Instagram story viewer> @frankabney> Posts

Frank Abney

@frankabney

17.9K

followers

1991

following

Award Winning Writer/Director | Animator 🎮🎥📺 | Game Dev | Academy Member (AMPAS)| Bay Area native | Thoughts are my own
est. 1986

POSTS STORIES REELS

I’ve spent 20 years contributing my talents to places like Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony, Netflix, and more. Over the past 11 years I’ve been working on my own stories and helping others do the same in my spare time.

I’m looking forward to bringing this film to the world!

So thankful to this dope cast @yolondaross_creator @aminjoseph @roywoodjr @jaleelwhite @ashleighmorghan

Thankful to our partners @legendsanimated helping to make this all possible.

Writer/Director- @frankabney
Producer- @nicholas_maye

#art #animation #film #shortfilm #TheTurners by @frankabney

It has arrived! Thank you again for this amazing honor @naacpimageawards !#mondaymotivation #canvas #naacpimageawards #netflix #film #black #filmmaker #animation by @frankabney

A weekend…

Huuuuge thank you to @aafca and @gilrobertson for honoring us with the award for Best Animated Short for Black Man, Black Man! I’m so so so honored we got to share this moment with so many amazing artists. Huge thank you to @naacpimageawards for celebrating all of us nominees and bringing the laughs and good food!

I have to thank our amazing BLACK MAN, BLACK MAN team! @yvettenicolebrown @aldis_hodge
Producers @hodgebrothersproductions @edwinhodge @nicholas_maye @archdvs @9bcollective and @jermainestegall with the beautiful score, my brothers @mikel.wellington @imjoshualeonard who jumped in to help along with the team spread around the country!

It was great to catch up and celebrate the homie Coog and Sinners, as well as chat with some of the cast @theauthenticdelroylindo and @_milescaton_ and give them their flowers. This art is important, and you are important as the carrier of this magic!

The amazing @kylapratt and your brilliance, gracing our screens and ears over the many years in the game. Such an inspiration.

So many more I didn’t capture, trying to be in the moment. Great conversations, great moments! @khleothomas , you’re a real one! @vanlathan I appreciate you bro!

@norman.floyd and @matukoamini it’s always so great to see you!!! I so so so appreciate your support! It means the world!

@kirakellydp so glad we could finally meet! Your work continues to blow me away!!! Just 🤌🏾😮‍💨

@ava I owe you a big hug! 😁

My love @tamaracharese imma repeat it here too! Thank you for your SAFETY! Your love and support is wrapped in it!

All my family in the Bay Area! My Mom, my kids, my sister, niece, cousins, aunties!!! The support means everything!! Same to my friends around the globe! Y’all fill me up with joy!

Everybody, y’all keep creating, and keep sharing the art! The world needs it!

#art #animation #naacpimageawards #blackhistorymonth #aafca by @frankabney

PICK SOMETHING YOU CARE ABOUT🩵

Link in bio 🎧

#frankabney by @frankabney

I wanted to share this little tip for something I used in this work in progress scene in my upcoming animated short film, THE TURNERS. With independent films MOST times we can’t afford to bring all the bells and whistles of big budget feature animation. The technical hurdles can be high. But I’m no stranger to finding a way.

In this campfire sequence, there’s a moment where Alberta ( voiced by @yolondaross_creator ) puts out the fire with her coffee. I knew I couldn’t afford to have real fluid effects, and didn’t have the time to do it in 2d, and integrate it properly etc. So, I thought maybe I could use a lattice deformed in Maya, and just pull the “fluid” geometry through it, to fake it.

I still need to fix some things, but it was a great solution, and didn’t take too long either. You’ll see the setup on the second video.

I created the path for the “fluid” with the lattice and constrained that to the mug. I had to make sure that was long enough to account for how fast I needed the pour to be. I didn’t wanna run out of coffee tube 🤣. I made some imperfections in the lattice so there would be some subtle movement while pouring. I widened the shape of the lattice near camera to cheat the perspective. Then just animated the y translation of the rounded off cylinder coming down out of the lattice. I exported the mesh as an alembic cache file to bring into @unrealengine where I’m lighting the scene, made a simple material, and now we’re in business and I can iterate on it for the final render.

Hope this helps someone out there!

#film #shortfilm #TheTurners #animation #tips by @frankabney

A little throwback for this Thursday. My former life in BMX taught me a lot about the work we put in, setting goals even if it’s unattainable, and in this case… Hesitation!

This was around 20 years ago. I had already been doing backflips, and variations for years, and just recently learned front flips. I wanted to get it “on tape” though. All the nerves hit. I had to get myself in the right headspace for something that could get me REALLY hurt. Similar to when I learned backflips. When it was go time, a shred of fear hit, and I hesitated at the last moment. That through the rotation slower, and BOOM! Right to the tailbone.

A lesson was cemented in my head though.

Go for it, or don’t! There’s no in between.

#animation #art #bmx #filmmaking #indie by @frankabney

I can’t tell you how excited I am for YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER! I was drawing with my daughter and wanted to do a little something! My Bay Area brother @mahershalaali has been one of my favorite actors to watch. So inspiring as both an animator and filmmaker.

I’ll be seeing the film first chance I get! Y’all make a point to get out there too! We need more of this art in the world. Huge congrats to @curry_crayola , Mahershala and the whole cast & crew!

Check it out at select theaters 9/25, followed by a wide release 10/9!!

#art #film #yourmotheryourmotheryourmother #movie #sketch by @frankabney

Another quick locomotion test for THE TURNERS. This time with Sheriff Dietrich. The Sheriff is fueled by his own greed, and inadequacy.

I wasn’t sure about doing characters covered in fur, but we’re getting it together, and trying to be efficient with it at the same time. Thanks to @unrealengine !

Big shoutout to our team bringing him together!
Character Design by @myhomie_omie
Early design exploration from @billmasukuart
Character modeling by @leeorezende
Look development by @the_giron

Rough rig & animation by me.

When you hear what @jaleelwhite brought for his voice… 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 Just you wait and see! My guy knocked it out!

THE TURNERS
Written & Directed by @frankabney
Produced by @nicholas_maye
Big s/o to @kickstarter and our fiscal sponsor @legendsanimated helping to make this short film a reality!

#art #animation #film #indie by @frankabney

To find a forever love in this world, that brings a safety over your heart, and truly sees you completely is a blessing.

📸 @emilyjenksphotography by @frankabney

THE TURNERS has such a fun group of characters! When I designed this little sweet hammerhead undercover menace, I had this in mind 🤣. Again, I couldn’t wait for the rig to be done to animate him.

Don’t pet, he bites!

Modeled by my bro @mikel.wellington
Lookdev by @the_giron
Rough rig & animation by me

Can’t wait for you to hear what @ashleighmorghan recorded 🤣

THE TURNERS
Written & Directed by @frankabney
Produced by @nicholas_maye

#animation #art #film #shortfilm #indie by @frankabney

On THE TURNERS, sometimes I don’t want to wait until the rig is done, I HAVE to jump in there and animate. In this case, a quick run cycle to see how the deputy looks in motion. The Sheep deputies in THE TURNERS are well… sheep. They follow no questions asked.

So happy how these guys turned out. S/O to our artists: @mrrogersart who designed him, @leeorezende who did the character modeling, and @the_giron who finished it off with the look development. Rough rigging and animation by me.

Big S/O to our partners @legendsanimated , @kickstarter , and those of you that supported for helping to make this all possible!

Written & Directed by @frankabney
Produced by @nicholas_maye

#animation #art #film #short #indie by @frankabney

Huge thank you not only for the new addition in recognition of the work we’ve been putting out there, but this is a huge thank you to everyone that’s been riding with the work, supporting & rooting for us. We feel it all, and it means the world.

In an industry where so many think of each other as “competition”, It’s a great feeling to have people that genuinely want to see you do well. We sharpen each other!

This work means everything. A huge blessing and responsibility is in our hands to not squander our gifts.

“Thank you @tellyawards for recognizing us.

Thank you BLACK MAN, BLACK MAN team, @yvettenicolebrown @aldis_hodge @nicholas_maye @archdvs @9bcollective , and a big thank you to my wife @tamaracharese . Y’all have elevated me, in ways I can’t express with just words.”

#art #animation #indie #film #shortfilm by @frankabney