All Entries in the "International" Category
Ah, Nostalgia! The return of Fraggle Rock.
Many who grew up in India around the same time as I did, in the 80s to be precise, would remember Fraggle Rock. Thank God, Doordarshan showed some wholesome ‘kiddie’ programmes for us who were ‘kiddies’ back then.
The series was created by Jim Henson and featured a cast of Muppet creatures - the Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, a Trash Heap, a Dog and his Human Master. A worldwide hit at that time, the theme was an allegory to the real world where different races co-exist, sometimes oblivious to each other’s existence and interdependence. There was also an animated version of the Fraggle Rock series which lasted only one season, but sadly , those of us in India did not get to see it.
The good news is that Gogo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red , the most popular Fraggles will be reunited in a new live-action musical feature for the big screen. The Jim Henson Co. will produce and TWC will distribute the film which will be directed by Cory Edwards. No dates have been announced as yet, so until then, enjoy this clip of the Fraggle Rock intro from Youtube. And be a kid once again 
Animated Shorts For Animal Planet by Aardman
Must see : Brilliant clay animation series by Aardman for Animal Planet.
Bringing Robots To Life… the ILM way!
I just received an email from Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, which has a center in Hyderabad in India, about a session with ILM Artist - Nigel Sumner, that they are organizing. Though the only details they have provided are the date (11th May), time (2 pm to 5:30 pm) and speaker (Nigel Sumner), once we have more info, it will be uploaded here on the website.
You can register online by going to: lasjedi.com/events Though entry is free, there is limited seating so if you want to attend, you better hurry up!
Nigel Sumner has worked on numerous Hollywood films as Sequence Supervisor and from the poster, I am assuming that he will be talking about his work on the Hollywood VFX-rich film, - Transformers.
To know more about Nigel Sumner, you can read this interview from ILMfan.com (It’s an old interview but it should help you get some idea about the speaker and his past work): Read the interview.
Discovery of the week: “Forget the films, watch the trailers!”
Submarinechannel.com is a very interesting website that I happened to stumble upon…
“Forget the films, Watch the titles”
This site showcases some very well crafted title sequences for films and TV shows. Classified into 4 categories - Animation, Motion Graphics, Mixed Media and 3D, it has some popular film titles (Pink Panther, Juno) as well as some which we haven’t seen before in India. The site was set up in 1997 as an online collection of some of the most brilliant and eye-catching title sequences made for mainstream as well as independent films. On the FAQs on their website, they tell us WHY they are doing this…
“Because we love a good title sequence, because we’re into innovative motion graphics, because we can… Femke Wolting, founder of Submarine Channel, curated a program for the International Film Festival Rotterdam several years ago where she showed a selection of the best title sequence designs. That program was called ‘Forget the Film, Watch the Titles’. SubmarineChannel editor Remco Vlaanderen has been collecting and researching title sequences for several years. We’re quite passionate about the subject! “
Worth viewing for sure! Check it out…
Discovery of the week: AnimationMentor.com’s Free e-book - “Animation Tips & Tricks”
From this week onwards, I will be blogging about one new “Discovery of the Week” that I want to share with all AAA readers.
This week’s special-
The Online Animation School - AnimationMentor.com is giving away a free e-book called “Animation Tips & Tricks” by Shawn Kelly. All you need to do is sign up. The book is the first collection of all the tips and tricks that appear in the Animation Mentor monthly newsletter. Judging by their high standard of teaching and the calibre of the ‘mentors’, the book should be informative and extremely useful for all animation students.
Written in a witty, tongue-in-cheek manner, the book covers a wide range of topics including ’spotlighting expressions’, ‘contrast in pose and timing’ and ‘transitioning your style’. Learn what ‘randomblinkitis’ is. ‘Rise above the snobbery’, ‘impress the recruiters’ and ‘recharge your animation batteries’. If all this has piqued your curiosity, head over to their download page and sign up.
Shawn Kelly is one of the co-founders of AnimationMentor.com. He is also the winner of the 2008 VES award for The Best Single Visual Effect of the Year for his work on Tranformers and he continues to work full-time at Industrial Light & Magic as an animator.
Annecy ‘08 : Focus on India
ASIFA India in association with TASI, CG Tantra, Animation Xpress, All About Animation and NID is proud to collaborate with Annecy to bring forth the Annecy 08 India Focus.
Annecy is an International Animated Film Festival held every year since 1960. It has been showcasing the very best in animation for over 45 years, making it the industry’s leading international competitive festival.
Annecy is a festival where people meet other people and together they share projects, screenings, markets, etc. By putting the focus on one country , the aim is to making the world of animation discover or emphasize on a country where animation is strong, growing, interesting, different or even unknown. Indian animation is surging and it is very crfitical to see what is being produced in India. This years Focus country is India and it will be a great platform to showcase Indian talent in the world space.
A selection of choices films from the Focus country are put together in form of 80 min programs. If possible conferences, exhibitions, meetings and presentations (and even sometimes publishing) are also included.
Submission Categories:
The following are the five main categories available for submission to the competition this year:
1. Student Films
Films made by animation students in further and higher education.
2. Professional Films / Independent Short Films
Films made by professional animators and studios
3. Professional Commercials and Promos
Films made by professional animators and studios, can be Short films, public service messages, Documentaries, etc.
4. Professional Films / Independent Films
Films made by professional animators and studios TV serials, episodic animation, etc.
5. Feature Film Clipping / Sequences
Films made by professional animators and studios
FAQs
Q. What is the Annecy?
A. Annecy is an International Animated Film Festival held every year since 1960. It has been showcasing the very best in animation for over 45 years, making it the industry’s leading international competitive festival.
Q. What is the aim of the Country focus ? India 08
A. Annecy is a festival where people meet other people, and together, they share projects, screenings, markets..etc. In the stream of world animation, the focus aims at making the world of animation discover or emphasize a country where animation is strong, growing, interesting, different, unknown, etc. Indian animation is surging,and it is very crucial and important to see what is being produced in India. This years focus country is India and it will be a great platform to showcase Indian talent in the world space.
Q. How is the country focus program different from the Annecy film competition?
A. The Annecy Film Competition is a contest between films from all over the world which are preselected by independent committees, and awarded by a specific jury.
A focus on a particular country is completely different from this. A selection of choices films from the Focus country are put together in form of 80 min programs. If possible conferences, exhibitions, meetings and presentations (and even sometimes publishing) are also included.
Q. What are the categories of the 80 mins country focus program?
A. The following are the five main categories available for submission:
- Student Short Films
- Professional Short Films
- Professional Commercials and Promos
- Professional TV Series
- Feature film clipping / sequences
Q. How to Submit a Film?
1. Download the Entry Form
2. Add in the information and required data in the form
3. Please Send the completed form along with the DVD and DigiBeta tape of the film to the address mentioned below.
Asifa India,
c/o Rhythm & Hues Studios India Ltd.
Prism Towers, ‘A’ Wing, 3rd Floor,
Mindspace,
Goregaon- Malad Link Road,
Goregaon (W),
Mumbai
India 400062
Ph: +91 22 40034567
Please note it is very important that you complete all the required information to represent your film in the best possible way
Q. When is the last date for sending in entries?
A. 10th March 2008.
If you have any further questions please feel free write to info@asifa.in or feedback@allaboutanimation.com
Lots of news… tie-ups, launches and recruitments!
The last couple of days have seen a lot of activity in the Indian animation industry. Here is a quick summary of all the news in February so far…
Panel Comix launches Happy Days and Little Pandavas Comic.
Hyderabad, 12th Feb. 2008
Panel Animation Studios Pvt. Ltd. launches its comics division Panel Comix, with “Happy Days”, India’s first film based comic and “Little Pandavas - The Beginning”, based on the 90 minutes fully-animated feature film, as its first offerings to the public.
IG Fun & INDIAGAMES to bring the award winning ‘BioShock’ to mobile.
Barcelona, Spain, Mobile World Congress, 12th Feb. 2008
IG Fun LLC, the international publishing arm of Indiagames Ltd, India’s benchmark online and mobile games company; today announced it will bring BioShock, one of the most awarded PC & Console games in the history of gaming, on the mobile platform. IG Fun secured the global rights to develop and publish BioShock for the mobile platform from 2K Games.
DQ Entertainment Limited & Percept Picture Company enter a three animation film co-production MoU.
Chennai, 11th Feb. 2008
Recognizing the potential and acute need for high end animated Indian films in Indian animation industry, DQ Entertainment (DQE) and Percept Picture Company (PPC) proudly announced their 3 animation co-production memorandum of understanding signed recently. The films are slated for 2009-2010 release and will be in the genres - Mythology, Super Hero, Bollywoodish and Animal Kingdom.
Graphiti Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. Launches Recruitment Drive.
Mumbai, 8th Feb. 2008
Graphiti Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. is an original animation content creator. With a vision of becoming a global leader in content creation. Graphiti is expanding it people base in all technical and creative departments. Graphiti is looking for professionals who have the passion to create original ideas and develop them into final animation properties.
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) and Prime Focus form Strategic Alliance.
Mumbai, 5th Feb. 2008
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging and Prime Focus have entered into a strategic alliance that will allow both companies to expand their abilities to offer their state of the art digital post production capabilities to filmmakers on a global scale. The agreement will provide filmmakers around the world with access to the expert talents and services both companies have been providing through their state of the art facilities. It also allows both companies to manage their workflows more efficiently between Warner Bros. MPI in Burbank, and Prime Focus’s facilities throughout multiple locations in India and London as well as in New York, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Los Angeles.
British Animation Awards 2008 - the complete nominee list
The ‘BAA’ or British Animation Awards to be held this year on 13th March, brings together the industry’s most talented and celebrated figures.
The awards, held once every two years, cover all aspects of the UK animation scene, right from student work to commercials, children’s entertainment, short and experimental art films, music videos, new technologies.
The ceremony will be hosted by veteran voice actor Joe Pasquale, who can be heard in 20th Century Fox Animation’s CG adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who!, starring Jim Carrey and Steve Carell.
