How the Short Film Festival Went.

To start off, and used as filler in between different sections throughout, was episodes from he fantastic Panique au Village. If you've never seen this series, I suggest, no, I demand you hunt it down (I hear they screen it on Nickelodeon sometimes). Animated in stop-motion using little toy cowboys and Indians (and a horse with a great sounding voice), it hard to describe other than the fact that every single moment is enough to have you stitches. Even just he way the characters wobble about when they walk is enough o crack you up. If you don't laugh out loud watching this at least once, you have no soul. Great comic timing, and despite being in French you really don't need to know what the characters are saying: it's visual gags translate into any language.

Moving on to how my films went down: I did write up some stuff to say for my introduction, but didn't end up actually using it and just stuttered along, missing out most of the things I was going to say! My films went down pretty well, I think. People clapped and laughed through RabRab, so they can't of been that bad! Thanks to everyone who turned up! =D

Chris Shepherd, who came down from London, had some sausage and mash, then came in to talk about his films, was brilliant, a real nice guy. Quite a few of his film's were screened, including one of his first ever pieces of animation, a funny little clay short called 'Jungle' that was very Trap Door-like. After that he moved on to 2D animated work he produced for Channel 4, which featured some fantastic acting and movement, especially in the film 'Broken Jaw'. His more recent stuff, when he really found his "voice", as he put it, such as 'Dad's Dead' and 'Silence is Golden' are far more darker than his previous works but just as funny (in their own twisted ways) and even more imaginative, which just about anything coming to life around he often live-action acting. Breathtaking stuff, I tells ya, his films have you on the edge of your seat.

The Eco Shorts competition films were short and sweet, including one from my mate Euan (which you can see here, actually) and another from classmate Steve, who turned out to be the winner! For some daft reason, the guy running the competition was supposed to give away a Sony Camcorder and Playstation (can't remember if it was a PS2 or 3), seeing as they sponsored the thing and all, but apparently he already gave them away on something else involving his class, so Steve just got a little Stills camera instead! I smell something wrong afoot there! =Y

In total the Pod was hardly packed with people, but for how little advertising the thing got it didn't do too bad. By the evening there was only me and the people who set the thing up though, as most people didn't hang around for the whole day! Still, the evening when it was just us, Chris Shepherd and Yousaf Ali Khan (a short film maker who showed two of his films, Skin Deep and Talking with Angels, both very well directed yet depressing films) having a long chat, was very laid back and a really enjoyable get together. Chris gave me a DVD copy of Silence is Golden too, which is nice!

Confirmed: Five of my films to screen at the Pod!

Just got the details of what will be screening when for the Short Festival at the South East Essex Collage and at 12:15 pm I will be introducing FIVE of my films:

* The Sci-Fi Tron Animation
* Cheese Must Go Down
* Traffk
* Over Under Sideways Down
* Rab Rab

Big thanks go out to Mike Lowther for arranging this! Other reasons to check out this festival:

* Chris Shepherd of Slinky Pictures (Most well known for the film 'Dad's Dead') will be there to show his films and have a Q&A session at both 2pm and 8:30pm.

* Run Wrake's films will be screened, including 'Rabbit', which you must see if you haven't already!

* A whole lot more you can fund about about at the Leigh Film Society website!

Remember, you can buy the all-day tickets in advance at the Leigh Film Society website or at the door for £5. Please invite as many peeps as you can! =D

Get your Classic Cartoons on DVD dirt cheap!

And I'm not taking about those crappy public domain DVD's either! Right now HMV.co.uk has a sale on DVD box sets, and this includes the Complete Tom & Jerry Collection (6 discs, 160 cartoons!) and Looney Tunes: Golden Collection 1 and 2, all for just £15 each! Also, the Complete Pink Panther collection (4 discs, 120 cartoons) is on there for just £16! If there was ever an excuse for starting up a collection of classic animation, this would be it. Grab them quick before they stop the promotion and sick hem back up to full price! Fans of 80's animation will also be happy to see a 6 disc Thundercats set on there for £14. Now I'm just waiting till I can get the Danger Mouse, Count Duckula and Adventures of Sonic sets to go cheap for me to be a very happy puppy.

Short Film Festival @ The Pod Friday 29th

Also: They might also be screening a film or two of mine, so please come and have a visit if you can this Friday!

Ok, I give in.

http://www.myspace.com/gagamann

I got a bloody Myspace account. As much as I hate the websites' disgustingly bad layout and poor interface, everyone's on the ruddy thing and most people I know don't seem to go anywhere but there, so I don't seem to have a choice in the matter anymore. There's nothing there at the moment, but I'm working on it on and off. Happy now? =K

E2Prom @ The Mediashed 17th June

Last night the Mediashed had another one of their E2Prom events, and it all went pretty darn well. They screened another two animations of mine: this time being my latest film RabRab, followed by a much older one, Over Under Sideways Down. RabRab in particular was very well received =)

Highlights from everyone else included Little Penguin, performed live music using two Game Boy's with Game Boy camera's in them, and Rob G who made live visuals using an old computer that's sound would show visually like some kind of pulsating swirly thing through a hole where the screen would be (hard to describe, but it was very clever). I attempted to take some photos on my mobile, but it was very dark in there..

Crazy Old Brick Lane

Some photos I took on my way back to the station in Brick Lane on Thursday...

Fascinating.

Takeaway Exhibit @ the Free Range Festival 1st-4th June

If you're in the London area anytime from today till Monday and have some time to kill, make sure you walk down to Brick Lane (half Indian restaurant land, half arty stoner's hang-out land) between 10am and 7pm for the Free Range Festival where a bunch of Universities are showing off their arty stuff. Ignore all the others though, and just go to the Takeaway exhibit in the Old Truman Brewery building, the Atlantis floor. I say this because it's the Uni I go to's show, and all the third year animator's work is here (that's the year just above where I'm at, so I will be doing this next year!), including regular screenings of their films in a dark room with a projection (and a bog next door for all the flushing sound effect needs!), show reels, and a lovely display of stop motion puppets! Things are certainly more well organized than last year, as I saw when I went to the opening last night. here are a few photos of what you'll see there (I didn't take photos of everything, because than you'd have an excuse not to go there, wouldn't you?). Click to enlarge:

Of course it's not all just animation: there's fine art, Interior design, graphic design and fashion design stuff there too!
Oh yeah, and scattered about the place is a poster I helped out with of everyone from the animation goup as mr.Men characters. I drew up all but seven of them.