ASIFA-Hollywood: The International Animated Film Society
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Where it is At: San Diego Comic Con
We just got our booth Number for Comic Con, 5473. The far left hand side of the convention center on the front wall next to the entrance. We are still looking for people to work the booth and cover the panels. July 14th. thorugh 17th. larry@agni-animation.com
CLICK: for full size image
We just got our booth Number for Comic Con, 5473. The far left hand side of the convention center on the front wall next to the entrance. We are still looking for people to work the booth and cover the panels. July 14th. thorugh 17th. larry@agni-animation.com
CLICK: for full size image
Friday, June 10, 2005
Pete Doctor told the story of being shocked and pleased that Hayao Miyazaki sat through the English dub of Howl`s moving Castle in New York City. Pete took it as a complement to the English dub. He did entertain the possibility that maybe Miyazaki might have stayed because of a crush on Lauren Bacall.
The story goes that Miyazaki turned bright red at the after party when Ms. Bacall asked him if he was single.
Weather he stayed because he liked the dub or because he liked Lauren Becall makes no difference to me. I liked Howl`s Moving Castle. Like most Miyazaki films I feel I need to see it 4 or 5 more times before I can get a handle on it.
Miyazaki`s work is like good 70`s French Cinema, layered and thought provoking. The film does not stop after you leave the theater. It stays with you in your thoughts as you try to figure out the deeper meanings.
I miss that in film. Americans stopped making that kind of motion picture about the time that Night Moves left the art houses.
Miyazaki makes films (FILMS) that are animated. Everybody else seems to be making animated movies. No matter how entertaining they may be we all know that animated movies in Hollywood are a ghettoized sub-genre of movies and they are all about selling popcorn and DVD`s. And that filmmakers have to fight tooth and nail to get the quality.
Thank the gods for a motion picture environment that lets a filmmaker like Hayao Miyazaki make his films.
Thursday Nigh Press Screening
Howl`s Moving Castle Pre-Screening Panel (English Voice Panel with animation critic Charles Solomon)
Howl`s Moving Castle Pre-Screening Panel (English Voice Panel with animation critic Charles Solomon)
Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Don Hewitt, Charles Solomon, Cindy Hewitt, Ned Lott, Rick Dempsey and Pete Doctor: the English version
Don Hewitt, Charles Solomon, Cindy Hewitt (the Hewitts wrote the English screenplay of Howl`s Moving Castle)
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Animation as a Tool of Understanding?
I haven`t been on these pages for a couple days. I have been working on my animation. Have to steal time from somewhere. Below is a rough low res animation for the title.
The way I am working on this one, the animation seems to have a mind of it`s own. Currently the working title is
I know it sounds like an anthropology dissertation. I should know, anthropology was one of the schools I passed briefly through in my 11 year sojourn as a college student.
The subject mater is turning serious too. I started out just wanting to do a slasher flick with a Barbie Doll and now the film has turned into a serious look into how boys and girls see the same childhood icon with completely different eyes and meaning.
Maybe I will come out of this with an understanding of why my wife and daughter love Barbie and I want to animated her bloody stabbing death?
As Leonard Rothman use to say; you send a fool to college and you get a fool with knowledge.
The way I am working on this one, the animation seems to have a mind of it`s own. Currently the working title is
Gender Perceptions
of Childhood Toys
I know it sounds like an anthropology dissertation. I should know, anthropology was one of the schools I passed briefly through in my 11 year sojourn as a college student.
The subject mater is turning serious too. I started out just wanting to do a slasher flick with a Barbie Doll and now the film has turned into a serious look into how boys and girls see the same childhood icon with completely different eyes and meaning.
Maybe I will come out of this with an understanding of why my wife and daughter love Barbie and I want to animated her bloody stabbing death?
As Leonard Rothman use to say; you send a fool to college and you get a fool with knowledge.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
A TRIBUTE TO DICK HUEMER
Don`t miss this once in a lifetime event:
Fleischer animator; Creator of Scrappy; Disney story artist, Comic
strip creator, etc.
Animation producer and historian Ray Pointer presents a full
retrospective of the career of animator Dick Huemer with special
guest, his son Dr. Richard Huemer, Jr.
Screenings of rare cartoons include Huemer's earliest work in the
silent era, his work with the Max Fleischer and Charles Mintz Studio,
and examples of his career at Disney.
Thursday June 9th - 7pm
THE GLENDALE CENTRAL LIBRARY
222 E. Harvard Street
Glendale, CA
Fleischer animator; Creator of Scrappy; Disney story artist, Comic
strip creator, etc.
Animation producer and historian Ray Pointer presents a full
retrospective of the career of animator Dick Huemer with special
guest, his son Dr. Richard Huemer, Jr.
Screenings of rare cartoons include Huemer's earliest work in the
silent era, his work with the Max Fleischer and Charles Mintz Studio,
and examples of his career at Disney.
Thursday June 9th - 7pm
THE GLENDALE CENTRAL LIBRARY
222 E. Harvard Street
Glendale, CA
Comic Con Schedule
Comic Con is coming at us like freight train. We are looking for volunteers to woman and/or man the ASIFA-Hollywood Booth.
With that in mind I have added a new feature to the blog, a link in the side bare area that takes you straight to our Comic Con combined schedule that lists booth coverage and ASIFA presentations. This will be updated daily right up until Comic Con. Then I will remove it until next year.
If you are going to be at the San Diego Comic Con this year and would like to volunteer for a shift in the ASIFA booth please contact me larry@agni-animation.com
ASIFA Flyers/ASIFA Reps
Speaking of links, David Derks just sent out the link to this month`s ASIFA-Hollywood flyers. This is sent to ASIFA representatives at studios and schools. The representatives then print up copies and hang them in their workplace.
If you would like to join the ranks of ASIFA Reps and keep your peers informed then contact David at David Derks If you just want to see this month`s event flyers a little early then click here flyers
Monday, June 06, 2005
As of 10 minutes ago the RSVP line should be back up
FOR ASIFA MEMBERS
RSVP line for Howl`s Moving Castle (818-295-5213)
Howl`s Moving Castle
Friday, June 24, 2005 - 7:30pm
Harmony Gold Preview House
7655 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, CA
RSVP line for Howl`s Moving Castle (818-295-5213)
Howl`s Moving Castle
Friday, June 24, 2005 - 7:30pm
Harmony Gold Preview House
7655 Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, CA
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Bill Melendez at Gallery Opening
First thing I saw when I entered the Fashion Island Chuck Jones Gallery was a lifesize cut out of Chuck seeming to draw.
First thing I saw when I entered the Fashion Island Chuck Jones Gallery was a lifesize cut out of Chuck seeming to draw.
There was a 2 hour long line of people wanting to have artwork signed. Not the ideal event for someone wanting to talk about animation history but without the money to buy the artwork on the walls.
The Gallery opening was about selling artwork, as well it should be, and they seemed to do very well. I saw a lot of green dots go up on some fine pieces.
In a very smart move they had something priced for everybody (except teachers). Some of the pieces started as low as $180 and went up from there.
The line got held up for a 10 minute interview by the Spanish speaking press. http://www.ocexcelsior.com Not for the first time I wished that I could speak Spanish. Sounded like some cool questions. I wonder if I get at the site through one of the search engines with a translator program if I can figure out what he said?
Catching up on old times. 40 years ago this man lived next to a great animator and Bill use to come to Christmas parties.
Martha introduced me to Bill (she came in today just to say hi to him) and as luck would have it I managed to get about 15 minutes with him while he was on break waiting for his signing hand to rest up.
Someone asked him what Martha did in the business and I got in the story about how Martha ran camera during the war but had her union card pulled as soon as the war was over because only men could belong to the cameramen`s union.
Bill got steaming mad "that is not right" The fire was still there. He wanted to right a 70 year old wrong. This was followed by 15 minutes of talk about the strikes and the picket lines and being drafted. I was in heaven and I have more stories for my history class.
I talked to Linda Jones a bit and she told about her being on the picket line with her father when she was 4 years old.
I had a very good time. There were lots of cool people and some great artwork.
