"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."
~ Henry Ford
Friday, June 1, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Animated Thoughts: The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Before I went to graduate school, I lived with my Grandmother and my Aunt for four months during the Spring of 1994. When an internship offer from a local company fell through, Grandma was gracious enough to let me exchange room and board for home repairs and grounds maintenance while I searched for a short-term job that would carry me until I left for graduate school in the Fall. After a day filled with chores and sending out résumés, most evenings would find me sitting in the living room where I watched movies or the occasional television show with my Aunt Dorothy. It was during one such evening that saw my first "Aardman Animation". We were watching the 1993 Academy Awards ceremony when a clip from 'The Wrong Trousers' was played. I sat there entranced by the two clips from 'Trousers' and replayed them over and over in my memory during the rest of the awards ceremony. Come what may, I put this short little film on my "must see" list.
Fast forward to the 1994 Ottawa International Animation Festival.
It was my first Ottawa Festival experience. My classmates and I were at the festival for the weekend. We were sitting as a group in the balcony of the National Arts Centre, watching the Saturday night screening. The last competition film that night was 'The Wrong Trousers' and to say it was a crowd pleaser would be the understatement of the year. Each scene was filled with ingenious little visual puns as the master modelmakers at Aardman had created an entire universe appropriate to the characters. And at the climax of the film, the entire theatre roared with laughter and applause when Gromit grabbed the box of train tracks and built a new track in order to prevent he and Wallace from being derailed by the penguin.
Thus began my love for the films of Nick Park, and by extension, Aardman Animations. In the years since, I've tracked down Nick Park's 'A Grand Day Out' as well as the original 'Creature Comforts', watched some of the more obscure Aardman films like 'Adam', watched selected episodes of the 'Creature Comforts' t.v. series and 'Shaun the Sheep', and delighted to Aardman's feature length movies: 'Chicken Run', 'Curse of the Were-Rabbit' and 'Flushed Away'. I've even had the pleasure of visiting the Wallace and Gromit museum exhibit at M.I.T. around the time of the warehouse fire that consumed the rest of the Wallace and Gromit models and set pieces. Aardman reintroduced me to a world of stop-motion film that included everything from plasticine models to pixilation. To this day, I still cheer from the sidelines when Aardman breaks world records like the smallest and largest stop-motion animations produced to date. The largest animation being their short film 'Gulp', which can be viewed below.
And don't forget to watch the making of the film:
You can imagine then, my profound sense of disappointment this weekend as I sat through their latest film 'The Pirates! Band of Misfits'.
All the elements from Aardman's previous works were there: experienced voice actors, consistent character design and animation, a believable world filled with visual puns and gags, and a good selection of music that accentuated the emotional tone of the scenes, but it was that little spark of life that was missing. The story and dialogue just weren't up to the usual standard for an Aardman Animations film. This movie had the feel of a half-hour show that was stretched into an hour-and-a-half. I think what hit me hardest was the cardboard cut-out nature of the secondary characters. The Pirate Captain's crew members had no motivation, nothing to do, and no real reason to be there. From scene-to-scene, all they did was prop up the Captain for a few seconds and then fade right back into the background. Furthermore, the Queen's hatred for pirates was never explained. And the introduction of Charles Darwin almost halfway into the film stuck out like a sore thumb--although his chimp butler was very clever and did have some of the best gags in the film.
The only thing that I thought worthy of the Aardman moniker was the ingenious transition scenes where 2D characters sailed across an antique map, encountering trials and tribulations (and mermaids) on their way from place to place. They were cute and witty and left me looking forward to the next one whenever the main story started to drag.
Peter Lord has announced that a sequel to Pirates is in the works. I'm hoping that they will revisit what made the 'Wallace and Gromit' films (as well as 'Chicken Run') so successful and then apply those lessons/formulas to make Pirates 2 one of those rare examples where the sequel is even better than the original.
If I had to follow the Bill Plympton grading scale for feature length animated films (popularized on his blog "Scribble Junkies"), I'd say 'Pirates' was a B-/C+ -- a decent enough film for younger kids, but not enough to keep adults (or Aardman fanatics like myself) entertained for an hour-and-a-half.
Fast forward to the 1994 Ottawa International Animation Festival.
It was my first Ottawa Festival experience. My classmates and I were at the festival for the weekend. We were sitting as a group in the balcony of the National Arts Centre, watching the Saturday night screening. The last competition film that night was 'The Wrong Trousers' and to say it was a crowd pleaser would be the understatement of the year. Each scene was filled with ingenious little visual puns as the master modelmakers at Aardman had created an entire universe appropriate to the characters. And at the climax of the film, the entire theatre roared with laughter and applause when Gromit grabbed the box of train tracks and built a new track in order to prevent he and Wallace from being derailed by the penguin.
Thus began my love for the films of Nick Park, and by extension, Aardman Animations. In the years since, I've tracked down Nick Park's 'A Grand Day Out' as well as the original 'Creature Comforts', watched some of the more obscure Aardman films like 'Adam', watched selected episodes of the 'Creature Comforts' t.v. series and 'Shaun the Sheep', and delighted to Aardman's feature length movies: 'Chicken Run', 'Curse of the Were-Rabbit' and 'Flushed Away'. I've even had the pleasure of visiting the Wallace and Gromit museum exhibit at M.I.T. around the time of the warehouse fire that consumed the rest of the Wallace and Gromit models and set pieces. Aardman reintroduced me to a world of stop-motion film that included everything from plasticine models to pixilation. To this day, I still cheer from the sidelines when Aardman breaks world records like the smallest and largest stop-motion animations produced to date. The largest animation being their short film 'Gulp', which can be viewed below.
And don't forget to watch the making of the film:
All the elements from Aardman's previous works were there: experienced voice actors, consistent character design and animation, a believable world filled with visual puns and gags, and a good selection of music that accentuated the emotional tone of the scenes, but it was that little spark of life that was missing. The story and dialogue just weren't up to the usual standard for an Aardman Animations film. This movie had the feel of a half-hour show that was stretched into an hour-and-a-half. I think what hit me hardest was the cardboard cut-out nature of the secondary characters. The Pirate Captain's crew members had no motivation, nothing to do, and no real reason to be there. From scene-to-scene, all they did was prop up the Captain for a few seconds and then fade right back into the background. Furthermore, the Queen's hatred for pirates was never explained. And the introduction of Charles Darwin almost halfway into the film stuck out like a sore thumb--although his chimp butler was very clever and did have some of the best gags in the film.
The only thing that I thought worthy of the Aardman moniker was the ingenious transition scenes where 2D characters sailed across an antique map, encountering trials and tribulations (and mermaids) on their way from place to place. They were cute and witty and left me looking forward to the next one whenever the main story started to drag.
Peter Lord has announced that a sequel to Pirates is in the works. I'm hoping that they will revisit what made the 'Wallace and Gromit' films (as well as 'Chicken Run') so successful and then apply those lessons/formulas to make Pirates 2 one of those rare examples where the sequel is even better than the original.
If I had to follow the Bill Plympton grading scale for feature length animated films (popularized on his blog "Scribble Junkies"), I'd say 'Pirates' was a B-/C+ -- a decent enough film for younger kids, but not enough to keep adults (or Aardman fanatics like myself) entertained for an hour-and-a-half.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Animated Inspiration: La Lune et le Coq
Congratulations to fellow R.I.T. Grad Raymond McCarthy Bergeron whose film "La Lune et le Coq" was just nominated for a Student Academy Award!
Previous R.I.T. students who have won the Student Academy Awards are:
30th Annual Student Academy Awards -- June 8, 2003
Gold Medal in the Animation Category
“Perpetual Motion” by Kimberly Miner
A scientific speculation of the consequences of two popular maxims.
and
6th Annual Student Film Awards -- June 3, 1979
Merit Award in the Animation Category
Previous R.I.T. students who have won the Student Academy Awards are:
30th Annual Student Academy Awards -- June 8, 2003
Gold Medal in the Animation Category
“Perpetual Motion” by Kimberly Miner
A scientific speculation of the consequences of two popular maxims.
and
6th Annual Student Film Awards -- June 3, 1979
Merit Award in the Animation Category
“The Walrus and the Carpenter” Thomas Gasek, Malcolm G. Spaull
A poem written by Lewis Carroll portraying human qualities in a rather witty way. The film follows closely to the poem.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Animated Inspiration: ASIFA/East Signal Film
Since ASIFA/East's 43rd Annual Animation Festival was last weekend, here's the signal film for those of us who couldn't make it out to New York.
This cute little film was created by a pair of animators who graduated from SVA's animation program: Chris Conforti from Square Footage Films (you may remember his film 'Frog' on the second Avoid Eye Contact DVD) and Kristen Chiappone (also a fellow Blogspot user). As the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International is on hiatus, it's great to see fellow ASIFA chapters holding their own animation festivals. While KAFI wasn't an ASIFA produced festival, per se, we did do our best to help out by running lectures and workshops for their attendees. Judging by their signal film, ASIFA/East continues to raise the bar for the rest of us. Hopefully, sometime soon, we here at ASIFA/Central will be able to hold our own screening night as we wait patiently for KAFI to come back to life.
This cute little film was created by a pair of animators who graduated from SVA's animation program: Chris Conforti from Square Footage Films (you may remember his film 'Frog' on the second Avoid Eye Contact DVD) and Kristen Chiappone (also a fellow Blogspot user). As the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International is on hiatus, it's great to see fellow ASIFA chapters holding their own animation festivals. While KAFI wasn't an ASIFA produced festival, per se, we did do our best to help out by running lectures and workshops for their attendees. Judging by their signal film, ASIFA/East continues to raise the bar for the rest of us. Hopefully, sometime soon, we here at ASIFA/Central will be able to hold our own screening night as we wait patiently for KAFI to come back to life.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Animated Inspiration: Origami Wall-E
Okay, it may not be animation, but it does have an animation character in it. This video was just too cool not to share.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Animated Thoughts: ASIFA/Central Spring Meeting
On Saturday, April 14th, the ASIFA/Central Spring Meeting was held at the Grand Rapids Community Media Center.
The day started off much like our other meetings: with a quick demonstration of an animation technique. In this particular case, it was 3d zoetropes--the examples being the two made by Studio Ghibli and Pixar, which can be viewed in the following video:
After some discussion on how these zoetropes were created, we went into the workshop and started animating. Some of us created traditional two-dimensional zoetropes--drawing on paper strips--and others used turntables to create three-dimensional zoetropes using clay, little figures, and found objects. Each one of us walked the same path but came up with a wide variety of artistic results.
Here's a video of the zoetrope I created:
The rest of the zoetropes can be viewed on the Grand Rapids Community Media Center's YouTube Channel or individually at the following links:
The workshop ended with all of us finishing our zoetrope animations and then moving from station to station, viewing the day's films while Lynn McKeon posted them online.
After the workshop wrapped up, Gary, Deanna, Stephan and I retired to one of the many microbreweries in Grand Rapids, Brewery Vivant, for a craft beer sampling (not being much of a drinker, I sampled their Root Beer and Raspberry-Apple hard cider). While the food and drinks were excellent, the place was a little too loud for my tastes. So after light conversation over appetizers, we walked up the road to the Pickwick Tavern where the shop talk continued for another hour or two.
As the Membership Coordinator for ASIFA/Central (and someone who constantly harps about how animators in the Great Lakes region need a sense of community much like like they have at TAIS), this was one event I felt obligated to attend--but in a good way. It was a real treat that I had been looking forward to during the weeks since the announcement was posted on our Facebook group. Saturday's meeting was an abbreviated version of the events I so appreciate at the TAIS workshops or the Ottawa International Animation Festival. It all boils down to community. The films shown at festivals and screenings will always be hit-or-miss for me since everyone has different tastes in film techniques as well as subject matter. However, the opportunity to spend time with fellow animators is one that every professional should look for (and forward to). Given the solitary nature of our endeavors, independent animators like myself run the risk of becoming isolated from the rest of the filmmaking community unless we take concrete steps to foster and maintain ties to other professionals. And it doesn't always have to be networking for business. Sometimes it's just nice to have a conversation with like-minded individuals.
I look forward to our next meeting in a couple of months when we all will gather together at the Spring Lake Library for an impromptu celebration of Windsor McCay, pioneer of animation.
The day started off much like our other meetings: with a quick demonstration of an animation technique. In this particular case, it was 3d zoetropes--the examples being the two made by Studio Ghibli and Pixar, which can be viewed in the following video:
 |
| Animation workstation |
Here's a video of the zoetrope I created:
The rest of the zoetropes can be viewed on the Grand Rapids Community Media Center's YouTube Channel or individually at the following links:
- Keren Benavides and David Baker
- Gordon and Jennifer Peterson
- Bryor Biles
- Keren Benavides, Lisa Dubois, David VanTuyle, and Lynn McKeown
- Tucker Biles
- Zurina Eriffin
- Sandra Green
The workshop ended with all of us finishing our zoetrope animations and then moving from station to station, viewing the day's films while Lynn McKeon posted them online.
After the workshop wrapped up, Gary, Deanna, Stephan and I retired to one of the many microbreweries in Grand Rapids, Brewery Vivant, for a craft beer sampling (not being much of a drinker, I sampled their Root Beer and Raspberry-Apple hard cider). While the food and drinks were excellent, the place was a little too loud for my tastes. So after light conversation over appetizers, we walked up the road to the Pickwick Tavern where the shop talk continued for another hour or two.
As the Membership Coordinator for ASIFA/Central (and someone who constantly harps about how animators in the Great Lakes region need a sense of community much like like they have at TAIS), this was one event I felt obligated to attend--but in a good way. It was a real treat that I had been looking forward to during the weeks since the announcement was posted on our Facebook group. Saturday's meeting was an abbreviated version of the events I so appreciate at the TAIS workshops or the Ottawa International Animation Festival. It all boils down to community. The films shown at festivals and screenings will always be hit-or-miss for me since everyone has different tastes in film techniques as well as subject matter. However, the opportunity to spend time with fellow animators is one that every professional should look for (and forward to). Given the solitary nature of our endeavors, independent animators like myself run the risk of becoming isolated from the rest of the filmmaking community unless we take concrete steps to foster and maintain ties to other professionals. And it doesn't always have to be networking for business. Sometimes it's just nice to have a conversation with like-minded individuals.
I look forward to our next meeting in a couple of months when we all will gather together at the Spring Lake Library for an impromptu celebration of Windsor McCay, pioneer of animation.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Animated Reviews: ShutoCon
I have sort of a love-hate relationship with anime cons. On the one hand: I've been watching Godzilla movies and anime since the early 1970's when all they had on t.v. was reruns of "Speed Racer" and the first runs of "Battle of the Planets" and "Star Blazers". So anime has been a large part of my life throughout my entire life. On the other hand, "cosplay" kind of creeps me out. Being at a convention to meet a voice actor who's work you have admired for decades while teenage kids wearing extremely revealing costumes are bouncing around you, acting in character, is a really uncomfortable situation for a middle-aged man to be in. Occasionally, you'll meet some kid or college-age student who is a little more mature than the rest and can hold up their end of a decent conversation. But most times, it just leaves you feeling icky when you realize that the attractive girl wearing the bikini top and hot pants, who just asked you why you're not in costume, is actually young enough to be your daughter. And as the months move from Spring to Summer, and the temperature rises with the seasons, the costumes get more revealing and I get more and more uncomfortable. As it takes place in June, I go through a lot of soul-searching before making the decision of whether or not I should attend JAFAX.
ShutoCon was a touch more more bearable this year than last. Even though the weather was warmer, it appears that 'My Little Pony' is now the big thing. Basically, the outfits are far less revealing when all you need is a monogrammed t-shirt and skirt paired up with a bright pink wig and a 'horsie-ear' headband.
It being the second year for ShutoCon, I was determined to ignore my social anxiety and attend the only "animation" convention in Lansing--and I use that term lightly, though not in a negative fashion mind you. ShutoCon caters to a wider audience then just the folks like me who are all about the art of Japanese animation. At this convention, you'll find a plethora of cosplayers, people who study the Japanese language, aficionados of the Gothic Lolita fashion, artists who create Japanese-inspired artwork, people who are interested in Japanese food and culture, as well as those who just want to do some shopping for Japanese-themed products.
Personally, fortune smiled on me in the dealers room as I found a long out-of-print DVD that I've been searching for since the mid-nineties. Yes, I could've picked it up for the same price (when you include shipping) from Amazon.com, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember the name. Sadly though, the dealer who was there last year with all the 6" Godzilla figures didn't have a booth at ShutoCon this year. Sometimes you're stuck going the Amazon.com route even when you want to support local businesses.
At the cons, I try to support local artists as well as local businesses and this year I found perhaps the cutest artist ever in my fifteen plus years of going to conventions. 'Tasty Peach Studios' is an artist working out of Indiana who creates cutesy little chibi-themed characters. As I stood there and felt the saccharine overdose starting to make my teeth hurt, I quickly bought a little sushi charm and walked away before the sugar coma fully set in. While I'm not really into the 'moe' scene, I have to admit that, if I had a daughter, I would be spending way too much money with Tasty Peach. As it is though, Christmas shopping for my sister's niece is going to be a lot easier this year! Her work is actually a pretty fascinating study of character design so I put a reminder in my notebook to chat her up at JAFAX and see how well her designs would make the translation to animation.
However, shopping wasn't the main reason for attending ShutoCon. As the convention organizers brought in two of the four voice actors that I suggested in 2011's "who should we get for next year" forum, I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to have Richard Epcar and Mary McGlynn sign the 'Ghost in the Shell: Innocence' poster that Crispin Freeman autographed for me last month at Con Ja Nai.
To put it plainly, Richard Epcar was the man. I'm not sure what ShutoCon paid him to appear at the convention, but they sure got their money's worth. For three days, he made himself available for several autograph sessions, gave multiple lectures and Q&A sessions, and was always ready to put his arm around a fan and pose for a photo while telling a funny story or giving career advice.
Over his sessions, Mr. Epcar covered a lot of ground including how to become a voice actor--not just for anime, but for animation in general--his career history, how he got into voice acting, and how he got into directing and screenwriting. Additionally, he ran a hilarious out-takes show for the 18+ crowd where it was one video clip after another of voice actors flubbing their lines or being silly and inventing their own lines. I especially enjoyed how he talked about recording the recent unabridged Doc. Savage audiobook 'White Eyes'--which I purchased from him for this year's twenty-hour roundtrip drive to the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
At one of the autograph sessions, I had a nice conversation with Mary McGlynn regarding our mutual enjoyment of 'Millennium Actress' and our sadness over the tragic death of Satoshi Kon. In addition to discussing her career and handing out advice, an accomplished singer, she even sang an accapella song from her upcoming album. Much like Mr. Epcar, Ms. McGlynn was all about the fans and was always ready to hand out advice, pose for a photo, or answer a question while rushing through the hall to her next session.
One thing I do regret though is not going to the rave. Luckily, since I was volunteering to check badges down the hall from the ballroom that night, I did get to hear some of the music at a level that wouldn't damage my hearing. A made a mental note to keep an eye on Greg's website for its relaunch and check it for upcoming performance dates. Given that I've already lost a small range of hearing due to some serious acts of stupidity at loud concerts during my younger years, I probably won't ever be front and center at a D.J. Ayers show in the future. But considering how much I enjoy electronica, I'd love to just hang out sometime, outside the main hall, and enjoy the music without having to bump into the sweaty little kids with glowsticks, dancing in the ballroom and making the same mistakes with their hearing that I made in the past.
In the end though, despite whatever anxiety I may feel over sharing anime cons with younger generations, I consider myself lucky to have been old enough to be a part of all but one major wave of anime hitting the shores of America. I wasn't there for Astro Boy and Tetsujin 28, but I've been around for and been a part of everything else since then. It almost makes up for having to suffer through a decade of bellbottoms and Disco.
Update 4/30/2012:
ShutoCon just got Greg Ayres's contract in the mail today. Looks like I'll have the chance to hear him jam at next year's rave after all!
Footnotes:
1. Photograph copyright 2012, Paul Gordon.
2. Photograph courtesy of Amazon.com.
3. Photograph copyright 2012, John Collins of Weird Review.
 |
| 'Pinkie Pie' 1 |
It being the second year for ShutoCon, I was determined to ignore my social anxiety and attend the only "animation" convention in Lansing--and I use that term lightly, though not in a negative fashion mind you. ShutoCon caters to a wider audience then just the folks like me who are all about the art of Japanese animation. At this convention, you'll find a plethora of cosplayers, people who study the Japanese language, aficionados of the Gothic Lolita fashion, artists who create Japanese-inspired artwork, people who are interested in Japanese food and culture, as well as those who just want to do some shopping for Japanese-themed products.
 |
| 'The Samurai' 2 |
 |
| Sushi Charm |
However, shopping wasn't the main reason for attending ShutoCon. As the convention organizers brought in two of the four voice actors that I suggested in 2011's "who should we get for next year" forum, I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to have Richard Epcar and Mary McGlynn sign the 'Ghost in the Shell: Innocence' poster that Crispin Freeman autographed for me last month at Con Ja Nai.
 |
| Me and Richard 'Batou' Epcar |
Over his sessions, Mr. Epcar covered a lot of ground including how to become a voice actor--not just for anime, but for animation in general--his career history, how he got into voice acting, and how he got into directing and screenwriting. Additionally, he ran a hilarious out-takes show for the 18+ crowd where it was one video clip after another of voice actors flubbing their lines or being silly and inventing their own lines. I especially enjoyed how he talked about recording the recent unabridged Doc. Savage audiobook 'White Eyes'--which I purchased from him for this year's twenty-hour roundtrip drive to the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
 |
| Mary "Major Kusinagi" McGlynn |
One thing I do regret though is not going to the rave. Luckily, since I was volunteering to check badges down the hall from the ballroom that night, I did get to hear some of the music at a level that wouldn't damage my hearing. A made a mental note to keep an eye on Greg's website for its relaunch and check it for upcoming performance dates. Given that I've already lost a small range of hearing due to some serious acts of stupidity at loud concerts during my younger years, I probably won't ever be front and center at a D.J. Ayers show in the future. But considering how much I enjoy electronica, I'd love to just hang out sometime, outside the main hall, and enjoy the music without having to bump into the sweaty little kids with glowsticks, dancing in the ballroom and making the same mistakes with their hearing that I made in the past.
 |
| Cons, better with friends. 3 |
Update 4/30/2012:
ShutoCon just got Greg Ayres's contract in the mail today. Looks like I'll have the chance to hear him jam at next year's rave after all!
Footnotes:
1. Photograph copyright 2012, Paul Gordon.
2. Photograph courtesy of Amazon.com.
3. Photograph copyright 2012, John Collins of Weird Review.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Animated People: Norman McLaren
Happy Birthday to Norman McLaren, animator, experimental filmmaker, Academy Award winner, and champion of animation at the National Film Board of Canada, who was born on April 11, 1914.
Featured below is his Academy Award winning film "Neighbours", created using the pixillation technique.
Featured below is his Academy Award winning film "Neighbours", created using the pixillation technique.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Animated Inspiration: Fresh Guacamole
Well, PES has released yet another animation using the pixilation technique. I'm encouraged when I see professional animators taking older, lesser used animation techniques, coming up with fresh takes on the technique, and making them their own.
For more info on people who are keeping techniques like pixilation alive, click here for a review of TAIS's 2010 Pixilation workshop which Bryce Hallett of Frog Feet Productions taught for the Toronto Animated Image Society.
For more info on people who are keeping techniques like pixilation alive, click here for a review of TAIS's 2010 Pixilation workshop which Bryce Hallett of Frog Feet Productions taught for the Toronto Animated Image Society.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Animated Thoughts: NPR report on China's Cartoonists
So yesterday, I heard a report on NPR's Morning Edition radio program entitled 'Provocative Chinese Cartoonists Find An Outlet Online'. Basically, it's about Chinese cartoonists and animators using their craft to protest abuses in China and posting them on the internet in an attempt to keep one step ahead of the censors. One of the people referred to in the article (pen name: Pi San) created an animation last year protesting illegal land grabs, multiple deaths due to milk poisoning, and killings that go unpunished due to people being politically connected. After reading/listening to the NPR report, here's a link to last July's post where you can watch an english subtitled version of "Little Rabbit, Be Good".
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