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A long long time ago, during the first project we did in the second year, Alan Mason shared some of his legendary wisdom with me: "if you think that something is boring, it probably is". Now I find myself spicing up every little scene I work on, crazy camera movements or other insanities. It's his fault, if anyone wonders. All his fault. If not his support, who know what kind of crap films I'd be making now.

Few news:

My "train" film in intense work in progress, fell behind the schedule so badly that it may go on my big ego :)

It's all looking great, that's a positive, but taking well long. Well, that's probably what you get when you're making an 8 minutes long animation on your own.

In the meantime, I think I mentioned that before, I've been collaborating with Live Circus on new BearBones' video for their single "Diving Bell". It's been good fun, new experience, greenscreen and puppeteering mice. For an animator, it was great to get to go outside my dark closet, see real people. The premiere's planned some time in October, somewhere in the Emerald City of Glasgow.

Also, apparently-hopefully the film I made a year ago ("but it makes me happy") is gonna be screened as a short before two anime features as a part of "Scotland Loves Anime" festival (2nd weekend of October Glasgow Film Theatre and the 3rd weekend Edinburgh Filmhouse). Cool, ay?

Above all that, I have just started my final year at Edinburgh College of Art (eventually managed to get that far, yes, I can't believe it either), they've been bugging me with some dissertations and graduation films to make, or something of this ridiculous sort… such a drag to be honest, but I'll need to give it a thought some time soon.

So yeah, all sparkling and shining.

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'the present is only intelligible in the light of the past'

'pin the pegbar on the animator' - postmodern collage: A. Mason & D. Holwill by N. Gibson, 2009. 'so playful'

Donald Holwill - the wizard, the head of the animation department at Edinburgh College of Art. the head of animation. on the second year we developed the theory that he really is a ghost, the great puppet master behind the shell of a body we encounter in animation department. and he shall be there immortal.

Donald Holwill is definitely a wizard, i am attending a school tutored by real wizards! i mean, i always knew eca animation was special, but i wouldn't expect that (i wouldn't expect it cos i would never think of it. and that's my arrogance at its best).
i may tell you why at some point, but not just yet. and i'm not sure if the great wizard himself would like it if i did.


these are few of many reasons why animation at eca is the best place to be.
(the main reason is obviously - because i am attending there)

this post may not make much sense.

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i don't have the thing for any new film recently. looking through many stories, some of them may be good if i give them more thought, but it just doesn't grasp me. sometimes i get a little kick for a day of two, but it doesn't last long. and it needs to last hell long for an animator.



there is one story i originally thought of as live action, but i think it may be interesing in animation as well. kind of 'romance', but without love really. interesing? i may talk it through with Bruce (meaning: i would talk and talk and she would drink tea or irn bru not necessarily listening, but simply talkin would make me realise what works and what doesn't. i can do it without Bruce really, but it makes me feel more insane to talk clearly to myself. i need her around as an excuse).
then, i wanted to so stop motion for a while, but it doesn't feel like stop motion at all.

my computer's falling apart as well. that sucks.

the film i'm working on right now, it's more of some experimental play than a film really. and i find myself well random when the big question (delivered by the devil himself - Alan Mason) arrives: "WHY?".
why - behind every little choice i make.
in this particular project i would say - "why not?".
that seems to be an answer for a while.
it isn't really.
it's more of an excuse.
i may try to use it for time being, simply because i seem unable to find any answers recently. but i won't give up.

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my pc crashed again and i started browsing apple online store (one day, one day...).
current project can't get me excited at all.
and i don't give a shit about professor Mason saying that it's the student that makes the project exciting. embracing everything as it comes and giving it all - that feels like mental whoring for me. life's too short and if i were to give it all to every single project, it'd be even shorter. i enjoy sleeping and wasting it as well.

high on cream soda (another thing Bruce got me into), and i think i've got a cold. i find it so much easier to work directly on the computer, but then it becomes pointless to go to college. i like going there for social reasons. so i end up going, wasting all that time and not having any work done.
autumn looks pretty in Edinburgh. i even went quite ok with money. at least till the end of this month. another thing i became so British at: feeling so mighty after Friday when i get my wages.

maybe that's how it should be: crashing, your computer gives you an excuse to drink another coffee and write something on your blog.