An Inspiring Warning

This was already posted on Cartoon Brew, but I found it very inspiring.

The Revolution Will Be Animated from Marine Lormant Sebag on Vimeo.

It is a short documentary by Marine Lormant Sebag about Nina Paley's struggles and resolution with copyright. For those who don't know, Nina Paley's feature film, Sita Sings the Blues, is a marvelous undertaking, which she produced and funded all on her own. The rest is explained in the clip, but it is an interesting insight into how indie filmmakers like Paley and Bill Plympton make their living, and the confines one could face from a business perspective. There is a lot to be aware of here. I'm not sure what Paley was thinking from the very beginning. As a devoted music fan, I am aware of the dangers of using copyrighted music against my own art. While some big distributors are able to secure the rights to some music, it is difficult with indie filmmakers searching for distribution. Clearing the rights to just two songs could consume half your budget.

Just something to be clear on. I don't know if this would be harder, but I would much rather collaborate with a famous songwriter or composer, than borrow a famous song. It may sound like a pipe dream, but it also sounds a hell of a lot more logical.

The Animation Show 2008, part II

It took long enough, but here's the rest of my review of the films of this year's Animation Show. Actually, these four films are more or less the show's centerpieces, but I swear I am not being prejudicial with the last post. I didn't realize it until earlier this week. But if anyone thinks I have been biased with these films, I swear to you I am anything but.


JEU

Georges Schwizgebel from Switzerland is a marvel of an animator. His paint-on-glass technique is daunting and staggering, but is at the same time beautiful. It is also hypnotizing as the images move, and blend into each other seamlessly. I have nothing but the utmost praise for Mr. Schwizgebel, which is why I can't say more. Its easier to show you his work, than to pick it to death with words.



HOT DOG

Hot Dog is the third film to feature Bill Plympton's well-meaning, dwarfish bulldog (referred to as "Bill Plympton's Mickey Mouse"). The last few months, I have felt like one of the few who actually like this film. Several friends of mine and colleagues of Plympton have criticized it for a lack of originality and over-worked humor. Hot Dog (as well as Guide and Guard) stands out to me as being among Plympton's better work in recent years. The last three years, he has gone through a bit of a Woody Allen phase, in which he has his good days and bad days. That might be a little harsh in judging only a few years of Plympton's 25- year animation career, but its easier to judge him this way, because he puts out more work a year than any other indie animator I know of.


WESTERN SPAGHETTI

PES is another marvel of independent animation. This film, animated with Javan Ivey, is another treat in PES's stop-motion technique pleasing the audience. A quip, it doesn't seem as complex or mesmerizing as PES's previous films. What was nice? I liked the bubble-wrap boiling water; the velvet tomato sauce, and the post-it note butter. PES still has a gift of balancing simplicity (use of found objects and short time spans) with complexity (excellent timing for stop-motion).


THIS WAY UP

Smith and Foulkes, from the United Kingdom. I don't know these guys too well, but for a CG short, they nailed down a pretty good film. A black comedy that keeps its leaning towards the humorous side. A rather charming story of two brothers trying to deliver the body of their deceased mother to the local grave site, and are met with a series of bizarre mishaps. What's also nice is throughout these obstacles, the two brothers' different personalities add an emotional center to the piece. Each gains his own sympathy in every bizarre incident that happens to them.

The Animation Show 2008, part I

First off, my usual self-pity. I'm still searching for more work, trying to come up with new ideas, trying to read more books, and whatever else there is to feel sorry for. Otherwise, everything is moving along carefully. Now to keep myself writing.



The Animation Show returned this year, and usual, the show is still a real treat. I was concerned about how this year's program would turn out. This is mainly because of founder Don Hertzfeldt's departure from the show's curation and programming. For those who don't know, this show was founded nearly five years ago by Hertzfeldt and Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill). Even with just three tours, Hertzfeldt's included films always struck me as the show's signature. According to animator Bill Plympton, who spoke at one of the screenings, the show's organizers wanted to do a more humorous screening. Hertzfeldt's recent films, while still humorous in their own right, have also become darker and more cerebral, and the filmmaker decided he no longer fit into the show. Either way, Mike Judge and company still managed to put together something very funny as well as some artistic variety.


The show opener, directed by Joel Trussell, is a great little piece itself. The style is clearly inspired by 1950's stylized animation, particularly UPA work. Even though I see a lot of this from Genndy Tartakovsky and Craig McCracken, the drawings in this style are usually wonderful and thrilling. In other words, its a look I don't mind seeing over and over again, as long as its inventively designed and colored, as it is here.


PSYCH0TOWN

These three short pieces, directed in Australia by Dave Carter, help to maintain the show's variety. They are animated in a form of cut-out/stop motion, but in a very simple way that adds to absurdist humor of these subtly, psychotic shorts. Very enjoyable, and perfect icebreakers.


OPERATOR

An English short by Matthew Walker. Something of a piece of minimalist humor, I don't think this is a bad piece. Its simply a man calling God on the phone to ask a casual question. I guess if anything, the visual is made to look boring, because there is nothing to be surprised about. I mean, if everybody could just talk to God like that, all of life's questions would be answered.


MR. SCHWARTZ, MR. HAZEN, & MR. HORLOCKER

A wonderfully written and timed piece piece from Germany by Stefan Muller. I have to say this was my personal favorite of the whole show. The animation combines funny drawings with computer imagery, and a plot that is told in two different view-points. This form of storytelling is unique in that it entices the audience and makes them curious about what's going on. For example, we start off seeing a man calling the police to complain about loud music nearby, but later when the policeman arrives, the man is smiling and dancing like an idiot. I truly laughed the hardest at this one.


ANGRY UNPAID HOOKER

This title stuck out immediatally to everyone, for obvious reasons. This poorly drawn short with snappy dialog feels like something that might have been done on Family Guy. I still enjoyed it as an icebreaker between the more visually-interesting pieces.


BLIND SPOT

A piece of black comedy that recalls the doughnut store shoot-out from Boogie Nights. Although some of the computer animation didn't impress me overall, I still found parts of this short to laugh at, and thought the character designs were very nice.


PROF. NIETO SHOW - EP 1

I'm not sure why this was in the show. There was more live-action in it than actual animation. The only animation was a group of bugs, and even they were not very interesting. Very confusing and very tedious.


VOODOO

A nice piece of hand-drawn work here. And some interesting surprises in what looks to be a familiar story. Three stereotypical adventurers try to infiltrate a temple, and the local tribe uses voodoo to stop them. But then the local tribe uses the voodoo for a form of horse-racing and thrill seeking entertainment. Nice touch there.

This is all I have for right now. I will continue the rest in my next post.

Those who conquere commercial and independent worlds.

I apologize for being away. I have been sick twice, had to go to a wedding, and the rest of my time devoted to my film, which has less than four weeks before making its debut. Which means less than four weeks to finish it.

Which brings me to the top of this post. Now that I am almost finished with this project, I need to start thinking about where to go next. I would love to start thinking up another personal film, but then I thought about maybe having a long-term idea I could develop before an opportunity comes along. Someone recently mentioned the idea of doing a TV show, something that is sort at the bottom of my list. I thought that if someone actually offered me the chance to do one, I’d probably take the opportunity, as it might open more doors for me in the future. But I don’t want to stray too far away from independent work, which is a great thing to be a part of. I hold great admiration for artists who are successful in exploring both independent and commercial worlds.

These guys managed to establish their own styles through their independent work, and were able to bring them to a larger audience. (I apologize if I should have mentioned someone else, but didn't. These were the first that came to mind).


John R. Dilworth.

I have met Mr. Dilworth quite a few times. He is one of my idols; one of the best animation directors ever. Dilworth has managed to do some stunning independent films, and has also created Courage The Cowardly Dog, one of the best animated shows of the last ten years. Apparently, he refused to do Courage unless he could produce it from his own studio, Stretch Films, in New York, as opposed to moving to Los Angeles.


Dilworth’s own style is evident in both his commercial and personal work. There are elements recognizable in his work prior to Courage, which made it into the show. And Courage is also unusual compared to most animated shows today, in that it has no continuity, but rather unique situations and different characters per episode (although a few episodes made reference to the original film, The Chicken From Outer Space).


You can watch all of Mr. Dilworth's films (small screen unfortunately) in the Works section of StretchFilms.com.



Joe Murray

I have known of Joe Murray since I was 7 or 8 years old. That was when his show, Rocko’s Modern Life was still on Nickelodeon. Looking back, I realize how unique the first couple seasons of that show was (my opinion of the last season is a little sour now).

I admit I only started checking out his most recent show, Camp Lazlo, last summer. But I was intrigued by the show’s distinct character designs, and beautifully textured backgrounds. It was then that I learned that Murray is also an independent animator. Unfortunately, his personal films are hard to find (they must be available on VHS somewhere). I admit I have not seen any of these films, only read about them. I just thought he was worth mentioning.


You can read more about Mr. Murray's work at JoeMurrayStudio.com/.




Danny Antonucci

Mr. Antonucci has been a great advocate of traditional, hand-drawn animation. He has found success with his own work (Lupo the Butcher), and with his commercial ventures (Ed, Edd and Eddy on Cartoon Network). Antonucci’s work personifies what it means to be edgy in animation (actually, I use the term “edgy” to describe what he was doing in the late 1980’s and 1990’s). In 1991, Antonucci had a show on MTV that tethered between indie and mainstream, called The Brothers Grunt. Of course, this was back when MTV was good. But watching that, along with Lupo and Ed, Edd, and Eddy, presents a remarkable diversity. In an interview at last year’s Annecy Festival, Antonucci revealed he looking to return to his indie roots, which I find really exciting.


Ed, Edd, and Eddy stood out right from the beginning. The boiling line style combined with Tex Avery-style gags was something totally new for Cartoon Network's programming. The show currently holds Cartoon Network’s record for their longest-running original program. And he wants to go back to independent work; kudos to Mr. Antonucci.




I apologize in advance if it takes a while for me to post again. My film has to come first, but I am still keeping this blog up.

And I promise, if anybody wants something totally new, that I will have something on my film in my next post. Now, it’s at a good stage for me to start sharing it.

Cheers.

Sleep, Movies and Persepolis

This is a late post, and its not even the post I wanted to make. But my schedule is reaching that point. The point where I am working on my film into the early morning hours, and my sleep patterns get all screwed up. I originally wanted to do a post on Chuck Jones, but I didn't have enough time to put all the images together. So for now, I am throwing this together.


Amid Amidi, Cartoon Brew's other half and (now) New York commentator, posted something on Cartoon Brew last week that really excited me. It was an article written by David Levy for the ASIFA-East newsletter, about the rise of independent animated features coming from New York. Music to my ears. With Persepolis getting lots of attention, I side with Mr. Levy in seeing this as a sign of an on-coming revolution. An evolution in animated features. I suggest you read it.

Among the filmmakers mentioned are Michael Sporn, Bill Plympton, Nina Paley, Paul Fierlinger, and Dan Kanemoto. I am suprised Amid neglected to mention Pat Smith, as Pat is working on a feature of his own at the moment.


I visited Michael Sporn's studio months ago with a class. There, he informed us of a feature he was working on, based on Edgar Allen Poe. I hope it goes well, because as Sporn's style has evolved over the years, its got the potential to hold an audience's attention for more than an hour. And I think his style is a relaxing place to go to.



Nina Paley and Paul Fierlinger also have interesting films coming along. Nina Paley has a style that is quite charming and embracing, so I am very curious to see the very personal Sita Sings the Blues. And Paul Fierlinger managed to snag some top-notch British actors for his film about a man's relationship with his dog. Very impressive.


Bill Plympton has been making his own features for years. They have been quite rocky for him, however, as they seem to go in limbo when released, and never make much money. The image above is a feature he did four years ago, Hair High, which I saw and believe to be his best feature. His most recent feature, Idiots and Angels, might be a little more effort in embracing it. Still, its nice to have something different, and after hearing Mr. Plympton talk about it with us, its clear that he is thinking more like a filmmaker than an animator now.


In the midst of my depressing schedule, I managed to go see Persepolis. I saw it early at the Ottawa Festival back in September. It is truly unlike any other feature out there. Even though its directly based on Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel, its still refreshing to see an animated feature today that is black/white and introspective. It is a deeply moving and emotion story, with moments of wonderful humor. I know some animators have complained about the style of it. But the style makes the movie work, and its probably one of the more complete features of the last ten years.




The start of a revolution? I absolutely hope so.

Twoben Update

I’m keeping myself as busy as possible.

I am finally getting my website up on the internet. Lee Rubenstein has been helping me out with the process, which is pretty tricky. Lee is great at this stuff; he is the master of self-promotion. There isn’t a whole lot up yet except a link to this blog, but the site is active and up on the net.

Check out Twobenfilms.com, if you are interested in checking out the progress of the site.

It will feature all my animation, a personal bio, and hopefully soon, an image section. I’ve signed on to Flickr, which puts together image slideshows. I intend to make one that follows the run of my thesis. I should have that up by September.

In the meantime, John Kricfalusi had an amazing entry on his blog regarding the blandness of today’s animation. For the most part, I agreed heavily with much of what he said. Much of today’s commercial animation is very indistinct, and too money-oriented. However, I was suprised that he made no mention of the world of independent animation. Having met many independent animators here in New York, I can safely say that they are anything but bland. These artists are not bogged down by commercial executives, and have total control over their artistic visions. The only drawback to independent animation is that it is extra work to get your stuff seen. But there is an audience for it, as I am part of it.





Also, I don’t count Pixar as being bland. And that is further evidenced by the brilliance of Ratatouille.



Also on a side-note, my short film, Ivan’s Act, made it into the Animation Block Party. These are three animation shows being held in Brooklyn over three nights, starting July 27.

The Animation Show ~ Year 3

I have just returned with some friends (mostly the Pratt Key-Frame Club) from the New York screening of the ANIMATION SHOW. For those who don’t know what this is, it is a touring collection of international animated short films (hope you can take all that in). The founders of the tour are independent animator Don Hertzfeldt, and Mike Judge, the creator of BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD and KING OF THE HILL. Though neither were in attendance, the show did have two of the featured animators, Bill Plympton (GUIDE DOG) and PES (GAME OVER).

Below are my write-ups for most of the films. These are still fresh in my head, but my opinion is likely to change over time.

(Images are from the ANIMATION SHOW website: http://www.animationshow.com/)
you can also view clips of the films there as well.


EVERYTHING WILL BE OK
Don Hertzfeldt’s films are amazing. Underneath the stick figures and pencil squiggles, his films are blessed with wonderful yet dark humor, priceless expressions, and a keen sense of surrealism. But this film takes all those elements to a whole new level. It tells of a lonely man who becomes ill, and all the confusion as to whether or not this is the end of his as he sadly knows it. In all the confusion, the film takes on a dark, almost psychotic undertone, in which the sound effects are deliberately louder than the voice over narration (brilliant!). A new level of sophistication on Hertzfeldt’s part. Truly one of my favorite filmmakers.

9
Director Shane Acker’s 9 is not new to me, but that does not mean I didn’t enjoy seeing it again. The first time I saw this was with my Dad at a screening for Academy Award nominated short films, and we were both blown away. This eleven-minute beauty takes us to a dark, dusty world with cute little men made of potato sacks and magnifying gear. The animation is as expressive as anything else done in the world of CG (and for me, it is always about expression). A truly remarkable piece, currently being turned into a feature with the help of my idol, Tim Burton.



OVERTIME
The first time I saw this was here at Pratt when they were screening stuff from the Ottawa Animation Festival of 2005. It immediately grabbed my attention, and it still holds it. For one thing, it was the first CG film I had ever seen to be done completely in black and white. And the story was both inventive and touching. It tells of a group of sock puppets who come to life to mourn the loss of their maker. Now that is my kind of story. One with humor, expression, and real emotion.



DREAMS AND DESIRES
In a single word: genius. British animator Joanna Quinn is one of my all time favorite animators, as well as one of my favorite all around artists. Her animated shorts are golden. This film shows her reaching a whole new level of sophistication in both plot and execution. With traditional drawn animation and computer assistance, she crafts a film that is mostly taking place from the viewpoint of a moving video camera. And the story is one of pure British charm (which I admire very much); telling of a woman who tries out her film making aspirations at a friend’s wedding, only to cause a shambles for the already dysfunctional family and wedding guests.
On a personal note, I am disgusted that this did not get recognized for this year’s Academy Awards for Best Short Subject (Animated). Just goes to show how low these awards get.



GUIDE DOG
Bill Plympton currently holds the titles of the most successful independent animator, and the godfather of New York independent animation. This is definitely one of his best films, mainly because of his appealing little dog character. According to Plympton, this dog has become his own “Mickey Mouse,” which I sort of agree with. I find the little fellow to be very appealing and, out of all Plympton’s characters, the one easiest to connect with. I enjoy watching it, especially in Plympton’s trademark style of coloring and animating.

GAME OVER
New York animator PES is definitely an unusual talent. One whose talent is based off of his offbeat yet highly inventive way of animating food and assorted house hold items. Here, he inventively uses them to perform an old 1980’s style video game, famously known as Pac Man. I can’t really say anything else about this film, except that I love being amused by which food/objects play what.

RABBIT
I am not particularly fond of this film. On a technical level, the rendering is nice, and the concept is interesting. But overall, I found myself unable to connect with it. It was just too flat for my tastes, and personally, I don’t enjoy seeing children murdering innocent animals. That just doesn’t sit well with me.

CITY PARADISE
Although I found this to be much more appealing than RABBIT, I have some difficulty with this film. I don’t quite understand what is going on in parts of it, and I find my attention drawn in too many different places. Something about the coloring didn’t feel right to me in certain areas. I loved the animated leg movements though. Those were nice.


Me with most of our group outside the Roseland Ballroom.