Erick Tran Art •Animation •Development •TV/Film

Official Urban Trailer!

2012-02-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

Pre-Order Limited Edition URBAN REGGIE 2012 Calendars!

2011-12-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

We are currently sold out. Thank you all for your support!!

URBAN REGGIE coming soon!!!

2011-08-24T01:11:00.000-07:00

Today marks an exciting day in our history books at Ideal Media Entertainment. Our very first animated project is finally born!! Well, sort of. It's still with the umbilical cord,.. but anxiously waiting to be cut loose and run-a-mock in society. LOL :) Proud to introduce to you all: Reggie & Pepe!! Our web team is currently polishing up the website, animators working harder than baseball players on steroids, bg and color dept multitasking,.. and me just making sure we all have fresh coffee. Lots of goodies and laughs coming your way!! -Erick Tran

Directing "Caged Warrior" The Birth of a Legend

2011-04-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. We are 3 months into filming our documentary for CAGE VS CONS. Here are some still shots from the movie. The film is really taking shape! Following 20 fighters from all different walks of life is what this film is all about. Our big event at the LA Sports Arena is just 3 weeks away. This is going to be huge!! I thank everyone for your support. I'm directing the film entirely with Canon 5D Mark2 and 7D cameras.

Visitwww.cagevscons.com for more information.

Cage vs Cons May 21st at LA Sports Arena

2011-01-19T02:01:00.000-08:00

I am proud to announce IME partnership with Cage vs Cons, an MMA Event on May 21st at the LA Sports Arena this year. IME will be the exclusive production house to handle all video promos for the event. I will also be directing the Cage vs Cons Documentary which focuses on the popularity of the sport and back stories of the fighters.

IME redesigned for 2011!

2011-01-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We were very fortunate to work with some of the largest brands in the world in 2010 and look forward to 2011 as we expand. Please checkout our rewamped website www.imestudios.com!

We are gearing up to produce reality show pilots, animation production, live MMA events and Pay Per View content. Oh yes,.. and full length documentary films!

22nd Simpsons Premiere Party at Universal Studios

2010-09-27T00:23:00.001-07:00

22 years!! Need I say more? At this point there's no stopping this show! We all had a great time with the Simpsons Ride as our backdrop. We thank all our fans around the world for the support and for keeping us busy! P.S. the UR project is coming soon:) More details to come.

Emmy goes to my buddy Chuck!

2010-09-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Chuck Raggins for best Individual Achievement in Animation! And Thanks to our producers for making this happen! All the best Chuck!

Here with Tiny Lister

2010-06-29T09:04:00.001-07:00

Once in a while you get to meet some amazing people with opportunities you can only dream about. In my life I can only thank God for situations that come across my path that literally change my life. I really look forward to a new venture with the one and only "Tiny" Lister thru Shaphan Roberts, our business manager.

14 year Anniversary on The Simpsons!

2010-06-24T16:11:00.001-07:00

Today (June 24th) is my 14th anniversary on the Simpsons! To celebrate I threw a crew lunch party! Special thanks to Mihaela, President of Pronto Pizza, for the great food and to staff for an amazing 14 yrs! Good times!

"Write the Future" Nike ad breaks Own Viral Record!!

2010-05-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

World Cup 2010 is just around the corner & Nike has just released their ad for the event. It's a 3 min video that broke record for biggest audience in it's 1st week. 7.8 milion views! I had the honor to storyboard and animate the Homer/Ronaldo sequence. Click on link above to view.

Superbowl Commercial!

2010-02-01T15:09:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! I had the great honor to work on this years Superbowl commercial for one of the largest brands in the world, Coke! You'll be able to see my work,.. and very excited about how it all came out. Can't say a peep about it except stay tuned and watch!! Or catch in on Youtube after:)

Comp Studies

2009-10-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick study from an old Disney movie (guess which one?)... Thankfully things have been very busy around here which makes it hard to update my blog from time to time. My next thing is to do more studies of Alfred Hitchcock films. The more we more forward in entertainment, the more I go back to the classics for reference.

Highroad Entertainment Headquarters

2009-03-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

Located in 10 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, is premiere entertainment company "Highroad Entertainment Group". It's an honor to work along side with world-class Hollywood executives. Having a competitive edge requires an enormous amount of passion to succeed. Please check out our new website!

www.highroadent.com

Indie Slate Cover

2009-01-10T13:23:00.001-08:00

Here's the upcoming issue of Indie Slate Magazine featuring David Salzberg & Christian Tureaud. I was hired to shoot & design cover. I use Canon EOS Digital SLR with an 85mm lens & finalized design in Photoshop. Will hit stands this month! (Jan)

Here with Jim Reardon

2008-11-27T01:52:00.001-08:00

Jim Reardon was Supervising Director on the Simpsons before he left to PIXAR to do the screenplay with Andrew Stanton for Disney's

Wall-E (Nominated for Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay) feature film. It was a drawing that I saw at his desk back in the late 90's that inspired me to draw in blue ball point pen for the show. Seems like a little thing,... but I found out that people were selling and buying my pen drawings at San Diego Comic Con for yrs without Fox permission. How they got it is a mystery,..it's illegal,.. but also a compliment too?

Universal Studios Simpsons Ride Concept Art

2008-09-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

These are some concepts I originally worked on last year at FOX for Universal Creative. I had the privilege of getting hired to work on the illustrated artwork that is placed throughout the lines before entering the ride. These were done in Photoshop. The "Screamatorium" was toned down cause they thought it was "too" scary!

My Sketchbook Drawings

2008-07-12T01:50:00.001-07:00

Here are some drawings from my sketchbook. As you can see I like drawing just about anything,.. especially compositional and tonal studies. I prefer drawing in blue ball point pen & markers because it forces me to think before I draw. I also study from favorite American Illustrators such as Dean Cornwell & J.C. Leyendecker.

Congrats to Creator/Producer Bob Boyle

2008-06-17T01:40:00.000-07:00

For winning his first Emmy in the category of Individual Achievement in Animation. I remember when he was boarding the very first episodes of Wow Wow Wubbzy! yrs ago. I wish Bob continued success!

Panoramic Photos

2008-05-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple panorama shots that I took recently, one at the new Simpsons Ride at Universal, the other at Long Beach Shoreline Park. Each photo is a series of 6 shoots. I'll post my method of professional photo stitching/compositing in the near future!

The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood

2008-05-17T00:12:00.001-07:00

1st time ride with Directors, Executive Producers & writers.

Here with Matt Groening at the Simpsons Ride Premier

Hello Simpsons Fans!!! The Ride is finally here!!! at Universal Studios Hollywood & Orlando Florida. We had an exclusive preview yesterday with Matt Groening, writers, artist and everyone else that was involved in one way or the other. I worked on the illustrated posters that hang in-between the lines before entering the actual ride. I also created a lot of the interior & exterior artwork. I'm very proud to be part of this great project! The ride was awesome!!!! It's truly one of the best experiences here at Universal Studio hands down! And don't forget the new Kwik-E-Mart! It's Simpsons Mania all over again!!! See you this summer at the Ride!

10 min Figure Drawings

2008-04-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some more figure drawings from the past. Studying the human anatomy is really a challenge, and rewarding! It's a great tradition in the world of art dating back hundreds of years. One of my favorite artist of all times, Michelangelo "The Renaissance Man"! The drawings on top were from live models, Bridgeman and Dean Cornwell studies.

Hanging out with Jay Leno

2008-04-06T11:23:00.001-07:00

Hello everybody! And heeeres Jaaaay Lenoooo! We bumped into each other at,.. yes, Panda Express(next to Burbank airport). If you missed it, we did a short animated segment version of the "Jay Leno show". Mike Scully, if you're reading this... Jay says hi.

Composition studies from Shawshank

2008-03-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

Shawshank Redemption remains to this day as one of my favorite Movies of all time. The concept of "Fear can hold you prisoner, Hope can set you free",... is what dictates my life personally. The dynamic relationship between Andy Dufresne(Tim Robbins) & Red(Morgan Freeman) is of course what drives the story. Frank Darabont (director) skillfully chooses the right angles to bring Steven Kings story to life on screen. Here are just a few breakdowns of the movie.

In this scene, Red and other inmates have just finished re-tarring the roof.

This was were Red mentioned how they felt like "Free men." As you can see he takes up most of the shot, with the sun hitting him with warm light. The guards hang in the lower 1/4 area, in darkness. This gives the "feeling" of Red dominating the situation. If only for a while.

In this shot, Red approaches Andy after doing time in "the hole" for a very long time.This is the breaking point for Andy,.. where he remains in the shadow of the wall. As the scene progresses, Andy steps out into the light area,.. leaving Red on the other side. Again this is a very smart way of using environmental surroundings to help magnify the storytelling. Also the perspective of the wall helps the audience focus on Andy, which is placed exactly in the lower right side"Sweet spot"( based on 1/4th grid). The use of dark and light also conveys enlightenment vs being held prisoner.

Here's another great example of how the right lighting, props and composition can take a scene to the next level. Here all heads are facing directly at Red. The way the two men on each table are sitting at an angle gives the sense of really putting Red on the spot. Also notice the legs of the chairs. The fact that they are very pointy(giving a very threatening feeling) casts a shadow pointing directly at Red. As if they were being used as a weapon in a threatening manner, during an interrogation! Again very smart! It's all in the details!!!

Here is a grid based on 4ths/anamorphic aspect ratio. This is a great tool to have, I use it a lot when I compose my shots. I use it to reference 1/2's, 1/4 spaces, the sweet spots (circles), etc. Feel free to download and use it!

Old Actor

2008-02-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

This was drawn in charcoal on newsprint, then I added some paint in Photoshop. I referenced from an old black and white photo of an actor based on "Monsters" of classic cinema! I forgot his name,.. I just liked the under lighting quality! This was a fun exercise.

Environment Concept

2008-01-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

Davy Jones!!!

2007-11-30T00:15:00.000-08:00

Figure Drawings

2007-08-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

I studied many years with Jeff Watts, Steve Huston & Paul Wee. Learning everything from the human anatomy to design & rendering. It's a never ending journey! I've been very fortunate to learn from the best instructors in the business!

My Rough Sketches

2007-08-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here's some more drawings! These were some of the very first drawings I did for the movie. At the time I didn't have a copy of the script at the time,... I just got bits 'n pieces of information about the story, events, new characters,.. etc.

My Sketches for Simpsons Movie!

2007-08-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a few drawings I did for the Simpsons Movie. I use a regular blue ball point pen to create my comps. Then add tone with an Indigo Blue Col-Erase color pencil. Usually I would add a red border to help tighten up my comps.

Simpsons Movie Production!

2007-08-29T00:51:00.000-07:00

My name is Erick Tran, I worked on " The Simpson" TV show, and just finished working on my very first feature length film, " The Simpsons Movie!". I've been with the Simpsons since summer of '96 as a character layout artist. Since then I've worked as an AD ( assistant director), and then went on to Lead Character artist for the movie.

My responsibilities ranged from supervising the animation crew, storyboarding, character designs, promos, finalizing the Simpsons family models for the big screen,.....and to hang out in all kinds of meetings with David Silverman (Director) and Richard Sakai (Executive producer). It's a privilege to contribute to a film that is a world wide success!

Here with Academy Award® winner Hans Zimmer. He's a world renowned film composer, and the coolest guy you could ever meet. I had the privilege of shooting "behind the scenes" footage during scoring for DVD content. The music was amazing!! It was truly an honor working along side with him!

Going over film sequences with Directors.