QuickPost Back to the fun stuff!

Hey guys,

I've been missing the {Art based-Film Posts}....alot of traveling been on here for a bit. Well ...the film is moveing along......I'm still storyboarding....over an inch deep in drawings. Me and Shel worked out a sticky spot today so I can now move forward through the rest of the boarding process.

as a QUICK post and to celebrate the coming Space Ships for our next film....Ill share the Early design Drawings-sketches for the 2 ships in the film.

Dobers Ship-

Flea Dood Ship-These ships will be built In full size{1 foot and a half long} and with the ability to shoot from all angles....They should be amazeing looking Display Pieces at the end of this production. They will be very large and exciteing to watch happen.

Shel Found an expert Ship Builder that will be educateing and Helping in the Construction of the Ships......he works in Stop motion and knows all the specific needs for the medium. They will start in just 2 weeks on Dobers ship first. It will be a new and exciteing weath of knowlege and new materials she will gain for our future in film makeing.

other wise ...3 more days till Sonoma....Exciteing!!!!!

We were also accepted into a bunch of new festivals this last week.RED STICK ANIMATION Apr 22-25.....and INDIE SPIRIT F.F. (Colorado) Apr 24-26

Hope to Have some animation soon....

jriggity

Back From DC....and Whats next

Hey guys,
We are back from a great trip to DC. Shel and the kids got to see some really cool sites including a private tour of the White House. As well as attend the fest with my grandma and Aunt .

I left friday night at about 10:30 pm after a Long day doing some Stuntman work for

a new videogame coming from Sony.

/mocap work is.....{One of my side Jobs} and a fun way to use some of my movement beans.It was straight from the Studio to the airport. Then 5 hour plane ride ta washington. It was not a comfortable ride {I was beat up and Squashed between a couple of people} but I did get to see {Slumdog Millionare} finally.

My phone ran out of batteries so I didnt get to hear how the showing went....Dangit!!

I was hopefull it went well but the whole reason I came to washington was to see grandma.

Upon Landing I rented a car and proceded to drive around lost for an hour or so.....then finally
found grandmas house. I met shel outside and went inside took a shower and crashed HARD.

After awakeing ...We hung out at my Aunts house for a while....climbed some trees - played some pool......then off to my Uncles house.

Aedon got to meet her 3 Cousins as did I .They clicked very quickly and were running around before we knew it. I also got to meet my Uncles wife Joanna who cooked us an amazing meal.
After dinner Me and Shel had a private screening of GLD with my Uncles family. It was a chance to show them what I've been up to artisticaly for the last 3 years. They had a nice projector and sound system in their living room so it was kinda like a real mini festival. We both introduced the film and they watched it.

I dont know if they ever saw stopmotion before....They had a big collection of cg animated films so this was definately going to be different. In the end.....they gave a polite clap but I dont really think they really got it...... Its was still very cool though that I got to share it with them and Im sure they recognized some of the work involved.

My Grandma and Aunt definately liked it though.........especially Grandma! Ha...ofcourse!!
She was very proud and very vocal about it . Ha! She said "I even liked it better the second time"

So after a full day of playing with relatives we went back to grandmas....ready for a sunday with grandma and the awards assembly that evening. Breakfast - Lunch - Ducks - Swans- Hugs and we were off.

The WINNER of the best animated short was

Chainsaw - A Rotoscoped-Live action- Film by {Dennis Tupicoff} Shel said it was a high quality film but it was definately not somthing you take grandma or little ones to see. Ooops! It was also Traced-rotoscoped-live action animation. Good Film makeing non the less.

......we played with a bunch of Live action Short films so there wasnt much to compare our film too....but Grandma got to see it on the big screen so that was cool.

so into the next weeks.....we were just accepted to the Burbank Film Fest...as an extended entry!

We also are starting to see the effects of the Delta Airline Showing!

We recieved emails from a distributor....And Our film was given to a distributor By some people who have been mentoring myself on the whole Buisness of animation.

....Also..... lots of strangers who saw the film on the Airline have been contacting us and letting us know they Enjoyed it very much. HOW COOL IS THAT!! Connecting with people all over the world because of our film is pretty amazeing.

We also were contacted by A Programmer for the {Rincon International Film Festival} . He saw the film on a Delta Flight and extended an invite to us to attend there festival which we gladly accepted. SWEET! I wana go to Puerto Rico!!

otherwise...weve been so busy with all else....I hav'nt got to do my flea animation test yet. But I am still storyboarding slowly and surely.
Just 2 more weeks till the http://www.sonomafilmfest.org/ this fest is incredibly exciteing to us and We are looking forward to the weekend of films and Fun ahead. We will be alone and its a bueatifull place to Enjoy a weekend together.

As for bad news....we saw the official selection List for {Annecy 2009} and we were not on it.
This is actually sad news for us since it was Number 1 on my list of Festivals I wanted to attend and play at.

ohhh well....

Like shels Mom says - " Next Film" ................sounds like a plan to us.

jriggity

Off to Washington DC!

Hey guys,


I'm still busy Story boarding Like crazy - I had a big break through last night and got the SPACE Intro down on paper......Id say Im 1/2 way finished boarding the entire film now . I timed out the Intro as being about 1 minuet 10 seconds. Thats not bad at all....It gives me hope on the film not being longer than 8 minuets.


I'm also getting ready for a weekend trip to Washington DC. Shel and the kids flew out Wed morning to get an early start............. I have some work responsibilities I couldnt get out of. So Ill run up friday night late and arrive early Saturday morning.
So this weekends Festival is called the http://www.dciff.org/ DC Independant Film Fest.One of the reasons we applied to it was because my Grandma lives in the area and We have been wanting to visit Washington for a while. Shel really wanted to show the kids the sights too. She also managed to get the family a tour of the White house.....includeing the rare visit to the Westwing....where the president actually lives.

This and the Smithsonian will be the main Spots on the trip besides Grandma's and the fest.

I wont be present for the actual screening of the film Friday night.........So...... Shel will have to do the Director Q and A herself . My grandma and Dads brother-sister will be there to see the film as well so its cool they will get to see the film . I have no idea what they will think of stopmotion but I'm sure shel will fill me in on how they took it when I get there.

wish us Luck !

and full report upon returning to Los Angeles.

justin- jriggity

Storyboard Train!!! and Delta Airlines

Hey guys,
I've been crankin out story panels every few nights and It so exciteing to see a visual representation of the film materialize. I go to bed every night and watch the film in my head as start to drift asleep. It getting clearer and clearer as it takes physical form.


I hope to be finished with the boards by -Mid April at the latest. It could be a hard goal due to the ammount stuff going on with GLD and other responsobilites but I am going for it.

In other News-For a short time our film GLD is online!

https://www.delta.com/marketing/flyinmovies/

'Gerald' was selected from thousands of submissions and entered in Delta's Airlines Fly-in Movie Competition. GLD and 4 other shorts are currently being viewed by Delta flight passengers who are also voting. The passenger's and your votes will determine the winner to be entered in the Tribeca Film Festival .

Its part of The DELTA in air and Online Festival please vote for us! You dont have to sign up
for anything.

And feel free to pass the link around.

justin- jriggity

5 for 5

wow.

shel here:

big night. GLD won it's 4th and 5th awards at two different fests tonight. International Family Film Fest in Hollywood, and Beverly Hills Short Film Fest. Good friend Robert Litton (composer extrodinaire) and Aedie came along to make it even more cool.

wow.
at IFFF we won the award for BEST ANIMATED SHORT for the COMPUTER ANIMATION CATAGORY ?? (interestingly, a lovely looking CG film "The Girl Who Cried Tears" won the best CLASSICAL ANIMATION category.......). The awards ceremony here was very fancy (that's a telepromter in front of justin's face there--though our part wasn't scripted!), not our fav scene, but we were truly grateful for the recognition (and embarrassed, but not completely sorry that we had to leave early to make it to the next ceremony across town).
at BEV HILLS FEST, which, ironically, was not at all fancy, but casual, friendly, and (because it was more our jeans and t-shirt style) very comfy; we won the juried BEST ANIMATED SHORT category. this one really floored me because the quality of the films we were up against was admireably high. after watching the Animation Block on friday night i just felt proud to be included with the other films (notably this time the films ANIMATED AMERICAN, HAMMERFISTS OF FURY and TOUMAI). when they called our name i actually teared up a bit.....i just wasn't expecting it (and 5 out of 5 is just too much to believe....right?)
animated americanhammerfists of furytoumai

okay, and not only that but, Saturday night we got to see the premiere of MYTHIC JOURNEYS the film that Michael Granberry animated and hooked justin up to do a few shots for as well. Filmakers Steve and Whitney Boe are another husband/wife team, who FOLLOWED THEIR DREAM, took big risks and made a feature documentary film (with a very cool short animated film within it!) about myths and their importance in our world today. this film is spouting the kind of ideas that taken to heart will make the world a better place. BIG IMPORTANT INSPIRING STUFF! (that's michael's awesome tree girl puppet there--my favorite part of the animation in Mythic Journeys).

and SPEAKING OF INSPIRING! last week mark caballero and seamus walsh over at SCREEN NOVELTIES gave me a tour of their amazing stop motion creation factory. i felt like charlie in the chocolate factory! everyone was so generous with info, and suggestions, and advice from foaming to armatures, sets and props.......i went in not even knowing what questions to start with for how i was going to go about building two spaceships and a sand planet set........ and i came out with a millions ideas about not only that but more......i feel like i could burst from inspiration and just wish there were more hours in each day.

meanwhile, justin is busting out exciting storyboards, more panels everynight, and i'm painting our army of happy flea pilots.......
whew!!!

and most important of all this weekend, the people......we got to see Michael Granberry(animator), Dick Kaneshiro (moco machine maveric), and Leo Gotlibowski (prop/set magician) and his truly lovely wife Hannie and adorable son Noah, at the Mythic Journeys screening. and hanging out with Robert Litton is always a kick.....and we met some fine animators at the screening and the Bev Hills fest.....the biggest blessing of all is the cool friendships we've made throughout this whole process....
it's almost too much cool to digest.