Animated Events: TAAFI 2024 Film Fest, pt.3

Friday's events were mostly mixers and meet-and-greets. When I heard that there was going to be limited numbers of passholders allowed to these events, I took a pass. Better to let students or animators looking for work in the Toronto area to attend. I've always felt welcome at TAAFI events, but if they have to limit the attendees, I'd rather see the locals get preference.

Instead, I walked around Toronto and saw a couple old sights. Had lunch at Ginger. Bought a game at 401 then it was off to the Royal Ontario Museum. There's always something interesting to see at the ROM but I always stop to see the gemstone exhibits and dinosaur bones while I'm there.

Quartz variety: amethyst, from Bolivia

"Leaf" necklace, gold and diamond

The massive Futalognkosaurus skeleton 

As always, I took a lot of good reference photos while I was there, but was struck by the fact that I really need to get back to sketching when I'm at museums--draw in the moment as it were, instead of hoping that I'll use the photo references to draw later.

Went back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner. But not many of the restaurants that I enjoy were on this side of the city so it was worth trying something new. There was a restaurant called "Pigot's Burger Club" that sounded interesting. Turns out though that they served their food through a local bar. No worries. There was room for one at the bar and they took good care of me. The food was awesome and noone complained about me watching cartoons on my phone. Afterwards, I discovered this little hole-in-the-wall cafe with exquisite crepes!

One chocolate crepe and a strawberry juice later, yeah, I'm definitely coming back to Melt n Dip next time I'm in town.

On the walk back to the hotel, I was reminded that one of the things that makes Toronto so appealing to me is that there is art worth looking at everywhere you go.

Mural at Sansotei Ramen

Saturday was a full day of screenings that would end with a feature. It was the big day at TAAFI, for me anyways. The day was jam packed with animated short film screenings, capped off with the North American premiere of Mars Express. I was on pins and needles all day waiting to see this feature and I have to say that Mars Express exceeded all of my expectations. I was looking for an experience similar to when I watched Love Death and Robots or Technotoise, Edit y ja for the first time and I was not disappointed.

The film was a dystopian look at society's struggle between humans and robots on a colonized Mars--all told through the eyes of a war-weary detective and her partner, a robot who is the backup copy of her fellow soldier, long since killed in battle. This film is coming out on DVD through GKIDS, so I won't spoiler it, but hopefully the trailer below will whet your appetite.

I'll end this post with a couple more stand-out films that I saw over the weekend. As they work their way through the festival circuit, these are the ones that I think are well worth your while to track down, be it in a festival or when they're posted online.

I'm Hip, a short film by John Musker--the writer and director of such Disney classics as the Little Mermaid and Hercules. I'm Hip was a cute musical number that definitely lived up to the hype.

Delete Machine by Charlotte Ledwidge was a hilarious gag film with excellent timing and a great payoff. Would love to show this film in a class that teaches comedy.

Fried by Melina C was another cute film, this time about a raccoon who gets caught in a fast food restaurant. It was filled with decent character and background designs and character animation.

Side Sidemi by Zoe Medcraft was all about ants gathering food told to a jaunty musical score. I really liked the character design and character animation on this one. Also liked the overall design/visual style. There were no arms or legs to any of the characters, just the bodies, hands, and feet going through the motions as you expect they would. Reminded me of Evelyn Lambart's animation style and her film Fine Feathers.

Then there was The 7th Night: MaoMao Visits by Ah Loong. This heartbreaking tale of a boy and his cat explored the Buddhist concept of spirits from the recently deceased visiting their loved ones on the seventh night from their passing in order to provide a measure of closure.

Well, I would've loved to stay in town a little longer, but had to run to Ann Arbor for an impromptu family reunion before everyone drove to Ohio to see the eclipse. But yeah. TAAFI is always worth a visit!

* * *

Animated Events: TAAFI 2024 Film Fest, pt.2

Thursday morning arrived a little sooner that I expected. I awoke to the sounds of cars, construction, and people--the typical sounds of a big city. Was immediately reminded that I still need to finish watching Walter Ruttman's Berlin: Symphony of a Great City before the Fall semester. If I'm going to recommend a film (or talk about it) with my students, I like to have watched it myself in its entirety. Only real downside to watching these silent films though is confronting the question: do I stick with the musical score that's on the uploaded video or do I turn the sound off and focus on the visuals? There are so many lessons to be learned from these old movies from the dawn of film. We grow up unconsciously knowing the "rules of film editing" because they are so prevalent in our media today. But back then, Soviet Montage Theory was in its infancy and people were making up the rules as they went along (mostly from what worked with stage productions). One thing I love doing is showing students the films of Georges Méliès with his elaborate sets and trickfilm special effects and then showing them how the same principles were used in portions of Enya's music video Caribbean Blue. Thoughts for another day, I suppose.

My plans for that day were to meet up with Lynn Dana Wilton for lunch and then head out to the evening screening. However, I still had lots of time before that... and I "was" a couple blocks walk from Toronto's Museum of Illusions, so...

Wow was that fun. Now I freely admit, it'd probably be a more fun experience with two people--some of the exhibits are pretty tricky to navigate when you're on your own. But the staff were very helpful so I wouldn't avoid a visit if you have a solitary nature. And there's one in Chicago if you don't want to drive to Canada.

The exhibits were all hands-on and they played with perspective, mirrors, optical illusions, some traditional art tricks and more--see the "hole on the floor" video below.

I'll admit, I went there have a little fun, but one of the things that put the museum on my radar was seeing how some of these illusions have shown up in film over the past century or so. In my lectures, I discuss how we're seeing some of these illusions and techniques in modern day, only enhanced by new technology--like the 3d LED billboards in New York and over by Tokyo's Shinjuku Station, or the Pepper's Ghost "hologram" illusions in the Vocaloid concerts. As I tell my students: somewhere in history may be the solution to a problem you're having in your film, or it might hold the inspiration to your next film.

But speaking of film, I did have to get back to the hotel to meet up with Canadian filmmaker and stop-motion animator Lynn Dana Wilton. Tempus fugit.

Lunch was everything I hoped it would be. Lynn is a fascinating woman with a very storied career. I hadn't talked with her for a couple years due to the lockdowns, and we only had time to exchange 'hellos' last September at the Ottawa fest, so it was such a pleasant experience to sit there and really talk. We quickly got caught up on each other's lives and then launched into discussions about the state of the  animation industry, future trends for animation, and the teaching work we've done. When we finally looked at the clock, we'd been chatting non-stop for four hours. It felt like four minutes had gone by. We could've talked longer, but she had another meeting to get to and TAAFI awaited me at the Hot Docs Theater. The restaurant had been very patient with us so after we left a healthy tip and thanked the management and staff we parted ways.

It was off to the opening ceremonies and the first night's screening for me where I immediately ran into two old friends, artist/animators Pam Rose and Lynne Slater.

The next couple hours were a whirlwind as the film festival started strong with two programs: the Student Film Block followed by the appropriately named "Uplifting Shorts".

The films that really shone that night were Marc Salvatore LaJoie's End of the Line, Jennifer Wo's Mission Popo, ap-sol KANG's Meet Again JAHOE, Christina Woo's Pipe Dreams,  Sonia Furier's Ostinato, and Thomas van Kampen's Mixed Signals.

End of the Line was a touching film about a girl dealing with anxiety issues that come to a head when she loses her favorite fox toy.

Mission Popo. What a fun ride. I saw this in Ottawa last year and it was just as good the second time as it was the first. Hah! Noone messes with Grandma!

Meet Again JAHOE had a really nice visual style, especially in the otherworldly sequence. It definitely had some hints of Miyazaki in the design. I'd really like to watch this film again because I'm sure that I missed a lot of what was going on.

Pipe Dreams, a tale of bugs living in a rundown building told in the form of a reality tv show. Quirky and fun.

Now Ostinato, this was a beautiful and relatable tale of a woman struggling with her creativity as she tried to compose music while also trying to block out the noise that surrounds her.

The last film worthy of note was Mixed Signals, the story of a neurodivergent robot that struggles to fit into society. I had the chance to chat with the director Thomas van Kampen and his girlfriend Ariel afterwards. Turns out they were mutual friends with Pam. I had met them years ago before the lockdowns but it was just in passing. I'd honestly like to sit down with Thomas for a longer chat as he and I had a lot of the same experiences growing up. Even now as I grow older, I find that life is this constant assault on my senses that gets more and more difficult to block out. I saw a lot of myself in the little robot who was constantly getting overstimulated by all the sensory input. A very thought provoking film. After his festival run, I hope Thomas releases his film on Vimeo or YouTube. There's a lot of people who I think would really benefit from the conversation this film inspires.

Afterwards, I grabbed dinner on the way back to my hotel and settled in for the night. Yeh, today was better.

* * *

Animated Events: TAAFI 2024 Film Fest, pt.1

I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to Ottawa this year. 2024 is a Presidential election year here in the States and the last one was pretty crazy. Am still not sure if I should leave the country two months before a national election, even if it's only across the border into Canada. But fortunately, the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International was in the Spring and it has been far too long since I've experienced TAAFI in person. So I exercised a couple of vacation days, rented a car, and off I went to the Great White North.

The plan was to pick up a mid-sized car that morning, similar to my own, and head out to Toronto. I'd get there between 4 and 5 o'clock and check-in at the hotel. Yeah, I was overly optimistic. It was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky. But when we went to Enterprise, I discovered that Michigan Avenue had shut down and was torn up, so we had to figure out a backroads route to the rental company. Okay. I could deal with it. Next, the rental place was packed with people picking up rentals to go see the eclipse. Not a bad thing, actually had a pleasant chat with some college students from India who were driving to Niagara Falls to see the sights and stay for the eclipse. When it was my turn, I learned that I had been "upgraded" to a 2023 Ford Explorer. Not a big deal. I do prefer driving cars, but the Explorer is a really nice ride. Then they told me that I couldn't take it out of the country--even though I had been very open about obtaining the rental to go to Canada when I made the reservation. But, spoke to a manager and got the go-ahead to take it to Toronto--I think the fact that I had already purchased the extra 'anything happens to the car, I hand them the steering wheel and walk away' insurance package really worked in my favor. Downside about the Explorer was that the Bluetooth was buggy and when I went to pick up my luggage at the house, I learned that the USB plugs in the car weren't working--neither were the cigarette lighters. I had planned on listening to some audiobooks on the drive and I like to have the option to use the mapping app on my iPhone. Well, half-an-hour's worth of tinkering with the Explorer and I found that the USB-C plug did work, allowing me to play my music through the onboard entertainment system and recharge my smartphone. So I switched cables, gassed up the SUV, and I was on my way... about a half-hour after then I wanted to leave, but okay. Anxiety levels were being managed and I was on the road to Toronto. 

Pro tip: always record the gas tank level when you pick up the rental car!

Only other issue I found with the Explorer is that it needed a new drivers side wiperblade, but I didn't discover that until I was almost at Toronto and it wasn't bad enough for me to replace it myself. One really nice feature on the vehicle was that you could switch the digital speedometer from MPH to KPH with two clicks of a button on the steering wheel. Very nice! All-in-all, the Explorer was a really solid ride. As my car is reaching the end of its lifespan, I might consider buying one in the future.

As I hit the road, the day was looking up. Had no problem with customs at the Blue Water Bridge. And when I approached Toronto, it was raining, but not too bad. I made excellent time, arriving at downtown Toronto around 5 p.m. 

It became very apparent very quickly that I had been overly optimistic. Because of road closures due to repairs, traffic was backed up everywhere. It took me an hour to find an alternate route and make it to my hotel. An hour to make what was usually a 10 minute drive from the Gardnier Expressway exit. Memorizing the map ahead of time had paid off, kind of, but in the end, the construction had beaten me. I begrudgingly fired up the iPhone and burned some data at the international rates (*shudder*) to figure out where I was and how to make it to the hotel. I was pretty stressed out by the time I arrived. Now the Cambridge Suites? Top notch hotel. First class all the way. I'd gladly stay there again. Expedia really did me right. But navigating through Toronto on a rainy day, approaching dusk, with all that construction and the people walking around, yeah, not the driving experience I hope for.

A Toronto landmark no more.

Ah, but, I was there safe and sound. So I changed clothes, grabbed my umbrella, and walked down to the former location of Marche in order to see what had replaced the restaurant from my childhood. Hopefully, it would be a quality restaurant where I could get a bite to eat and forge some good memories. Maybe even become a new haunt for return trips. 

My hopes were dashed when I discovered that the whole section of the building was boarded up. Nothing had taken its place. Sad. Also meant that I had to find another place to eat. Well, I am kind of low-rent and I do enjoy a tasty burger, so I trudged through the rain (fighting the wind with my umbrella) over to Wahlburgers--only to find out that they had been shut down, despite the fact that their Google Maps entry said they were still open. "Will the last person to leave, please update the Google Business account?"

My mood was flagging as I walked back towards the hotel and found a Hero Burger on the way. Not bad. I had good memories of discovering Hero Burger with my brother many years ago. So I sat there and watched some anime on my smartphone while reminiscing about the first time Ted and I ate at the Hero Burger over on Spadina Avenue. But as I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, I still wasn't sure if coming to Toronto was the right choice to make. At the very least, I thought that hopefully tomorrow would be better.

* * *

Animated Events: TAAFI Film Festival 2023

Well, the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International's annual film festival has come and gone. And while I miss spending the weekend in Toronto, enjoying good food, great films, and the chance to spend time with valued colleagues, I'm very thankful that TAAFI has made the decision to maintain a hybrid virtual/in-person festival format for the time being. Since heading over to Canada isn't an option for me at the moment, it's nice to still be a part of some of the best animation festivals in the world.

This year, TAAFI had a number of their feature-length animated films streamed online along with the full shorts competition and a number of presentations. After the features, they would bring on the creator (usually the director) to discuss the film and take questions from the audience. 

While I was disappointed that I couldn't watch The Amazing Maurice and Unicorn Wars (due to them not being streamed and only shown to the in-person portion of the festival), Unicorn Wars is a rental on Amazon Prime so I don't mind throwing a couple bucks to a filmmaker through their choice of streaming platform. And I imagine that 'Maurice' will be on streaming platforms soon enough (I missed it's run in the theaters), so no worries there. As I've largely moved from watching movies in a theater to enjoying them in the comfort of my home theater, it's become my preferred way of consuming film. And it was a very pleasant experience as TAAFI showed the features in the evenings during the week and followed up with the shorts programs over the weekend. So the festival fit into my work schedule quite nicely.

Final TAAFI Film Festival 2023: Terry Ibele from Toronto Animation Arts Festival on Vimeo.

I started off the week watching their first feature film presentation: Rift.

Okay, Rift was an interesting experience. The visuals were a quantum leap backwards in time. They were "primitive" in every sense of the word: the models looked blocky, as if they were constructed out of primitives (spheres, cubes, cones, etc). Very primitive facial expressions with little animation. Most of the motion was stiff and stilted. The backgrounds were blocky and not as detailed. Honestly, the whole movie reminded me of the T.V. series Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles from back in 1999, except produced with worse graphics (full disclosure: I enjoyed ST:C and have all the DVDs). If you watch the trailer for Rift, you'll see what I mean about the visuals, backgrounds, and animation.

Now, credit where credit is due: this film has a very interesting story with decent voice acting. So what is the payoff, you may ask? Why would someone create a film like this? An attempt to be retro? Bringing their personal vision to life? Well in this case, the director was working with new technology and a production pipeline that was designed for smaller production filmmaking during a lockdown which would be easily adaptable to a limited budget, limited staff production.

Much of the animation was motion capture and performance capture which would be cleaned up by animators with special tools that allowed for minute changes on the models -- things like changing a mouth position or tweaking the movement of a hand gesture. And the film was also produced with Unreal Engine as the backend render engine for both the development and final film production phases.

All-in-all, it looked more like a stage between pre-visualization and final production. But it's a very interesting production pipeline and it is really worth keeping an eye on the technology as it develops since it makes feature-length animation much more affordable and accessible to smaller production teams. Is it ready for "prime time"? I'm not too sure about that, but Rift was a good stepping stone (or perhaps a proof of concept) as the technology evolves. The director and his production crew did a decent job with the tools they had and the restrictions they were under, so I'm very interested to see what Hasraf Dulull produces next as well as how this technology develops and is adopted by other filmmakers.

The next feature that stood out was Interface by Canadian artist Justin Tomchuk.

Interface was actually edited together into a two-hour feature-length movie from a series of web shorts that Tomchuk released previously. I'm not sure I could summarize the plot and do it justice, so here's the description from TAAFI's website:

"Henryk, a man who doesn’t age, and Mischief, a clown-like entity with the ability to shapeshift, travel across several locations searching for Henryk’s great-granddaughter, all while being pursued by KAMI, a mysterious, artificial “god” created by the most likely malicious Greetings Robotics Corporation."

Interface was weird. It reminded me of one of those quirky features that I sat through on a lark at the  Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema but would end up enjoying by the time the film was over. It was surreal with visuals that ran the gamut from what looked like 8-bit video game graphics to experimental to European animation. I'm planning on watching this film again when I have the time to really sit there and digest what I'm watching.

Justin Tomchuk has released the full film online for free viewing, so give it a look. I'd say sit through the first fifteen minutes or so and see if it ropes you in like it did me.

As the weekend approached, I waited patiently for the animated shorts screenings, which traditionally are my favorite events of the festival. And they did pay off. TAAFI groups the shorts programs into general themes: Oddball Shorts, Dark Shorts, College Shorts, etc. I don't know why, but I really appreciate that format. Maybe because there's a sense of harmony across the films. Thought for another day.

While it was very fun to see some more popular short films, like the Rick & Morty spinoff web series highlighting the Vindicators, there were a couple films this year that really spoke to me.

The Queen of the Foxes was a delightful film directed by Marina Rosset. The story follows the Fox Queen and her coterie of foxes that scour the city at night looking for unsent love letters. It's a wholly charming film with a great payoff. The trailer is below, but this is one of those films I'd love to have in my collection. 

Sincereality is one of those films I'd love for everyone to see. It's created by a Japanese director "Dada Gaugin", and it succeeds in being anime without being anime. It's basically a music video about a girl and her struggles to be a musical performer. And fortunately for everyone, the director posted it online about a year ago. When you watch it, click on the "CC" option as it's got English subtitles. Dada Gaugin is one of those directors I now have on my list of artists whose career I need to follow. The song is so fun and uplifting and the visuals match the pacing of the film so well, even if you don't speak Japanese, the film is easy to understand. 

Here's the film. I challenge you to watch this film and not walk away with a smile on your face.

Chit Chat and Homebody were both films about social isolation -- the first a film about a socially awkward man who dials people on the phone, looking for someone to talk to, who ends up striking up a friendship with an elderly woman. Homebody told the story of a shut-in woman who lived vicariously through her friend's adventures. In both cases, these films really struck home for many of us, especially during the waning days of Covid. The directors (Elisa Baudy & Jeanne Dalmas & Flore Pean & Gabin Ageorges & Bradley Lejeune, and Sophia Du respectively) struck a very good balance between highlighting the painful situations their characters find themselves in but choosing to end the films on a hopeful note. I'd happily watch both films again.

Mileage was good. Very good! Mileage was one part horror and one part psychological thriller all wrapped up in seven minutes. Horror isn't the easiest genre to pull off in animation and I'm very impressed that the directors of this film were able to set up the conflict, build tension, and finish up with a resolution that really points a spotlight on human nature without being overbearing. If you have the chance to watch this at a festival, definitely check it out. Props to the directors Jennifer Wu & Kym Santiana & Ruyee Lu & Christopher Hsueh & Nicole Taylor-Topacio & Joy Zhou & Ruby Saysanasy & Miranda Li & Saul Benavides.

And then, after the last Saturday screening, it was over. I felt a little wistful since I was able to watch some incredible animated films, but since I didn't get to watch them in Toronto with my friends and colleagues, I was left with some good memories but with noone to share them with. All in all though, I remain very thankful to the folks over at TAAFI for continuing this in-person and virtual festival format so folks all around the world who would be there otherwise can be a part of the festivities. Hopefully next year, things will be closer to normal and a return trip to Toronto will be a part of my festival plans.

 

 

 * * *

Animated Events: TAAFI 2021 - the Toronto Animation Film Festival

 

Well, normally around this time of year I'd be making plans to drive out to Toronto for the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International's Spring animation screening. For obvious reasons, that's not happening this year. Fortunately though, TAAFI will be going online (much like they did for their Fall Industry Conference back in November).

From Wednesday, March 24th until Saturday, March 27th, TAAFI will be hosting evenings (and a day) of animated short film screenings, feature films, and Q&As with animation luminaries. 

Tickets are $35 Canadian for general admission and $25 CAD for students (college and younger) and single event passes for $10 CAD -- all can be purchased on the Eventive website at https://watch.eventive.org/taafi2021. Be sure to read the fine print as some of the feature films and events are only available with a full festival (General Admission or Student) pass.

We may not be able to be together in person, sharing our mutual love of animated film, but we can certainly be there in Toronto virtually (and in spirit).

Animated Events: TAAFI Industry Day & G.R. Comicon

November was a decent month for animation between the Grand Rapids Comicon and the TAAFI Industry Day.

It's my policy to not buy a ticket for a comic convention (or an anime convention for that matter) until after they've published the schedule of events, but the GRCC usually delivers some choice events and guests so it's been on my list of cons to not miss for a while now and this year did not disappoint.

There were really only two "events" I was interested in this time around in addition to visiting with a pair of voice actresses.

The first was Jarrett Ardell's lecture on animation history, specifically events surrounding the divergence between the Western animation style and the Japanese anime style. All-in-all, rather informative. Didn't tell me anything I didn't know already, but it's always useful to hear someone present a topic in new and unique ways. Even if I'm already well versed on a subject, it never hurts to learn new ways of communicating ideas.

The second event was a presentation by Patrick Warburton. For those who aren't familiar with his work, he's the actor from Seinfeld and Rules of Engagement who also does a lot of voice acting, like Brock Sampson from the Venture Bros. and Cronk from the Emperor's New Groove. Always a good time hearing how someone got into the business and the funny things that happened during the span of their career.

And I was able to get two more voice actresses to autograph my Art of Overwatch book: Carolina Ravassa, who voices Sombra, and Chloe Hollings, who voices Widowmaker. I really love the Overwatch and League of Legends cinematics, so it's a real treat to meet the people who played a role into bringing those properties to life.

A real highlight of the experience was when I was waiting in line with a couple other people for Carolina Ravassa to open her booth for autographs. She and her handler show up, she sidles right next to me and starts complaining about how irritating it is when voice actors don't show up on time and make people wait, as if she was one of the people waiting in line. Love her sense of humor.

A week earlier, the first weekend of November found me returning to Toronto for the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International's yearly Industry Conference: two fun filled days of lectures, presentations, and networking opportunities about my favorite subject in the whole world: animation!

This year, my schedule went pretty heavy on the Canadian animation scene. Granted TAAFI focuses primarily on Canada's animation industry, but I found myself gravitating towards those presentations more than those focused on the American industry. Toronto is a major hub for the Canadian animation industry and, given its proximity to Michigan, is a lot easier to get to than Hollywood or New York City. So, I attended TAAFI hoping to glean information on what the job market looked like for new graduates in the States looking to maybe jump the border for internships or jobs. And TAAFI did not disappoint. I repeatedly heard that the Vancouver and Toronto animation industries were in the midst of an animation production boom and were looking for animators. Always good to hear, even if it's a number of American productions that are outsourcing to Canada.

One high point of the presentations was how there seems to be a growing level of respect for short films produced by independents and animation studios in their spare time. Shorts are a fantastic way to tell those smaller stories that'll never be made into a feature and at the same time test new tech that could be used in feature films (see Disney's Paperman and the Meander software). With regards to large studios making shorts, Sony's Oscar winning film Hair Love and Pixar's Kitbull (which came out of their SparkShorts program) are two of the most recent examples that really struck a chord within the community.

A benefit of Disney having their own streaming service is that these shorts could find another audience outside of the festival circuit and (sometimes) YouTube channels. I remember many, many years ago when my brother and I were at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The festival events were over for the day and we were back in our hotel room watching the Canadian Teletoon channel when, between a couple of shows, they showed some independent short films instead of commercials. For the longest time, the only way to see these innovative shorts were at festivals or the occasional traveling program, like the 'International Tournee of Animation' or 'Spike and Mike'. And while websites like Atomfilms and Icebox may have floundered back in the early 2000's, YouTube, Vimeo, and now sites like Disney+, are bringing these films to a wider audience. :)

Even new construction downtown can't hide the CN Tower.

Festival Season, pt. 1: TAAFI 2018 or is it 2019?

This year, the management of TAAFI decided to split the festival into two parts: the first was an industry day back in November 2018, which was filled with presentations and talks given by industry luminaries, and the second was three days of the animation screenings we know and love so well.

With it being the beginning of the year, I decided to forgo taking any vacation time off of work to see the sights in Toronto and just drive out on Friday morning. However, after checking in to my hotel, I had some time before the evening's opening ceremonies and first screening, so I quickly grabbed a late lunch at Monga Fried Chicken (if you've never been, I highly recommend it) and gathered lots of photo references at the Royal Ontario Museum all on my way over to the Hot Docs Cinema.

My goal at the ROM this time out was seeing "Zuul" as he was now on display. For those who don't know, Zuul is the name of the ankylosaur "recently" discovered in Montana and purchased by the ROM. Paired up in the display with a gorgosaurus model, apparently of the skeleton found near Zuul, along with examples of other ankylosaur bits for comparison, examples of man-made armor, and some videogames that were used to teach kids about how much damage an ankylosaur could do when it swung it's armored club of a tail.

"Zuul crurivastator - the destroyer of shins"
(or some of him... parts are a model)

However, before leaving the ROM, I snuck over to the geology wing while they were setting up for a fund-raising event and took some photos of a couple gemstones and minerals that I had missed back during September's visit.

Then it was off to the Hot Docs cinema where I spent the better part of the weekend talking to Lynn Dana Wilton, Pam Rose, and Lynne Slater while waiting for the screenings to start. And although there were some pretty solid short films during the TAAFI experience, for me, the high-point of the screening lineup was the two feature-length animated films: Ruben Bryant, Collector and MFKZ. Both films were surreal experiences in their own way -- Ruben through the incorporation of classic works of art into its visual style and MFKZ through the frenetic action and character designs that looked like they leapt off the pages of Metal Hurlant magazine. I had many a wistful thought of the Waterloo Festival since these were two movies that would undoubtedly been screened by Joe Chen.

The rest of the festival was a blur with some really creative short films, a pre-release screening of How to Train Your Dragon 3 -- complete with a post-screening Q&A from director Dean DeBlois and Hiccup voice-actor Jay Baruchel -- and time left over for mixing with colleagues and students.

I'm honestly not sure if TAAFI will stick to this format, but I personally appreciated it. I love both TAAFI events (industry and screening) for different reasons. Both events focus on the two parts of the Ottawa International Animation Festival that I enjoy the most: animation presentations and films. And now with the new format, I can enjoy them to their utmost without having to skip out on one to enjoy the other. For someone like me who travels five hours to Toronto, having TAAFI now being two festival events may be a little more pricey, but they're both worth making the trip.

*  *  *

Animated Thoughts: TAAFI 2018 - part one

I'm going to end the 2018 festival season with a report on my visit to the 2018 Toronto Animation Arts Festival International - part one. And I call it "part one" because they tried something different at TAAFI this year: splitting it into two festivals. I originally published most of the following article in the Fall/Winter Newsletter for ASIFA Central. But now that it has been distributed to our membership, I've enhanced it with some additional thoughts that would be more to the tastes of my readership and republished it here. Hope you enjoy and have a Happy New Year.

*  *  *

Another Festival Experience

by Charles Wilson

There are a lot of great festivals in Ontario, like the Ottawa International Animation Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and even the Montreal Stop Motion Festival in neighboring Quebec. However, there are also some smaller festivals out there in Canada that are worth a look. For example: the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International, where I spent the first weekend in November.

The Toronto Animation Arts Festival International will always hold a special place in my heart.

Back in 2014, after seventeen years of monthly payments, I had finally paid off my student loans. And as I wanted to do something special in order to celebrate my newfound financial freedom, and since I had been previously invited to TAAFI by friend and fellow animator Ben McAvoy (one of the co-founders of TAAFI), forty-eight hours after sending in that final payment and seeing that "$0.00" balance on my account, I found a cheap hotel, bought my festival pass, and hightailed it to Canada yelling "Freedom" at the top of my lungs as I crossed the border.

A view of the CN Tower from the Corus Building's parking lot

Four years ago, TAAFI was a weekend event filled with presentations from industry insiders, short film screenings (and the occasional feature), a robust artists alley where students and professionals sold their art, a relaxed figure drawing arena where you could hang out and draw models, and the ever entertaining Nelvana bouncing ball party on Saturday night -- where I first saw the Cybertronic Spree.

This year was different. As I encountered Ben in the Corus building down by the harbor on Saturday morning, he stated that the responses which they had been receiving indicated there was so much to see and do at TAAFI that it was becoming a little challenging for attendees. If you wanted to see a film screening, it meant that you would miss out on one, or more, of the industry insider presentations (and vice versa). So this year, the leadership of TAAFI decided to test out an idea: break the festival into two dates and hold them several months apart.

TAAFI part one: the Industry Animation Conference

This worked out well for me as the first weekend of November was the newly christened "TAAFI Industry Animation Conference" filled to the brim with the industry presentations I love so much. And as always, TAAFI did not disappoint!

Fred Siebert, founder of Frederator Studios

The opening keynote was headlined by none other than Fred Siebert who delighted us with stories about how he fell into a career in animation almost by accident.

My schedule then followed with a presentation from Jessica Borutski and Dan Haskett, both discussing how they deal with the challenges of character design. For those who don't know, Jessica is the Canadian animator whose work includes Ren and Stimpy's Adult Party Cartoon, the Looney Tunes, and Bunnicula. And you may know Dan Haskett from his character designs seen in this little arthouse film produced by Disney called "The Little Mermaid". Yes, Dan is the man who did the initial designs for Ariel, Sebastian, and Ursula. And Belle for Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Evolution of Character Design
(l to r) Barry Sanders: moderator, Jessica Borutski, Dan Haskett

Before the presentation, I even had the chance to catch up with Jessica, whom I interviewed for International Women's Month back in 2011. I honestly hate to take up too much of her time when we see each other at festivals/conferences, but I simply love hearing about what projects she's working on (Bunnicula was a recent favorite show of mine).

Saturday was also filled with presentations about the state of the Canadian animation industry which left me interested in checking out the web series Gary and his Demons and the show humorously named Captain Canuck -- both sardonic looks at the horror and superhero genres respectively. Fun fact: The Canadian comic book industry imploded shortly after World War II due to the lifting of trade restrictions and the imposition of censorship. So when "Captain Canuck" debuted in 1975, it became 'the first successful Canadian comic book' since 1947, according to Wikipedia anyways.

One of the most interesting presentations for me personally was the "Indie Creator Spotlight" where Mike Valiquette (owner of both Toronto's Go Lucky studio and the Canadian Animation Resources blog) moderated a roundtable discussion with freelance animators Hector Herrera and Gyimah Gariba, and independent creator Joel MacKenzie about how they built and maintained their careers in the Canadian animation industry. There's always a fair amount of information that's universal to being an animation freelancer all across North America, but what's always fascinating is learning how each country's animation industry developed and is sustained. For example, Hector mentioned how he emigrated to Canada because of the lack of overall financial support and opportunities for animation in Mexico. There was a little discussion about the National and Provincial grant structure in place for artists in Canada that doesn't exist in the United States (or Mexico). And as always, there was talk about striking the balance between paid client work and your own projects. As I said, all-in-all, it's always a fascinating discussion to hear.

The last presentation for the day was "The Big Pitch". Moderated by animation director Barry Sanders, two teams presented their ideas for animated shows to a jury consisting of Jessica Borutski, Jen Oxley, and Linda Simensky. The winner was Hamin Yang, a scriptwriter who was working on a pilot for his show idea. For those interested, Hamin's show is about an aging movie star who wants to be in the reboot of the show that launched his now flagging career. But in his misguided quest for a treatment that would make him young again, he ends up becoming a white man trapped in a young Chinese man's body. The rest of Yang's pilot was a funny and touching series of events as the main character learned the trials and tribulations of navigating Hollywood as an Asian. Hamin Yang filled his time telling stories relating frustrations with Asian stereotypes, dealing with the hypocrisy in PC culture, and the problems of trying to find an Asian woman who is interested in dating an Asian man -- most of which made it into the animated clips seen in his self-financed pilot. Afterwards, I had to congratulate him and thank him for pitching a show that I found immediately relatable given that part of my extended family is Vietnamese.

Eh, it's November, why not put out the lights?

My Saturday ended early as I skipped the annual Bouncing Ball party -- was fighting a sore throat so figured a couple extra hours of sleep would do me some good. But, I couldn't make a trip to Toronto without visiting at least one of my favorite haunts. Dinner was at Marche's followed by a quick diversion to the plaza next door where they had already started preparing for the Christmas holiday.

Dan Haskett

Sunday began on a very strong note as, for two-and-a-half hours, Dan Haskett detailed his career in animation working on such varied properties as the Little Mermaid, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Looney Tunes, Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure, and the Simpsons, among others. Soft spoken and engaging, Dan punctuated his presentation by drawing characters under the camera and gifting students and professionals alike advice from his forty-two years of life spent working in animated film. The day was even moreso enjoyable due to the fact that my friend, and fellow R.I.T. alum, Glenn Ehlers drove up from Buffalo for the day. And I also had the chance to have lunch with Toronto animator (and former International Women's Month interviewee) Janice Schulman. Festivals. Always better with friends.

Linda Siemensky: moderator, Jen Oxley,
Austen Payne, Michelle Melanson (l to r)

Later that morning, TAAFI brought Michelle Melanson, Jen Oxley, and newcomer Austen Payne to the stage for a discussion on women working in the field of animation, ably moderated by Linda Siemensky. Austen, the youngest of the group, talked about facing the challenges of breaking into the industry as a young woman. The more mature Michelle and Jen discussed the work/life balance especially when you want to have a family but still maintain a career. All the while, Linda would interject stories about what the American animation industry was like for women ranging from the 1980's to the present day.

The rest of the day was a blur as attendees shuffled from one lecture hall to the other in order to hear about building an animation career in the Canadian market and working (and surviving) as an independent animator -- which involved bringing back Joel MacKenzie for the closing keynote to give out some wonderful career lessons that he'd learned over several years of producing animated shorts, like: "You can't control other people's tastes but you can know your own" and "Get a lawyer".

After saying my goodbyes, when I got into my car and left Toronto for the five hour drive back to Michigan, I was already constructing plans for making the drive back in February for TAAFI part two: "the animation screenings".

*  *  *



 

 

Animated Thoughts: Festival Season part three: TAAFI 2016

It was nearing the end of April, and the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International was holding their bi-yearly celebration of animated film in downtown Toronto. TAAFI holds a special place in my heart. Not only was one of its founders a friend of mine, not only do I see many of my friends from the Toronto animation scene there, but this was the first festival I attended after paying off my student loans back in 2014. After a long seventeen years of self-induced servitude to Sallie Mae and various banks, TAAFI 2014 was the reward that I gave myself for buckling down for five years, working every extra freelance job I could handle, and getting out from under roughly $50,000+ in student loan debt. As I made the drive into Canada back in 2014, I shouted "freedom" at the top of my lungs when my car crossed the border. In what is becoming a tradition whenever I attend an animation festival in Canada, this year was no different as I crossed the Blue Water Bridge.



Atlas Moth

Due to weather and construction, the drive took much longer than usual. Much like in Michigan, Ontario's "construction season" has begun in earnest and it has really brought traffic to a crawl! So, rather than stay on the 403/402/401, locked bumper-to-bumper with semi-tractors, I stopped in Cambridge to "hunt" butterflies. As it is Spring, there was no shortage of Butterflies fornicating at the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. But, fortunately, I did get to see the Atlas Moth for once! He was hanging out, right next to where butterflies were emerging from row after row of chrysalises. I didn't stay in Cambridge long, but got some really great shots of some rather hard to photograph butterflies. And as the latest season of the Venture Bros. ended a month ago, I did have a good chuckle over seeing the Blue Morpho chrysalis.


The Blue Morpho ('Kano' sold separately)

Just shy of an hour later, traffic had cleared up somewhat, so I continued on to Toronto. After checking in at the hotel, I made my way through the subway construction for my traditional dinner at Marché down by Union Station. Good food as always, but I learned that I don't like 'black forest' cake. Never been a fan of maraschino cherries. Even as a little kid and my parents took me and my sister to the House of Ing here in Lansing, I couldn't stand the cherries in my 'kiddy cocktails'. Eh, next time, I'll stick with the macaroons. A touch pricey, but always worth every penny. Had a nice walk around Toronto at night after dinner, then I solidified my plans for Friday. Lots to do and only one day to do it in...


Marché, an animator-friendly eatery right down to the décor.

Friday:

The day was both fun and a little trying. Skipped breakfast and just started running around. Got my festival pass and dropped it off at the hotel then made a beeline straight towards the Labyrinth and BMV over by Koreatown. Unfortunately, there was no love there for any of the books on my list. Am rapidly reaching the point where the books I'm searching for are only to be found on the internet at inflated prices (or in libraries that are loath to give them up). By this time, judging by some newly forming blisters, it was pretty clear that my insoles were long past their prime. Undeterred, I picked up some gel soles and trekked down to Chinatown, home of my favorite Toronto-based game store: 'Meeplemart'. Found and picked up a game that I was thinking about buying at Gen Con. Thank you favorable exchange rate! Then I tracked down 'Navito World', the local importer of anime figures and memorabilia for Japan's 'Good Smile Company'. Had a great talk with the manager about next month's Hatsune Miku concert. Found out that, unfortunately, there won't be any Miku Expo-specific merch at the concert due to high import taxes between Japan, Canada, and the United States. Troubling. Am going to be at the concert with a die-hard Miku fan so this will undoubtedly be a real disappointment for him. Hopefully, they'll be able to get some t-shirts or pins in regardless of the import duty. On the bright side, I have a friend who's going to New York's Miku Expo a week later, so getting some souvenirs mailed to me shouldn't be that difficult. I can hear some saying now: "why not go to Chicago's concert as opposed to Toronto's since they're both about the same distance from Lansing?" I would argue that those people have never been to Chicago before. Toronto is very clean, especially compared to Chicago. Additionally, I feel safe walking around Toronto by myself at night. I don't feel safe in Chicago walking around during the middle of the day even in a group of people! But I digress...



Since Miku Expo won't have much in the way of merch, I figured I'd find a way to make the trip special for my friend anyway--find something that he couldn't do at the other concert locales. Taking him to Navito World should be fun. The figures there are a little pricey but there's some cool stuff that he might like anyways (am planning on picking up one of their little King Kazma figures from 'Summer Wars' on the return trip). But, the dogs were barking and the pair of scissors that I'd use to trim down my new gel insoles were back at the hotel. So, I started trudging back to Gloucester Street, all the while looking for someplace to eat between here and there. On the way back, I found Toronto's first ever Maid Café. Not sure if that little detour is going to fly with his fiancé, but, I put it on the list for the return trip anyways. At least "Uncle Tetsu" appears to be doing his best to keep his Maid Café classy and fun for all.

Later that evening, while waiting in line to get in to the screening hall for TAAFI's opening ceremonies, serendipity struck when I met a young man named Darrell. I work in forensic animation. Before becoming an animator, he worked for Canadian law enforcement processing crime scene photographs. Needless to say, we had a lot to talk about before the show. Also saw former Toronto natives: Barry and Carolyn Sanders. Wasn't sure that they'd make the trek out from Nova Scotia, but was good to see them. Happy to hear that they're doing well. Hopefully, they'll be back to this year's Ottawa Festival--just wouldn't seem like an OIAF without Barry being there.

Saturday:

George Brown College & the Corus Building

My favorite day of the Ottawa festival is Saturday--that's the day with all the professional development lectures and presentations. It's like being back at grad school except without all the tests and projects, just learning for the sake of learning.

TAAFI has three tracks: one with talks, one with screenings, and one filled with presentations. I usually bounce back and forth between the talks and the presentations. Would've liked to have seen a shorts screening program while I was there, but the chance to learn what folks in the animation entertainment industry are doing was just too enticing.

After a quick breakfast at Marché, and a cringe-worthy one-mile walk to the waterfront later, I got to see Bryce Hallett while waiting for the first session. Didn't get to talk for as long as I had hoped. Another person on my list of folks that I hope to see at Ottawa this Fall, Bryce always has a funny story to tell that leads to some very insightful thoughts about the world of animation. While there, I also got recognized by Lydia Pepin from Ottawa's Jam Filled Entertainment. Said she's seen me at the OIAF before. I'm a little surprised to be honest. Not used to being noticed as I don't work in entertainment. Had a lovely chat though. Got some great advice from her regarding social media and how to better manage it to maintain and further my career. Quickly added her on LinkedIn. Strikes me as a good person to keep in touch with. Also bumped in to Nancy Beiman. Should really try harder to stay in touch with her. Would be a very interesting person to interview for my blog, especially since she's still teaching at Sheridan.

'Being a Design Dynamo'

The presentations were rapid fire, one after another: 'Birth of a Short Film', 'the Inside-Outs of Pixar Animating', and 'Being a Design Dynamo'… such a wealth of information. I couldn't take notes fast enough. Above and beyond the wealth of information provided, the researcher in me was particularly pleased by the all-female panel for the 'Design Dynamo' panel discussion. But after three hours, I was feeling worn out so I skipped the following 'production pipeline' talk, and got some water and fresh air instead. The GBC building where TAAFI is held is mostly glass, so the sun beats down and heats up the place something fierce. Not the best environment for an overweight, out-of-shape animator who wants to stay awake during the talks (Bryce's "2016 is the year to get into shape" challenge from last year's Ottawa Fest still weighs heavily on my conscience). After my walk, I sat down in the lobby for a couple minutes to compose my notes from the previous sessions. Then I got up to refill my water bottle and walk upstairs when I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and there was Ellen Besen. Like before with Bryce, sadly, we didn't get to talk long as she was on her way to an interview, but it was long enough to get some sage advice about the women animator course I'm writing. Took her less than five minutes to cut right through the clutter in my head, and I don't think she was even trying. Wish I'd had the chance to take a couple of her college courses back when I was a student.

So Ellen heads off to her interview and I walk upstairs to get in line for the 'Nova Seed' screening--and right into the path of Kelly Neall, Managing Director for the Ottawa International Animation Festival, which led to a great conversation about animation festivals in general and the history of the OIAF. That right there was pretty much the high point of my TAAFI festival experience. I've been attending the OIAF since 1994 and over the years I've be able to talk to Kelly Neall and Artistic Director Chris Robinson only peripherally. I've always wanted to sit down and talk to them a little more in-depth but at the festival they're always running around like mad, making sure that everything goes off without a hitch. So it was really nice to get to spend time with Kelly over Saturday and Sunday and get to know both her, and by extension the festival, a little better.



The evening screening film 'Nova Seed' was interesting enough. Mad props to anyone who could animated a feature single-handedly. The film reminded me of the old Heavy Metal/Metal Hurlant magazines from the 70's and 80's that I used to look at when my parents weren't watching. Not sure how much of a commercial success it'll be, but I'm confident it'll have a good run in the festival circuit. The animator/director/producer… well, the guy who did almost everything on the film, Canadian filmmaker Nick DiLiberto was in attendance to explain how he created his film and the trials and tribulations he went through to bring 'Nova Seed' to the screen.

So at this point, my knee is tasking me something fierce from all the walking and I decide to call it a night. I say my goodbyes to Kelly, limp my way to the bus, head up to Marché, and sit down for dinner. At that point, I'm taking advantage of their free WiFi and catching up on FaceBook, figuring I'll skip the 'Nelvana bouncing ball' party and get some rest. Eh. It's very difficult for me to hear what people are saying at those "club atmosphere" parties and I've forgotten my triple-flange earplugs at home, so figure I won't miss out on much. That's when I saw one of the TAAFI posts about the Cybertronic Spree! I do some digging and sure enough, they're playing a set at the Nelvana party.

Me and my brother, Optimus, at the Alamo Drafthouse

Some background is necessary. Back in 1986, I took my nine-year old brother to see Transformers: the Movie. I don't remember doing this, mind you. I remember seeing the movie in the theater, I just don't remember taking him. But Ted swears up and down that I did, so, I guess that's what happened. Almost thirty years later, the Alamo Drafthouse theater is showing the movie again. So, I take my brother to see the movie at the Alamo and a fun time is had. Well, in years past, we had seen the videos of the Cybertronic Spree performing some of the songs from the Transformers movie. And we made a deal that if they ever came to Michigan, we'd go see them--knowing full well that the Cybertronic Spree is kind of a parody band and they'd never make it here. But, when you're three sheets to the wind and watching videos on YouTube, it seems like a reasonable pact to make.

So there I am. Realizing that not only can I see the Cybertronic Spree in person, I can text a photo of the concert to my brother and screw with him! Sitting there with my half-finished bowl of stir fry, wondering if they have gone on stage yet, and can I make it back there in time? Decision made, I wolf down dinner, hail a cab, and race back to the waterfront where the Corus building is hosting the party. Fortunately, they hadn't performed yet, so I chatted up Bryce, Kelly, Ellen, and Lynn Dana Wilton at the party while we waited.

The Cybertronic Spree

Then they were on stage--and they were just as awesome as you'd hope! Geek flag achieved: I have now watched the Cybertronic Spree at an animation festival with the Managing Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival and four fellow Toronto animators! The band was well worth the drive out to Canada.


Geeking out with Hot Rod and Arcee

I would've stayed a little later after their set, but the night was catching up to me, so it was time to go back to the hotel. Would need to pack everything up before morning as Sunday's presentations and workshops were going to start at 9:30 a.m. I was so charged up, I walked (almost sprinted) the mile back to Union Station, blisters be damned!



Sunday:

Eric Goldberg with 'Things you've never seen.'

Eschewed a 'farewell' breakfast at Marché for my usual orange juice and granola bar and drove straight to the festival venue. Wanted a good seat for the Eric Goldberg presentation. It's not very often that the presenter gets enough time to cover their career from it's inception. But TAAFI had made the wise decision to give Mr. Goldberg two hours, and he used it adeptly to show films and talk about his early career with Roger Williams, his own animation business venture in England, what brought him back to the States to work with Disney, and even a touching tribute to Robin Williams.

The second session on Sunday was one I had been looking forward to most: Michel Gagné on 2d Special Effects animation. More background is needed: I vividly remember sitting in a room at the RIT Research Corporation back when I was in graduate school, reading a copy of Computer Graphics World that had a small article with artwork on Mr. Gagné's short film 'Prelude to Eden'--which he created as a test for the then new Animo animation software. Below is s a link to his film. Go ahead and watch it. I'll be right here when you get back.



Just based on that one photograph from 'Prelude', I was hooked! Of course, it wouldn't be until many years later, and with the advent of YouTube, that I would be able to see the entire finished short film. But ever since that day back in 1995, I've kept an eye on the art and animation of Mr. Gagné--from his work with feature studios like Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, and Pixar to his game 'Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet'. His presentation was a special treat for me personally as he spent a lot of time covering the design development of ITSP as well as some of his other work integrating 2d hand-drawn effects into 3d videogames. As I waited years to see Prelude, I am currently patiently waiting for him to finish his next personal film project: 'the Saga of Rex'.

After lunch, I had the pleasure of chatting with Kelly some more--behind the scenes festival workings, tracking down all the old festival trailers for the Ottawa Festival's 40th anniversary, the trials of transferring Betamax to digital, and all the things that one needs to do to make the second largest animation festival in the world run smoothly.

Technically, my last session for the weekend was the 'Animating on YouTube' presentation, but I just had to stick around to see the Toronto Animated Image Society talk. Several of my fellow TAIS members had put together a presentation that covered who TAIS is, what's going on at our new location, and showed some of the resulting animations that were produced through the animator-in-residence program. Some interesting work. Not sure if I'm on-board with the projects that are getting approval, but I'm more of a traditionalist and less of an experimental animator, so, we all have our biases.

Then it was time to go home. Said goodbye to Kelly and the TAIS crew. And in a stroke of serendipity, I bumped into Bryce as I walked out the door and got to say my goodbyes to him.

Come to TAAFI, we have red velvet cupcakes!

Wrapping up the experience, the only con from attending TAAFI was that I couldn't fit in any of the short film screenings because they are run at the same time as the seminars and presentations. Now Ottawa does this as well, however the way that the screenings are timed out and spaced in the TAAFI schedule meant that the screening I wanted to see on Saturday morning would've ended about 20 minutes into the 'Birth of a Short Film' presentation that I wanted to attend--thus forcing me to make a difficult decision. Considering all the positives, not a big deal, all-in-all. Next time, I'll bring some art supplies and sit in on the live figure-drawing workshops. I may even take an extra day and attend some of the hands-on workshops that TAAFI uses to bookend their festival. The chance to study hand-drawn animation with Eric Goldberg, or 2d hand-drawn FX with Michel Gagné... It'll be another two years until the next TAAFI. It can't arrive fast enough!