9202

My friend sent me this video to watch. I didn't know this stuff about schools, oh, it;s disgusting! Sitting with other kids?! I didn't like my school enough just as it was, now it seems like hell...

But from more important and actually relevant stuff, "An Interrupted Story" got into Hiroshima, and that's so incredibly cool. Too bad I won't be able to be there (no passport, I am a loser), but come on, check out these names there, big deal.

Rubbish time, just lost my wallet (convinced it was pick-pocketed, damn), and my id, and it is just a drag to get your id done when you're a foreigner. It really is.

I will get myself to create more non-commercial stuff, I will. For now, flowers are so unoffensive.

9089

Many things and no-things are happening. Nice Edinburgh spring, hailing, and raining, and sunny too - all one can ask for. Had adventures with doctors (pirates and scientists), but it seems like I'm getting real better. Never liked them, doctors, poking you here and there and acting all mighty like they know stuff about your own self better than you do.

In the meantime, while ago, but I never yet got to mention it, Gaz (and Pete) won BAFTA New Talent Scotland for all the noise they made for "An Interrupted Story" - dashing times:

and I got someone writing nice things about me here.

And some shitty strip at the end, not sure if it actually works at all. It worked back then, the guy looked like he was * r e a l * e x c i t e d about that band . . .

8764: news from the dark side

graduation time. Need for cash, therefore, more nights in behind the bar: the job of my life, so it seems. It is fun, as the second best option, but then my hands are really dry after all the glasses to clean, and all the liquid that's always on my hands working there, then I need to put some cream or something, then that makes my hands oily, and then, then it leaves mess on the glass when I work on the rostrum.

Yep, there's some new project, don't ask me why. Not that long ago I thought I didn't want to animate ever again, and here I am, like a proper addict, there's no escape... The less I write about that project, the better, I think, for I've been working on it semi sober, and in a rather childish approach (my argument being: "because I want that this way, therefore it's right!"), I wonder if my director, Avital Ash, noticed (I wonder if she knows about this blog...). But, as far as I could concentrate, I figured out: it's animated opening titles for THE FILM. The Film is from far away LA. Cindy, didn't Cindy live in LA? I hope she'll like that, with every single rostrum project I'm taking paper cut outs to the whole different level. They'd be so 3D soon that it won't count as cut outs anymore... Am I making any sense in here?

Well anyway, forget my usual misanthropic complaining, and my allergy to fun, the credits are fun to do. I think I wouldn't mind doing some more of this kind of stuff in the future.


other extra lame news regarding my graduation from Edinburgh Gutter of Art: our class has a nice website. And our school designed much less nice website too. Night in the cinema, 13th of June.

And "an interrupted story" is in Anima Mundi.

I think that's all.

8755

/wee something I'm working on while not working on anything. I know I shouldn't be doing charity work, but that project enchanted me/

I should be writing here more. Things are happening, lots of maybes and such, but nothing solid. Feeling ill, I may be getting out of the forest of Black spring. Still don't know what I'll do with myself next: looking for some jobs, I suppose.

Also, here's a trailer for what used to be called "the train project", and now it's officially "an interrupted story":

8652

Good Sunday,

Probably lots had happened again but I was busy having lots happening to me so I couldn't write. What happened recently, so I still remember: Cindy Derby's "Edward's House of String". I mentioned that before, the performance me and Cat Bruce helped on, it was pretty awesome. So me and Cat had a good night.

Me, Pete Smith and Gareth Griffiths had also kind of finished the train film (that now has an official title, I should change the labels on the blog maybe some time...), kind of, it is, because we're still working on the sound. Anyway, I don't see it being screened anywhere before June (and I'm not even sure about June), so I'll keep it quiet for now, sorry. There should be a trailer available online within a month.

In the meantime, I had to start working on that degree film of mine (is there a deviation like that? A constant urge to make films?), here's some pictures, I don't have a camera of my own, so it's always a bit of a hassle to get any:

bits of the set

messy workplace of mine

part of the set again

from under the rostrum camera

As for more general, and far more important stuff, my oven broke, which is the greatest tragedy of all, and I can't get anyone who'd want to see "Tangled" with me, which makes me sad, well sad, I'm such a sad character.


PS. Oscars: Kind's Speech and How to Train Your Dragon. Because I say so, so it must be so.

8624

going back to college tomorrow. no, please, no...
the train project/film is almost finished, there are like three scenes that need some work, I think. Should be animated this time next week, then it's sound, and credits, and rederings, and all that fun that I won't be able to enjoy that much: I need to start working on my degree film properly now.
Yes, I do ask myself sometimes, why the hell am I making so many films.
No, I don't know either.


I'm not sure if I should be putting any more stills from that project here, or just wait till it's all done. That's The Last Frame of the film. It's not the last frame drawn, there is still one scene I left myself as a dessert. It's the last frame chronologically.

More updates on another film coming here then. I started that blog for the degree film, but I don't feel like using it much. Lazy.

8575

i'm not supposed to update here, I'm supposed to be working on my dissertation, I - very conveniently - left my notes in college. Oh Welles, what are we gonna do about this meeting this Thursday? :)

I think I'll make some mulled wine now.

Anyway, last week me and Cat finished these animation pieces we were doing for Cindy Derby's puppet performance, the preview's early December, I'm thinking I may go, but I this dissertation... the very thought is really killing me. Anyway, more details if anyone was interested: here.

∴ ∴ ∴

And here's a bad quality picture of my desk with the very last frame of the train film on the lightbox:

blue went grey, because he's a little upset:

8568

The train, the train, the train. The film that has been keeping me busy for almost a year (I started thinking about it something around this time last year, and got first attempts to storyboards around Chritmas), finally there is some light there: I can see the end. I can at least see it, it's like being lost in the sea, where I can finally see some land, and no matter the distance, I can see it, so it's fine.

I'm happy I managed to stay positive and enthusiastic all that time, well, there's few more weeks of work, but it should be all fine.

I'll do some proper thanks later when it's over, but so far, thanks for the support and help, everyone.

Some stills from the film, pencil drawings I do and finished coloured images that are in the film, I like putting them together to compare:

8525

I've just put some "work in progress" material online: it's one of the scenes, from the animatic up to the final version stage. I like when people are sharing their pencil tests, and to compare them with the finished animation, so I hope it's interesting:

Also, I have started a separate blog for my degree film progress documentation. Yep, that's another film. There's not much there yet, but just to let you know: degreeetude.blogspot.com.

And, here's a drawing I did this evening, feeling down, so I though I should do something cheery and disneyish.

8518

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.

8412

First things first, someone twitted this article and I thought I may have a look, I'm to graduate next year this time, so it's good to know if there's some jobs going on, and… I found my own name there. Wow, how cool is that? I mean, someone bothered to SPELL the whole thing right!

Due to various reasons, even though I almost killed myself animating like crazy, I never managed to finish the TRAIN project for the planned deadline (that would be around now). It's 90% animated, and I'm working on the colouring now, the new plan is to finish it by September so I can concentrate on my graduation film and dissertation. Thanks for everyone who helped, and Claire, my main character number one fan - she says he reminds her of Gambit form X-men. I liked X-men, so I guess it's cool.

I really should update my website, or even make it serious (this article in the list, it made me think: "what if people really are looking at that website and it all looks like I'm a mental 14 years old?"). But I think the film is a priority right now, so the site won't change any soon. I can't even look at it myself anymore.

Right now I'm abroad where it's 34°C in shade right now. I colour my film, where the action takes place in winter, but it doesn't help. I'm to stay here just one and a half month more, so far my main place of residence is the cellar where it's a bit colder. But I share it with way too big spiders. Especially that they outnumber me greatly. And the Internet's only on the attic, where I think one could boil the kettle without putting it on.

oh flower of Scotland, when will I see your like again?

8376

a wee line test i just did, my so called main character, or at least leading male, doing a little dance :)

well of course it's just not inbetweened properly and he's not gonna do it in the film, but i thought it looks funny.

I just discovered a big scene that I haven't done at all... it amazes me how one can miss a whole big scene in the film she knows by heart already...

8310

lots of stuff happening around the production. I have found a sound designer (Pete Smith) and a composer (Gareth Griffiths), who so far showed to be really helpful, understanding, hard working, keen and... no, they are real people. or Ms Schizophrenia got me this time.



We did some vocals recording and I hope to have a proper animatic done soon.
It was a really exciting time for me, I need to learn to pretend to be a professional better. And I was depressed by my absolute lack of directing skills - something to work on in the future.
All my unprofessional crew of actors was doing quite well. with the exception of one couldn't help touching the mike... but that's what you get working with almost three years old.

In the meantime, I carry on animating and colouring. I wanted to share this test when I had the sun shining through the blinds, I love this effect :)

8285

Will Anderson's character design for the train project

i'll do something with my life, not only with my films. i hope it won't cost me a lung cancer. i'm a little unsure about the future, and i don't like it for one simple reason: i can't book advance tickets anywhere if i don't know which country i'll be in. and i don't like flying.

we started working on the train projects, the life in college got some meaning for me again. it's a bloody filmic image, and i want to make it. accidently, i found this idea for my gaduation film, which would be something totally different. so i want to do it even more. i'm working with many (more than one is many for us) people on that, it's challenging, overwhelming, yet exciting.

Cat Bruce's character design

oh, i wanted to put some pencil tests here, but blogger's gone bad, i can see. o welles...