Fresh from the Festivals: March 2003's Film Reviews
Jon Hofferman reviews five short films fresh from the festival circuit: The Affectionate Punch by Thor Adam Goodall, Les Chasseurs de Poissons (The Fish Hunters) by Rosana Liera, The Dark Side of the Morning by Erik Rosenlund, Dog by Suzie Templeton, and From the 104th Floor by Serguei Bassine. Includes QuickTime movie clips!
Still Learning After All These Years
Darlene Chan interviews nine leading voice actors and finds out what surprised them most after making it in the business.
Oscar Nom Leads to Success for Brown Bag
An Oscar nomination has indeed transferred into real business for Ireland's Darragh O'Connell and Cathal Gaffney of Brown Bag Films. Give Up Yer Aul Sins came out of nowhere it seemed to capture the Academy's heart last yearby this year it has transformed itself into a phenomena. Article includes QuickTime movie clips.
The Two Towers: Built on Weta's Precious Mettle
Building on their earlier achievements, the creature and visual effects teams of Weta, Ltd. are bringing to life The Lord of the Rings trilogy with work that is blowing the industry away and garnering awards at every turn. Greg Singer reports.
The Animation Pimp: Elbows and Cakeholes
The Animation Pimp discusses the Academy's choices for Best Animated Short Film and suggests that some changes are made to their nominating process.
Career Coach: Business Plans Are A Valuable Career Tool
Oliver Wade reviews the book Animating Real-Time Game Characters by Paul Steed and gives the potential buyer some good advice on whether or not to make the purchase.
Animating For Games…Naughty Dog Style
While completing animation for gaming is similar in many ways to other forms of animation, there are some very particular concernslike console memory and interactivity that need to be kept always in mind. Bob Rafei of Naughty Dog explains. Includes QuickTime movie clips!
Figuring Out the Recruiting Game for Gaming
Darlene Chan talks with four gaming recruiters and learns which artists and skill sets have the easiest time crossing over from more traditional forms of animation production to gaming.
The Future Of NATPE: Stalwarts Are Concerned, Yet Committed
This year's NATPE, held in New Orleans, was down in attendance and exhibitors. Many distributors who did come, opted to hold court in hotel suites instead of mingling with the crowds on the floor. Photo credit: Heather Parlato.
Animated Propaganda During the Cold War: Part One
Karl F. Cohen investigates the CIA funding of animated propaganda during the Cold War, namely, in Part I of this two part series, the production of Halas and Batchelors Animal Farm.
The Great Footage Fallacy
Gene Deitch believes that measuring animation in footage does not help the creative process or make much sense in these global times, therefore, he proposes to make time the global unit of animation production.
The Animation Pimp: Why is it NOT DONE?
Animation festivals have sunk to a boring level of similarity, staid programming and a repetitious circle of participants. The Animation Pimp challenges a shake up.
The Kids Are All Right
How did kids survive prior to the introduction of educators into children's programming? Martin Dr. Toon Goodman takes a look at the impact of their presence.
Book Review: Animating Real-Time Game Characters
Oliver Wade reviews the book Animating Real-Time Game Characters by Paul Steed and gives the potential buyer some good advice on whether or not to make the purchase.
Career Coach: Revolution, Not Resolution
Do your new year's resolutions fall flat year after year? This year, why not try a life revolution, instead of just a tiny, little, puny resolution The Career Coach explains how.
Toon Boom Studio V2: Going with the Flow
Toon Boom Studio V2 is an affordable 2D animation software that takes animators on a smooth ride to create projects for the Web, video, wireless and more.
Don't Call Before Noon (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Time Off!)
How do you cope with getting laid off? How do you come to accept the fact that a paycheck isn't coming in every week? Sari Gennis has experienced it and is here to tell you the stages and how to get through them.
Representation 24/7
Demo reels and portfolios are still a good way to promote your career, but a Website is becoming even more crucial. Zahra Dowlatabadi explains why Websites are so important and how you can get started on yours today!
Notes from the Underground Part Five — Escaping Muybridge's Curse (Can We?)
Jean Detheux continues his series on the nature of art and draws us to understand that perhaps mimicking reality isn't a true representation of the world.
Tell the Story! An Interview with John Kricfalusi
Martin Dr. Toon Goodman interviews John K about the new episodes of Ren and Stimpy, down shots, students, his influences and more.
Pitching and Networking at the BIG Shows
Many creator/producers and independent studios have found that recently a new path needs to be taken to get a show made. Instead of just looking at the domestic market, the international marketplace needs to be pursued in order to open up an entire new realm of possibilities.
Ottawa International Animation Festival 2002: Picture Book
Joan Kim captures the flavor of the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2002 in pictures and quotes.