Fall Review

I wasn’t sure what to expect for the fall term review. The casual vibe of the review was perfect for me. I got a lot more out of the review this way.
The weird part about showing my animation in the screening room, is that I was either sitting in the dark, watching me and Bryson’s animations play over and over, or standing in the hall while people sat silently judging the work. And it also felt a little akward standing there while the people exited. Either way, I felt sort of alienated in that hallway, and I felt torn about where I should be and what I should be doing.

Anyway, as far as the actual review, I should have taken more notes because its difficult to recall the specific content at this point. Off the top of my head, it feels like the discussion was mostly questions directed toward me rather than suggestions or critique, which makes sense considering the early state of my project. It was suggested to me to include the dates and locations of the ads I used for my I Saw Us - to establish that they are based on real postings and to make it feel more authentic and significant. We also discussed submitting my work to different venues to get exposure and a response. One reviewer suggested submitting my work to New Grounds, as well as submitting my work to the publications themselves. The Eugene Weekly discovered my animations without my notification but I havn’t heard from the Mercury. I think its almost better to wait it out and let people discover them…at least until I have more material to present/submit. The artist with the domain eatpes.com was mentioned as something that I ought to check out at which point I was reminded by Ying that I was already familiar with his work - having seen it in her class.
As I mentioned, a large portion of my review was focused on work and opportunities outside of the program. I wrote down a short list of sites where you can submit your resume and let employers find you. We also talked about my internship – one of my reviewers happened to be a senior recruiter for LAIKA. It sounded like LAIKA was in a sort of transitional phase and not in an ideal position for interns, and what might be available was probably more on the commercial side. This led to a discussion over my interest in art and animation and whether or not working in the “machine” was something that suited my aspirations. Id like to make a career out of my passion for art, Ive worked hard to get where I am. But will a full time position in a media company developing someone elses ideas be a drain on my independent artistic pursuits? I think their is still alot I can learn from working for someone else, even if my creative input is minimized. Ive got to make a living somehow, and these are really the only skills that Ive honed/have the potential for the biggest payout. My hope is that if I work hard enough, keep producing, one day something will catch and with any luck I can make a living independently. All and all, I think the most useful information I recieved through the review was not directly related to my project or the BFA, but my life beyond the program.

Earth Day Teaser Trailer and Movie Synopsis

"The first feature from Eugene, Oregon based Faux Show Productions, the horror-comedy Earth Day tells the tale of a group of ex eco-crusaders who find themselves being systematically slaughtered as the one year anniversary of the tragic Earth Day death of their leader, Pixie (Koi O'Eltressiah), approaches. Detective Trent Torrance (Bruce Lundy) suspects only one man: Hassan (Adrian Salge), who grew up in the most extreme terrorist sect in all of Pakistan, only to be expelled for "going under the Burga" and embracing the forbidden art of Women's hair care. Together with Priscilla (Daphne Danger), Pixie's nihilistic twin sister, they strive to prove Hassan's innocence, while trying to avoid her insanely overprotective plastic surgeon father Dr. Percival Peever (Gaylord Walker), and his plastic surgery casualty of an assistant, Lenora (Elizabeth Myers). Coming April 22, 2009!"

Written, Produced, and Directed by Mister Ooh-La-La. Cinematography and Editing by Dustin Dybevik. Starring Daphne Danger, Adrian Salge, Gaylord Walker, and Bruce Lundy. Co-Starring Christopher Anglin, Josef Gordon, Rebecca Teran, Johanna Laemle, Zak Johnson, Koi O'Eltressiah, and Elizabeth Myers as Lenora.

Zed

Completed almost a year ago, finally got around to fixing some audio issues. Check it out.

I Saw You animation blog

The Eugene Weekly found my animations and posted about them on their blog.

http://blogs.eugeneweekly.com/node/914

Process 1: dove parade

Just archiving my process and evolution from idea to product.





thought I might be able to scan inked illustrations for the animation, but realised it didnt work (couldnt get clean scans/photographs) and had to re-illustrate in flash vector. threw some real photographs in as place holders for props and decided that I liked how it looked and went with it for the final animation.

1. Pencil Sketch
2. Inked sketch
3. Vector Illustration

Contemporary Design: Fall Final

My flash presentation for Zara's class.


Design Canon Presentation: Shigeru Miyamoto

Artist Statement: "I Saw You"

Here is my first artist statement attempt for the BFA Terminal Project.


Moonstrider, Portrait Man, The Hunger and Pippy, created prior to this term, are presented as complements to my developing BFA project. Each of the animations showcase different approaches to animation in terms of style, theme, process and execution. The idea of developing a project without the limitation of conforming to a single process, approach or medium preceded the initial conception of my current endeavor.

Dove Parade, and Thanks for all the Snuggle Times, are the first in a series of animated shorts based on public personal ad postings submitted to “I Saw You” and “Missed Connections” forums found in weekly print publications such as The Eugene Weekly and The Portland Mercury, as well as online networking communities such as Craigslist. These forums contain regularly updated short descriptions of sightings and brief encounters which are generally motivated by romantic ambition, missed opportunities, desperation and redemption.

Individual postings generally provide minimal context with which to inform the majority of its readers. They are personal and mostly anonymous, often intended for a specific, limited and unlikely audience, but consumed by a significant portion of the community. Interpreting the postings of these public forums, and translating them into a series of short animated segments, offers an opportunity to engage the peculiarities that modern communication, community and culture provide. Independently, the animations should function as brief, awkward, incidental encounters, but collectively they may provide a broader impression of human relationships and personalities.

My approach to the project entails a loose and open-ended conceptual structure. However, a procedural strategy has begun to emerge that adopts a more subjective approach. For example, every animated posting will be interpreted and executed using different criteria, methods, style, approaches etc. Some will be dealt with using stop motion, others vector, silhouettes, retro computer graphics, or hand drawn, with the possibility of video, print and other mediums. The criteria for developing each animation will directly reflect the tone and/or references within the selected postings, and selections will be based on what I find to be most engaging or offer a compelling potential for an animated interpretation. Since this project is founded on cultural and communal communication, the selections for the animated shorts will come from publications local to the Pacific Northwest throughout the course of my BFA year.