Parasite's Delight

It's been over a month since I last wrote here, and I apologize. I have been hard at work on my film, but it is now finished. And I am ready to share it with the rest of the world (or those who are at least interested).


Parasite's Delight tells the tale of a small, orange parasite named Pitti. He has been living inside a cow, until the cow dies of natural causes. Pitti's palace (the cow) deteriorates quickly, and he is left homeless in a post-apocalyptic environment. He will find a lot is different in this world, where his fellow parasitic species have learned to survive on their own.


This film was very different for me. It used more animation, more coloring, more cut-backs, original music (courtesy of my Dad), and many other little things. If there is anything I am proudest of, it is that I managed to create something with some scale to it, which is tricky for some independent filmmakers. When I say scale, I mean a story that can move through environments and maintain its layers. A lot of commercial films have scale. John Dilworth's work has tremendous scale. Don Hertzfeld's work (after 1999 in my opinion) has amazing scale. Parasite's Delight has many layers to it. There are themes in it which I hope to revisit at some point in future work.





I have the film on YouTube, but I don't encourage you to watch it this way. This film is meant to be seen more clearly.

Now that the film is done, I am in the process of getting it into some festivals now. I am also in the process of finding work.
I hope to be back soon. I am still recuperating.

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.

Desperate Doodle and Paul Driessen

Just desperate to post something.

I've been in hell. Last week I got stomach flu, and then suffered an acute medical reaction, which sent me to the hospital. I would prefer not to discuss it on this blog, however. Let's just say it was frightening, and I am happy I can still talk normally.

What should I post? Well, I have rekindled an interest in Dutch/Canadian animator/filmmaker Paul Driessen. One of my favorite independents, I hope to meet Mr. Driessen someday. He has a wonderful talent in telling very complex ideas in such a simple yet whimsical style. His animation style is very unique and unlike anything else. He accomplishes things I hope to accomplish. Using a very charming and whimsical style to tell stories and ideas that are unique and unusual. Here are two of his films.

The Killing of the Egg


The Boy Who Say The Iceberg


I have lost time and resumed working on my film, Parasite's Delight (as it is still called). I hope to have a couple of finished shots up here in a couple weeks. I worry about my schedule, but Andy London assures me that I have nothing to fear. And seeing how Andy handles these things, I should believe him.
Still I am desperate to do some non-thesis drawing. This was all I can muster up.

Hope to write again next week. Hopefully.

Ident ~ Aardman, 1989

This is a short film directed by Richard Goleszowski, and produced by Aardman Animation in 1989. It is remarkably different from other Aardman shorts, especially looking at it now.

I have been watching this short recently. I showed it to a friend, it was her first time seeing it, and it blew her away.

I love this short, and its a little hard to explain why. I think I just love the nonsensical nature of it. The gibberish and the actions are hysterical. It's a short film that works very well without a story. Pat Smith had a rant on his blog some time ago about how it is not always about story, but really the idea, or just the characters, or the visuals. In my opinion, there is no one source, it can be anything. It just depends on what comes first, and where that leads. Ident is a short that is very complete, and based solely on the idea and the visual.

Also, some exciting stuff over here. The Pratt Animation shows have been set up (a tremendous thanks to Fran Krause). We will have three showings, all in May. I will add more information if anyone out there is interested. Also, this coming week are screenings for the ASIFA-East festival this year. As a member, I have the privilege of casting my vote in the screening. I hope to have something to report on.

To all the Pratt animators

of 2008 that is....


It is late, and I have just come back from the studio here at Pratt. It’s one of those nights where I have lost all objectivity of my own work. I am at a point in my film where I am going through a lot of these episodes. I can't judge my own work, I can't seem to figure out if something is working, or if it will function to an audience (you have to be your own audience in these situations). When this happens, I run the risk of making animation that is unclear and compositions/shots that have too much or too little.

These episodes wear off, but I still need to talk about them. I hate losing objectivity in my own work. It causes me to lose motivation. We usually have critiques every Monday morning. Even though we can e-mail stuff to other people, we are not always motivated to do so. For me, my schedule is so tight, I am afraid to re-work a scene, I worry about losing time on the rest of the film (which I feel like I am). Everything has to be finished by May 1: eight months of work in a short film

I know schedules work differently for different independent animators. Some work fast enough to get at least one film done every year. Others pace themselves out for one or two years or more. But most of these animators, unlike most students, have employees/interns working for them. Even if it is only four or five people, it still provides plenty of objectivity for the directors.

I need more than one person to look at my work. At this point, until something evolves, I need some more objectives than what I usually get every week. Andy London, my thesis adviser, always spells out the challenges of making a film. His point are very clear, but I wish to hear ways to get around them, or accept them. How do we accept these challenges if we want to spend the rest of our lives working in film and/or animation?

I end this by spreading the blogs of some of my fellow animators.

Maya Edelman
Javan Ivey
Christopher Ko
Jen Lee
David (Dav-odd) Meehan
Dan Mountain
Isam Prado

I apologize for leaving anyone out. If they wish to be added, just let me know, and I will add you to the list.

The Cure showing off

I just got an idea for another post, but I don't know when I will write it. I figure I should post something for this week. I've wanted to post these for a while now.

Just a couple of music videos by the Cure, made in the 1980's. I really like these videos. Because they not only give the songs some nice illustration, but there's something real and exuberant about the band members' on-screen personalities. They are not professional actors, but they can show off like anybody else. I love watching people show off like this. Not showing off a strength, but showing the way one naturally moves. Non-sense motions like these make their way into my head when thinking of characters. It often gives me ideas of how to physically express a character's personality.

"The Walk" 1983

Of course, I love the songs too. Maybe that adds to my enjoyment of these early music videos. But I still think music videos should be made this way. They probably are, but the artist just isn't popular enough.

"Why Can't I Be You" 1986


Actually, I saw a new Radiohead video simply made up of video camera footage of the band recording the song. It looked a lot better than some of the stuff I am usually subjected to.

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.