Monday, April 17, 2006
I spent the weekend editing a set on DVDs of two interviews with Mark Kausler. The first interview was 11/7/2005 at Cal State Fullerton and the second interview was at Laguna College of Art & Design on 3/17/2006.
The Fullerton interview gets into the details of Mark`s career. Mark talks in detail about the Maybellene scene in Heavy Traffic, working story with Joe Ranft on the Baby Herman cartoon that begins Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the change over of Chouinard Art Institute to Cal Arts, professional work at age 14 and much more including why a major studio tried to censor his student film. There is also a screening of some of Mark`s collection of animation.
The Laguna College of Art & Design interview covers animating to the beat, working with music, and then goes into Mark`s critique of LCAD student films, with insights into how Mark thinks and his views on the creative process. Lots of good stuff here for the student.
Mark worked freelance most of his career so Internet Movie DataBase (working mostly from the credits) misses lots of his work. Mark`s career covers all of the second half of the history of animation and he worked with and knew most of the people from the first half of animation history. These DVDs only scratch the surface but does do a little bit to set the record straight.
The first disk is a treasure for the student of animation history and the second disk is very helpful to the animator. I will be giving a copy of both disks to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archives once I get them finished. With any luck you will be able to view them at the archives starting some time next month.
My next project is a DVD of this year`s Afternoon of Remembrance followed by a Fred Ladd interview and last year`s State of the Animation Industry panel from the San Diego Comic Con. Or maybe the other way around.
