Ecstatic City

My animated film Lucille is currently screening as part of Chris Doyle's installation, Ecstatic City, for the Melbourne International Arts Festival, on until the end of the week.

You can step into little "miniplexes", built right over the water outside the National Gallery and check out some works by local filmmakers.

Here's a blurb from the festival website:
"Part temporary architecture and part video projection, Ecstatic City is situated in the moat of the NGV International. Designed as a kind of 'miniplex marina', viewers can explore the site and take in some remarkable and refreshing video works that have been created by some of Australia's great moving image-makers."

Strings

The topic on Illustration Friday this week is strings! Beloved strings!
So, how could i not "cheat" and show a few stills from my animation Lucille (about a girl in a guitar shop)?

I always like seeing other people's process, so here's a few before and after shots, comparing the original rough storyboard to the final animation.







There's something in the immediacy of a rough sketch that sometimes can't be recreated. I like the rocker's face in that last storyboard sketch more than the final shot. It's much more menacing! But I ended up going for a more deadpan look. (It went better with the actor's performance)

Any Melbournians reading this? You can see this animation on the big screen at Fed Square this Thursday (the 16th), with my other film Crooked and all the other films nominated for ATOM awards this year. They're on 7:30 to 9pm, and it's FREE. See you there!

happy weekend! :)

Illustration friday: sugary

Donut on his ciggie break. It's tough to be so sugary all the time.

Animator Spotlight: Adam Bizanski

I first saw the work of stop-motion animator, Adam Bizanski, at Resfest a few years ago.
His video for The Shins' song 'Pink Bullets', is a gentle and heart-breaking tale of love between two paper cows.
The way he infuses so much emotion into their little paper eyes is remarkable.

Bizanski made his first music video while doing his compulsory military service in Israel, finishing it on his breaks at home.
He asked a friend in the US to give his work to The Shins at a New York in-store appearance. Eight months later, he received a call from the lead singer James Mercer, and this lead to the Pink Bullets clip, which he created in his bedroom in Tel-Aviv.
He's since directed videos for Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade and Zero 7.
Go check out his website to see Pink Bullets and more. Now i say!