Author Archives: brewmasters

“Peter & the Space Between” by Sitji Chou

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Today is a sad day because we’re presenting the tenth and final selection in this year’s Cartoon Brew Student Animation Festival, but it’s a happy day because we’re debuting the excellent Peter and the Space Between by Sitji Chou, a recent graduate of Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Chou’s film–”about a man who tries to understand the futility of creating human connections when they have been impeded by the microcosmic void between material particles”–addresses a difficult topic with artfulness and poignancy. The elongated and sharply angular design of Peter suggests visual distress in a German Expressionist mold, and the experimental effects animation and abstract graphics communicate Peter’s inner thoughts better than any literal character animation could possible do so. The minimalist score and sound design by Raphael Choi hits the right tone and adds another layer of meaning to this thoughtful short.

Comment or read production notes from the filmmaker about Peter & the Space Between on Cartoon Brew TV.

Cartoon Brew’s second annual Student Animation Festival is made possible through the generous support of Titmouse and JibJab.

Titmouse and JibJab

FIRST LOOK: “The Lorax”

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Someone on the Chinese video site Sina posted this work-in-progress trailer for The Lorax from Illumination Entertainment, whose earlier films were Despicable Me and Hop. Some shots are incomplete and unfinished, but it’s worth a look:

The Lorax, which is slated to open March 2nd, 2012, is directed by Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda. It’s the second Seuss adapation for Illumination founder Chris Meledandri, who previously produced Horton Hears a Who! while running 20th Century Fox Animation. Danny DeVito voices the Lorax, and Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms and Betty White provide additional voices.

UPDATE: Universal Pictures has had the trailer removed from the original host site in China. We look forward to the finished version and will post that when it appears online.

UPDATE: Cartoon Brew Festival Guide

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We’ve updated our new one-stop guide for short filmmakers. More international animation festivals and submission deadlines have been added to the list. We’ve also created a section of additional resources with links about posting your short film online and rules for qualifying films for the 2011 Oscar consideration. (Hint: If you want to do the latter, you don’t have much time left.) Bookmark the page because it’s going to grow in the coming months. And if you’re a short filmmaker, let us know what you’d like to see added to the page.

“Sheared” by Nikolas Ilic

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The ninth selection in our Student Animation Festival, Sheared, was created by Nikolas Ilic, a recent graduate of Canada’s Sheridan College. Sheared may be the most traditional animated short in our program this year and we mean that in the best way possible. Hand-drawn, funny and cartoony, there is no denying the superior level of storytelling skill achieved in this mere 90 seconds of twisted, poetic justice. Ilic’s character designs and layouts, though inspired by past masters, look fresh and exciting. There isn’t a wasted frame; it’s a sharply timed and thoroughly delightful visual experience. (Elliot J. Marshall’s original score and sound effects work are equally deserving of praise).

Comment on the film or read production notes from the filmmaker on Cartoon Brew TV.

Cartoon Brew’s second annual Student Animation Festival is made possible through the generous support of Titmouse and JibJab.

Titmouse and JibJab

TONIGHT IN LA: Cartoon Brew Student Animation Festival

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Don’t miss: tonight at 8pm is “Back to School” night at the Cinefamily. That means not only a program of rare industrial films, including a super-rare 35mm presentation of the Eyvind Earle-designed Rhapsody of Steel (with contributions by Maurice Noble, Vic Haboush, and Frank Armitage too!), but also a screening of all ten of the official selections in this year’s Cartoon Brew Student Animation Festival. Get there early because a lot of Jerry’s screenings at the Cinefamily tend to be sell-outs.

Here’s a sampling of four of the rock solid student shorts that you’ll be able to enjoy on the bigscreen tonight:

“Playing For Keeeps” by Dylan Hayes

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Playing For Keeeps comes to us from Dylan Hayes who graduated last spring from the Rhode Island School of Design. The film is both witty and violent, primitive and sophisticated, and through all its strangeness, surprisingly poignant. Hayes uses hand-drawn animation to startling effect, creating a stark, ominous environment with a minimalist drawing style. The motivations of each of the film’s characters is crystal clear, yet the message one takes away is open to viewer interpretation. Perhaps a clue lies in Hayes’s film synopsis, in which he outlines the rules of his world:

Lesson 1. Everyone gambles, not everyone loses.
Lesson 2. The world is full of traps.
Lesson 3. You cannot win if you don’t take risks

Comment on the film or read production notes from the filmmaker on Cartoon Brew TV.

Cartoon Brew’s second annual Student Animation Festival is made possible through the generous support of Titmouse and JibJab.

Titmouse and JibJab

“The Story Of a Nice Girl” by Jean Yi

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The seventh film in our Student Animation Festival, The Story Of A Nice Girl, comes to us from Jean Yi who produced it at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

Yi’s film is an animated therapy session that reflects raw, real feelings in a perfectly charming way. Part of that charm comes from her vocal track which connects the viewer immediately to her story, her conversational performance being powerfully authentic and engaging. Her line drawings are deceptively simple. She draws herself as a simple stick figure, while others are drawn with more heft and personality. She uses color sparingly and for effect: gray lines for action or fantasy creations, pink for her band-aid, full color for her live “hand”. All this adds up to a perfectly satisfying autobiographical short that’s personal, sweet and yeah, dare I say it… nice.

To comment on the film or read notes from the filmmaker, click HERE.

Cartoon Brew’s second annual Student Animation Festival is made possible through the generous support of Titmouse and JibJab.

Titmouse and JibJab

Last Week of Cartoon Brew 2011 Reader Poll

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Survey

We’ve extended the deadline for our 2011 reader poll through this Sunday, August 7. So far, over 2,500 of you have responded. If you read the site, we’d really appreciate if you took a few moments to add your input below.

IMPORTANT: You may take the survey anonymously. However, we are also giving away four $50 Amazon gift certificates. If you would like to be entered into the drawing, include your email address in the last question. We’ll only use the email address to contact you if you are chosen in the drawing. It will not be used for any other purpose.

“The Fisherman” by Ferg Brennan

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The Fisherman, comes to us from Ferg Brennan who produced it at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art Design and Technology in Dublin, Ireland.

The film is an incredible piece of theater, a dark psychological drama with an exquisite monologue performed by Irish actor Diarmuid De Faoite. Brennan’s CG animation fits the narrative perfectly, and his stylized design of the lead character captures the manic despair of the lonely, lower class fisherman. It’s the acting, by both voice actor and animator, that pulls the film together–and (pardon the pun) reels the viewer totally in. The film’s sophistication stands apart with its powerful portrayal of a man facing his own madness.

To comment on the film or read extensive behind-the-scenes notes from the filmaker, click HERE.

Cartoon Brew’s second annual Student Animation Festival is made possible through the generous support of Titmouse and JibJab.

Titmouse and JibJab

TODAY AT TR!CKSTER: Cartoon Brew Student Festival

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Cartoon Brew Student Animation Festival

If you’re in San Diego today, drop by Tr!ckster at 6pm for a screening of Cartoon Brew’s Student Animation Festival. All ten films from our second annual festival (currently in progress) will be presented. The program is only 45 minutes long, but it packs a real punch. Today’s young animators have incredible breadth and depth, which will become evident when you watch all these films together. Best of all, the screening is completely FREE. And after the screening is done, stick around for the one-night only “Tribute to the Films of Akira Kurosawa” gallery show. It’s going to be a great evening!

If you’re at Tr!ckster, share your thoughts on this first-year event. Have you attended the Symposia or figure drawing sessions? How’s the selection of art books? Have you tried the sushi? We want to know!

Cartoon Brew 2011 Reader Poll

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Survey

The last time we ran a reader survey on this site was five years ago. In that time, our traffic has skyrocketed, and we’ve grown from thousands of readers a day to many tens of thousands. Instead of just numbers, we’d like you to tell us more about yourselves.

Please take a few moments to fill out the survey below. Your input is valuable to us for many reasons. We’re getting ready to embark on a redesign of the site and understanding how you use the site and what you’d like to see more of will help us as we move forward. Your input will also help us to find advertisers who are most suited to your interests. Additionally, we’re ijust plain interested in learning more about who reads the site. We’ll compile the results and share some of the highlights with everyone once the survey is complete.

IMPORTANT: You may take the survey anonymously. However, we are also giving away four $50 Amazon gift certificates. If you would like to be entered into the drawing, include your email address in the last question. We’ll only use the email address to contact you if you are chosen in the drawing. It will not be used for any other purpose. Survey will be closed on July 25, 2011.

“Blenderstein!” by Zach Bellissimo

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The fourth film in Cartoon Brew’s Student Animation Festival is a monstrous achievement–quite literally. Blenderstein! by Zach Bellissimo was produced at New York’s School of Visual Arts. The film draws upon an appreciation of classic horror movies and traditional animation principles, but Zach also adds a personal voice that is completely original. There are many highlights–funny character animation, excellent color, superb staging–and the end product looks as professional as any piece of hand-drawn animation being produced today.

To comment on the film or read extensive behind-the-scenes notes from the filmaker, click HERE.

Cartoon Brew’s second annual Student Animation Festival is made possible through the generous support of Titmouse and JibJab.