Ladies and gentlemen, let me announce right here, on this blog, that 2010 IS THE YEAR THAT CELLULOID DIED. Yes, all you physical-analog-film-lovers, I said it. Touch the smooth plasticky emulsion one last time and relish the memory. Both these two digital cameras simply blow film out of the water. Period. Here's a short report of our test of the new ARRI Alexa and RED MysteriumX cameras.

Escape, 2010 by Li Songsong. Courtesy of The Pace Gallery, New York.

Chinese artist Li Songsong is showing new paintings at The Pace Gallery in New York until August 5, 2011.

A creator recently said to me, “You know, it’s easy to come up with a good idea.  Making it happen is the hard part.” In fact, I think both are hard!  But my area of expertise has been the later –making it happen. In this blog, I will talk about projects I am actively pitching and about my experiences taking them across the globe to find financing and get them produced.  Names may be changed to protect the innocent!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic group shot. Courtesy of The Hub.

The Transformers may be raking in the box office gold and G.I. Joe battled COBRA in the multiplexes, but while those once-upon-the-eighties Hasbro cartoon shows made the leap from TV cartoon to big screen live action, the diminutive equines collectively known as My Little Pony have returned in a new animated series that has surprised a lot of people.

To put it simply, The Hub Channel’s My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is one hip show.

MLP:FiM is the creation of Lauren Faust, an animation veteran whose career began as an animator on 1990’s features like Cats Don’t Dance and Quest for Camelot. After directing a stack of Powerpuff Girls episodes, Faust hit her stride as Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends’ head writer and supervising producer. (And in all likelihood, the visual inspiration for Frankie, the show’s red-haired teenage problem-solver.)

Happy Holidays

The New Year is just around the corner ...and so is FMX! Each year thousands of visitors descend on FMX for the same reason - a passion for animation, effects, games and transmedia; combined with the opportunity to listen to the most exciting speakers in the industry! The program for 2012 is coming together nicely, now we can let you know some of what's in store next May...

Notice anything new about the FMX homepage? We have re-launched the FMX site for 2012 featuring our fabulous new trailer motifs and heaps of information how you can get involved.

New 2012 Trailer: Globosome

The new trailer for FMX 2012 has been released - we think it's stunning! In the vastness of space, there's a small speck of rock inhabited by the most peculiar life forms: Dark little dots that start to replicate fast and begin to show signs of intelligence. Globosome tells the story of the rise and fall of these little creatures. The trailer was created by the Institute of Animation's Diploma-year student, Sascha Geddert:

"The film is inspired by the special time we're living through on our own planet. I wondered what makes humans actually different from bacteria in a petri dish. Surely we have culture, science and art but what does remain of these achievements if you look at our world from a global perspective."

The trailer is completely realised in 3ds Max in Stereoscopic 3D. A vast collection of plugins was used for rendering, atmospherics, plants and the control of thousands of jumping dots. Controlling the crowds was one of the most challenging aspects of the film all together with the sheer amount of work caused by the depiction of a world in constant transformation.

If you haven't already been mesmerized already by Globosome, go and watch it immediately...

If you are familiar with screenwriting software such as Final Draft and Screenwriter, you know that they make it easier to write scripts by automatically formatting script elements such as character names, dialog and description. But I’ve used Microsoft Word to write hundreds of scripts and actually find it easier to use than expensive screenwriting software—and in most cases just as good.

Follow my instructions, below, and you can turn Word into an effective screenwriting program.

Special Guest:  OIAF Animators' Picnic 2011 - Part 2

It's the FFAF Pre-Holiday Holiday Spectacular as Joel and Alan continue to bother more legends of international animation trying to eat, drink, and be wary at the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2011, Part 2.  PLUS, backstage hijinks and hosting recap of the OIAF 2011 Closing Ceremonies.

Special Guest:  Dr. Janeann Dill

On this epic-sode, Joel discovers the vast musical range of a rubber band; Alan discovers his lack of interest. Then, Dr. Janeann Dill, physician to the arts, discusses the breaking of art history, animation balm, the deep south, and legendary animation artist, educator, and innovator Jules Engel.

How do you take a film that is not working, and rebuild it in record time, creating in the process a modern day classic? It’s simple! Hire super directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, and let them work their magic! 

Chris Sanders and Dean Dublois, directors of 'How to Train Your Dragon'