29th Annual Annie Awards This Saturday
ASIFA-Hollywood presents The 29th Annual Annie Awards, honoring excellence in the art of animation...
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All AWN Content
New Additions To AWN's Calendar Of Events
This week's updates to the Calendar of Events include: Devices of Wonder: From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen: Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - Sunday, February 03, 2002, Los Angeles, California USA. An Evening of Diversions: Saturday, November 17, 2001, Los Angeles, California USA . . . York Independent Film Festival: Saturday, February 23 - Sunday, February 24, 2002, York, UK . . . Taos Talking Picture Festival: Thursday, April 11 - Sunday, April 14, 2002, Taos, New Mexico USA.
This Week's Animation Trivia Quiz
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. This week...
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Devices of Wonder: From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen
Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - Sunday, February 03, 2002, Los Angeles, California USA. Through nearly 400 objects from the 17th century to the present, Devices of Wonder explores our long and playful entanglement with the magical technologies and artful instruments that we have placed between our eyes and the world. Centuries before the advent of cyberspace, humans created a host of gadgets to enhance visual perception.
Top Story Man — New Biography!
Is it true that one of the all time greatest story sources of animation films and shorts can be labeled "lonely, sexually confused, vain, anxious and hypochondriacal?" Apparently yes! Will Ryan explains.
An Evening of Diversions
Saturday, November 17, 2001, Los Angeles, California USA. An Evening of Diversions - Featuring intriguing amusements inspired by the Devices of Wonder exhibition, An Evening of Diversions invites audiences to step back in time 100 years, when the new century offered mind-boggling technological advancements. Produced by Community Arts Resources, the evening features cinema's first frames, a magic lantern show and other acts of wonder that amazed the public in 1901. No reservations required. At the J. Paul Getty Museum on Saturday November 17, 6:00 - 9:00 pm.
York Independent Film Festival
Saturday, February 23 - Sunday, February 24, 2002, York, UK. Entry Deadline: Saturday, January 12, 2002. Call for Films! York Independent Film Festival is an annual competitive festival held in York, England. The 2002 festival will be held at the University of York on 23rd and 24th of February, and entries are now being accepted. Deadline for entries is January 12th 2002, and entry is FREE. Awards are to be given in the following categories: Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best Feature, Best Short, Best in Festival.
Taos Talking Picture Festival
Thursday, April 11 - Sunday, April 14, 2002, Taos, New Mexico USA. Entry Deadline: Tuesday, January 15, 2002. Established as an artists' colony more than a century ago, Taos is known for it's eclectic mixture of cultures, traditions & philosophies. It is in this light that festival organizers program over 150 new indie films & videos, incl. features, documentaries, animation, videos & shorts during its four-day event.
That's All, Folks! Cartoon Songs from Merrie Melodies & Looney Tunes
Will Ryan asks illustrator, cartoonist, animator, director Milton Knight about his worldwide artistic influences.
This Week At Animation World Magazine
Each week, Animation World Magazine offers new articles, specialfeatures and theme-based coverage of the art, craft and industry ofanimation...
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Job Opportunities For Animators, Graphic Artists, Producers, Modelers And More
Big Idea Productions is looking for TEMPORARY LIGHTING ARTISTS for three to seven months . . . Venice, California's Cyberploc Studio islooking for a JUNIOR 3D ANIMATOR and a SENIOR 3D ANIMATOR . . . HoChiMinh City's Demen Animation Studio is looking for an ANIMATION AGENT . . . Digital Creations is looking for a FLASH
Women In Animation Starts A Web Gallery.
Women In Animation's Website is experiencing some additions and updates...
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LEAF Web Forum Panelists Announced
AWN's Dan Sarto will be chairing a forum on Web Animation at thisyear's London Effects and Animation Festival (LEAF)...
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Ring Of Fire Takes It Off For Sony Walkman
Ring of Fire provided visual effects for Sony Walkman Personal Audio Products new three-spot campaign via Young & Rubicam/New York. The spots all feature Sonys mascot Plato - a blue-furred extraterrestrial -- interacting with his live-action co-stars. One of the new spots titled "Wrestler" shows athletes in a college locker room weighing in for their upcoming event. Plato is informed that he still needs to lose several pounds. He goes to the sauna with his five-hour Sony Mini Disc Walkman Recorder to sweat off some weight.
Popeye Show Ready For Its Debut
Cartoon Networks previously announced weekly series IM POPEYE, has been renamed THE POPEYE SHOW and is ready for its debut. The network will air weekly half-hour episodes, beginning this Sunday, November 11, 2001 at 1:00 am. Each episode will include three Popeye cartoons that have been restored to their original theatrical state. The show will also present facts and trivia about Popeye and his supporting cast.
Gemini Winners Announced
The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television announced the winners of the 16th Annual Gemini Awards, celebrating excellence in Canadian English-language television. Best Animated Program winner was the Collideascope production OLLIE'S UNDER THE BED ADVENTURES. The series, about a young boy who invents a world under his bed, has been picked up by Teletoon in Canada for an additional 13 half hours (in both English and French), and is being distributed internationally by Decode Entertainment.
Online Gaming Not Yet Profitable For Electronic Arts.
In an attempt to reach a previously announced goal of making its online gaming unit successful by the year 2003, game company Electronic Arts (EA) said it will cut as many as 250 jobs at its EA.com division, reported REUTERS. The cuts represent about 1/3 of EA.coms employees. Electronic Arts employs over 3600 people worldwide and is the number one video game publisher in the U.S. The company is also the exclusive game provider to AOL. EAs first foray into the subscription online gaming arena, the five-episode suspense thriller MAJESTIC, launched online in August 2001.
FOX And ABC – One Big Happy Family?
According to a VARIETY news report, layoffs may be imminent at newly acquired Fox Family Worldwide. The Walt Disney Company recently completed their buy out of Fox Family for a final purchase price of $5.2 billion and the changes have already begun. The companys flagship Fox Family cable channel has been renamed ABC Family and it will be rebranded with an interim ABC Family logo starting this weekend.
Postworks Hires Director For New FX Division
Visual effects and graphic designer Victor Barroso has been named director of the newly created graphics & visual effects division at PostWorks, New York. Victor has spent the last three years as the director of graphics and effects at Flicker fx, the New York-based visual effects/design shop he co-founded in 1998. Prior to that he was director of graphics and effects at Edefx, New York. Victor brings his training as a painter and illustrator to his work and is equally comfortable on Avid Media Illusion, Henry, Hal, Discreet Logics Flame/Inferno systems and Nothing Reals Shake.
Animac 2002 Deadline Extended
Animac 2002, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. Thursday, February 14 - Sunday, February 17, 2002. Entry Deadline: Monday, December 31, 2001.Animac 2002 is a non-competitive animation festival that is a platform for screening the best animation from around the world. Animac has extended their deadline for submissions until December 31, 2001 in order to allow a larger participation. For more information contact Alfred Sesma & Margot Besora: Email: animac@paeria.es; Website: http://www.paeria.es/cultura/animac
I See Virtual People
Interactive media provider Pulse has inked a deal with text-to-speech (TTS) technology provider Rhetorical Systems making Pulse the exclusive North American reseller of Rhetorical Systems' technology for Web-based solutions. Under the agreement, Pulse will integrate Rhetorical Systems' rVoice software and sell interactive media solutions featuring a selection of character and photo-real 3D personalities with automated lip-synching and realistic human speech in both genders and a range of accents and speaking styles. Specific financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Webisode Academy / Lecture Series
Begins: November 7, 2001
Masters of Animation Lecture Series. Open to all - check-in at 6:30pm. Reservations recommended - class size: 25 people max, $20 per person.
November 7 - Gwen Wexler. Topic: Progress & Contributions of The Women in Animation.
November 14 - Dave Brain. Topic: It's All In the Animation Timing!
November 17 - Art Leonardi. Topic: The Pink Panther Days.
November 28 - Iraj Paran. Topic: The Hanna-Barbera Days.
All lectures are from 7-9pm at the Webisode Academy: 12069 Ventura Place, Suite B, Studio City, CA 91604.
Nine And A Half Questions with Milton Knight
Will Ryan asks illustrator, cartoonist, animator, director Milton Knight about his worldwide artistic influences.
CUJO (1983) (***1/2)
I saw this when I was a kid and just re-watched it. It's just as scary as I remember. It's a slow build, but it's totally worth the wait. The moments with the dog are terrifying. The main reason the film works is that anyone can relate to the situation. Everyone has had a mean looking, giant dog bark at them in an angry way. Take that situation and turn it up a million degrees and you get this film.
Donna Trenton (Dee Wallace, E.T.) has moved to a small town in Maine with her husband Vic (Daniel Hugh Kelly, TV's RYAN'S HOPE) and young son Tad (Danny Pintauro, TV's WHO'S THE BOSS?). She dreads her new situation, fearing that her life will be painfully boring. Tad has fears of the bogeyman lurking in his closet. While Vic is away on a business trip, Donna takes her Ford Pinto to the farm of Joe Camber (Ed Lauter, SEABISCUIT) for repairs. However, Joe has already been killed by his rabid dog Cujo. Now Donna and Tad find themselves under siege over a sweltering three-day period trapped in their now inoperable car without food and water.
GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI (2000) (****)
This film has been out for awhile and I've seen it three times already, but after re-watching it again I wanted to make sure that everyone knows how much I love this film. Films this good and original don't come along that often. The term cult film best suits this unusual genre tale of rap and the way of the samurai. Oh, and don't forget the Italian mob.
The film follows Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker, THE CRYING GAME), a hit man, who lives by the ancient code of the samurai. As a teen, the gangster Louie (John Tormey, GAME 6) saved Ghost Dog from some thugs and the African American man has vowed his life to the Italian American mobster. Ghost Dog's best friend, Raymond (Isaach DeBankole, CASINO ROYALE) is an ice cream man, who only speaks French and Ghost Dog only speaks English. The kind-eyed assassin develops a sweet friendship with a young girl named Pearline (Camille Winbush, TV's THE BERNIE MAC SHOW). Ghost Dog is cool, calculated and ingenious when he's doing his work. But he believes in his code of honor to the end, whether it will lead to his death or not.
