DJMAX Portable 3's first gameplay footage trailer along with some info on the title. Hit the jump!

Rick DeMott talks with director Brandon Vietti about balancing the action and drama in the dark animate feature Batman: Under the Red Hood.

A lecture and screening by Animator Signe Baumane
Date: Thursday, July 15th
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $5
Day Six of The Oxberry Pegs Series

The number six is a very sexy number, if you know your Latin. It’s no coincidence that day six of the Animators are God? Series at Observatory belongs to Signe Baumane. Signe is famous for her “Teat Beat of Sex” episodes; animated films that have been called delightfully silly, charmingly honest, ambiguously serious and sexually explicit. In her own words, they are films that examine sex-themed topics from the perspective of a very knowledgeable female lecturer. Indeed, she began examining the subject of sex as a young writer in Latvia.”My first novel was a romance, actually, more of a sexual escapade” recalls Signe, “my mother read it and was shocked how precisely her 8 year old described the sexual act.” She was first published at the age of 14, and continued to write professionally until she left Latvia to study Philosophy at the prestigious Moscow University. There, she was inspired her tell her stories through animation.

Tonight, Signe will show seven of her films–including the “Teat Beat of Sex” episodes. She will also talk about her work, explaining the hows, whys, and stories behind these compelling animations.

Signe Bauman started to work at Riga’s Animated Film Studio at the lowest possible position - cell painter. In few years she gained enough experience to write, direct, design 3 animated shorts, produced at the studio on government grants.The films were recognized at the international festival circle.

Signe had a good reputation as a new Latvian animation director. Longing for a stronger challenge and a bigger pond, Signe left Riga in 1995 for New York, where she started to work at independent animation star Bill Plympton’s studio at the lowest possible position - cell painter. In few years she gained enough experience of the wild capitalism to start producing film on her own and in 2002 she left Bill’s studio to start her own small studio.

Since her arrival to New York she has produced and co-produced, written, directed and designed more than 14 independent animated shorts. Signe has also continued her collaboration with Latvia’s leading animation studio - Rija Films - where she directed 2 of her own stories since 1995, and Pierre Poire Productions that produced her most successful films “Teat Beat of Sex” and “Birth”. Her films have been screened at such prestigious festivals as Annecy, Tribeca, Sundance, Berlin, Ottawa, Venice and they have received numerous awards. Signe is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a Fellow in Film from the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Besides her own career Signe is also interested in promoting other people’s work. She advises series of film festivals in USA on their animation programs, as well as she curates special shows where she personally presents films and filmmakers. Animation is a passion for Signe, as well as a lifestyle.

Corus Entertainment’s premium preschool network Treehouse is pleased to announce the world premiere of the first ever Dr. Seuss inspired animated series, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! on Saturday, August 7 at 5:30 p.m. ET starring Martin Short as the voice of the Cat.

Life on the road can be challenging! As the Studio headed into the its last week a familiar cadence ensued. It began with me awakening each morning at 5:30 am

Date: Thursday, July 1st
Time: 7:30 PM Musical Performance by Todd Michaelsen and Reena Shah of My Pet Dragon
8pm: Film screening/Q & A
Complimentary bags of popcorn will be served while supplies last
Admission: $5
Day Four of The Oxberry Pegs Series

Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three hilarious shadow puppets narrate both ancient tragedy and modern comedy in this beautifully animated interpretation of the Indian epic Ramayana. Set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw, Sita Sings the Blues earns its tagline as "the Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told."

This Thursday, July 1st, 8pm, the Animators are God? series at Observatory continues with a screening of the animated feature Sita Sings the Blues hosted by director, Nina Paley. Prior to the screening, there will be a live performance by Todd Michaelsen and Reena Shah of My Pet Dragon.

Nina Paley is a longtime veteran of syndicated comic strips, creating "Fluff" (Universal Press Syndicate), "The Hots" (King Features), and her own alternative weekly "Nina's Adventures." In 1998 she began making independent animated festival films, including the controversial yet popular environmental short, "The Stork." In 2002 Nina followed her then-husband to Trivandrum, India, where she read her first Ramayana. This inspired her first feature, Sita Sings the Blues, which she animated and produced single-handedly over the course of 5 years on a home computer. Nina teaches at Parsons School of Design in Manhattan and is a 2006 Guggenheim Fellow.

Singer-composer Todd Michaelsen created the title music, "Agni Pariksha," and most of the score and background music for Sita Sings the Blues.

$5 admission

Performance by Todd Michaelsen and Reena Shah of My Pet Dragon begins at 7:30

Film screening/Q & A begins at 8pm

Complimentary bags of popcorn will be served while supplies last!

Comic-Con International is the largest gathering of comic book, science fiction, film and television fans in the nation. Featuring celebrity guests, seminars on breaking into filmmaking and near 24-hour film retrospectives. Comic-Con is the place for fans of all things pop culture. For more information, visit www.comic-con.org.

Day 3 of Oxberry Pegs Presents, the "Animators are god? series at Observatory features kid's book illustrator Ted Enik and his lecture on Cute Pollution! Characters morph toward Cute. Whether they originate in your father’s funny papers, animated shorts, or classic kidsbooks, a gradual juvenilization takes place: Betty Boop loses her dog-ears (you heard me) and becomes a flapper, Bugs crossdresses, and the Simpsons grow way less simian. In a brilliantly snarky article for Natural History Mag, evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould traced the calculated cutifying of Mickey Mouse, how the thin-limbed wiseass Steamboat Willie became the adorable spokestoddler / CFO for Uncle Walt.

Fifty years of research tells us that we Humans have ginormous radar for picking up the most subtle infant-like characteristics in both animate and inanimate objects. Apparently it’s good Evolution. Back in the `40’s, animal behaviorist, Konrad Lorenz (the duckling Imprinting guy?), determined that a babyfaced helplessness triggers our fundamental nurturing instincts. And last year the Lab Coats pinned it down: part of our lizard-brains called the nucleus accumbens actually gets a chemical buzz off of babies – or a reasonable facsimile. The kicker is, it’s the same Reward Area of the brain stimulated by drugs, food, and sex. And what we crave we go into credit-card debt over. Free Marketeers have known this for decades. Kewpie-Doll Bombshells and Little-Rascal Fratboys sell us cute cars (the Mini Cooper and new the VW), cute clothes (haute Flipflops), cute gadgetry (Navi’s, App’s, Tweets), cute food (the Boutique Cupcake), and cute carnality (sweethearts speak Motherese to each other as Mr. Wiener docks with the bajingo).

In a pop-culture-kaleidoscope of a lecture, childrensbook author / illustrator, Ted Enik will trace how we slip-‘n -slid from The Good Ship Lollipop to Lolicon, from Disney to Henry Darger, from “Hello Sailor” to Hello Kitty, how we all have been willingly polluted by the CUTE. :(…

Ted Enik has kept a gingerbread roof over his head for years by working with ever-so-cute classic and contemporary kidsbook characters: talking pigs, chameleon schoolbusses, Hispanic dragons, and pinky-up waifs. Google-Image him and go “Awwww.” You can find out more about Ted and his work at www.tedenik.com.

We are just finishing our second week of production on MIMI AND GACK. This year there is a whole new crew with a set of veterans from last year’s production of PETE’S ODYSSEY.

CelAction today announced a brand new add-in called PlusOne for their popular CelAction2D animation software that enables 2D animators to work in a full 3D environment, include 3D models in their scenes, and output full stereoscopic 3-D.

Judd Winick has returned to Gotham City with a vengeance. The award-winning cartoonist has successfully transitioned one of his benchmark storylines from comic book pages to animated film with the upcoming release of Batman: Under the Red Hood, the latest entry in the popular series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

On the heels of last year’s popular General Mills spot ''Measuring Up,'' Calabash Animation has again teamed with agency McCann Worldwide, New York to animate ''Awards,'' a new spot for General Mills that targets adults with a message highlighting the health benefits found in many popular General Mills cereals, like Trix, Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which are rich in whole grains and calcium.

Bill Plympton's animated feature "Hair High" on DVD is now for sale at www.plymptoons.com.

Smith Micro Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMSI) Productivity and Graphics Group today announced the availability of Anime Studio Pro 7, the all-in-one tool for professionals and digital artists to create stunning 2D movies, cartoons and cutout animations.

Sydney Opera House in partnership with Screen NSW invites the worldwide animation community to take part in Graphic: an online animation competition designed to celebrate the innovation, creativity, and imagination behind the art form.

Illustrators, animators and storytellers of all levels – from established to up-and-coming and newcomers – are encouraged to enter. The winning entry will score $20,000 prize money and be screened at a major Graphic Festival event at Sydney Opera House in August.

A panel of expert judges and members of the public will vote for the most original and creative animations over the course of 3 consecutive rounds.

The competition starts on June 10 and entries for Round 1 must be submitted by June 26.

How it works

Participants will be required to create 3 x 20 second animatics that come together to form a 3-part series. All styles of animation will be accepted and could be anything from a story board comic to stop motion to 3D. Live action will not be accepted. An entrant can be an individual or a creative team.

In round 1, entrants must create a 20 second animatic that includes ALL of the following elements:

i. Overarching theme: Recovery

ii. Characterising element: 7 years old

iii. Sound FX: A yawn

In rounds 2 and 3, entrants must build on their initial story and an additional element will need to be included in each animation.

Watch our introduction video from animation guru Rob Coleman and our 3 demonstration videos (on the right) which showcase different animation styles, the breadth of what can be done and how the supplied elements have been incorporated.

Visit the competition website at http://www.graphic.sydneyoperahouse.com.

Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest, an animated short, is about Ms. Ingrid Pitt, a young Jewish girl and Holocaust survivor. When she was 8 years old, Ms. Pitt miraculously escaped the Stutthof concentration camp with her mother, surviving in the forest until the end of the War. I have the great honor to be invited by Beyond the Forest director and producer Mr. Kevin Sean Michaels and two-time Academy Award nominee Mr. Bill Plympton to be the sole animator for this film.

Featuring 2-D anime-style game play, high-impact weaponry, multiple levels, and remote play capability, this collection will satisfy your shooter game fix! Hell, you can even take snapshots of your gaming action and post it on YouTube.

SHUTTER ISLAND writer Laeta Kalogridis has sold his pitch for a live-action remake of the Serbian animated short, TECHNOTISE; EDIT AND I, to Legendary Pictures, reports HEAT VISION.

LAAFA Illustration & Digital Classes Summer 2010

We have a talented line up of instructors this summer quarter - classes start 7/6/10!

 

We are please that this summer LAAFA has a full line up of entertainment classes for our students.  We are excited to offer these great classes for you.  Take a look at the the full posting version.

Costumed Gesture Quick Sketch

(Starts July 19th - 10wks)

Instructor: Mark McDonnell has instructed at The Animation Academy & The Walt Disney Company
Monday, 7:30pm-10:30pm

Figure Drawing with Emphasis on Action and Form
(Starts July 6th - 10wks)

Instructor: Paul Wee is a character layout artist & assistant director on a little show called The Simpson
Tuesday, 7pm-10pm

Environment Layout Design
(Starts July 21st - 10wks)

Instructor: Robert St. Pierre is working for Walt Disney Feature Animation studios on their soon to be released “Winnie the Pooh” movie.
Wednesday, 7pm-10pm

Digital Figure Painitng (using Photoshop)
(Starts July 15th - 10wks)

Instructor: Alex Ruiz is a freelance concept artist/illustrator whose clients include 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, Radical Comics, Zombie Studios, Virgin Comics, and visual effects houses such as Perspective Studios and S4 Studios.
Thursday, 7pm-10pm

Animal Drawing on Location
(Starts July 17th - 5 or 10wks)

Instructor: Jonathan Kuo is working as a illustrator/designer with Tap Out clothing line and teaching animal drawing. He’s also worked as a visual development artist for Cartoon Network and for other independent films. Jonathan was honored to be mentored by master animal painter Joe Weatherly.
Saturday, 10am-1pm

Drawing Storyboards/Graphic Novels with Light
(Starts Aug. 14th - 5wks)

Instructor: Marcos Mateu is a Visual Development artist at DreamWorks Animation, his film credits include 'The Prince of Egypt' and 'Surf's Up'. His book "Framed Ink, drawing and composition for visual storytellers" is being released this summer.
Saturday, 10am-1pm

Narrative illustration for Entertainment
(Starts July 17th - 5wks)

& Entertainment Composition
(Starts Aug. 21th - 5wks)

Instructor: Bryan Norton was a concept artist for Pandemic Studios for many years creating concept art for the Star Wars Battlefront series as well as Lord of the Rings: Conquest amongst other video games. He is the founder of Las Vegas based Artillory Studios which produces artwork and concept designs for multimedia entertainment projects and is producing his first of three epic graphic novels due out later this year.
Saturday, 2pm-5pm

Figure Drawing: An Analysis of Rhythm and Structure
(Starts July 11th - 10wks)

The exec producer tells us about TBS' first original animated series.