Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Satoshi Kon | 今敏

For now, only this review in Chinese which's scarily comprehensive and 'indexical' (suite my taste). I'll do an English review in the future, if I ever will...

开创新时代的动画人 - 今敏
转载:文章出处(huoshen.com)
作者:Stranger



以漫画家身份出道,27岁进入动画业,34岁开始做监督,第一部主创动画就和宫崎骏的《千寻》一起获得了日本文化厅年度动画大奖及多个世界电影奖项…… 他,就是日本的著名动画人——今敏。

今敏这个名字初听起来可能会感觉有点古怪,当年他刚刚成名的时候有些日本媒体甚至会写错他的名字。然而,当这个名字连续数年出现在多部成功动画的总监督位置时,人们不得不擦亮眼睛仔细地对他研究一番了。他是谁?他的成功源于什么?他下一步将会做什么?一时间,关于他的一切都成了人们讨论的话题。

【今敏的创作历程】

与日本的另外几位著名动画监督相似,今敏最初是以漫画作者的身份亮相的。青年时代的今敏非常希望成为一位漫画家,读大学时就有作品发表在刊物上。从今敏的履历来看,1987年大学毕业以后,他也和很多以漫画为理想的作者一样经历了艰难的奋斗期和转型期。直到90年第一本漫画单行本出版时,他的人生道路才发生了一次转变。而为他带来这个转变机会的人就是大友克洋。



大约在90年的时候,大友克洋正在筹划《老人 Z》的制作。这时今敏的漫画作品引起了他的注意,大约也是在他的介绍下,今敏担任了该片的美术设定一职,初次涉足动画制作。1991年大友又推出了亲自监督的动画《World Apartment Horror》,而今敏则包揽了该做的漫画单行本。

1992年,大友酝酿已久的动画三部曲《Memories》开始投入制作,其中由森本晃司负责监督的写实风格作品《她的记忆》一片,特意找来了今敏负责角色设定以及部分脚本的创作。因为在动画创作中,设定工作一旦完成以后设定人员就会处于比较长时间的“无事可做”状态,所以在93年到94年间,虽然《她的记忆》仍在制作当中,今敏却在负责另外两部动画的分镜和美术工作,在此期间他和押井守也合作了一段日子,接触到了押井那种独特的叙事风格。同一时期的今敏还没有脱离漫画领域,先后画了两部短篇连载。

※ 在这里我想插一下,很多文章里认定今敏是大友克洋的“徒弟”,我不知道这种说法的依据是什么,但是我认为年龄只相差不到10岁的他们,应该只是很亲密的朋友关系。大友克洋在创作时喜欢启发和带动新人,对于今敏这样有才华的作者,大友自然会愿意在创作上为他铺路。然而从风格上说他们之间的差异还是很大的,他们都有自己鲜明的个人风格,我认为并不存在所谓“师徒传承”关系。 ※


1997年,同样是在大友克洋的协助下,今敏第一次尝试监督了一部剧场动画《Perfect Blue》(又译《未麻的部屋》),在这部作品中今敏将他的个人风格带入了作品,用一种独特的意识流式的叙事手法完成了这部心理惊悚片。该作拥有鲜明的美术风格和剪辑手法,在当时千篇一律的日本商业动画市场里,这样一部作品的推出自然引起了轩然大波。


1998年,借助《Perfect Blue》为他带来的名气,今敏开始尝试在创作中进一步发挥自己的风格,他的第一部原创剧场动画《千年女优》开始投入制作。这部于2001年推出的向日本电影大师小津安二郎百年纪念致敬的动画,是今敏倾注全力指导的作品。推出以后引发了世界范围的巨大反响,它的影响甚至超越了一般动画的范畴而在电影圈内引起了广泛关注。

《千年女优》可以说是目前为止最能体现今敏风格的作品,也是他的代表作。《千年女优》在叙事上使用了一种梦幻般的手法,将现实和回忆穿插在一起,在交错的时空中天马行空地讲述了一位女演员的人生旅程。这部作品的故事架构及镜头运用都有鲜明的电影特色,尤其是对角色的内心描写完全超越了一般动画作品的层次,达到了电影级的震撼力。难怪获得了多个电影奖项。



继《千年女优》以后,今敏又推出了第二部个人风格鲜明的作品《东京教父》。这是一部现代都市题材作品,不过讲的不是什么浪漫爱情,而是几个东京城市底层流浪者的故事。在《东京教父》的制作即将收尾的之时,今敏接受了WOW电视台的邀请,开始了他的第一部TV动画《妄想代理人》(简称《妄》)的制作,虽然是一部TV作品,但作为总监督的今敏对动画的整体品质把关非常严谨,每个镜头乃至每一处声音都不容有误。与之形成对比的是,该作在题材选择方面完全是实验性的。据今敏自己讲,《妄》在已经开始进入制作的时候甚至只有一个架构。在第九集甚至请来了N位日本动画高手做了几段“剧中剧”,处处都体现出了实验精神,也是TV作品中罕见的手笔。



不过,从整体上来看,《东京教父》和《妄想代理人》都应该算作今敏过渡期的作品,尤其是《妄》剧中大量启用“外援”这一点,很可能是为后面的作品做一些提前的试探工作。所以今敏的Fans大都对他的下一部作品都充满期待!


【关于今敏的风格】



我尝试了用很多词汇来描述今敏的风格,但试来试去还是没有找到一个恰当的描述方法。不过不知道是不是一种巧合,我觉得今敏这个名字本身用来形容他本人的风格就非常恰当。

“今”代表了他喜爱的题材。今敏的几部作品所选择的题材,都不是所谓的古装剧或者卡通动画中常见的那类架空设定。他似乎非常偏爱现代题材,而且几乎每一部作品里都包括对人们在当今社会的各种压力下表现出的矛盾心理描写,而这些往往是一些艺术电影才会关注的内容。

“敏”则代表了他的美术和叙事风格。今敏非常在意角色的各种表情、手势、眼神,甚至有时候要逐帧来看才能发现一些角色的动作细节;他对人物的心理活动也描写得细致入微,在很多镜头里他都会设计一些不容易发现的内容,比如用某种声音来象征一种暗示等等。这些特点都让他的作品值得一品再品。

然而,作为一位已经名扬世界的动画人,今敏还是缺少一些真正的“大众动画”作品。今敏的风格非常独特,但故事题材有过于明显的“小众倾向”。他在评论界的知名度要比在普通观众中高的多,他所选择的题材也缺少宫崎骏作品那样的大众性,在市场表现上也常常无法与其他的主流动画相抗衡。当然,我确信今敏有监督所谓“主流动画”作品的实力。我想他本人也在摸索着个人风格与大众需求的结合点,毕竟他才只推出了4部作品,风格也没有完全定型。我们唯一需要做的,就是期待他下一部精彩作品的推出。(2005年2月24日)


【今敏档案§Profile】

中译名:今敏
英文拼写名:Kon Satoshi

履历

1963年 10月12日生于日本北海道。
1982年 北海道釧路湖陵高等学校毕业。考入武藏野美术大学 视觉传达系。
1985年 漫画作品在讲坛社的杂志上初次发表。
1987年 武藏野美术大学毕业。
1990年 第一本漫画单行本《海归线》(讲坛社刊)发表。
参与大友克洋的作品『老人Z』担任美术设定,初入动画业。
1991年 漫画单行本《World Apartment Horror》发表。
1992年 在大友克洋总监督的作品《Memories/她的记忆》中,担任脚本、美术设定。
1993年 在《机动警察2》中任分镜。
『JoJo之奇妙冒险』中任脚本、故事板。
1994年 德间书店连载《セラフィム》(原案:押井守)。(未完)
1995年 《OPUS》连载。(未完)
1997年 《PERFECT BLUE》监督。
1998年 第一部主创剧场动画《千年女优》投入制作。
1999年 《千年女优》制作中。
2000年 《千年女优》制作完成。
2001年 《东京教父》投入制作。
《KON'S TONE‘千年女優’への道》出版。
2002年 《千年女优》公映。
2003年 《东京教父》公映。
第一部主创TV动画《妄想代理人》投入制作。
2004年 《东京教父》DVD发售。
《妄想代理人》DVD全6卷套装发售。


【作品简介】

漫画:


















































动画:
《老人Z》| 美术设定
《走れメロス》
《Memories/她的记忆》| 脚本、美术设定
《机动警察2》| 分镜
《JOJO奇妙冒险》| 脚本、故事板
でたとこプリンセス(第2話)
《PERFECT BLUE》| 监督
《千年女优》| 原作、脚本、监督
《东京教父》| 原作、脚本、监督
《妄想代理人》| 原作、脚本协力、分镜协力、总监督

今敏的几部动画作品介绍请参看此帖

单幅

今敏专门的单幅创作很少,主要精力都在动画和漫画的创作上,以下为今敏1999年以前的一些单幅作品,基本都是Painter画的一些习作。









【相关链接】

今敏个人主页

《千年女优》官方站

《妄想代理人》官方主页

『妄想』的产物
- (今敏为《妄想代理人》所作的个人网页,其中收录了很多制作《妄》一片幕后的感悟和手记;日文)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Tales of Earthsea Production Complete

Nausicaa News:
May 23, 2006 Animation Complete on "Tales from Earthsea"
The
May 23 Production Diary announced the completion of animation on the film.

History of production:

Sep 06, 2005: animation production began
Jan 20, 2006: 149 cuts (12%)
Jan 27: 180 cuts (15%)
Feb 03: 230 cuts (19%)
Feb 17: 326 cuts (26%)
Mar 03: 422 cuts (34%)
Mar 10: 481 cuts (39%)
Mar 17: 517 cuts (42%)
Mar 30: 687 cuts (55%)
Apr 7 : 776 cuts (63%)
Apr 17: 844 cuts (68%)
Apr 25: 935 cuts (76%)
May 1 : 997 cuts (81%)
May 8 : 1,056 cuts (85%)
May 15: 1,176 cuts (95%)
May 23: 1,236 cuts (100%)

Animation production length:

Tales from Earthsea: 8 months and 17 days
Howl's Moving Castle: 17 months and 6 days (2/1/2003-7/7/2004)
Spirited Away: 16 months and 26 days (2/1/2000-6/27/2001)

Saturday, May 20, 2006

《地海传奇》幕后班底大搜索

信息属南方动漫网中文专
2006-05-18 16:38 南方动漫网 作者:亚述
(编辑:唐)

背景一:动画制作班底

1.制片人:铃木敏夫(吉卜力总裁)

  1948年出生于爱知县,1972年进入德间书店公司,然后在78年进入《月刊动画》编辑部。从1981年开始策划宫崎骏特集,次年开始大力推进《风之谷的娜乌西卡》的长篇连载;在《风之谷》拍成动画大片之后,一跃成为德间方的制作委员,十分活跃。1989年,转入今日如雷贯耳的吉卜力工作室(STUDIO GHIBLI),在此后所有的作品中都是以制片人的身份出现。同时利用此前作为编辑的经验,在出版界也开展得风生水起。在与德间书店成功合并之后, 1997年成为德间的取缔役,"吉卜力工作室"事业本部长,2000年9月开始成为常务。

2.导演&联合编剧:宮崎吾朗 (Miyazaki Gorou)

  此人的身份当是本片最大的卖点之一:宫崎骏的儿子,38岁的宫崎吾朗。

  1967年、东京生人。信州大学农学部森林工学科毕业后,从事建筑咨询行业,计划、设计公园绿地以及都市绿化。

  自98年起着手设计三鹰之森Ghibli的总体造型,01年至05年6月任该美术馆馆长。

  曾荣获2004年度艺术选奖文部科学大臣新人赏的艺术振兴部门奖

3.联合编剧:丹羽圭子

  参与过吉卜力作品《听海》的脚本制作。

4.音乐:寺屿民哉

  1958年4月10日出生在熊本县。

  以独特管弦乐编曲而闻名的乐界天才,挎刀打造剧场版动画《地海传奇》音乐。

5.主题曲和插曲《特鹿之歌》演唱者:手茑葵

  兼为歌手和声优,现住福冈,年龄--My God,1987年6月21日出生--19岁未满。有着模特身高:174cm;兴趣是芭蕾和读书。遗憾的是神秘新人的照片尚未披露……

  新人手茑葵,在出任女主角Therru声优的同时,她悠远清澈的天籁之音打动了导演宫崎吾朗,被钦点担纲演唱影片的主题曲和插曲,被赞为"有着朴素,治愈系的歌声的她,是地海传奇中女神般的存在"。

  相信大家都已经听到了她在预告片中的天籁之音了,那么我们一起期待这位呼之欲出的新人在今年7月份公映的《格德战记》中的美妙声线吧!

6.声优:

  冈田准一、手茑葵、田中裕子、小林薰、夏川结衣、香川照之、内藤刚志、倍赏美津子、风吹纯、菅原文太……

背景知识二:

1.关于《格德战记》译名和内容:

  《格德战记》的内容简介是这么说的:

  "人与龙曾是一体

  人选择了地与海

  龙选择了火与风

  这个夏天,人与龙将合为一体……

  一名少年巫师的魔法之旅,他走的愈远,就愈深入自己的内心!

  神秘绮丽的岛屿风情、巫术的奥妙、老术士寓意深远的智语、巨龙、创生古语真言、无所不在的黑暗势力、爱情的救赎、人性的试炼,在地海 (Earthsea) 的奇幻世界里波澜壮阔的上演……"

  英文原著的书名是Legend of Earthsea--"地海传奇",小说的繁体中文版以及早年改编的电影都译作《地海传说》,后来由人民文学出版社出版的简体中文版定名为《地海传奇》;在日文译著中书名改为《ゲド戦記》,原意译为中文是"格德/基德战记";有如此多的版本,因此新片未出,片名先乱。然而既然是介绍GHIBLI的片子,本站从日版,从《格德战记》之说。

2.关于原著《地海传奇》:

  《格德战记》根据美国女作家厄休拉·K·勒·古因《地海传说(Legend of Earthsea)》系列小说改编,这套小说常常被与托尔金的《指环王》三部曲和刘易斯的《纳尼亚王国》三部曲相提并论,在所有年龄段中都有这套小说的 Fans,曾经获得过五个雨果奖、五个星云奖和国家图书奖,《地海》系列小说已经被翻译成16种语言,总发行量数以百万计……有如此辉煌的原著支撑故事的骨架,想差都差不了了……

3.作画参考:シュナの旅(《秀纳之旅》暂译)

  作者:宫崎骏
  出版社/制作商:德间书店
  发售日: 1983/06
  媒体形式:文库

  此书乃是宫崎骏大师以西藏的民间传说为原型创作的全彩图绘本。但没有拍成电影。在绘本的结束语里,宫崎爷爷深情地写道:"将这个民间故事动画化是我的一个梦想……。"

4.原著作者:厄休拉·K·勒·古因(Ursula K. Le Guin)

  勒·古因以从1968年到2001年横跨三十余载的《地海传奇》(Earthsea Cycle) 六部曲系列,奠定了她在奇幻文学界的崇高地位。六部曲被翻译成19国语言出版;其作品意涵颇富中国老子道家思想;并非强调善恶对立的二元价值观,而是传达 "平衡"、阴阳同源的理念;以阴阳相生的概念为核心,迥异于西方基督教的善恶二元对立观。

  事实上宫崎骏作品中,从1984年的《风之谷》到2004年的《哈尔的移动城堡》)等,风格上都很受《地海传奇》的影响。但阴差阳错,大师最终还是没有将古因的作品搬上银屏,而这个历史性的工作则在这个夏天由他的长子完成了……

5.小说日文版译者:清水真砂子(しみず?まさこ)

  1941年出生于北朝鲜。儿童文学翻译家?评论家。

  毕业于静冈大学,现为青山女子短期大学教授。著作有《儿童读物的现在》、《学生发光的时候》(以上两本为岩波书店出版)、《幸福的写法》《儿童读物的视线》(以上为洋泉社)等。译著有《到天亮之时》《醒来、魔女!》《谈话?谈话E.L.克尼斯堡讲演集》(以上为岩波书店)等。因翻译厄休拉·K· 勒·古因的《格德战记》(岩波书店)的全6卷获得平成16年的日本翻译文化奖。

Toei targets Shanghai, China

Toei Animation will open offices in Shanghai next month. The company hopes their ties with local stations and manufacturers will allow for "large-scale business dealings." Toei's Digimon Adventure was broadcast in China in February, and Dragonball will air in June. Source: Animaxis

Toei Animation: a Japanese studio under which Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata used to work with. Famous TV series under their belts: Saint Seiya, Digimon, One Piece, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon etc.

Over the Hedge - AWN review

Over the Hedge: Making The Leap From Newsprint To Pixels
Joe Strike chronicles the long journey Over the Hedge took to make the leap from comicstrips to the big screen.

May 19, 2006
By Joe Strike


DreamWorks’ Over the Hedge is unlike the competition: it manages to translate a property from another medium without destroying its spirit or alienating its creators. All images courtesy DreamWorks Animation SKG.

DreamWorks’ Over the Hedge, the latest star-powered CGI entry in 2006’s animated feature sweepstakes, opens this Friday on the heels of Fox’s Ice Age 2 and just ahead of Pixar’s Cars. Unlike the films bracketing it, Hedge is adapted from a pre-existing work — an 11-year old daily comicstrip featuring a cast of funny-animal characters observing and interacting with suburban sprawl and American consumerist culture.

The film succeeds in a rare-for-Hollywood balancing act — translating a property from another medium without destroying its spirit or alienating its creators — perhaps because they were heavily involved from the film’s conception. And while the strip’s critters have made the leap from newsprint to pixels, Hedge the movie is a different animal from Hedge the strip — a number of different animals, as a matter of fact.

Over the Hedge was born in 1995, the brainchild of writer/cartoonist Michael Fry and children’s book illustrator T Lewis. The pair had worked together on King Features’ Mickey Mouse comicstrip and tried to launch The Secret Life of Pigs, a strip of their own. “We thought it was destined for cosmic greatness,” Lewis recounts, “two pigs on a farm secretly observing humanity. We were told ‘it’s a great idea, but nobody likes pigs.’ Then Babe came out.”

Fry and Lewis tried again. They replaced the pigs with a trio of suburban animals — suave raccoon RJ, worrywart turtle Verne and manic squirrel Hammy. Instead of a barn, the critters lived on the outskirts of a suburban development rich in wasteful consumption and human absurdity. The retooled strip was snapped up by United Features Syndicate and today runs in some 250 newspapers, but back in ’95 it caught the eye of animation producer/writer Jim Cox. Cox, whose credits go back to Oliver & Company and include story development on Beauty and the Beast (and now co-producer of the Over the Hedge movie) contacted the pair via the e-mail address wedged between the strip’s panels.

A partnership was quickly born. Cox, Fry and Lewis put a pitch together and made the studio rounds. According to Lewis, “Fox, Henson and DreamWorks were the most interested. A bidding war actually broke out, we were really rooting for DreamWorks — look at the personalities involved, c'mon. Fox ultimately won, the power of sheer money won. It was only a year or two after DreamWorks formed and they were not able to throw the money around that Fox was back then.”

The project wound up on Fox’s shelf and stayed there — much to the frustration of Tim Johnson, its ultimate co-director. “I was aware of it, I knew it was sitting there. It was making me crazy. Even eight years ago when I was making Antz, I knew Over the Hedge was there and just the seed of a fantastic film. I loved the characters and the opportunity to comment on suburban living. When Fox let the option expire in 2001 we grabbed it at DreamWorks and put it in development right away.”

Michael Fry (left) and T Lewis are the creators of the comic strip Over the Hedge, and also served as creative consultants for the film.

Rumor has it that when Fox optioned Hedge, DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg predicted, “those people will never make that movie, and when they don’t, I will.” Lewis attributes Fox’s failure to make the film to the fact that “Hollywood is wiggly — everything is always changing. We had a champion who brought us into Fox, Jon Jashni [most recently exec producer of the Poseidon remake]. Then he got shuffled somewhere. In a big studio system like Fox, as opposed to a boutique operation like DreamWorks, when you lose your champion, you pretty much get lost.

“We were at Fox when there was a lot of wringing of hands — ‘What’s going to happen to family films, what’s going to happen to animation?’ They were trying to break in with Anastasia and we were sort of this odd little duck. It was actually pitched back then as a Babe-like thing, where we were going to have live-action and then the animals would be computer generated, kind of like Garfield. When we came on board at DreamWorks for a month or two we were thinking Hedge was going to be a 2D movie. At one point they were talking about claymation because they had this contract with Aardman. Ultimately those were just ‘run it up the flagpole’ ideas.”

The original Fox story pitch (which Lewis describes as a series of set pieces “more or less strung together”) was refined into a “how it all began” tale, recounting RJ’s first meeting with Verne and the ‘blended family’ of animals he looks after — the excitable Hammy, a porcupine couple and their kids, a father and daughter opossum pair and a lady skunk with serious self-image issues. Other than Hammy, it’s an extended family that doesn’t exist in the comicstrip, whipped up for the purposes of the film’s feature-length narrative.

“The new characters are fine with us,” says Lewis. “We totally understand this was a story beyond the comicstrip and you had to add stuff. When we pitched the script early on we had this clan of animals — wasn’t exactly as it is now, but we had come up with more animals too, realizing the story more or less dictated it.”

Over the Hedge’s journey to the big screen took a circuitous route. Fry, Lewis and Jim Cox sold the pitch to Fox after a bidding war but it was quickly put on the shelf. DreamWorks, an original bidder, snapped it up years later.

Co-director Karey Kirkpatrick shares Johnson’s enthusiasm and respect for the original comicstrip. “Tim and I are both huge fans of the strip and what it has to say. Its point of view on society is what attracted DreamWorks to the project. We would constantly run stuff by [Fry and Lewis] to make sure we were in the right ballpark tonally and ‘Hey, do you have any jokes we’re missing?’” For her part, production designer Kathy Altieri praises the comicstrip duo too, “They were great, they worked with us a lot on potential ideas. They were really gracious about sharing our [version of Hedge] with theirs and finding the place in between where the match was perfect.”

According to Fry, writer of the Hedge comic, the filmmakers “mined the strip” for individual gags, working them into the script at appropriate moments. “They really got the sense of the characters and their spirit — I’m really pleased.”

Verne however underwent a not insignificant accommodation to the demands of the film’s narrative, one that met with Fry and his partner’s full approval.

“In the movie, it’s necessary for the characters to be rather innocent and naïve and for Verne to be their leader,” Fry explains, “whereas in the strip Verne is a leader, but more in his own mind. There’s a certain tension there between him and everyone else. Verne is the smartest turtle in the room and unfortunately no one appreciates that. They kind of, sort of ironed that out a little bit in the movie.” Lewis is even more unsparing of Verne, “He’s a lot more dysfunctional in the strip — he’s a mess. He’d love to be the leader of the group, he might think that he is from time to time and may for a moment be, but he’s lot more a boiling kettle of disdain and despair.”

Kirkpatrick credits Fry and Lewis for “keeping on us to make sure [the movie version of] Verne was smart and funny. What tends to happen in development is the character carrying the movie’s emotional core can be a one-note whiner if you’re not careful and all he’s doing is saying ‘let’s not go over there.’ They were really great about pushing us to not fall into that.”

Everyone involved with Over the Hedge credits the relationship between RJ and Verne as the heart of the film and the quality that set Hedge apart from any number of other talking animal strips on the comics page. “Verne and RJ are best friends in the strip; they’re such a great odd couple,” Johnson says. “Someone who’s always worried about tomorrow and someone who’s always ‘seize the day,’ the ultimate party animal. I loved that because all of us have that battle — do we do the smart thing and think about the future, or do we sit around and play videogames and eat nachos all day?” Kirkpatrick compares the pair to “Felix and Oscar, Lucy and Ethel… the man-child vs. the nudge… the id vs. the superego.”

Directors Tim Johnson (left) and Karey Kirkpatrick share an enthusiasm and respect for the original comic strip. They constantly ran stuff by Fry and Lewis and mined the strip for individual gags.

For Kirkpatrick (whose scripting credits include Chicken Run and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), the film was both a screenwriting job and his first directing assignment. “DreamWorks had approached me to write Over the Hedge months before, but I was busy with other scripts. They came to me six months later: ‘How about directing it?’ When I came on, two writers were already on board, Lorne Cameron and David Hoselton who were doing a fine job. I was actually a little tired of writing, my first thought was ‘this will be great, there’s no typing.’

“Len Blum was the first writer who tackled translating it from the comicstrip. Lorne and David came on and gave the film its current structure. When they were done with their contracted stuff they moved on. I was the typist, it was on my résumé so I assumed writing responsibilities.”

Kirkpatrick recalls that it was Katzenberg himself who asked him to co-direct Hedge, a challenge he was eager to take on. “After Chicken Run he’s been trying to get me to direct, he had no doubts. I was at all the Chicken Run recording sessions; I worked closely with some of those actors through Nick [Park] and Pete [Lord]. It really wasn’t that big a leap. Jeffrey saw me at meetings, working with storyboard artists. A lot of it is ‘how good a collaborator are you, how good are you at communicating your thoughts, how strong is your vision?

“Tim was already on the movie. We knew each other; we’d been consulting on each other’s projects. We’d been circling and wanted to work together. This was great for me because Tim had already directed a couple of movies; any rookie mistakes that I might make, he was there to fill in that void.


DreamWorks animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg brokered the directorial marriage between Johnson and Kirkpatrick and the pair found their skills and experience were complementary.

“In some directing teams you handle this and he handles that side of it, but for me and Tim it was a straight partnership/collaboration. We were both at 98% of the meetings. On occasion when you get into the heat of it you’ve got 350 people on crew and the day is broken into 15-minute increments. Sometimes you literally need to be two places at once and that’s when two directors come in handy. In those cases if there was something that required more tech expertise than I have, and Tim comes from a computer animation background, I’d say ‘you should take that one.’”

Johnson’s CGI background reaches back some 18 years into the dawn of the digital age when he joined the staff of Pacific Data Images, one of the very first computer animation shops and the company that would eventually become PDI/DreamWorks. (“That PDI badge means something, at least in our world, so they kept that name, which is great.”) While production of Hedge was based in DreamWorks’ Glendale studio, a satellite crew operating out of the original Silicon Valley PDI facility pitched in with additional animation, effects and lighting support. “We share everything, it’s really amazing,” Johnson enthuses. “We’ve all got the same software and the distance disappears once you get the video conferencing going. We had animation dailies and all the team would be sitting with us in a screening room and there’d be bunch of people in northern California synched up on a huge screen at their facility so we’re all watching the same thing.”

From Lewis’ perspective, the synergy between directing partners was to the film’s benefit. “Tim has a good story sense, but Kerry has a great writing background. When he came on and partnered with Tim the picture really started taking off. They really had a good chemistry, never losing sight of that sense of fun you need to bring to a project like this.”

After redesigning the strip’s 2D characters for CGI, Kathy Altieri’s next job was the film’s environment, recreating the world from the perspective of the film’s foot-high stars. “We were trying to create a world that felt like it was in our backyard. Every one of us has gone out, gotten down on our belly and crawled around with a camera so we can feel what we felt in the movie.” Meanwhile, Johnson and Kirkpatrick were wrestling with the film’s story and structure, and the evolution of RJ’s character from self-centered con artist to someone who cares about others. A turning point in the film comes when RJ is about to take off with a red wagon-load of goodies he’s tricked Verne’s family into helping him gather.

Johnson and Kirkpatrick wrestled with the film’s story and structure, and the evolution of RJ’s character (front) from self-centered con artist to someone who cares about others.

“We always sort of likened to RJ to Harold Hill in The Music Man, that he was a bit of a traveling grifter,” Kirkpatrick explains. “We always thought there’d be a scene called RJ Gets a Home, where the other animals would give him the thing he’d never had, a place to come back to. What we liked about it structurally was when they tell him, ‘RJ come here we want to show you something,’ had he said, ‘You guys go on’ and hopped in the wagon and left, he would have been home free. The fact that he let his guard down and was emotionally hooked further complicated things.

“What never worked about it, it used to be too maudlin — until we twisted it. Just as it’s getting a little sappy, that’s when we yanked the carpet out from his happiness.” The carpet-yanking consists of a barrage of TV soundbites on the subject of betrayal that triggers RJ’s dormant conscience while the camera stays on the raccoon’s guilt-ridden face. “We always knew conceptually we wanted something like that. I think it was David Soren, one of our storyboard artists who came up with TV idea, and I think I added the Dr. Phil punchline.”

A trio of high-energy slapstick set pieces punctuate the film — Verne’s traumatic initial foray into the suburban development ‘over the hedge,’ Verne and RJ’s encounter with a slobbering, extremely playful dog that ends in a kerosene-powered rocket flight and an apocalyptic battle aboard a runaway truck. While the first sequence was part of the film from its earliest days, the second originally featured a ferocious dog who swallowed Verne in one bite. “Then it was up to RJ to perform a canine Heimlich,” recalls Johnson. “That scene was in the film for a surprisingly long time, before we conceived a friendlier dog and funnier chase about 20 months ago. The truck battle entered the picture after several third act experiments; we only settled on that scene a year ago. The script was not written around any of them — they were all created to serve the overall story.”

Like all contemporary animated features, Over the Hedge’s voice cast is a mixture of high-profile stars and accomplished character actors, led by Bruce Willis as RJ. Johnson says “having Bruce voice the character meant you could have a con man, but there’s something he brings to it that keeps RJ sympathetic and lets you go on the ride with him. RJ was based on the character in the comicstrip, but when we approached Bruce we said we missed David Addison from Moonlighting. He said, ‘I kind of miss him too, I’ve been busy saving the world for the last 12 pictures.’”

Over the Hedge’s voice cast is led by Bruce Willis as RJ. The directors urged the actor to channel David Addison from Moonlighting to create the sympathetic con man character.

While acknowledging that name-brand actors are crucial in giving an animated feature visibility among higher profile “event” movies, Kirkpatrick admits that he keeps certain performers in mind from the get-go. “Who am I thinking of when I write this character? Coming up with an opossum who dies big — Shatner! Or you think Albert Finney — that’s what I want, Shakespearean. You kind of think of that voice while you’re writing it, and you wonder if he’ll do it. Then you call Shatner and he says yes!

“We have a powerful head of the studio in Jeffrey who can get anybody on the phone and get them to agree to be in one of his movies — but he won’t do it unless the voice is interesting separate from the face. There are some stars out there that we’ve listened to that just aren’t good voices. When you’re not seeing their face and just picturing the character, sometimes that voice just doesn’t work.

“We never do star for star’s sake. For instance, there was early inclination with the Verminator (the orange-suited exterminator pictured prominently in the film’s advertising) to do some stunt casting with a really big name. But I was working with Thomas Haden Church on Charlotte’s Web. He’s a big name to me, he was Oscar-nominated but he’s not on the Tom Cruise level. But when I heard his voice I said, ‘you guys have to hear this.’ He’s great, he’s perfect and he made that character. Or you take someone like Garry Shandling. No one’s used him, but he has a strong, distinctive voice and a phenomenal sense of humor. If we can tap into that we’ve got something really special.”

For his part, Fry offers special praise for Steve Carell’s voicing of the high-strung squirrel Hammy. “Steve is really incredible, he gave a great voice performance. The most impressive acting from him is the moment he says, ‘I’m not stupid.’ He says it once as Hammy and it just pulls your heart. Then he walks away and says it in his own voice. In that moment it gives you a little bit of the depth of the character — somewhere inside there’s this Steve Carell lurking about who’s really wounded.”

Steve Carell continues his break-out year with the voicing of high-strung squirrel Hammy (left). The comic’s creator Michael Fry was impressed by the depth of emotion in his performance.

Johnson denies that any of the characters in the film were deliberately drawn to resemble their voice actors, but suggests the impression may result from “the way we recognize motion in people. We videotape the actors recording their lines and some of the animators like to look at the tapes for how they’re going to do their motion. I think it’s amazing and a tribute to the animator’s art that even though none of the characters were designed to look like the actors, in a way they all do a little bit. I think Eugene Levy was captured very well by the animators and ended up looking just like him, although if you looked at the freeze frames [of his character Lou the porcupine] I don’t think Eugene would be very flattered.”

Johnson looks at his voice actors as collaborators. “They’re not just reading lines. They’re actually helping us design and discover the character. We mold and change and adapt the story, rework scenes around what we discover. It’s so important to match the performance to what the actors bring — it’s really like workshopping a play or a Broadway show, but in slow motion.”

That slow motion sped up near the end of the production cycle, with new dialog added as recently as the end of March. “We made a ton of changes,” Johnson recounts. “It’s amazing how you can fly in new lines of dialog. Garry saw the picture and wrote something like 12 new lines, things like, ‘I’d thought we’d be dead by step two, so this is going great!’ You can’t show him the whole film because you don’t have it, and when you finally have it it’s almost too late so you scramble to get these great ideas in.”

One of the most interesting things about Over the Hedge though, is what’s missing. In a film swimming with fast food and merchandise, there isn’t a single instance of product placement, and hardly any self-conscious pop-culture references. Johnson admits that the film “is making comment, not always flattering, about the world of consumer products. I don’t know if any company would’ve wanted to get involved with us. The other thing we realized the parody was part of the fun.


Like the best of Pixar’s films, Over the Hedge has the feel of a classic animated feature. Its directors hope the film to make animation whole family entertainment like live-action used to be before it became stratified.

“One of the first scenes to really come together was that Trail Guide Girl cookie heist. We had a little competition among the staff of who could come up with the funniest name for cookies. We ended up with Love Handles, Smackeroons, Neener-Neeners, great names. Kerry and I got really excited and remembered those old Wacky Packages stickers. We thought that’s where we’re going to go with this thing, we don’t want real products. The way to make a comment and hold up a funhouse mirror to this consumer culture is to make up all the names we want. It goes by so quick too. One of the things I want to put on the DVD is all the work that Kathy [Altieri]’s department put into the product design.

“The only product that’s in the movie? The THX logo [seen briefly on a TV set]. Do you know we had to pay for it? We had the joke and we asked Lucasfilm if we could use it. They said ‘yes, but’ and we said, ‘wow.’ It didn’t cost that much, though.”

Like the best of Pixar’s films, Over the Hedge has the feel of a classic animated feature, one where we eavesdrop on the animal world to see our own through different eyes. Unlike Disney’s overly literal The Wild, Hedge is replete with cartoon exaggeration — characters squash, stretch and speed so fast they distort time and space; they survive the worst sort of physical misadventures with only their dignity injured; and one classic cartoon image that hasn’t been seen a while, a turtle who wears his shell like a removable suit of clothes.

Johnson and Kirkpatrick look at Over the Hedge and other animated features as continuing a tradition that’s lost ground in Hollywood in recent years. As Johnson puts it, “Hopefully we’re taking animation to where I think live-action films used to be — whole family entertainment. Live-action films get so stratified — teen-slasher, superhero movie, big-budget special effects films — I feel animated films are now the general entertainment films you don’t see in live-action.” For his part, Kirkpatrick finds himself “upset a little bit when somebody says ‘I wouldn’t go see this, animation isn’t really my thing’ and it gets relegated to something just for kids. Some of the smartest, best archetypal storytelling out there in the movies is being done in animation, movies like The Incredibles and Toy Story and Shrek, they’re as good as any movie that comes out all year long.”

Regardless of what happens to Over the Hedge’s critter cast when they enter the multiplexes of the human world, their comicstrip counterparts will continue to go their own way. “We talked with DreamWorks about folding some of the movie characters into the strip,” Lewis admits. “We both very independently, very stridently thought no. The movie and the strip ought to be two parallel distinct things. The power the strip brings to this is that it has its own integrity; it’s its own separate thing. You start merging the two, it’ll look like the strip’s just shilling for the movie.”

Regardless of what happens to Over the Hedge’s critter cast in the cinema world, the comic strip will not add any of the movie characters. Lewis wants to avoid the appearance of the strip shilling for the movie.

Lewis’ art for the strip has evolved since its 1995 debut, due both to his desire to keep the strip’s look fresh, and the addition of computer toning to his arsenal of tools. When asked, he admits the characters’ big screen redesign has also influenced their look on the printed page. “Around 2000 when I started working on the movie a little bit [contributing concept art for new characters] the strip’s animals became more naturalistic.” (One character Lewis particularly regrets not making it to the big screen is an owl that would have been voiced by Gene Wilder.) “When I started doing those characters for them it jostled the illustrator in me because I come from that background. Ernest Shepherd, Winnie the Pooh’s illustrator, he’s like my hero, Tenniel, that late 19th, early 20th century is my style.

“That change was inspired by my work with the folks at the studio. There’s such high quality of work you’re surrounded with there. When you know your stuff is being looked at by these guys — and a lot of them would get our strips e-mailed to them every day by the syndicate — I’d say to myself ‘I’ve really got to be on my game here.’”

If Over the Hedge the movie achieves the success its creators are hoping for, will there be a sequel in the works? It’s a question one hardly needs to ask of DreamWorks, considering Shrek 3 is due out next May and a fourth Shrek is already in the works. However the studio may have already tipped its hand early on in the movie — when RJ shows Verne and company a map of the suburban development that’s sprung up around them, an arrow reading ‘FUTURE DEVELOPMENT’ is pointing to their small, unspoiled patch of green. Stay tuned for future developments…

Joe Strike lives in New York City and writes for and about animation. He has recently completed a children’s novel.

Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Paperless Animation Production

Animation World Magazine: "The Animated Scene: “Paperless Animation Production” — Myth or Reality?
In this month’s “Animated Scene,” Joseph Gilland addresses the reality of “paperless animation production,” which used to make his blood curdle.

May 16, 2006
By Joseph Gilland"

After an almost two-decade stint in the animated feature film industry, I have been re-introduced to the world of television series work, bit by bit, over the last four years. In some cases actually working on an animated television series, but more often as a casual observer, watching my overly stressed-out animation industry friends, who always seem to be rushing off to work over-time on yet another on-going television series with an insanely short schedule. Storyboard artists, character designers, layout artists, animators, effects animators — you name it — they’re all out there trying to make ends meet, in what seems to be an industry of ever shrinking schedules and budgets.

Whenever I hear about the insanely tight schedules that these artists are working on, my head just spins! Shorter and shorter schedules, smaller and smaller budgets, but is the quality of the shows diminishing? Well, sometimes yes, but incredibly, a lot of the time it is not! We have at our disposal today the tools to make quality cartoons, faster, slicker and better looking than a great deal of the so-called “limited” animation of years gone by.

This trend that we’re seeing has taken off in the wake of a staggering plethora of new animation technology, hardware and software, which, for better or worse, has enabled us to create stories, storyboards, animatics, backgrounds, characters, animation and special effects in ridiculously short order.

This is much to the delight of distributors, broadcasters, and animation clients of all kinds worldwide, who find that in today’s animation industry, an idea or a script can get from early development, into location and character design, straight into production and actually on the air in a matter of mere months. Projects that would have taken at least a year to fully develop and begin to get off the ground, can now sprout wings and take off in a really big hurry, and at a mere fraction of the cost of an old-school hand-drawn cartoon.

There are some key technological advancements in the tools, both hardware and software, that we use to produce cartoon series these days that have contributed enormously to the speeding up of the overall process, and I’d like to discuss a couple of the most important ones, that I feel are changing the way we make cartoons today, besides the obvious technological developments that we have all come so familiar with, like Flash.

The combination of the screen surface with a sensitive grip pen makes artists comfortable with the drawing “feel” of Cintiq 21UX.

First of all, the whole idea of “paperless” production (Oh, how that concept used to make my blood curdle!) which has been batted around for the last two decades, is actually starting to successfully take place, largely due to a couple of truly innovative, effective tools that have finally come close to matching the needs of traditional artists, who are willing to work with digital tools, if they actually help, rather than hinder, the creative process. Now we finally have these tools at our fingertips, they actually work and they are rapidly changing the face of the modern animation studio. Not only the television series industry either, or only the “2D” animation industry. Every studio, from the smallest hometown commercial ventures, to the biggest feature animation powerhouses, is taking full advantage of this new software and hardware.

First of all, the incredibly effective Wacom Cinitq 21UX interactive pen display is an LCD monitor that enables artists to draw directly onto the computer’s screen, and it is the first product of its kind that really has artists getting comfortable with its drawing “feel” very quickly and intuitively. I had tried one of the earliest versions of this tablet many years ago, and it was at that point in time still a relatively frustrating tool for a traditional pencil and paper sort of an artist to deal with. The tactile quality of the drawing pen just wasn’t there, and there was an enormous disconnect between the hand and the image. I was skeptical that I would ever be able to become comfortable with such a tool, but that has all changed recently.

The folks at Wacom, in developing the Cintiq have put a lot of time, research and effort into creating a screen surface that actually has some “bite” to it, much like a real piece of paper, as well as a wonderfully programmable and sensitive pen, and the results are surprisingly successful. It seems that the developers have really been listening to us pesky artists after all! Up until now, getting a really natural drawing sensation that inspired an old school artist was inconceivable.

And I was one of the biggest naysayers to the tablet technology that has been emerging, precisely because of that very reason. The tactile sensation of a graphite pencil digging into the texture of a good quality piece of paper, well, there’s nothing quite like it. The sculptural feeling of “working” a drawing on paper is a key element of how I create design drawings, and, until recently, I had never encountered a tablet that was even remotely satisfying in that respect.

But today, of all the artists I know are using the Cintiq tablets, myself included, the vast majority are enjoying it a great deal and truly getting a good drawing feel with it. It speeds up many aspects of the animation pipeline, by finally doing away with enormous amounts of paper that needs to be scanned and put in binders and archived in filing cabinets. Artists can create everything from storyboards to character, effects, set and prop designs in literally half the time it used to take them, simply by the virtue of being able to undo things quickly and work in layers, which enable quicker development and experimentation with designs.

This may not seem like something entirely new to so many people who have become accustomed to using digital drawing tablets and working with software like Photoshop and Painter for many years now, but not enough emphasis can be put on how far the technology has come. The natural feel of the pen on the drawing surface of the Cintiq is quite amazing, and the ability to rotate the entire tablet much like an old school animation disc is also a huge asset. I can’t believe how quickly many of my old-school pencil and paper artist friends are catching on to the Cintiq, and raving about its astounding functionality.

Old school pencil and paper artists are astounded by how far technology has come. Products like Cintiq allow creative teams to present their drawing ideas quickly, compressing the time it takes to deliver a project.

Today, creative teams are able to send their drawing ideas quickly and directly to the director or lead designer, who can then make changes, notes and suggestions on a new level directly on top of the artwork and send it back to the artists in the blink of an eye. The time saved by an artistic director who once had to be constantly on the go, moving from artist to artist, making suggestions and changes out on the floor of the studio, is enormous. Of course if a more hands on approach, face to face interaction is desired, that can still be done, but the options available to manage the flow of our creative ideas are far greater with these new tools working as well as they do today.

Software too has been catching up quickly to the desire for a natural drawing experience on a computer, and Alias (Autodesk) Sketchbook Pro 1.1 is another tool that is catching on like wildfire, because of its extremely user friendly, intuitive tools, pencils, pens, brushes and levels. The learning curve is extremely fast, no real need for training or leafing through weighty user manuals.

This is the kind of tool traditional artists have been waiting a long time for. No fuss, no superior computer skills required, just a fast intuitive way to draw on a computer. For a purely straightforward piece of drawing software, it is hard to beat, although of course there are bugs to be worked out, and countless improvements that should be, and I’m sure will be made.

Personally, seeing the work being created in my current production workspace using the Cintiq and Sketchbook Pro, I am finally becoming convinced that “paperless” animation production may one day become a reality, even at the earlier design stages where it is still common to see artists using every thing, from charcoal to oil paint, to create design ideas, character, location, special effects prop designs, color palettes, and conceptual ‘look of picture’ designs of all kinds.

If these tools become even better than they are now, we will see more and more old school artists giving up their beloved paints and pencils, and moving, if somewhat reluctantly, onto the world of digital drawing.

The Alias SketchBook Pro, with its ability to capture ideas quickly, might replace the pencil and napkin. It is extremely user friendly with no real need for training. © Alias Systems Corp.

Beyond the earlier stages of development, design and storyboarding that I have detailed here, of course we have seen digital ink-and-paint and particularly, Flash transform 2D animation into a process that takes a fraction of the time to produce than the old animator assistant/inbetweener/production model of years past. No need to go over that here, we all know the process is speeding up, some of the resulting animation is looking better and better, and not necessarily too far removed from the “high quality” animation that we all want to see being produced.

It looks to me like digital “2D” animation, is really coming into a new and exciting era. Even with shrinking budgets and schedules, we can look forward to creating better looking shows than ever if we embrace and exploit the super efficient digital tools that we have at our fingertips today. Even this crusty, narrow minded, old school, hand-drawn, animator’s survival kit thumping animator can see that we are entering an era of a much broader and less restricted visual vocabulary.

Of course I for one will never stop emphasizing the need for good old school hands-on training for our students of the craft, if only for the purpose of teaching them the importance and the value of every frame that we deal with in animation. Letting the computer do too much of the work too early on in an artist’s development may severely stunt their ability to process creative ideas thoroughly in their imaginations before committing them to paper, uh, that is, their digital tablet… But even the earliest, teaching, design and development stages of animation production may be done on digital drawing tablets some day soon, as these products become more widely available and affordable.

One by one, my industry friends who use the Cintiq at work are getting them for their home studios as well (at least those who can afford the still rather high price tag). Keep in mind folks, I certainly don’t write about animation to advertise these products! In my mind, this phase of technological development is one of the most important developments in the history of our industry, up there with Technicolor, digital ink-and-paint and 3D CGI technology.

Visit a few studios these days, and these new drawing tablets are conspicuously evident everywhere you look. And they are giving us greater and greater creative freedom, as well as making it possible for more new shows to be developed and produced affordably, (even in spite of their somewhat lofty price tag), and within the time constraints of an ever more demanding clientele. Hopefully this will challenge more and more companies to develop and offer us even better and more importantly, even more affordable new digital drawing tools.

In his 30-year animation career, Joseph Gilland has worked with studios as diverse Walt Disney Feature Animation and the National Film Board of Canada. He has worked on all styles of animation, experimental films, television series, commercials, theatrical feature films, stop motion, title sequences, live-action films and documentaries. Formerly the head of the classical and digital character animation programs at the Vancouver Film School, Gilland is writing a passionate book about the art of animation.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Gedo Senki Director Interview



- Director Goro Miyazaki

Original artical can be found here: http://www.ghibliworld.com/goromiyazakiinterview.html

Aoi's voice (the singer of Gedo Senki's theme song 'Song of Teruh') conveys that loneliness in youth, a bit unsteady, but clear and charming. It's 'love at first hearing', Goro said.

I like that ^^

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Song of Teruh

Song of Teruh

Lyric : Miyazaki Goro,
Music : Taniyama Hiroko
Arrange : Terashima Tamiya
Song : Teshima Aoi



--------------------------------------------------
yuuyami semaru kumo no ue / 夕闇迫る 雲の上
itsumo ichiwa de tondeiru / いつも一羽で 飛んでいる
taka wa kitto kanashikarou / 鷹はきっと 悲しかろう

oto mo todaeta kaze no naka / 音も途絶えた 風の中
sora wo tsukanda sono tsubasa / 空をつかんだ その翼
yasumerukoto wa dekinakute / 休めることは できなくて

kokoro wo nani ni tatoeyou / 心を何に たとえよう
taka no youna kono kokoro / 鷹のような この心
kokoro wo nani ni tatoeyou / 心を何に たとえよう
sora wo mauyouna kanashisawo / 空を舞うような 悲しさを

hitokage taeta no no michiwo / 人影絶えた 野の道を
watashi to tomoni ayunderu / 私と共に 歩んでる
anata mo kitto samishikarou / あなたもきっと さみしかろう

mushi no sasayaku sougen wo / 虫のささやく 草原を
tomoni michi yuku hitodakedo / 共に道行く 人だけど
taete mono iu kotomonaku / 絶えてもの言う こともなく

kokoro wo nani ni tatoeyou / 心を何に たとえよう
hitori michi yuku kono kokoro / ひとり道ゆく この心
kokoro wo nani ni tatoeyou / 心を何に たとえよう
hitoribocchi no samishisawo / ひとりぼっちの さみしさを
--------------------------------------------------
over the cloud in the dusk
the hawk is flying always alone
he might surely be sorrowful

any sound was ceased in the wind
his wings takes the air
he can't rest his wings

how I express my mind
my mind like hawk
how I express my mind
my sadness like flying in the sky

the path in a field, nobody has passed
walking on there with me
you are surely lonely

on a grassy plain that insects has been chirping
we are making journey together
but we haven't been talking

how I express my mind
my mind that goes alone
how I express my mind
my loneliness that are alone

Monday, April 03, 2006

Never like the first time

Animators Unearthed: Never like the First Time! by Jonas Odell
Chris Robinson excavates Jonas Odell’s Never Like the First Time! and discovers the first sexual experiences of four people in this month’s “Animators Unearthed.”

April 03, 2006
By Chris Robinson


I was 15 when I lost my virginity. My partner in the meat dance was Sheri Gagnon, a girl from the nearby Uplands air force base.


The first attempt failed. We were upstairs at my friend, Steve Leggett’s house. I couldn’t cope with the pressure of knowing other guys were around. The turtle, so to speak, wouldn’t come out of his shell. Meat dance aborted.

The second attempt was at the comfortable confines of my parent’s place. Mom and Pops were at work during the day, leaving me plenty of time to do the dirty deed comfortably and calmly.

Being self-conscious about my body, we got undressed in the slightly darkened room. I don’t remember much else. We probably kissed. I bet she gave me a blowjob cause she gave me lots of them. Beyond that I just remember flopping down on her. After struggling to find my way in, Sheri eventually grabbed hold of my cock and guided it home. Then I just lay there. Seriously. I figured it was like an amusement park ride or a pinball machine. You drop your quarter in and stuff happens.

Well, that’s about it. After about 4-5 minutes of lying atop Sheri, we agreed that was enough.

Never Like the First Time!, the latest film by Swedish animator extraordinaire Jonas Odell, re-creates the first sexual experiences of four people. While the first two stories convey relatively common sexual initiation experiences (man gets laid at a party, woman recounts the slow, sensual build up to the eventual let down of the big moment), the last two are at once shocking, sad, beautiful and poignant. In the third segment, told using only black-and-white with rotoscope, a woman suggests that her first time might have been when she blacked out and was possibly raped at a strange man’s house. However, she’s not even sure. She just remembers waking up naked, feeling sore all over. In the film’s final episode, an elderly man recounts his first time. As Odell recreates the man’s vivid memories with a collage of cut-out images taken from vintage advertisements, the man’s voice become increasingly excited and passionate. His words carry him deeper into his memories and to a happier time and place that he had temporarily lost, but clearly not forgotten. In that single moment, the man rediscovers life’s beauty and simplicity.

“The idea for the film,” explains Odell, “came after having made Family and Friends. I thought it was interesting to do that kind of episodic film, where you put several stories on the same subject next to each other. I had the idea that I wanted to let several people tell their story of the same event in their lives, and put these stories next to each other. I think there is something really interesting about putting several stories on the same subject next to each other. You get a result that is more than just the sum of the different parts.”

Odell considered different ideas for the subject of the film, but came back to first sexual experiences “because it is that kind of experience that is sort of a milestone in people’s lives (at least until they’ve done it). Between August and October 2002, Odell’s colleague, Benjamin Wolff, conducted 30 interviews with an assortment of friends and strangers. “I listened to the interviews,” says Odell, “and tried to find a way to tell each story on film, and then had him go back to a number of the people asking questions that were in line with what I had in mind for each story. I then edited the interviews. Each was about 1-2 hours and I edited them down to 3.5 minutes. This was the most interesting part of the process, seeing I haven’t worked with documentary material before. It was a challenge to build a narrative in the edit, and still be true to what I felt they were trying to say.”


As the viewer becomes comfortably and cheerfully settled after the first two light-hearted tales, Odell suddenly jolts us with a dark story of abuse. While the decision to include this somber episode came out of a desire to have a range of different experiences, Odell says that this experience was, surprisingly, not a unique story. “Too many people have had similar experiences,” notes Odell.

The segment also stands out because of the calm, subdued manner in which the woman recounts her story. As she struggles to clearly remember the experience, her controlled and matter-of-fact voice gives the segment an almost comic tone of bewilderment. By the end of the story, she’s not even sure if she did lose her virginity on that alcohol-drenched evening.

“I worked a lot with the tone of that segment to get a balance between taking it seriously as a very dark experience, but still not using it for dramatic effect, but trying to tell the story in a way that reflects her own way of telling the story,” adds Odell. “I think it was important to include this story, and in a way the film is structured around it, leading the viewer down into this darkness and then up into the light again.”

For the film’s touching and spiritual finale, Odell selected the story of a 92-year-old man. “I really wanted to include his story,” says Odell. “He was the only one out of the 30 people interviewed that was totally positive towards the experience of the first time. He turned 95 a few weeks ago, by the way.”

While many animators of late have been drawn to using actual interviews, this is the first time that Odell has worked with documentary material. Odell was excited by the challenges of using a documentary soundtrack: “You have in one sense to think like a writer when you are editing the material, and on the other hand I felt it was important to let them say what I imagined they wanted to say with their stories, and to be true their way of telling the story, even if only three minutes out of a two-hour interview made it into the film.”

As might be expected with a film by Odell, the film uses a rich array of mixed-media techniques that enhance and complement each story. Music, always a strong point in Odell’s films, never overstays its welcome; instead, like a comfortable old friend, the sounds seamlessly harmonizes with the tone and pace of the each speaker.

One thing bothers me about this little piece of tale. What about Odell? Where’s his story? I told Odell that since I had divulged the awesome details of my first fuck it was only fair that he did the same. But Odell wouldn’t fess up. All I could get out him was that “it was a very matter-of-fact thing in a tent....”

Chris Robinson has been with the Ottawa International Animation Festival since 1991. A noted animation critic, curator and historian, he has become a leading expert on Canadian and international independent animation. His acclaimed OIAF programming has been regarded as both thoughtful and provocative. In May 2004, Robinson was the recipient of the President’s Award given by the New York chapter of animators for contributions to the promotion of independent animation.

His books include Between Genius and Utter Illiteracy: A Story of Estonian Animation, Ottawa Senators: Great Stories from the NHL’s First Dynasty, Unsung Heroes of Animation, Great Left Wingers and Stole This From a Hockey Card: A Philosophy of Hockey, Doug Harvey, Identity & Booze.

Saturday, March 18, 2006

News - 2006 中国国际动漫影视作品“美猴奖”大赛

2006 中国国际动漫影视作品“美猴奖”大赛参赛事宜
2006-2-23 12:14:27 中国动画网


2006中国国际动漫影视作品“美猴奖”大赛

参赛事宜

一、大赛背景及宗旨:

经中国动画学会授权,第二届中国国际动漫节组委会将举办2006中国国际动漫影视作品“美猴奖”大赛。本次大赛在中国动画学会的大力支持和资源配合下,将邀请世界知名动漫节以及国内外各知名动画机构、企业的顶尖专家担任评委,努力打造国家级动漫赛事的优质品牌。

在“美猴奖”大赛期间,将开展优秀动漫作品展映活动,通过这种交流来促进中国原创动画的繁荣和发展。在中国动画学会的支持和世界动画协会(ASIFA)的合作下,“美猴奖”大赛中脱颖而出的优秀作品,将获得直接被选送参加世界动画学会的著名国际大赛的机会,其中包括:萨格勒布世界动画节,昂西动画节,广岛动画节,东京动画节,首尔动画节,ASIFA好莱坞安妮奖,渥太华动画节。

另外,通过多渠道宣传“美猴奖”的优秀作品,扩大其在国内外的知名度和影响力,并争取把中国动漫影视作品“美猴奖”大赛列入主要国际动画大赛名册。

主办:第二届中国国际动漫节组委会

承办:中国动画学会

杭州市文化广播电视新闻出版局

特别协办:杭州高新技术产业开发区管委会·杭州市滨江区人民政府

协办:中央电视台

中国动画网

新浪网动画频道

CG杂志

漫友

搜狐网动漫频道

千龙新闻网动漫频道

支持:世界动画学会(ASIFA)

韩国动画学会

JETRO日本贸易振兴机构

萨格勒布动画节

二、奖项设置及奖金:

1、影院动画片奖项

——最佳影院动画片大奖 一名: 奖金 30000元

——影院动画片特别奖 一名: 奖金 20000元

2、动画短片奖项

——最佳短片大奖 一名: 奖金 20000元

——评委团特别奖 一名: 奖金 10000元

——短片荣誉奖 二名: 奖金 5000元

3、系列动画片奖

——系列动画片大奖 一名: 奖金 30000元

——系列动画片特别奖 一名: 奖金 20000元

——荣誉奖 二名: 奖金 10000元

4、商业/教育动画——(包括广告片,教育、科学电影)

——广告片大奖 一名: 奖金 10000元

——特别奖 二名: 奖金 5000元

5、网络动画——使用网络技术创作的动画作品,Flash或Macromedia Shockwave。

——特别奖 一名: 奖金 5000元

6、剧本奖

——最佳剧本创意奖 一名: 奖金 30000元

——最佳潜力编剧奖 一名: 奖金 20000元

——创意荣誉奖 二名: 奖金 10000元

7、外语片奖

——最佳影院片奖 一名: 奖金 20000元

——最佳短片奖 一名: 奖金 10000元

——最佳系列动画片奖 一名: 奖金 20000元

Friday, March 17, 2006

passing moments

This's probably the last revamp. No more. The background picture(inverted) is from Animatrix - Beyond. I really love this episode, especially the coloring.

So, something about this blog which I started out two years ago. It's dedicated to animation, anime and manga. There're all kinds of animation techniques: CG, traditional cell drawings,clay (also a type of stop-motion), and there is 'anime', a term specifically applied to Japanese animation.

Animation, to me, is free expression. It combines art with traditional movie techniques to create a world of limitless possibilities. Hmm, this's pretty succint. I didn't know I'm so capable of summarising. (readers: what the hell...)

About the title 'Passing Moments', it's actually the name of a CG short. I lost the link to the video. How sad.

This site also serves as an archive of information on specific artists and works. You can follow the navigation menu on the right.

Current mini projects

Anime Series
Cowboy Bebop
Samurai Champloo
Paranoia Agent

Studios (Coming)
Ghibli
Studio 4C
Pixar
Fox(this studio went bankrupt a few years ago)

Great Minds (Coming)
Alexander Petrov
Hayao Miyazaki
Satoshi Kon
Shinichiro Watanabe
John Lesseter

Mangaka
Hojo Tsukasa
Minako Narita
Masakazu Katsura
Ai Yazawa
Hisaya Nakajo
Modoru Motoni
Sumomo Yumeka
Satomi Yamagata
Yamimaru Enjin

About Me
Name: heavenlypigsty
Contact: heavenlypigsty@gmail.com

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

News updates

Source: http://www.591ac.com/



Death Note movie screen shot - the scene where 月 plans to murder the FBI agent


New artist who sings the theme song of new Ghibli movie 'Gedo Senki'

巨匠·宫崎骏监督(65岁)的长子·宫崎吾朗先生(39岁)首次执导的吉卜力艺术家工作室的最新动画电影《格多战记》,这部即将在7月公映的作品的主题歌,将启用无名气的新人演唱。



  这位歌手的名字是手嶌葵,听了演示带后宫崎吾朗监督对那个充满透明的歌声立即决定起用,并表示“也能遇见这么好的声音看来就是‘命运’的安排,这种朴素和善地触及内心深处的歌声让人感动”。为了让主题曲能够很好地表现出作品的意境,宫崎吾朗亲自上阵,担任主题歌和插曲的作词。

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Satomi Yamagata



青涩的爱情在指间转瞬即逝,渴望像泡皱的脏纸一样在水泥塘中荡漾,一上一下,飘忽不定,不知何时心灵也变得跟这薄纸一般,被水花割成一块块的,散了。

<--- 以下图片版权为作者所有,只供个人参考,请勿转载 --->

:档案:
Satomi Yamagata,一个画工和情节都很强的漫画家和插画家,BL和正常向的都画。
汉字:山縣聰美
生日: 1970.8.21
血型:AB
漫画经历:处女作在2000年《スリーピングラヴァーズ》杂志刊登,出道约5年
烦恼的事情:脑精不好,很难把自己的漫画画得很好看,真的很烦恼。
喜欢:昏睡
讨厌:胡萝卜,青椒,读书,画背景
现况:有两个女儿,住兵庫県。
官方网站:



:主要作品:
1.Kiss Kiss Kiss 系列故事(少女漫画)

第一部:2003.10.05,COMIC MU comix刊登
キスキスキス

第二部:2004.12,COMIC MU comix刊登
キスキスキス (2)


2.深沢山下系列故事 (BL漫)

第一部:3/4 Love (四分之三的爱情)


第二部(完结):Fake Fur (虚伪爱情)



3.其他

2005.12,《感情回路》


2004.5.10,Honey Baby


Fake Fur(伪装的爱情)
2004.9.27



关于标题:Fake Fur, Fake就是假冒的,Fur是动物的皮毛,翻译成《伪装的爱情》也蛮合适的。就好像皮毛是动物自我保护的盔甲,当梦想中的爱情离自己远去时,谎言就变成了那层维持自己生存下去的,Fake Fur。

《Fake Fur》是《3/4的爱情》的续集(不过是倒叙形势的),讲述了主角山下在遇到深泽前的恋爱史。

一共有5个小故事:
R(Restricted)
R(Remembrance)
伪装的爱1-4
从恋情结束的开始
感情线路

序曲:R(Restricted), R(Remembrance)讲的是山下在初中时的初恋久保
中段:《伪装的爱1-4》则是讲初恋结束后,山下短暂结交的朋友雷尼
尾声:《从恋情结束的开始》是和《3/4的爱情》桥接在一起的过渡章,讲的是已读大学的山下和深泽交往中的一段小插曲
番外:《感情线路》,恩,这个和老师最近出版的《感情回路》有关哦,讲的是累尼和真树的故事

R(Restricted)
等我发现的时候,已经太迟了,爱情 --
若早知道爱情会来临,我就会低头回避了。

情人节那天,山下和无话不说的好友久保收到一大堆礼物,其他男生见了很羡慕。他们女人缘很好,却都没有女朋友,所以被归为“酷男组”。久保热衷于烹饪,无暇顾及女友,而且还很认真的说“那些女生的巧克力还不如我自己做的好吃”,不过山下就不一样了,他觉的自己的酷是装出来的,因为本身对女孩子就有一定惧怕,还不如和男生在一起的好。正当那帮男生讨论得热火朝天时,有人发现山下收到的情书里有一封印有男人的签名,不会是有男生对山下表白吧?可怜的山下想辩解都没用,因为大伙儿开玩笑开得太厉害了,这时只听玻璃噼里啪啦碎裂的声音,原来久保受不了他们的玩笑硬生生的用手把身后的窗户给打破了。闹事的人被吓走了,看着久保用舌头去添被玻璃被割破的手,山下不好意思地把头转向了一边。放学后,久保约山下去他家里玩儿,两个人一边吃着久保的新料理一边聊天。久保说他小时候就受叔叔的影响,一直都很想继承他叔叔在北海道开的餐馆。山下想了半天也没想到自己有什么类似的远大理想,那就干脆谈次恋爱好了,因为这个突然想起今天收到的情书。“那封信是我在录像带出租店认识的学长写来的,他看我经常借同性恋的带子,就问我有没有兴趣去他们的一个同志组织” “山下你不会是认真的吧?”久保很惊讶的问。“我从小就不觉得这类事有什么奇怪,所以一直想找个人谈谈。”山下一脸认真的回答说。这就是山下的特点呢,不管心里想什么都会诚实的反映在脸上。被久保这么称赞,山下不好意思地脸红了(多么可爱的孩子啊^^)。久保想留山下过夜,说要和他多聊聊,不过山下觉得自己把气氛搞得怪怪的,干脆还是回去吧。久保看着挥手道别的山下,若有所思。

第二天早上,久保没来上学。“山下你不知道吗?他和另一个同学今天去城外考试,说要上北海道的高中。” 山下惊讶的说不出话,心也顿时沉了下去,他什么也不知道。去北海道继承叔叔的店,那不是很久以后的事情么?他想和久保继续升同一所高中,想和他一边吃意大利面一边聊天。初中的时候久保身边还围着很多朋友,后来他就单独找山下去家里玩儿,像考试这样的事情,他也一定是昨天想单独告诉我,跟我讲他的梦想,有这样的朋友不是够了么?这么想的山下走向了车站等久保考试回来,最起码也要跟他说句“加油”。久保终于出现了。“山下,你的眼睛好红。” “嗯,太冷了,我快冻死了。”山下笑着说。“久保,我今天去找昨天写信给我的人,他介绍给我他们的社团,名字叫'R',不知道是什么意思那。”久保翻出一本字典,“R...受限制电影。”“啊??!不是吧。”“就单个字来说,是受限制的意思,还有限定于特定的人(目的)的意思。”说到这里,两个人沉默了。



“我一直找不到时机,我昨天想了很久为什么没能告诉你我去考试的事情,我现在还在想。”久保先开口了。

沉默。。。

“山下,你是不是喜欢我?”

那时,山下终于明白了,他希望那个人就是久保。

“十五岁的冬天,我终于明白了。”


R(Rememberance)

他给了我世界上最温柔的一句话:“再见。”

临近毕业前的最后一个暑假,山下和久保一起去山下爷爷那儿旅游。

把画好的画放在室外,正面向上,
三不五时会来到这里的朋友,
看过了之后,
会把画翻过来,
离去,

于是,
两个人都知道,
那个尚未实现的梦,
仍在继续 -




未补完 -

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

[转贴]杂烩渡边信一郎

转贴
杂烩渡边信一郎 :: Scissorhands

杂烩渡边信一郎

他最出名的作品是两部26话的TV版动画《cowboybebop》(《星际牛仔》)和《samurai champloo》(《混沌武士》)。

他可称之为“电影剧场版”的只有《天国之扉》和黑客帝国动画版中的《kid’s story》(《少年故事》)和《detective story》(《侦探故事》)等几个屈指可数的作品。而且《天国之扉》其实只是《cowboy bebop》向商业妥协的烂尾巴,《Kid’s story》和《detective story》也仅仅作为向黑客帝国致敬的动画短片中的一部分,十几分钟的片子。尽管如此,把他归入日本一般意义上的动画导演却是我们的过错。

渡边信一郎有一个尴尬的境地,他的作品从来不会得到那些标签式“日本动漫迷”的追随,他们几乎不接触他的动画。他也不像宫崎骏、大友克洋、押井守一样,在电影界得到推崇。尽管他的每一个故事几乎都可以以一部完整的电影看待,他却固执地用电影的手法来做着26集的动画片。于是他的名字很少出现在这两类资讯宣传的任何一方中,但这并不妨碍他自得其乐。

他说“如果只是在动画爱好者的接受的范围内进行缩小再生产,看的人会感到腻,同时制作者也会渐渐走进死胡同。”所以他要做一些“向外的,比如突然拿给一个居住在摩洛哥的人看,他也会觉得有趣的作品。”可你千万不要误会,他决不是指从更大范围的观众出发做动画。渡边信一郎从来不是广大观众的上帝,相反,从艺术来说,他是一个极端的个人主义者,一个随性的天才。他用作品做着纯粹“渡边”的事情:他让史派克打李小龙的拳法,以此向这位功夫明星致敬;他管自己片中的餐厅叫 “Woody’s Ice Cream Parlor”,在其中出现的人物形象也与伍迪·艾伦有几分神似(《cowboy bebop》第5话“重金属皇后”);他用皇后和滚石乐队的经典曲目做自己的片名(《cowboy》第6话“sympathy for the devil”和第13话“波希米亚狂想曲”);他借剧情对葵川爱信和他带给梵高的向日葵灵感进行调侃(《samurai champloo》第5话)。而他没有吕克·贝松一生只拍10部电影的宏愿,十余年来却只有6部作品问世。他归隐于世地做着自己的事情,很难有外界的影响能波及到他,从《cowboy bebop》到《混沌武士》,他毫不在意自己作品主题和风格的转变甚至可能让观众跌下板凳。他极少在媒体前出现,却只是说“动画界已经开始走向均质化”,并在自己的作品中理所当然地涂抹个性主义色彩。

Monday, February 20, 2006

Animation Prototype

Animation before its time
- the earliest optic toys in the 19th Century

1825 John A. Paris, Thaumatrope
1832 Joeseph Plateau & his sons, Phenakistoscope
1861 Horner, Zoetrope
1872 Emile Reynaud, Praxinoscope
1879 Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxiscope

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Death Note to be made into live action movies?!

From Animenewsnetwork
Death Note Movies (2006-01-17 11:45:45)

Manganews.net reports that Weekly Shonen Jump issue 8 (January 23 issue) will announced two live-action Death Note movies. The first is to be released in June, the second in October.

Friday, January 13, 2006

Hayao and Goro Miyazaki, Tension!

Latest News from Nausicaa

January 12, 2006 [New!] Miyazaki Interview about Museum Shorts and "Tales from Earthsea"

The Daily Yomiuri Online has coverage (in English) of a recent roundtable interview with Miyazaki. He talks about the three newest Studio Ghibli Museum films and has the following comments about his role in the production of Tales of Earthsea:

I won't say anything [about the movie], lend a hand or even look it over. I'm not involved in any way. I'm keeping myself to myself in my studio as whenever we see each other we quickly start to feel tension.

The relationship between a parent and a child isn't easy or simple. And I myself have my own standards to evaluate other people as professionals--whoever they may be.

But I'd never say, "Give up!" even if I didn't like something he was doing. I've never said anything like that to him.

------------------------------
Personal Thoughts

I don't understand why Hayaoi Miyazaki doesn't support his son on the new project or is it because it is his son and he thinks their father-son relationship will bring extra attention and gossips from the public that might tarnish the studio's image? Or another major reason could be Goro Miyazaki has no previous experience in directing, or 'drawing' for that matter that he's deemed an unsuitable heir? The latter concern is reasonable but if that was the case, why wouldn't a father give his child his fullest mental support even though it is Goro's virgin project? Don't let public expectations butt in the way...

Experienced or not, I think Goro's going to give his 100% best just to prove what he's capable of! GO GO!

Monday, January 09, 2006

Sandwichbag & more


newly discovered animation blog. will find time to read through hopefully...


Taylor Illustration, another treasury hunt!

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Toribito Hiromi

http://toribito.jp/garou/garou.htm

Saturday, January 07, 2006