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!

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!

TAIS Aqujam!

First off, apple-logies for the long absence, the day job has been keeping me hopping, but not so much that I can't spare a lil' time to remind y'all of our upcoming Aquajam! Yep, we've done machines, monsters and chickens, so water was the next logical step. I think. Anyhoo, here's them details:

TAIS AQUA JAM 2010 - Call for Submissions

We are proud to announce that this year¹s theme for the TAIS AniJam, ten
second animations that will screen in rapid succession at the TAIS Showcase
in June, is ... Aqua! Underwater critters and cephalopods, acid rain,
flushing toilets, aqua flora and fauna, and any other idea you may have
related to the life aquatic.

Get those ideas flowing!

Submission deadline: May 31, 2010.

Submit your films as quicktime files on CD/DVD-Rom, via ftp or link to your
webspace with the submission form, a brief bio and two 2 x 3 stills (high
res jpeg) from your film. Format of all Aqua Jam submissions should be 720 x
480 Quicktime files.

Send your submissions to:
Toronto Animated Image Society
Aqua Jam Submission
60 Atlantic Ave. Suite 102
Toronto, Ontario M6K 1X9
CANADA

If you want to submit your film digitally via email in .zip format, via file
hosting or via ftp link, send to tais@bellnet.ca

All Aqua Jam submissions will be screened as part of the TAIS Animation
Showcase at the Tranzac Club (292 Brunswick Ave) in Toronto, Canada on June
24, 2010, 7:00 pm.

So if you've been by the TAIS site and already know about the event, send in yer films! For those what have just heard about it, still time to knock out a quick 10 seconds and send it on in. More posts more often to follow!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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 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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

TAIS Gallery updated!

Tara, our erstwhile admin, just wanted me to let y'all know that the TAIS Member Gallery has been updated! It now includes links to the sites and works of:

Charuvi Agrawal, Willy Ashworth, Nassim Azadi, Lise Beaudry, Veronika Belianina, Marc Beurteaux, Lukas Blakk, Guillermina Buzio, Daisy Chia, David N. Cobden,Grant Dix, Mark Dowsett, Stephanie Dudley, Jabari Elliot, Cesar Forero, Alexander Gelis ,Bryce Hallett, Patrick Jenkins, Susan Justin, Lisa Murzin, Craig Marshall, Allyson Mitchell, Justin Murphy, Madi Piller, Barry Sanders, Ruth Tait, Jeffrey Tran, Bob Wiseman, Christine Whitlock and Dong Yuxiao. Damn, that's whole lotta peoples. Go check out their stuffs!

I'll be doing profiles of all the artists in the Member Gallery this year...here's a taster. Lil' film called "Dundas n' Bathurst", created in just 20 days by TAIS members Charuvi and Jeff Tran. Got top prize at TUFF. Enjoy!