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02.28.10 * Laika Studio
catch-up info
.... I figure, I should include this
before finishing off
February month. Seems quiet up there in Portland, however there is some
buzz about some Laika Stop Mo projects in the works. These
days,
I do not pay much attention to 'Awards'
in the
flick biz. The big awards are mostly a 'mainstream media'  affair. With 'Avatar' as
example,
being praised up the wah-zoo and Tinsel Town salivating &
slobbering over
it. If awards are won, it's mostly used as publicity
hype. Not saying that is bad, but it is what it is.
'Coraline' of course has been nominated, and I think but not sure, also
'Fantastic Mr. Fox' (both stop motion) and other nominated CGI
animations in the competition. You can search
yourself about the nominations & awards stuff. I have not been in
keyboard
talkative mood at SMW here or messageboard. Life & stuff and
outside things kind of impacting me and including the general pessimism
out there, I sense. USA here and worldwide too. Unpredictable times
upon us. I have a strong urge to return to the less complicated past.
Not
to give up though and we should be engaged
& fight ....
but I digress. Back to subject. Here you go Oregon
Business: Laika 'Little
White Lie', 'Here be Monsters' & 'Paranorman' from Laika____________________ 02.27.10 * Motion Control,
Stereo 3D, equipment for Stop Mo .... Not necessarily for
the Poorman's or Newbie Stop Motionists but for projects with some reasonable budget
and desiring to be 'Cost Effective, by purchasing 'off the shelf' tools
& equipment
instead
of the higher expense of hav  ing equipment custom
designed &
fabricated from
scratch. For
those going with the, in my view, the possible gimmick of Stereo 3D,
there is a Digital
Still Camera
adaptor/unit for single
frame stereo 3D animation
photography. Good
for the 'All Puppet' Stop Motion. Obviously, you cannot use it for
'live
action' Stereo 3D recording/filming such as Harryhausen-esque
(combining puppets
with real people). I know though, that 3D
Stereo seems to be the 'Flavor for the Moment' and perhaps
provides more distribution markets. So, instead of custom
building all the
motion control equipment, a possible option for Henry Selick when he
comes back to
SF Bay Area  (see previous SMW News
below) for
various motion control
equipment,
as an example, everyone take a look at the SC
Stereoscopic Stepper and here.
The
Stereo Stepper, they say, integrates with
some of the top
Stop Motion frame grabber programs. Henry, as your
'production consultant'  ,
I would suggest, perhaps a
return to
the roots of cost-effective and resourceful filmmaking philosophy .....
like
the ol' days of 'Nightmare
Before Christmas' Part 2
Part
3. It
IS the 'creative end product' that is of primary importance
and not the
Mega-Million $$$ publicity hype of many of today's Tinsel
Town's obscenely excessively budgeted features. General website of Mr.
Moco* Henry Selick: Stop
Motion might return to San Francisco Bay Area .... There
was a period where Stop Motion was hot
here for a few years. Actually I believe, that
Art Clokey
was the
seed
that started it in the Bay Area. Read latest issue of Stop
Motion Magazine.  Gumby series seemed to
have established a methodology
of Stop Motion production. At the ol' Premavision
Studio
back then (in Sausalito, CA), I
recall the entire walls
covered with shot by
shot storyboard breakdown.
Ever
since, any behind the scenes shots of the few major all puppet Stop Motion
features,
those productions followed similar
technique and they
also plastered the
studio walls
with the shot by shot breakdown.
Anyway, looks like Henry has a few projects in mind
and article hints that he might come back to San Francisco area.
Read article
at Variety P.S.
Tip/suggestion ..... San Fran may be
pricey .... try the 'peninsula' like in San Mateo county
(easier commuting/parking or public transportation access) EDIT:
02.17.10 * Stop-Motion Ace YouTubes Himself to Hollywood .... I already and plethora of others in the online world already gave him plenty of publicity, so he doesn't need any more help from me. This is about the Canadian creative Patrick Boiven who is 'virally known' for  his
Stop Motion animations of poseable TOY figures. He
is not just into Stop Mo but does other independent personal creative
works. The article though, did not reveal if he
is making any kind of reasonable
income from his Stop Motion works. Just because something
goes viral on
the internet, that does
not automatically translate into success aka mega-dollars. However, it might buy you some
brief moment of notoriety
and it's up to the person to attempt to pursue that window of '10
Seconds of Fame' phenomenon which seems to be rampant now on the
internet, with
the onslaught and bombardment of
'new media' onto our cerebal cortex aka 'Internet Orgasma
Rama'. Read article
at Wired
Magazine* Lessons From This Week's Viral Video Successes .... This appears to be a website about online marketing. They also do weekly reviews of a cornucopia of online clips/videos and they attempt to give you certain formulas or supposed secrets. Now if eve  ryone followed their
advice, wouldn't we all
have hot viral videos?
Of
course not. It's kind of like
Financial consultants (so-called
expert pundits) giving you advice about the Stock
Market (& there are no guarantees). IMO, it's partly an unknown
factor, the timing of video release, what's immediate & now in
the
culture, then especially the creative
originality or element, and other factors. I do not think one
can exactly quantify or formulize what makes something hot &
successful
in the 'Creative' arena. Read article
at Reel-Seo____________________  > Tracey
Snelling does miniature creations-installations. Doesn't work in
Special FX or film biz some smart directors might ask if she would
work on Stop Mo projects? Watch > Behind Scenes Frog Toad & Friends (1985) & Runaway Ralph (1987). The overseer & director was John C. Matthews a very much, home brewer, do it yourselfer, and cost effective creative problem solver Website 
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