It's March and that means two things: taxes and butterflies!
One of the things that I teach my students during my end-of-semester professional development lecture is the importance of having a good accountant. I understand the desire to save money and do things yourselves, but I cannot stress how important it is to have someone double-checking your numbers. I manage my own books for Smudge Animation, but my accountant is the person who keeps me from making mistakes. So the drive to Grand Rapids every year is well worth the time.
Now, if I'm going to be on the west side of the State, I like to visit some artistic venues and recharge my batteries after the long, cold winter. I normally maintain a yearly membership to the Detroit Institute of Arts. This year though, I decided to let it lapse and reallocate those funds to the Frederik Meijer Gardens. Nothing against the DIA, but they're doing a lot of construction and it's affected a number of the displays that I like to frequent. Some have been moved to less accessible rooms, others taken off exhibit for the time being. So, I'm kind of staying out of the way while they get the renovations completed and the artwork back to their usual rooms.
Looking for alternates, I reviewed what Meijer Gardens was offering this year and quickly determined that there were four upcoming events that I'd like to see. There was my two yearly visits to see the butterflies which coincide with the meetings with my accountant. However, this year they're bringing back the indoor/outdoor Chihuly exhibition. Last time Dale Chihuly's works were on display at the Gardens, I didn't learn about the exhibition in time to drive out there. So, I'm not missing out this year. I won't say that I'm an expert on his artwork, but I fondly remember seeing the glassworks that the students were producing back in the '90's when I was at R.I.T. and that fondness for glass and ceramics hasn't dulled over the years. Look for those photos later this year. So there will be more than enough going on in Grand Rapids to justify the cost of a one-year membership.
And for the rest of this post, here are some of the best photos that I took with some very agreeable butterflies.
Zebra Longwing Heliconius charitonius
Doris Longwing Heliconius doris
Tiger Longwing Heliconius ismenius (possibly)
Postman Heliconius melpomene
Doris Longwing Heliconius doris
Banded Orange heliconian Dryadula phaetusa
And here's the obligatory lunch photo from the cafe. They've done some remodeling recently. Not sold on it yet, but the menu is still solid.
Yup. That was one tasty burger. Granted, it wasn't a Kahuna Burger, but still... And I always appreciate how they go the extra mile for the butterflies event. Usually it's butterfly-shaped cookies, this time it was a flower-themed chocolate cupcake with a gummy butterfly.
Two weeks later, I returned to Detroit as the DIA was showing
The Glassworker, Pakistan's first ever hand drawn animated feature film
at the DIA's Detroit Film Theatre.
Visually, it was like watching 'Ghibli-lite', and that's not a criticism. If
you're going to study the art of animation, you'd be hard pressed to find a
better example than Studio Ghibli. Story-wise, it was... interesting. It felt like there were no heroes in this story, just a lot of normal people who were victims of circumstances beyond their control as well as experiencing the consequences from the bad decisions that they made. There was a fair amount of complexity and there were some interesting explorations between patriotism and pacifism, classism, along with a very unexpected twist at the end. Mano Animation Studios and director Usman Riaz are off to a good start. Looking forward to seeing what they do next.
Afterwards, in keeping with the theme of the film, I took a moment to appreciate some of the glassworks in the DIA's collection.
Well I decided to start the year out strong with two movies and two trips to the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The DIA brought in Dr. Daniel Jaquet to demonstrate how a knight would be dressed in his medieval armor--as well as dispel a number of myths propagated by Hollywood over the years, history versus Hollywood and all that. Apparently, knights in plate mail armor didn't need a block-and-tackle setup to lift them onto their horses. And when discussing the weight of medieval plate armor, Dr. Chaz Kirchhoff stated that it's around 40 to 50 pounds--comparable to a fireman wearing his kit, or a modern solder wearing his kevlar.
Additionally, Dr. Jaquet stated that his record for donning the armor, with the assistance of two squires, was around four-and-a-half minutes. For his Ph.D thesis, Dr. Jaquet had this replica suit of armor custom built from a 15th century design to his own physical specifications, including the underclothes that a knight would wear to provide padding between his body and the armor. He also spent six months training his body to wear the armor wearing it two hours per day five days per week--much to the chagrin of his wife. For more info on how the armor was built, I recommend this article over on the Open Culture website.
Dr. Daniel Jaquet
Well after dressing in his armor (sans some of the chainmail undergarments), Dr. Jaquet also showed off the flexibility of wearing this armor by doing calisthenics, push-ups, a short jog, and sprinting.
Demonstrations like these do more than just feed my imagnation while playing Dungeons and Dragons, they provide a rare glimpse into how the human body moves and reacts when wearing restrictive and heavy covering. It's one thing to watch films like Lord of the Rings or Conan the Barbarian, however it's another thing entirely to be in the front row watching a man in armor go through his paces. It's more than just "history comes alive", as an animator, you really get a feeling for how this kind of distributed weight affects and restricts human motion. You just can't beat watching something like this in person.
The Letter, ~1905 William Churchill
And, while at the DIA, I made sure to carve out enough time to enjoy some art and a bowl of their chicken soup at the Cafe DIA. While it's still the best chicken soup in Michigan, I'd still have to say it's running neck-and-neck with Pesto's restaurant over in Flint, Michigan.
It was Spring and time to make a drive down to the Detroit Institute of Arts in order to see the Academy Award Nominated animated short films program. My typical plan for this event is to show up a couple hours early and wander the museum drawing inspiration by the art, then have a nice meal, and finally watch the films. Sometimes my wanderings are to gather information for my History of Animation class. Other times, I'll thinking of a theme (like food) and search for works of art that match the theme. This time though, after looking at a few paintings, I found myself mostly seeking out three-dimensional art like glassware or sculptures.
Kingfisher, Cicada, and Willow Tree, from the Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting, 1700 Unknown Artist, China
Vase with carnations, 1886 Vincent van Gogh
Water Pitcher, "Pomona" Glass, 1885/86 New England Glass Company East Cambridge, Massachusetts
After some musings about how the artwork was produced--and the tremendous skill it must have taken--I strolled over to the Detroit Film Theater. The films selected for the program were a bit on the longer side, so it was only a five-film screening consisting of only those that were nominated. Usually the program has a couple extra films from those submitted but not nominated in order to pad out the presentation to a full hour-and-a-half (ish). But this time, there wasn't any need for extras. As Zippy Films was kind enough to post a list of all the shortlisted films back in December, I debated the merits of looking up some of those short-listed films (you can view that article here). Wild Summon by Saul Freed and Karni Arieli looked particularly interesting, albeit a tad gruesome. The trailer for Humo (Smoke) by Rita Basulto had some very interesting visuals that left me wondering CGI or stop-motion? And the trailer for Eeva, by Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak, had both a visual style and story style that projected those quirky Eastern European sensibilities which would definitely appeal to me. Alas, these films got passed over, so will have to do some digging on the internet in the future to see if the filmmakers have uploaded them after their festival runs.
The films this year had a wide array of techniques and topics, though I suspect all had elements of CGI in their production processes, be it compositing, special effects, or animation.
Our Uniform [Iran]: This film had some interesting visuals--the animated short was made to look like all the characters, models, and backgrounds were made of fabric. But with regards to the story, I kinda felt like I'd already
seen this film when I watched Persepolis back in 2007. Not a
bad film, per se, but I had repeated feelings of déjà vu and was left wondering if the creator was inspired by Marjane Satrapi's feature (or graphic novels)?
Letter to a Pig [France, Israel] - I found the story in this film a little confusing. On the one hand, it was pretty straightforward: you have an
elderly Jewish man telling the story of his experiences during the Holocaust
to a classroom of kids who (on the surface at least) don't seem to be grasping the nuances of
what he was talking about--they fidgeted, some looked bored, I seem to recall one being expelled from the room for being disruptive. The portion of him telling his story about hiding from the Nazis on a farm was rather engaging. But I wasn't sure about the point of the kids being disruptive. Was this an actual event or did the filmmaker script the kids' behavior for the film? Was the filmmaker trying to make the point that as more and more Holocaust survivors pass away, the younger generations become more and more detached from the horrors of their collective history? Then there was the girl who was visualizing the story she was being told before it drifted into daydreaming...
Well, over on the Hive Studio's YouTube channel, they have uploaded a pair of videos detailing filmmaker Tal Kantor's story and production process. I highly recommend watching them--especially the one on technique if you're a budding filmmaker. I found some of my questions being answered through this fascinating look into how she designed and constructed her film (videos aptly titled: 'The Story' and 'The Technique'). Others were left unresolved.
Interestingly enough, recently Tal Kantor popped up on my Facebook "Suggested Friends" list. Apparently we have ten mutual friends. After watching Letters to a Pig again, I might reach out to her and ask some questions about her film. This is one of those thought provoking animated shorts that I would really like to watch a couple more times to really let it sink in.
Pachyderm [France] - There were some really good visuals in this
film--hauntingly beautiful imagery and solid animation technique--but
sometimes the story being told is too abstract. During the screening, I didn't get the
fact that it was about abuse. On the bright side, it did plant enough seeds
within my consciousness that I looked up the film afterwards in order to get
some more context and interpretation on the story. Even if they don't "get it" during the first viewing, I think that inspiring someone to look deeper into your film's premise outside of the screening is a pretty good thing.
Ninety-Five Senses [USA] - This film was a slow burn. An entertaining story
told by an old man at the end of his days as he reminisces about his life. It
was a very compelling story that drew me in from the start and ended with a startling reveal. Now, I'm not
going to say that "this is the film that should've won", I've long since given up on trying to determine how the Academy members will vote. But what I will say
is that if you only see one of the films nominated this year, it should definitely be this one.
War is Over [USA] - This was an nice film. A bit overly saccharine for my tastes, but it had a decent story (two soldiers on either sides of the war playing a game of chess with moves relayed by carrier pigeon). I honestly thought that it was more interesting to see how the film was created using Unreal Engine (using a video game engine to create an animated short film). What I think really made this film shine is that the concept was strong enough to stand on its own. I don't think that they needed the John Lennon song. Not saying the song's presence was bad or unnecessary, just that it was a solid concept with good storytelling and competent execution in and of itself.
So, all-in-all, I found this to be a very good program of films which were filled with a wide variety of animation techniques and visual styles. It was well worth the drive down to Detroit. Now, time to see what animated features the Detroit Film Theater will be showing this year so I can start planning return trips.
It's January and ASIFA Hollywood has has released their listing of films nominated for the 51st annual Annie Awards.
With the second season of Arcane still months away and not having seen many of the features or television series, I'm a little out of sorts on who to cheer for.
At this point, I've seen Suzume but only have a couple of the nominees on my list of films to watch--those being: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Boy and the Heron, Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, Robot Dreams,The Inventor, and White Plastic Sky. I also need to watch Invincible: Atom Eve before the second half of Invincible, season two is released, but that's neither here-nor-there. The rest of the nominated films really don't seem to be capturing my interest. They may be good films for all I know, but when I look at the trailers, I'm just not feeling them.
I have the same problem every season when the new anime is released. I start out with a sizable list of shows that look good from the trailers, but when I get two or three episodes in, the luster fades. Out of the eight shows I've started this season, so far, only Delicious in Dungeon, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer, and Solo Leveling are holding my attention (I'm still on the fence with A Sign of Affection). And last season, I started with four and only season two of Goblin Slayer made the cut. On the bright side, it does give me enough time to go back and finish watching Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Skeleton Knight in Another World. I discovered those a little late in the season, so fortunately all those episodes are out right now. Though I really do need to finish those two series before the Spring as Kaiju No. 8 is due out in April and Loner Life in Another World is due out "sometime" in 2024.
Then, in February/March, the DIA is showing the Academy Award Nominated animated films so I'll be driving down to Detroit to watch those... and my copy of the late Paul Bush's film Babeldom arrived from England... want to rewatch that film sooner rather than later... and the last two Arpeggio of Blue Steel animated features arrived from Japan earlier this month... ah, so much animation, so little time to fit it all in. A good problem to have now that I think about it.
It was October. The leaves were red, orange, and gold here in Michigan.
I had handed out midterms on Friday and they started to drift in -- a number
of my more diligent students finished and turned in the exam the very next
day. But as we headed into the holiday season, I knew that time was going to
be more precious than ever. Grading forty-three midterms, followed by grading
two separate writing assignments in November and a third quiz-based assignment
in December, followed by the final exam and submitting course grades lay ahead
of me. Then there was International Animation Day, the Grand Rapids Comicon,
Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and finally, my birthday on New Year's
Eve.
I had to face the very real fact that I wouldn't get to visit the Detroit
Institute of Arts until January. Not being able to visit an art museum isn't a
Greek tragedy in the grand scheme of life. But considering how much I work
during the week, I do enjoy getting away from it all for an afternoon of
solitude, a little exercise, and some artistic inspiration. Recharges the
internal batteries and all that.
So, with the weekend open, a friend and I drove down to Detroit for a good
lunch and an afternoon of cultural enrichment. After we finished up at the DIA
Café, Jon and I went our separate ways. He wanted to visit the DIA's library
and do some research. I wanted to drift and look at some familiar pieces of
art--see what was still there and what had been changed since my last visit. I
was not disappointed.
Hanuman, early 1900's Unknown artist
The first stop was the "hall of puppetry". The exhibit had been swapped
out since my last visit. Some of the puppets I had seen before, but this time
there was an interesting note in one of the placards dealing with the puppeteer
making a puppet transition from one size to another during the performance
and it explained a little technique. When I think about how Lotte
Reiniger made transitions in direction or movement on the z-plane, how the
Indian puppeteers handled the same issue was very thought provoking. Worth some
further research... and testing... and I wondered how I could integrate that
information into my lecture on the history of puppets... or the assignment on
Lotte Reiniger.
Painting from an Album of Landscapes after Old Masters, 1619 Shen
Shichong
Then it was off to the "hall of Chinese paintings". There's just something
about observing the complexity of the simple designs seen in both the layout and the brush
strokes combined with a skillful use of the 'white of the paper' that I find so
appealing. I once heard that during Mao's "Cultural Revolution" the communists
tried to destroy China's history. How many priceless works of art and
literature that represent the great history of the Chinese people are gone
forever? Course, for that matter, how many were destroyed during World War II?
Or when Rome fell... or Constantinople...?
Fruit Piece, 1849 Robert Seldon Duncanson
Having no plan in particular, nor any special exhibits to visit, I walked
upstairs and revisited some artwork that I'd seen many times before. This time
though, feeling no rush to be anywhere or do anything, I sat there and tried to
observe the paintings with new eyes and from different angles. My patience was
rewarded as I noticed details in the paint/brushstrokes on the pineapple in
Duncanson's "Fruit Piece", details meant to simulate light and shadow and reveal
texture. Then there were the speckles on the strawberries, obviously meant to
represent seeds--or the individual painted drupelets that made up the
raspberries. So many small details that make up a greater whole.
The Veiled Lady, 1872 Giovanni Maria Benzoni
Before I left the museum proper, I had to take some more photographs of
the 'Veiled Lady'. Still breathtaking... not just the ability to make marble
look transparent, but also the folds in the fabric and the detail on the woman's
clothing.
It really makes me wonder how long it took Giovanni Benzoni to learn and
master the skills necessary to create such a statue.
Mont Sainte-Victoire, ~1904-6 Paul Cezanne
Feeling a little tired by this point, I had a light dessert at the Kresge
Court and did some reading. I've been jotting down notes about a fantasy
setting that's been on my mind for the better part of five years--writing from
the first-person perspective like Bram Stoker wrote Dracula, as if I was
writing a travelogue of my experiences while I wander through a strange and
wondrous land. I honestly don't think that it's something that I'd ever
publish. It's more the act of creation and having something special for me to
read and reread that I'm enjoying. A roommate of mine once wrote several
novels in the time we lived together. They were all set in the universe of a
game we played and from the perspective of the main character and the
mercenary unit that my friend played. One day I asked him if he was ever going
to submit them for publication, after all, he had been a playtester for the
game, he knew the right people to talk to. But he said 'no'. Writing these
stories was something that he did for himself. I didn't understand it then,
but all these years later, I think I get it now. Sometimes the story is so
personal that you want to keep it all to yourself rather than put it out
there, be it published as official canon or as fan fiction. Jeff was right:
sometimes it's all about 'creating art just for the sake of creating art'.
Well, I made it to Detroit to see the animated short films that were nominated for the 2023 Academy Awards. And while I don't follow the Oscars, per se, I do have some friends that are voting members of the Academy--and watching the shorts program at the DIA's Detroit Film Theater is a fun experience, so off to the Motor City I went.
I spent a couple hours drifting around the DIA, mostly looking at paintings and sculptures up in the third floor -- the Dutch Masters galleries. Then had a brief, yet pleasant talk with one of the docents about 'Veiled Lady', a marble sculpture by Giovanni Maria Benzoni from back in 1872. A quick lunch later, and I checked out the Impressionists gallery to see that the four van Gogh paintings owned by the DIA were back in their home again.
After which, it was time to see the films!
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It.
This is the story of a salesman working in a call center who has an existential crisis. It's a clever concept with competent execution. I don't think that they broke any new ground with the story or animation here but it was an entertaining film with good production values.
For the time being, you can watch this film on the Troy | Movies | Videos YouTube channel at this hyperlink.
The Flying Sailor
Always good to see the National Film Board of Canada with a film in competition. And when the film is directed by Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, you know that it's going to be entertaining. This one was the story of a Canadian sailor who was caught in an explosion when two ships collide. It was a really trippy film that looked at the nature of existence but without becoming pretentious or drawn out for too long. If you've ever had a near-death experience (or thought you were having one), you'll relate to what transpires on the screen. Watch to the end because even when you think that it's over, this film sneaks in a really good endcap.
For the time being, you can watch this film on the New Yorker's YouTube channel at this hyperlink.
Ice Merchants
Delightfully quirky with a good payoff. This film reminds me of the fun and quirky films that I would see at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The story is all about a father and son who live on the side of a cliff, harvesting ice and selling it to the townspeople below. I was able to figure out the payoff at the ending about halfway into the film, but wow was it a fun ride to get there. This was my choice for the Oscar. Unfortunately, it lost out to 'Boy, Mole, Fox & Horse', but having seen all the contenders, you pretty much knew who the Academy members were going to cast their votes for.
For the time being, you can watch this film on the New Yorker's YouTube channel at this hyperlink.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Gorgeous visuals and smooth animation. There was some clever dialog throughout the story of a boy learning life lessons from animals whilst finding his courage. A little too saccharine and simplistic for my tastes, but it was adapted from a children's book, so you know what to expect going in. It's worth seeing once and I'm sure that parents will enjoy watching this film with their children. Definitely stay seated through the ending credit sequence and pay attention.
Last I knew, this film was only available to watch through the Apple+ streaming service.
My Year of Dicks
An interesting, entertaining story. Visuals were reminiscent of Joanna Priestley's Voices with some nods to Richard Linklater's Waking Life. The main problem with this film wasn't the story--a teenage girl who decides that she wants to lose her virginity and the hi-jinks that follow--no, it was that the music and sound effects drowned out the dialog, so there was a lot of nuance and character development that I ended up missing. It was a quirky film with some interesting notes and the final sequence was painfully funny and relatable to men and women alike. Honestly, I'd watch it again (though only if it came with subtitles). This short film is rated "R" for content, however, overall it was pretty tame. I don't recall any nudity or anything like that, just some foul language and its mature subject matter. The DFT and Shorts International did it right: before the film was announced, they gave time for parents to remove their children from the theater. I don't know where this film is available for viewing right now, but if you're into "coming of age" stories, this one is worth a look.
And to end this blog post with the obligatory foodie photo, I have to say: the DIA Cafeteria has a superior bowl of chicken soup!
Well, I finally made it to the DIA's Van Gogh exhibition before it closed out. After watching the Van Gogh animated installation in Grand Rapids it was time to see the real thing in Detroit. I have to say that I was left awestruck by the breadth of the man's ability. So often in the books and classes, all you get to see are Vincent's paintings like The Starry Night. However, in addition to his paintings, this exhibit showed examples of his drawings with ink, charcoal, and crayon. And it was in those pieces that you really started to grasp the tremendous amount of skill and talent that Van Gogh was blessed with. What really struck a chord with me is when they mentioned how Van Gogh studied pointillism. Then, as you looked at his paintings, you saw how Van Gogh expanded upon the technique and made it his own before incorporating it into his own style.
The following photos really aren't the best examples of Van Gogh's diversity of talent, but these were the paintings that really spoke to me, the ones I spent more time observing (and appreciating) than all the others.
Landscape with Figures, 1889
Sheaves of Wheat, 1890
Grapes, Lemons, Pears and Apples, 1887
Roses, 1890
Vase with Carnations, 1886
Peach Trees in Blossom, 1889
I'm not much of a fan of the television show Doctor Who. To be honest, the show is just not to my tastes (excepting the season with Christopher Eccleston, of course). But there was this one episode in the later seasons where the Doctor takes Vincent Van Gogh forward in time to the Musee d'Orsay and has a chat with a curator. Probably one of the most poignant yet beautiful scenes of science fiction out there. And while I related to it on an emotional level since it was a very well written, well produced scene of television, after seeing the breadth of Van Gogh's skill on display, the curator's monologue made so much more sense, on an intellectual level.
The Doctor: "Between you and me, in a hundred words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?"
Curator: "Well... um... big question, but, to me Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly the most popular, great painter of all time. The most beloved, his command of colour most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world, no one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived."
It was after this exhibit at the DIA that I truly began to grasp the above statement and both how and why people hold Vincent Van Gogh's artwork in such high regard.
I'll end this post with the obligatory foodie photo of the lovely meal that I had at the Vincent café before going on to enjoy the exhibit.
Other than teaching my class, I had watched a fair number of animated films over the past year (and a couple series) but hadn't done much animation or even produced anything artistic. My paintbrushes sat unused on the desk. The light table collected dust. Even old animations went unarchived. I did paint some miniatures for wargaming, however. But other than practicing color coordination, it really doesn't help me grow much as an artist.
Self-Portrait II, 1938 Joan Miró
I did write some scripts and stories this year--nothing that I'd ever publish or anything, really more dealing with honing my skills and getting some ideas out of my head and onto the page.
Most of my efforts this year were dedicated toward historical research for changes and updates to my animation history class -- and those efforts paid off that Fall semester. This was easily the best class I have taught so far. Sadly, a lot of the updates were notations of animators who had passed away in the previous year. However, there were some areas where I was able to refine and clarify information -- like the history of animation registration pegs -- and another where I added a brand new assignment covering the history of major animation patents. And I had enough time left over to add a new lecture for the last day of class -- lots of advice from my personal history on where and how to land a job in the industry.
Sidewheeler II, 1913 Lyonel Feininger
With Fall semester over and grades submitted, I ended my year with a trip to DIA. I hadn't seen the big Van Gogh exhibit yet and it was leaving by the end of January. Unfortunately, the exhibit was sold out by the time I bought my ticket. But, a trip to the DIA is still at trip to the DIA so I was still able to wander around and appreciate the art.
Spectral Rhythms, 1970s Charles McGee
Looking forward to the new year, I think I'd like to get back to the basics and work on a lot of those foundational skills: line and brush work, watercolor, gesture drawing, things like that. Going into the Fall semester this past year, I talked with one of my colleagues about how fun it would be to produce a short animated film -- with production starting at the beginning of the semester and then showing my students what I had completed by the end of the semester. Given that my history class is being downgraded to a 200 level course, it will free up some time that I would've otherwise spent grading the daily writing assignments. I think that next semester, it'd be a good lesson for the students to see what you can produce in four months. Leading from example and all that.
Well, vacation is over and it was very productive.
After I found my original set of polyhedral dice earlier this year, I started rebuilding the vintage D&D collection that I had back in the early 1980's. Part of that was the solo module "Maze of the Riddling Minotaur". So I rebuilt two characters that I remembered from back then and finally completed that adventure... after thirty years. It was such an enjoyable experience that I framed the map for posterity's sake--and hung it on the wall of my gaming room. But, in order to not be the classic example of the shut-in gamer, I also made it a point to be a little social by doing some miniature wargaming with friends.
Later on that week, I took some reference
photos of the emu and the kangaroos at the local zoo for later sketching. Then visited the Detroit
Institute of Arts and explored the history of a couple artists while looking at
their paintings (Otto Mueller and Joan Miró)--as well as learned something new
about puppetry that I have integrated into one of the assignments for my History of Animation class.
"Bathers" ~1920, Otto Mueller
In order to keep my time off 'animated', I caught up on some animated shows, short films, and a feature. Wrote a
treatment for a short film and dusted off an animation that I'd like to
complete over the next year. And I made the obligatory "OIAF 2022" cupcakes. I couldn't be in Ottawa in person, but I was there in spirit.
Being in the area was a good thing though. My housemate is currently helping with end-of-life care for one of his friends and he needed a little time off. So after being gifted a pair of tickets to the Renaissance Festival from a friend, we got to walk around and relax at the Festival. We then ended the week walking around Meijer Gardens, enjoying one of the few remaining warm and sunny days
of the season (and taking lots of reference photos of flowers, fish and landscapes).
Now even though I was "technically" on vacation, I still taught my History of Animation class at Central, and I made it a point to let the kids know that I was on vacation and what I was doing with my time. I ended up putting it all into a handout--some of which reads as follows:
So, this leads into the question: during class, why did I make it such a point to mention my plans about taking some time off?
It's because "burnout" is a real thing.
Most, if not all of you are preparing to enter a very competitive field where you will make your living off of your ability to be creative. If you're not careful, instead of working on your given assignment, you'll find yourself staring at a blank canvas (or computer screen), unable to form a coherent thought. And both the inspiration and the steady stream of ideas you once relied upon are nowhere to be found.
In order to combat this, I encourage you to develop an outlet where you can recharge your internal batteries. And it doesn't have to be related to your field of study--as you can see, mine just happen to be mostly art/animation-related.
And it doesn't have to be an expensive activity. Two of my close friends from Grad School like to "get away from it all" by doing the Walt Whitman thing: spending time outdoors and in nature whenever possible.
Steve was distance runner in High School, so he'd go jogging around campus on a regular basis after classes. Then once a week, he'd have a pint of Guinness at the pub and just hang out there and talk to people. To this day, Steve still walks to work through the countryside in Norway.
Glenn, he likes hiking the Adirondack Mountains over in upstate New York and posting nature photos on Facebook.
When I was in graduate school, my activity was sketching animals. To keep it
affordable, I bought a yearly pass to the Seneca Park Zoo. Then, almost every
Saturday, I'd spend a couple hours walking around with my sketchpad and drawing
the animals. Now that I've graduated, I like to do art and animation-related
events--whether it's spending a weekend learning an old animation technique or
watching an animated feature here in town or driving down to Detroit and
spending an afternoon looking at art.
It's these breaks that will help you decompress from the stresses of work
and feed your soul. Often, when I feel like I've got brain fog, I find a couple
hours at looking at art and letting my mind wander is all it takes to get the
ideas flowing again. These periodic breaks give you something to look forward
to when it's been a tough week at work and it's a good way to reward yourself
for when you've stuck it out and finished your tasks for the day, the week, or
the month.
And again, they don't have to cost a lot of money. It costs Glenn and Steve
nothing to walk (or jog) through nature. When Fathom Events brings first-run anime
features to Lansing, tickets are around ten dollars. An afternoon at the DIA
costs $14 for admission to the museum and $7 for parking. And only ten dollars
when I want to take my sketch pad and go drawing at the local zoo--even less if
I buy a yearly pass to the DIA or the Zoo.
Maybe you played a musical instrument in High School. Or you like to play a
sport. Maybe journaling is your thing. Or you'd like to try urban sketching. It
could be an activity you enjoyed when you were younger or something new that
has always interested you.
I encourage you all to explore your interests outside of your field of study
(or your career) and find an activity that you enjoy, something that you can
make your own and which will help you get away from the stresses of your job.
Finding out what works for you, what activities help you recharge and recover,
is one of the keys to longevity in your future career as a creative.
A week later, one of my students came up to me before class and thanked me for that particular handout. Turns out that as she was entering the last year of her degree, she was experiencing significant burnout and my advice spoke to her right where she was at.
I won't say anything trite like "it was a teachable moment" or anything like that. I was just happy that I was reaching a student where they were at and that my advice helped them solve a very real problem.
I stopped watching the Academy Awards many years ago, pretty much when an anonymous studio exec admitted publicly that he (or perhaps she) never watched the animated films in competition. Since then, we've heard stories from other members of the Academy about how they just ask their kids what animated feature they like and then they vote for that film. Personally, I'm of the opinion that if you're not invested in that particular category, then don't vote in that category at all.
At that point, the awards lost all meaning for me. If I was a voting member, I'd only vote for the animated feature, animated short, and SFX categories because those are the only areas where I have an interest to watch all the films in competition--and where my both my knowledgebase and experiences in filmmaking lie.
Amid Amidi of Cartoon Brew maintains a pretty good series of articles that discusses this problem in depth--including 'should read' links to previous articles (Cartoon Brew). If you're interested in reading more about this problem within the Academy, I'd start my research there.
Now I have several friends who are members of the Academy and are very diligent to watch the films that they're voting for, meaning: it's kind of a delicate topic. Add to that, I have one of those Academy-related memories that is near and dear to my heart: seeing Nick Park's Wrong Trousers winning the Oscar in the Spring of 1994 and wishing I could watch that film--then, seeing the whole film at my first-ever Ottawa animation festival that Fall. So, while I've given up on the Oscar show itself, I still make it a point to watch as many of the Academy-nominated animated features and shorts as I can--which is made very easy by the Detroit Institute of Arts/Detroit Film Theater having a shorts screening program every year. It's a good use of your time: you take the better part of the day to walk around the DIA looking at artwork, have a nice lunch, then watch an hour-and-a-half's worth of animated shorts. And if I have time, I go back into the DIA to be further inspired by art. It's really tough to find a better way to spend a day.
This year was only slightly different. The DIA had hooked up with Eventive.org to stream the yearly Academy Awards shorts program to our homes (for a nominal fee, of course). So while it wasn't the full theater experience, I still got to see the nominated shorts along with a couple that were in the running but didn't make the cut.
The ones that really struck a chord with me were:
Burrow. Created by Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat as part of Pixar's SparkShorts program, Burrow was as delightful now as it was the first time I saw it. And having interviewed Madeline back when she was a student at CalArts, it's been a very fun experience to watch her career progress and how she continues to grow and mature both as an animator and as a storyteller.
Genius Loci, by Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise. Y'know, this film was visually engaging, especially with their willingness to use the 'white of the paper' or the open spaces in their backgrounds. But I found the story convoluted and difficult to follow, so it really detracted from my enjoyment of the film. Visually, it reminded me a lot of the beautiful Brazilian feature Boy and the World. Might be worth a watch on it's own, not as a part of a larger program.
The Snail and the Whale was a nice story--good for the kids market. But it went on for way too long. I think it would've made a much better ten to fifteen minute film.
And finally, DreamWorks' To Gerard, which was a very heartwarming and enjoyable film. Not really impressive from a technical perspective, I don't think I saw anything visually that they hadn't done in their features, but it was a wholly enjoyable story. I'd easily watch this short before a feature film on family movie night.
This week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the nominations for the 92nd Annual Academy Awards.
The following are the films nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short Film.
Best Animated Feature:
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World - Dean DeBlois, Bradford Lewis, and Bonnie Arnold
I Lost My Body - Jeremy Clapin and Marc Du Pontavice
Klaus - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh, and Marisa Roman
Missing Link - Chris Butler, Arianne Sutner, and Travis Knight
Toy Story 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen, and Jonas Rivera
Best Animated Short:
Dcera (Daughter) - Daria Kascheeva
Hair Love - Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver
Kitbull - Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson
Memorable - Bruno Collet and Jean-Francois le Corre
Sister - Siqi Song
Additionally, the following two animated feature films had nominations in the category of Music (Original Song):
'I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away' from Toy Story 4; Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
'Into The Unknown' from Frozen II; Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
As always, for those who would like to see these short films before the awards ceremony, they will be playing at the Detroit Institute of Arts' Detroit Film Theater in January and February.
The schedule from the DIA's website is as follows:
Friday, January 31, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Saturday, February 1, 2020 - 2:00 PM
Saturday, February 1, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Sunday, February 2, 2020 - 1:00 PM
Sunday, February 2, 2020 - 6:00 PM
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Friday, February 7, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Saturday, February 8, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Sunday, February 9, 2020 - 1:00 PM
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Thursday, February 13, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Friday, February 14, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Saturday, February 15, 2020 - 7:00 PM
Sunday, February 16, 2020 - 1:00 PM
The Academy Awards will be broadcast on Sunday, February 9, 2020.
Congratulations to all the nominees and to all the filmmakers who submitted their films for consideration.
* The Academy Awards and the Oscar are registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
It's been a decent year for animated feature films. Between the Detroit Institute of Arts Detroit Film Theater and my local theaters, I've been able to partake of a number of features in the first half of the year.
The first was Tales of the Night, by Michel Ocelot.
There's just something about watching a modern feature using an old-school animation technique, in this case silhouette animation. Make no mistake, this is a film for the younger kids and tween crowd, but there's still a lot there for us older fans to enjoy.
If you're interested, the following link is to the GKIDS webstore where you can purchase this film on DVD: "click me".
* * *
Next on my line-up was Danmachi: Arrow of the Orion.
This film takes place in the Orario setting of Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon? series. And while there are appearances from our favorite characters in the Loki Familia, the story focuses mainly on the Hestia Familia. And while the story was a bit predictable, it was a fun look at the relationship that is building between Bell and Hestia along with some tantalizing hints of what's going to happen in the next season of Danmachi. If you're fan of the series (and of it's spinoff Sword Oratoria), you'll enjoy Arrow of the Orion.
* * *
Then there was Mirai, the latest from Mamoru Hosoda, director of Summer Wars and Wolf Children.
Mirai wasn't bad... it was just a little too "kiddy" for my tastes. Is a good film for parents to watch with the pre-teen crowd. But honestly, I had more fun hanging out with fellow ASIFA member Gary Schwartz and his wife before the film than I did in the theater. I think that if I had kids, I'd enjoy the film more since there were a lot of events and situations in the film that I just couldn't relate to.
Well, with Studio Trigger's Promare coming up in September the week before the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the Fall looks to be a very animated one!
By day, I'm a mild-mannered forensic animator, but during evenings and weekends, I work on my own animated films and various artistic endeavors for clients. I'm a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology's M.F.A. Computer Animation program and a current member of ASIFA, MATAI, and the Toronto Animated Image Society.
Building upon the 2008-2009 project for the NY MET and Bard Graduate Center, I am currently animating gold-and-silk needlework stitches and managing lesson webpages for an online course presented by Dr. Wilson-Nguyen for her Thistle-Threads Historical needlework website.
