January, 2002
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WHAT ANIMATED FEATURE WILL WIN THE OSCAR? I suspect this will be a popular discussion among film fans until the winner is announced. While there are 12 or 13 films trying to get nominations, which is an honor worth going for, I expect the likely winner to be either Shrek or Monsters, Inc.
The first person whose opinions I saw in print was Ed "Acting for Animators" Hooks who writes a monthly newsletter on the Internet. He says, "I'm predicting a win for Shrek, not because the movie is more technically excellent than Monsters, Inc. It isn't. But because it contains more in-jokes, and Academy Awards are voted on by Hollywood insiders. All that back-stabbing anti-Disney humor in Shrek is going to resonate with the voters, I suspect." "Probably, it doesn't matter which movie wins. We're fortunate to have two such brilliant films emerge within the same year. Between them, they set a new high standard for animation technical excellence, and the acting is getting better all the time. For my money, neither Shrek nor Monsters, Inc. is as emotionally satisfying as was The Iron Giant but then maybe I expect too much by holding that film as gauge. Perfection is after all perfection." For a free subscription to Ed Hooks informative newsletter send your e-mail address to edhooks@best.com awn.com suggests an Oscar nomination may go to Waking Life. It has a lot of critical acclaim. It is aimed at intelligent adults, not kids. It has grossed $2.35 million. "SHREK" WINS MORE AWARDS The National Board of Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics presented it their best animated feature awards for 2001. The British Academy Film & Television Awards (BAFTA) gave Shrek the award for best children's feature. Shrek has been nominated by the AFI for their new best picture award. It was also on the cover of Hollywood Reporter in December reminding people to consider it for Oscar nominations in the "Best Picture and All Other Categories." At that time voting members of the Academy were attending special screenings held by studios to push their products with hopes that they will get nominations. Shrek remains the top grossing film in the US for 2001 with a domestic gross over $267 million (on 12/10). Its international box office was $167.1 million on 12/10, giving it a worldwide gross of $434.1 million. Harry Potter had grossed $253.2 million as of 12/17 and it may pass Shrek's domestic gross by the end of the year. PIXAR'S "MONSTERS, INC." IS SLOWLY HEADED TOWARDS GROSSING ALMOST AS MUCH AS "SHREK" After being the top box office champ for 2 weeks Monsters, Inc. dropped to 4th place. It had grossed $204 million by Mon. 12/10 and was up to $218.9 on 12/17. Will it eventually out gross Shrek?
"SHREK" IS THE BEST SELLING DVD OF ALL TIME, BUT "PEARL HARBOR" HAS SET A NEW OPENING WEEK RECORD When Shrek was released on DVD November 2, it set a record for the opening week sales. It has now sold more than 5.5 million DVDs. It has passed the sales record of Gladiator to become the all time DVD sales champ. Now Disney's Pearl Harbor is the first week champ with 3.7 million sold.
"MONSTERS, INC." ADDED "OUTTAKES" TO THEATRICAL PRINTS in December. This is an interesting ploy to try to get people to see the film again by giving them something extra. I suspect it works. Once again the ``outtakes'' were added to the end credits of the film. You can see examples of them at monstersinc.com and apple.com/trailers.
DISNEY/PIXAR ON SEX AND LUST by Karl Cohen In recent e-mails with Ed Hooks we discussed lust in animation, a forbidden topic when it comes to Disney films. Ed wrote me, "I was bothered by the asexual manner of the character (Sully in Monsters, Inc.). It would have been stronger if they had borrowed some of Goodman's frat-house kind of sexuality, I suspect." I replied, "...Don't think Disney characters know what real lust is, or are allowed to express it unless they are evil, and you know what happens to those guys. I've never thought about it, but there might be a 'lust does not pay rule' in the fine moral world of Disney films."
Ed replied, "I'm not suggesting that the characters have to behave in a horny way or do anything untoward. All I'm saying is that, as an identifiable characteristic, human sexuality is palpable. We all exude it to one degree or another, and I believe that kids are suspicious when they do NOT see it. It falls under the 'there's something wrong with this picture' category after you pass the seven or eight year old stage. "
While several Disney films have true romance themes (they generally end with the suggestion that a wedding will be held soon - Snow White, Alladin, Beauty and the Beast, etc.), it is hard to find examples of lust. In Mickey's Plane Crazy, 1928, Mickey forces himself on Minnie. After Mickey makes her kiss him she jumps out of the plane. Then the plane crashes. In The Three Caballeros, 1945, Donald spies a sexy female on the beach. The telescope gets longer and straighter, somewhat like an erection. In the "Pecos Bill" segment of Melody Time, 1948, there is a pair of guns flying around and going off when Pecos Bill kisses Slue Foot Sue for the first time. It is wild lust and it ends unhappily just as other attempts at less than perfect romance do (Pocahontas, etc.).
I asked a Disney artist about my study and he replied, "The Disney lust thing is interesting. I always maintain that Disney has that straitjacket of the name-reputation when talking about sex. You could add Hunchback of Notre Dame when Esmerelda was so obviously over-sexed and Claude Frollo horny for her that not only did audiences stay away but parents groups actually got mad at Disney for allowing such a story. There was a backlash in public opinion. No Southern Baptist Group gets mad when Warner Bros., Dreamworks or Fox is irreverent, but Disney is in that special niche of the American psyche between Johnny Appleseed and the Easter Bunny."
An aside: Gay characters, which often added humorous moments to cartoons from other studios in the past, are also quite rare in Disney products. There is a wonderful, obviously gay dragon in The Reluctant Dragon and suggestions of a gay pair in The Lion King.
When I told a scholar what I was thinking about he said, "Disney films are primarily aimed at prepubescent kids and grandma/grandpa - the two segments of the audience not preoccupied with 'love, sex and lust.'"
WILD BRAIN CREATED 3 OUTSTANDING 'FOCUS ON ANIMATION' ADS FOR FORD The 15 second Ford Focus ads are fast-paced spots combining 3D CG animation and 2D traditional cel animation. The ad "Speedball" stars the famous "Smiley Face" as the car's driver. Mike Smith was creative director and Nicholas Weigel was the director. "Dolls" featuring 5 colorful Japanese nesting dolls was directed by Denis Morella. "Hula," with a sexy woman playing with a Hula-Hoop was directed by Gordon Clarke.
Other credits include Saira Mathew and Ben Fischler, lead technical directors; Sam Hood, character designer; David Brandt and Seryong Kim, character modelers; Seryong Kim, car modeler; Lee Greenwood, character animator; Raquel Coelho, CG animator; Nathan Stephens and Kevin Bell, Mac artists; John Korellis, Aaron Sorenson, and Brad Rau, 2D animators, and Robert Valley, concept boards. Brian Fee, Amber MacLean, Sam Hood, Dick Hill, and Billy Burger were assistant animators and Osamu Tsuruyama did layouts. Liz Gazzano and Amy Capen were producers of the series and Jeff Fino was executive producer.
"JURASSIC PARK III," FEATURING MONSTERS BY ILM, IS BEING SOLD ON DVD AND TAPE WITH A DISPOSABLE CELL PHONE The "Jurassic Park Survival Cell Phones" will offer 60 minutes of prepaid calling time without the requirement of a cellular service contract or monthly fees. It is available in special DVD and video packages with the feature. The phone has 2 buttons on it, "call" and "end." Computer voice-recognition will connect your call for you. The packaged offer retails for $30
WILD BRAIN UK DOES THEIR FIRST ADS, "BODY FANTASIES" FOR PARFUMS DU COEUR The ad produced in London for Parfum du Coeur promotes their newest fragrance line. The :15 and :30 second ads were directed by multiple Clio Award winner Mike Smith and produced by Nikki Kefford. They are animated using traditional 2D techniques including hand inking and painting. Digital effects were added to create a magical fairy-like feel.
WORK BY BAY AREA ANIMATION AND EFFECTS COMPANIES MAKE MILLIONS The top grossing film at the US box office this year is Shrek and November, 2001 was the biggest month ever for US theaters (says The Hollywood Reporter). The industry took in $799.7 million in November and over half of that income came from Pixar's Monsters and Harry Potter with effects by ILM. (This was the second time the $700 million mark was broken - the first time was a $737.2 million month in 2000.) Three other features with effects work from ILM are on the year's box office top 10 list, The Mummy Returns ($202 million), Pearl Harbor ($198.5 million) and Jurassic Park III ($181.1 million).
Electronic gaming is rarely mentioned in our newsletter, but it is a highly profitable multibillion dollar business that consumes a lot of animation. Among the large game companies in the Bay Area are Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts, 3DO and Midway (formerly Atari). A recent Hollywood Reporter article listed the 3 major sectors of the consumer entertainment industry today as music, movies and electronic gaming. The Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) reported that in 2000 there were 220,000 jobs in the industry. They generated $9 billion in wages. Sales of software and related hardware were $10.5 billion in 2000, up 14.9% from 1999. On-line trade publications say that sales are up in 2001.
While the gross incomes of these industries sound impressive, that does not necessarily translate as profitable. We know Pixar is doing OK as they are a publicly held company and report their profits and losses quarterly. Several of the companies mentioned are privately held and do not disclose such information. 3DO has had three separate layoff events this year amounting to a reduction of over 25% of their staff. Their Redwood City office still employs over a 100 people (probably). A former employee says, "It would be incorrect to call them profitable. They haven't posted a profitable quarter since '97. Some local businesses owned by Japanese companies may be posting profits, namely Konami, Capcom and maybe Namco. That's not counting LucasArts, which is in a league of it's own."
Electronic Arts has announced signing a publishing deal with Lego to create over 30 software titles in the next three years. Mindscapes' Lego Island was a best seller in the past, but more recent Lego games didn't do as well. So now Lego hopes a new publisher will bring them another hit.
MAKE BETTER GAMES is part of the Games Developers Conference and Expo coming to San Jose March 21-23. gdconf.com run by CMP Media 600 Harrison St. SF 94107
CARTOON ART MUSEUM HAS REOPENED IN A GREAT NEW LOCATION They are now in a storefront space at 655 Mission, around the corner from the SF Museum of Modern Art. cartoonart.org 415/car-toon
KIM TEMPEST AND BOB INGOLD ARE OFF TO VEGAS TO ANIMATE COMPUTER GAMBLING MACHINES Ingold got involved with electronic gambling machines about 5 years ago when he was laid off from Atari. Kim Tempest, who is well known from her years as an animation teacher at De Anza College, had tried to hire Ingold away from Atari before. Now she was able to get him a job with her new employer, Prolific Publishing (a LA company opening an office in the Bay Area). Ingold says, "It wasn't till after I was hired they revealed a contract with Casino Data Systems to develop video slot machines for the gambling industry." About 18 months into development, Prolific ran short of money. They tried to borrow some from Casino, but were instead purchased by them.
"We became employees of CDS. Our best project was 'Monkey Business' including a DVD movie project to advertise the game. We showed some of it at an open screening a couple years ago. This year Aristocrat Technologies from Australia bought the company." Aristocrat closed the local office and moved the operation to Vegas. Ingold decided to accept their offer to move to Vegas as art lead. Tempest recently moved there and was promoted to management. Ten former CDS animators decided not to accept offers of employment with Aristocrat in Vegas.
Designing animation for these machines is a challenge as they have to keep it simple enough so it will not distract from the machine's purpose, but it has to have enough appeal to make people want to try it. I was once told that the animators sometimes joke that the litmus test of their work is "can a bleary eyed drunk at 3 in the morning figure out how to play the machine."
NINA PALEY AND BILLY GREENE WIN AWARDS AT THE DIRECT TV - LEVEL13.NET ONLINE ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL Best-in-show went to Pasta for War by Zach Schlappi. The 2D Animation winners were: 1st Place, Drunky by Aaron Augenblick, 2nd Place: Fetch by Nina Paley, 3rd Place: Duncan by Holly Klein. 3D Animation winners were:1st Place, It's Alive by Terry Ziegelman and Paul George; 2nd Place: Horses on Mars by Eric Anderson ; 3rd Place: Thought Bubble by Billy Greene. The Experimental winners were:1st Place, Walk by Jeff Drew; 2nd Place, Hara Mamba Ru by Slava Ushakov and 3rd Place, Bee Movie by Gil Kenan
NINA PALEY AND SHIRLEY SMITH PREVIEWED WORK-IN-PROGRESS AT SPROCKET'S DECEMBER SHOW Paley showed Lexi, an experimental project made with Studio Artist by Synthetik Software. She created cats with painterly and abstract features, but their eyes were often realistic. Smith's The Lost Sock is her first work to use cel animation. It is a delightful offbeat humorous work.
NIK AND NANCY OF SPROCKET ARE GOING TO SUNDANCE Two films with music by Nik Phelps and the Sprocket Ensemble will be shown. They are Booby Girl by Brooke Keesling (Student Academy Award winner) and The Cockettes, a documentary directed by David Weissman.
FILM ARTS FOUNDATION AND SEVERAL OTHER MEDIA GROUPS ARE PURCHASING A BUILDING It is at 145 Ninth Street (between Howard and Mission) They will move in soon. Meanwhile their offices/workspaces, etc. will remain at 346 9th Street, SF. CONGRATULATIONS!
ASIFA NEEDS A VOLUNTEER WHO CAN BACK-UP PHILIP MALKIN WHO PRINTS OUR MAILING LABELS Nobody called to volunteer in December. Malkin is back from 6 weeks in Europe. His future travel plans are not set so ASIFA-SF will need somebody to help out if he continues his travels. To ensure there is no interruption in the delivery of newsletters, ASIFA-SF needs to plan ahead "just in case."
At present our database is kept in File Maker Pro, but Malkin can export our database to another program. The mailing list/label tasks do not require a lot of time each month (mainly adding new members, changes of address and printing out labels) but they do require accuracy and being able to get the labels (ASIFA will pay for your supplies) to us in time for our mailing crew to do their job. If you can be of help, please contact Karl Cohen (415) 386-1004 karlcohen@earthlink.net Please contact us right away.
Tuesday, Jan. 8, FAITH HUBLEY TRIBUTE, including the local premiere of her last work Northern Ice, Golden Sun and other works. At the SF Museum of Modern Art
Thursday, January 10, 7 pm, "The Seventh Art: New Dimensions in Cinema" series begins with Director Steve Lisberger in-person screening and discussing TRON, 1982, his landmark fusion of cinema and computer culture.
The series will continue on the second Thursday of every month in SFMOMA's Wattis Theater. Tickets for each film are $12 for SFMOMA and SFFS members, students with current ID and seniors, $15 general admission. Advance tickets may be purchased at the SFMOMA admissions desk.
January 11 - 24. JAN SVANKMAJER'S "LITTLE OTIK" is a surreal live action nightmare that stars a really strange "baby" (stop-motion) that devours its world. Svankmajer's twisted horror film includes a dash of his equally strange Czech humor. Red Vic, 1717 Haight, 7 & 9:35 nightly + 2 & 4:30 Sat., Sun.
Wednesday, January 16, 7:30 pm ASIFA-SF'S ANNUAL OPEN SCREENING FOR SHORTS BY INDEPENDENT AND STUDENT ANIMATORS plus an excerpt of a documentary on the late Faith Hubley. New works and works-in-progress by Geoffrey Clark, Shirley Smith, Nina Paley, Jerold Howard, Stefan Gronsky, John Atkinson and others will be shown. Anyone with a work on 16mm or ?"VHS or ?" tape is welcome to bring it unannounced the night of the show and we will show it.
ANIMATOR FAITH HUBLEY DIED DECEMBER 7 AT AGE 77 She was a remarkable spirit who inspired many of us. Her personal work has been seen throughout the world countless times, probably more often than any other independent female animator. When John died suddenly in the 1970's it was Faith who was expected to leave us as she had a "terminal" cancer at the time. She survived and kept her vow to make a personal film each year for the rest of her life. Her final film premiered in December at UCLA, a few days after she died.
It was a real pleasure knowing her as she always had a sincere positive attitude. She was willing to talk at great lengths when I was doing research that concerned her past. After being with her or talking with her on the phone I always felt she was very sharing and honest. She was a wonderful person and I felt great after being in her presence. She was so full of energy and life that it is hard to imagine I will not see her again.
Faith was the subject of at least two documentaries. A feature length film was recently completed and I assume it will be on PBS this year. As a memorial to Faith I plan to show part of a 25 minute documentary about her made in the 1990's for ITVS (and PBS) at our January meeting. K.C.
The following are comments by others who knew her.
Jerry Beck, Los Angeles, "Faith was a unique artist who turned animated cartoons into her art. Her strong personal point of view is evident in every frame of every one of her films. She was a mentor to many young animators and a delightful woman."
Beck ran the following on his web site cartoon research.com based on a notice by Bill Tessier. "Faith Hubley passed away in New Haven, CT this morning, Dec. 7th, from cancer. She taught a storyboarding class at both NYU Film School and Yale University. Her class opened the eyes and minds of her students to the limitless possibilities of animation. Her collaborations with her husband who passed away in the 70's resulted in numerous animated shorts, several of which won the Academy Award for best animated short, including Moonbird and The Hole."
"Since her husband's death she has maintained the production of one independent animated film per year - many of which deal with mythological or historical stories from cultures around the globe. Her work has been exhibited at the New York Museum of Modern Art and in numerous international festivals. Her personal work and the influence she bestowed upon her students mark her as an animator of the highest caliber. She will be missed."
Tsvika Oren, Tel Aviv, "I was a veteran Hubleys admirer and I was her guest many years ago. I guess I will always be indebted to Faith and John for enriching me and for having such a blessed influence on my 'animation thinking' which I hope I managed to pass on to many students and readers. "
Tom Sito, Los Angeles, first met Faith around the time of John Hubley's death in 1977. He writes, "The last time I talked to Faith Hubley was at a tribute to Dan McLaughlin at UCLA. She had been having funding problems with her latest film. At one point she said 'If things don't get better I'm going to Bartender School and become a Bartender!' Faith never lost heart, never stopped making films of both a personal and progressive nature. She was a shining beacon and inspiration to many and especially women to take up animated filmmaking. She will be missed but her films will live on. When I pass into the next life I hope Faith is there to great me, and Faith, I want a Stoli-Martini straight up with olive! "
Adrienne Crew, S.F., "She was my teacher at Yale. She taught a storyboarding and design class in the art school which I took in my senior year. The most enjoyable way that I ever earned an "A." Faith's class was fun because all we did was watch movies, draw and critique storyboards. When we finished, Faith had us organize an opening reception with beverages and snacks. Someone even brought in edible centerpieces from the dining hall.
I'll always remember her wild white hair, blazing bright eyes and red, red lipstick. She was working on Cosmic Eye and let us see her storyboards. Influenced by her previous movie, Sky Dance, we made storyboards of films depicting stories from Mayan mythology. I miss her already..."
Karen Jacobs, Berkeley, "Faith was a mentor, friend and inspiration. A beautiful person, she lived fully every day, Faith gave me, literally, faith in the creative process and the need to love well. This makes me feel fortunate to have known her and to have spent time sharing with her - about our breast cancer and about other important things in our lives.
Chris Robinson organizes animation festivals in Ottawa, "I didn't really know Faith (we met once in Ottawa and spoke on the phone a couple of times), but I must say I was always excited to talk to her. I found her fiery and blunt. No bullshit. Just Faith."
Bill Plympton, NYC, "Faith was a wonderfully dedicated, creative artist who, with her husband John, changed the face of independent animation."
Chris Lanier, SF, "I'm glad I got to meet her at that ASIFA screening about a year ago. She seemed like such a warm person and her autobiographical film My Universe Inside Out was a real gem."
John Canemaker, NYC, "Faith and I were close friends for several years. We traveled together to Bratislava and enjoyed many dinners/parties in NY and at my place on Long Island. She had wit, style and great taste in everything she did. Her intense work ethic and beautiful films inspire me. She was always encouraging to all independent filmmakers. She lived a full life of joy and creativity. I miss her and am deeply saddened."
David Ehrlich, Randolph, Vermont, "Faith was a lovely woman, warm, loving, forgiving and dedicated to humanity and expression of the best of it in her art. She once told me that creating one film every year was strengthening her and earning her continued victory over the illness that had threatened her life. Finally, after so many years of films in celebration of life, Faith's body has given out. What is left to us is the memory of that big embracing smile and the many cultures throughout the world that have been brought alive to us through her films. I'm grateful to have known her."
Borivoj and Vesna Dovnikovic, past and present Secretary Generals of ASIFA, Zagreb, Croatia, "We have lost a great artist and a wonderful person. The name Hubley is the symbol of the American and the world animation. It was Zagreb Animation Festival where we met Faith for the last time. We remember her smiling and having a wonderful time at the picnic, together with friends from all over the word. We will keep this nice picture in our memory forever."
Marcy Page, Montreal, "She was an extraordinary person and an inspiration to the independent animation community. I remember like yesterday when Fred Burns told me that John Hubley had died when I was assisting him on Hubley's Doonesbury special and thinking how unfair it was that the good ones were taken from us (it feels like that again). Despite John's death and Faith's incredible grief at the time the network did not give her a grace period on the production deadline. She was so incredibly strong to finish that one ...and to continue on with such prolific creation. We are lucky to have such a body of work from her and her family. She has certainly achieved her immortality."
TRIBUTES TO FAITH HUBLEY ARE PLANNED FOR SF AND NYC ASIFA-SF will screen a segment of a documentary about her at our open screening event at the Exploratorium on Wed. Jan. 16, free.
The SF Museum of Modern Art has a screening of her work set for Tuesday, Jan. 8. It will include the local premiere of her last work "Northern Ice, Golden Sun" and other works.
A celebration of her life and work will be held at the Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St., New York City, on Jan. 8.
Donation in her honor can be made to the Jazz Foundation of America, 322 W. 48th St., NY, NY 10036, (212) 245-3999.
ALEXANDER PETROV ANIMATED SANTA FOR COCA-COLA. Oscar winning director Alexander Petrov and Pascal Blais Productions in Canada have brought the Coca-Cola Santa Claus character to life in a 30-second spot titled "Classic-Sundblom." The well-known Haddon Sundblom illustration of Santa has been an icon of the Coca-Cola company for 70 years, but this is the first time it has been animated. Petrov used his legendary oil-painting-on-glass animation technique, the same technique used in his Oscar-winning film The Old Man And The Sea, The Mermaid and The Cow. Petrov painted over 700 images for the spot.
RICHARD WILLIAM'S 'THE ANIMATOR'S SURVIVAL KIT' SHOULD BE OUT BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS His publisher's press agent writes, "the books will be available for purchase as of late December, in case people in your organization are very eager to get copies prior to his visit." His talk/book signing for ASIFA will be at the Exploratorium, on Good Friday, March 29.
UCLA WILL PRESENT A TRIBUTE TO WALTER LANTZ FEBRUARY 5, in appreciation of a gift from The Walter Lantz Foundation that established the Walter Lantz Digital Animation Studio with the hope it will help talented new generations of animators achieve their promise as artists. The Walter Lantz Digital Animation Studio in Melnitz Hall is dedicated as a fitting tribute to Walter Lantz's extraordinary legacy. There will be a reception and open house at 6:30 followed by a tribute and screening of Lantz animated shorts. Hosted by Dean Robert Rosen and Animation Professor Dan McLaughlin. Free.
ERIC LEIGHTON MAY DIRECT "ASTRO-BOY" FOR SONY The cg feature will be based on a comic strip by Osamu Tezuka. (The TV show was also by Dr. Tezuka. He gave up medicine after WWII and went into comics!) Leighton was a stop-motion animator who lived and worked in San Francisco for many years. He left to co-direct Dinosaurs for Disney. Todd Alcott, who had worked on Antz, is writing the script. .
SHOWTIME TO AIR "QUEER DUCK" They obtained the rights to the 5 shows that aired last year on Icebox.com and have ordered 15 more episodes. Mishmash Media produces the shows with writer Mike Reiss, who has won 3 Emmy awards for scripts for The Simpsons and The Critic. Xeth Feinberg, the director, designer and head animator of the shows, sent us a note that said, "who woulda predicted something from the Internet would come back to life."
INTERNATIONAL ASIFA MEMBERS The Fall issue our magazine was mailed to you from Canada in December (2nd issue for 2001). The editor apologizes for the delay.
VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL WEB SITE ASIFA.NET
& VISIT US AT ASIFA-SF.ORG
I was fascinated, delighted and bored by Waking Life depending on which segment I was watching. I enjoy and indulge in occasional philosophical discourse myself, so the movie's lack of explosions or pratfalls didn't bother me. However, as a fan of intriguing narrative, the unemphatic sameness of the episodes did begin to activate my own stream of consciousness: has my left sock heel slipped down into my shoe, or am I just feeling a wrinkle? I began to yearn for the few moments when the movie's artistic layers slipped into any whimsy at all: the small cosmic figures that frolicked around an academic noggin, or the monkey professor.
It's graphics, so your question wasŠ I was puzzled at the scarcity of animated liveliness - why weren't there more moments like the two guys turning into cosmic clouds? The content of the dialogue often seemed perfect for flights of pictorial virtuosity. After all, visual flexibility is one of the major pleasures of animation, both for the viewers and the creators.
Why were the images so... straight? From a review I read later in Animation Magazine I learned that most of the visual work was done by artists rather than animators. And the review stated that the director had just "let them alone" to do their own thing. This certainly explained much: if there was no over reaching direction given to the different episodes, then creating the visual alterations in pacing and emphasis that give drama to a longer work are not possible, even with creative editing. Artists come from a related, but not identical, set of sensibilities than animators. So, animated action wouldn't be their interest or expertise. Too bad.
Beyond style is content. Actually, the pacing within the segments evokes another conclusion: I think a much more effective format would have been to serve these segments up as separate episodes - not as a movie at all. Looking to the content rather than the style of the movie, there is the missed opportunity to effectively stimulate the viewers' thinking on the nature of existence. These philosophical considerations would seem to be the point of Waking Life. As it is, the linking of disparate views in the various "interviews" pile up in such a way as to not give the viewer a chance to digest or ponder the valuable ideas expressed. Bingo! We're onto an entirely other construct from someone else. Too bad.
This is animation. The heated discussions I have run across about whether the movie is "really" animation or not strike an old chord within me. As one of the first wave of traditional animators to embrace computer work in the late 1970s, I faced a similar denunciation from colleagues - and deserting clients. But, I believed that these clunky mechanisms would get better and maybe even turn the animation field around - my one brilliant career move.
Y'all remember all the snotty put-downs? First of all, real animation was on film, not video. Real animation was inked by hand, not Xeroxed. It all translated into "ALL NEW SHORTCUTS ARE BAD". Frankly, most new techniques are crude until imagination, experience and refinement of technology improve the result. Now I don't feel that the rotoscope technique will necessarily be the wave of the future in the way that computer graphics animation has revolutionized the present. But this technique widens graphic possibilities, and how can that hurt? Of course, I'd prefer a livelier use of the visuals than in Waking Life. That's personal taste. What the animation field needs is the broadest possible range of tools to make our pie bigger... and bigger... and...
Lee Marrs teaches courses in digital storytelling, animation, scriptwriting, and interactive design at SFSU's Oakland Multimedia Center, UC Berkeley Extension, Vista College, and the Center for Electronic Art. Lee Marrs Artwork celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2002. Email = lee@leemarrs.com
"WALKING LIFE" WINS THE NY FILM CRITICS BEST ANIMATED FILM AWARD The Hollywood Reporter called it "the most-surprising indie-studio upset." It beat out Shrek by only two votes.
by Karl Cohen
PIXAR'S USE OF CO-DIRECTORS
Lee Unkrich came to Pixar with a background in live action editing and cinematography. He had directed a graduate student film at USC and then worked in the film and television industry as an editor. His skill as a non-linear Avid editor was part of the reason Pixar asked him to join their staff. He oversaw the editing, staging and cinematography of the new film, the same role he had on Toy Story 2 (1999). He said, "In designing the cinematography of this film, I held true to the philosophy that I've used on all of the other Pixar films. Even though we are doing animation I only do things with the camera that you can do in a live action film. Although we have the liberty to do anything we want with our camera, it is better to keep everything more restrained. People are comfortable seeing a world that they are used to seeing when they go out to see a movie." He avoids tricky shots, rapid fire editing and other things that might be appropriate to rock videos.
Unkrich explained that because the film is about monsters it starts out dark and creepy. That is what most people will expect. Then the mood changes and people will discover it is a raucous comedy. There are scary parts "as most people enjoy being a little scared, but this is a family film and we don't want to turn anybody off with it." All Pixar films have dark moments and this film follows in that tradition.
"Much of my time was spent in the editing room with Jim Stewart and the other editors," says Unkrich. "We spent a lot of time hashing things out and restructuring the movie to get the rhythm of performances working nicely." He spent time working with layout supervisor Ewan Johnson and his team designing the shots of the film. Also, "as story problems would come I'd jump in to help."
The other co-director was David Silverman, one of the original directors of The Simpsons. Silverman worked on the story and wrote a lot of gags. He helped develop the personalities of the characters and added a great deal to the film's humor. He helped make the characters entertaining and believable and added a delightful sense of irreverence to the script. Unkrich said that Silverman is a really funny person and he helped make Monsters, Inc. a very funny film. Silverman has moved back to Los Angeles to direct a Simpsons TV special and hopefully their first feature..
Silverman will be missed for many reasons including his musical abilities. He was in the company Dixieland band. Other regulars were senior animator Bud Luckey, Pete Docter and the lead character designer Ricky Nierva. Animation studios having Dixieland bands seems to be an obscure tradition that dates at least as far back as the 1940's when The Firehouse 5 plus 2 were regulars at Disney. Ward Kimball was a member of that group. In the 1970's Imagination Inc. in San Francisco rocked after hours with Bud Luckey on banjo and occasionally members of Turk Murphy's band sitting in.
WHAT'S NEW IN CG ANIMATION AT PIXAR?
When Porter joined the Monsters, Inc. team he began by making a list of the technology they had to develop to get the film completed. One of the big problems was making hair move realistically. Sulley, a star of the film, is an 8 foot tall horned monster with a 700 pound body covered in blue-green hair. Having animators animate his hair by hand would have been an impossible task. Developing hair simulation software that can control hair movement was the answer.
They also developed simulation technology to move clothing independently of body motion. The big problem for Porter's staff the first year of preproduction was to develop these programs. "We spent a lot of time up front making sure we could get the simulation working. In the end it worked fine."
Another problem was creating the visual feel of atmosphere in large spaces. Monsters, Inc. was going to take place in an enormous factory and in vast outdoor spaces. They knew they had to suggest wind blowing, smoke, snow and other atmospheric effects. Porter said that historically computer graphics has presented a clean, crystal clear view of the world.
If you saw the ads for the film on TV you may have noticed a line of monsters marching towards the camera. In that factory sequence they become easier to see and their colors become richer and brighter as they move towards the camera. This naturalistic effect suggests some of the subtle attention to detail Pixar achieved.
Lighting on this film was a lot more sophisticated then it was in Toy Story. Lighting a hard plastic surface is a lot simpler than lighting fur and clothing. They got involved with the principles of back lighting, rim lighting, and other problems that they hadn't experienced in their previous films.
A typical day for Porter found him going over shader reviews, lighting reviews, keeping track of the big issues and running render checks to examine individual frames for problems that can develop. He oversaw approximately 100 people in the departments of lighting, shading, modeling, and shots. The shots department was established for this project to implement the hair and clothing simulation.
Pixar also has a new laser recording system that was used to transfer digital images to 35mm film. It offers a wider range of colors. Despite the use of this state of the art system to create the finest 35mm prints possible, Porter prefers seeing the film digitally. It is being shown that way in some Bay Area theaters. He says, "Digital projection looks terrific! It's rock solid. It's so much better than watching film going through a projector. Film has a slight jumpiness to it and grain. Digital looks exactly as it does on the monitors here when we are doing the lighting reviews, the effects reviews and everything else. That is what the director wants to see. It looks a little different on film."
NEXT MONTH: PART 3, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF NEW TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS - INTERVIEW with GLENN McQUEEN, SUPERVISING ANIMATOR
DISNEY HAS RELEASED DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF "THE THREE LITTLE PIGS," SOME HAVE AN ANTI-SEMITIC STEREOTYPE IN THEM An anti-Semitic "joke" showing the wolf disguised as a Jewish peddler was in the original cartoon. It was reanimated in the 1940's so the cartoon would no longer be offensive to some people. In the late 1990's the home video contained the original image "by mistake" (with the late 40's soundtrack). After protests by Jewish groups Disney said they would replace the offensive sequence with the acceptable 40's version. (Did they?) Recently several ASIFA members have reported the laser disc "The Three Little Pigs and other Silly Symphonies" has the original visuals with the original voice track. Paul Mular reports the DVD version has Leonard Maltin introducing the cartoon, explaining how the original sequence was replaced in the 1940's and he shows a still of the anti-Semitic wolf. Mular wonders why Disney had Maltin explain the problem when the version of the film on the DVD is the later version.
Mular made an interesting observation about the difference in print quality between the DVD and laser disc versions. Both are excellent, but the DVD version ("Disney Treasures - Silly Symphonies") is digitally re-mastered. While the process removes all blemishes, it also changes colors, textures and sharpens up edges. The process gives the illusion the films are new computer generated productions and not old classics. He was bothered by the new look.
JOB OPENING FOR AN ANIMATION/DIGITAL ARTS TEACHER at University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Start July 1, 2002. Salary commensurate with experience (open rank, tenure track). Experimental animator-artist with MFA or equivalent, and a record of achievement in innovative research/creative work. Prior teaching experience required, including experimental practice in traditional and non-traditional media, especially character, experimental and computer animation for film and video. In-depth practical and theoretical knowledge of contemporary animation/digital arts concepts and processes required, including 2-D and 3-D computer graphics. Knowledge of Alias Wavefront Maya software and experience with emerging forms such as CD ROMs, websites, multimedia performance/installation, and digital visual effects, preferred. Ability to address multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary issues within the context of an internationally oriented program, as well as the impact of digital technology on narrative and non-objective animation is necessary. Willingness to work with industry, academia and the fine arts in developing the program is essential. Prior administrative experience is helpful but not essential. Application deadline: postmarked by February 1, 2002. Submit a letter of application, full curriculum vitae, three letters of reference and portfolio samples to: Vibeke Sorensen, Search Committee Chair, Division of Animation and Digital Arts, School of Cinema-Television, University of Southern California, 90089-2211; Fax: 213-740-5869; Phone: 213-740-3986. USC is an AA/EOE.
HAVE YOU VISITED THE INTERNATIONAL ASIFA WEB SITE WITH NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD? Visit asifa.net if you want informative news from the 4 corners of the animation world. There are regular news updates, animation festival information including reviews of past events and the dates and details about up-coming ones, links to animators, and other features. Some are in operation, others are planned. One feature to open soon is a shop where international members will be able to advertise art work, video tapes and other things for sale. Your international membership dues support this fine service which is run by Thomas Renoldner in Vienna, Austria.
Geoffrey Clark, IN THE VAULT, a 3d cgi adaptation of a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. An undertaker becomes locked in his burial vault overnightŠ geoffclark.homestead.com
Nik Phelps of the Sprockets Ensemble will show two or three films he is creating soundtracks for. His work-in- progress includes scores for Shirley Smith, THE LOST SOCK, an offbeat, humorous traditional cel animated work and a surprise or two by Nina Paley.
Jerold Howard, SEE THE TRUTH, a stop-motion short shot in 35mm. This is a personal film by a talented artist who works commercially on stop-motion TV shows.
Stefan Gronsky, THE BOX, direct from 43 film festivals! 2nd place winner at Anamundi in Brazil, winner of a Bill Plympton drawing at Woodstock and many other honors. Gronsky made the work at home on his Mac. He is just finishing a computer degree at UC Berkeley.
John Atkinson, THE DAYDREAMER, 3D cgi, grand festival award for animation at the Berkeley Film and Video Festival, silver award in animation at Crested Butte Reel Festival, shown at SIGGRAPH 2001, on Tech-TV, etc. "An office worker doing battle with some highly assertive fantasies." atkinsonproductions.com
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This issue was edited by Karl Cohen. Contributors include Ed Hooks, Lee Marrs, Bob Ingold, Jerry Beck, Tsvika Oren, Tom Sito, Adrienne Crew, Karen Jacobs, Chris Robinson, Bill Plympton, Chris Lanier, John Canemaker, David Ehrlich, Marcy Page, Borivoj and Vesna Dovnikovic plus a few people whose comments remain anonymous. Thanks to all of you, plus the staff of AWN.COM and others for making this a really informative issue. Thanks also to our production crew: Pete Davis, Philip Malkin, Shirley Smith, Ron Seawright, Tara Packard, Nancy Phelps and Laura Tulloss. |
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© 2002 Animation World Network