Three Square Wheels animation!

Metal World was my major film project at the Victorian College of the Arts. I am a bit of a history buff and I am particularly interested in the 19th century Victorian era, and the advent of the industrial revolution. The steam engine, smoke stacks, steam trains etc. are visually interesting compared to the sterile clean box like machines of today. Farmers were forced to go to the city for work and vast railway networks spread spider-like across the countryside with the vast sprawling factories and cities following them. Whole country sides were transformed from green pastures to dark grey slag heaps. In Metal World the social and technological phenomena of the industrial revolution is given a more sentient form, as the machine actively seeks out the farmer and hunts him down, bringing him inside the machine and transforming into a automaton.

Once inside the machine he is resigned to his fate until memories of his past life resurface, which distract him, and ultimately release him from his imprisonment. The films ends happily as the farmer is reunited with his trusty sheepdog, but the destruction of his countryside is everywhere and the farmer is left the task of rebuilding of his world.

I planned this film to be a lot darker than my previous films and with plenty of action. I also wanted the film to be on a grander scale with towering machines and vast idyllic landscapes. I didn’t really scale those heights however it was a more technically difficult film and I learned a lot from the process.

visit my website for some design pics and behind the scenes stuff.

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/neil_hughes/metalworld.htm

cheers

Neil

Street Entertainment was my minor project at the Victorian College of the Arts Postgraduate diploma in Film & Television. The running time was just over a minute and it was our first experience of seeing a film through development to production and post production.

Given the short running time I was originally set on making a gag film about a suicidal peeping tom called “Falling Tom”. I wasn’t very comfortable with this idea which was to be 2D animated but as the deadline for submitting a script approached and I hadn’t came up any better ideas I was ready to start making this film.

The Victorian College of the Arts is located in Melbourne a short walk from the main train station in Melbourne , Flinders St Station. The walk to the College takes you through an arts precinct which has several theatres, a concert hall, and a ballet school. As I was going to school the morning of handing in the script, I passed a old man in a old brown suit playing the violin.

I cannot remember if his playing was any good but his brown suit caught my eye. It was in the middle of rush hour as the many people passing made their way to work. I guess the thing that struck me the most about this man is that no one even noticed him. I paused for a moment and looked as most people walked past head down, and no one looked at him.

So the idea of an entertainer giving his music to the world but being ignored or in the case of this film, drowned out by the noise and events around him came to life. The title is play on words to some extent in that who was being entertained? Was it us? or was it the violinist watching us go by? Is the entertainment the musician or the events on the street?

I went to school, scrapped my gag idea and wrote the script for Street Entertainment. If you read the script, the idea was more grand with a greater emphasis on the dialogue that the violinist overheard. In the finished film, the dialogue became more a part of the overall sound design.

I would like to one day revisit this idea with another film of longer duration.

Since that day , I have never seen the violinist again. Apparently he is a well known face around the city. He is Polish I believe, and taught himself the violin after retirement. I also heard that he had been assaulted badly one night. I hope I do see him again one day so I can give him a copy of the film.

Hello all, 

I haven’t put anything up on this website for a while but I have been very busy with a few projects.

Over the last few months I have been working with my producer on a short film project called The Tale of the Comet. The script has gone through several drafts and there has been a lot of design work and storyboarding done , as well as budgets etc.

We finally submitted the grant application to Film Victoria and Screen Australia for funding and now the long wait begins. It will take several weeks for the submissions to be collected and sent out to independant reviewers, then a short list is compiled and they are all interviewed before a decision is finalised. The whole process takes about 8-10 weeks I think.

I am very hopeful of getting to the interview stage because I feel we have a strong submission but who knows how these things go.

I will post a section of the animatic on this site soon so you can see some of the work we have been up to.

Cheers

Neil

P.S. I saw a 35mm print of The Dark Crystal screened at ACMI last night in Melbourne. It was fantastic to see this brilliant film on the big screen! I took my three young kids to watch it. The cinema was packed and the kids loved it.

This project is on hiatus while I concentrate on my comet idea, however I had put together some more animatic clips of the storyboard before I changed to the new project. Have a look and tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/threesquarewheels

Cheers

Neil

Okay it is all over! I’m am pretty exhausted I have sat through dozens of films over the past week. I have cashed in all my brownie points with my wife to go to the festival and now it is back to the real world. I go to the festival each year to be inspired to create my own work. I do feel a bit like an animation tragic not having made a film of my own for oh so long.

It has worked though, I do feel energised and I made contact with some old animation friends who might be able to help me with my current project.

Anyway its time to get to my last reviews. My overall impression of this year’s crop of films was that very few were very good, some were good but most were ordinary to worse. I didn’t see ” the one”  film that blew my mind. Maybe I am being too critical.

On the last day of the festival I got to see some classic shorts which made it all worth while so my review has something old and something new.

L’Animateur, Nick Hilligoss, Australia 2006, 3’45

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I’ll declare a bias upfront, Nick is a fellow Melbourne Animator and he is quite prolific popping out something every six months or so. This latest offering is a masterful retelling of a classic myth. Very nice music, lovely sets and puppets and well animated. Rating 4 out of 5

The Toad From The North, Riho Unt, Estonia 2007, 13.00

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This film is from Nukufilm in Estonia. It started brilliantly with some lovely sets and nice puppet animation but then the film went downhill very fast. For some strange reason they decided to put in an overly long live action dream sequence. It went back to the puppets and then back again to the live action. The story was hard to follow ( which may have been due to a poor translation). Very dissapointing after a fine start. Rating 21/2 out of 5

The Bridge, Vincent Bierrewaerts, Belgium 2007, 13’00

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This was a lovely film about a boy and his overprotective father. Great sets and quite lovely animation that was very sweet. The boy rebels against his father with tragic results and has to leave his home to make his way in the world. The ending was left a little too open but otherwise a nice film. Rating 31/2 out of 5.

Histoire A La Gomme, Eric Blesin, Belgium 2007, 14’45

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A great little film about a young boy’s dramatic day where he finally gets the girl. Lovely animation and sets. Rating 31/2 out of 5.

Bolides
F-X Bologna, T Bondoux, L Charmette, V Le Ster
France 2007, 5’30

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This was a great rollercoaster action packed film about a wheelchair race in an old people’s home. Don’t miss this one! Rating 4 out of 5.

The Old, Old, Very Old Man
Elizabeth Hobbs
UK 2007, 5’00

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This was a lovely hand painted film. Apparently done in blue ink on an old tile so nothing remains of the film. Based on a true story. A very basic film but very engaging. Rating 31/2 out of 5

Global Warming
Sheldon Lieberman, Igor Coric
2007, 2’00

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I don’t believe in Global warming come and sing it now! This is very very funny. Check it out at

I just love this film. I haven’t seen it for about 10 years. It is an Oscar winner and well deserved. A lovely depiction of greed and the use of the tilting platform is pure magic. Rating 41/2 out of 5.

The Hand ,Jiri Trnka,Czech 1965, 17’00

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I have heard a lot about this film over the years but this was the first time I saw it. It does seem a bit dated now but I can see the subversive nature of the film as it tries to make a statement against communism. Overall a good film but not the classic I was expecting. Rating 3out of 5.

The Philips Broadcast Of 1938
George Pal
Holland 1938, 9’30

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Like The Hand, I have seen plenty of pictures of the puppetoons in stopmotion animation books but this was the first time I had seen them. This was quite simply brilliant. It is all pretty much replacement animation but this rocks! Rating 4 out of 5.

Smoked Sprat Baking In The Sun
Mati Kutt
Estonia 1992, 22’00

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This is a freakin weird film! And very very long. It didn’t help that they were singing in german and the subtitles were in Estonian!!! Interesting visuals but with no idea what was happening I couldn’t wait for it to finish. rating 2 out of 5.

Jungle Jail
M Arnoux, H Cierzniak, B Nguyen Van Lan, A Palermo
(ESMA) > France 2007, 7’45

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This film won best student film. Very nice animation and a funny story. Check it out at your local festival 31/2 out of 5.

I Met The Walrus
Josh Rashkin
Canada 2007, 5’15
Academy Award Nominee 2008

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There are plenty of reviews around about this one but it is actually very very good. It does help having the great dialogue of John Lennon to work with but. I haven’t seen Peter and the Wolf ( and not likely too after hearing about what they are asking of film festivals to show the film) but this is a better film than Madame Tutli Putli or The Pigeon film. Rating 4 out of 5.

The winner of this year’s festival was Madame Tutli Putli and The Passenger won Best Australian Film.

I have now seen Tutli 4 times during the festival and I am pretty sick of it now. Oh yes the eyes are wonderful but please give me a break! I think the woman is already dead at the start of the film and this is her purgatory sort of before going to heaven, well that’s my reading of the film anyway. The ending was a bit lame really.

Okay I have now reached animation saturation point. I’ll be back next year with some more reviews.

Cheers

Neil

I’m getting a bit bleary eyed now after more film sessions. Still have three days to go!

Here are my latest reviews from the past few sessions I have been to.

The Pit And The Pendulum, Marc Lougee,Canada 2006, 7’00

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I was interested in this film because of the attachment of the name Ray Harryhausen. Unfortunately the addition of his name didn’t make for a good film. This film was based on the Edgar Allan Poe story but the writer decided not to use virtually any of his writing in the Narration. The animation was okay and the sets were nice, but the story was put together very clumsily. They failed to give any impression of the fear the main character had. I had no empathy for the character at all and the whole story seemed rushed. rating 2 out of 5

The Life,Jin-Ho Ryu,Korea 2007, 6’45

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There is some fantastic stuff coming out of Korea and this paint on glass film was simply stunning, brilliant use of light and darkness. rating 4 out of 5
 

Breakfast, Izabela Plucinska,Poland 2006, 2’15

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I lovely film using a great technique. It was clay animation but done on two layers with the characters being on a higher glass layer. When the character reaches for a cup and saucer they morph out of the background and then recede back in when finished. It had a 2D/3D look about it that appealed to me. The story was a small vignette of a couple at breakfast but to be honest I spent more time marvelling at the technique.

rating 3 out of 5

Streetcar Named Perspire,Joanna Priestley,USA 2006, 6’30

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A very funny film about the joys and dramas of Menopause played out as a rollercoaster ride. It made me glad I was a bloke. The woman in the audience were laughing out loud all through this one. Rating 31/2 out of 5

Cyber,Stefan Eling,Germany 2006, 5’00

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Lovely hand drawn animation and the thrills and dangers of virtual reality. I just loved the many faceplants during this film. It was a tad bit long though. Rating 3 out of 5

Even Pigeons Go To Heaven, Samuel Tournuex,France 2007, 8’45

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An Oscar Nominee. Apparently the director and distributor have had a falling out so you are not likely to see this film any time soon. This was a nicely crafted film with a witty storyline. I don’t think it was Oscar nominee material but a good film anyway. Rating 31/2 out of 5

The Passenger, Chris Jones, Australia 2007, 7’00

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Excuse me for a moment while I express my bias…. Aussie Aussie Aussie oi!oi!oi!  Chris Jones has spent the last 7 years or so putting this gem of a film together. This is an action packed film full of terrific character animation and a fun story. I won’t give you any spoilers, but if you can only see one film this year, check out this one!  Rating 4 out of 5
 

Small Birds Singing, Linda McCarthy,UK 2007, 7’00

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This stopmotion film was about 20% funny 80% just plain silly. It was trying to be like monty python but fell far short. I had a couple of chuckle with this one but thats all. Rating 21/2 out of 5

Sequence 01 - Plan 02,Remi Durin,Belgium 2007, 7’00

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A very clever film about what happens to a stopmotion puppet when the animators go home for the day. Very well made, lovely sets and puppets. Rating 3 out of 5

Paradise, Jesse Rosensweet, Canada 2007, 8’00

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A very well made film featuring the voice of Dave Foley (Flik from a bug’s Life) . The puppets and sets were brilliant showing a tin toy world, quite funny too. Rating 31/2 out of 5.

Back to the breach dear friends!

Cheers

Neil

Another night of animation. I caught the first two international competition programs and caught up with a few animation friends to “talk shop” about the films we saw and current animation projects.

Here is my next batch of reviewed films:

International Program #1

Puzzled ,Maarten Vranken,Belgium 2006, 4’00 rating 21/2 out of 5

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Changing Evan,Steven Woloshen,Canada 2007, 1’15 rating 2 out of 5

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These two films were abstract films. Puzzled used swirling masses of jigsaw puzzles pieces while Changing Evan used the age old technique of drawing on film. I haven’t given either of these films a high rating but that is mainly because I ,with a few exceptions, don’t like abstract animation. These films were thankfully short. Of the two Puzzled was better and if you like abstract stuff then you will probably get something out of these.

The Tiny Fish, Gregory Malishev, Russia 2007, 9’30 this is a gorgeous cut out animation film. European animation as it should be. I saw this on opening night and I liked it better the second time I saw it. This is a good film for your kids to see. It probably has more appeal to people with children. Rating 31/2 out of 5.

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Musicotherapie, A Isnard, M Javelle, C Picon,France 2007, 5’30 Another film from the juggernaut that is Supinfocom. This was a real looney film and quite funny. Don’t go looking for a story, just enjoy the bizarre antics and catching techno beats. Rating 3 out of 5.

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Lapsus,Juan Pablo Zaramella,Argentina 2006, 3’15 This was a funny hand drawn film about a nun that encounters the dark side literally with dreadful and hilarious results. I saw another film by this guy last year ( the name escapes now), same style and equally funny. I look forward to seeing more. Rating 31/2 out of 5

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Sleeping Betty, Claude Cloutier, Canada 2007, 9’30 This was a superb film. Great hand drawn animation. A bit reminiscent of Plymton, I think it was animated on fours. This film was truly absurd and very funny. It was also a lovely 35mm print and looked gorgeous on the big screen. Another triumph from NFB. The highlight of the first program. Rating 4 out of 5.

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Well it has arrived. Yes Annecy has just finished but down here in Melbourne we have our own piece of animation Nirvana. Seven days of the best of Australian and World animation.

Last night was the opening night where we got to see a range of films from different programs of the festival and to meet the special guests from Canada , NFB producer Marcy Page (Tutli Putli) and Abstract animator Jean Detheux.

Here are a few reviews for you:

Mugenkei - Jean Detheux 5′24′’ 2007 Canada

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Abstract films are always a problem to review for me. I guess I just don’t get it. I saw Barcode a few years ago and that was fantastic, a great soundtrack and visuals.

Mugenkei I found was interesting for about 1 -2 minutes. I find myself watching the swirling imagery and my brain keeps looking for some kind of structure or point of reference. This film provided me with neither. Even the music didn’t help. It was comtempory classical music which I have always found an amusing term to describe what is esentially noise instead of music.

Abstract film always overstay their welcome. 2 minutes should be the time limit. rating 21/2 out of 5

Ark- M Kobylecki, G Jonkajtys  2007 Poland

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This film won best film at Siggraph and the CG visuals are quite delicious and the soundtrack has some great music. The film’s basic premise is of a world ravaged by a virus. Humanity seeks refuge on huge ships or arks with a hope of finding a disease free land. The film builds to a nice climax with a twist at the end which I thought actually lessened the film’s impact. The strangest part for me was the character design where the people looked like a cross between rats and elves it just didn’t seem to fit.

rating 3 out of 5

Hezurbeltzak, A Common Grave, I Onederra 2007 Spain

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This was a swirling mess of hand drawn animation featuring what seemed to be a unhealthy fixation on beastiallity. I wasn’t offended by this film but I thought this was a crap film trying to pass itself off as art. rating 1 out of 5

Madame Tutli Putli ,C Lavis, M Szczerbowski
Canada 2007, 17’25

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The film everyone has been raving about. Well the expectation bar was set pretty high for this one. I am a stopmotion animator so I am extra critical when I see a film employing this technique. The verdict. Well I thought this was a very very good film. The sets and animation were superb. The digital compositing of the eyes gave the puppets a great look but these days I’m not that impressed by CG wizardry, I’m looking for an interesting story.The story was interesting with great atmosphere ,eerieness and suspense. The ending was a bit of a let down, actually very similar to Chris Wedges Bunny but there was a lot of unanswered questions and strange images ( I didn’t get the surgical procedure at all). This film is definitely worth a second look and I will see it again in another session where I may get answers to those unanswered questions.  rating 4 out of 5

Procrastination , Johnny Kelly UK 2007, 4’45

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This was a very well made film which was enjoyable and funny. Everyone could relate to the many ways in which the subject of the film delayed doing what they were supposed to be doing. The film employed a range of techniques and had a great narration.

rating  31/2 out of 5

How to hook up your home theatre system Disney 2007

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Goofy is back! Yeah Baby! And this time he wants to watch the football on the big big big screen with surround sound etc etc etc. You get the drift. This was great. Very funny classic animation. The kind of stuff you grew up watching on a Saturday morning or after school. Thank God John Lasseter has gone over to Disney to pull their collective heads out of their CG butts and got them doing what they are good at: Classic hand drawn animation.

rating 4 out of 5

Okay that’s enough for starters. More reviews to come.

Cheers Neil

Hello all

I’m in a jolly mood at the moment. I have been working on the treatment and script for my comet project and it is coming along nicely.

My producer and I have had some good discussions about this project and it is nice to have another opinion of the idea. She had some good ideas on what was working and what wasn’t and where the story needing some trimming and where it needed some decent hacking as well

We also have a deadline to work towards now with the latest funding deadlines being announced for September 5th and now that I’m not alone I am more motivated to keep going.

Next week I am also going to have my annual animation fix with the start of the Melbourne International Animation Festival. I can’t wait!  The special guest this year is Madamme Tutli Putli producer Marcy Page . It will be great to hear her speak about the great films she has been involved with and about animation in general.

Also a friend of mine, stop motion animator/director Nick Hilligoss has his film L’animatuer showing in competition Good Luck Nick!

If you want to know more about Australia’s only animation festival check out the website at:

www.miaf.net

I will be giving my own reviews of some of the films I see next week.

Cheers

Neil

Hello all,

A great meeting this morning with a producer. We got along well together and chatted about the trials and tribulations of forging a career in film.

We ran through a few of the ideas I have been working on over the past few years and it will be interesting to see what develops over the next few weeks. One thing good about all this, is that it has reenergised me to jump back into writing and drawing and the creative juices are flowing again.

I now need to finish the treatment for the Comet project and give it to her and then see how that goes.

I have also just came back from an overseas trip where I visited the lovely city of Quebec with all its old european French influences. I filled up my camera with loads of pictures of narrow cobbled streets covered in Snow, lots of inspiration for paintings etc.

Bonne nuit!

Neil