R I C K C A T I Z O N E
INDUSTRY
I have over 50 years working professionally in the animation industry with some of the following credits:
COMMERCIALS AND INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS
I have directed and animated hundreds of commercials and special venues for clients such as : Mr. Yuk (Childrens Hospital Poison Center), Gimbals, Kaufmanns, PNC Bank, Union National Bank, Starkist, Pitt Panthers,Pittsburgh Pirates(a decade of Pirate/Parrot shenanigans), Pittsburgh Penguins, Arthur (Children’s book character), AT&T, Joseph Horne Company, Alcoa, Tom Petty, US Steel, Consol Energy, PPG, many of the local and regional radio and television stations, and more.
FEATURE ANIMATION CREDITS
CREEPSHOW 2: Designed, directed, and produced 11 minutes of cel animation; personally animated 7 1/2 minutes.
CREEPSHOW: Designed, animated, and produced opening and closing animation, as well as linking segments.
EVIL DEAD 2: sculptor/armatures designer and builder/animator…..Animated stop-motion crawling hand sequences; Animated neck grow and face transformation, combining replacement head transformation sculptures with fully articulated stop-motion puppet. Animated full figure puppet of Henrietta; Shots were composited with live action plates via single-frame rear-screen projection.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (original): Photographed the end sequence via single-frame animated camera moves on the Oxberry animation stand
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS- Animation of the background flying and battling dragons
FEATURE FILM SPECIAL EFFECTS
DARK HALF: Assisted In Designing Effects, Fabricated foam rubber lamps, typewriters, devised self-shattering vase, etc.
EVIL DEAD 2: Sculpted and cast facial transformations, machined armatures for crawling hand and Henrietta puppets, cast foam puppets for animation
MONKEYSHINES: Designed and constructed cable-controlled internal mechanisms for monkey puppet for dangerous scenes. CREEPSHOW: Sculpted hands, feet, and chest for creature in THE CRATE, tenderly known as "Fluffy". Sculpted hands and arms for FATHER'S DAY. Sculpted shriveled face for SOMETHING TO TIDE YOU OVER.
SPECIAL TV PROJECTS
CREEPSHOW -Greg Nicotero Series: Animation sequences of the Creep for Season 1
OTHER ANIMATION CREDITS
RUNNIN DOWN A DREAM -Tom Petty Music Video
IN LOVE WITH A CAPITAL U - Joe Diffie Music Video
STAR FOR JEREMY (8 min.)
TOM’S LIFE- 10 min. pilot for Fox Animation TV series
XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS- (one episode) Animated skeleton battles
ROUGHNECKS:STARSHIP TROOPERS CHRONICLES- one episode) Animated main characters and giant robot
STORYBOARDING
MONEY FOR NOTHING (TOM SIGEL) CEMETERY CLUB (BILL DUKE)
LORENZO'S OIL (GEORGE MILLER) DARK HALF (GEORGE ROMERO)
CREEPSHOW 2 (MIKE GORNICK) -Thumbnail roughs and scene timings
TV Series: Kid N Play, Widget
TEACHING
Twenty-five years with The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, as teacher and designer of courses and curriculums. Classes taught include Life Drawing, Animal Anatomy (sculpture), beginning and advanced Traditional Animation courses, Computer Modeling, Camera and Lighting, Storyboarding, Pre-Portfolio, and Portfolio. Besides campus, I also taught for our Online division as well I wrote much of the animation curriculum when we started the animation program, and contributed to ongoing changes, including new versions for AI Online.
DEGREES
Bachelor of Science in Media Arts and Animation
Master of Visual and Performing Arts (with a focus on animation) Terminal 60 credit degree
Professor titling from Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS and SPECIAL PROJECTS
Ray Harryhausen, Master of the Majicks- Scanned thousands of photographs, contributed personal materials, for this new three volume set of books on the legendary master animator.
Wonder Island- Children's series (in development)
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh- Animation faculty and designed most of the animation curriculum.
Douglas Education- Designed a full animation curriculum, encompassing cel animation, stop-motion, and cg.
Autopsy of the Dead(dvd)- Interviewed for this look at the cast and crew and making of the original Night of the Living Dead
Interviewed for a number of dvd special features sections for various dvd releases of Creepshow, Creepshow 2, Evil Dead 2
Convention guest appearances: Famous Monsters of Filmland, Chiller, Monster Bash, Resintopia, CinemaWasteland, and more, signing autographs, doing panels, and explaining how we created the animation and effects on the feature films mentioned.
Sculpting and producing resin kits including: Mighty Joe Young holding Cowboy(released through Resin Realities), the Ymir Attacking the Farmer, Cyclops holding Sinbad, Night of the Living Dead Johnny kit, and new ones in progress.