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Previous News
JANUARY
2004
01.26.04
* I found this other animation
capturing program that is primarily designed
for drawn animation called Tapptoons Animation Linetester for PC's. From
reading Tapptoon's description, it is not at all, like Xipster
which makes it very easy for beginners
to jump into animation, however, if you play around with
Tapptoons' menus and make adjustments, I think it could
be adapted for Stop Motion frame capture. If this works
for Stop Motion, I might classify this as an intermediate
frame capture tool. They have 2 versions ....Tapptoons LineTester Pro (only $72. USD) and Tapptoons Linetester which is free .... yes
FREE! The program has many features,
and if you like to play around with software, perhaps you
can get it to work for Stop Motion! One of the minor
limitations of the free version is the maximum output
resolution of 512x288 pixels, but hey,
it's free! Very generous of them to
offer it. Tapptoons LineTester has detailed
online documentation & instructions. I
URGE you to download it and experiment with it! Please
let
me know if it
works for you or give us any tips or advice. Tell
Tapptoons, "thank you" for the free version and
also that Stop Motion Works sent you there!
* Looking
for Funny Animations ..... this was posted last
week on a clay animation discussion group. No pay
but you get credit. They seem to be looking for animation
that is already finished, or perhaps something you can
produce quickly .....maybe good exercise & discipline
to create something on a deadline schedule?
Here is the posted message ....
"MyGameTV.com a new
syndicated video game review show, is looking for
animators to
contribute 1-2 minute short funny bits to the
show. There is no compensation, however there is
screen credit. Also, we would like to
work with comedic animators that would
be interested in creating1-2 minute pieces from
scratch about My Game TV. If this sounds
interesting to you contact: Jeff Rivera", Website: www.myGameTV.com" Anybody is welcomed to post this on
their website, message board, etc.
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01.23.04
* In case you were at SMA
board regarding this topic ....well another exclusive here ....I could
have posted this link at the forum under that topic, but
I used my personal time to search for
this and I deserve & earned the site hits
 Here are some photos
with text en Español ..... Stop Motion vs. Computer Animation. Hey, the internet is a
game of survival  .... everyone steals
from ... ummmm ....I mean we borrow from
each other! Actually I really did not steal anything.
Okay .... you now have permission to Steal this
and post the website address at the SMA board or anywhere
else! Addendum 01.26.04 ....thanks to TeaBgs
(Jason).... you can see the QuickTime movie HERE
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01.20.04
* I just received an
email from someone on the message board and this member
seems to have taken my 01.17.04 comments (see below) personally!
I replied and said my commentary was not
directed at anyone specifically. Many of you know about
my little rants and preaching.
Perhaps I am like the Matt Drudge of Stop Motion? Of course, I am
not worthy to be in his class as master gossip-rumor
monger. Hey, send me some! You know that I am always begging
for buzz, rumors, etc.. Anyway, hopefully you
realize that I do my little tirades with a good
spirit and I am not angry. I am just trying to motivate
and help some, to be more focused about Stop Motion and
not go detouring all over the map, but everyone
chooses their own path how they want to learn. I am
not discouraging anyone to ask questions. The
purpose of message boards/forums, is to communicate,
learn, friendly debates, and so on! See .... I
am happy! 
____________________
01.17.04
Special
Weekend Edition
* On the SMA board ..... lots of talk .....
much of it consumed in the technical anal retentive
minutia aspects of what type cameras, equipment, etc. and
everyone seems to want the "perfect setup" to
do their epics. Very minimal
Stop Motion animation is being shown by the forum
members. There is nothing wrong with discussing such
technical things (that's the purpose of forums) but it
seems that some of the members just get stuck in
the planning of it and take a lifetime
just to start shooting a single frame of animation! At
the CGI-digital focused message forums, their members
seem more active in doing actual animation
.... even just simple tests and just to practice. These
following links are not Stop Motion but a
non-professional doing their amatuer variation-homage to
Star Wars. Yeah ....I know the idea is not
"original" and you can tell it has CGI effects
but IMO, has reasonably good production values ....good
cutting & pacing of the trailers. He basically used a
Canon GL1 DV camcorder and extensive use
of CGI and compositing-special effects with Adobe's
After Effects. You can do the same
incorporating Stop Motion and real models and enhance
with post special effects/compositing. Here are
some 15 second trailers .... first one, Dark Skies Trailer (Quicktime) ...the sequel, Storm Ahead Trailer (Windows Media Player). Here are
their main websites Dark Skies and Storm Ahead. Other clips are available (even entire
movie) but too large to download for dial-up connections.
Okay ..... Stop Talking
and get moving ..... put a welding torch under your
buttocks and Start Animating!!
* As some of you might know, I did
some past jobs for the old Will Vinton Studios
and one of them was for FOX Sports ad spots
as described in my About link. Well, that was done in 1999 and to my
surprise ....just surfing the net, I found an archived
article about it which I never new existed! Anyway for
your edification here it is Shoot Mag/NFL Fox Stop Motion
Promos
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01.14.04
* If any of you have
contacted me or made inquiries about prices or were
interested in some of my services, feel free to remind
me again and maybe that will put a little
fire under my
ASS!  Sometimes I get side-tracked with
the mundane things of LIFE .... the
bills, house chores, cooking, laundry, grocery shopping,
unforseen things, vehicle problems, doing fricken year
end tax & paperwork stuff, etc. (I do not
have any help.... a partner)
.....and of course my other "joe-job" that pays
the rent. I would like to expand what I
do here and offer services, on a more regular
basis. Even just maintaining this small website
(at no profit) can take some time. I want to get my STORE going (take a look
at it....updated) but unfortunately that is still
in progress. At least I have the courtesy to tell you,
unlike other websites which are forever "under
construction" (that sucks). Again, if you have
contacted me and have not heard anything, you know where to reach
me!
____________________
01.12.04
* You know, IMO, one
of the contributory reasons Stop Motion Animation as a
whole field, might be a fragmented art/craft, is maybe
because of this kind of Underground reputation and
perhaps because many of the die-hard practioners of Stop
Mo are mostly secluded in their garages & homes? We
are maybe closet-types. In other
arts,crafts, fields or hobbies, there seems to be more
comraderie and Esprit d' Cor ....but Stop Motion
....Nooooooo! Jeff Taylor
"walked the talk" and made his
tremendous attempts with the Imagine Nation Expo
that had some Stop Motion content ....
but it eventually fizzled because the attendence
was poor. Even the general Animation
trade/industry magazines seem to make no
attempt at researching or reporting news items about Stop
Motion ..... most all the news
is about fricken CGI / Digital FX ! Well
at least, traditional 2D animation gets
some attention but mainstream 2D work may be in a
recession now. Back to Stop Motion .... I suppose there
are still the secretive ones who are
just quiet & introverted and do not
want to participate and are not
pro-active about Stop Motion. That is the nature of some
people in general, I suppose. I have requested to have my
Stop Motion Works link on many animation related sites
and only a few have done it. There does not seem to be
any co-operation amongst us ..... for the larger
good. Some are just paranoid, I
guess. As a positive example, Marc Spess and I might have competing or
similar websites but we get along fine
and even borrow news items from each other! We also
exchange links. I really don't care who reports the
news.....I only see one goal ..... to
try and spread the word about Stop Motion as much as
possible. Unfortunately, many of us just sit
on our Rear Ends and let others do the work.
Today, the news and world events seem kind of slow or
somber and I had nothing else to post here, so you got
another one of my mini-rants.
____________________
01.08.04
* Stop Motion Animators are
supposedly labeled with personalities having a high
degree of patience to undertake this time consuming
animation craft. Well .... that may be a
misnomer! The book, Ray Harryhausen: An
Animated Life, was released at Amazon in England a few months ago and many on the SMA message board were slobbering with
anticipation and had their underwears in a bunch  , to
be FIRST to get the book .... and paid
the higher price! I am not one
to rush out and buy things immediately but the SMA board
members put the peer pressure bug in me
and I also got the book from England (I am guilty, too!)
Well ....for those who have patience
.... Amazon in USA will have Uncle Ray's book and it
will be less expensive .... only
$35. for USA customers and free shipping! The
book jacket cover for USA edition is a shot from the
Jason/Argonauts. I would have preferred a photo of Ray
with some Stop Motion puppets.... but the content is what
is most important. There are different categories of Stop
Motion from Gumby to Trnka but Ray Harryhausen was one of
pioneers of the more commercialized marketable types of
Creature Character Stop Motion for mass public
consumption.Unlike the mega-million dollar of movies of
today, Ray worked with poor man's budget
but yet, was able to achieve miraculous high
production values. I like to use the phrase.... Before
CGI was Cool
.... Ray Harryhausen was already doing
it! Even if you do not do any Stop Motion
and you are a mouse clicking animator or do other 'puter
work in CGI ..... you need to get this book to
learn about Godfather Ray .... who trailblazed
dimensional photo-real type character animation. Please,
do not categorize Stop Motion as quaint,
cute or old fashioned but learn to appreciate it as it's
own unique animation art/craft that can still entertain
the public (but no support from
mainstream movie biz) Here is excerpt from book
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01.05.04
* PIXAR starts 2D animation
division? I have been sitting on this news or
rumor item for almost two weeks because I wanted to see
if some of the major animation trades would report this
...... but zilch, nada, zero. What's up
with Animation Magazine and Animation
World Network? I
could not find this on their sites.....
As you know, we sometimes bash & criticize the
Corporate Suits/Studios because they seemed to be consumed with CGI .... and they
dare not be innovative or experiment with other kinds of
animation. This is not directly related to Stop
Motion but has to do with our 2D
Traditional brothers & sisters. This
is the Buzz: Under the PIXAR name, they might be breaking
the mold and have the guts
& courage to expand and
diversify their animation market by producing 2D
animation! YES you heard it here! Remember not
too long ago, when Disney was getting rid of their
traditional animation tables & related equipment? The
story is, that PIXAR bought them! Huge kudos goes
to Pixar and to John Lasseter
who is the creative executive now. He has always said
that CGI is only a tool and it's good
characters & stories that are the foundation. By
supporting other styles of animation, IMO, Pixar and John
....WALK THE TALK ! If this story is true, I am
personally going to send John Lasseter a postcard
showing my appreciation and support for this bold
move.
Just in case, please do not spam Pixar
with emails or clog their fax machine. Perhaps
..... Pixar & John will someday venture out and also
support Stop Motion film projects or some Stop Mo shorts
for festivals!? If you know of any
online 2D Animation forums, maybe this Pixar Encouragment
Campaign could be suggested to them! Disney
perhaps blew it, by prematurely dumping 2D animation.
Does Pixar really need Disney anymore? Here are
some of my online sources where I got this story 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 Does anyone have more information about
this? Also, please correct me if I am wrong. You can
anonymously use my contact page
____________________
01.01.04
* Ummmm ....another year. To me, it
feels the same like 2003 (it's all media hype!) The
reality is .... it is not a Happy New Year for everyone
and I sometimes refrain from using that phrase too
loosely and exercise judgement to who I might say that
to. Your "life" is Now,
in the present .... do not excessively
dwell on the past but learn from life experiences (don't
repeat mistakes) .....anger & resentment will make
things worse and distort your feelings or perspective. Move
on and try to better yourself .... do the best
you can to treat everyone with kindness and
respect throughout the entire year (not just on
special days). Okay, end of Sermon.
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