Guardians of the Galaxy - Film References Part 1

Guardians of the Galaxy was a nice treat for a busy summer this year. I almost felt like I was watching the original Star Wars for the first time. Nice balance between action and humor. And experience helped me notice quite a few references to other classic movies. These were deliberate tributes, I believe. Such as the classic prison line-up shot:

(All images copyright Marvel/Disney, unless otherwise noted.)

"The Usual Suspects"...

...which comes from classic Film Noir.

(original copyright Bad Hat Harry Productions, Blue Parrot, 
Spelling Films International, Gramercy Pictures, and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment)

Star-Lord, played by Chris Platt, gives us a misfit, wise-guy hero who is still lovable. He's sort of a jerk, but he grows on you the way Han Solo did. Peter Quill/ Star-Lord has the same identity/disrespect issues that Mister Furious (Ben Stiller) had in Mystery Men. His first opponents respond with "You're who?" or the "I don't care” attitude.

The Raiders of the Lost Ark homage didn't register with me. The scene went by too quickly. Star-Lord didn't have too much trouble getting the Orb out of it's force field container, and then he seemed to give up to easily when confronted by Korath The Pursuer.

(copyright Universal)

Neither guy gets the respect he demands. Rodney Dangerfield, look out!

Another movie reference in Guardians gives us the classic "Walk" shot...

Mystery Men had theirs...

(copyright Universal)

Which was a play off of The Magnificent Seven...

(original copyright The Mirisch Company/Alpha Production)

Which in turn was inspired by Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai.

(original copyright Toho Productions)


The bigger theme was the oddball, rag-tag fighters coming together for a common cause. The obvious example was the original Star Wars:

(original copyright 20th Century Fox)

Nothing new under the sun, or the galaxy for that matter.

I don't mean to be critical here, but they may have been trying to squeeze in too much.

In Independence Day we have the giant starship descending on the planet, and the high-tech fighters engaged in a frantic dog fight over the city...

(copyright 20th Century Fox)

 And the similar scenes with Ronan's ship.



The Abyss: Maybe I'm reaching here, but the way Star-Lord rescues Gamora seems like a switch on Ed Harris' Bud Brigman's decision to let his ex-wife Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) deliberately drown in hopes that she can be revived later:

(copyright 20th Century Fox)

In Guardians it's sort of the reverse: Peter Quill/ Star-Lord puts his space helmet/ mask on Gamora to save her life, without regard as to how long he can withstand the lack of air in space.

Korath The Pursuer

Korath The Pursuer

Coming up next: Vin Diesel's Groot as compared to his Iron Giant, alien abduction themes, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and the Dirty Dozen - misfits sent on suicide mission.

Guardians of the Galaxy - original comics

Finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a great, fun action movie. (Just don't try to sit back and think.) I was a little leery of how the Marvel superhero movies tinker, or mostly just steamroller over their original comics' history. But they did do justice to some old childhood friends. Seeing all these heroes and villains was almost like a family reunion.

Wow, where to start? I still have the Marvel Preview 11 Star-Lord graphic novel from 1977.

(copyright Marvel/Disney)

This comic blew me away. Except for his living starship, Star Lord was a loner, driven by angst over his mother's murder by aliens. I had seen the earlier Star-Lord black and white comics, but the art and story turned me off. Chris Claremont and John Byrne must have known the original Star Wars was on the way, so they carved out this jewel for Marvel. In Marvel Preview 11, Star Lord eventually picks up some allies and discovers his real father was the Emperor of the galaxy.

A lot of water has gone under the bridge at Marvel, and Star-Lord has been revamped over the years. He had gone from being a kick-ass cosmic vigilante to becoming a beat up loser. For superhero movies, being part of a team seems to be a big selling point these days. So, Star-Lord gets thrown in with a group of misfits:

Gamora created by Jim Starlin

Originally trained by the master villain Thanos, Gamora is still green, and deadly enough to give even Star-Lord a hard time in a fight. But she is still one of the underdogs, and has a uphill battle all the way.

(copyright Marvel/Disney)

Drax the Destroyer, also created by Jim Starlin

Drax used to have a lot more cosmic power, and he used to be green. In the Captain Marvel comics, he turned out to be more like Thanos' punching bag. In the film, he remains this noble, stoic character, but he keeps getting pulverized by Ronan the Accuser. I wish they could have stayed more faithful to his original look. Fortunately, Jim Starlin got a screen credit for creating Drax, Gamora and Thanos too.

(copyright Marvel/Disney)

Rocket Raccoon created by Bill Mantlo and artist Keith Giffen

(copyright Marvel/Disney)

Rocket used to have other animal pals that had much more lighthearted adventures. I guess the Beatles never complained. I still have this in my parents' attic somewhere.

Which leaves us with Groot, created by Jack Kirby.

(copyright Marvel/Disney)

I thought Groot was something they made up just for the movie, but he turned out to be "real". Talk about making Mulligan's stew with leftovers, but it works. "GotG" may be the biggest hit of the year. Now I'm trying to imagine these characters working together in their original forms. 

But I never got into the original Guardians of the Galaxy comic. This movie is a far cry from the original comic, and I used to get them confused with the Guardians of the Universe from Green Lantern. Some geek I am.

(copyright Marvel/Disney)

Good thing Marvel held on to this copyright. It must be a nerve wracking experience to decide which property will take off and become a box office blockbuster. The alien archer Yondu got quite an overhaul, going from a superhero to an outlaw leader of a group of "ravagers".

* * * * *

 Bring on the Bad Guys. To my knowledge, Ronan and these characters never crossed paths, at least in the "Bronze Age" of comics.

(copyright Marvel/Disney)
 Special guest villain - Ronan the Accuser.

(copyright Marvel/Disney)
Extra special guest villain - Thanos!

Forty years ago, I could not  have imagined movies like this. The special effects technology simply did not exist. And audiences would have laughed... or yawned at actors running around in tights!
But someone had the drive to put out this film. I haven't enjoyed a movie like this in a long time.

Disney Fantasia Ostrich Ballerina meets Wander over Yonder Sylvia

Still trying to get back in my groove after my trip to Canada...

Here's another quick mashup of Wander over Yonder's Sylvia, and the Ostrich Ballerina from Disney's Fantasia. The potential for calamity here must be astronomical. I wonder how long Sylvia would put up with "Mademoiselle Upanova's" haughty attitude...

Probably a whole 2 seconds I would think...

(All artwork copyright Disney Corp., strangely enough.)

Enjoy!

A world without books

Still getting used to a generation of animation students who don't rely on books. While there is a huge amount of material and tutorials online, I wonder how they "index" it all in their minds.

And I don't just mean bookmarking websites. Growing up with books made me learn how to "index" which specific material was in which particular book. My point is, what will they do when they are in a situation where they might be cut off from the web? Of course that might be in the midst of a huge natural disaster. Don't mean to be so gloomy, but what will the human race become?

 "Books? Yes, we have books."

(screenshots from George Pal's Time Machine, copyright 1960 Galaxy Films, Inc. Originally distributed by MGM, now handled by Warner Home Video )

Facebook and your privacy

Found this on Digital Village on KFPK. It seems Mark Zuckerberg has to know your business, even after you have logged out of Facebook. Anything to make an extra buck.

The procedure to keep Facebook off your back is listed here:

http://www.zdnet.com/facebook-turns-user-tracking-bug-into-data-mining-feature-for-advertisers-7000030603/

http://digitalvillage.org/audio/dv14062101.mp3

Did you ever have the feeling you were being watched?

Tove Jansson

I stumbled across a copy of "Who will comfort Toffle" while on an expedition to Hi-De-Ho Comics in Santa Monica last week. I had seen some of the Moomin books before, but it never quite clicked in my head that it was all written and drawn by Tove Jansson.

 

Anyway, there were some interesting characters in Jansson's work, besides the Moomins. Earnest, yet surreal at the same time, Jansson's characters grapple with the mysteries of life, along with the humdrum chores that go with it. And also some very strange neighbors:

 

from

http://www.drawnandquarterly.com/blog/2006_11_01_archive.php

Something about the work made me feel young again, as corny as that sounds. It took me back to when I was little, and all ladies were lovely, mysterious giants.

(all artwork copyright Tove Jansson)

Sorry I didn't find these books sooner. But it made sitting on the 405 with an overheating radiator worth the trip.

www.tovejansson.com

Wander over Yonder - Sylvia

Okay, this will get me in trouble: I gave Wander's dino-horse-friend Sylvia a "makeover", and turned her into a torch song singer. From what I've seen of Sylvia's character, I'm sure she would hate it.
Maybe it's her sister, or a close cousin. For what it's worth, someone on deviantART liked another one of my Sylvia drawings SO much, he gave my makeover a makeover.

http://brandonultimate.deviantart.com/art/Sylvia-the-Zbornak-in-a-one-piece-Swimsuit-441460045

Ain't the internet grand?

(artwork copyright Craig McCracken/Disney Corp.)

Here she is with some slapdash Photoshop coloring. I picture her here singing "What's new"

(With apologies to Craig McCracken and Linda Ronstadt)

Napoleon Dynamite Avengers Mashup

June 3rd 204 California elections-

I know who I'm for...

(Artwork copyright Disney/Marvel; Fox-Searchlight Pictures)

More screwing around with Photoshop; I'm surprised no one hasn't done this before.

With apologies to John Byrne, Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess, and all those fine folks at Disney/Marvel/Younameitweown Corporation.

Update: MY GOOF-Quicksilver's first name is Pietro, not Pedro.

The Snake in the Garden

Don't know how I got this idea, but I wanted a cobra punching through a juicy tomato...

Rough sketch colored in Photoshop.

Net Neutrality‏

I've been trying to educate myself on the net neutrality issue, but I'm not clear on the whole story yet.
It seems that the FCC would allow the large corporations to PAY to have their content go through faster, higher capacity connections, and allow them to slow down "non-profitable" content, or content they don't agree with. Or block it all together.

( my artwork done in Maya, modified in Photoshop)

The large corporations claim that regulations would hold back innovation. I don't see how.

Consumer groups say the big ISP's already have enough advantages, and these tweaks would limit free speech to the average person.

Emails from various consumer advocate and pro labor groups I follow recommend emailing FCC chairman Tom Wheeler and President Obama to keep a "free and open internet".

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-fcc-chairman-revising-net-neutrality-proposal-20140512-story.html

http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-101

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/15/us-usa-internet-neutrality-idUSBREA4C0SF20140515

Sure, we can trust big, unregulated businesses. Right?

http://www.cooperpointjournal.com/2014/04/10/net-neutrality-now/

http://www.techpolicydaily.com/communications/fccs-open-internet-order-cant-ensure-real-net-neutrality/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/31/net-neutrality-petition_n_4702779.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-IOUuIxejA

http://www.thenoisecast.com/2011/09/net-neutrality-rules-challenged-by-net-neutrality-supporters/

The Cleveland Orchestra presents the Cunning Little Vixen

Heard this on NPR this morning: It's good to hear that my old stomping grounds (Cleveland) is keeping up with culture, and taking some risks as well.



Directed by Yuval Sharon, Franz Welser-Most will lead the Cleveland Orchestra in this latest production of Leos Janácek 1924 opera, The Cunning Little Vixen. And rather than have the performers dress up as animals, the production uses animation projected on large screens.

The unusual foundation of this version of opera requires performers to stick their heads through holes in the screens. This will allow them to line their faces up with the animated character bodies. Director Yuval Sharon's idea goes back to the old sideshow photo stands where you could stick your face through a cutout, and you could have your picture taken as a circus strong man, or even a pretty ballerina.

http://www.cleveland.com/musicdance/index.ssf/2014/05/cleveland_orchestra_aiming_hig.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2014/05/16/313165716/the-cunning-little-vixen-pokes-her-head-into-an-animated-forest

From what I can gather, the animation was produced by the L.A. based Walter Robot studios. The art looks like good old hand drawn designs, and hand made models. The art is animated in After Effects.

http://www.walterrobot.com/index.html

I hope this is a success.

The Evolution Of Visual Effects

(Found this on the Animation Guild's blog) 

 http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/ever-evolving.html 

My only beef is they left out George Pal's "Time Machine".

The Iron Giant vs Max from Cats Don't Dance

More screwing around. Darla Dimple has returned, out for revenge! And she has found a growth serum that turned her malevolent man-servant Max into a 50 ft monster. Their plan is to destroy old Hollywood, and the only thing standing up to them is the Iron Giant, and Hogarth Hughes.

Couldn't resist this. Work in progress.

(images copyright Warner Bros.)

With apologies to Mark Dindal and Brad Bird.

Illusion of Life by Cento Lodigiani

I found this link on the Animation Guild blog this morning.
Clean, clear, simple, direct, yet very watchable demo by Cento Lodigiani.
How he brought the 12 principles of animation to life is amazing.

The illusion of life from cento lodigiani on Vimeo.


http://vimeo.com/93206523

Donna Dodson sculptures

A few years ago, I stumbled across Donna Dodson's work while researching female characters. Dodson sculpts supernatural beings that fuse animal spirits with potent, yet gracious female archetypes. Her work also has a subtle sense of humor: These appear to be women of power, and yet the simplified animal heads gives them a mysterious sense of appeal, and even playfulness.

              (Art copyright Donna Dodson, photographer unknown.)

Most of Dodson's figures seemed dressed for important social occasions. They wear long gloves, and the way Dodson works with the natural flow of the wood grain suggests they are wearing sophisticated, well tailored evening gowns. Even though they seem to come from some distant past, their supernatural poise puts them in touch with contemporary style and classic fashions. If they were entering a hotel or restaurant, I would be sure to hold the door open for them.

Dodson's sculptures are also, well, voluptuous. I gather that Dodson's aim is to show that humanity needs to reconnect with nature and sensuality. It's somewhat suggestive yes, but I can see a Joseph Campbell flavor running throughout her work. The sculptures remind me of native American art with just a little Vogue magazine blended in.The bold shapes and stony silence of the pieces may make Dodson's work disturbing to some people. But I think the concept of cultured, powerful, yet vulnerable female beings is what our society needs to pause and reflect. Especially now in our violent and power hungry culture.

http://donnadodsonartist.blogspot.com/

Heartbeat Heartbleed Bug

First XP bites the dust, now this-

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jameslyne/2014/04/08/heartbeat-heartbleed-bug-breaks-worldwide-internet-security-again-and-yahoo/

http://www.businessinsider.com/heartbleed-bug-explainer-2014-4

Addition: Here is a list of sites listed by Steve Dyer, head of Woodbury University's IT department-

1. Google.com: Not vulnerable.

2. Facebook.com: Not vulnerable.

3. YouTube.com: Not vulnerable.

4. Amazon.com: Not vulnerable.

5. Yahoo.com: Was vulnerable. Yahoo Mail was vulnerable to attack but has since announced that it has been patched, along with other main Yahoo sites such as Yahoo Search, Finance, Sports, Flickr and Tumblr.

6. Wikipedia.org: Not vulnerable.

7. LinkedIn.com: No SSL.

8. eBay.com: No SSL.
9. Twitter.com: Not vulnerable.
10. Craigslist.org: Not vulnerable.
11. Bing.com: No SSL.
12. Pinterest.com: Not vulnerable.
13. Blogspot.com: Not vulnerable.
14. Go.com: Not vulnerable.
15. CNN.com: No SSL.
16. Live.com: No SSL.
17. PayPal.com: Not vulnerable.
18. Instagram.com: Not vulnerable.
19. Tumblr.com: Was vulnerable. Tumblr was vulnerable to attack, but Yahoo has since announced that it has been patched.
20. ESPN.go.com: Not vulnerable.
21. WordPress.com: Not vulnerable.

22. Imgur.com: Not vulnerable.

23. HuffingtonPost.com: No SSL.

24. reddit.com: Not vulnerable.

25. MSN.com: No SSL.

The end of Windows XP

Windows XP has been a good trooper, kind of like your first car, or your favorite pair of sneakers. Trouble is, your old car, favorite sneakers and operating system are worn out, and may not be safe to get around in anymore.

Many users here and abroad are still hanging on, and they are trying to stay afloat on a leaky boat.

http://www.zdnet.com/windows-xp-support-ends-survival-tips-to-stay-safe-7000028188/#photo

Others say to move on. At any rate, back up your files, and don't use XP for important online work.

http://mashable.com/2014/04/08/windows-xp-upgrade-or-switch/

I may take my old laptop up to Win 7, maybe that will give it a boost. But that's a rainy day project for later.

Stay safe folks. Good luck to us all.

Rio 2

Some great looking development on "Rio 2"

http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/rio-2-behind-the-scenes/

Digital Village Radio on KPFK

Check out Digital Village on KPFK.

 http://www.digitalvillage.org/

Even though they hardly discuss animation, this show is a good source of info regarding how people and technology can work together.

Ernest and Célestine - Prejudice is Manufactured

Finally saw Ernest and Celestine. I can't say I loved it completely, but it was still a good team production from France, Belgium and Luxembourg. I had been feeling run down from work, but Ernest and Celestine had already left the Valley/LA area. I had to drive down to Long Beach to see it, but it was worth it. The version I caught was in English. Oh yes, spoiler alert for folks who haven't seen it yet.

(Artwork copyright-)

• La Parti Productions
• Les Armateurs
• Maybe Movies
• Mélusine Productions
• StudioCanal

http://ernestetcelestine-lefilm.com/
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/feature-preview-ernest-et-celestine-62824.html
http://cinema.jeuxactu.com/video-conference-de-presse-ernest-et-celestine-9797.htm

In their world, mice fear being eaten by bears. Lauren Bacall  lends her voice to "The Grey One", the elderly matron mouse who runs the orphanage where Celestine lives. "The Grey One" reinforces their fears by telling the mouse children horror stories about the bears. In their initial meeting, Ernest attempts to eat Celestine, but only because Ernest is literally the starving artist. I think. Celestine brings Ernest back in line with a quick smack on the nose, sort of the way Dorothy did with the Cowardly Lion.

My feeling is that their prejudices are manufactured: Bears are portrayed as voracious monsters, and mice are shown to be greedy little parasites that would run amok. This seems to benefit the bears who dominate the surface, but the mice seem to be trapped underground. This obviously gives control to the leaders on both sides, and keeps each population subdued. After being underground all her life, Celestine is struck by the beauty of the surface world after the snow finally melts.

I like the matter of fact way in which one bear father runs a candy store, and his wife runs a "tooth boutique" across the street. Creative destruction is good for business it seems. However, the bear couple forbid their cub from eating candy. They have a little racket going, and they don't want their son being one of their victims. Strangely enough, getting new teeth is just like buying a new flash drive for the bears. Just plugin and go!

The emphasis on the mice children gathering teeth from the bears left me squirming in my chair a bit. The mice need replacement teeth, since chewing and gnawing is the only way to build and maintain their infrastructure. Dentistry is big business, and William H. Macy did a sublimely insidious job as the voice of the head dentist in the English dub. Most mice children are expected to become dentists, since so much of their population spend a lot of time in the chair!

I did like the open line, freehand artwork and the watercolor art style. All the animation was done on Cintiqs with good old Flash. With all the expensive overhead, and dependance on cutting edge technology and software, the production of Ernest and Célestine is a refreshing return to what makes us love animation. They still used current technology, but the story, design, color and character  animation make Ernest et Célestine a nice little gem.

Bob Hope Burbank Airport project 2014

My Woobury University team and I have finished the special animation project for the Bob Hope Burbank airport. We learned a hell of a lot in using displacement maps in After Effects, and the SOuP plugin for Maya. http://www.soup-dev.com/ Non disclosure forms prevent me from going into details. Iwish Icould show it to the public. The Bob Hope Burbank airport staff seemed very pleased. I want to thank my students for their hard work, and pushing their talents to new levels. 

The Bob Hope Burbank Airport project is a very serious industrial type film. It helps the airport staff and rescue crews prepare for any emergency situation. Still, after the pressure of doing this project, I couldn't resist putting in one fun photo.

(Photo copyright LA Times/UCLA Archive, used for editorial purposes only)

http://framework.latimes.com/2011/12/23/bob-hope-entertains-the-troops/#/0

VFX Solidarity at the Oscars 2014

https://www.facebook.com/VfxSolidarityIntl

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-visual-effects-march.html

Update:
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/02/injustice_at_the_oscars_the_controversies_that_hollywood_doesnt_want_you_to_hear_about/

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/oscar-protest-visual-effects-protestors-take-to-streets-1201123929/

VFX Workers protest at Oscars 2014

After the "Life of Pi"/Rhythm and Hues fallout last year, the strife goes on...

http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/oscars-vfx-rally-visual-effects-adapt/

                        ("Modern Times" copyright Roy Export SAS)
http://www.charliechaplin.com/en/contacts/articles/130-Roy-Export-SAS 

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/documentary-2/life-after-pi-documentary-exposes-flawed-vfx-business-model-96579.html

http://entertainment.time.com/2014/02/26/oscars-2014-protest-vfx/

Of course, the police are concerned with any potential outbreaks of violence. As though a bunch of computer art geeks are going to cause another L.A. riot...

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/rally-again.html

Undercutting to get film deals, and maybe due to not developing original properties? And the "big" studios squeezing every penny they can to get those blockbusters...

Space Jam 2 - update

Too much up in the air. No one can confirm if LeBron is in or out. If it means jobs in Los Angeles, that's fine. But there must be a way to give Bugs and Daffy relevant exposure without turning them into second bananas to celebrities who will become quickly outdated.

(My cleanup of Taz for a Kool-Aid commercial, Taz copyright Time/Warner)

Story ideas: Have Bugs take on world hunger, organic foods and factory farming? Put Daffy Duck on Wall Street? (He should have gone there years ago after Chuck Jones turned him into a whiny, greedy, little backstabber). Have Elmer Fudd confront the NRA? The sky's the limit, but remember the grief Brad Bird went through with the Iron Giant.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationscoop/warner-bros-developing-space-jam-2?utm_source=asDaily_newsletter&utm_medium=sailthru_newsletter&utm_term=Blogs%3A%20asDaily%20V2&utm_campaign=Blogs%3A%20Animation%20Scoop%20Daily%202014-02-22

Update:

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/space-jam-sequel-is-in-the-works-96410.html

Space Jam 2

Back in the 1990's, I was still new to animation. My days working at Warner Brothers Classic Animation were some of my happiest and proudest times of my life. (Although some folks there thought I was a naive fool for believing that. That's their problem.)

                     (Foghorn Leghorn copyright Time-Warner)

Here's one of my cleanups of Foghorn Leghorn in a Space Jam uniform. It's actually from a McDonald's TV ad we did at Warner Classics, although I did freelance on the film.

But the news of a Space Jam sequel leaves me with mixed feelings. Will it be hand drawn? Will the work be done in the U.S.? Will it be a dud like Looney Tunes-back in Action? (Although I appreciate the work in LT-BIA. I even sort of like it, especially the scenes on the Warner backlots, and the plot device of Daffy Duck getting "fired" to go on an adventure with Brendon Frasier.)

At the time, I was glad to be working on another animated feature. Then a friend pointed out that a star like Bugs Bunny (yeah, he's a fictitious character) should NEVER play second banana to any live action actor or sports celebrity. After taking her to see a private screening at the Warner lot, she nearly clawed my eyes out. It seems I helped write a big corporate love letter to Micheal Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Oi vey.

I admit, the excitement and hoopla at the time completely carried me away. I wanted to show my devotion to animation, and the success of the project. Live and learn I guess.

Just recently, there was a rumor that LeBron James might be in the sequel. But now the news is he is out already. Being a Cleveland area native, it's even harder these days to root for my home teams, especially after LeBron abandoned the Cavaliers. Hey, it's just business right?

http://www.deadline.com/2014/02/lebron-james-space-jam-sequel-dick-ebersol/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/254411461352100/

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/22/space-jam-2-is-happening?utm_campaign=fbposts&utm_source=facebook

“Life After Pi” Rhythm & Hues

Christina Lee Storm and Scott Leberecht's film about the final days at Rhythm & Hues.

From the trailer, it reminds of "Dream on Silly Dreamer".

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-on-location-20140218,0,7566544.story#axzz2tpIqwyK0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX81NlqWSxU

More here on Facebook -

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hollywood-Ending-Movie/588975024522824

Ric Heitzman at Curve Line Space gallery

Made it to the opening reception back on Saturday, February. 15th to see Ric Heitzman's illustrations at the Curve Line Space gallery in Eagle Rock. Ric is an Emmy award winning designer, and has worked over seven years on painstaking ink drawings of the various palms growing around southern California. His use of fine line work along with brush and washes make each plant a complex design, and into illustrated characters as well.

Ric's work will be on display till March 8th. There was a good turnout at the Curve Line Space gallery, just the right amount of space for this exhibit. (I especially liked the Felix the Cat faces on one palm tree.)

http://www.curvelinespace.com/

Tue-Fri 10-6pm . Sat 12-4pm
323.478.9874 . tim@curvelinespace.com
1577 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90041

Gustavo Duarte graphic novel and comics!

Someone brought in a copy of Gustavo Duarte's graphic novel "Monsters! and Other Stories" to the lab today. All I can say is-watch out Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), Ben Balistreri (Seaweed) and Jeff Smith (Bone)! Bold, yet subtle inking on ironic characters and brilliant visual storytelling without any dialog. Very clever sense of humor.

Little bit of Michel Gagne or even some Vaughn Bode' in there too. Hurry up and get a copy soon!

                           (Artwork copyright Gustavo Duarte)

http://mangabastudios.blog.uol.com.br/

http://comicsalliance.com/dark-horse-gustavo-duarte-monsters-and-other-stories-january-preview/

UPDATE: There is some disturbing (but still cool) imagery in "Monsters! and Other Stories. Just in case the little ones are curious. (Now all the Bart Simpsons will want to see it.)

3d Printer World Expo in Burbank

Got to see some interesting machines; got to get the stereo lithography plugin to work in Maya!

http://www.3dprinterworldexpo.com/

Creating Glass Shatter Effect using Maya nCloth

Very handy tutorial on breaking stuff in Maya! This may save the day for the project Woodbury is animating for the Bob Hope airport in Burbank.

http://www.dreamsin3d.com/glass_tutorial.html

Copyright Azhagu Raj Pandian

Hey, it can't all be doodles and sketches, right? Besides, the Super Bowl isn't holding my attention. Not that I'm a Denver fan, but the game is no fun when when one side gets steamrollered.

Year of the Horse 2014

Happy New Year folks, late again. Spoiler Alert! Obsidian, the Pegasus, meets Herman Bear. I don't know if I'll ever finish this comic, but I'm proud of this splash page.

I didn't want just another horse-guy with a super hero body, so I gave Obsidian a deeper backstory. However, I haven't settled on how he lost his legs, and how he gained his wings. Visually, I think he stands out more, and he's not just another "petting zoo person".

Christmas coffee at Coffee Fix

Well, these sketches didn't turn out the way I had hoped. But I wanted to show my female superhero characters relaxing at the Coffee Fix over on Moorpark and Whitsett.

Coffee Fix is very pleasant, quiet and feels very homey. This is probably because of the old store front it's in.

Cubcake, Boffette and Lady Cobra take a break from Christmas shopping.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/coffee-fix-studio-city?nb=1

O Apóstolo stop motion puppet

Here I am with Executive Producer Isabel Rey Sastre and one of the puppets from O Apóstolo.
This grim little bruiser had a complete mouth with teeth. I think he had a tongue too. Eyebrows, eyelids were pose-able, I wish action figures were this good.

Photo courtesy of Kris Heller. Next time I'm bringing a camera no matter what.
Thanks Kris!
And thanks again to the Academy's Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study for having the screening.

O Apóstolo

Got to see a private screening of the independent stop motion film O Apóstolo in the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy's Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study. Pretty swanky, and I saw a couple of familiar faces at this last minute screening. Good, solid stop motion, and well made, handmade moving graphics for the flashback sequence. Just the thing for a Friday the 13th!

http://www.oscars.org/academy/buildings/pickford.html

"A convict who escapes from jail takes off to a remote village to recover an old loot that was hidden years earlier. But what he finds there instead involves him in a fate much worse than his prison sentence. Sinister old people, odd disappearances, spirits, a strange parish priest, and even the archpriest of Santiago de Compostela meet in a tale full of mystery, humor, and fantasy."

I was impressed by the work, and taken in by the story. Good to see something fresh, and see a film that's not winking at the camera. Suspenseful, and O Apóstolo has some pretty creepy designs. In an effective way I mean. Executive Producer Isabel Rey Sastre was there to present the film, and even let me hold one of the figures.

http://oapostolo.com/

The puppet had an amazing armature made by the Belgium company Pedri Animation. I think it was cast in silicon, and the face and jaw were very malleable for some good, creepy expressions.

Filmed in Spain, and I understand that most of the funding was from crowd sourcing. They were also filming it in stereo-optic for 3D, but the budget would not allow it.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-o-apostolo-review-20131213,0,6372943.story#axzz2ngeFRmHB

http://www.laweekly.com/movies/o-ap-stolo-2297041/

O Apóstolo is up for Oscar consideration. I hope they make it.

Links courtesy of the Animation Guild

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOV7COy5WoA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CksLSnZwAGQ&feature=results_video

Pixar Layoffs

Well, it had to happen. "The Good Dinosaur" is having story trouble, so production people have to be laid off. The corporate model is a another dinosaur indeed. Still, it's not like the old days when we were kept on with a paycheck and could just fiddle with pencil tests. Or read comic books. I never read comics on the job... well, hardly ever.

With the Holidays in progress, I'm being a Scrooge here, I guess.
(Artwork copyright Disney/Pixar.)

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-pixar-layoffs-good-dinosaur-delay-20131122,0,6910438.story#axzz2lVYB8tgd

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/pixar/pixar-lays-off-dozens-of-employees-due-to-good-dinosaur-problems-91376.html

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-12-13/as-frozen-leads-box-office-turmoil-in-animation-land

President Obama visit at Dreamworks

Well, the momentum from Big Money seems unstoppable. The GOP and "tea-party" members will probably howl about "Hollywood liberals", but they all seem to be in Wall Street's hip pocket.

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-visit-demonstration.html

http://www.thewrap.com/obama-visit-dreamworks-animation-protest-visual-effects

http://ktla.com/2013/11/24/obama-visit-will-shut-down-streets-from-beverly-hills-to-glendale/#axzz2lgw9LJQI

Okay, I know I'm being a lunkhead, but my "visual commentary" has to be part of our freedom of speech. I say that President Obama, or any presidential candidate has to put on the "Golden Handcuffs" before he or she can put a hand on that Bible. And then nothing seems to change. The Military, Banks, Wall Street and the Media has an incredible amount of momentum, and it takes time and a horrendous amount of energy to force it to change course. (That's Donkey's silhouette by the way; all art copyright Dreamworks SKG and the U.S. "Gummint")

I'm not against a business or studio succeeding, especially with the distribution issues Dreamworks has had to face. But I still cite Henry Ford when he realized he had to make a product his employees could afford. Movie tickets cost too damn much, and bad writing leaves a lot of animation and visual effects on the digital cutting room floor. With the media monopolies, we are still clubbed over the head by virtual "Pinkerton Men", whether we are out on the sidewalks protesting or not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JLKw0q4kY

UPDATE: This in from Cartoon Brew and Variety

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/will-obama-be-greeted-by-a-sea-of-green-at-dreamworks-91463.html

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/vfx-soldier-daniel-lay-vfx-protest-1200887757/

Hollywood Reporter

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/vfx-workers-stage-protest-dreamworks-660287

UPDATE: I have to admit, it's the first time any President of the United States ever visited an animation studio. Cartoon Brew gave me that little tap on the shoulder. But I don't think it will have any effect on the job situation out here.

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/will-obama-be-greeted-by-a-sea-of-green-at-dreamworks-91463.html

Woodbury Stop Motion demo at CTN Expo

Finally made it to the 2013 CTN Expo. I was still feeling sick, but I still managed to do some basic stop motion animation.

Pow! Boff! Zap! Working out some aggression I guess.

The Woodbury students were great troopers. But I was still out of it, and didn't get their names.

Ric Heitzman set up the stop mo demo, inviting expo goers to try some stop mo. Most people still seem surprised at how much time it takes to produce a few seconds of footage...

R2D2 Death Star Mashup

More mischief - surprised no one has done this yet. No one will hassle this little R2 unit!

(artwork now copyright Disney/Lucas. Apologies to George Lucas, Kenny Baker, and all Star Wars fans everywhere.)

CTN Expo this weekend.

And I've been sick as a dog. Hope I can make it.

http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/events/ctn-animation-expo-returns-to-burbank-this-weekend-90955.html

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned...

Beany and Cecil - Rocky and Bullwinkle Saturday Morning Mashup

Okay, I haven't posted in awhile, and I needed to cause some mischief between Halloween and Thanksgiving: What if the classic Saturday morning teams of Rocky and Bullwinkle had to swap partners with Beany and Cecil? No, not that kind of swap! I was feeling nostalgic again, and wondered how much fun a team-up with Rocky and Cecil, and Beany and Bullwinkle would be in a 60's Saturday Morning Mashup. I've Googled this, and no one else seems to have done it before, so I went for broke.

(Artwork originally copyright of Bill Ward and Jay Scott, plus Bob Clampett!)


We basically still have young, plucky little guys with big, dumb but lovable buddies. Technically, I think it would work. Dishonest John would still get the better of Bullwinkle (until the end). And I'll bet Cecil would love to thrash Boris Badenov.

I did something like this with Johnny Socko and the Iron Giant last year. I think this would be fun:)

UPDATE: Bullwinkle DID team up with Beany Boy briefly on an ad for Thermos lunchboxes. Looks like the mid 1960's to me.

(courtesy of crypt of wrestling)

http://cryptofwrestling.tumblr.com/post/22406007205/in-store-thermos-lunch-box-poster-with-bullwinkle