{"id":22204,"date":"2016-03-23T06:00:44","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T11:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=22204"},"modified":"2016-03-23T02:42:52","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T07:42:52","slug":"austin-peay-state-university-professor-scott-raymond-brings-a-dinosaur-to-life-for-nickelodeons-kids-choice-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2016\/03\/23\/austin-peay-state-university-professor-scott-raymond-brings-a-dinosaur-to-life-for-nickelodeons-kids-choice-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Peay State University professor Scott Raymond brings a dinosaur to life for Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"APSUClarksville, TN<\/strong> – Despite how the old saying goes, at Austin Peay State University, those who can really do teach.<\/p>\n

Assistant professor of animation Scott Raymond recently came to APSU following a successful career in computer animation, working for DreamWorks Animation on recent films, including \u201cKung Fu Panda 3,\u201d \u201cHome,\u201d \u201cPenguins of Madagascar\u201d and \u201cMr. Peabody and Sherman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"T-Rex<\/a>

T-Rex dinosaur chasing Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards host Blake Shelton. T-Rex was animated by APSU professor Scott Raymond.<\/p><\/div>\n

However, his work in the industry did not stop when he entered the classroom.<\/p>\n

In early March, Raymond contributed to a piece that aired promoting Nickelodeon\u2019s Kids Choice Awards show that featured country music star \u2013 and show host — Blake Shelton as he stumbled into, and often ran his way out of, a number of the year\u2019s most popular movies.<\/p>\n

Working alongside Los Angeles-based production studio Buster, Raymond got to fulfill a childhood dream, creating an animated T-Rex that the country megastar reacted to, and then comically fled from, during a segment seen by an international audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has their movie that made them want to get into the industry,\u201d Raymond said. \u201cFor my wife, who also works in the industry, it was \u2018Toy Story,\u2019 but for a lot of people, it was \u2018Star Wars\u2019 that captured their imagination.<\/p>\n

\"APSU<\/a>

APSU professor Scott Raymond.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cFor me, though, it was definitely \u2018Jurassic Park,\u2019 so when I was told that (Buster) wanted someone to work on a dinosaur, I was like \u2018yes!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

A native of Nebraska, Raymond left the west coast in 2015 so his wife, a native Tennessean, and their young children could be closer to family. But both he and his wife remained involved in animation and visual effects on a freelance basis, which sometimes means long nights spent hunting for creative opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI go through job boards and I check sites like LinkedIn, and I keep this big spreadsheet of companies and job posting sites just so I can keep up on what opportunities are out there,\u201d Raymond said. \u201cI was already familiar with (Buster) because I knew of their work on a poster for \u2018Game of Thrones,\u2019 so when I saw they were looking for some animation help, I just sort of reached out to them cold with my demo reel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raymond impressed the LA-based company with both his work and his experience in the industry. Following an interview, Raymond said he was offered the job \u2013 as well as a humorous clip of Shelton that would serve as the model with which he would base his dinosaur\u2019s animation.<\/p>\n

[320right]\u201cIt\u2019s kind of funny because I was sent all the documents and I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement which said I wouldn\u2019t talk to anyone about what I was doing,\u201d Raymond said. \u201cBut here I was, looking at this funny video of Blake Shelton, running around in front of a green screen like there\u2019s a dinosaur behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to laugh because I had just moved to Nashville, and I\u2019m already working on a video of Blake Shelton and a dinosaur,\u201d Raymond said. \u201cThe company I was working with joked \u2018hey, if you see Blake on the streets of Nashville, give him a shout for us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Working out of his home office, Raymond animated the dinosaur using Maya, a 3D modeling and animation program. From there, he worked remotely with other artists and animators who added textures and other graphic effects to bring the dinosaur to life.<\/p>\n

Raymond said the project took roughly two weeks from start to finish. The final product aired mid-April and was in heavy rotation on Nickelodeon in the month-long buildup to the live Kid\u2019s Choice Awards.<\/p>\n