Press Start: March 2008 -- Love What You Play
In this month's "Press Start," Peter "The Rizk" Rizkalla checks out Devil May Cry 4, The Club, Geometry Wars: Galaxies and Battalion Wars 2. [Insert Funny Line Here]
Giving a Whoot About 'Horton'
Russell Bekins talks to the creators of Horton Hears a Who! about adaptation, proprietary algorithms, and the latest Who-ville fashions (with commentary by the Grinch).
Going To See the Elephant: How Dave Torres Brought Horton to Life
Craig Clark talks to lead animator David Torres about the joys and challenges of creating the lead character in Blue Sky's Horton Hears a Who!
Dr. Toon: A Tale Told By Idiots
In this retrospective edition of "Dr. Toon," Martin Goodman revisits a couple of idiots named Beavis and Butt-head.
The Making of 'The New Frontier'
Andrew Farago talks to series creator Darwyn Cooke and Voice Director Andrea Romano about the creation of the new Justice League feature.
Career Coach: Persistence of Vision
In this months Career Coach, Pamela Kleibrink Thompson reminds us of the importance of following our dreams.
The Wonders of WonderCon
In between moderating panels and hosting fundraisers, the intrepid Andrew Farago reports on this year's San Francisco event.
'Iron Man's' Jon Favreau Speaks
Tara DiLullo Bennett tackles the Super Bowl spots once again, this time speaking with Filmworkers Club, Framestore NY, the Mill, ka-chew! and Method.
Looking Back and Forward: A Chat with David Glanzer
Andrew Farago makes his debut as the new Fresh from the Festivals reviewer with five short films: Isabelle au bois dormant (Sleeping Betty) by Claude Cloutier, Jeu by Georges Schwizgebel, Madame Tutli-Putli directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, Me les pigeons vont au paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven) by Samuel Tourneux and The Pearce Sisters by Luis Cook.
The Animated Politics of 'Chicago 10'
Joe Strike talks with Chicago 10 director Brett Morgan about his mash-up documentary on a watershed event of the 1960s.
Pitching and Catching at KidScreen
Adam Snyder reports from (and crashes workshops at) the 2008 KidScreen Summit, where childrens entertainment is king.
Toy Connection: Virtual Worlds Meet Actual Toys at 2008 Fair
Karen Raugust reports from Toy Fair 2008, where toys linked to animated online virtual worlds were a notable trend.
Nancy Cartwright Chats with Jeff Snow
In this edition of her bimonthly column, Nancy Cartwright interviews animation veteran and Annie nominee Jeff Snow, who currently runs a training program at DreamWorks.
After the Minstrels Left Town
In celebration of Black History Month, Martin Goodman chronicles the rise of positive representations of African-Americans in animated shows.
Fresh from the Festivals: February 2008’s Reviews
Andrew Farago makes his debut as the new Fresh from the Festivals reviewer with five short films: Isabelle au bois dormant (Sleeping Betty) by Claude Cloutier, Jeu by Georges Schwizgebel, Madame Tutli-Putli directed by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, Me les pigeons vont au paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven) by Samuel Tourneux and The Pearce Sisters by Luis Cook.
Drawing Their Own Map: The Latino Animation Industry
Mary Castillo takes a close look at the groundbreaking creators of Latino animated series now appearing on your TV screen.
Press Start: February 2008 -- No Need for Intervention
For the February 2008 edition of "Press Start," Peter "The Rizk" Rizkalla makes his thumbs sore playing Portal, Burnout Paradise, NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, No More Heroes and Buzz! The Mega Quiz.
NATPE: The 'T' is Expanding
NATPE (National Association of Television Programming Executives) has been the marketplace for the trading of television shows to domestic and international outlets since May of 1962. The evolution of NATPE has been put into high speed in the last several years in order to establish a new direction.
The Financial Syndication Act of 1994 deflated the syndication market, which was NATPE's prime function. NATPE brought television stations, station groups, networks and producers together to fill those local access times with unique and popular programming. Oprah, Dr. Phil, Jeopardy and Judge Judy can thank today's version of syndication for their success. But prior to 1994, animation was a huge seller and reigned equally next to live action at NATPE. Stations bought up anything new and unique for their kid audience, knowing Mattel, Hasbro and General Foods would follow with lucrative ad dollars for the local market.
Sundance Film Festival: Spotlight on Animation
Mary Ann Skweres focuses the spotlight on the animation that appeared at the Sundance Film Festival.
Career Coach: Leap Year Thoughts about Time
Pamela Kleibrink Thompson, in this month's "Career Coach" column, offers some suggestions for how to spend your extra day in 2008.
Slamdance: 'Bush vs. Bin Laden' and 'Blood Will Tell...' and More
Mary Ann Skweres highlights some of the top of the crop of animated shorts from this year's Slamdance Film Festival.
Slamdance -- Best Animated Short: 'Blood Will Tell'
Director Andrew McPhillips took home the Slamdance Grand Jury Award and a $2,500 Credit at Filmworks/FX for his animated short film Blood Will Tell (2007, 6 min, Canada), which incorporates 3D computer animation, 2D matte painting and live action with music written and performed by Sigur Ros, to tell the story set in 16th-century Holland of a mysterious visitor who attempts to hide from death in a dark, mosquito-infested well.
McPhillips started working on Blood Will Tell when he was at PDI. "I started doing some painting, because I paint a lot," McPhillips says. "I ended up telling what...
Dr. Toon: 'Persepolis' Who?
In a rare, good old-fashioned rant, Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman takes to task the distribution of indie animation, which makes NYC and L.A. happy, but leaves the majority of the country asking -- Persepolis who?