ASIFA-Hollywood: The International Animated Film Society
Friday, February 04, 2005
Its Friday!!!!
Anyone figure out this blogger thing???
I've got a little story. Well maybe it's not a story but something That should be known to all about ASIFA. A few weeks ago. I walked into a school where the students were studing to be animators. Great group of people. Just watch out for the flasher......Anyways, I met some folks with an ambition to draw and create magic with a pencil or at the push of a button. Even though they were not members, yet?! They volunteered to give ASIFA a helping hand. Not really knowing what they were getting into. But many wanted to help. Larry Loc and myself explained what was going on, and what are goals were. To think they still volunteered! I had mentioned what goes on at some of the ASIFA events. They knew that they would see the best in animation but that was it. Or so they thought!? At the Annie Awards it was like nothing what they had expected, I think?. But when the limo's began to arrive things had changed. Now they had recognized someone, then two, then three. Here we go! Not only were these guys and gals seeing their idols, but they were actually conversing with them. Some held their cool, But in the middle of filming, I get a tap on the shoulder with an appology. But it wasnt a bad thing because he was just so excited on someone he had just seen. That he had gotten all gitty and was besides himself. Kind of like a teenage girl at a Brittany concert. Just kidding , but it sounded good didn't it? It was great! But THATS what it's all about. The dreams of meeting the people that put the smiles on their faces... The film shoot went great. I applaud every one of you for an awsome job done. These Guys and gals are the future of animation. And you know what? I cant wait.
Dave Au
Dawn Fujioka
Patrick Reding
Lesley Hur <----- watch out for this one
Dan Weeks
Khoa Le
Aaron Knight
Richard Chow
Sean Needham
Steve Munoz
Shannon Eisenberg
Alex Caldwel
ASIFA thanks you all dearly
I've got a little story. Well maybe it's not a story but something That should be known to all about ASIFA. A few weeks ago. I walked into a school where the students were studing to be animators. Great group of people. Just watch out for the flasher......Anyways, I met some folks with an ambition to draw and create magic with a pencil or at the push of a button. Even though they were not members, yet?! They volunteered to give ASIFA a helping hand. Not really knowing what they were getting into. But many wanted to help. Larry Loc and myself explained what was going on, and what are goals were. To think they still volunteered! I had mentioned what goes on at some of the ASIFA events. They knew that they would see the best in animation but that was it. Or so they thought!? At the Annie Awards it was like nothing what they had expected, I think?. But when the limo's began to arrive things had changed. Now they had recognized someone, then two, then three. Here we go! Not only were these guys and gals seeing their idols, but they were actually conversing with them. Some held their cool, But in the middle of filming, I get a tap on the shoulder with an appology. But it wasnt a bad thing because he was just so excited on someone he had just seen. That he had gotten all gitty and was besides himself. Kind of like a teenage girl at a Brittany concert. Just kidding , but it sounded good didn't it? It was great! But THATS what it's all about. The dreams of meeting the people that put the smiles on their faces... The film shoot went great. I applaud every one of you for an awsome job done. These Guys and gals are the future of animation. And you know what? I cant wait.
Dave Au
Dawn Fujioka
Patrick Reding
Lesley Hur <----- watch out for this one
Dan Weeks
Khoa Le
Aaron Knight
Richard Chow
Sean Needham
Steve Munoz
Shannon Eisenberg
Alex Caldwel
ASIFA thanks you all dearly
Just A Note Before I Give In to This Cold
This last month has taken its toll on me. There at the end I was just running on will power and adrenaline coming up to the Annies. I know that Gretchen and Annette had more responsibilities but they were not putting as many miles on driving in from Orange County and I had classes and lots of other stuff going on. The flue or a cold or something is moving in.
Just finished my last duty for the week. I talked on the benefits of networking, volunteering, and membership in ASIFA-Hollywood to one of the senior classes over at Laguna College of Art and Design. I have been doing a lot of stuff with them lately. They are just a few miles down the road from me and they have a very nice program.
A number of the Laguna students helped out with the video archive shoot at the Annies this year. Everybody was very please with their attitude and work ethic. The fact that some of the students had already volunteered at a major ASIFA event made my whole dog and pony easier.
All week the video crew had been talking about the people they met, the access that they had to celebrities, the people they got to interview, and the fun they had at the party. All I really needed to do was come in a talk a little bit about the importance of networking for students or anyone else trying to break into animation and they signed up.
I showed a little swag, showed some screening invites, opened up my card file and showed some of the people on my contact list without giving away their numbers. ASIFA has been very good for me. I`m excited about the work we do. I`m a teacher, I know when my message gets across. Everybody in the room signed up for ASIFA. I`ve never had that happen before.
Students writing checks, something that does a teacher`s heart good. Everybody joined ASIFA
Got home to a nice note from Martha and Sol Sigall with some photos. She said she had a great time at the Annies even if none of her favorites won.
Jerry Beck, Martha Sigall, & Larry Loc (wearing the tie that Sol gave me - DeMille Barn) Photo by Sol
Now that the Annies are over I can finally talk about my favorites. I too was hoping that Mark Kausler`s It`s the Cat would win. It was hand drawn on cells with 15 years of love, that gave it an edge with me. I thought that every short that was up was very deserving, I loved Lorenzo. It was a great story with a whimsical execution, great music and a great look. It was very close in my voting.
But the 2-D look and feel of the real cell animation of It`s the Cat is so refreshing. It is so good to see that again. It was like a full meal after being hungry for a long, long time. But I can completely understand Lorenzo winner as I could have for Ryan and Rockfish and Agricultural Report. They were all good. Tough year for picking shorts.
That`s it for me. Lots of sleep and orange juice and whatever else is cool for feeling like you want to crawl under a rock. Hope Ed takes up the slack while I am sleeping.
Just finished my last duty for the week. I talked on the benefits of networking, volunteering, and membership in ASIFA-Hollywood to one of the senior classes over at Laguna College of Art and Design. I have been doing a lot of stuff with them lately. They are just a few miles down the road from me and they have a very nice program.
A number of the Laguna students helped out with the video archive shoot at the Annies this year. Everybody was very please with their attitude and work ethic. The fact that some of the students had already volunteered at a major ASIFA event made my whole dog and pony easier.
All week the video crew had been talking about the people they met, the access that they had to celebrities, the people they got to interview, and the fun they had at the party. All I really needed to do was come in a talk a little bit about the importance of networking for students or anyone else trying to break into animation and they signed up.
I showed a little swag, showed some screening invites, opened up my card file and showed some of the people on my contact list without giving away their numbers. ASIFA has been very good for me. I`m excited about the work we do. I`m a teacher, I know when my message gets across. Everybody in the room signed up for ASIFA. I`ve never had that happen before.
Students writing checks, something that does a teacher`s heart good. Everybody joined ASIFA
Got home to a nice note from Martha and Sol Sigall with some photos. She said she had a great time at the Annies even if none of her favorites won.
Jerry Beck, Martha Sigall, & Larry Loc (wearing the tie that Sol gave me - DeMille Barn) Photo by Sol
Now that the Annies are over I can finally talk about my favorites. I too was hoping that Mark Kausler`s It`s the Cat would win. It was hand drawn on cells with 15 years of love, that gave it an edge with me. I thought that every short that was up was very deserving, I loved Lorenzo. It was a great story with a whimsical execution, great music and a great look. It was very close in my voting.
But the 2-D look and feel of the real cell animation of It`s the Cat is so refreshing. It is so good to see that again. It was like a full meal after being hungry for a long, long time. But I can completely understand Lorenzo winner as I could have for Ryan and Rockfish and Agricultural Report. They were all good. Tough year for picking shorts.
That`s it for me. Lots of sleep and orange juice and whatever else is cool for feeling like you want to crawl under a rock. Hope Ed takes up the slack while I am sleeping.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
lets hope this works
Hi folks ,
Groovy I'm up and running.
I just wanted to say thanks to ASIFA for all they have done to make the animation industry stay near to our hearts. I look forward to being a big part of ASIFA this year. But this is why ASIFA is so great! Let me explain. I've been a member for over a year now. Since day one the orginazation has opened their arms to me and everyone else around me. I have learned so much by being a part of this group. (the freebeeies don't hurt either!) I wouldn't trade it for the world. The people that I have met. The people I have seen. And especially the people I will meet. Many that I have met just this past weekend. Wow! Still taking that all in! This is just the beginning! For all of those that are here for the first time to "check things out" Take a look at the laughs that have been put on our faces, young and old. This is the heart of all of our smiles. Where we all come together and smile. Tell your freinds about ASIFA. Its people like yourself that make these things come true. help us preserve the past, the present, and the future. Because we might be trying to preserve your work someday. You'd be surprised how far a little pixie dust can go......
Groovy I'm up and running.
I just wanted to say thanks to ASIFA for all they have done to make the animation industry stay near to our hearts. I look forward to being a big part of ASIFA this year. But this is why ASIFA is so great! Let me explain. I've been a member for over a year now. Since day one the orginazation has opened their arms to me and everyone else around me. I have learned so much by being a part of this group. (the freebeeies don't hurt either!) I wouldn't trade it for the world. The people that I have met. The people I have seen. And especially the people I will meet. Many that I have met just this past weekend. Wow! Still taking that all in! This is just the beginning! For all of those that are here for the first time to "check things out" Take a look at the laughs that have been put on our faces, young and old. This is the heart of all of our smiles. Where we all come together and smile. Tell your freinds about ASIFA. Its people like yourself that make these things come true. help us preserve the past, the present, and the future. Because we might be trying to preserve your work someday. You'd be surprised how far a little pixie dust can go......
Wrap Up
Last night was the ASIFA board meeting where we did the post on the Annies. It was all in all a very good event. Today I had to catch up on stuff for my classes that have been hanging while I work on the Annies. I can`t demand that my students meet deadline if I can`t, so I did.
Tomorrow is another ASIFA school program for me. This one is at Laguna College of Art and Design. I already know a lot of the students because these were the heroes that helped with the archive video shoot for this year`s Annies. Thank you guys. You guys were tops.
Ed Gonzalez, the director of this year`s Annie shoot is going to be joining us as a regular contributor here on the ASIFA blog. Ed lives and works out of San Diego with a lot of trips into LA. He should have a different insight from the other LA animation warriors. Welcome aboard Ed. And thanks for the great work at the Annies and the editing to come.
Tomorrow is another ASIFA school program for me. This one is at Laguna College of Art and Design. I already know a lot of the students because these were the heroes that helped with the archive video shoot for this year`s Annies. Thank you guys. You guys were tops.
Ed Gonzalez, the director of this year`s Annie shoot is going to be joining us as a regular contributor here on the ASIFA blog. Ed lives and works out of San Diego with a lot of trips into LA. He should have a different insight from the other LA animation warriors. Welcome aboard Ed. And thanks for the great work at the Annies and the editing to come.
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Go Ask Alice
I talked to Virginia Davis, the first Disney star, for about 20 minutes before the Annies. I then talked to her on and off throughout the night. As an animation history freak with a real jones for the silent years I was in heaven.
I found out how she got pushed out of the Alice comedies. Charles Mintz cut the budget on the Disney cartoons maybe as part of his campaign to take over the Disney studio.
Then I found out just who owned the car that Ub Iwerks and his mother drove out to Hollywood. Leslie Iwerks tells in her book and documentary that grandfather and great grandmother drove a borrowed car from Kansas City to Hollywood. The car, it turns out, was the property of the father of Virginia Davis.
That makes sense, because Walt had already talked the Davis family into moving to Hollywood. Margaret Winkler wouldn`t buy the Alice comedies without Virginia in the lead roll. Walt`s next goal was to talk Ub into moving to Hollywood because Winkler also wanted the same level of quality as the demo reel, Alice in Wonderland. And without Ub that wasn`t going to happen.
Virginia`s father had to leave a car behind when they drove out to Hollywood and this was the car that Ub and his mother used to made their trip. This may not mean much to you but it means a lot to me. It is another piece of the puzzle that fits nicely into the silent era.
I found out how she got pushed out of the Alice comedies. Charles Mintz cut the budget on the Disney cartoons maybe as part of his campaign to take over the Disney studio.
Then I found out just who owned the car that Ub Iwerks and his mother drove out to Hollywood. Leslie Iwerks tells in her book and documentary that grandfather and great grandmother drove a borrowed car from Kansas City to Hollywood. The car, it turns out, was the property of the father of Virginia Davis.
That makes sense, because Walt had already talked the Davis family into moving to Hollywood. Margaret Winkler wouldn`t buy the Alice comedies without Virginia in the lead roll. Walt`s next goal was to talk Ub into moving to Hollywood because Winkler also wanted the same level of quality as the demo reel, Alice in Wonderland. And without Ub that wasn`t going to happen.
Virginia`s father had to leave a car behind when they drove out to Hollywood and this was the car that Ub and his mother used to made their trip. This may not mean much to you but it means a lot to me. It is another piece of the puzzle that fits nicely into the silent era.
A Word of Thanks
I know that the Annie Awards have been much on our minds and blog as of late but I would like to go back to the day before the Annie Awards and talk about the Afternoon of Remembrance. I want to talk about the speech by Mark Pudleiner. But this is not really just about Mark or his wife Shannon Scudder-Pudleiner who we honored last Saturday, it is about the reason that Mark came to the Afternoon of Remembrance, it is about the Animation Community, the Animation family.
Shannon died of cancer in June leaving her husband and small children. It had to be hard for Mark to come and talk to us about this open wound but it was obvious from his first word that he was there for a reason, he needed to be there to thank the people in his animation family for all of their support during his ordeal.
Mark is a Disney animator and Shannon was an editor before they had children. During Shannon`s illness Mark`s fellow employees, many of them facing layoffs, donated 75 vacation and sick days to Mark so that he could be with his wife and family. The higher ups at Disney arranged to move computer equipment into his home (an unheard of thing in the studios) and hooked him up to the network so that he could work from home and be with his wife and sons. His boss told him not to worry, to just take care of his home life. His animation family made it possible.
Mark was overwhelmed by this kindness of his animation family, and quit frankly so am I. But I wasn`t surprised. I feel honored to be about to pass on Mark`s thanks to his follow members in the animation community.
Shannon died of cancer in June leaving her husband and small children. It had to be hard for Mark to come and talk to us about this open wound but it was obvious from his first word that he was there for a reason, he needed to be there to thank the people in his animation family for all of their support during his ordeal.
Mark is a Disney animator and Shannon was an editor before they had children. During Shannon`s illness Mark`s fellow employees, many of them facing layoffs, donated 75 vacation and sick days to Mark so that he could be with his wife and family. The higher ups at Disney arranged to move computer equipment into his home (an unheard of thing in the studios) and hooked him up to the network so that he could work from home and be with his wife and sons. His boss told him not to worry, to just take care of his home life. His animation family made it possible.
Mark was overwhelmed by this kindness of his animation family, and quit frankly so am I. But I wasn`t surprised. I feel honored to be about to pass on Mark`s thanks to his follow members in the animation community.
Monday, January 31, 2005
The Incredibles - Pixar Animation Studios - Best Animated Feature
2005 Annie Awards 
The Annie Winners List
The Annie Winners List
2005 Annie Awards / Annette O`Neil, one of the people behind the scenes that ran the show and made everything happen. Thank you Annette.
Certificates of Merit
2005 Annie Awards / Antran gives out certificates
DreamWorks Animation SKG (for always being there and always willing to help)
Sivert Glarum (for going to bat and saving a piece of animaiton history)
DreamWorks Animation SKG (for always being there and always willing to help)
Sivert Glarum (for going to bat and saving a piece of animaiton history)
2005 Annie Awards / Virgina Davis - Remeber, it all started with this little girl / this great lady. The highlight of this year`s Annies for me was the chance to spend about 20 minutes talking to the girl that started it all. Alice for Cartoonland.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
What Am I Doing Up At This Hour? (not to mention the 3 before)
I dreamed last night that I was on that boat to heaven. No, not really. I dreamed that I was the lawyer for Ed Gonzalez who was in court for breach of cell phone contract. I had just come up with a great defense when I woke up to remember that the forms for the video crew that had made their way from our lawyer to Antran had not made their way from Antran or our lawyer to me. Time to pull out my copy of Understanding Animation Contracts and do some serious cribbing.
All is done and all, I hope, is remembered for today`s Annies. Time for a bath for me, but you don`t need to hear about that.
Speaking of remembering, the son of Frank Thomas spoke about his father yesterday, he told one story about his father that I liked very much.
Frank called Disney H.R. to tell them when he wanted to take 2 weeks of vacation. The H.R. person told him that he could not take vacation because his H.R. folder was full and there was no more room to write the vacation information into his record.
Frank told the Anile Retentive that it sounded like they had a real problem because he was taking his vacation. He then hung up the phone a little forcefully.
Sometime it is a delicate dance between the creative and the legalistic and sometimes one or both of the partners are wearing steel toed work boots with a bag over their head and sometimes, like today, the e-mail chain of communications just does not flow correctly. We do what we have to when we have to and we all dance on.
All is done and all, I hope, is remembered for today`s Annies. Time for a bath for me, but you don`t need to hear about that.
Speaking of remembering, the son of Frank Thomas spoke about his father yesterday, he told one story about his father that I liked very much.
Frank called Disney H.R. to tell them when he wanted to take 2 weeks of vacation. The H.R. person told him that he could not take vacation because his H.R. folder was full and there was no more room to write the vacation information into his record.
Frank told the Anile Retentive that it sounded like they had a real problem because he was taking his vacation. He then hung up the phone a little forcefully.
Sometime it is a delicate dance between the creative and the legalistic and sometimes one or both of the partners are wearing steel toed work boots with a bag over their head and sometimes, like today, the e-mail chain of communications just does not flow correctly. We do what we have to when we have to and we all dance on.
