ASIFA San Francisco, Newsletter June 1997

 

WHO DID THAT AD?

 

Tom Gasek (formerly from SF) of Olive Jar in Boston directed and animated a clay group of people sitting around a campfire for General Mills' Fear by the Foot fruit snacks.

Izzy Acar and Steve Rawlins of ILM did the cgi penguins who stand on each others shoulders to put a coin in a Dr. Pepper/7-Up machine. Steve Beck directed and Guy Hudson was the visual effects supervisor.

Planet Blue in Hollywood did the long nosed alien animatronic puppets in an ad for Hostess.

Deep Blue Sea in Miami did the NBC logo called "Crop Circles." They shot the elements using blue screen and used Flame to composite the nightmarish field images.

Buzz F/X in Santa Monica and Digiscope in LA did 50 minutes of 3-D cgi images for the new "Jonny Quest" TV series. Xaos, Lamb and Co. Sony Imageworks and a few other companies also contributed to the project.

Curious Pictures (NY division) did a 3-D Cheesasaurus Rex for Kraft ("not a dinosaur that I'm familiar with" says Dr. T. Rex from the Academy of Science). Steve Oakes directed the cgi monster using SGI Alias and After Effects Macintosh. The ad also includes a tabletop model of a cheese volcano and live action kids.

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

ANIMATION PLANET has come out with a thin "preview issue" to promote their first real issue. This is the work of Michael Dobbs who edited Animato! Apparently he had a falling out with his former publisher and is off on his own.

Dobbs writes that the new publication will not cater to kids - it is "a new magazine for animation fans to launch in late May, 1997." In his preview copy he has an interview with John Cawley on why Saturday Morning TV could become extinct! There is also an article on animator Corky Quakenbush and one on voice artist Casey Kasem. He plans to publish a kids magazine about animation later this year.

For ad rates or subscription information write Inkwell Productions, 17 Spruce Street, Springfield, MA 01105 or call (413) 731-7928. Subscriptions are $12 a year for this quarterly.

 

McBOING BOING'S, THE JOURNAL OF DRAWINGS IN MOTION, MAY, 1997

Editor Dewey McGuire has done an excellent job honoring director Frank Tashlin with a 12 page tribute. There is a 2 page review of the book Frank Tashlin by Roger Garcia, a brief history of his life, a filmography, descriptions of several of his rarely seen cartoons and several illustrations including the forgotten comic strips that he signed Tish Tash. Years ago a show of comic art by women at the Cartoon Art Museum included one of the Tish Tash drawings. They took it down when I informed them Tish Tash was a male.

The magazine also has some interesting Internet rumors that may or may not be true. They report Disney's Buena Vista video division will probably release The Black Cauldron (1985) and Song of the South (1946). The latter, which has been attacked over the years for its depictions of African Americans, may be out later this year. Black Cauldron is said to be the studio's biggest box office bomb.

The issue also has other news, a review of a UPA tape, and several letters to the editor. One long letter is from Linda Simensky explaining why the Cartoon Network doesn't show cartoons that include negative sterotypes. She discusses the obligations of a cable broadcaster in society.

There is sad news in the issue. The editor has decided to end the publication after publishing 2 more issues (August and November, 1997). He writes that not enough people subscribed to cover the cost of publishing this valuable journal that concentrates on the history of animation. You can still subscribe for $6 and get the last two issues. I suggest you toss in an extra $3 and ask for a copy of #10, which is this fine 20 page issue. The editor writes that he plans "to pull out all the stops and make them (the final issues) our finest." They have certainly gotten bigger and better and hopefully this will not be McGuire's final adventure as a publisher.

Subscriptions are available from Dewey McGuire, 134 Cardiff Circle, Iowa City, IA 52246 (319) 337-3233.

 

POPEYE, SUMMER, 1997 is a quarterly fan magazine that has been coming up with interesting articles about their hero since 1989. The current issue has a new column about the voices behind Olive Oyl. Part 1 is Helen Kane and part 2 will be on Mae Questel. There is also part 4 of an interview with voice actor Jackson Beck who did Bluto, and several other articles.

Subscriptions/membership is only $8 a year from 1001 State, Chester, Illinois 62233. For details www.midwest.net/orgs/ace1

 

ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK (AWN) TO RUN A JAN SVANKMAJER INTERVIEW IN JUNE

Wendy Jackson, who works for the Internet publication, was in San Francisco in May to interview the Czech director. He flew here to receive a lifetime achievement award and to attend a screening of his new feature Conspirators of Pleasure at the SF Film Festival. It could be a bizarre interview as Svankmajer has created a shocking film full of kinky and grotesque images.

For years Svankmajer attacked the Communist government in his films, but now that they are gone he has turned his interests to sexual fantasies that only Dr. Freud might understand. His latest work is a black comedy, and I guarantee it will shock you. Jackson, who met Svankmajer in Prague a few years ago, says his love poems to his wife are just as strange.

At the Golden Gate Awards ceremony Svankmajer spoke briefly. With the aid of a translator he said he loved the name of the award "persistance of vision," and that he had been asked so many questions since coming to San Francisco that he felt as if he "was tossed into a washing machine on rinse cycle."

I talked with Jackson after her interview. She said he agreed that his new film is his most surreal work. She said he did his best to avoid talking about the recent changes in his work. He indicated that his next live action feature will be quite different from the current work. I look forward to seeing her article. She said her long interview with him was an "astonishing" experience.

The Internet address for AWN is www.awn.com

Other news from AWN includes their announcing that Heather Kenyon is their new editor-in-chief. On May 1 she replaced Harvey Deneroff, who left recently to concentrate on other projects. Kenyon was manager of the production information department at Hanna-Barbera before joining AWN.

 

NEW BOOKS

 

LAYOUT AND DESIGN MADE AMAZINGLY SIMPLE By Brian Lemay, $35, Sheridan College Printing Services, 1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario L6H 2LI

The publication was reviewed by Howard Beckerman in the June ASIFA-East newsletter. He writes, "Lemay uses diagrams, illustrations and text to explain field charts, perspective drawing, character design, posing, staging and much more. The extensive attention to detail makes this book required reading for students and those locals already engaged in TV cartoon production. The book's bold type and black outline drawings avoid big-time publishing slickness, but its sturdy ringbinder anchors it flat on your drawing table."

Sheridan College apparently publishes other books on animation. Zac Schwartz told me his book on screenwriting was published by them, but is temporarly out-of-print while the edition is revised. He found errors in the first printing and they are making the requested changes.

 

SERIOUS BUSINESS: THE ART AND COMMERCE OF ANIMATION IN AMERICA FROM BETTY BOOP TO TOY STORY by Stefan Kanfer, 256 pages, Scribner, NY $27.50.

This could be an interesting book, but the reviewer in the New York Times did such a botched job at reviewing it I really am not sure what it is about. The review is full of stupid statements. For example Winsor McCay created "10 animated features of surpassing skill and weirdness between 1911 and 1918." Features? Is Sinking of the Lusitania weird? The reviewer never gets much beyond the section of the book that talks about early cartoons being sexist, racist, etc. The reviewer makes it sound like almost all cartoons from the 1920's - 1940's are offensive.

Look for this book and scan it for yourself to find out if it is worth buying. It is certainly an interesting topic. Too bad they had Bruce McCall review the book instead of John Canemaker or Bill Moritz.

Since writing the above, two friends in LA said Charles Solomon reviewed the book in the L.A. Times. Jerry Beck said Solomon wrote a "scathing review." A friend who writes movie reviews on the Internet said Solomon pointed out the book contained lots of basic errors.

 

EDITORIAL COMMENTS

 

HAS THE ANIMATION BOOM PEAKED?

by Karl Cohen

An old friend in LA told me that it was cynical of the World Animation Celebration to hold a job opportunities fair and mislead students across the nation into believing there will be lots of jobs waiting for them when they graduate from college. My friend's comments took me by surprise as the big Bay Area companies seem to have more than enough work, are slowly adding more people to their staffs and all have projects that will keep them busy into the coming years. I pointed this out to him and he said we were lucky, that things had slowed down in LA.

As I thought about the current market there does seem to be a shift away from commerce in one area, but there seems to be continued growth in the amount of work being done in the theatrical and television markets.

The only big loss of jobs that I'm aware of has occurred in segments of the CD-Rom industry. When the CD-ROM boom began people went crazy saying it was the wave of the future, but when the buying public shifted their interest to the Internet, CD-ROM sales figures went down and the layoffs began. (People also say that when Disney entered the CD-ROM market they took it over which didn't help the chances of survival for innovative products from small companies.) One major player in the market had a staff of over 50 people two years ago. Now they have a staff of 10 or 12. Another company that used to advertise for talent is now telling people that no jobs are available and they are no longer looking at reels and resumes. A third company was in the newspaper recently because their stock was worth $48 two years ago and it now trades for about $6 a share. Rocket Science Games (RSG), a company that began with a large marketing staff and a tiny production staff, held a going out of business party at the end of April. They were great at hype, but they never produced a major hit. I feel sorry for the investors who believed in them.

CD-ROMS are by no means a thing of the past. One area where there is a growing market is corporate marketing and communications. That market is rarely talked about, but it uses a lot of animation. There are several small shops in SF that are doing a lot of work for corporations (flying logos, showing how things work, etc.) One is Fred Lewis' Moving Media.

Another area where there may be cutbacks is Saturday morning programming. NBC stopped showing animation on Saturday mornings years ago and now CBS is considering doing the same. They may switch to a more educational format to meet the government requirements for 3 hr. of educational material a week during hours kids are watching TV. That doesn't mean other networks will do the same. I assume it will help ABC get better ratings for their animated shows. I assume it will also encourage Nick, Fox, W.B. and the Cartoon Network to work harder to get a bigger share of the market if CBS drops out.

While there is plenty of work for the top animators, the industry's fondness for using famous actors to voice cartoon characters has made finding good jobs harder for trained voice artists. There is less work in features for them even though they are experts.

After talking with several people I came to the conclusion that the boom is not over, but some companies have grown about as big as they are going to get in the near future (representatives from ILM, Pixar and PDI said their companies will continue to grow in 1997). Unless there are several major box office failures of animated features the future looks bright for the features market.

Probably the biggest problem for people entering the animation business today is finding an entry level opening. A lot of entry level jobs were once available in the CD-ROM market. The big companies mainly hire experienced people. At our recent program on employment somebody said they reviewed several thousand portfolios last year and hired less than 100 people. The odds of getting a job with them are not great unless you have a really fantastic reel/portfolio.

I asked somebody in SF about the L.A. job market and he replied that most studios are fully staffed and are training their younger employees how to improve their skills. He believes the market in L.A. is good or excellent if you are an experienced artist, but it may be harder this year for a college graduate to get a job than it was last year.

 

REFLECTIONS FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF ALAN FRANKOVICH

by Karl Cohen

On Tuesday, April 22, Warren Hinckle reported in The Independent that Frankovich, a radical documentary filmmaker who had lived in San Francisco, had collapsed and died while going through U.S. Customs in Houston. Hinckle writes that he was carrying documents "relating to several explosive topics, including: 1) A U.S. intelligence cover-up of the truth behind the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in 1988; 2) CIA involvement..." The documents are now missing. Hinckle went on to suggest the man may have been killed with a whiff of something from a fountain pen. Apparently he had a history of making films that exposed questionable acts by various world governments.

The thought that somebody might kill a filmmaker over the content of his work disturbs me. While I can not imagine a hit man trying to kill someone in the animation industry, I can imagine violence against Disney from the Christian Right. While researching my book on animation censorship I asked the American Family Association (Rev. Wildmon) for information. They put me on their mailing list and each of their publications contains new reasons why they hate Disney, homosexuals and a lot of other people. Their forms of protests are mainly boycotts and letter writing campaigns, but they are stirring-up hatred and I can imagine that someday they or another group will start protesting Disney screenings or offices as if they were women's health clinics. Remember the protests over The Last Temptation of Christ. The AFA was recently seen on national TV news protesting ABC's headquarters in New York City and affiliates over "Ellen." Their signs read "What Would Walt Say?," "Disney's Homosexual Agenda" "Ellen CAN Change," etc.

The cover story of the April AFA newsletter attacks Michael Eisner for letting Miramax purchase the rights to The House of Yes, a film that was a major hit at Sundance. The film deals with incest. The Rev. Donald E. Wildmon said, "Disney and its subsidiaries seem to have little or no standards in their search for profit. The Bible says the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and now even incest is being marketed for a buck."

There are several attacks on the company in each newsletter along with details about buying anti-Disney bumper stickers, boycott cards and getting free fact sheets about the boycott. They have found several reason to target the company's animated features and their positive policy towards homosexual visitors to Disneyworld and gay employees. I don't believe the attacks will end as Disney will continue to do as they please. They have the right to make a profit distributing whatever they want. Since a vast majority of Americans don't support the boycott, why should Disney change?

It is one thing to ask your followers to avoid Disney, but it is quite another thing to promote hatred month after month. Wildmon seems obsessed with his crusade and seems to be spreading hatred rather than reason.

I hope I'm wrong about what this segment of the Christian Right is doing. Perhaps my mind is wandering due to my being upset about the death of a stranger and the all too frequent news about right wing terrorists and hate groups in our country.

PS The group has a media watch that reports on acts in TV shows that are either anti-Christian, promote the homosexual agenda, contain sexual content, violence, etc. Members of this group are upset that NBC showed Schindler's List uncut as it contains "explicit language and graphic full frontal nudity - both male and female - will open the door for more vulgar displays in programs designed only for entertainment or titillation."

 

IS HINKLE'S STORY FALSE?

Two weeks after writing the above I talked with Peter Moore who works for the University Art Museum in Berkeley. He knew Frankovitch and said he was working with the filmmaker's wife to locate prints of the man's work for a retrospective show. I asked about Hinkle's article and he acted irritated. He said Frankovitch was overweight, not in the best of health and that he simply had a heart attack and died. When asked if there were missing papers he said "no" and that if the CIA wanted him dead they would have killed him before his expose on the CIA was released, not after. He said Frankovitch was returning from a trip to Costa Rica that had nothing to do with obtaining information about the air disaster or the CIA.

Two days after that I had a long talk with Bill Farley, a local filmmaker who knew Frankovitch. He also believes Frankovitch died of natural causes, that there were no missing paper, etc. He also said he had been drinking with Hinkle a few times and that Hinkle's critical judgment was sometimes questionable.

Finally, I talked to a former close friend of Hinkle who said the man will say anything if it makes a good story. It doesn't matter to him if knows the facts are correct, questionable or false.

I now assume the above article is based on false rumors. While I now have negative feelings about Hinkle, that doesn't alter my beliefs that some members of the Christian Right are doing their best to change American culture and are probably against civil rights, free speech and other basic human, social, economic and cultural rights.

 

FESTIVALS

 

FORT LAUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Sept. deadlines. $25/$30 entry fee for shorts. Some cash and product prizes. I'm fond of this festival as I met my wife there and Ft. Lauderdale is a lovely place to do nothing except enjoy the sun, the ocean, films and festival parties. 2633 East Sunrise Blvd, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304-3205 (954) 563-0500

 

TACOMA TORTURED ARTISTS FILM FESTIVAL has a July 31 deadline. I have no idea what this event is (it is for "undiscovered talent"), but it does have a great title. $20 entry fee. Club Seven Studios, 728A Pacific Ave., Tacoma, WA 98402

 

LITERARY TELEVISION (FORMERLY THE POETRY FILM WORKSHOP) has an Oct. 3 deadline for the 1997 Cin(E)-Poetry Fest! They also distribute work and have a Literary TV Catalog. $15 entry fee. For details (415) 552-9261, George Aguilar, Director, The Poetry Film Workshop/LTV 934 Brannan St. 2nd Floor, SF CA 94103

 

SINKING CREEK FILM/VIDEO FESTIVAL has a June 30 deadline for a Nov. event. This used to be (still is?) a great festival for independent filmmakers. Has an animation category. $30-$70 entry fee. Shows 16mm & 35mm. VHS for previews. c/o Vanderbilt University, 402 Sarratt Student Center, Nashville, TN 37240 (615) 322-4234.

 

FANTOCHE, INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL BADEN Has a June 15 deadline for a Sept. 9 - 14 event. No entry fee, no mention of cash awards. This is their 2nd festival and it sounds like an exciting one to attend or be in. It sounds like a festival for people who love to watch animation rather than a trade show full of hype. The programs range from "The Animated Celluloid Closet," "Underground Animation" and "Psychedelic" to traditional tributes, competition screenings and retrospectives. William Moritz will lecture and show Bartosch's L'Idee. Otto Alder is one of the organizers and the jury will include Jane Pilling from GB, Oksana Cherkassowa from Russia and Nag Ansorge from CH.

Karl Cohen can send you a Xerox of the entry form (415) 386-1004 or write Ottikerstrasse 53, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland.

 

31st NEW YORK EXPOSITION OF SHORT FILM AND VIDEO deadline is July 1 for a Nov. event at the New School. $35 entry fee. Karl Cohen was sent a stack of entry forms, so call (415) 386-1004 to get one.

 

TEMECULA VALLEY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL has a July 31 deadline for a Sept. event. Where is Temecula Valley? They have cash awards thanks to Blockbusters and low entry fees ($10 & 15). Students are encouraged to enter their works. 27645 Jefferson Ave., #104A, Temecula, CA 92590 (909) 699-6267

 

HEARTLAND FILM FESTIVAL FOR CONSERVATIVE WORKS THAT EXPRESS POSITIVE IDEAS July 1 deadline. They have $100,000 in prize money to give to films that "explore the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life." Their categories are 16mm and 35mm films. $20 entry fee. 613 N. East Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202 (317) 464-9405

 

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL deadline is July 15 for a late Sept. event. No entry fee. They show 16mm & 35mm and have an animation category. Some cash awards. VHS accepted for previews. 1008 Homer St. Suite 410, Vancouver, BC V6B 2X1 Canada (604) 685-0260

 

VISIONS OF U.S.

Sony's home video contest is run by the AFI. Judges are Francis Ford Coppola, Edward James Olmos and other well known people. Impressive prizes! Fiction, non-fiction, comedy, experimental - music video, and young people (under 17) categories. No entry fee. June 15 deadline. For details write the American Film Institute, PO Box 200, Hollywood, CA 90078

 

 

INTERNATIONAL-ASIFA INFORMATION

 

Where your international dues go

by David Ehrlich

The international portion of your international ASIFA membership is $22, of which $20 goes directly to our Treasurer in Montreal. It pays for four issues of the ASIFA News, sent to you airmail; other publications like a Calendar and the Halas Memorial Booklet, your admission to ASIFA parties at animation festivals; free or reduced admission at animation festival; free access to the Employment Databank in Prague, and a school list that promotes your school, while offering needed information to prospective students.

The international also benefits the national and regional ASIFA chapters by facilitating shows of touring international animators and films from the Archive; by publishing articles from their local newsletters (helping to promote their work abroad); by providing information on festivals and other animation events; and by answering all queries put to international Board members. ASIFA also assists the festivals in suggesting and securing retrospectives, offering mailing lists and further promoting their work. Finally, there is an ASIFA Website.

Many of you may not feel these benefits are particularly relevant to you. If so, let us know what else ASIFA could do that might be of more value. If you appreciate some of the things we do, let us know that as well. This is a membership organization and we represent and are responsible to you, the members.

David Ehrlich can be reached at RR 1, Box 50, Randolph, Vermont 05060

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