Animation Prezzies pt. Deux and a Half

More goodies for the animator or animation fan on yer shoppin' list:

Character Animation Crash Course by Eric Goldberg
Animation Unleashed by Ellen Besen with Bryce Hallett
Elemental Magic by Joseph Gilland (books)

Between Eric's practical step-by-step breakdown on timing, character elements, overlaps, etc., Ellen and Bryce's story and dramatic structure guidance and Joseph's amazing and clear advice on traditional effects, it's been a damn spanky year for animation books. I'd recommend any or all of these, and they're all available fer buyin' at The Labyrinth. Not sure if they've got 'em on hand at The Beguiling, but no doubt they can order ya up a copy of each. If ya gotta, all three can be had from teh Amazons here, here and here. Go! Learn! Become mighty 'mators!

I'll have more gear and books and shtuff for you in the new year...right now, I'm off to get me a copy of 'A Boy and His Blob'. Cheers!

Animation Prezzies!

Just thought I'd whip out a quick list of goodies that you might consider for those luvved ones on yer Xmas list this year. Or Hanukkah. Or Qwanza. Or Friday the 18th. Whatever, these are great gift ideas for you animation lovin' compadres out there.

RUN HAMSTER RUN (IPHONE GAME)

If you've got a friend with an Iphone who's an animation nut, this hand-drawn puzzler from animation Erin Humiston is just the thang. Produced by Erin and a small crew in Florida, it's available now at the Itunes App Store! Gift a copy, then get a copy for yesself...that's an order. Courtesy of Cartoon Brew.

A BOY AND HIS BLOB (NINTENDO WII GAME)


Released in October, this game for the Wii features hand-drawn side scrolling action in a more anime-inspired vein. Fun for adults and kid-friendly as well, you navigate around obstacle and enemies by feeding your pet blob jellybeans...different flavors, different effects. From WayForward Technologies, developers of the fabulously fun Shantae game (tons of hand animation, great stuff!)

Whoops! Running long with this post...more goodies to come!

Aardman does Flipnote

Here's a couple of sweet lil' treats from our homies at Destructoid...seems there's a great lil' animation tool for the Nintendo DSi called Flipnote Studio, and in order to show it off proper the powers that be at the big N summoned the forces of Aardman Animation to create spots actually animated on the DSi! Nice! Apparently they've commissioned a whole bunch o' these to promote the DSi itself and upcoming Zelda game Spirit Tracks. I'll keep you posted. More to come...

Kevin Manthei sez hey!

First off, apologies all 'round for the singular post last month...super busy at the day job, managed to take a week off for vacation and to take care of some last minute shtuffs, and now that it's all done I'm all yers, you blogomites you.

Timing is pretty good, for lo and behold I popped open the emails yesterday to find a note from the indefatigable Kevin Manthei, the sonic guru behind many a fine 'toon soundtrack, including personal fave Invader Zim. You'll remember I was talkin' to him way back in the Soundtrack phase of 'First Time Out', my lil' bunnies and bots film. Seems he was waltzing through old emails, and wanted to know how I was doin'. Thanks for checkin' in, dood!

Here's a sample of his tawdry wares. If you want to check out more of his audible aristry, drop by his website! More to come...

Joseph Gilland: Elemental Magic Man

Those of you out there have been blessed in the past with all sorts of character animation goodness, the latest greatest offering being Eric Goldberg's excellent 'Character Animation Crash Course!'. Effects animation, however, seems to get only a passing nod in books...although books from Richard Williams and the estate of Osamu Tezuka do a great job covering the basics. I think it's because so few people have made a name for theysselves as FX animators...they remain the great unsung of animated film. Michel Gagne comes immediately to mind, and through an e-mail to him asking his opinion on this dearth of FX tutelage comes word of a new book.

'Elemental Magic', the new book by industry vet and Gagne homey Joseph Gilland is a book a long time in coming. Joseph who, you say? Yeah, I said that too, which is exactly the problem when it comes to FX animation. Joseph has the distinction of being FX supervisor on one of my fave Disney flicks of the last 10 years, Lilo and Stitch, as well as Mulan, Brother Bear, and Tarzan...the dude knows his shit, obviously, and the book is getting kudos all over. He did a signing up at Ottawa '09, which I'm kicking myself for missing, but a copy can be yours by hitting up the Amazon.ca. Do it now, it's 37% off as of this posting, freakin' bargoon! And yes, don't y'all worry, we will be getting a copy for the TAIS library. Special thanks again to Michel Gagne for the heads up...he's written the forward to the book. Nuff said, go get you one.

Eleven in Motion

Headin' off for a busy weekend, cleanin' up my dump of an apartment and effects/character animation to boot! More on that later. Fer now, here's a quick reminder of this TAIS special event coming up soon!

--------------------------

Eleven in Motion: Abstract Expressions in Animation

The Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) in conjunction with Cinematheque Ontario and Christopher Cutts Gallery, is pleased to announce the premiere of Eleven in Motion: Abstract Expressions in Animation, a commissioned project of eleven new animated works inspired by the art of the Painters Eleven. The premiere screening takes place November 11, 2009, 8 PM at the Cinematheque Ontario and will be attended by all eleven filmmakers from across Canada. The screening is free to the public.

Following the premiere, the new animated works, alongside paintings by the Painters Eleven, will be on display at the Christopher Cutts Gallery from November 18 – 25, 2009. The gallery opening takes place November 18, 2009, 6 to 9 PM.

There will be an artists’ talk on Tuesday November 17, 2009 from 7 to 9 PM at the NFB Mediatheque with all the participating artists.

New Works by:

Rick Raxlen (inspired by Harold Town)
Patrick Jenkins (inspired by Kazuo Nakamura)
Élise Simard (inspired by Alexandra Luke)
Richard Reeves (inspired by Walter Yarwood)
Nick Fox-Gieg (inspired by Oscar Cahén)
Félix Dufour-Laperriére (inspired by Jack Bush)
Ellen Besen (inspired by Tom Hodgson)
Steven Woloshen (inspired by Jock Macdonald)
Pasquale LaMontagna (inspired by William Ronald)
Craig Marshall (inspired by Ray Mead)
Lisa Morse (inspired by Hortense Gordon)

Free World Premiere Screening
Wednesday, November 11, 2009, 8 PM
Cinematheque Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario, Jackman Hall
317 Dundas Street West

Gallery Opening
Wednesday, November 18, 6 – 9 PM
Christopher Cutts Gallery
21 Morrow Avenue
Exhibit will be on Display November 18 – 25, 2009

Free Artist Talk
Tuesday, November 17, 7 PM
NFB Mediatheque
150 John Street

This program was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts and The Petman Foundation.

Special thanks to our corporate sponsors:
Hotel Victoria & Videoscope

And our production partners:
Cinevic, Main Film, Atlantic Filmmakers Co-op, Liaison of Independent Filmmakers, Niagara Custom Lab and Creative Post.

8 Bit Pwny Club

Some inspired 8-bit flavoured insanity from the fellows at Weebl's Stuff. Really love the shaky cam and the site of old video game characters chatting on a couch. Enjoy!

Extra life: Extra Tired!

Whoof! Haven't pulled one o' these genuine all-nighters in a looong time. Extra Life is a twenny-four hour gaming marathon, and in order to finish this dedicatory (was supposed to be promotional, thank you flu) I've been here for almost 24. But y'know what? A marathon animation session is a finger massage from the angels compared to what kids with cancer have to go through, so it's all good, baby. Doc's group could be the ones to push the research cash over the top to a cure, so like I sed, go over and get him a few bucks. Meanwhiles, here's a taster. I'll post the final version just as soon as I get the audio from Doc. I'm out...later, playas.

Extra Life, extra work!

A rare after midnight posting, as I sit here elbows deep in hot polygons trying to finish up my short film for the fellas over at Sarcastic Gamer. Looks like I could be here to see the sun rise...if I is, I'll post some animation. Meanwhile, head on over to Doc's site and pony up a few bucks for the kids, wouldja? Thanks!

Reminder: Nuit Blanche this weekend!

Just a quick reminder of the Nuit Blanche happenings this weekend at The Rhino. In addition to selections from the Summer Showcase '09, we'll also be screening the TAIS Chickenjam! So if you missed it on the big screen, you can see it with a pint and some wings this weekend. Here's the online version to whet the ol' appetite. Later!

TAIS at Nuit Blanche

Quick post to let y'all know about our whacky Nuit Blanche shenanigans at the Rhino this weekend:

Nuit Blanche at the Rhino with TAIS

The Toronto Animated Image Society and The Rhino Bar are pleased to present
an all night event as part of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2009. Short animated
films, mostly by local Toronto artists, will be projected all night long
from sundown to sun up on the patio of the Rhino.

Works by: Janice Shulman, Jonathan Amitay, Malcolm Sutherland, Patrick
Jenkins, Marc Beurteaux, Flemish Beauty, Élise Simard, Lena Chun, Adam
Temple, Rick Raxlen and more!

THE RHINO ANIMATED FILM FEST
OCTOBER 3, 7PM - OCTOBER 4, 7 AM
@ The Rhino Bar
1249 QUEEN ST. WEST, 416-535-8089
FREE!

Come on down, grab the beer, and watch them aminations. Later!

Mukpuddy gets on their high horse...

So here's a great new pilot from our New Zealand homies Mukpuddy Animation. It's a buddy comedy featuring a neurotic horse who's a lil', um, embarrasingly deficient (hence the pants) and his adorable, anti-social dickhead of a bunny room-mate. Definitley could see this as a recurring web series, could make a good fit on Comedy Network...'course, they'd have to change it to a Moose and a Beaver. My only issue; Stallion makes it sound like a western somehow. I'd suggest 'Horse in the City', but Mo Willems might send his rabid ninjabats after me. Either way, check it out, give 'em a lil' positive feedback or constructive criticism on their YouTube page. Thanks to Aaron over at CHF for bringin' this to my attention! Cuz, I'm all important n' shit. I am, you know. Sniff. More later.

Sidekick

Nothing I hate worse than haters ('cept mebbe teen vampire novel fans) and for some unknown reason that's what Todd Kaufmann seems to be getting for this awesome series pitch vid on them there YouTubes. Sound off...this looks, sounds and feels like it could be a riot. But, no busty anime chicks or panty shots. Geez, Todd, don'tcha know how to pander to them masses yet? More to come...

TAIS Nooze!

Hokay, our squishy summer seems to be at an end. Time for bright leaves, hot tea, woodsmoke...and TAIS Fall events! Here's what's comin' up real soon, straight from the site, featuring TAIS homies Richard Reeves, Patrick Jenkins, Mike Weiss and others!
--------------------
Cut and Paste Photo Collage Animation Project Premiering at Gallery 44

The Toronto Animated Image Society and Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary
Photography are pleased to present eight commissioned works made as part of
the Cut and Paste Photo Collage Animation Project. The films, premiering in
the Vitrines at Gallery 44, bring together photography and animation to
explore the subject of ³feeling photography².

New works by:

soJin Chun
Paola Denegri
Koko Kurunathan & Ambereen Siddiqui
Christine Lucy Latimer
Sue Lloyd
Kathleen Mullen
Elena Potter
Evan Tapper

Opening Reception:
Friday, September 18 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography
401 Richmond Street West, Suite #120

Works will be on exhibit in the Vitrines at Gallery 44 from September 12 ­
October 17.
Gallery 44 is open Tuesday to Saturday 11 am ­ 5 pm

***

New Workshops at TAIS!

New workshops announced for the Fall/Winter season!
Workshop registration now open! Advanced payment in cash or cheque required
to reserve your space. For more info, contact tais@bellnet.ca or
416-533-7889
Send cheques to: Toronto Animated Image Society, 60 Atlantic Ave. Suite 102,
Toronto ON, M6K 1X9
(please make cheques payable to Toronto Animated Image Society and note
which workshop you are interested in registering for)

Stop-motion Animation Workshop with Mike Weiss
Puppet building, puppet animation fundamentals, and a "How To" intro to
independent Stop Motion.
Date: October 3
Time: 10 am ­ 5 pm
Location: TAIS Studio, 60 Atlantic Ave
$35 members, $50 non-members

Digital Rotoscoping with Madi Piller
Learn how to apply rotoscoping techniques in the digital age.
Date: December 3, 2009
Time: 7 pm ­ 10 pm
Location: TAIS Studio, 60 Atlantic Ave
$35 members, $50 non-members

Paint on Glass workshop with Patrick Jenkins
A five hour hands-on workshop exploring paint-on-glass animation techniques
with Patrick Jenkins, in conjunction with the ³Eleven in Motion: Abstract
Expressions in Animation² program.
Date: November 14, 2009
Time: 12 pm ­ 5 pm
Location: TAIS Studio, 60 Atlantic Ave
$35 members, $50 non-members

Cameraless Animation and Animated Sound with Richard Reeves
Learn the basics of scratching image AND sound from master scratcher Richard
Reeves, in conjunction with the ³Eleven in Motion: Abstract Expressions in
Animation² program in November.
Date and time: to be announced ­ stay tuned for more info

Classic Animation on Paper 101 with Bryce Hallett
Learn the basics of classical animation on paper in a two day workshop with
Bryce Hallett. Bryce will school you on pencil tests, animation principles,
cycles, and some quick and dirty animation shortcuts.
Dates: November 29 & December 6
Time: 11 am ­ 5 pm
Location: TAIS Studio, 60 Atlantic Ave
$65 members, $90 non-members
Animation paper & pegbar included

Don¹t delay. Reserve today!
-------------------------------------

That's all for now. More details as they become available. And fer you board members: meeting on Wednesday, September 30th! Laters!

Hey, Bats!

O.k., one commentary on the whole Disney-Marvel thang...ain't this cool? Nicked from the Deviant Art page of one Andrew Dickman...go comment on his stuff so's he don't get angry at me! Good on ya, Andrew. More to come.

Uhhh...

I could comment on the recent "Pete Elmslie: Art Critic" thang, or Disney buyin' Marvel, or stuffs, but hey, it's the cusp of the Labor Day weekend, so, here's some inspired insanity from Japan, of course. Courtesy of our ever-luvin' homies at Cartoon Brew. Have a good one, and expect more and better posts in the fall. Cheers!

LazyBoy's Demo is Reel...groovy.

Just perusin' my YouTube subscriptions, and noticed that my man LazyBoy (a.k.a. Lazy Muffin, a.k.a. Israeli animator and sick phoink Yotam Perel) has posted a new demo reel, showcasing his many animated transgressions. Recently, LazyBoy had a hit on his hands, garnering a whole bunch of views on hooligan animation site Newgrounds for a piece he did based on pervy podcast The Distorted View Show. Good on ya, ya lazy bastard. Right now, he's havin' to deal with his upcoming compulsory service in the IDF...so all y'all what was 10 minutes late cuz of the traffics this morning, quit yer whinin'. More to come.

Comic Store Events!

I've also been lax with the book store nooze for all you comic and art book fans, so lemme tell ya 'bout two events happenin' this weekend. First off, our humble homies at the Labyrinth are holding a 'Mighty Muggs' art show, character design showdown and charity sale...man, talk about a full dance card. Details about what you can get and what you should bring are on their blog.

Second, our graphic guerrilla buddies over at the Beguiling are welcoming new Tank Girl artist Rufus Dayglo (lovin' that name, fella) as drops across the pond to celebrate his run on the series. Just be aware that if you wanna shake hands with Rufus, the event is tonight, Friday the 7th! Sorry for the late warning, it's been that kind of a week. Plus, on Tuesday it's the Marvel 70th Anniversary and Sale. Prepare to get poor, comics fans. Sounds like a full weekend. More to come...enjoy yo'selves, ya heah!

Mercury Filmworks needs a few good men...uh, people.

Sorry for the lack of posts, punkaroos...guess the ChickenJam took it outta me, cuz I've been doing nothin' but lazin' round them interwebnets. But the fall is comin', and according to the fine folks over at Toon Boom there's opportunities to be had. Seems Mercury Filmworks up in Ottawa has a hit on their hands with porcine pals Toot and Puddle, and are lookin' to expand. So if you think you've got the chops, shoot your URLs and portfolios up to 'em, and mebbe you'll get the nod. Good luck!

Les Drew and Janet Perlman

Just wanted to end the week with a post of Les Drew's immortal 'Blue Safety Dog' in 'Every Dog's Guide to the Playground', which I discovered on YouTube in the process of searching out Janet Perlman's ChickenJam entry, viewable on her site. In the process of locating her site, I found out that she's got a new film! Produced at Acme Filmworks for client Liberty Mutal, it's titled 'Hot Seat'.



More to come.

Splashworks promo vid

Fer all y'all wondering what this pooch does for a day job (yeah, you 3 guys), here's a promo vid featuring screens and sample gameplay from some of our games. A lil' background; Splashworks.com has been around since '96, and was formed by a trio of buddies fresh from the CD-Rom wars who wanted to make games where there was a lil' more attention paid to quality, and a lil' less paid to the bottom line (and abusing your Dilberted employees...go read 'Microserfs' or 'JPod', you'll get the picture). Worked on the animation and interfaces for quite a few of these, the most notable being the skateboarding and parkour games. And now, we'se branching into Iphone apps! Lotta fun, and it keeps me in pencils and pixels. Enjoy. Oh, and if you like what ya see, go play sumpin'...is all free, baby. Later!

ChickenJam Online!

If you've been by the TAIS main site, you've noticed that the full version of the ChickenJam was uploaded to the newly minted TAIS Youtube page (been using me own up to this point) and is ready to enjoy. Kudos to Tara and Madi for the edit, Bryce for the V.O., and our sponsors Line Boil, Nemu-Nemu and the NFB.

And extra special thanks to our filmmakers: Martin Sal, Alex Novitski, Ariel Villaverde, Camille Grandjean, Jesse Jind, Jonathan Amitay, John F. Weldon, Max Hall, Neil Lapointe (who?), Daniel Epton, David Pagurek van Mossel, Jeff Tran, Fabian Dores Pais, Greg Parker, Mike Constable, Adam Fitzgerald, Hector Borboa, Janet Perlman, Joseph Troy, Lisa Murzin & Cesar Forero, Lorenzo West, Matt Hartwell, Michael Jessen, Michael Tallon, Mike Funt, Charles Wilson, Olanrewaju Oluwafemi, Nick Fox-Gieg, Onno Knuvers, Peter Giesbrecht, John F. Weldon, Raphael Rosenwald, Jonathan Cheeseman, Robert Shedlowich, Susan Justin, Tammy Dubinsky, and Madi Piller.

Photos and other stuffs from the TAIS Showcase next week. Have the happy weekend!

Vegan Delights from Halifax!

Special event comin' up at CineCycle this Friday, a BBQ and screening of animated and partially-so works by Haligonian filmmaker Siloen Daley (that's part one of her film 'Olive Prepares' embedded above) and her circle o' film friends from Nova Scotia. More details follow. Friday looks to be a beaut, so get off yer ass!
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Vegan Delights from Halifax, NS – BBQ, Screening and Discussion with SILOEN DALEY

Siloen Daley presents a program of animated and partially animated films made over the past ten years by herself and other Haligonian women filmmakers who were inspirational to her. Come check out what’s sure to be a fun event, complete with BBQ delights, at the infamous Cinecycle screening coach house! Featuring the works of Becka Barker, Amy Lockhart, Katherine Sheehan, Shelley Wallace, Helen Hill, Helen Bredin, Andrea Dorfman and, of course, Siloen Daley. Discussion with Siloen Daley follows screening.

Friday, July 10th
BBQ begins at 6:30 PM
Screening at 8:00 pm
at Cinecycle (in the old coach house down the lane behind 129 Spadina Ave., on the east side between Richmond St. W. and Adelaide St. W.)

**note: vegan and meat delights will be available at the BBQ

www.tais.ca/vegans.html

Patrick rides the 'Tubes

Just got an email from Patrick Jenkins, former TAIS head-honcho and all-round animated individual. He's got some choice cuts from some of his films up on his newly minted YouTube page, including the above clip from his award-winning film "Labyrinth". Go check 'em out. More on the ChickenJam next week! Oh, and Anonymous, if you want me to post yer chicken film, I'm gonna need to know who y'are! Just sayin' is all. More later.

**UPDATE**-man, gotta learn to read the WHOLE email. Seems there's a couple of interviews with Patrick up online...he's talkin' bout production of his films 'Labyrinth' and 'The Skateboarder'. Go. Watch. Learn. More to come!

Chicken Helper

Two pullets what got past the post yesterday, Martin Sal's toothy entry which started the jam, and Rafael Rosenwald's take on throttling poultry as a way to relieve stress. More to come!



UPDATE- added this lil' number to the ones here. Animation and design by Ariel Villaverde. Sound by Ivan Rusev. Really love the look here, thanks for getting me the link Ariel!

Chicken Jam hilites

Ba-Kawk! - Watch more amazing videos here

O.k., here's all the Chickenjam submissions I could find online. The whole evening was a-flippin'-mazing, and the crowd lost it when we screened these, and more than 20 others! I'll have a full report later in the week. Enjoy! And show these filmmakers some love by bloggin' about them or forum posting, Twitter, whatever...they rock.

Marjane needs our help!

Hate to get political on y'all, but there's nothin' for it. By now everybody knows just how bad things are on the ground in Iran following the 'election'. Well, Marjane Satrapi, author and illustrator of 'Persepolis' (go see the movie! read the book!) has started a petition asking the U.N. to get off its ass and do something. Go read it...then sign it. If you've seen Marjane's stuff, you know it's a beautiful country suffering from an ugly government, and the shit they pullin' just ain't right. Thanks. Heads-up courtesy of John Martz over at Drawn!

Chicken Cowboy

Just to remind ya...Thursday's the night of the big TAIS Summer Showcase, so don't be doing nothin' else! In the meantime, here's some southwestern flava'd chicken for ya, courtesy of one Stephen Neary...it's the trailer to his full New York University senior film 'Chicken Cowboy', up on them thar YouTubes for a limited time. Damnit, Stephen, why din't ya send us something for the ChickenJam? You would've been in good company...more on all the excellent submissions later this week. Meanwhile, enjoy the trailer and go see the full film, while you can!

The Mysterious Stranger

Went lookin' for 'Disturbing Animation' on them thar YouTubes, and looky what I found. An excerpt from Will Vinton's 'The Adventures of Mark Twain', a claymation feature film and one of my teenage faves. And disturbing it is...as the kids get a lesson in the value of life from Ol' Nick hisself. Enjoy!

Bad Kitty, Good Cartoon

I am posting this not becuz of the kitty (great design) or the weird, abrupt ending (caught me by surprise) nor the fact that it comes from Andy Coyle, a dude who (up 'til a few weeks back) worked for FatKat, one studio what will be missed.

No, I'm posting this for one reason. Changing channels by whacking the clicker with yer tail. Genius. More to come.

Bryce On Animation...and on, and on

Before I head off for a weekend of vid'ya games and pretzels (and doing the trailers for the Chickenjam...I ain't fergot, Tara) I'll just leave you with this lil' comic gem what I found on Bryce Hallett's website...I feel yer pain, Bryce. Did the Security Guard thing for four freakin' yars. Gave me a lotta time to draw between tours, tho'...more to come next week!

Chickenjam Sponsor: Nemu-Nemu

Here's my entry for the upcoming TAIS 'Chickenjam!' How, do you ask, do I justify this as a chicken cartoon? Nemu (the second pup, Anpan being the airborne pooch) is wearing a silly chicken hat. And the birdie character is named 'Pollo' (Spanish for 'chicken'). C'mon, ain't that enuff? Birdie! Pups! Silly Chicken Hat! What do you people want from me?!?

On to other things. I like having excuses to promote indy artists at TAIS events, which is part of what TAIS is all 'bouts. Last year, we gave away some excellent monsters courtesy of Toronto's own Monster Factory. So when Bryce came up with 'Chickens' as the theme for this year's animation jam, I knew my go-to peoples. (Pollo? See how it all comes together?)

Kimonokitsy Studios is a husband-and-wife team composed of Audra Furuichi (who does the drawrings) and her hubby Scott Yoshinaga (who does site admin, business and co-writes the strip). They've been posting their ubercute anime-flava'd web comic Nemu-Nemu since 2005, and the strip is a big enough hit that Audra works on it full-time. One of the strip's new characters is the small yellow bird named 'Pollo'. Hence my thinly veiled excuse for getting 'em to send us some swag for the contest.

And what great goodies we gots! Signed and doodled copies of their latest compilations, canvas totes with Nemu and Pollo on 'em, 'Pollo' stuffies and signed prints of the strip (featuring chickens) that Audra and Scott whipped up for the Easter edition of the East Oahu Sun...did I mention they hails from Hawaii?

Right now Audra and Scott are relaxing after a grueling (but productive) span of comics conventions and crafts shows (the last being Fanime '09 in San Jose), with the next one being in December. That's it, gotta run and get this batch o' goodness to Tara for safekeeping at TAIS H.Q. June 25th is fast approaching, so mark it on yer calenders. Oh, and go check out them Nemu-Nemu strips...it'll put the smile on yer face. Later!

Beat by Flower Power!

There were only two films selected in the KAFI 2009 web film category this year...my goofy lil' PSA, and this bit of 1930's flavored botanical violence. Guess which won? Man, if I gotta lose, there's worse films to lose to, believe me. Congrats to Phil Dubrovsky and Dale Hayward...plant abuse never looked so good! More on the upcoming TAIS showcase and Chickenjam tomorry...

Into the Labyrinth...plus, nooze!

Some big beautiful stills from Patrick Jenkin's noir homage "Labyrinth", which took 1st place in it's category at KAFI this year. Animated by paint on plexiglass under the camera, Patrick debuted it last summer, and it's been nothin' but kudos since. Nice job! Wanna see it? Come to the TAIS Showcase, cuz it's on the program.

Also on the program is a slew of some of the best animated shorts the board has seen in a dog's age...seriously, it took fer freakin' ever to create a program this year (nice works, Madi and Tara) and to top it all off, we also have 30+ chicken films to look forward to as part of the ChickenJam! I'll be announcing our latest sponsor tomorrow. Meanwhile, take a gander at these stills, and drop by Pat's website. More to come!

K'Naan- T.I.A.

I'll leave you with this peice o' beauty to start yer long weekend. Just caught K'naan's new video T.I.A. (This Is Africa), where the Somalia-born, Toronto livin' rap poet calls out all them dudes what thinks they livin' the thug life, 'cuz he grew up the real deal, in one of the most vibrant, and yeah, troubled countries on Earth. Lovin' this sound, and the video is a smooth but fast collage of color and symbol, photo elements mixin' with video and animation to paint his original home as beautiful and dangerous, a true crucible. His latest, 'Troubadour' is out on the iTunes...go get it!

artist: K'NAAN
song: T.I.A
album: Troubadour
label: A&M/Octone Records
directed/shot by: NABIL
post: Gustavo & Clara for Wizardflex
production co: Partizan ent.

Free Comics Day 2009

This week I'm all about the comics. Made it out to Free Comics Day at the Beguiling, and brought my trusty Xacti. Managed to get Clayton Hamner (C-Ton), Tara Tallan (Galaxion), Kean Soo (Jellaby) and Chip Zdarsky (Monster Cops) in my sites, and they gives good interview. Sorry it took a week to get this up, but, hey, everything is a production with me. Music by the most excellent Tettix (go download his stuffs!). More to come!

Graham and Scott are cool doodz.

TCAF was soggy yet satisfying this year, with a massive layout of indy comics guys and gals hawkin' their tawdry wares and doin' their thing. And lo' and behold, there was not only an animation flava goin' on, but a vidya games thang too! Scott Campbell, character designer of Double-Fine's 'Psychonauts' game, and Graham Annable, animator and comic artist responsible for YouTube editor fave 'Grickle', were both in attendance, signing books and posters and generally being awesome. Scott's hardcover just came out...not yet available from Double-Fine's store, but is in on teh Azamons. Graham's got a new book out, 'Stickleback', and promises a new Grickle animated funny 'just as soon as I get some time to spare.' Nice meeting you, guys! Oh, and a video/animated treat comin' tomorrow (probably). More later!

Pilot me into a brick wall...

The end of the week finds me obsessed with pilots after watching a (thank the animation gods) aborted attempt at bringing back 'The Get Along Gang'...in 3d, of course, the industry's current fave cliche. Found some interesting stuffs on the YouTubes amongst the desperate and the sad. (Don't stop making those 'series pilots' and posting 'em, kids...they're not only hilarious, they're tiny cautionary tales about the value of learning to freakin' animate, ya jerks.)

Larry and Steve (HB, 1997)


'member Hanna-Barbera's excellent "What a Cartoon" program? Here's Seth McFarlane's first stab at prime-time, a toon featuring the prototypical 'Brian' and 'Peter' characters from his student film, minus the filth. Here named 'Steve' and 'Larry', it's pretty much based on McFarlane's previous student film, 'The Life of Larry'. McFarlane would go on to die alone and forgotten in a Hamilton Tim Horton's parkin lot. That, or milk these two characters for more moolah than Yahweh.

Plastic Man (Warner Bros. 2008)


Here's an interesting one. 'Plastic Man', with a goofy semi-Kricfalusi look and a feel very reminiscent of an earlier Warner's series, 'Freakazoid'. No Steven Speilberg to champion this one, and Cartoon Network took a pass. The character does show up in the new "Brave and the Bold" Batman series, so it's not a total loss.

Jumpin' Jupiter (Mark Mason, 2007)


Here's a cute lil' thang, a pilot for a potential preschool series with space toddlers flyin' about. Animated by Mark Mason and his homey Johnathan Booth. Great example of character action selling personality, no 'talking heads' here, just some nice bouncy character gags. Seems these guys have quite a few pilots under their belts...nice stuff!

Hmm...this pilot thang is interesting. Think I'll institute 'Pilot Fridays', dig up some series non-starters and some prototypes that led to other thangs, and end the week with 'em. Whaddya think? Feedback me. Oh, and don't ferget to hit TCAF tomorrow. Right, I'm out.

Kosher-mation!

Had a request for 'Almonds and Wine' by Arnie Lipsey, but alas, it exists not online. Madi is on the case, seeing if it's on DVD alone or as part of a compilation. Meanwhile, here's a couple of faves...a selection from Pilar Newton's nicely produced 'Kabbalatoons', and Dan Meth's immortal 'Hebrew Crunk'. Hope that holds ya over, Steven! More to come...

TCAF and free comix!

Hey! First off, apologies to our homies at The Beguiling and The Labyrinth for no heads up on Free Comics Day, which happened over the weekend. Don't worry, the real comix-palooza comes this weekend as the Toronto Comic Arts Festival happens once again, this time at the Toronto Reference Library (just get off the TTC at Yonge & Bloor, point yer ass north, and follow the geekling hordes.) There will be tons of indies there signing their latest, so bring your wallet. Oh, and a special comix related treat (plus TAIS nooze of course) comin' up in a day or so. Cheers!

Note: Labyrinth's minions will not be there in any official capacity, I'm afraid...this is pretty much Beguiling's gig for indy animators, not yer typical vendor show. Don't fret...next show that Labyrinth will be at is Anime North, coming up later this month. Bonus!

Jewish Animation is the fo-shizzle

Last night's showcase of Jewish animated films was such a hit, I could just plotz. According to Madi, it was a packed house, with 130 people in attendance including Arnie Lipsey, Eugene Fedorenko and Nick Fox-Gieg. All in all, a darn good time.

Speakin' o' good times, don't forget our upcoming workshops with the forementioned Mr. Fox-Gieg and Mike Weiss. More info in the Workshops section of the TAIS site, or just hit the link. I'm out, cheers!

Fred loves the chicken! (not literally, you pervs...)

Just a quick post with Episode #176 (!) of Channel Frederator, now featuring more chicken! Yep, the powers that be at the big red Fred were nice enough to program the ChickenJam trailer into this week's episode...look for it at around the five minute mark. And stick around for the rest of the show, o' course! From the site:

"First up, we have a sweet music video for Broken Social Scene's "Pitter Patter Goes by Heart" called "Note To Self." Second is the Manila Folder Classifieds and the adventures therein. Certainly, there are no adventures quite like the ones in the Manila Folder Classifieds, as you will see. and finally, we have something cool with "I've Got Nothing," a look at the creative process and the response to the blank page."

Sounds cool. Check it. And start makin' your chicken-a-mations, right after you mark May 29th and June 25th on your calendars. Get it to us by the first date, so we can throw it up on the big screen at the NFB Cinema come the second. I'm out...more later!

TAIS Showcase and Jam info!

Seems to be a bit o' confoosion on dates n' stuff, so here' s a followup to letcha know when everything surrounding the TAIS Summer Showcase is happenin'. Remember, if you got any questions about anything TAIS, the contact info is under the pic of the cute lil' foxy guy with the big green sword off to the right, in me profile.

TAIS Summer Showcase

Deadline: May 29, 2009 - 5:00 pm

Have you made an animated short film in the last two years? Want it to screen to a packed house as part of the fantastic TAIS Animation Showcase at the NFB this June? Then submit!

All Genres, mediums, themes! Films must be under 15 minutes in length.

Screeners should be in either MiniDV or Quick Time Movie films on DVD/CD. (NOTE: we'll accept FTP submissions as well, just e-mail us to let us know that's your plan first!)

Send your submission to:
Toronto Animated Image Society
TAIS Showcase 2009
60 Atlantic Avenue
Toronto, ON
M6K 1X9

Please include the submission form, a brief description, an artist bio and contact information, as well as two film stills (tiff or jpg @ 300 dpi - 2 x 3) . Description, bio, contact info and film stills may be emailed to tais@bellnet.ca or included in submission package.

TAIS ChickenJam

Deadline: May 29, 2009

TAIS is at it again with its annual Animated Jam session, or Anijam!

This year’s theme is... Chickens! Yes, you heard right. Chickens of the World, chickens of the sea, chickens of the forest, chicken scratch. Poulet of all sorts.

Create a 10 second long animated film that somehow encompasses our chicken theme! Use any animation technique you want... just make it delicious! Submit it to TAIS and we’ll edit the submissions into a chicken AniJam film which will screen at the TAIS Summer Showcase at the National Film Board this June!

Plus, we’ve got tons of giveaways!

Submit your films on CD/DVD-Rom or via email/file hosting link with the submission form, a brief bio and 2 stills (jpeg) from your film. Format of all Chicken Jam submissions should be a 720 x 480 Quicktime.

Send submissions with the submission form, a brief bio and two stills (jpeg) from your film to:

Toronto Animated Image Society
Chicken Jam
60 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 102
Toronto, Ontario
M6K 1X9
CANADA

Want to send it digitally? OK! Email us a zipped file, email us an ftp link to download from, email us a file hosting link to:

tais@bellnet.ca

There you is! We had an anonymous person o' interest leave commentary that they didn't know the dates...hope this gives you the info you needs. Now submit them films! And give a hand to our erstwhile admin Tara for putting all the website stuffs together. More later!

EDIT: Our anonymous friend is back, makin' this ol' pooch feel like an idiot...justifiably so, tho'. He/she points out that I forgot to post the event date and locale! The TAIS Summer Showcase and ChickenJam will be screened at the National Film Board of Canda Cinema, here in Toronto, on June 25th. Here's a link to the map: I'll do a follow-up post with screen times and ticket prices (should be about five bucks...bargoon) closer to the event. Thanks for the reminder, Anonymous...love yer poetry!

TAIS nooze! April edition

Hookay, bunch o' stuff to cover here. Latest TAIS newsletter done be out (thank you Tara and Madi), but there's just too much goodness to post it all here. Honestly, it's huge. So, if ya wanna reads it, become a member! Come on, ya know ya wanna.

I finally managed to get the DEFINITIVE version of the ChickenJam trailer up...for a while there, we was going through sponsors like nobodies bidness. I originally wanted to get Toon Boom onboard, but them's busy folks...hopefully I'll get ahold of somebody there before the big date. And MyToons? Ah, alas, MyToons. Amid has posted about it, read it here. So, officially, our event sponsors are:

Channel Frederator: Eric Homan's given the green light to run the trailer in the April 21st episode of the big red cartoon show. Noice!

Line Boil: Aaron Simpson's sister site for all things animated. Aaron already gave us some of that there pimpage, and he's also shippin' us some shoits. My man!

NFB: Michael Fukushima over at the National Film Board got us 9 dvd's of chicken-flava'd short animated goodness, as well as a venue (The most awesome NFB Cinematheque here in Toronto) to host the event. Good on ya!

Finally, I've got a line on some prizing from afar...specifically, Honalulu. More on that later. Meanwhile, relax, sit back, watch a decidely green ep. of the Fred, and I'll be back with more nooze. Be sure to drop by the TAIS website and click on the links on the left...Tara's been updating like mad!

The Brothers Krause go Upstate on yo' ass.

Da hardest workin' man in Flash-biz...

Gotta love that Aaron Simpson...dude not only takes time to give TAIS some serious pimpage on Cold Hard Flash, but now, he's a one-man employment site, tryin' to get his animation homies work in these troubled times. Check out da amination from Brittney Lee above. Then hire her, 'cuz Aaron sez to. Yep, he's a great representative of the online animation community.

Plus, I hear he makes one hell of a vodka martini.

O.k., 'nuff with the gush. Check out CHF and the sister site Line Boil for animation shtuffs that you will likes. More on the ChickenJam later...with possible mentions of Hawaii?

TAIS Info Bomb!

Brace yerselves, buckaroos...here's all what's goin' downs at TAIS currently. And we've got more stuffs planned! Yeah, we're nuts. Here's the skinny:

------------------
1 CUT AND PASTE ­ PHOTO COLLAGE ANIMATION PROJECT
Toronto Animated Image Society & Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary
Photography ­ Call for Applications

Gallery 44 and TAIS are seeking proposals for a commissioned project that
brings together photography and animation. Each successful applicant will
produce a 1 to 3 minute photo-based animation exploring the subject of
³feeling photography², the title and theme of a conference hosted by the
Toronto Photography Seminar in October 2009. The animations will be
premiered in the Vitrines of Gallery 44 during the Feeling Photography
conference.

The conference "Feeling Photography" will bring together scholars working in a range of interpretive and theoretical approaches to interrogate the relationship between affect, emotion, and/or feeling and photographic meaning. Gallery 44 and TAIS want to support the creation of artworks that explore similar themes.

Projects will be completed between May and August 2009. TAIS and Gallery 44 will offer support for the development and production process of the projects.

Selected artists will receive:
· Gallery 44 Membership
· TAIS Full Studio Membership
· $300 honorarium
· Photo Animation Workshop at TAIS
· Imacon and Flatbed Scanning workshop at Gallery 44
· $50 materials fee

Each application must include:
· Project description ­ 200 to 300 words
· CV, resume, or brief bio
· Samples of recent work (i.e., CD or DVD for time-based artists;
maximum of 10 images on CD for visual artists)
· A self-addressed, stamped envelope. Submissions without a SASE will
not be returned.

Submit to the TAIS office via email or Snail Mail by April 24, 2009
60 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 102
Toronto. Ontario
M6K 1X9
Email: tais@bellnet.ca

For more info, please visit www.tais.ca/cutnpaste.html


2 TAIS ANIMATION SHOWCASE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Have you made an animated short film in the last two years? Want it to
screen to a packed house as part of the fantastic TAIS Animation Showcase atthe NFB this June? Then submit!

All Genres, mediums, subjects, themes- Under 15 minutes in length.

Screeners should be in either MiniDV or Quick Time Movie files on DVD/CD.

Send your submission to:
Toronto Animated Image Society
TAIS Showcase 2009
60 Atlantic Avenue
Toronto, ON
M6K 1X9

Please include the submission form below, a brief description, an artist bio
and contact information, as well as two film stills (tiff or jpg @ 300 dpi -
2 x 3) . Description, bio, contact info and film stills may be emailed to
tais@bellnet.ca or included in submission package. Application form can be
found here: http://www.tais.ca/opencall.html

Deadline for submissions: Friday May 29, 5:00 pm


3 TAIS ANIMATED JAM 2009 ­ CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
We are proud to announce this year¹s theme for the TAIS AniJam, ten second animations that will screen in rapid succession at the TAIS Showcase in June. This year's theme is... Chickens! Yes, you heard right. Chickens of the World, chickens of the sea, chickens of the forest, chicken scratch...poulet of all sorts.

Get cracking on those animations!
Deadline for submissions is May 29th, 2009 at 5:00 pm.
For more info or to download a submission form visit:
http://www.tais.ca/chickenjam.html


4 STOP MOTION WORKSHOP WITH MIKE WEISS
Puppet building, puppet animation fundamentals, and a "How To" intro to
independent Stop Motion.

April 26th, 2009
10 am ­ 5 pm
At the TAIS Studio, 60 Atlantic Avenue
$35 members, $50 non-members (Pre-registration required)
Only a few spots left. Register soon to avoid disappointment.
To register, contact the TAIS office at tais@bellnet.ca or by calling
416-533-7889


5 LEARN HOW TO MAKE AN ANIMATED FILM FROM SCRATCH IN FLASH
Mentor/workshop facilitator Nick Fox-Gieg will lead a group of participants
from start to finish on the ³how-to² of making an animated film in flash.
This two month workshop will include instruction in using flash for
animation, creative consultation on your project¹s structure, and access to
the TAIS studio for completion of your film. The course will culminate in a
public screening of the works created.

Dates:
May 9, 2009 ­ 11 am ­ 5 pm
Every other Thursday evening in May/June from 7-9 pm
May 14, May 28, June 11, June 25

Cost: $250 members, $300 non-members

Interested participants should send expressions of interest to the TAIS
office by April 25, 2009. Submissions should include:
· Contact information
· 1-2 paragraph proposal of work to be created
· A brief bio that outlines what skills or relevant experience you have
with animation/illustration/digital imaging
· Samples of your work (i.e., website portfolio, CD or DVD for
time-based artists; maximum of 10 images on CD for visual artists)
· Please also include what, if any, equipment you can bring to aid in
the creation of your project. A Wacom tablet and a laptop with Flash 8 or
later installed will be especially useful.

Send submissions to:
Flash Workshop
Toronto Animated Image Society
60 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 102
Toronto, On M6K 1X9
Via email:
tais@bellnet.ca


6 THE RETURN OF THE INCUBATOR EXTENDS...
We¹ve had so much fun and such good response to the incubators over the
winter months that we¹re going to keep them going! Join us on the 1st
Wednesday of every month for our quilting circle style incubators, where
guests show their works in process, share animation knowledge and gossip
while keeping their fingers busy with related crafts. This month, TAIS
representatives will be on hand with all the tools and know how you¹ll
require to get working on some simple DIY cameraless animation.

Wednesday, May 6th
60 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 102
7:00 pm ­ 9:00 pm
$5 suggested donation for scratchers to cover the cost of materials


7 A SHOWCASE OF JEWISH ANIMATED FILMS
In conjunction with Mural Routes, TAIS is pleased to present a screening of
eight short Jewish animated films curated by TAIS president Madi Piller,
followed by a discussion & light refreshments.

Following the presentation, one of the animated films will be chosen as the
subject of a colourful mosaic mural to be installed on Bathurst St. (at
Lawrence avenue) as part of a community beatification project.

A Showcase of Jewish Animated Films
Thursday, April 23 ­ 6:30 pm
at Barbara Frum Branch, Toronto Public Library (20 Covington Road)
Admission: FREE!

For more info, visit www.muralroutes.com
------------

Whoof! Did I say skinny? Well, there's plenny to keep y'all busy there, so hit them links, sign up or get more info. Cheers!

Jon Izen rides that Magic Pony

Just got an e-mail via Tara at TAIS HQ from merry nutbar Jon Izen, he of 'Black and White' fame! Seems he's gonna have hisself an art opening at one of my fave joints, The Magic Pony, on April 17th! Naturally, I'll have to be there. I'll bring the Xacti and grab some vids of the show for all to enjoy. If you're in T'rawna that day, drop by and show the dude some love...after all, he animated what you see above, along with homey Ivan Rusev. Enjoy!

Recyclamation, Disney styles

Someone done gone and compiled all the re-uses from 'Robin Hood', which, becuz of a teeny budget, sourced characters and animation sequences from 'Jungle Book', 'Aristocats' and 'Snow White'. Either this is a 'hah, gotcha!' moment, or a rare glimpse at how to creatively re-use old footage as source for a budget title. Me, I'm kinda in the middle...'Robin' had it's moments, but generally was a big pile 'o lackluster, and this montage just goes to prove the point. Don't be too hard on the folks back then, though...this was the first animated flick produced after ol' Walt shuffled off the mortal coil. Courtesy of web culture site Dark Roasted Blend.

TAIS Chickenjam!

Lil' late in coming, I know, but we're finally off and running with this year's anijam event, the CHICKENJAM! Yep, it's all about the poultry this year as we take submissions for 10 seconds each of feathery animated goodness. Standard rules from last year apply...make it a 10 second animated film, make it about or around the theme, and submit a .QT format vid file to TAIS by May 30th.

Special thanks to Bryce for the audio werks, and the nicely cheesy v.o. And thanks to Michael Fukushima over at the NFB. He's gotten us some DVD's featuring chicken-related shorts from the NFB's animation archives. We'll be getting more goodies as the date draws nearer. In the meantime, get cracking on those films!

TAIS Nooze!

O.k., some bits of news to start yer week. TAIS is working with The Images Festival to present a bizarre of the bizarre, so to speak. Included in the programme is Jim Trainor's new short, 'The Presentation Theme'. Details below!

On Screen 1: "A Human Drawing Blood From a Bound Prisoner, an Anthropomorphic Cat Doing the Same"
Sunday, April 5 6pm at the Joseph Workman Theatre (1001 Queen Street West)
Admission: Pay What You Can

TAIS is pleased to co-present "A Human Drawing Blood From a Bound Prisoner, an Anthropomorphic Cat Doing the Same", a programme of short films in conjunction with The Images Festival. Features new work from Jim Trainor!
For more info visit www.imagesfestival.com
-----------------

Next, a workshop with puppet animator Mike Weiss! He'll be holding court, giving the downlow on techniques he used to bring his film 'Inheritance' to life. Here's the scoop:

Stop Motion Animation Workshop with Mike Weiss

Puppet building, puppet animation fundamentals, and a "How To" intro to independent Stop Motion.
Sunday, April 26th, 2009. 10 am - 5 pm
At the TAIS Studio, 60 Atlantic Avenue
$35 members, $50 non-members (Pre-registration required)
To register, contact the TAIS office at tais@bellnet.ca or by calling 416-533-7889

By the way, STASH, the monthly DVD magazine, feature Mike in issue 29...copies still availables.
-------------------------

Finally, our erstwhile and indefatigable admin, Tara, has sat down for an interview with education networking and community blog Learning in the City. Tara's interview nicely capsulizes TAIS as and organization and what we do in the animation and arts community...definitely a worthy read.

Well, that's all the nooze what's fit fer print today. Big announcement (with fresh animation!) tomorrow, punkaroos...stay tooned.

Selections de Felix

Gisele Kerozene dir. Jan Kounen







A few choice films personally chosen by TAIS board member and all-'round tasteful dude Felix. 'Gisele Kerozene', directed by Jan Kounen, is some Norm McLaren inspired nuttiness that includes one of the weirdest chase scenes ever filmed. 'Isle of Flowers', pts. 1 and 2, directed by Jorge Furtado, is, according to Felix "one of my favourite shorts/animations today (after missing it for 10 years!). It's from Brazil, political and pretty fast paced." Enjoy! Oh, and the slow season ends next week...we've had our General Meeting and there's tons of events, workshops and one special announcement comin' just around the bend...stay tooned.