Steve Woloshen live @ Ontario Cinematheque

This Wednesday, April 5th at the Ontario Cinematheque there will be a retrospective of Steve Woloshen films. Here are a few thoughts about this relatively unknown Canadian animator: Firstly, Steve is a true independent animator as he is one of the few artists that funds his art through his day job. No grants or funding bodies dictate when or where his ideas can be created. With that said, the medium in which he chooses to experiment with is scratch film abstract animation. I can almost hear the groaning. Well, it is almost laughable in Canada at least not to be forced to watch Norman McLaren films ad nauseum like some Clockwork Orange rehab clinic for the narratively depraved. Blinkity Blank becomes Blankity Blank for alot of students! Maybe, this is why Bill Plympton poked fun at abstract animation film at Annecy last year. I dunno. We have to be able to laugh a little at the absurdity in which people view abstract animation. I mean Bill has been riding the same style and humor train for his whole blankity blank career. Rebuttal aside Steve Woloshen along with Richard Reeves, Barbel Neubauer,Stephanie Maxwell and many others are taking scratch film to a new generation of animators. One of the biggest hurdles for abstract animation as Paul Bush (who uses scratch film technique for his film, The Albatross) remarks, is that the images become secondary to the music/soundtrack, i.e. free jazz. I agree with this statement as the music itself is often experimental and therefore another hurdle for the viewer to leap over. This is illustrated by the fact that Steve's latest film Curse of the Voodoo Child was well received at last years OIAF and I think that is part because of the familiarity of the song within pop culture. Juxtapose this with Chris Hinton's, Cnote, as it's energy and exuberance of image in relation to the jazz soundtrack is a two-fold barrier in front of the viewer. By this I DO NOT at all mean to imply Chris's work is subpar but I am just trying to give an access point in which people can see the mark as the MARK. For more, see the Pimp...Scratch here. I have digressed too much here. Go and see Steve Woloshen and his films at the Cinematheque and get synced to the experimental stylings of this cool independent animator.

Something in the Wine Part III

Well this is only my third glass and I am already besotted and waking up like the cheap date I am next to the French animation scene. I mentioned Overtime (Dirs. Oury Atlan, Thibaut Berland & Damien Ferrié 2004) before. Now, here it is for you to lament over. Nuff said.
Gimme another Sam!

Frames per Second flips for Phil Mulloy

Let's get caught up on some important things here! First, great stuff at FPS magazine for scoring an interview with Phil Mulloy (he had a retrospective of his work in Quebec and Montreal) and they have broadcasted it on the Podcast speakers for all the students to listen to!!! Also, there is nice video clips to boot. One of Phil's earlier films, Give Us This Day (1982), will be shown at the London Socialist Film Co-op (hey Michael) on April 9th. So if you find yourself wandering the streets of London...do go:) It is great to see another spotlight pointing at this escapee of cinema. Underground animators get so little attention but it looks like this year belongs to Phil as his films are being shown around the world with the recognition that they deserve.

A Big Snit

Lately, I have been feeling a growing numbness with animation. This is about the fourth time I am trying to write this post. I have been struggling to look for the high point words in the line of eeee's before me. It is like I am trying to make some sort of sound that audibly hurts when heard. But unfortunately, I keep on hitting the snooze button too many times.
This enigma when sawed in half is a search for Richard Condie. Despite the shaking of my eyes at the animation industry growing more irritating daily, I found some sort of happiness amongst this 'trademarked nuclear war(tm)' of commercial proportions. A calm in the bulging eyecandy fx storm, if you will, that has brought a zen like peace to my mind. Yesterday, we were having dinner at a friends house when someone asked 'what is Richard Condie up to?, then all of a sudden people started launching into their favorite part of the Big Snit and Getting Started. Here were young and old alike pantomiming the pantomimed hilarity of these classic short films. Seeing people laughing and reciting lines was like a rush of blood to the numbness of my phantom animation limb. The Big Snit was a huge influence on me and my spasmatic relationship with animation. Richard Condie gives that pins and needles sensation and reminds me of what animation is about. Humour, poignancy and human imperfections that makes the Big Snit memorable 20 friggin' years later! His career spans 30 years as an independent animator and his other films warrant merit also but it is because of the Big Snit that I am still biting at the t.v. cord! Where are you Richard Condie? Thank you for your films and those great off-screen sound effects. Now I will shut up and eat my Carrost:)

Bunnywax

Well, thanx to Fishbaitkate for unsticking me out of this lethargic goo. She sends in this link of John Casey. When all layers of the skin are pulled back to expose the hidden creatures underneath...there it is captured in Bunnywax for all to see. John's sculptures remind me of Scott Radke's puppets on the more manical side and his drawings have a feel of Renee French's work. His characters seem to emerge out of the natural material (eg. basswood) and then sealed into unnatural existence by the acrylic and paint on it. So, put the latex gloves on and sink your fingers into the knotted holes and pull out a clump of Bunnywax. Mmmmmm.

Sigur Rós imagination

Okay, I will admit that I have been stuck in some ennui left on the winterblahs floor. So I thought I would just sleep until summer comes and listen to Sigur Ros on permanent repeat. Fortunately, they have some dreamy looking videos to entertain as you are stuck in their fairie ring of eternal song. The latest that I have seen is a short film called Umb and it is set to their song Flugufrelsarinn. It was done by Liron Damir for his final graduate project at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. The look and feel of the video captures the ethereal and hypnotic sound and transports the viewer into a realm of melancholic reverie. It is akin to Marc Craste's video for Mum crossed with Philip Hunt's short film Ah Pook is here! Nice work, Liron!
Put the headphones on, put your feet up and get swallowed into the realm of Sigur Ros.
As for Fishbaitkate and Kiwi who just bought tix without me than void the above! Backstabbers:)

Chris Landreth in Toronto

Well, this is the 200th slice of the hydrocephalicbunny pie and what a better way to celebrate than to talk about Chris Landreth. The fantasmosite FPS (go daily and give them your money!) has posted that Oscar winner, Chris Landreth will be talking at the University of Toronto tomorrow (March 23). But don't fret if you can't go as there is going to be a live webcast here: http://epresence.kmdi.utoronto.ca/...Just follow the "Looking for a live webcast from KMDI?" and the scheduled panel discussion for Dissolving Boundaries with Chris and crew. I was fortunate enough to attend a masterclass with Chris Landreth before the glory of his Oscar title. It was a slice 'em and dice 'em look into the creation of RYAN. Chris talked about how he had to retrain the animators at Seneca college not to animate pose to pose but to take a more natural anatomical line of action. That is, he showed classic movie clips where the characters dialogue would not be analogous to their body language. He also talked about very technical aspects about modelling the face more according to facial muscle movement and the ways of rigging a character. So, if you can take the time to go and see him I highly recommend it! Here is a good interview with Chris via AnimationTrip. Here is to another 200 posts and getting that outta jail card early:) Oh and I wanted to mention that the Dissolving Boundaries talks include Gunther Von Hagen's Body Wold's exhibit, which I think is a great juxtapose to Chris's film.

Neko Case + Julie Morstad

Well, for the roadtrip up to Toronto last week I bought myself Neko Case's new album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. I have been a fan of hers since Furnace Room Lullaby and seeing her live at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. This new album was flat on listening to it for the first time but with each listen it has grown more and more on me like smooth finger-like branches on my back. Even though I miss the quirky sinister lyrics on this more straight-ahead kinda album there is no arguing that Neko can lay down the vocals that'll make you purr like a cat. The added bonus on this album is the cover art and some inside art by Vancouver artist, Julie Morstad. Upon reading her bio I found out that she also dabbles in animation and that I saw her short film, Chuckwill's Widow, at the Ottawa Student animation festival in 2003. Her illustration style is like Edward Gorey meets the Royal Art Lodge. Disturbing, odd and fun work all wrapped up in a nice delicate style. Julie has done work with Paul Morstad who is a cool independent animator in Montreal. I don't know their relation to one another but it is a nice link anyway!! So listen to the Fox Confessor and bring on the visual flood of Julie and Paul!
p.s. Neko is a sweet visual artist also.
UPDATE: Check out Paul Morstad's website that Leesa so obviously pointed out to me! D'OH!

Cartoon Saloonin'

Phew! I guess I am really losing my touch when I am finding out about Cartoon Saloon's, Book of Kells plog on other boards. Sorry, for not staying in touch Barry. Me mate, Barry Reynolds is the lead character designer on this film and a fine pewl player. I am so glad that these guys have gotten this project off the ground! Check out this studio and see one of the reasons why Irish animation is going to become a potent shot of potcheen that'll knock ya arse over noggin'. Gobsmacked design for the entire inbred family!!

Ann Arbor Film Festival

Well, I am back from the big-headed city of Toronto. Saw alot of cool stuff and spent way to much money...on parking!! Anyway, I just want to plug yer attention into the high voltage socket of the Ann Arbor Film Festival. They have updated their website with a short synopsis on each film and all the added events that are happening. I will highlight some of the films that will be showing there starting Monday. But for now, I must lie down again as the leprechauns are still step dancing on me cranial attic floor.

Sonia Bridge

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but I am preoccupied with everyday shananigans. Blarh!
Anyway, here is an oldie but goodie I had sitting in my folder...Sonia Bridge. Her 'Post Mark Lick' is a shortfilm that you want to write home about. It is kind of ironic that my 'new' computer died and I have had to go back to my old stand-by to keep the digital umbilical cord attached that I have been reconnected to some older films that I had bookmarked from years past. I can't remember if I saw this in an Royal College of Art demo reel or on it's own. Nevertheless, I was struck by it's saturated colours and collage effects that are all done the old fashioned way of celluloid manipulation (no CG here). Just the alchemical process of film and the projection of light that transforms this simple object into the greater sum of it's parts. A shout out to a fellow Canadian and just wondering what she is up to now?? On that note or I should say mark...I am going to Toronto to take in the newest Quay film, so, I will catch up with things on Friday.

R.I.P. Walerian Borowczyk

I realize this is a little late in posting but I just want to point attention to the passing of Walerian Borowczyk. I will admit that my encounters with Boro has only come in by way of reading about him and not from seeing his films. But, with that said, anyone that can claim to be the precursor/influence on the likes of Jan Lenica, Jan Svankmajer, Brothers Quay and Terry Gilliam is okay in my books. Here is the article/obit from the NYTimes. Look him up and dig at the mind of this surreal film maker. His films Renaissance (pic above) and the Theatre of Mister and Mrs Kabal are recognized as modern masterpieces of animation. Hopefully, with his passing there will be some exposure and more viewings of his films.

Runwrake

So now, we focus on one of the big winners of the British Animation Awards...Runwrake! He won Best ShortFilm and Best Film at the Cutting Edge. I don't know how I haven't mentioned him before but nevertheless here he is and his film RABBIT! Nice cut-out style animation that looks like old school book illustrations brought to life in his unique off-kiltered way. You can view a snippet of this short on his site or view images on the ANIMATE! site, the great purveyeurs and supporters of u.k. animation. Also, there is a limited free download from Lovefilm, although I couldn't get it to work (maybe only available to the U.K.?) If you can get it there is some great stuff on there including Fallen Art by Tomek Baginski. So, through the Animate! site there is a nice link to an interview with Runwrake and Osbert Parker (Film Noir) on Ideasfactory. Check out Runwrake's short film, videos and illustrations too. Congrats!

British Animation Awards

Well this years winners of the British Animation Awards are in
and the top honour for Best Feature goes to Corpse Bride!!
The luster of the bow-tied Oscar quickly faded for Aardman's Tale of the Werebunny. Other winners include:
Best short film: Rabbit, Runwrake
Most cutting edge film: Rabbit, Runwrake
Best comedy: Bromwell High

Best TV special: Angry Kid, Aardman
Favourite music video: Gorillaz

Best Student Film: Astronauts, Matthew Walker

People's Choice (tied): City Paradise, Gaelle Denis and Who I Am And What I Want, David Shrigley & Chris Shepherd.

This is not the full list but I am sure that will be posted up on the B.A.A. website shortly.

Jonas Odell

"Aldrig som första gången!", pardon my Swedish! No it isn't an obsenity it is the new award winning short by Jonas Odell. "Never Like the First Time!" won the Golden Bear at this years Berlin International Film Festival. Jonas is co-founder and director for Filmtechnarna which has been the 'IT' studio for eye-popping music videos. His video for Franz Ferdinand really catapulted Jonas onto the world stage and I was worried that the production of his own films would be put to the wayside. So, it is good to see him still doing his thing. You can view all of his short films on the Filmtechnarna site but the one that turns my head inside-out and back again is Revolver. Soundlooped non-narrative glitch that'll give yer head a twitch. Jonas has found his niche in Futurism inspired collage but eye candy aside it is his synthesis of various artistic styles loaded in the needle of this new digital age that is the real shot in the arm contribution that he is making. You can see all of his videos here via Videoville. Now you are in the loop with one of the coolest directors and studios working today.

Chester Brown

Stop the genetically modified press!! Hitch a ride on the nearest tornado to get yourself to Oz as the great wizard of comix is going to pull back the curtain to reveal the secrets of his craft. That's right, Chester Brown is the writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library and from April 3-June 23 you can send in your manuscript or meet with the man himself to learn the how-to's of creating comix. Here are the guidelines. Limited space is available so send those masterpieces of flaming skulls and warrior munchkins in for a front row seat for this rare oppurtunity to meet with the giant floating head of Chester Brown! Actually, he is a nice guy with a quiet demeanor. If you don't own any of Chester's books there is hope as the Emerald City of the Beguiling has the ruby red slippers for you. I recommend Louis Riel for quick access but for the devotee, pick up D+Q's reissueing of Ed the Happy Clown!
p.s. put your vote in for the Shuster awards (don't worry there is no Harper connection to this one)

Animation portfolio mishaps

I found this hilarious post on Chris Butcher's site, Comics212, and thought I would share with the rest of the class. Jim Zubkavich is a college prof. at a school in the Toronto area and is amidst the 'Clockwork Orange' torture of reviewing portfolio submissions. Take out the eyedrops and read the 'what not to submit' list that Jim has posted on his Livejournal. It is painful and side-splitting at the same time. 'I am a creative explosion waiting to happen'!!
Damn throw in some unicorns with guns and sign me up.

Nicolas Salis

Today, we explore the inner ticking of Nicolas Salis(fr). When I saw his film La Derniere Minute (The Last Minute) I was taken aback by the cinematic feel of it. The synopsis of the story is about a time altering heist set about by a pair of twins that appear to be in different time frames (past and future). Set in a parallel steampunk world, the ticking of the iconic clock in the middle of the city pulses the punctuality of life. The twins plot to put the proverbial wrench in the cogworks of this omnipresent controller. You can see a clip of it on his site if you go to films section or better yet you can go to Foret Bleue (fx studio) and see a longer clip to get a feel of this 15 minute short.
The Last Minute has a nice CG look and immersive atmospheric quality to it but I think I like the look to his previous film R. Mertonensis which is a live action/digital fx world. This and his other film 'Allegro', is something akin in feel to Jeunet's 'City of Lost Children'. Time is ticking away so run the rat race around the maze to find this fine french cheese waiting for you at the end.

Congrats to John Canemaker and Aardman

Congratulations to John Canemaker for winning the Academy Award last night for his short film, The Moon and the Son!! I had the pleasure of seeing this film and meeting him last year at the OIAF. A poignant film and a nice guy that gets the nod for top honours. Not only does it shut out the CG films but adds another feather to the cap of animation documentaries that have become a powerful and innovative genre for this medium. Also, a round of Wensleydale for everyone at Aardman for winning the best feature film category. Nick Park and Steve Box pulled this Werebunny out of the hat for a mind tranfering full length version of my favorite duo of crackin' adventure. Side note: Shaun the sheep will be getting his own telee series.

Bread and Puppet

This one is for Fishbait Kate. Happy Birthday!! Bread and Puppet theater. Subvert the ordinary and create dissent! Here is an idea here. Yeah! yummy bread to go with the Ethopian fud!

Renee French

Bu-bunnies bunnies bunnies bunnies b-u-n-n-i-e-s!!! Okay, I got that out of my system. Welcome to the shaded world of Renee French. I am very much looking forward to getting Renee's new graphic novel, The Ticking, published by Top Shelf. Since, I haven't read it yet, I point out this review of it. I love the grey tone of her artistic style but also the grey areas that lie in between beauty, the grotesque and malformed. I first got introduced to her work when I picked up her Marbles in my Underpants for my girlfriend. I got hooked along with her. We, unfortunately, gave our copy of Marbles away to a friend and haven't been able to find another copy since. So, if anyone out there would like to sell (although I can't see why) their copy or if they have an extra they wish to part with drop me a line. Also, you can read her on-line strip Micrographica on Serializer. So keep that one creepy eye open for any of her g-novels and/or order the Ticking from your local dispenser of sequential goodness! bunnies!

Guilherme Marcondes

This is in case you missed this short film, Into Pieces, last year when it was floating around the net by Guilherme Marcondes. Guilherme has a nice site that you can view all of his personal and commercial works. He was a director and animator at Lobo films and is currently freelancing. He is currently working on a film based on William Blake's 'The Tyger'. Brazilian animation and graphic design is on boil and making steam that is spinning the globe around.

Papy 3D Productions

I am foaming at the mouth (and it isn't because of the 'medication') to tell you about this new production house...Papy 3D Productions. It is made up by the superteam of indie animators Richard and Sarah Van den Boom, Franck Dion, Gilles Cuvelier, Suki and Jean-Michel Collet. We lit up the work of Sarah and Franck on the Big-headed Carnival sign...here and here. Suki has a very nice site showing his circus act @ Sukiland. As for Gilles Cuvelier, I have been wanting to review his shorfilm Chahut (Uproar). It is a short film that doesn't push any boundaries but is simply a beautiful 2D piece offered up with urgency, anticipation, 'empty spaces' and the (sur)real carnival that is life. Take a peek through the hole in the fence.
So, this production company is a promising venture that puts the director in the creative role as producer and animator. Their up-coming productions look interesting and I for one can't wait to see them!
(via Fous d'anim) which is an animation collective where apparently they all met through.

Max Hattler

Well since we are on the experimental animation stuff, let's turn the flickering lamp on Max Hattler. This guy is making the rounds these days with his short film Nachtmaschine and his R.C.A. grad film that has been grabbing attention, Collision. You can download Max's films from his site. I also found this nice link while looking up his stuff from the Dotmov festival 2005. Here you can see not only Collision but some more cool experimental stuff that will get the brain fluid brewin'. I haven't had a chance to view them all but I do like Fu Pok Yan's, Echopraxia and Machine Molle's, Electronic Performers (which we attached the electrodes to here). If you follow the threads you can find all sorts of good stuff attached to Max. He worked on Free Jimmy which Amid @ Cartoon Brew writes a good review of here.
Imaginatio does a nice job of summerizing his work:

"As a filmmaker, Max is interested in the space between abstraction and figuration, where storytelling is freed from the constraints of traditional narrative. His work contemplates atmospheres, moments, microcosms : Close-ups as reflections on the big picture. While his films tend to be without dialogue, they seek to explore the relationship between sound, music and image."

Now I must go and you should go on a head on _______ with Max Hattler's work!

Crash and Burn

I am just recovering from the aftermath of MEDIA CITY 12! What a great festival it was and congrats to all the people involved. A special acclamation of devote insanity goes to Oona Mosna for putting this heavy, cerebral, challenging, thought provoking and visual orgy of a lap dance in the backyard of this backwater town! Although she won't see this as she has better taste than to read this schlock! Unfortunately, my computer went belly up on friday night and I have to get it up and running when I stop feeling like shit. Anyway, the winners are--
Third Place: Bouquet 28-30 (Rose Lowder, France)
Second Place: Close Quarters (Jim Jennings, USA)
First Place: Nethergate (Bruce 'the smuggler' McClure, USA)
So there ya have it. Now that you've seen the real deal you can go to Images Festival in Toronto. Actually, they are showing the Brothers Quay, Piano Tuner of Earthquakes on March 15th! Go and see!!!

Naoyuki Tsuji

I first saw the work of Naoyuki Tsuji a couple of years ago at Media City 10. The work was called a Feather Stare at the Dark and was a beautiful creation myth of the world. Tsuji uses the charcoal animation technique to depict the surreal transformations of people and objects as the drawings smudge the paper leaving a motion trail behind. This same technique is used in Naoyuki's newest film Trilogy about Clouds. Beautiful faces of women appear in the clouds as they form and cascade across the screen. In this three part vignette clouds are malevolent in nature as they consume the children of cities and towns or benevolent as it brings life with the creation of water. Naoyuki's style is unlike the typical anime style that one associates with Japan. Rather he employs animation as an extension of his artistic vision and lets his imagination flow intuitively with the 'straight forward' animation. The lasting impression is as effective as the faint marks of charcoal left on the page. You can find his film Feather Stare at the Dark on the Thinking and Drawing: Japanese Art Animation of the New Millenium.(via Anipages)

Peter Tscherkassky

Media City opened with a BANG! Literally. Peter Tscherkassky's, Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine (2005) slices up the optical sensory function and illuminates it like some celluloid m.r.i. machine displaying scenes of a cinematic autopsy. This film grabs you immediately with an over-exposed shot of a window opening up to reveal an old man with a telescope who scans the disparate landscape like a search light in the dark. Stark images of gunfighters emerge as we the viewer,the voyeur, are a witness (or abettor?) to the violent acts that unravel before us. Tscherkassky uses Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as the source material as he meticulously adds layer upon layer of other footage onto it. Ingeniously, the layers distill the film down into it's primal form of violence and exposes the very nature of cinema itself. The layers shift--sprocket holes spasm at the side and text appears and disappears making the film medium always present to the viewer. The sound (which is awesome!) drives the images and the viewers to be a participant in the downward spiral of the hero. It is ultimately the Medium itself that is creator and destroyer of as we the witness stand along side with knife in hand. "Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine is an attempt to transform a Roman Western into a Greek tragedy." Tscherkassky explains. Enough of my crap...I found a better review here...(via cinema. Et Cetera).
Peter Tscherkassky is a founding member of Sixpack Films, which is a promoter and distributor of Austrian films. One of those film makers that we are familiar with over here is Virgil Widrich. Watch his short films Copy Shop and Fast Film which made a big splash on the festival circuit. Other film makers of note are Arash T. Riahi whose film Mississippi has won some festival awards, Barbara Doser whose film Even Odd Even screened at last years OIAF and Tina Frank's Chronomops which you can see at Media City this Friday (International Program 4). Twitch.

Media City 12

Just a quick post today about the start of MEDIA CITY 12: international festival of experimental film and video art. It kicked off yesterday with a performance by Yasanao Tone and continues until Sunday. The International competition 1 & 2 was tonight with an after-party event with the most excellent Frank Pahl. Check out the full schedule here. If you find yourself in the Windsor-Detroit area, I encourage you to come out to the screenings and the events to see why this lil' festival is so highly respected internationally as one of the foremost festivals of its kind!! I will start posting about the films and their creators tomorrow.

Dylan Horrocks

Here is a newest craze from down under...Dylan Horrocks! Well, actually he isn't new, he is an old hand on the small press comix scene. I remember picking up his comic Pickle about 10 years ago when I was still treading in the indie ocean. Now I am enjoying his new series Atlas that he doing for that recent nominee for the Shuster award for best Canadian publisher, Drawn and Quarterly! Also, the Comics Reporter has just posted an audio interview with Dylan that you can listen to here. The art and story of Atlas sees Dylan's experience really come into his own. Beautiful artwork is the first thing you notice but behind that foreground lies a mature story with nice atmospheric shots and good pacing. My only complaint is that I would like to see more per issue. Although, the secondary story, Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen, is good and really shows off his artistic talent. It is great to see Dylan's personal projects again after his time at DC.

Sunday Inspiration: Nam June Paik

Well, this weeks installment is in remembrance of the 'Father of Video Art'...Nam June Paik (1932-2006). Here is a short bio of his artistic career from his Guggenheim retrospective back in 2000. Paik is a progenitor of new media and was a constant figure in the world of avant-gard music. Art and technology was a permeable surface in which he blurred and mixed into a new hybrid medium. He explored this new found form to question our accepted notions of television and it's influence on this 'information superhighway' of pop culture.
I meant Geoffrey Hendricks on Saturday (who has an exhibition at the AGW). He is a fellow Fluxus artist and a nice guy who put up with my naivete. He remarked on just how much of an impact that Paik has had on video artists from Bill Viola to the recent grad coming out of school. Nam June Paik was doing that stuff 30 years ago!! Obviously, there are most of us that are atoms that need the stimulous of other atoms to move and get inspired but then there are people like Nam June Paik that out of sheer will power agitate and vibrate on there own...and in his case, point the videocam and press record.

Carlitopolis by Luis Nieto

Today's post is the funniest short I have seen in awhile!! Carlitopolis by Luis Nieto is an unassuming little short when it starts out with a banal presentation but quickly turns into a hilarious f/x experiment on poor Carlito.
In the end you'll be skritchin' that big bean of yers asking what was real and what wasn't. The best thing is, you can see it HERE in it's entirety as it is his grad film at ENSAD. Also, Luis has the best website! Check this out and laugh out loud all weekend long. It isn't everyday that we here get to fill our mandate of experimentation on small mammals.

Johnnie Walker-Painting

I know this is old news but it was a Johnnie Walker kind of day today. Take a looksy at this nice ad, 'Painting' , created by Aardman. First, have another shot and then plunge into the paintings of Delacroix, Hokusai, Seurat, Miro and Magritte. There is a beautiful mix of styles that segway into each painting as our strong-kneed hero makes his way through each work of art to arrive at the door of 'blissful' inebriation. I always wondered where that door in Magritte's paintings went to. View responsibly.
(via 'boards)

Shary Boyle

I love Shary Bolye...'s work! From her sexually charged drawings in Kramer's Ergot to her porcelain sculptures that have made the shortlist for the esteemed Sobey Award. Her work encompasses themes of innocence lost, gender and sexual empowerment. Shary also does live drawing performances as you can see a sample of on her site. Lately, I see she is part of the Drawing Restraint exhibit at SAW gallery openning at the end of the month.
Seek out her book Witness My Shame (Conundrum Press) and take note of this talented artist on the rise in both the comic scene and the art world.

Yasunao Tone

On this day of punctured wallets by the arrow of Cupid Inc., I pull out a heart that beats to a different rhythm...Yasunao Tone. This pioneer of avant-garde music based performance will be the grand opener of MEDIACITY 12 next Tuesday, Feb. 21st at the Detroit Film Theater. He will be performing PARAMEDIA CENTRIPETAL, which is sound that is driven from the movement of Chinese calligraphy. Yasunao's career spans decades and has performed all over the world many times over. He is still at the cutting edge of sound manipulation and challenges the status quo with distortion, digital feedback and sonic corruption. His most recent release is Palimpsest , a collaboration with Florian Hecker. So, instead of consumer love, try manufacturing dissent to the disruptive sounds of Yasunao Tone. GO SEE HIM LIVE and in the flesh and check out the rest of Mediacity's scheduled events HERE!!

Michel Ocelot

Well here is another feature that we put under the microscope to view the cultural growth on the other side of the petri dish, i.e. France. Michel Ocelot's new feature film Azur and Asmar which is close on the heels of his last feature Kirikou And The Wild Beasts. It is a nice segway from Lotte Reininger to Michel Ocelot as his Princes and Princesses (2000) is a beautiful ode to Lotte's silhouette technique of Prince Achmed (1926). Ocelot is another director that is defining and refining his skill and visual language that we rarely get to see over here. Original stories combined with a dynamic graphic style that holds it's own against the onslaught of Hollywood films. Sadly, this distinctive voice falls on distributions deaf ears. Although, Azur and Asmar is set in medieval times it's cultural relevance could not have come at more of an apt time. Ocelot is a major player in today's animation arena and hopefully we will be able to see more of his stuff on this side of the bacterial pond.

Lotte Reininger

I have been meaning to put this up for the last week...Art on Paper has a nice article on Lotte Reininger. It just goes to show how her designs transcends the passage of time to be just as contemporary in feel as they were back then. Go here for a short bio of her career.

Dan Clowes

Roight then! Here is another underground comic making it to the big screen, Dan Clowes's, Art School Confidential. The second movie of Clowes that is again directed by Terry Zwigoff, who did Ghost World. This movie is based on a 4 page comic Dan did in his infamous EIGHTBALL comic. If you have never read any of his stuff then you are missing out on one of comix royal ambassadors. Ice Haven is his latest graphic novel that shows Dan has still got the touch of pushing the medium within the confines of it's cartoony past. So, go watch the trailer but more importantly pick up one of his comics! Clowes, Seth, Chris Ware and Charles Burnes and many others should be tattooed onto the long arm for all to see.

A quick hit from the Fabulous Dave Borthwick

Well here is a peek at the upcoming film adaptation of Gilbert Shelton's Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers!!! That's right, it is a stop-motion body buzz from the master of pixillation, Bolex brother...Dave Borthwick. You should know the Bolex Brothers cult film The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb and the even better Saint Inspector short film. Here is a synopsis of the film's storyline from the boys at AICN! Hopefully, this film will leave you with the munchies and effectively erase the memory of the other film Dave is doing this year. Also, word has it that Shelton is involved directly with the film. For a good overview of the FFFB check out the Wiki. Smokin'!

Sylvain Chomet

The winter blahs have set in and my sleep pattern is stuck in hibernation mode. So hopefully this makes up for the lack of posts this week. I found this excellent commercial of Today (a commercial for Winterthur insurance), via 'boards, done by none other than the King of caricature...Sylvain Chomet!!! He is the director of the multi-award winning film Triplets of Belleville. His upcoming film is the Illusionist and is based on a script from the late great Jaques Tati. It is another 'wordless' film that is set in Scotland and is about an aging magician (which will be an animated version of Tati) who cannot break the mystique of his craft to a befriended little girl. Here is some screenshots from Atomic Bear Press.
Wouldn't this have been a great thing to attend!!!! Aargh!! If anyone has any more info on what Chomet is up to these days...press the electric zapper on the HB hotline to start the salivation.

Jesse LaDoux

Here is a change of pace...I was hanging out the local book store and came across the work of Jesse LeDoux in the latest Beautiful/Decay magazine. I just like his fun expressive characters and his use of text in his designs for such bands as the Shins, Blonde Redhead and Pedro the Lion. Here is an interview with him. Too bad there isn't more of his own personal work on the site. Nevertheless, a drive to Ledouxville is a nice treat on this midweek slide.

Joji Koyama a.k.a. Woof Wan-Bau

The MESH scheme that is funded by Channel 4 in the U.K. has promoted so many up and coming animators. We already exposed the comix inspired short, Invasion by Matt Abbiss...now enter the world of Joji Koyama (a.k.a. Woof Wan-Bau). You can watch his Watermelon Love in the Year 4 section of the Mesh site. This short won the British Animation Award for best video in 2004 and has catapulted him to be one of the 'fly' boys in music videos today. Subsequently, he has done the video for Duke the Spirit's, Cuts across the Land. Also, Ikara Colt's 'Wanna be that Way' and my favorite, 'My Angel Rocks Back and Forth' for Four Tet can be seen here. He uses felt to bring his newest one alive for Cold Cut's 'Whistle and a Prayer' which is being shown at Resfest. Like Shynola, Joji is not afraid to try out various techniques and infuses each one with a look and feel all his own. I also noticed that he is being commissioned from the ANIMATE! scheme on a short called 'From Nose to Mouth'...can't wait to see it.

Sunday Inspiration: Jennifer Angus

Finally, another installment of Sunday Inspiration...which has been on hiatus the last couple of weeks while I recharged the stained glass spotlight for this moving sermon. A kaleidoscope of intricate pattern quickly turns into a surreal version of Darwin's, Origin of Species, in JENNIFER ANGUS's work. A TERRIBLE BEAUTY is her current travelling exhibit that is now showing at the Textile Museum in Toronto. When I first saw her work at Artcite, I was taken in by the delicate and complex wallpaper patterning that totally consumed the gallery walls. But as I entered into the space I found myself in some Victorian collection with literally thousands of exotic insects pinned to the walls awaiting scientific classification. The impact is truly amazing as you marvel like some early entomologist discovering unseen species from the New World. This work reminds me of Paul Bush's, When Darwin Sleeps, in which he uses stop-frame animation to brings insects to life. In Jennifer's work, with the insects displayed in various positions, one can image the complex patterns coming alive as you blink rapidly like in some thaumatropic seizure to create the illusion of movement. The antenae twitch and the tranluscent wings flutter as you are taken through the looking glass into a world of forgotten wonder and undiscovered lands.
One has to look beyond the conventionalities of their field to incorporate themes and ideas into their work. I see too many students today copying gags and stories of cartoons past instead of building upon them. It is hard when the industry wants cookie cutter artists that can mimic other peoples styles. But the seeds of creativity germinates in the ability to learn and sythesize ideas into your own distintive style. I know it sounds like alot of bullshit but fuckity fuck fuck you gotta stick your head outside sometime because art can't be made in a test tube. Although I am sure there is some corporation working on it!! Inspiration in one easy to swallow pill:)

SHINICHIRO WATANABE

This is rare that I post about anime (probably the first time) but it is even more rare for an acclaimed japanese director to be dodging bullets in my neck of the woods. SHINICHIRO WATANABE will be at the Detroit Film Theater on Febuary 8th to talk about his career and the anime scene today! He is the acclaimed director of the Cowboy Beebop series, the Animatrix and most recently Samurai Champloo. Go as the fires are put out and the puke cleaned up after the Superbowl leaves town and resume life like you just woke up from a terrible dream. I am sure it will be worth the 'cavity' search at customs:)

Chansoo Kim

I was really impressed by the student films that I saw on the festival circuit last year. One such film is Vaudeville, by Chansoo Kim. He is just finishing up his MFA at the Univervity of Southern California. When I watched this film I immediate thought of Igor Kovalyov's Milch that I had just seen. With the similarity of the look of the films being one of glowing edged haziness at times coupled with its veiled symbolism. Vaudeville is a visual meditation on cultural displacement and finding one's state of being against the backdrop of early Americana. This dystopia is represented by the slap stick gags of the Vaudeville era that is the racism (slamming of the door in guy's face) and loss that the wandering Korean couple endure. He uses the visual gags to sharply punctuate and contrast the immigrants' state of flux hovering above the cultural divide as the young child swings between the two worlds. At least that is my take on this film. Also, at the end in the credits, Igor Kovalyov was Chansoo's advisor! And although it lacks deeper emotional impact that Igor's film it is a step in the right direction. And who knows that could just be cultural difference itself. You can read and see a short clip of Chansoo's other festival favorite Woman in the Attic via AWN. Now, hopefully Chansoo can solidify his independence and work on the fringe of animation industry instead of being swallowed by the monster.

Paul Pope

Well here is a quick mention about the 'Jim Morrison of comics'...Paul Pope! He is about to go mainstream with Batman: Year 100. Also, there is going to be a book of his artwork published in June of this year called Pulphope: the Art of Paul Pope. His brushwork is controlled serpentine agitation that bites the page with liquid venom. I have admired his work ever since I picked up Escapo years ago and was drawn into his work 100%! Take a look at another independent that is leading the leviathan of mainstream into fresh water. It's the drug of the future.

Sundance festival

Wow am I behind! The bad news is the Sundance Film Festival wrapped up this weekend but the good news is that you can watch alot of the short films on-line!! There are 8 of the animated films to be viewed as FPS so conveniently hightlights for us. I recommend Fables by Dan Sousa, which I let run around the bigbunny maze here and Clara by Van Sowerwine who's Play with Me was a creepy treat for us last year! Also, there is cool lo-fi films such as Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot by David Chai to the slick CG of Jeff Fowler's Gopher Broke. So even though Sundance isn't very high on the animation festival circuit, you can see that it is trying to establish a small niche of diverse films. Best of all, they are now bringing the festival to us with this on-line GO LIVE venue that is a front row seat to the independent film scene!!

Kevin Huizenga

I know that comix has taken a backseat to animation as of late but in my defense the local stores here only carry the 'capes and tights' kind and the indie stuff is relegated to 'weirdos and fags' (a direct quote). I recently broke down and ordered some stuff from a new comic shop in town (as my getting up to the Beguiling isn't going to happen any time soon) and they got in Ivan Brunetti's Schizo #4 for me. Top notch stuff! Even the people there were impressed with it and admitted they had never seen a comic that size before! They have never heard of Chris Ware!! Anyway, I digress and the reason for this post is to point your attention and wallet to Kevin Huizenga's ,Ganges #1. It is part of the the 'Ignatz' series from Fantagraphics and Coconino Press as was highlighted here months ago. Just go and read the sample story, Time Travelling, and you'll understand why Kevin is one of the artists chosen for this international showcase. Kevin's clean linear style compliments his thoughtful 'slice of life' stories that are shaped by his clear understanding of the comic medium. Go, buy, read and reread this rising star on the 'weirdo and fag' scene of alt comic culture. Hulk SMASH!...go play with your 'action figure'!
If you find yourself in T.O. on Feb. 22/06 you can meet Kevin along with Anders Nilsen and Sammy Harkham!

Jan-Peter Meier

Jan-Peter Meier's short student film Ego Sum:Alpha Omega (which was highlighted here awhile ago) now can be seen on-line! A nice b+w graphic style that sets man's 'progress' into motion. You can also see pics of his most recent films, Jacques et Monsieur Noir and Kung Furry. Also be sure to check out the comics and illustration section. Unfortunately, I have to go and run the gambit of production line boredom which will no doubt be my beginning and END! ..."that was sooo German!"...I loved hearing that line!

Aron Gauder's EGILL

Here is a great find of Erik Novak and Aron Gauder's forthcoming film, EGILL! It is the based on the life of the 10th c. poet from Iceland. You can read the synopsis of the film and view some initial animation tests on the site. Aaron's previous feature film is Nyocker (The District) and was the winner of many festival awards last year including the two biggies, Annecy and Ottawa. I know alot of people voiced their disdain for this movie when I was at the OIAF last year but I rather liked the stylized graffiti-esque animation of this gypsy punk story. My Hungarian heritage definately makes me partisan to it though. It is nice to see Hungarian animation continue around a new generation of animators in a young free market economy.
(via the site formidable, Fous D'Anime!)

Suzie Templeton

Blue Monday! What a shitty day...both the fate of job and government was awash in blue today. It is a day I just should of thrown the blankets over me and slept until the next day. I can feel the onset of xenophobia coming on as I live my life only through this digital umbilical cord. Speaking of xenophobia...Suzie Templeton's DOG surmises that soon-to-be existence. She is one of my favorite animators! When I first saw Dog a few years back it was the first time that I felt the need to write the animator to tell her how much I liked this film. Her films capture frail complex emotions that teeter on the edge of darkness but don't let you fall in. You can view her other student short film Stanley @ Atomfilms. Recently, she has worked (or working?) with Channel 4 and Breakthru films to produce a 'darkly comic' version of Prokofiev’s story, Peter and the Wolf. I do know that she was the set builder for Katerina Athanasopoulou's short film, Sweet Salt. This was produced by the ANIMATE! scheme which is another organization in Britain that fosters the independent and experimental voice of animation. Very cool stuff for someone who is staying in for the rest of his life:)