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—————— In This Issue ——————
NEWS:
1. Ottawa Animation Festival Announces Competition Selection
2. Call for Entries: AIS' Animation Video Fest
3. Call for Entries: Cooltoons Lab Contest
4. New Book: Facial Expressions - A Visual Reference for Artists and Animators
5. Avoid Eye Contact Volume 2
6. Vinton Studio Folds into Laika Entertainment
EVENTS:
7. The Castle of Cagliostro [Seattle, WA]
8. ASIFA-NW Presents the ASIFA-East Animation Festival [Portland, OR]
9. Gumby Superstar! [Seattle, WA]
CLASSES/WORKSHOPS:
10. Animated Adventures Summer Workshops [Seattle, WA]
“Clay Animation,” “Manga Movie Mania,” “Cartoon Crafts: Art that Moves”
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NEWS
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1. Ottawa Animation Festival Announces Competition Selection
September 21-25, 2005
At least two Northwest filmmakers will be represented in the comptition
films at the Ottawa Animation Festival:
"Dew Line" by Joanna Priestley (Priestley Motion Pictures)
"Moongirl" by Henry Selick (Vinton Studios)
The festival includes retrospective programs such as Pee-Wee's Playhouse
animation, Slovak Animation, the Pink Panther, Paul Bush and Gianluigi
Toccafando. This is the first year that the main festival is becoming
annual. The former Student Animation Festival of Ottawa has been rolled
into this now annual program.
2. Call for Entries: AIS' Animation Video Fest
Deadline: September 16, 2005
For high school and college students, and Art Institute of Seattle alumni
No entry fee
Entry Form: www.ais.edu/pdf/AnimVideo_Fest.pdf
It's wild. It's wacky. It's fun. It's Premiere 2005 Animation & Video
Festival, and it's your chance to show off your best work. Show off your
talent and passion for animation and video by submitting your best
original work.
All entries will be judged and selected works will be presented to the public
in October at the festival. High school students also have an opportunity to
win tuition scholarships of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,000.
Sponsored by The Art Institute of Seattle
Information: 206-448-0900 or 1-800-275-2471
www.ais.edu
3. Call for Entries: Cooltoons Lab Contest
Deadline: November 30, 2005
Klasky Csupo is conducting its Cooltoons Lab, looking for scripts and/or
storyboards with dialogue to animate a seven-minute pilot episode of an
original show. Should your project be chosen, the studio will produce
and record it. You will be credited as a creator, with the possibility of
being engaged on a potential series based on the pilot.
Information, entry form and animation storyboard:
www.cooltoons.com/lab
[Editors note: The informaton was not available on this site as of August 1, 2005]
4. New Book: Facial Expressions - A Visual Reference for Artists and Animators
ASIFA-East member Mark Simon, owner of A&S Animation, Inc. and Animatics
& Storyboards, Inc. recently had his third book published. The book,
Facial Expressions, is a photo reference guide for artists of all disciplines.
Photographing over 50 male and female models, Simon had them each hold a
range of facial expressions. The models range from 20 to 83 years of age
and cover most races. "No other book has ever offered artists this variety
of human reference," states Simon. "Most books use just one or two young,
fit, white models. I photographed all ages, races and sizes." Simon produced
the book out of his own needs. "I was building a reference library for myself
of different faces to draw when I realized that I was not the only artist
to need this type of reference." Facial Expressions is available at
bookstores and online and is published by Watson Guptill.
5. Avoid Eye Contact Volume 2
Those crazy, creative animators in New York have come up with another
DVD compilation for us to enjoy. "Avoid Eye Contact Volume 2, the best of
NYC Independent Animation" is available now from Square Footage Films. The
official release of the DVD happened at the Annecy Animation Festival,
France, June 6, 2005. Audiences were treated to a theatrical program of
animation, all in their native film format. Animators Bill Plympton,
Patrick Smith, Fran Krause, PES, and John Dilworth held several DVD signing
sessions during the festival. Young animators join seasoned masters in a show that
is sure to become another important part of the animation enthusiast's
library. All films are international award-winners, each with a distinct look,
united only by genre and the gritty soul of New York City.
www.avoideyecontact.com
6. Vinton Studio Folds into Laika Entertainment
Businessman and entrepreneur Phil Knight has announced a new entertainment
and media venture called LAIKA. Animation studio Vinton Studios, which
Knight acquired in September 2003, is being absorbed into the new entity
with entertainment and feature film activities to be conducted under the
LAIKA Entertainment banner. The advertising division of Vinton Studios,
a major producer of animated commercials worldwide, is in the process of
expanding its directing roster and style offerings over the next few
months and will move under the LAIKA umbrella this fall. "For the past year,
we've been creating the infrastructure of a new, independent feature film
animation studio," said Knight. "Now, with director Henry Selick
bringing his unique vision to our creative efforts, our first CG animated short
film about to make its mark on the film festival circuit, and with a feature
film pipeline established, it seemed an appropriate time to tell the world
about LAIKA." LAIKA Entertainment, which will produce animated films in the $50
to $70 million dollar range, has greenlit "Coraline," based on the Hugo
Award-winning, international bestselling children's book by Neil Gaiman.
Henry Selick will direct the feature length CGI animated project, which
LAIKA will produce in association with former Fox Filmed Entertainment
Chairman and CEO Bill Mechanic and his Pandemonium films.
"Something's definitely going on here in Portland," says Selick, who
joined the company as Supervising Director in May, 2004. "It reminds me of
early days at Skellington Studios where, with the same blend of super strong
artists, storytellers and brilliant technicians, The Nightmare Before
Christmas was made. Nightmare broke the rules for what family animation
was supposed to be and succeeded. And that's what we're going to do here at
LAIKA, with a great roster of projects including a buddy comedy, a ghost
story, a mystical fairytale, and an alternate universe crime story. We
have new directors who have proven themselves as superb storytellers on some
of the most successful films in the last decade; eye-catching designs from
international artists; a solid animation foundation, and great musicians
to score our films and write songs for them."
Job openings at Laika Entertainment are listed on their web site:
www.laika.com
The same site offers a peek at the animated short film fable, “Moongirl.”
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EVENTS
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7. “The Castle of Cagliostro” directed by Hayao Miyazaki [Seattle, WA]
Presented by the SPL Teen Summer Program
August 2, 2005 - 2:30-4:30pm
Microsoft Auditorium, Level 1, Seattle Public Library Central Branch
FREE
Information: 206-615-1410
8. ASIFA-NW Presents the ASIFA-East Animation Festival [Portland, OR]
Join local animators for a a get-together and screening the new ASIFA-East
animation reel. This is a free event for everyone, so feel free to bring
a friend who is interested in connecting up with other animators and fans
of animation.
August 4, 2005 - 7:30-9:30pm
NW Academy ANNEX, 714 SW 11, Portland, Oregon
9. “Gumby Superstar!” directed by Art Clokey [Seattle, WA]
80-minute collection of Gumby films
This is the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Gumby. The 1950s
Gumby claymation series has always startled and amazed with its imaginative
plots and characterizations and they cannot be truly appreciated on TV.
August 4, 2005 - 7pm
The Grand Illusion Cinema, 1403 NE 50th St., Seattle, Washington
Presented as part of Dennis Nyback's Silent & Sound Slapstick Festival
August 5-11, 2005
Information: 206-523-3935
www.grandillusioncinema.org
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CLASSES/WORKSHOPS
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14. ANIMATED ADVENTURES SUMMER WORKSHOPS [Seattle and Bainbridge Island, WA]
Animated Adventures is offering lots of workshops this summer for ages 6-17.
Details and registration instructions are available on the web site:
www.animatedadventures.com
CLAY ANIMATION (ages 8 to 16/grades 2-10)
Description: Bring your own characters and stories to life with the art
of clay animation. Using plasticine clay and digital video animation
technology, we will create original short animated films complete with
sound effects and music.
* August 8 - 12 (mornings), Seattle
MANGA MOVIE MANIA (ages 10 to 17/grades 4-12)
Description: Calling all Japanimation junkies! Make your own action-packed
anime cartoons in this drawing-intensive workshop. Learn to animate like
the pros do, with pegbar and lightbox animation, painted cels and special
effects. If you dream of animating ninjas, fairies or other fantastic
creatures, this is the class for you! Each student will receive a video
of the animation created in class.
* August 22 - 26 (mornings), Seattle
CARTOON CRAFTS: ART THAT MOVES (ages 6-11/grades 1-5)
Description: Whirligigs, zoetropes and flipbooks, oh my! In this hands-on
workshop, we will create art that moves, from optical toys to acrobatic
puppets. Students will keep all of their animated works of art.
* August 15 - 19 (mornings), Seattle
Newsletter © 2005, Wendy Jackson Hall
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