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POSTS FOR “May, 2008“Cartoon Brew's home for up-to-the-minute, unedited announcements and press releases direct from industry sources.
May 13, 2008 10:54 am
Dutch director and animator Fons Schiedon, previously featured on Cartoon Brew and quickly becoming a favorite director of mine, just finished a lovely looking music video for Amsterdam-based band VOICST. Schiedon tells me, “The video was completed in just about five weeks from animatic to final (a schedule that leans towards insanity I must admit), working with basically the same compact team that previously worked with me on the MTV ASIA Mobbed series (2006). Technically, we’re looking at cel-style Flash-animation and Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop/Maya backgrounds in an AfterEffects composite.” The character animation was created by Brazilian studio Birdo. Watch the video and read a ‘making-of’ on Fons’ site. 6 Comments » posted in Music Videos 
May 13, 2008 9:22 am
 Does the fact that cartoon channels like Cartoon Network and Teletoon are no longer interested in airing animation have any relation to the fact that Ice Age director Chris Wedge and Ratatouille director Brad Bird are now directing live-action features. Animation director Mark Mayerson seems to thinks so and his commentary is a thought-provoking read. Here’s what Mayerson has to say about directors like Wedge and Bird who are trying out live-action:
56 Comments » posted in Ideas/Commentary
May 13, 2008 3:00 am
This 1930 article from Popular Mechanics magazine (below) tries to explain the process of recording sound for animated cartoons in pseudo-scientific terms. There are all kinds of interesting and oddball facts bandied about, such as cartoons costing $20,000 per reel, and the artists themselves being able to draw the dialogue soundtrack (Huh??). The images are cool, and one seems to demonstrate an early method of matte photography. In a particularly dated reference the article’s author, in explaining that cartoons are popular all around the world, says, “They appeal alike to the Chinese Coolie and the Alaskan Indian”! Click on thumbnail pages below for larger, readable images. 2 Comments » posted in Classic
May 13, 2008 12:21 am
One of the most rewarding parts of running Cartoon Brew is hearing from artists who are inspired by the items that we post here. Here are letters from two regular readers who have recently completed short animated pieces. The first letter is from Jerry Pyle:
The next letter is from John Brown (aka Jaye Bhee):
8 Comments » posted in Animators, Music Videos
May 12, 2008 7:09 pm
Illustrator Ben Butcher has done an interview with Grain Edit about his illustration process on Lots of Bots, a graphically-striking illustrated book being released this week as a tie-in for Pixar’s Wall-E. 10 Comments » posted in Books
May 12, 2008 1:07 pm
Richard Mitchelson writes in to tell me about a new ad that he animated in Flash for Christian Aid Week. Though created before any of the recent natural disasters, it’s unfortunately very timely at the moment because of the tragedies in Myanmar and China. The spot was directed by 2AM’s PAM (Paul, Anthony, Malcolm), designed by graphic collective Eboy, and composited in Flame by Jason Watts of Finish. I really like this spot; not only is it well animated, but in a commercial world of rapid-fire cutting and dizzying camera angles, it’s refreshing to see a static isometric-shot for an entire 30-second commercial. 2 Comments » posted in Advertising
May 12, 2008 12:12 pm
Lena Grieseke created this 3D “exploration” of Picasso’s famed painting “Guernica.” In the description of the project, Grieseke writes that recreating the work in 3D “provides the unusual opportunity to view the painting from a unique perspective, revealing aspects that would normally stay hidden from the casual viewer.” While experimentation like this is worth applauding, I’d also argue that the 3D adds little to the original. The power of the painting derives largely from Picasso’s nightmarish Cubist-inflected composition, and attempting to ‘deconstruct’ the objects in realistic space diminishes the graphic impact of the original work. Picasso’s work is certainly not off-limits to animated interpretation, but I think such attempts are better served when there is original thought behind the artwork, as in Juan Pablo Etcheverry’s Minotauromaquia, instead of exercises in recreating his artwork literally. 4 Comments » posted in CGI
May 12, 2008 8:40 am
A short but fun interview with Ralph Bakshi appeared in last week’s New York magazine. I particularly enjoyed this exchange between the interviewer and Bakshi:
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