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Previous News
JULY
2004
Special
Weekend Edition - 07.31.04
* Here is one person's experience Quirky Artist: We're all Mad Here, who actually had a paid
job doing work in Stop Motion! ....getting more
rare these days especially in the states here.... earning
money from Stop Mo. Last year, Margaret Meyer worked on the Davey &
Goliath Christmas Special at Premavision
Studio in California. You may have already seen
these, but for those who have not, here are some production photos. I also did some work for the D&G
project, which was outsourced to me, here. The D&G
special is suppose to be aired sometime this year
during the Holidays, but too early now to know
what dates, or one can always contact Premavision.
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07.23.04
* Have you heard of Lego
Animation? I am kind of bewildered
how this highly specialized animation niche using the
Stop Motion technique, has a cultish like
following of practitioners. I guess .... whatever
floats your boat! It is very, very stylized and
cartoonish. This is not a criticism but
just me describing the Lego animation. There is even a
just released Spider-man Lego parody. Even though I am not
into the Lego animation mania, there is an
informative site, Brick Films. Guess what ... everything you ever wanted
to know about Lego Animation but were afraid to ask!  I
mention the Brick Films website because their resources link is very informative and can apply
to just general Stop Motion Animation ..... many tips and
how-to .... especially good info if you are beginner.
____________________
07.19.04
* Here is a short article that has
some more brief, but cool quotes from Phil
Tippett .... always cogent &
truthful with his observations about the
biz ....
"Nothing
is more boring than spectacle," he says. "There
is a tendency with technology to be stupid. Making things
look real is about as far as the mechanism goes.
Computers don't understand 'imaginary' and 'pretend.' Art
doesn't have to be real; it has to be exciting and
imaginative."
Read the short article
..... Troopers 2
Dvd Director learned from Star Wars
* I just wrote a brief overview about
Strata-Cut Animation. What is that, you
ask? Check it out ..... it will be at my Work
Shop link and here
is direct link to the article
____________________
07.15.04
* I am surprised this has not been
noticed too much in the media. I had this article sitting
in my files and forgot to post it. About a special
effects studio in the San Francisco bay area
....mostly known for their work on the Matrix
sequels and just completed some work on Catwoman.
Here it is, Layoffs at ESC Entertainment .... about 160 people let
go. As you all may know ..... that is how the general
entertainment biz is. To be in it, you must have
a certain lifestyle and always be constantly adaptable to
change. I know it does not feel so good to lose any kind
of employment. Entertainment market does not seem to
follow the regular economic trends. If it is Stop
Motion .... then you are really nuts!
You almost cannot have a family, a relationship, own a
house, and you must be nomadic transient-type chasing
after work! Am I being negative? Well maybe ....but do
Stop Motion or anything creative,
because you are passionate about it and
not necessarily just to get a paying job in the biz. I am
not discouraging anyone and if you choose, follow your
dreams or passion, but also, just in case, keep
your day job!
____________________
Special
Weekend Edition - 07.10.04
* Sheeeesh..... always hard trying to
find Stop Motion related news topics here and that's why
I sometimes need to go onto other topics in other special
effects areas. Anyway .... really seems slow with Stop
Motion buzz, however here's one ..... On PBS
television network there is show called HIstory Detectives.... someone thinks a certain camera
was used in the making of the original King Kong
..... the show investigates it and Ray
Harryhausen makes an appearance. It is scheduled
to be aired this Monday, July 12 about 9pm.
Check your local stations & times (USA only)
* I recently making an attempt to
revive The Animators Web Ring It was around for years and
previously had a high membership but went through changes
& ownership. I emailed some of you, an
invititation to join the web ring , but response
was disappointing  Maybe Stop Motion people
are just loners, closet-types, renegades, slackers,
etc.??
____________________
07.07.04
* Here is an article
about The Life Aquatic. This website,
among their other movie buzz and hype they write about,
they also like to guess or predict how a
film might do. They even make a bold
statement, "Insiders already have
The Life Aquatic as a strong contender for awards
consideration." It seems the writer has not
seen the movie because opinions based on
"insiders".... which could be from the studio's
promotion campaign. Hopefully, Life Aquatic does
have some success, especially a live action film that has
some Stop Motion special effects (by Henry
Selick's crew) to remind others that the
technique is still around and viable. You should know, Disney
is behind this film under their Buena Vista
name.
____________________
Special Holiday Independence Day
Edition - 07.03.04
* Hey... some at the Stop Motion
message boards trying to beat me with news stories? You
listening to me Eric Scott? About a week ago, I had the RonDexter.Com update ready to post at the news page here,
but Eric jumped on it & stole my thunder
If you go to website you will see vast amounts of
general Movie Making tips & tricks from the
incredible wisdom & experience of Ron Dexter.
But, where are all the Stop Motion topics-links that Eric
mentioned? Well, leave it to me .... I am getting to be a
pro at digging this up ..... here you go...no particular
order:
Stop Motion Studio Avoiding Film Mistakes D-100 Procedures Diopters/Lens Shades Camera Support Magnet Tiedowns Fireplace Effect Flying Shots Fake Travel/Moving Shots Nodal Cam Moves Lighting Units Handy Machinery Avalanches Exposure & Lighting Beam Splitter Blue Screen Dollies
The above are just general overview and not really step
by step instructions ....mostly written text and only,
some photos. Ron makes it clear on his site that you
should have some intermediate knowledge about this as you
may have difficulty understanding if you are a beginner.
You might Email Ron and find out why his links to his stop
motion tips are on not shown at his site.
* Are you still holding out and too
cheap to buy Stop Motion: Craft Skills for Model
Animation ?? Shame
on you ..... it is very affordable. Well, if you
want a preview of the book .... at AWN Site
there is an article Coat Hangers for Armatures by Susannah Shaw
(book author) providing abbreviated version of some of
the contents inside the book. Again, buy yourself
a hard copy of the book.
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All comments or advice are my own opinions and only YOU
ARE RESPONSIBLE for what you do with the information.
Not liable for content of News as I rely on other sources
and tips. If there are any errors, I will follow-up with
corrections.
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