It's Friday, so here's some bunnies...

Went a wanderin' to see how many bunny films from last nights TAIS summer showcase have shown up online. I manage to scare 4 out of the rabbit hole that is the interwebs. So here's some hoppy goodness to get yer weekend started right. Enjoy!

Life in the Analog Age: Hearing Test

Ah, the thoroughly entertaining paranoia of lil' kids. A lil' nostalgia from Gabe Swarr. More orange and blue reminisces to be found on his site. Late!

Lego Stop-Mo a Go-Go. God I'm a dork...

If you've got a kid who loves the Legos and the animation, you could do worse than getting him/her one of these lovely lil' Lego Stop-mo cameras. O.k., it's not exactly Dragon software and a Canon SLR (see, I know stuff!) but it is a nice lil' straightforward camera that comes with some basic capture software and two lil' Lego men. Plus it's cute as hell.

Some caveats based on reviews I've read. Image quality is a lil' grainy, but o.k. in a kind of super-8 lo-fi kinda way. See the sample animation below, courtesy of Kid's Tech Review.



The 4-way button on the back is cool, but there's no labeling, so figuring out what does what will require a bit of a read. The software is the same situation, not quite as intuitive as it could be.

It's also a lil' pricey at 100 semolians. A more practical purchase might be a half-decent webcam and a free download of Framethief or AnimatorDV Simple. Still, if you want an all-in-one package for that kid in your life with animation aspirations, it ain't bad.

Eleven in Motion Gallery and DVD launch

Wherf, what a summer. Launched a new Iphone game, sitting on our biggest Flash game ever, so the blog has been neglected. Apologies! More postings in the fall, starting with this announcement. Eleven in Motion, a special melange of abstract painting and animation, will be happening this month! Painting from the 50's meet the animation talents of 11 Canadian contemporaries. The event includes a DVD launch, so you can take in the show, then take it with. Go to the TAIS site for all the details. More to come!

Best of Ottawa screening next week!

Quick post to let y'all know that if you missed Ottawa '09, you can still catch some hilights and enjoy air-conditioned comfyness at our Best of Ottawa screening next Thursday! Here's the skinny:

1.2 Best of Ottawa International Animation Festival Screening

Enjoy highlights from the 2009 edition of the OIAF, co-presented by the Toronto Animated Image Society and the NFB Mediatheque. The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) is the largest of its kind in North America, attracting film buffs, art lovers, filmmakers, and cartoon fans from around the world to the nation's capital. The 2010 Festival takes place October 20th-24th.

Best of Ottawa International Animation Festival Screening
Thursday, July 15, 2010, 7 PM
NFB Cinema, 150 John Street
$6, $4 for TAIS members, students, seniors, Front Row passholders

Films screening include:
Love on the Line, Postalolio, Please Say Something, The Bellow’s March, Chick, The Black Dog’s Progress, Magic Cube and Ping-Pong, The Art of Drowning, History of the Meat Packing District, MGMT Kids, The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9! And Inherent Obligations

Come on downs, bring friends, and decompress with some cool toons. Later!

TAIS Summer Showcase 2010

Whee, what a summer! Games galore, but work galore too! Don't worry, we've got toons galore comin' up next week for our Summer Showcase! Being on the board I was privy to the selection of the films, and we've got a hell of a lineup for ya. Here's them details:

You are cordially invited to join TAIS for an evening celebrating the best new animations from Toronto and beyond! Short animated films of all styles and genres will be screened, along with entries from our animated jam session, the Aqua Jam. We’ll also screen the cameraless animations created over the year at our monthly Incubator sessions. Awards and reception will follow screening. An event not to be missed! Come out and support your local animation scene.

TAIS ANIMATION SHOWCASE
THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2010
7:30 PM; doors open at 7:00 PM
At the TRANZAC CLUB (292 Brunswick Avenue – off Bloor St. near Bathurst St.)
$8 general admission; $6 for TAIS members

Program includes:
"The Orange" by Nick Fox-Gieg
"Everybody" by Steve Reinke & Jessie Mott
“Weenie Wagon Woe” by Willy Ashworth
"I Need an Escape Plan" by Julie Doucet & Anne-Françoise Jacques
"Beneath the Eye of Time" by Madi Piller
"Recipe" by Martha Griffith
"Birth" by Signe Baumane
"Amoeba" by Patrick Jenkins
"The Animator" by Marc Beurteaux
"The Arctic Circle" by Kevin Parry
"Heavenly Bodies" by Mike Weiss
"Nukie Goes Bonkers" by Jonathan Amitay
"William's Creatures" by Pasquale La Montagna
... And so much more!

With installations:
"Thalé" by Barry Doupé
"A Typical Morning for Green and Blue" by Andrew James Paterson


**Please note: Admittance to the screening is restricted to those 18 years of age or older. Under the Ontario Theatres Act, we are required to adopt a blanket adult rating in order to hold public screenings without having to submit all works to a review board for classification.

**Like with all TAIS Programming and events, the Showcase is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts (Media Arts Section), the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.


See you next week!


--------------------------------------------
Toronto Animated Image Society
60 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 102
Toronto, ON M6K 1X9
Canada
416-533-7889
tais@bellnet.ca
www.tais.ca

Pixilation Weekend!

"The Game" Stop motion / Pixilation Music Video from viralmess on Vimeo.

Long time no speaky! Sorry for the long absence, but things are a' brewing at TAIS, and you'll be able to get a taste this weekend. We've got a workshop on Pixilation...what, praytell, is that, you ask?

Pixilation Weekend!
Pixilation is a stop motion technique where live actors are used, often with other props and puppets, as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film. Over the course of a weekend, learn how to create a pixilation animation from start to finish with plenty of hands-on activities to get you inspired.

Dates: April 10-11
Times: 11 am – 5 pm
Location: TAIS Studio, 60 Atlantic Ave
$65 members, $90 non-members
SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE

Check out the embed above, 'The Game', a music video for band Rodeo Massacre, for a prime example of what Pixilation looks like. More to come!

Animator needs funds badly!

O.k., mebbe not badly, but animator Nick Cross, he of 'Waif of Persephone' and 'Yellow Cake' fame, does need your help. He's started his latest opus, 'The Pig Farmer' and needs people to pitch in a few bucks to help him fund the production. He's got various levels of funding, and if you can see your way to sending him at least 25 dollars, he'll give you a credit in the film! Payday is comin', so pony up a few dollars so we can see Nick's latest sooner rather than later. More to come! Oh, and thanks to Aaron Simpson for the heads up. For anyone not familiar with Nick's work, witness 'Yellow Cake', posted below. Enjoy!

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...

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.

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!

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!

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.