Animated Thoughts: ASIFA International Animation Day 2024

Happy International Animation Day!!

Animated Events: International Animation Day 2024

 It's that time of year: 
time for ASIFA's International Animation Day!

ANIMATION SCREENING

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

OCTOBER 25 & 26

Free admission!!

Burgers and Boba

526 E. Main Street

Edmore, Michigan 48829

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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International Animation Day 2023

 Happy International Animation Day!

International Animation Day 2021

Happy International Animation Day--the day where ASIFA chapters all over the world celebrate the birth of animated film! The image above is the 2021 IAD Poster created by Maryam Mohajer.

A Year of Animation: ASIFA International Animation Day 2018

Well, since last month I (re)created four animations from grad school for June's "Year of Animation", this month I took it a little easy and participated in an Ani-Jam.

Image halfway through the morph cycle

ASIFA Central's intrepid President, Brad Yarhouse, is in charge of ASIFA's International Animation Day, so he proposed that members of ASIFA Central participate in an Ani-Jam centered around the IAD poster. Everyone was given two images from the final poster and instructed to create a transition from the first image to the second. So, your first image will be someone else's second image and your second image is someone else's first, and so on. When completed, the animation will transition from one image to the other in a continuous loop.

In my case, I'm animating a transition from the first image in the poster to the second image.

However, given how much time my grad school archival project is taking, I decided to do a simple morph for my two frames. Transitioning from a character with two eyes to a character with one eye was a bit of a challenge and in the end, I chose to set my control points so that they were focused on specific facial characteristics so that the morph would flow much more smoothly: like the outer ends of the two pupils on one character linked together so they'd match up with the one pupil on the other character. Or the bead of sweat morphing into the glare of light on the Cyclops' eye.

What I am most proud of, though, is how well the noses morphed from one to another. That coupled with the above really draws the focus away from the flaws in the overall animation (like the fade-in of the Cyclops' large green-colored iris). I originally wanted to do this animation freehand on animation bond, but the time and effort required for this project was a little more than I was willing to commit.

You can see the completed animation this Fall when it's debuted by ASIFA Central. I'll post links in my ASIFA Central International Animation Day wrap-up blog post so you can all watch the whole Ani-Jam online.

But, until then, here's a facial morph I put together just for fun.

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Animated Events: International Animation Day

Happy International Animation Day!

Animated Events: International Animation Day!

Happy International Animation Day!!

To participate in this yearly celebration of animation, ASIFA Central will be having a free screening of animated films from around the world in Grand Rapids on Tuesday night.

Details are as follows:

When:
Tuesday, October 29th at 7:00 p.m.

Where:
Kendall College of Art and Design
17 Pearl Street NW
Grand Rapids, Michigan
In the Woodbridge N. Ferris Building, Room 217

There is no admission, this is a free event for all. And if you want to become a member of ASIFA/Central, I'll be there with membership forms.

Animated Inspiration: International Animation Day 2013

It's a little early for us to start announcing screening events and locations for this year's ASIFA International Animation Day, but they just released the official poster for 2013's event, designed by Oscar Grillo.

Animated Events: International Animation Day

Just a reminder that October 28th is International Animation Day--the day that ASIFA chapters all around the world commemorate "the first public performance of Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique at the Grevin Museum in Paris in 1892."

You can read about the history of International Animation Day on the ASIFA International website.

Here in ASIFA/Central, we will be holding our IAD screening on Wednesday, October 24th. at the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

From the ASIFA/Central announcement:

"The Central U.S.A. chapter of the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (ASIFA) presents a celebration of current animation from around the world at the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Oct. 24th.

Doors open at 6:15p.m. with the premiere at 6:30p.m. of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center and GVSU's Animation camp film "Sculpture Garden".

Followed by shorts by international, national and local animators from 7:00p.m.-9:00p.m. in the Koning Microcinema.

The event is FREE!"

The Wealthy Theatre is located at: 1130 Wealthy St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 and you can get directions to the theatre from your location here.