Funny shortfilm
Posted on April 9, 2008
Although this is not animated, it is a really funny (and sad at the same time!) short created by some guys that work in the industry. I’m sure most of you can relate.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPflLGEHUAI]
Horton and the Whos
Posted on March 19, 2008
After watching Horton Hears a Who, I’ve got to say that Blue Sky really did a wonderful job. The lighting, story, models, shading, animation, all of it was top notch. I was especially impressed by the rigs and what they are capable of.
They’ve definitely raised the standard on what is capable with a cartoony CG rig. The deformations were amazing and the animators used them very well. I’m hopeful that some papers will be released, or some secrets will be revealed so that we can learn more about the process that they used. Simply amazing.
Go see the movie once just for fun, and the second time pay attention to the technical achievements. Such a great job. Impressive stuff.
Directing Actors for Animated Films
Posted on March 16, 2008
There is an interesting article that was written for the LA Times. In a somewhat surprising read, Carol Burnett, Steve Carell, and Jim Carrey talk about the difficulties working on the newly released CG film Horton Hears a Who. Usually actors have nothing but good fluff to say about whatever projects they just came off of. Although they didn’t exactly tear anyone a new one. I was a little caught off guard. Awesome!
For those of you not familiar with how voice recording sessions go for animated shows, they generally take an actor and throw them in front of a microphone by themselves and are told to read some lines. There is generally little or no interaction with other actors. Just them, the director and his team.
This a flawed system. Actors feed off of each other to make great performances. The Sony Pictures Animation film Surf’s Up did it the right way. They put the actors together and allowed them to play off of each other. The results were most impressive and gave a more naturalistic delivery, in my opinion. I realize the value in having them singled out and performing on their own, but I really wish the system was changed.
Here is how I would do it. Put the two or more actors in a room with their own microphone. Separate them enough so that you can easily single out recordings from each person. Tell them to read the script a couple of times a few different ways and then allow them to shoot from the hip with some adlib. You can even put each actor in their own booth if need be. As long as they can see eachother and work off one another it will pay off in the end.
This is what the actors are familiar with, why take a fish out of water?
Where you can go to see the film.
Posted on March 6, 2008
If you weren’t aware, you can click a link on the right side to see the upcoming screenings. However, if you are too busy to do that, you can just read the following list that takes us through May (Edited to include Newport Beach):
| Cleveland International | March 6-16th, 2008 | Cleveland, OH | |
| Crossroads Film Festival | April 3-6th, 2008 | Jackson, MS | |
| Sonoma Film Festival | April 9-13th, 2008 | Sonoma, CA | |
| Newport Beach Film Festival | April 24th-May 1st, 2008 | Newport Beach, CA | |
| Santa Cruz Film Fest | May 9-17th, 2008 | Santa Cruz, CA |
What to do with this blog?
Posted on March 6, 2008
This blog was originally setup as a place to read what was going on with my short Till Death Do Us Part. However, ever since the film was completed, there hasn’t been a whole lot to write about. I mean, how often can I say that I sent out submissions to festivals or write about festivals that accepted or didn’t accept the film (Btw- TDDUP was just accepted at Cross Roads Film Fest and Newport Beach Film Fest)?
Maybe I should just write about animation in general. Things that other people are working on? Maybe. I’m not sure. Perhaps I should give it a try. Stay tooned.
-
About
This page is where you can find out more about Director/Animator Rick May and his projects. My latest film "Till Death Do Us Part" has just about wound down on making the festival rounds (say that 5 times fast). If you'd like to know more about me, please click the appropriately titled 'About Me' link on the top of each page.
-
Links
-
Places to go
-
Recent Posts
-
Categories
