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Previous News
APRIL
2005
Thank Goodness It's Friday Edition - 04.29.05
* Update ....Only a few people seem to have
reacted to the Coraline news I posted
below. I did not originally post it as
fact that Coraline was supposedly
going to be done as CGI. I was questioning the
article. One of the die-hard Stop
Motionists out here, just contacted me and gave
me detailed analysis and says that Coraline-CGI
article is DATED-OLD News and remembers reading that article back in 2002. Here is a newer article 09.04 This is even more recent Interview
with Henry 12.04. On last page of article, he talks
about Coraline. My source also presented
recent
inside info that suggests Coraline will be Stop Motion. I
cannot reveal the details, but the evidence provided
looks pretty good to me. So my journalistic
instincts were right! I did post
that AWN Henry Selick article in
previous news last year and I should have remembered but
I forgot. Hey Marc .... you better send your staff back
to journalism school! 
* Internet is Insanity. You
have to approach it with high degree of objectivity.
Rumors, gossip appearing to be fact and
people addicted to the net .... feeding the frenzy of
misinformation. Okay .... I just had to say that. Unfortunately,
this could be true ..... Aardman
Studio's (the clay animation king) "Flushed
Away", has been reported through various
online sources that it will now be all Computer Animated. It was brought to my attention
with this posting at SMA.com message board.
It has always been reported previously, that Flushed
Away was going to be done in Stop Motion
Clay Animation. I posted at board my keenful
intuitive observations  as
to why the change to CGI. DO NOT believe
the studio line that because Flushed
Away was going to be a "complex
movie" and that's why they went CGI. What a
bunch of BS. I think Aardman SOLD OUT but
they probably had no choice as Dreamworks
is paying for it and they are the ones really
calling the shots. I respectively
disagree with this comment someone made at the message board,
saying that Aardman perhaps "wanted"
to do it CGI. Aardman .... you
are great studio that had a unique
product, but soooo disappointed that you
gave in to CGI. It is
going to look the same as the plethoric
cornucopia of all the CGI animated homogenized
products.
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STOP THE PRESSES Edition - 04.24.05
* HOT off Marc Spess' News page: According to Marc's
interpretation, this article supposedly confirms than Henry
Selick , now at the new Vinton Studios, will be doing
"Coraline" as CGI? Here is quote that possibly Marc
is referring to ....
" DE: Is it going to be a mixture of animation
and live action like Monkeybone?
HS: It is going to be live action with some CG effects
but unlike Monkeybone I will write the screenplay. I want
to take charge of the story. It is stylized. I can't
really compare it to anything else. It's not like any
other story."
I do not know how old the article is. Maybe last
year? There is no date. Marc posted print
version of article. Here is Html version of same article .... still
no date on article. I do remember that
Coraline was supposedly going to be done All Stop
Motion.
Now it's "live action with some CG effects"?
Well if it's true .... that ROYALLY SUCKS.
Another CGI homogenized product.
Short-cuts to quickly pump it out on the market..
Now we know the true direction of the new
Vinton Studios. New is not necessarily Better.I
am sorry Henry .... I am not pissed-off at you.
We know you have to work under the "Powers
that Be". Shaking my head in utter
disappointment IF this is true. We don't know yet. You,
reading this .... maybe
post it on the SMA board for discussion. DarkStrider .... another Lone Stop Mo
voice crying out in the wilderness .... I wonder
what you think? We should all be screaming about
this. If my hair was not completely shaven off,
I would pull it out, in frusration 
____________________
Weekend edition - 04.23.05
* Collectables .....
unbelievable what people will pay. I am not
knocking it. I am just not much into
"collecting" as it sure can be
$Financially$ intensive. Hey ..... whatever floats
your boat, if you have the cash to burn. Ebay
of course is one outlet where selling & buying
collectables is rampant. I am just talking in general and
not just Stop Motion, however I found this at Amazon
Marketplace ..... an old Stop Motion book by Steven
S. Wilson, Puppets & People They want about $200. to
over $300. for it! 
Sheeeesh ..... years ago, I only paid $12. for
it! 
In those days .... this Stop Motion book was
kind of unique. It is just a general overview and not
a How-To manual. In this digital age, the techniques
described in book might be considered by many, as very
dated. I could probably attempt the Collectable thing and
entertained a thought long time ago of offering signed
copies of my original
schematics-blueprints of the Stop Motion armatures
I fabricated for the background puppets used on "The
Nightmare Before Christmas" ..... but that
quickly faded, as probably not an interest and would only
be a small monetary return.
* What kind of student grading
systems do they use in USA schools today? It has been so
long since I attended those institutions. Are
they still using grades A to F? Here is,
what could have been a nice tutorial on making Aluminum Wire Armatures. I give it an A grade for
good information, but also, an F grade
because the images shown, are merely just a little bigger
than thumbnails and he does not provide a link
to larger photos. In his about page, the article writer implies that he knows
how to design websites? At the end of article, he says
the "photos are crap". IMO, they are actually
pretty good and if larger pics were available,
it could have been a much better tutorial. Soooo ..... A
for effort and F for pics being way too
small. Does that average to about a final C-
grade?
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Hump Wednesday Edition - 04.20.05
* Isn't one suppose to mellow out
with time as one matures & gains wisdom? Well ... I
thought that my rant-tirade periods would gradually
diminish, BUT, good ol' Strider (aka
Mike Brent) posted a topic at SMA Message Board
which momentarily got me going! Wanna
see it? LIO's Brief Rant Just minor elaboration here ....
All you Studios, "Suits", Ad Agencies,
Producers, etc. .... it is getting conjested out
there with all CGI content and CGI infused
special effects .... audience getting jaded
.... your products do not last as long in the
market. Soooo .... you supposedly admire Ray
Harryhausen and all all his inspiring work? Come
on, you big name people in the Biz....Why
don't you "Walk the Talk"? $Support$
Stop Motion and give green lights to
some projects or more Stop Mo content TV commericals.
Tim Burton 1 & Mel Gibson 2 have done it (just a microscopic minority
in mainstream). Instead of automatically doing it CGI,
say to yourself, "Let's do it Stop Motion
& Classic Special FX!" RETRO
always has an appeal to audiences! Look at these
Cup-O-Noodles TV commercials that were done over 10
years ago using hands-on Stop Motion,
enhanced with classic special effects methods and also
tweaked with a little bit of special FX Hi-Tech. Fresh,
entertaining, and especially stands-out from the crowd
.... compared to current plethora of homogenized CGI.
* Speaking of Uncle Ray ..... I posted this about a month ago but
that was only a brief sound byte. I found this article
and it is a little more elaboration .... Ray Harryhausen Enters "Hall
of Fame"
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Weekend edition - 04.16.05
* I just don't know about the Stop Motion Message Board. Like I said before ..... high
membership but very micro-scopic number post any
messages. Of course, the "regulars" kind of
there keeping it going. I may give up
with any extensive posting, in my vain efforts to
encourage discussion. No more rants or rambles
.... because it's like I am talking just to
myself at the message board. After I post, many
times I seem to hear the chirping sound of crickets! I
might as well save those mind streaming thoughts for my
own page here. I will not completely abandon the message
board. Anthony Scott put his heart and own
personal time and money into it and it is the major Stop Motion board on the
net ..... in spite of the lesser activity there
in more recent times. Also, there are already
plenty of archived treasures of Stop Motion discussion,
tips, advice, etc. there .... so the site serves as an
indespensible resource. Yeah ... the internet
kind-of cold & impersonal. There are
good things about it but it can sure be a time waster and
addictive for many. It was only about 5-1/2 years ago I
started using computers and then hooking up on the
internet. Before then, I got along fine without it. No
email too! Now, the 'puter
seems so much involved in my life. . I know .... maybe
I'll have kids and that will force me to
get off this machine!? Hmmmm .... I first have to find
someone to have kids with ..... I could adopt too but
that is a task that seems too daunting ... a single
parent I am rambling & thoughts
wandering.
* I
don't know if any of you heard of Rachel Johnson.
Just saw something online where she offers Animation workshops for Kids in New York. I am glad she puts a
good value on her expertise and charges a reasonable
amount for a 10 week course which is possibly more in
depth than any university! Hopefully, that gig is working
for her with parents/clients in NY that are happy to pay
for her unique knowledge. I thought about workshops or
being guest lecturer but I am guessing, there is not much
in that since my area is more specialized than Rachel's.
From the few inquires I receive sometimes, the
$reimbursement$ was minimal. If you want gig as regular
teacher, they want that piece of paper called a Degree.
I bet, I can take a few months course about teaching
techniques and I would do just as good as a so-called
degreed person. Academe and their rigid
& dumb rules and jumping through their hoops. About Rachel
..... apparently she has had a short film out for a few
years called The Toll Collector. Stylized and interesting proportions of
some of the puppets. It seems that the Jiri Trnka Studio supported her with that project.
Probably Michael Brent of DarkStrider.net may already know about her. Okay
.... seems dead & quiet everywhere.
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Monday Blues Edition - 04.11.05
* Geeeez .... you
would figure with gasoline prices being high at this
time, more of us might not be driving
around as much and instead, we would be hanging-out and
enjoying the cozy comforts of our homes, apartments,
shacks, shops, studios, garages, etc. .... and perhaps
indulging in the wonders of our computer-internet
communcation medium? But ... noooooooo! Quiet or
subdued, the SMA Message Board seems to be more often.There are probably
only a few Stop Motion message
boards-forums on the entire internet! It
is revealing to me, after a number of years online, how
we do not seem to be that social or mostly
non-communicative? Maybe that is why Stop Motion
will always remain kind of ... Underground,
Renegade-like, or Non-Mainstream? If you look at
2D and CGI .... just tons of
that online .... and also message boards up the
wah-zoo. Anthony Scott created SMA for
all of you
.... a community
thing. About
2000 SMA members but mostly lurking,
I guess. Okay ... so you just do not talk much .... that
is your preference & choice. Even if you were a past
regular SMA member or have been absent or busy
for awhile ... it only takes a few minutes to post a
message, say "Hi" or update us ocassionally? I
do know that our very micro-scopic hardcore dedicated SMA
members, do participate. You
will be blessed and be assured you will be going to Stop Motion Heaven
* Addendum: Maybe I
should not whine and I am generalizing. Perhaps many of
you are working on your projects or at your regular
pay-the-rent straight jobs. I understand Life
can get in the way of the Fun Stuff....
or maybe you are catharting & venting through your
Website Blogs? Hey, that's cool! Okay
.... Strider, Tennessee, and MishMash .... I am using some Stop
Motion Works real estate here and trying
out some direct links to
your Blogs (scroll to bottom of this page). Do
not let me down! It is not expected that you post to your
Blog everyday .... but whenever you can .... about anything
(even Stop Motion too!) that is percolating
within your brain cells. It is good therapy for
"you all". Do not hold it in .... release baby
.... release! Dr. LIO
____________________
04.07.05
* Just a reminder again,
to bookmark Tennessee
Reid Norton's Private Dick Plog (for mature audiences). Very much infused
with earthiness & realness ..... a dude sharing his
thoughts & experiences and also spices it up with
some technical tips that he is using on his Stop Mo
project. He even tells you when he screws up a shot!
Right now there are some cool little tips he posted. You
should visit regularly or at least once a week. Tennessee
also inspired a Stop Mo Bro
known as UltraMK (at the message board)
and he has just created his own blog page Notes from the Box Not sure what it's about .... he also goes
by the name of Mishmash. Hmmmm ..... something
ethereal and enigmatic about him
____________________
04.06.05
* Recently received contact from a
colleague of mine Paul Moldovanos aka The Clayman! They do sculptural caricatures,
dimensional stylized & cartoon illustrations. They
have been branching out in the area of animation. The ClayMan & Associates has been venturing into CGI but
Paul has told me in the past, Stop Motion is something
they want to offer .... because Stop Mo is merely a
further extension of what The Clayman already
does in creating real material tactile dimensional
sculpture works. In the past, Paul and I have attempted
to work together but projects have not happened or our
schedules did not permit it. I am very happy to
say that The ClayMan &
Associates are working on a current
Stop Mo project. It is kind-of interesting .....
the client is ManHaters.com? I do not
know exactly what that website is about but the title may
give you a clue? Anyway, check-out a few small
pics of what they are working on "0069"
* Hey guess what?! A regular StopMo Forum member, Jason Gottlieb, has entered in this month's Slamdance Anarchy Film Festival. His entry is called ILLUME. What a prestigious thing ....
Slamdance! All you out there, do not be afraid
to enter ..... maybe a project you are working on now. To
enter, there is a small fee, so choose your best
work. I am not sure, but I think this Anarchy
Festival is monthly or most of the year. Here is
their FAQ. On the message board, Jason goes
by the handle as Teabgs. I always
wondered whatever happened to the "a" .... as
in Tea-bags? Perhaps just some unique
thing or quirk about Jason, that we will never
know about and it possibly just further contributes to his
celebrity mystique?
____________________
Weekend edition - 04.02.05
* If you did not notice on this page
on the left column here, is a new link Animation for Kids Wendy Jackson Hall
appears to be an experienced educator in the arts with
regards to implementing animation for children in
a school environment. She gives her
observational overview about general animation as applied
to children. IMO, this is how we are going to keep Stop
Motion alive & kicking, through the introduction of
it, to the young. They are now assaulted & bombarded
with hi-tech mind numbing video gaming, toys, gadgets,
etc which I think are somewhat sterile and
non-tactile interactive activities (mostly
staring & reacting to computer monitor). Animation
in general, of the more traditional variety (not
just Stop Motion) would re-vitalize that basic
nature of children and just people in general to explore
the real world,
with handling real materials
as a means of creative outlet through animation ....
stimulating Mind Nutrition. If you are
especially an educator-teacher, parent or
guardian, read what Wendy has to say. She is
available for consultation.
* Looks like this weekend is
Stop Motion Software Carnival Celebration? Our
friends at
Stop MotionMaker have just released Version
1.3. Guess what? Some existing features refined
and now includes Chroma Keying. It can
be tricky to use and patience is required with proper
lighting & using keying background color. For pros
.... maybe useful for test composite shots or
previsualization aid. For newbies, beginners, young &
all ages .... chroma keying can certainly help in reducing
some of miniature set construction. If you cannot
afford to buy Stop MotionMaker....
then you are really tight arse cheeeeeeep!
(update news will soon be listed in Stop
Motion Software
link)
* Also debuting this weekend .... a
very simple Stop Motion program offered for free
use, called StopMoJo. It is open source and with time, might
have other features added. It is written based on Java
program language, which will allow it to be used on cross
platforms (Macs & Linux) but only
has been tested on Windows XP. Here is the
author's description:
"It is a simple video capture program that
captures to jpg, png, or bmp files and supports overlay
of previous frames and export to AVI or QUICKTIME movie
files."
LIO here .... There are good Stop Motion programs
that are very reasonably priced, however, if one
cannot afford even the low cost of those programs or you
just do not wish to purchase software, StopMoJo
might serve your verrrrrrry economical lifestyle needs.
(will soon be listed in Stop Motion Software link)
* Last month we reported here a new Stop
Motion Program called StopMotioner Beta 3
for Macs only. I have updated the Stop
Motion Software
page and have made my overview comments about it. When
you go to the page you will have to scroll down to about
middle of page.
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