OIAF posters : Andreas Hykade (2004)

NOTE: This poster is still available from OIAF store! Click the poster above to go to the OIAF site.

Ahh, the man behind "Ring of Fire", one of my fave shorts of all time. Andreas hails from Germany, schooled in Stutgart, and is one fine animator, creating darkly beautiful shorts, music videos, kid's toons, you name it. Enough with the talk, let's see some of his stuff, eh? Here's "Ring of Fire", presented in two parts courtesy of Youtuber Luzliquida.





"Ring of Fire" is at once easy and hard to describe...a sexually charged western-themed short featuring two hombres, one a cool-hands bully and the other a wide-eyed fish out of water sidekick, it's got a dead-sexy soundtrack and visuals that are approachable surreal. It's at once obvious and elusive, a pornographic coming of age tale that offers much more than it's visuals suggest, showing the coarsness and banality of human sexuality on the surface, and the beauty lying beneath the surface. I seem to recall Hykade telling an interviewer about his use of prison imagery as inspiration...it adds an instantly visual sexual charge that makes the potential of sex seem at once terrifying, ludicrous and carnivalesque. The use of the first visit to a brothel in the ol' west as an underlying theme is a masterstroke, disassembling the western and human sexuality in one fell swoop. And like 'We Lived in Grass", it's a dark but redemptive tale, taking us into the heart of dark desire and dysfunction and carrying us out the other side to...enlightenment? Hard to say, but you always seem to walk away from a Hykade film feeling a lil' brighter, but not knowing exactly why. It's damn fine stuff, and my fave Hykade film.

His poster belies his darker nature, somewhat...it's a slice of bright orange-and-earthtone toony goodness. Andreas does a lot of kid's animation as well as his studies of human nature. His excellent 'Tom' series of web shorts are great kid-friendly fare, and a great showcase of the dood's range. Go check out his site, http://www.hykade.de/.

Off fer the long weekend! We've been damn busy here at Splashworks and at TAIS for that matter (lots of great news, can't talk about it now) so posts have been a lil' sparse, but I'll have more poster goodness and a bit of an essay about Ottawa and the fest next week. Go have the beer.

Ottawa posters cont.:Nick Cross (2003)

Continuing on with our look at them Ottawa posters, this time it's Nick Cross, a disciple of that most unholy of unholies, John K. Speak not his full name, lest he manifest in your den and do horrible things unto your collection of celebrity undies.

Nick's style is all up in John K.'s, drenched with that trademark early Warner's look as seen through a very twisted lens. Just like Jessica Borutsky, by far John's cutest unholy minion, Nick brings his own flair, adapting the style to a less scatalogical and more culture-jamming...his last film 'Waif of Persephone' was a combination of fairy tale, penny-opera and political skewering, complete with a title you can hang yer hat on and still have room for the coat.

Nick did double-duty in 2003, creating the poster and animating the sig-film. Correct me if'n I'm wrong, but I believe that SAFO and OIAF were rolled into each other in 2004 and from that point became a yearly thang. Either way, really cool retro-groove to this poster that lovingly lampoons the old homey-ness of vintage cartoons. Really great color work, too!

Unfortunately, Nick's a popular boy. This poster's sold out, so take a long loving gander at the above. Hey, mebbe you could track one down on the Ebay? More later.

Adobe sponsors free weekend pass for Teens!

Just a quick post to tell you about the Adobe Toon Apprentice pass. It's a free weekend pass for aspiring teen animators...only caveat is, ya gotta still be in school. Click the pick to link to more info on the OIAF site. More poster goodness later!

more Dave goodness...

First off, it's VICE, not Vibe. Vibe's about black music n' culture n' that kinda hotness. VICE is about...well, click on the above image to enlarge what Dave done fer 'em and their Free Comic Day 2007 issue, and you'll see what VICE be about. Forewarned, it's as filthy as the day is long. Funny as hell, though.

For those of you with the weaker constitutions (a.k.a. a sense of taste...sorry Dave, but "inserrrt"? Just yech. Still funny as hell, though), here's a link to some classic Dave, animated by Mr. Man's Steve Whitehouse, no less.



Lastly, if you visit Dave's site, you'll note that he's been off the collective radar screens of his fans for some time, which he apologizes fer. Seems he's been pretty damn busy with new gallery openings and a kid's book (penned under a pseudonym) due out...well, hell, it could be out now. There's no date on this, so there's no way to tell when he penned this missive about his whereabouts. A June 2007 post on Drawn!, John Martz's web stompin' ground, covers his creative process developing a series of paintings for a 2008 exhibition at Billy Shire Fine Arts in LA. Here's a sample of his work in progress:



Click the pic and it'll link ya to the Drawn! post, from there you can hop on over to Dave's Flikr page and check out more of what Dave's workin' on. More OIAF poster madness next week!

Ottawa Poster Madness: Dave Cooper (2002)

We continue our OIAF parade o' posters with Dave Cooper. Ah, Dave, what can I tell you 'bout this guy? Rob turned me on to Dave's 'Pip and Norton' characters in 2001...he manages to balance silly and sleazy, cute and creepy all at the same time. Yer gonna want to check out the comic he did for 'Vibe' mag's Free Comic's Day issue...just hang on to yer stomach. Zits and vaginas are involved. I'm just sayin' is all.

This huge cyber-pip and all the lil' Pips n' Nortons surrounding him show off the perfect Dave vibe of silly and unhinged. Also emphasizes just how many people it takes to pull off a fest like this.

Damn! Just checked the clock, gotta get back to the work. More Dave goodness later!

First Time Out: 5.1 mix DVD!!

Ah, that new animation smell! Just got the newly minted gold master from me Pirate mates. Man, you need to hear this thing in 5.1 surround! Rushing home to check it out on me home system. It's a hair away from finished...sounds superb, but this burn uses an older render of the film...hey, no biggie, they're busy pirates. I'll letcha know when the final, final master hits me hot lil' paws. Look for more poster goodness tomorrow.

OIAF Posters: Run Wrake (2000)

We're back with some more shameless Ottawa Fest boosterism! As promised, I'm going to be doing a brief retro on OIAF and SAFO poster art from days of yore. I was a lil' worried about trackin' down fair-sized images of each poster, but Angela Abbott, the OIAF Media Relations maven just happened to have five hi-res examples lyin' about, and was kind enough to send 'em to your truly. T'anks, Angela...I owe you the beer.

We'll start with the 2000 fest poster by the master of the surreal music vid, U.K. animator Run Wrake. It's dead sexy, but I'm not sure why he decided on the cowboy. Longtime contributor to the Ottawa Festival and staple of the British music video scene, Run's latest is 'Rabbit'...a parable only he could think up, using 1950's 'Dick and Jane' style kid's primer imagery to delightfully creepy effect. Recently, he picked up the Platform award for "Best Short Budgeted under $50,000". Here's what Run can do with just under fitty large.




A brief snippet from his BBC bio:

"I started experimenting with animation whilst studying Graphic Design at Chelsea School Of Art in the mid eighties, initially as a means to combine images with music. A Masters degree in Animation at the Royal College Of Art followed.

Since graduating from RCA in 1990, I have worked as a freelance Animation Director and illustrator, based in London, working on a wide variety of projects encompassing short film, promos, Television Graphics, commercials, live visuals and illustration. Highlights including... my first job, commissioned by an Elvis suited Jonathan Ross to make a title sequence...making 'Jukebox', my first animate! commission, a two year slog...meeting and working with Howie B, initially on a short film to accompany the release of his album "Music For Babies", and subsequently on a series of freeform promos...presenting storyboards to Roy Lichtenstein in his New York studio for U2's Popmart Tour visuals."

Oh, and just fer fun, check out his personal bio from his site:



Click the pick to go to his personal site. As I have now made meself extremely late, I'll tell ya to look forward to my next poster, uh...post. Late.

TCAF: Comic goodyness

Decided to do a bit of a video-blogger 'dry run' by takin' the Xacti to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, in hopes of grabbin' the good word from some of them there comic's creatin' people. Overall, it was a learnin' experience. I learned me:

1) 1 gig cards just ain't gonna cut it.
2) It is physically possible to go to comics fest and not buy anything. It's unpleasant, but possible.
3) Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim) really, REALLY hates video cameras. Course, if I had a dude what looks like a middle-aged gothic biker holding what looks like a cross between a hi-8 and a geiger counter roll up on me asking me redundant questions, I'd get a lil' hanky too.

Ya take the goods with the bads, though, not that Bryan was bad, per se, but he's the only dude what didn't want to talk to yours truly. I'll fill you in on all the comic madness early next week when I upload some interviews and such to Youtube. Meanwhile, click the pic to see what y'all missed! And Bryan...sorry fer messin' up yer groove, guy. My bad.

OIAF passes for the masses

O.k., one last bit of OIAF boosterism, then I go home and play me some Monkey Madness 3. Here's a breakdown of pass prices and types for the fest. As you can see, somethin' for every budget and time allowance. Whether yer gonna be in attendance for the whole shebang, are just comin' for the weekend, are a local droppin' by for a few screenings, whatever, there's somethin' here to cover yer cartoony-type needs. And look...TAIS members get theyselves 20 bucks off the regular Animapass price...bargoon. Here's the breakdown:


Animapass ($200 CDN)- Access to all events at the OIAF (excluding the Television Animation Conference):
• Access to all OIAF screenings and workshops
• Access to the OIAF picnic
• Access to all parties
• OIAF Program Book

Special Discounts:
$180 (ASIFA/SAS/Quickdraw/TAIS/Siggraph/WIA/ Adapt attendees - with reciprocal discount)
$170 (Student)


TAC Animapass($420 CDN)- Access to the Television Animation Conference on Sept. 19-20 and all OIAF events:
• Breakfast at the Chateau Laurier on Sept. 19-20
• Access to all TAC panels and events
• Access to the TAC Boat Cruise
• Your bio & company profile in the TAC Delegate Guide
• Advance delegate list with contact information
• On-demand screenings of all festival entries
• Access to all OIAF screenings and workshops
• Access to the Animator's Picnic
• Access to all parties
• OIAF Program Book


TAC Only Pass($370 CDN)- Access to the Television Animation Conference on Sept. 19 - 20 and OIAF events from Wednesday, Sept. 19 to Friday, Sept. 21:
• Breakfast at the Chateau Laurier on Sept. 19 & 20
• Access to all TAC panels and events
• Access to the TAC Boat Cruise
• Your biography and company profile in the TAC Delegate Guide
• Advance delegate list with contact information
• On-demand screenings of all festival entries
• Access to all OIAF screenings, parties and events from Sept. 19 to 21
• Access to the Animator's Picnic
• OIAF Program Book


Weekend Pass-($95 CDN.) Access to all events at the OIAF from Friday, Sept. 21 at 7pm until Sunday, Sept. 23 at 9pm
• Access to all weekend OIAF screenings and workshops
• Access to all weekend parties
• OIAF Program Book
• DOES NOT INCLUDE the Animator's Picnic on Friday Sept. 19


Day Pass- ($50 CDN.) Available for Thursday, Sept. 20 (excluding TAC), Friday, Sept. 21, Saturday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, Sept. 23:
• All OIAF screenings and events for the day of the pass
• OIAF Program Book


You can also get tickets for individual events, with special pricing for members of Ottawa's famed rep theatre the Bytowne, where a good many of the screenings take place. And yes, there's tickets for individual events and workshops as well.

For more info, just click that pic. Now I'm goin' home to eat kim-bop and capture monkeys. Late.

OIAF events: Television Animation Conference

O.k., not everyone is sassified with creating cool cartoons. We got some folks out there gots, whatchacallit...oh, yeah...'Ambition'. They want the whole ball o' wax...they want their own show, dammit! Or mebbe you've got biz smarts and want to be the one sellin' and buyin' toons.

If yer one of those people with gumption and a great idea, or if'n yer a biz genius who wants to get in on the production and sales side of animation, then you might want to consider the Televsion Animation Conference events as well as the regular festival stuff. TAC is where the biz takes place, where the dudes what buy and sell shows go to hawk their golden wares. There's plenny o' chances to network with bigwigs from Cartoon Network, Nikolodean, Nelvana, Cookie Jar, Disney, just to names a few. A buffet breakfast, river cruise on the Rideau (in the fall? Worthy)and the TAC lounge will give you a chance to bend the ears of the people what buys and sells for all the major networks and studios. And don't ferget the Animator's Picnic.

Just two caveats: One, these are biz folks...they loves animation, but their time is certainly money...don't be too let down if'n you don't get to talk to everyone you hoped to. Second, it ain't cheap; The TAC pass is $420 Canuck Bucks. Don't fret, though, it's money damn well spent! That'll get you:

• Breakfast at the Chateau Laurier on Sept. 19-20
• Access to all TAC panels and events
• Access to the TAC Boat Cruise
• Your bio & company profile in the TAC Delegate Guide
• Advance delegate list with contact information
• On-demand screenings of all festival entries
• Access to all OIAF screenings and workshops
• Access to the Animator's Picnic
• Access to all parties
• OIAF Program Book

If you've got a series pitch or want to break into the production/sales side of things, though, it's a worthy investment. Check out the OIAF site for the skinny on the TAC: just click the pic. Later!

OIAF events: Meet the Filmmakers

For TAIS members, this one's a no-brainer...a chance to sit down in a posh suite at the Novotel with a bagel and tea (or coffee, if that's yer thang) early the morning after a screening and have a chance to pose a few questions to the filmmakers. Animators Nathaniel Akin, Angela Steffen, Dan Sousa, J.J. Sedelmaier and Sam MacKinnon, amongst others, were nice enough to get theyselves up after a heavy night of kibitzing and drinks (not all were downin' the adult beverages...is Sam even 18 yet?) and share their experiences in making their cartoons. Had a chance to chat with J.J. hisself last year, and yep, that's the dood behind the original Harvey Birdman and Cartoon Funhouse shorts. Damn funny guy, and damn smart as well...you'd have to be. If yer a young upstart lookin' to make his first film, a new or experienced animator workin' on something or not, or just a film lover who wants to cordially pick the brains of some of the finest talents in the land (not being asskissy, Ottawa hosts some gooduns), then yer gonna wanna be there for this. Besides, Novotel gets them some good pastry.

I can tell you it'll be worth your while, without hesitation. What I can't tell you is who is gonna be there...not all the filmmaker's will be present, that goes without saying. But a lot of the guys and gals who are going to be there might have stuff still on the go or prior commitment or hangovers. Either way, show up, grab a coffee and a muffin and bring some good questions.

A brief, possibly inflammatory interlude...

A lil' toon about the promulgation of ignorance in popular culture due to the promotion of less than healthy ideals by the African American entertainment community. Oh, and fer Zenu's zake, turn yer damn speaker's off and put in some headphones before you listen to this...it's funny, but it'll scrape paint off the Pope's hat.

Get past the N word and the copious use of 'Motherfu**er' (asterixes by request) and you'll see that this message is universal...Turn off the TV, pick up a book once in awhile, take responsibility for your actions. EVERYBODY, not just black folks. And acting like an ignorant twit isn't cool, no matter what jackass you see doin' it on teh tellyvisions. And that goes for Black jackasses, British jackasses, Japanese jackasses, French-Canadian jackasses, White American jackasses...pretty much covers the whole jackass spectrum, rilly. Seems pretty simple, but of course, this has been labeled a 'racist cartoon' because it targets one particular ethnic groups failings. I loves me some rap, but yeah, the whole thugs n' ho's thing is gettin' damn old, people...about as old as the big hair and groupie girls got at the end of the Hair Rock thang, back in the day.

Fear not, ye offended...dumb an ignorant come in all colors, all creeds, all shapes, all sizes...just look at Iraq! (damn, political!) Seriously, take a gander and give me your feedback...do you see the underlying parody here? Does it offend the heck outta you, irregardless of your race? Or is it just a damn silly song? Sound off, people!

Ottawa '07 official selections: James Calvert

O.k., as much as I love Mr.s' Hertzfeldt, Hodgson and Rao (sounds like a dead sexy law firm, don't it?), I wanna cover some names not familiar to mine ears this week. Today, a clip from 'Mermaid Story', directed by James Calvert. It's featured in 'Dust Echoes', a great series of evocative shorts commissioned by the Australian Broadcast Corporation based on Aussie aboriginal 'bush tales' and native lore. From the site:

"Dust Echoes is a series of twelve beautifully animated dreamtime stories from Central Arnhem Land, telling stories of love, loyalty, duty to country and aboriginal custom and law."

It's lovely work, puppet animation set against glowing backdrops and an equally glowing ambient tribal soundtrack. I'd come across this series quite some time ago, and methinks a similar series of Canuck aboriginal tales needs to happen. There's a long history of partnership in various international broadcast and radio projects between the CBC and ABC...a native story exchange, might I suggest? Again, no worries, it's a short clip, so I won't deprive you of the full glory of this short on the big screen at the Bytowne. Here's a link to the host site for the Dust Echoes series:

http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/default.htm

Mr. Calvert, by the by, is one of the founding members of the People's Republic of Animation, out of Adelaide. This studio is barely out of the bubble wrap (founded in 2003) but judging by the feedback and awards their work has been getting, you wouldn't know it. Here's their 2007 showreeel; judge fer yerselves, but to my eyes, there be some damn fine work here!



The PRA website is at http://www.thepra.com.au/...go have yerselves a gander.

Whoof! O.k., enuff. Madi has requested something cool...a look back at the OIAF poster art through the years! I'll see about starting a new series next week. Cheers!

Ottawa '07 official selections: Don Hertzfeldt

If Don Hertzfeldt has somethin' new ta see, it's a no-brainer that yer gonna be seein' it in Ottawa in the fall. Don's latest, "Everything will be OK", combines his trademark minimilistic stick-figger characters with some suprising and very evocative camera work...love the juxtaposition of his artwork with these composite photos and film.

Don't worry, the above is just a trailer. He shot the whole thang on film, and if yer wonderin' where he got his stock, not to mention his animation paper, just check his acceptance speech at Platform 07, also included above. More on Monday, go have yerselves a weekend! Meanwhile, I gotta model a display case for my homie Jey and a couple of XBox Live icons for some buddies in Ohio. I'm out.

UPDATE!!! You'd figger I'd know to post this, but hey, it's been that kinda week. You can get 'Everything' on DVD at BitterFilms (www.bitterfilms.com). Go get it!

Tools of the Trade: Sanyo Xacti E1

I've been to the Ottawa Animation Festival many times, first time was in '94. And I've been to the festival wearing many hats. Student Volunteer. Film Fan. Filmmaker workin' on a project. Game animator. Job hunter. Corporate Whore. Like I sed, I've been to a few of these.

Now I get to (with a bit of trepidation) add 'Blogger' to the list. Guys in Ottawa just cleared my Media Pass, which means I'll be up there in an official capacity, grabbin' all the news whats fit to print about the fest and fest-goers, and posting to the blog and the Youtube.

To cover the Youtube end of things, I've aquired a new toy...the Sanyo Xacti E1. It records directly to SD cards in h.264 MPEG4 format, and even has two modes just for online embeds, 320 x 240 30fps. and 320 x 240 15 fps. So you can grab a video, pop the SD card into a portable USB SD-Card reader, plug it in to a webcafe computer and upload. Cake. Max resolution is a DVD friendly 640x480 at six megapixels, and yeah, it takes great stills, too. 5x optical zoom is fast, although 10 woulda been better, and the battery tops out at about 80 minutes, but they're small and fairly cheap, so I'll get me a couple more.

To top it all off, the sucker is packaged in a sturdy body that's reminiscent of a high-8 camera. And that body is waterproof to 1.5 meters. Yep, you read right, 1.5 meters, based on an international standard for waterproof gear. Choice. Should be able to get some great footage from the Animarket, at the parties and workshops and of course the Animator's Picnic. The current plan is to grab high-res and web-res, and post the web-res stuff while I'm at the fest. The High-res stuff I'll bring home so's Madi can edit together a DVD of footage from the fest. More details later.

OIAF 'O7 Selections: Johnathan Hodgson

There's a line that first-year philosophy student know and quote...something about becoming the monsters you hunt, staring into abysses, that sorta fing. That's the creepy vibe infused in Johnathan Hodgson's 'Forest Murmurs', a rumination on his obsession with and fear of becoming a victim of the U.K.'s infamous Epping Forest, home to all sorts of shadowy shenanigans. This is just a short clip, don't want to ruin it for the fest goers among you.

For a bloke whose name I've heard manys a time in animation circles, it's awfully hard to track down info on the guy...doesn't even seem to have a website, really. Hmm...a mysterious animator traipsing round a dark English forest where dark secrets abound? Hopefully he'll be there in Ottawa, so I can get a few words with the man hisself. More later.

OIAF '07 Selections: Rohitash Rao

This week I'll be bringin' you sneek peaks of whichever official entries to the Ottawa Fest '07 I can track down on them there interwebs. Here's one from Ugly Pictures, Rohitash Rao's crazy film concern. This idea is just so damn obvious it makes ya wonder why no one did it before 2006, and the execution is brilliant. I'll bring ya more from Ugly Pictures as I track it down on the YouTubes. Meanwhile, enjoy this acid-washed, acid-induced trip through pop history.

Ottawa '07-Official Selections

Still stingin' from that there rejection letter, great bloody girl's blouse that I am, but gotta mention the fact that the OIAF '07 official selections list is up. They gots 2070 entries this year, mines included, and whittled that down to 97 films...so's I don't feels too bad. Just click on the whacky-ass poster to go to the list.

Just browsin' through, I see new shtuff from Rohitash Rao and Signe Baumane, representin' the New York crew, and Don Hertzfeld (he of the homicidal balloon fame). As well, we've got 'The Magic Projector' and Madi's "Vive le Film" in the Canadian Showcase. Still can't believe they didn't take "Toro Bravo".

Looks to be a groovy fest this year...yes, even though I'm not in it. Well, not in a screening sense...apparently, Madi's wrangled me a press pass, so, yeah, I've booked a room and will be bloggin' from the fest. Have to put that new camera to work. I'll see to it that I gets the good word from as many animators as I can corner, and in addition to posting stuff on that there YouTubes, I'll see if'n I can't pull together the footage and whip up a DVD for all you good TAIS members. Hey, anyone else from TAIS plannin' on goin', drop me a line and we'll hook up in Ottawa.

One last note: If'n y'all goes to the OIAF site and check out the cost of a pass, you'll notice that TAIS members get a discount. WOOT! Buy yerself them passes and I'll see ya up in Ottawa. Late.

Citizens Against Safety Goggles: Mike L. Mayfield

A pair of bizzarre animations to start yer week after the long weekend off right. Here's the work of Mike L. Mayfield, of the Citizens Against Safety Goggles, a YouTube comedy troupe that I'm rapidly suspecting is just Mike and whatever talented film buddies he can shanghai into working on his mad projects. You'll remember I posted the excellent animation he created from found audio a few weeks back...'The Lollipop Tree'. His 2d work has a real anarchic old-school feel to it...it's a contemporary film but looks like sumthin' outta International Rocketship circa 1975. Complementing the animation is some really great music and v.o. work. From the website:

Mike L. currently lives in Los Angeles, where he continues to work on CASG films, as well as a number of other projects. He worked at DPS Flim Roman, Inc. on the show "King of the Hill" for nearly two years, on commercials for Guinness, Snickers, and the Ohio Lottery at Moo Studios for nearly a year, and at FOX Television Animation on the show "American Dad!" for over a year. In September, 2007, Mike will shift gears and focus all his energy on Citizens Against Safety Goggles work and freelance projects.

I'll be keepin' an eye out for Mike's future work. Meanwhile, TAIS members, anybody with requests for particular genres or animators, lemme know and I'll track 'em down. Late.

TAIS Summer Workshops and more griping...

Yeesh, what a freakin' month. Burned out PC, tons of new projects, bills n' deadlines. Throw on crotch-rotting, teeth-grinding heat and humidity, and that was July in Toronto. August is shaping up to be the same...damn, I hates me the summer.

The only thing good about summer, if yer a TAIS member, indie filmmaker or wannabe animator, is the TAIS workshops, which I should have been promoting more on the blog. (apologies, but, OI! The month I've had.) Upcoming on the TAIS workshop roster:

Introduction to 3D MAYA
August 04
Limited to 6 people
Instructor: Charuvi Agrawal & Jeffrey Tran

Toon Boom 2d animation software basics
August 18 from 10am-5pm
Limited to: 6 people
Instructor : Wendy Parkin

Madi managed to snag a new projector for this weekends Maya workshop, so we're goin' equipped on this one. Oh, don't ferget, all youse board members, we meet next week on Thursday or Friday night. I'll email Madi to confirm. Meanwhile, here's some lovely rotoscope-a-mated goodness. Later!