difficult challenges, and more.
This will be followed by a second talk “Living The Dream: 35 Years of Success, Failure, and Lessons Learned in the VFX Industry”.
Hal Hickel joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1996 as an animator for The Lost World: Jurassic Park. On his next production, he was promoted to lead animator and given responsibility for the animation of several characters in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. In 2000, Hickel was moved up to animation supervisor, teaming up with multi-Academy Award winning visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren on Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. His special interest in animation lies in the challenge of integrating fantastic characters and creatures into live-action films. Hickel has since supervised the animation work on Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, Iron Man and the first three films in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. In 2007, his work on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was recognized with both an Academy Award® for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects and the BAFTA for Best Achievement in Visual Effects.
Hickel was the Animation Supervisor on Guillermo del Toro’s sci-fi epic, Pacific Rim for which he received his fifth BAFTA nomination and a Visual Effects Society Nomination for Outstanding Visual Effects. Prior to that, he was the Animation Director on ILM’s first animated feature, Rango which received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2016, Hickel took on the task of animating the epic battle between orcs & humans in Warcraft. He served as Animation Supervisor in a galaxy far, far away for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which earned him, Oscar, BAFTA and VES award nominations for visual effects.
More recently he supervised animation in the train heist sequence in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and is now Animation Supervisor on Lucasfilm’s first live action Star Wars TV show, The Mandalorian.
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Hickel studied Film Graphics at California Institute of the Arts before being hired by Will Vinton Studios as a clay animator and motion control operator for commercials and television specials featuring the California Raisins, amongst other characters. Hickel left Vinton in 1994 to join Pixar as an animator on their first animated feature, Toy Story. Upon completing Toy Story, Hickel was hired at ILM.
ILM CREDITS
2019 SOLO: THE MANDALORIAN – Animation Supervisor
2018 SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY – Animation Supervisor , (Train Heist sequence)
2016 ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY – Animation Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Visual Effects
British Academy Award Nomination – Best Special Visual Effects
Visual Effects Society Nomination – Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
2016 WARCRAFT – Animation Supervisor
2013 PACIFIC RIM – Animation Supervisor
British Academy Award Nomination – Special Visual Effects
Visual Effects Society Nomination – Outstanding Visual Effects
2011 SUPER 8 – Creature Animation Supervisor
2011 RANGO – Animation Director
Academy Award – Best Animated Feature
2008 IRON MAN – Animation Supervisor
British Academy Award Nomination – Special Visual Effects
2007 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END – Animation Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Achievement in Visual Effects
British Academy Award Nomination – Special Visual Effects
2006 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST – Animation Supervisor
Academy Award – Best Achievement in Visual Effects
British Academy Award – Special Visual Effects
2003 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL – Animation Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Achievement in Visual Effects
British Academy Award Nomination – Special Visual Effects
2003 DREAMCATCHER – Animation Supervisor
2002 STAR WARS: EPISODE II “The Attack of the Clones”– Animation Supervisor
2001 A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – Animation Supervisor
2000 SPACE COWBOYS – Animator
1999 STAR WARS: EPISODE I “The Phantom Menace” – Lead Animator
1997 THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK – Animator
Previous Credits
1998 TOY STORY – Animator
Date & Times: Tuesday 29th of October from 7pm to 9pm
Venue:
The Morgan Hotel, 10 Fleet St, Temple Bar, Dublin, D02 AT86
Cost: €20 per person.
Booking essential:
Please register using the following link:
Deadline for Registration:
Friday 25th of October at 5pm
Course Information
Course Instructor
