8796

I have graduated.

And then, there was some crazy tea party. More about that soon.

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.

8734

So the Britain is great, even ones like me get to wave the flag these jolly days. I've been out killing swans yesterday. I wasn't really. My friend was. But he didn't mean to, he has this addiction: he has to feed the birds, no matter how many times I tell him it's actually bad for them. I like singing "kill the birds" (to the melody of "feed the birds") on these occasions. But it was well nice, sitting in on the grass by that pond around Stockbridge having nothing to do, but in a delightful company. Nothing has really been sorted out, but things generally look better. I think I want to, I need to move on, if only to change scenery. To London, or to Glasgow: that is the question.



here's a showreel update, I think I made it around a month ago, but somehow never posted it online. I really need to think of publicity much more...

also, the degree show in the Filmhouse, where both of my degree films (I think, unless I change my mind, I wasn't sure about it first) will be screened is on the 13th of June. Check Filmhouse's website for ECA animation degree show.

8694

That's a rather random watercolour of characters from my degree film number 2, one of these things I make when I don't want to animate, and try to avoid feeling guilty for not being productive. Another think of this sort is this wee film I put together, using supportive materials I gathered so far. I'm well bad with documenting the process of making this film, I don't even have a sketchbook.



I used some Sarah Keeling's footage, and some of my own silly things here. Bits of work in progress, bits of final scenes, and such.

8580

dissertation. i need to say no more.

i don't need glasses. shame...

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.

8313

significant facts and numbers:
today, on the 8313th day of my life, Jonny Murray said "kind of" 298 times during his talk. one of his highest scores so far. the lecture itself wasn't that bad either.

"Monster in the toilet" got nominated for Bafta New Talent Scotland it's quite cool, isn't it? There's also four other people nominated from my department, so it's gonna be our big eca party!

Next week I am going to Poland for OFAFA (animation festival in Krakow), where two of my films are being shown, I also think that would be fun to look a little into Polish animation, which I know very little about.

listening to Julia Marcell, drinking Stella, which - I think - smells. I don't like it.

And there's also one thing I'd like to do, that I've always wanted to do: get on the rooftops and sit there, look at the Edinburgh city from up there.


In all that mess, I'm tring to get as much animation done as possible for the Train project.

8292

Seminar. During two hours, Jonny Murray said "kind of" at least 219 times. this is how many i managed to wrote down. and at least 30 minutes we were watching clips so he wasn't speaking. he can do much better, i believe. other than that, i made a drawing of Ben.

earl grey, with raspberry, stirred with a pencil. i was once told that girls who stire their tea with anything that wasn't designated for that particular purpose, they can never get married. and here i know why i will live and die in solitude. we all die alone anyway, an none of us can live alone either. so it's lots of bullshit.

i'm in a big need for
a) sound designer
b) recording studio
c) composer who would do the soundtrack.

i don't have time for anything, and i'm getting very little done, that could be frustrating if i had time to be frustrated.

but above all the every day hussle, i know that i am making an amazing film, and this feeling is wonderful.

8271

we're doing this project at the college: we're supposed to make a short film every day for 10 days. it was the day 8th today, and i'm well tired with it. i'll hopefully have the train project's script done quite soon.

some of the films i made for that 10days project:

8188

'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.

8162

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.

8151: uni started again.

i was as negative as i can, you can always count on me when it comes to that. it actually made me feel sick. all that enthusiasm, many loud people, new, "exciting" projects, all overflowing with happiness. i'm probably alergic to happiness.
and the banner project: i want to be a film maker, not a banner maker. shit happens, i have to do it.
i've been thinking of animation schools recently. you know, many people complain about Edinbrurgh College of Art, that nobody really teaches us anything etc. isn't that life, that you only get what you reach out for? that there's nothing really given?
there probably are schools that produce amazing, tiny cogs to fit into the animation studio machine. people who study all these tricks to make an animation look more real than live action. people who absolutely succeed in that. people who don't seem to have anything to say.
when i'm watching their work, it looks so much more mature than our silly things. and i can't see a single personality showing in these. just the massive monster of the industy conventions.
i'd rather wish to see animation "reach into places where live action doesn't go", really.
in the end i don't mind not being that skilled in portraying motion, because that's not what animation's about. whatever it is about, i can't be sure. but it's just what i make it, and i make it much deeper.
i'm happy to be attending ECA, where animation dep looks pretty much like the Toon Town from Rogger Rabbit. no matter how much i feel sick there sometimes, with all my alergic to happiness, there isn't any better place to be.



"why do people want to fly?"
"because they can't?", Bruce answered.