The Creative Haven

Christmas Competition Winner: Paraphernalia by Bridget O'Halloran

2011-12-14T17:23:00.000+11:00

Paraphernalia from Bridget O'Halloran on Vimeo.

We would like to announce that the winner of our Christmas Competition is Bridget O'Halloran with her short film Paraphernalia. We were all totally amazed at Bridget's effort so well done! We look forward to seeing more stop motions from her in the Future.

Inspiration: New Gotye Music Video Clip - Somebody That I Used to Know

2011-11-14T15:22:00.000+11:00

Most of you have probably already heard or seen this new music video clip for Gotye 'Somebody That I Used to Know featuring Kimbra but I had to share it again anyway! Animated using Stop-motion, it is directed, produced and edited by Natasha Pincus with body art by Emma Hack - beautiful idea.

2011-11-06T22:07:00.000+11:00

I was so sad to read in the paper today that Sarah Watt passed away. She was an amazing Australian film maker and animator and I had only just finished reading her interview in the book 'The Divided Heart' by Rachel Powers which was so inspiring for artist mothers.

Such a tragedy.

Call for Entries: Christmas Competition

2011-10-16T20:32:00.003+11:00

*UPDATED INFORMATION IN RED!

I have been thinking on this for a long time and have finally decided to have our first stop-motion animation competition for all our readers as a thanks for all your support and also to have a bit of fun! The idea will be for entrants to create a stop-motion animation up to a minute based on the theme "Hearts Desire" which can be interpreted anyway you like. The winners will be judged by ~~our guest judges (yet to be announced).~~ Malcolm Turner and Helen Gibbins of the Melbourne International Animation Festival (which I am so excited about!). We recently interviewed Malcolm about the MIAF festival this year here if you want to check it out.

Malcolm and Helen have kindly offered ONE free Festival Pass to MIAF 2012 to go into our prize pool. This prize will unfortunately only be open to Australian residents (unless you can let me know if you want to fly over for it!) but all our other prizes will be open to international entries.

First prize will be a copy of a great book called Basics Animation 04 - Stop-motion by Barry Purves (below). ~~and there will also be some runner up prizes to be announced at a later date.~~

Part of the runner up prizes will be a copy of Mad Monser Party (1968) a Halloween themed children's film created by the Rankin/Bas s animation house and written by Mad magazine's creator Harvey Kurtzman (with Len Korobin).

I found out about Mad Monster Party through this article at Dangerous Minds which also has a great little clip from the film to watch.

Also a copy of the DVD Lotte Reiniger's Fairy Tales whom I discovered through our interview with Isobel Knowles. Lotte Reiniger was an amazing papercut artist/animator from Germany starting her work around 1922. Click here to watch a sample of her work from the film Papageno from 1935

There will be more details to come but here is a basic guideline for entries are:

The competition will be open to all our subscribers through the blog and Facebook and is for people of all skill levels.
Entries Close Sunday 11th December 2011.
If you are interested in entering please make a comment in the post below or on our facebook page to sign up.
Your stop-motion animation can be made from anything - paper, textiles, plasticine, photographs, everyday objects etc - use your imagination.
Your animation can be anywhere up to 1 minute as long as you address the theme 'Hearts Desire'
Entries should be emailed to thecreativehaven@hotmail.com and should include a link to your video (through youtube, vimeo or whoever else you might use) and a short description on how you have addressed the theme 'Hearts Desire'.
All entries will be screened on The Creative Haven blog and facebook page for people to see, the top entries will be judged by our Malcolm Turner and Helen Gibbins who will accordingly choose 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.
There are a variety of stop-motion softwares you can trial such as Dragon Stopmotion, Stopmotion Pro, Stop Motion Maker or any other editing software like Premier Pro.

The idea is to have fun doing it, sharing it and hopefully win a great Christmas present in the process! So sign up now!

Screening: It's a Jungle In Here - Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine

2011-10-11T20:56:00.000+11:00

(Image Source: Melbourne Festival)

Thankfully, here is another great animation event in Melbourne that I won't miss (especially after being away for the Shaun Tan talk, Adam Elliot talk and the Peter and the Wolf Screening!)

We recently interviewed the amazingly creative Isobel Knowles here about her work. She had mentioned in the interview a new collaboration with Van Sowerwine (another amazing animator) on the animation It's a Jungle in Here. The animation will start screening this week as part of the Melbourne Festival at Screen Space and run from the 14th to the 29th October - so if your in town get along to check it out if you can!

Here are some details about the work from the Melbourne Festival website:

IT'S A JUNGLE IN HERE

How would you react if someone started behaving inappropriately, or aggressively? Do you try to pretend it isn't happening, or protest and take action?

This is the question posed by It's a jungle in here, an interactive installation artwork that inserts two people into a simulated environment and has them both create and respond to a series of increasingly unsettling encounters.

As the participants find themselves forced into the role of attacker and victim, a live feed of each participant's face is mapped onto the animated characters, channelling the tensions brought forth as the social compact begins to collapse.

Part psychodrama, part multimedia marvel, It's a jungle in here is a confronting tour of the fragile rules that organise our public lives.

Event: Desert Island Flicks - Shaun Tan

2011-09-29T22:23:00.000+10:00

(Image Source: provided by ACMI)

Although this isn't stop-motion related - it is Australian and awesome so had to pass on the news from Australian Centre for the Moving Image. So much great stuff happening at the moment! Details from ACMI below:

Desert Island Flicks October event
Castaway with Shaun Tan Unclassified 15+

Join artist, author and filmmaker Shaun Tan as he discusses his five favourite films in ACMI’s popular Desert Island Flicks event this October. Shaun grew up in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, and currently works in Melbourne. His books, including The Rabbits, The Red Tree, Tales From Outer Suburbia and the acclaimed graphic novel The Arrival, have been widely translated and enjoyed by readers of all ages. Shaun has worked as a feature film concept artist on films such as Pixar's Wall-E, and wrote and directed the Academy Award-winning animated short The Lost Thing. In 2011, he received the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in Sweden for his body of work.

Join this Oscar-winning animator, author and illustrator as he talks through his most cherished cinematic moments. Desert Island Flicks presents a ‘who’s who’ of cinema, television, literature, sport, politics, art, science and culture, revealing their insights and personal stories into the films that moved them and why.

Presented in ACMI’s intimate Studio 1 space each month, the event is a mix of key clips from the subject’s top 5 films in dispersed with chat, led by a host. By journeying through films in this way, the event often reveals fascinating biographical information, career influences and the philosophical insights of the guest of the moment.

Dates Tue 4 Oct 2011, 7pm
Location Studio 1
Admission Full $15 Concession $12 ACMI Member $11

Opportunity: Lunch with Adam Elliot at Stables at Stones

2011-09-20T19:29:00.000+10:00

(Image Source: Provided by Stables at Stones)

It must be the warm weather and the hint of spring as here is another great event to get along to for all you stop-motion animation lovers. We received the following information from Lucy at Stones of the Yarra Valley today.

STABLES AT STONES PRESENTS

LUNCH WITH ADAM ELLIOT

Sunday, October 16

The Stables at Stones of the Yarra Valley is delighted to announce an exciting series of informal lunches featuring some Australia's most well-loved personalities.

Our inaugural lunch in the gorgeous surrounds of The Stables on Sunday, October 16 will feature Academy-Award winning director and claymation producer, Adam Elliot. Over the course of the afternoon, Adam will have a chat about his career to date and answer a few questions to an intimate audience of just 50 guests.

(Image Source: Provided by Stables at Stones)

Raised on an Outback shrimp farm by a retired acrobatic clown father and a hairdressing mother, Adam developed a truly unique style of storytelling through his fantastical use of the humble medium, plasticine. With such beautifully poignant, quirky films as Harvie Krumpet and Mary and Max to his name and a swag of international accolades including an Oscar, Adam has a fascinating story to tell.

Date: Sunday, 16 October, 2011

Time: 12pm – 3pm

Cost: $75 per head - three-course lunch, including an informal chat and Q&A with Adam Elliot

Bookings 03 97390 900 or email: info@stonesoftheyarravalley.com

www.stonesoftheyarravalley.com

Screening: Peter and The Wolf with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at ACMI

2011-09-17T21:23:00.000+10:00

Some great news from ACMI about an awesome stop-motion screening. See details below!

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra present:

Peter and the Wolf (2006) (unclassified all ages)

A collaboration celebrating music and film this school holidays

Tuesday 4 until Thursday 6 October 2011

This school holidays, from 4 until 6 October, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) combine to present the film Peter and the Wolf, with Prokofiev’s magical music played live in the cinema by the MSO. Each event will also include a discussion of the animation style and main musical themes used in the film.

Peter and the Wolf, produced by BreakThru Films, is the Academy Award®-winning new animated film version of Prokofiev’s children's classic and is directed by the extraordinary animation talent, Suzie Templeton.

“My desire was to create a film, which works on many levels for both children and adults, exploring our fear of and fascination with the wild beast, and witnessing a young boy discover his own strength and integrity,” Suzie Templeton said.

Peter and the Wolf has been a window into the world of orchestral music for millions who have learned to recognise the distinct sounds of instruments associated with the story’s characters, and to appreciate the way in which characters can also be identified by clearly defined themes.

Twenty-seven musicians, conducted by MSO Principal Trombone Brett Kelly, will help bring Templeton's beautiful animation to life, with sections of the Orchestra representing different characters in the film. "Prokofiev’s remarkable music is already a great favourite, but combined with such wonderful animation it is sure to leave young people spell-bound and transported to a world both familiar, and very surprising,” Brett Kelly said.

Peter and the Wolf was made using stop-frame model animation, with state-of-the-art stills cameras. The film received its world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall and has had many orchestral screenings worldwide, including a premiere performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra, attended by more than 9,000 people, and a special screening at Warsaw Castle.

Nominated for a BAFTA® and a Royal Television Society Award, the film won the Rose D’Or for Best Arts Program and collected the top two prizes at the world’s biggest animation festival, Annecy. In February 2008, Peter and the Wolf was awarded the Oscar® for Best Animated Short Film.

“When it comes to combining live performance and film in our cinemas, this is by far our most ambitious collaboration,” enthused ACMI Head of Film Programs Richard Sowada. “It’s rare to strike a balance between a film of such high quality, state of the art presentation and sublime accompaniment. A collaboration on this scale is really something special.”

The season of Peter and the Wolf runs 4-6 October at ACMI in Melbourne. For more information please visit www.acmi.net.au or www.mso.com.au. Tickets start from $15 and can be purchased through the ACMI website or via Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100.

Call for Entries: Collaboration with Daniel Louie - Post Graduate Choreographers VCA

2011-08-26T18:54:00.000+10:00

I recently received an email from Daniel Louie from the Postgraduate Choreographers of the Victorian College of Arts looking for people interested in a project he is coordinating which could potentially incorporate elements of stop-motion animation.

If you are interested here are the details - he needs a response as soon as possible as the project will be presented in November.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm putting a call out to anyone interested in working on a project that investigates the relationship between architecture, animation and live art/dance.

Animation required will likely be short, looped material projected onto various surfaces of a building. Possible approaches could include working with stop-motion, photo collage, sketches, or working with light & shadow, to name a few.

The work will be highly collaborative and I will work in with your schedule. Presentation outcome in first week of November.

Feel free to contact me via email at d.louie@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au

Interview: Isobel Knowles

2011-08-13T08:57:00.001+10:00

Isobel Knowles Showreel June 2011 from Isobel Knowles on Vimeo.

I first discovered Isobel Knowles when I went to a Craft Victoria talk called Make It, Design It, Fund It a couple of years ago. An Experimenta catalogue was circulated and flicking through stumbled upon Isobel's amazing artwork with Van Sowerwine called You Were In My Dream. I was really interested in stop-motion at the time and had experimented with using it in my own artworks but couldn't believe the amazing conceptual use of the medium in their work. This was also long before I dreamed of starting this blog so I can't believe I am here right now interviewing Isobel about her work and in particular the work that inspired me so much!

I think I had inspiration overload reading about Isobel's inspirations - so many great new people to find out about. If you would like to see more of Isobel's work you can go to her website here or her Vimeo channel here.

Tell us a little about your arts/design background

I was one of those kids who would draw and draw. I chose art in school wherever I could and started animating in my final year of high school. I went on to study Media Arts at RMIT where I got into making animations for installation in galleries and made a few short films as well. I started collaborating with Van Sowerwine at university and we have had a productive working relationship ever since.

(Image of Clara from the short film Clara (c) Film Camp, Directed by Van Sowerine .)

I made a music video for Architecture in Helsinki just after I graduated and during the production of it they asked me to join in and play trumpet with them. It was such a great experience but at the same time it was tricky leading a double creative life. I was shooting a short film, Clara, with Van and recording with Architecture in Helsinki at the same time and it was a difficult balance. The band took over and became a full time occupation for a couple of years. I had a great time and fell into making music videos because of all these music connections I was making. It was a lot of fun!

After I left the band I spent time overseas trading music videos for accommodation. When I came back to Melbourne I decided I wanted to do animation full time. I have managed to strike a good balance between artistic projects and commissioned work and I'm enjoying it immensely!

When did you first discover stop-motion animation?

Sesame Street! I loved that show to death. All those different vignettes made by incredibly talented animation artists!

I discovered stop-motion for myself when I started making animations in high school. The first few were pretty silly but for my graduating project I made an 8 minute alphabet with 26 different styles of animation to teach myself a broad range of techniques. There was a lot of stop-motion in there. Clay, cut-paper, objects, wire sculpture. I had a lot of fun with it.

ABC from Isobel Knowles on Vimeo.

Do you have any particular favourite stop-motion works or other artists that inspire you?

(Image still from Lotte Reiniger's Papageno 1935)

So many! Lotte Reiniger is my all time favourite paper cut animator. Suzy Templeton's Dog and her version of Peter and the Wolf are really beautiful puppet films. I loved Sinna Mann by Anita Killi. David Daniels stratacut animations are mind-melting. Yuri Norstein's Hedgehog in the Fog has the most beautifully made 2d puppets. Jan Svankmejer wins for amazing concepts. I love kids shows like Towser, Magic Roundabout, Gumby and Spanish cartoon Capelito. Fantastic Mr Fox was a very exciting addition to the animated feature film world.

(Image still from the children's series The Magic Roundabout)

(Image still from Yuri Norstein's Hedgehog in the Fog)

What mediums do you like to work with to create your sets and characters?

Anything really! You Were In My Dream had a lot of real tree branches which I loved the look of. Feathers, dried flowers, dried leaves. We tried to use as much natural material as possible and interspersed that with model making and craft supplies. I also love using cardboard. I recently made a factory set out of shoeboxes and felt. It was pretty free-form - just hacking away at cardboard with minimal precision, doing all measurements by eye. Van and I continued that lo-fi cardboard aesthetic with our new work that's in production now.

(Image of Isobel animating her factory in her collaboration with Cat Rabbit. Image source via Cat Rabbit's Website)

(Image still of a beautiful paper cut bird from You Were in My Dreams)

What has been your favourite stop-motion piece that you have worked on?

You Were In My Dream installation documentation from Isobel Knowles on Vimeo.

It's hard - like choosing a favourite child! I really enjoyed shooting You Were In My Dream. It was a collaboration with Van and I love working together with her on something big. I really loved animating the character transforming into various animals and the set was so pretty to look at all day long. But Clara was such a great project to work on too. We had decent funding so we got to use a lot of high-end equipment. We also shot it on 16mm and it was always such a rush at the end of each week when we'd take our roll of film off to be developed and watch the rushes from the week before.

Can you talk a little on the processes used and experience of making this stop-motion animation?

I'll talk about You Were In My Dream since it's the most recent.

We originally wanted to make a 3d puppet animation like the ones we'd done together before but because of the animation needing to incorporate a live video feed of a face onto the animated character's face we decided that a 2d puppet would work better. We still wanted the sense of depth though so we made these giant sets full of the things I mentioned above and added a sheet of perspex with the cut paper 2d characters and sets to the top of that. I was really happy with how it looked in the end.

(Image still from the artwork You Were In My Dreams in use by Isobel and Van. You can see how their faces are projected into the stop-motion animation!)

(Image of a character in the process of being animated with the blank face which allowed for the projection of the viewers face to be placed there later when in use)

Our setup consisted of a custom animation bench which held the camera perpendicular to the set and had a tracking system for the set to travel left and right. The sets were 120mm long which gave us roughly three screens in length. It was important for the forest to feel quite big and like the character could run around and explore a large area. We had one set for the forest floor and one for the tree tops. We used a digital SLR connected to the computer and used Dragon Stop-Motion to capture and play back the animation. We had to use Flash for the interactive element.

(Image of Isobel on the right and Van on the left hard at work on the project)

The animation took a really long time. A lot longer than we'd expected. Van had just had a baby so I think we may have spent too much time tickling little toes! We animated about fifteen minutes worth of footage and because it's interactive and non-linear, people generally see two or three minutes at the most. It was important to the work, though to create a seemingly endless world of possibility. In addition to the fifteen minutes of stop-motion we had to animate a digital mask for the video to sit on top of the character's face. For every frame in the stop-motion we had to do a frame in Flash! So looking back it was an awful lot of work. Of course you never realise this before you begin!

(Image of a frog being animated bit by bit with a pair of tweezers!)

(Image of some of the many characters they would have cut out)

We were working to vague storyboards but most of it was on the fly editing decisions. Because we were shooting on a flat plane, though, we really only had the choice between long shot or closeup. I think this made it more manageable to shoot without a proper storyboard.

(Image of the final artwork being exhibited)

Do you think there is a resurgence in stop-motion animation in the recent years?

I think with digital cameras becoming cheaper and better, stop-motion has become more viable again. Consumer digital cameras are perfect stop motion tools so it's easy for anyone to try which is always a good breeding ground for new and exciting work.

After years of animation becoming predominantly digital and the 3d motion graphics developing into the default animated style, I think people are excited to see stop-motion again. There's still something very magical about an inanimate object moving around like it's alive that you just can't achieve in any other medium.

Do you prefer working on collaborations with other artists/clients or do you prefer creating from ideas of your own?

I like both worlds equally. I prefer spending the bulk of my time realising my own creative ideas but I love being able to make something that serves a purpose. It's like fitting a jigsaw together. Having constraints makes it exciting to find a solution for the challenge. It's also nice to be part of a creative community in this way. I've been very lucky with clients though, and pretty much find myself working for and with friends most of the time.

(Image Still from Isobels collaboration with Cat Rabbit. Source via Cat Rabbit's Website)

What are your future plans in animation? Do you have any exciting collaborations, artworks or music videos in the pipeline that you would like to talk about?

(Image still from a test animation on My Good Half . Isobel's collaboration with Anna Jeffries)

I'm working on a new artwork with my friend and collaborator Van Sowerwine. It's an interactive animation that is semi-stop-motion. The backgrounds are shot to camera and the characters are being done digitally. It's looking pretty good so far! We built a train interior and set up two enormous lazy susans with sets on them. The sets are cardboard renditions of garages, back fences and houses. Corrugated cardboard really does look like corrugated iron, especially when you do some texta tagging! We're exhibiting it in the Melbourne International Arts Festival at Screen Space in October so look out for it!

I'm also planning to do some more work with the wonderful Cat Rabbit which will be a delight I'm sure.

And a new collaboration is on the horizon with director, Anna Jeffries, who has written a script about some siamese twins from 16th Century Scotland. Hopefully that will get off the ground early next year.

I like how things have been developing so far and I'm sure finding it easy to keep busy animating! I'd love to do more short film work and maybe go work somewhere overseas for a while. Maybe Poland or Estonia. Seems like a girl like me could learn a thing or two from Eastern Europe!

Study: Animation at Victorian College of the Arts

2011-08-07T19:52:00.000+10:00

Study,Experiment,Make Animation @ VCA Film & Television from vca animation on Vimeo.

If I ever have the opportunity I would love to do further study at the Victorian College of the A rts in Animation especially stop motion animation - alas my HELP debt is already big enough at the moment!

For those of you who do here is your opportunity to find out more. The following information was provided by Paul Fletcher lecturer at the VCA in Animation (see previous post for joining in on Paul's project) about upcoming open days and information sessions about studying Animation at VCA.

VCA Graduate Course Information Sessions in Film and Television

There will be 2 sessions coming up on Tuesday 23rd August and Wednesday 24th August for people interested in undertaking a Graduate Diploma or their Masters. Next year the Graduate Diploma in Animation officially becomes known as the first year of a Masters by Coursework with the option to leave with a Graduate Diploma after the first year or continue into a second year to complete a Masters by Coursework.

General Open Day for VCA Film & TV

The general open day for all Universities and the VCA Film and Television Faculty is Sunday August 21st from 10 am – 4pm. At this stage a full Undergraduate Bachelor course specialising in Animation will go ahead but unfortunately wont be ready for next year (scheduled for the year after 2013!). However they will be running again a Foundations in Animation Course on week day evenings and some weekend days over 10 weeks between March and July.

Click on the image below to enlarge and read more about the Graduate Course Information Sessions:

Call for Entries: Hidden Creatures 2012

2011-08-03T20:06:00.006+10:00

Hidden Creatures Bendigo Town Hall Basement 2011 from Paul Fletcher on Vimeo.

I recently received an email from Paul Fletcher who is a Lecturer of Animation in Film and Television at the Victorian College of the Arts. He is seeking contributions for an exhibition he curates yearly called Hidden Creatures. The above film documents a little of this years exhibition at Bendigo and it looks fantastic!

Paul is looking for submissions of images, text, animation or sound to be considered for next year's Hidden Creatures exhibition. It may be possible for your entry to be animated in a an online movie, exhibition screen or projection.

The cut off date for submissions is 15th December 2011. To find out more and submit your work for the Hidden Creatures project follow this link.

Here is a little of what Paul has to say about the exhibition:

"WHAT CREATURE IS THAT ? Is an audiovisual Field Guide to rare and imagined creatures. A collaborative ongoing community collection of writing, pictures, sound and moving image related to acknowledging, caring for, and understanding the creatures of our imagination, rare and endangered creatures specific to our own environments and the creatures that are our ourselves."

Melbourne International Film Festival - Animation Shorts

2011-07-18T21:37:00.000+10:00

If you missed the chance to see Melbourne animator Michael Greaney's film Aww Jeez at the Melbourne International Animation Festival you have another chance! His film will be screening alongside some other amazing international animation shorts (including stop motion animation) at this years Melbourne International Film Festival.

Aww Jeez will be screening on Saturday 30th July, 6.30pm at the Greater Union Cinema in the City.

We recently interviewed Michael here about his film Aww Jeez if you would like to find out more about his film.

Exhibition: William Kentridge at ACMI - 2012

2011-07-13T22:52:00.000+10:00

(Image Source: provided by ACMI)

I have long been a fan of William Kentridge's work so I couldn't believe it when we received a very exciting press release yesterday from the Australian Centre for the Moving Image telling us that their major exhibition for the start of next year was to be William Kentridge's: Five Themes which will showcase the five key themes that has captivated his work over his career.

For those unfamiliar with William Kentridge's work he is well known for his stop motion animation artworks using his charcoal drawings about the social and political environment of his home country South Africa. To get a small insight into his style of work you can watch the following short film on his processes I found on youtube uploaded by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Here is some more information from ACMI on the exhibition:

From 8 March to 27 May 2012, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) presents William Kentridge: Five Themes, an exhibition by one of the world’s leading contemporary artists, William Kentridge.

Premiering in Australia after travelling to San Francisco, New York, Paris, Vienna, Jerusalem and Moscow, the exhibition explores five key themes that have captivated Kentridge throughout his career.

Well known for his stop motion films of charcoal drawings, Kentridge’s multi-disciplinary approach will be showcased through over 70 works ranging from animations, drawings and prints to theatre models, sculptures and books.

Born in 1955 in South Africa, and continuing to reside in his hometown of Johannesburg, Kentridge is highly regarded for a body of work that reveals strong links to the social and political environment of his home country. Tackling issues of colonial oppression, reconciliation, and the transient nature of individual and shared memory, his work deftly combines the political with the poetic.

“William Kentridge is one of the most significant artists working internationally today and we are thrilled to be presenting his exhibition Five Themes,” says ACMI Director Tony Sweeney. “An expansive and illuminating survey of Kentridge’s work over the past three decades, Five Themes reveals the full arc of his distinguished career and comes to Melbourne after a successful tour to MOMA in New York and the Albertina Museum in Vienna.”

The Five Themes Thick Time: Soho and Felix

The first section of the exhibition features a recurring fictional character in Kentridge’s work, Soho Eckstein, an overbearing businessman with an uneasy conscience and his delicate alter-ego, Felix Teitlebaum. An ongoing work of nine animated shorts, 9 Drawings for Projection traces the lives of these characters during the last decade of apartheid in Johannesburg.

Occasional and Residual Hope: Ubu and the Procession

Inspired by the Alfred Jarry play, Ubu Roi, with its strong themes of corruption and cowardice, Kentridge developed a series of etchings in 1996 called Ubu Tells the Truth. The following year he completed an animated film of the same name along with some drawings. Exploring themes of truth and reconciliation, these works are also a commentary on the human rights abuses that took place during the time of apartheid.

Parcours d'Atelier: Artist in the Studio

The third section of the exhibition explores Kentridge at a crossroads in his career, putting the spotlight on his own art practice to expose the work that takes place prior to a film, drawing or sculptural work being created. A tribute to French film director Georges Méliès, Kentridge’s large-scale multi-screen projection 7 Fragments for Georges Méliès (2003) consists of seven films revealing Kentridge’s own creative process.

Sarastro and the Master's Voice: The Magic Flute

In 2005, Kentridge directed a production of Mozart’sThe Magic Flute for Belgium’s renowned opera house, La Monnaie. Inspiring him to create several films, drawings and theatre models, and a video projection called Learning the Flute (2003), this body of work sees Kentridge explore the contrasting states of darkness and light.

Learning from the Absurd: The Nose

The final section of the exhibition consists of a multichannel projection made in the lead up to Kentridge’s 2010 production of The Nose, for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The companion piece, I am not me, the horse is not mine (2008), is a room-size installation of projected films that examine Russian modernism and the repression experienced by the Russian avant-garde during the 1920s and 1930s.

William Kentridge: Five Themes is organised by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Norton Museum of Art. Generous support for the exhibition is provided by the Koret Foundation. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

William Kentridge: Five Themes is exhibited exclusively in Australia in Gallery 1 at ACMI from Thursday 8 March until Sunday 27 May, 2012. Further information about the exhibition will be revealed in late 2011.

Inspiration PES Films (USA)

2011-07-05T13:57:00.000+10:00

(Image Source)

Some of you (or probably even all of you) may already know about the Director PES (aka Adam Pesapane) but I have only recently discovered him through our interview with MaricorMaricar who listed him as an inspiration and I can see why!

PES is a director of stop motion animation commercials and short films and his work uses everyday objects in such an imaginative and funny way.

There are so many examples that I would like to show you but have selected only a few for this article. If you are interested in seeing more of his work it can be found here.

Thanks to Sarah from PES Films for giving us permission to use these.

Game Over

The first short film is Game Over - I have no idea how he finished this without eating half of the set (the food bits obviously). There is a good interview here with PES talking to the Animation Show where he discusses his inspirations and processes of making this stop motion animation.

Western Spaghetti

The next short film is Western Spaghetti and I think this might be my favourite. I can't believe how imaginative this is with objects around the house - no need to worry about building intricate characters or sets!

The Deep

The last short film I would like to feature is PES's most recent work which is The Deep. Created for Showtime’s online series “Short Stories". There is an interview with Motionographer here where PES talks about the creation of The Deep.

MIAF: Cut-Out Sessions

2011-06-23T14:27:00.000+10:00

(Image Source: MIAF)

One last post about the Melbourne International Animation Festival I wanted to mention is about their focus on the cut-out technique. They have 2 sessions the first is a talk by Anna Jeffries and Isobel Knowles about their new film 'My Good Half' which is currently in production - everyone who attends the session gets a free ticket to see the finished film! (More info here).

Animation 103: Making a Cut-out Film - My Good Half
Wednesday 22nd June 5.15pm

(Image Source: MIAF)

The second session is on Sunday the final day of MIAF which is a screening of 12 animations which focus on the cut-out technique dating from the 1940's to a seleciton of recent works shown at the festival. (More info here).

Technique Focus: Cut-outs

Sunday 26 june, 4.00pm

Both sessions would be amazing to go to! If your unfamiliar with the Cut-Out technique here is a little sample below made by John Lewis for MIAF 2011.

Melbourne International Animation Festival Features and Interviews

2011-06-19T15:59:00.000+10:00

(image source: MIAF)

For all you lovely folk visiting the blog for the first time we have been spending the last week interviewing all the Australian stop motion animation artists featured in this year's Melbourne International Animation Festival. Prior to this we also had the opportunity to interview the festival director Malcolm Turner! If you are interested in checking out any of these interviews please find the links below.

Malcolm Tuner (MIAF Festival Director)
Fiona Dalwood (The Batchelor Experience)
Seamus Spilsbury (Blown Away)
David Pennay (Remembering Bonegilla)
Darcy Prendergast (Gravity)
Chris Kezelos (Zero)
Michael Greaney (Aww Jeez)

We hope everyone has a great week at the festival and goes along and supports it if they can!

MIAF Feature: Aww Jeez - Michael Greaney

2011-06-18T08:22:00.000+10:00

Well we have finally reached the end of our MIAF features and are finishing up with Michael Greaney's film Aww Jeez. Michael's interview is an added bonus as he is currently overseas at Annecy for this very film (which is why we don't have any process shots or sketches!). He was kind enough to send us through a bit of info to share with you and some stills from the film.

Aww Jeez will be screening at the Melbourne International Animation Festival on Wednesday 22nd June at 8pm as part of the International Panorama Programs - Panorama #4: Australian.

Can you tell us a little about the story of Aww Jeez and some of the concepts and theme's within the film?

Aww Jeez is a short clay-animated film that takes religious dieties and puts them in a cheesy 50s sitcom environment. Essentially the story is; God is going away on business, but he doesn't trust his slacker son Jesus not to throw a party while he's gone, so he hires Satan, a former alcoholic, to babysit.

(image source)

The humor of the film is based around making light of religious mythology, while simultaneously exploring the way sit-coms utilise familiar characters and plotlines to create stories and explore ideas. The film really is my personal love letter to the situational comedy genre, so by using characters that almost everybody recognises, it allowed me alot of freedom to run wild, making a mixture of jokes at goofy sitcom cliches (like the flashy main character entrance) and more in depth religion themed humour. Fortunately for me I teamed up with an amazing sound designer and composer on the film named Ryan Granger who did an awesome job realising the kinds of theme music and audio cues which make sitcoms so fun and energetic.

Can you tell us a little about what inspired the look of the film? What made you decide to use stop motion animation instead of other animation techniques?

When I set out creating the look of the film I really wanted to pick a medium which I felt would properly capture the look and feel of a three camera sitcom. Clay-mation was the perfect choice for this, as it allowed me the opportunity to construct sets and control all the elements within, such as lighting and visual compostion, while still maintaining a stylised real world look.

Could you talk a little on the process of developing the main characters and how they came to the final result on screen. Did you have many different prototypes? How did you make them?

The characters are all constructed on several different layers. To begin with I built an armature, which is a basic wire skeleton, for the puppets. The next step involved sculpting the puppets heads out of an amazing little product called super sculpy, which is as malleable as plasticine until it is baked, which makes it completely solid. The final step was to sculpt the rest of the puppets body out of coloured plasticine.

Funnily enough developing the main characters for the film was actually one of the things that took the most amount of time within the build stage of production. I really wanted to build stylised puppets that where still immediately recognizable as the deities they where based on, so this stage was a loop of sculpting, revising and reworking until finally reaching a functional puppet I was happy with.

Another important part of the final realisation of the characters was the voice actors involved. Darcy Prendergast, who played Satan, and Josh Thomas, who voiced God, gave some fantastic performances that really helped to bring those clay puppets to life. In both cases I had both of the guys screaming like maniacs into a microphone trying to get the right kind of insanity I was looking for.

Are there any future projects you can tell us about - stop motion or otherwise?

I'm currently working with the amazing crew at Oh Yeah Wow which is a Melbourne based studio, on a wide variety of projects including stop-motion and live action music videos and commercials. As well as being in the process of writing my next short which will be a rather politically incorrect clay-animated musical comedy.

MIAF Feature: Zero - Christopher Kezelos

2011-06-17T07:00:00.001+10:00

(Image source: all image provided by Christopher Kezelos)

Friday's MIAF feature is with Christopher Kezelos talking about his short film Zero.

Zero will be screening at the Melbourne International Animation Festival on Saturday 25th June at 4:15pm as part of the Australian Showcase.

Can you tell us a little about the story of Zero and some of the concepts and themes within the film?

When throwing around concepts for the film, Christine Kezelos the film's Producer and I kept coming back to the idea of a world of numbers. We felt the imagery held ripe potential for a fairytale and allowed us to explore themes of oppression and prejudice that has dominated cultures throughout human history. Even on an individual level, we have all felt marginalised or out cast in one way or another and we knew that this would strike a chord in audiences. We also wanted to show that through the power of love and through the desire to make a difference, one person can change their own lives and the lives of others.

Can you tell us a little about what inspired the look of the film? What made you decide to use stop motion animation instead of other animation techniques?

I had been going through a macro photography phase. The rich textures and short depths of field lent itself perfectly towards stop motion animation and was accesible through my stills camera. Christine and I imagined that characters made of 'wool' would be ideal for this medium, up close the individual fibres and detail was so appealing .

Working with such a low budget, stop motion animation was an accessible technique for us. As we don't have any 2D/3D skills, this was something we could physically do ourselves.

Could you talk a little on the process of developing the main characters and how they came to the final result on screen? Did you have many different prototypes, how did you make them?

Zero and all of the characters are made from wire armatures set in silicone casts. We initially started with 10 cm and 15 cm tall prototypes but we were unable to obtain the desired range of movement. Our final characters were approximately 25 - 30cm tall. Once the puppets went through the armature, mold and casting production line, they were then passed onto Christine who put on her Fabrication hat and individually wrapped each one strand-by-strand with wool. This took 3 months full time to complete 27 characters which we then interchanged with 40+ heads and numbers.

As Zero was in every scene his armature often snapped (sometimes mid shot) thus he required multiple stunt doubles. In the end there were 6 Zeros created, where all the knots, criss crossed wool and coloured thread needed to be matched exactly.

Are there any future projects you can tell us about - stop motion or otherwise?

Zealous Creative have just completed post production on their latest stop motion animation, 'The Maker'. It's a story about a strange creature who races against time to create the most important and beautiful creation of his life. You can watch the trailer at http://vimeo.com/zealouscreative/themakertrailer. To see behind the scenes pics, keep up to date with news and screening info, visit facebook.com/themakerfilm.

We also have a number of projects in different stages of development including a feature stop motion animation and live action TV series.

MIAF Feature: Gravity - Darcy Prendergast

2011-06-16T07:00:00.004+10:00

(Image Source: Provided by Darcy Prendergast)

Today we are talking to Darcy Prendergast about the music video clip 'Gravity' which he created for muscian Sam Buckingham.

Gravity will be screening at the Melbourne International Animation Festival on Saturday 25th June at 4:15pm as part of the Australian Showcase.

Can you tell us a little about Gravity and some of the concepts and theme’s within the video clip?

To coincide with the cute, simple track, I decided to run with an equally cute, simple concept. Nothing too challenging or visually confusing. Essentially its a love story involving two bright yellow blobs, who are initially frightened by a strong gravitational pull towards each other. Their vibrant nature sets them apart from the bleak, grey 9-5 landscape which they inhabit.

Can you tell us a little about what inspired the look of the music video? What made you decide to use stop motion animation instead of other animation techniques?

Stop motion has that beautiful, inherent tactile quality that just cant be replicated any other way. Its always my first choice, I heart it so so much. As far as the look goes, I wanted to again keep within the simple and cute parameters the song seemed to set. Its no use juxtaposing ridiculously demonic visuals with a song like that- it just doesn't work. I think as a music video clip director, you're obligated to heighten the track- hell, overshadow it if you can. You want the two artforms to converge and form something thats 10 fold more powerful than they would be on its own.

Could you talk a little on the process of developing the main characters and how they came to the final result on screen? Did you have many different prototypes, how did you make them?

I've adopted a pretty visceral approach to character design. I never draw or sculpt with a preconceived image in my head. I just begin, and adjust as I go. If something looks good, I keep it. If something looks crap, I change it. With such uncomplicated characters such as these blobs, its all in the expression and the posture, as you dont have much else to work with. Its boiled right down to its elementary form.

Are there any future projects you can tell us about - stop motion or otherwise?

Hells yes there are! Currently working on a new music video for Gotye, writing a live action TV series and I have a clay animated kids series in development with Nickelodeon, titled the Critter Litter. The other stop motion lads selected for MIAF are actually helping me out with it - incestuous old industry this one :)

MIAF Feature: Remembering Bonegilla - David Pennay

2011-06-15T07:00:00.002+10:00

(Image source: All images provided by David Pennay)

Our MIAF feature today is with David Pennay talking about his film Remembering Bonegilla.

Remembering Bonegilla will be screening at the Melbourne International Animation Festival on Wednesday 22nd June at 8pm as part of the International Panorama Programs - Panorama #4: Australian.

Can you tell us a little about the story of Remembering Bonegilla and some of the concepts and themes within the film?

Remembering Bonegilla was created to look at life in the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre through the eyes of three different fictional characters 'The Colonel', 'Mara' and 'Joe' each highlighting a different perspective of how life was to them at Bonegilla. The animation was to be used as an educational tool to be shown on site at "Block 19” at The Bonegilla Migrant Experience (museum) .

Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was the first Australian home for more than 300,000 migrants from over 50 countries. Today the centre touches the lives of millions of Australian's and stands as strong testimony to the courage and resilience of all post war migrants.

I tried to give a small taste of the variety of experiences that some of the migrants experienced including themes such as the carefree life of a child to the protests of the jobless Migrants.

Initially I was not going to enter this animation into MIAF as it is part of the onsite educational experience that was not made to be a stand alone short film, but i thought that most people would get the gist anyhow.

Can you tell us a little about what inspired the look of the film? What made you decide to use stop motion animation instead of other animation techniques?

The look of the film had to reflect the lives of the 3 characters and what Bonegilla would have been like when it operated between 1947-71. So I went and visited the site and looked through the old corrugated huts that they used to live in to help me visualise and be able to create a real sense of the camp.

Stop motion is one of my favourite forms of animation, and when my clients said I could have free range in the artistic sense (as long as it suited their target audience) I jumped on the chance to shoot in stop motion, I really love getting my hands dirty and building sets and sculpting characters, it gets you away from the computer and you really feel like you are making something tactile, a small world that you become immersed in.

Could you talk a little on the process of developing the main characters and how they came to the final result on screen. Did you have many different prototypes? How did you make them?

With the characters I had rough sketches of each of how I envisaged them being. I tried to reflect their roles and personality as I was given a fair bit of background history about each characters mixture, and just went from there doing research and then sketching again. I did a few rough practice sculpts then began to build the characters with a wire armature inside.

As sculpting is very tactile i try to let the characters come out of the clay with the drawing just as a guide. I had to make mouth sets for the characters and played around with two different techniques, with the Colonel I used a replacement mouth set that i made where his whole jaw comes out, whereas with Joe I just had small mouths that attach to his face which is a lot easier, as there was a lot of lip synching.

The capturing of the right voice for each character was curicial as it helps the characters come to life, and I was lucky enough to actually use the voice of one of the original migrants, he had some amazing stories to tell, whilst I was recording.

With my sets I used as much recycled and reused materials as I could, collecting heaps of old cardboard boxes to help make the corrugation walls and roofs of the huts.

Are there any future projects you can tell us about - stop motion or otherwise?

At the moment I have a couple of stop motion projects up my sleeves but they are still at the scripting stage, I am also currently working in conjunction with Croydon Hills Primary School as part of Arts Victoria, Artist in Schools Program, Helping grade 5 students create 3 separate stop motion animations. I also run after school animation classes at FCAC, my free lance work and also some collaborative projects which all keeps me very busy.

Remembering Bonegilla can be viewed on site at the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre (north east victoria 12km of Albury Wodonga) or their website.

MIAF Feature: Blown Away - Seamus Spilsbury

2011-06-14T07:00:00.002+10:00

(image source: all images seen in this interview were provided by Seamus Spilsbury)

Today's MIAF feature is with Seamus Spilsbury talking about his film Blown Away.

Blown Away will be screening at the Melbourne International Animation Festival on Wednesday 22nd June at 8pm as part of the International Panorama Programs - Panorama #4: Australian.

Can you tell us a little bit about the story of Blown Away and some of the concepts and themes within the film?

The film is about a clown who shares an unexpected moment with a small boy that helps him deal with the loss of his brother.

When the concept of the film first came about, I had strong ideas that I wanted to create a subtle moment between two characters. I didn’t want to have a grand ending, but just to offer the audience hope for my character in the future.

I wanted to represent the innocence of a child in the sense that regardless of how the clown may appear to an adult, the boy sees the clown as an entertainer and is there to make people laugh. When the balloon pops the boy experiences a moment in which reality becomes clearer, in this instance the boy looks past the clown's exterior, and sees an opportunity to help.

Can you tell us a little about what inspired the look of the film? What made you decide to use stop motion animation instead of other animation techniques?

The look of the film developed over time. I had an idea in my head to begin with but in terms of the final results it was an organic process. To begin with I thought that the film should have a cold tone with lots of blue shades to reflect the clowns feelings of loss and isolation. After trialling this colour scheme I thought using a warmer palette would further demonstrate the clowns loneliness and create a more meaningful contrast between the clown and the environment for the audience.

I chose to use stop motion because it is the medium that I know and that I love. From start to finish you are creating with your hands, you are physically involved with making the film. I am not a fan of using visual effects or computer animation. Stop motion allows me to shoot everything in camera, although it may not be photo realistic it lends a certain charm that can only be created by hand.

Could you talk a little on the process of developing the main characters and how they came to the final result on screen. Did you have many different prototypes? How did you make them?

The clown design ended up being based on the first drawing I did. A few minor changes were made in terms of clothing but the over all look remained the same. The boy was slightly harder, mainly because I wasn’t sure how old I wanted him to be. I ended up basing him on my 7 year old nephew. After this decision was made the design process was easier, it was great for animation also, it provided a real life reference on how the character would move and interact with the clown.

The clown was built to be stationary, only his top half could be animated. His pants and hands were made from Sculpy because they did not have to be animated. His torso was made from plasticine in order to animate small arm movements, breathing and slouching.

The boy’s armature was technically more difficult because he had to be able to run, jump and crouch. For the boys armature I used K&S tubing as pivot points for his hips and shoulders. I wanted to be able to replace a limb in the likely event that the wire broke due to the intensity of the animation. This process allowed me to rebuild the small sections of the boy’s armature instead of having to re-sculpt the entire character.

Are there any future projects you can tell us about stop motion or otherwise?

I’ve just started production on my third year film, which is also stop motion. I’m also working with Darcy Prendergast and the Oh Yeah Wow crew creating a variety of amazing pieces of work. So stay tuned.

And on that note I might just add at the end here that we will be talking to Darcy on Thursday about his film Gravity!

MIAF Feature: The Batchelor Experience - Fiona Dalwood

2011-06-13T09:06:00.000+10:00

(image source: all images seen in this interview were provided by Fiona Dalwood)

As mentioned in our previous post in the lead up to the Melbourne International Animation Festival we have some features on some of the best Australian stop motion animation films at the festival whose names were given to us in our interview with Malcolm Turner a couple of weeks ago.

To kick off our first feature we have Fiona Dalwood talking about her film The Batchelor Experience (which sounds hilarious!)

The Batchelor Experience screens on opening night at the festival which is Sunday 19th June at 6.30pm as part of the Best of the Next Program #4: Australian.

Can you tell us a little about the story of The Batchelor Experience and some of the concepts and themes within the film?

The film is about an exclusive restaurant-cum-gentlemen’s club in the heart of the city where patrons can be free to behave like a complete slob. The dress code is “No shoes, no ties, no pants” and that pretty much sums it up – the full blokey bachelor pad experience.

The idea came to me from time spent working in a very corporate environment, surrounded largely by middle-aged family men. I’d try and imagine what freedoms were left to them between the lives they lived at work and the lives they shared with their families at home. They’d disappear at lunchtime and saunter back into the office looking a lot more relaxed.

To me the film is a quick and cheeky look at the lifestyle we’re setting ourselves up for if we continue to allow our every movement and behavior to be regulated in the way that it is now. Community standards are becoming so uptight that I suspect taking part in even the most basic pleasures in life (such as drinking beer in your undies) will become underground privileges in the near future. In a world where we’re pressured to be amateur chefs each night or to pluck every hair on our bodies I wanted to explore how it might look if we put a price on something as simple as slobbing out.

Can you tell us a little about what inspired the look of the film? What made you decide to use stop motion animation instead of other animation techniques?

The Batchelor Experience shows us two sides to the same character, so I was looking for a quick and dirty way to convey the split between Albert the Suit and Dirty Bert the slob.

I limited my colour palette to two distinct moods, so the film starts with washed out greenish-grey hues ramps up to pulsing reds as Bert loses his inhibitions. It’s a very condensed nod to films like Heathers where our hero starts out inoffensively pastel and ends up a saturated monster. It was a fantastic challenge to set myself in terms of stop motion, particularly working with plasticene, because the process of making the puppets and sets is so much fun that the temptation is there to use every colour in the box.

Whilst my hand-drawn animatic was quite expressive in itself, I realized that two minutes isn’t a lot of time to work with and wanted to really make Bert come to life – this is where stop motion really shines. It has a magical ability to draw you in instantly and people are quite forgiving of ‘mistakes’. In fact, the title is a case in point – by the time I realised the typo I’d already made the main sign and shot the opening sequence, so I just had to roll with it. For me there was the added bonus of spending many hours painstakingly sculpting every tiny detail of the set and props – I find that kind of intricate crafting to be a very zen activity.

Could you talk a little on the process of developing the main characters and how they came to the final result on screen? Did you have many different prototypes, how did you make them?

My characters started out as cartoon sketches, and there wasn’t a lot of difference between those first drawings and what you see on film. I think in part that’s because I was working to such a tight deadline that I didn’t have a chance to muck around, but also because I was pretty happy with the initial look. As this was a comedy I wanted my puppets to keep that same level of cartoonishness, so built up the main shapes with very heavy lines and lots of exaggeration.

As this was my first stop-motion film and my first claymation, it was very much a case of learning as I went. I had some great teachers on hand for advice on how to construct the armatures and pretty much relied on luck to get me through the filming process – as it turns out the puppets I made are quite robust and still hanging out on my mantelpiece. I’m quite proud of my time-saving decision to give Bert a detachable head that could fit onto both bodies!

Are there any future projects you can tell us about - stop motion or otherwise?

I do work fulltime for The Man, which can be challenging for all artists, but I truly feel like I’m just at the beginning of something incredible and have found my ‘thing’. Currently I’m working on a small series of short 2d skits that I hope to string together into a web series. There are some freelance projects on the go but what I’m really excited about is the project I’m working on with AJR Traill (the voice of Bert). We’re in pre-production on “s.kEmo” a serial about – you guessed it, an emo Eskimo. I’ve also got some larger, more ambitious ideas up my sleeve for when I get some of that elusive free time. Next month sees the world premiere screening of my other 2d animated short “The Comeback” at the Revelation film festival in Perth. I’ll be heading over for the screening on the 19th of July, so if you’re heading that way be sure to say hi!

Melbourne International Animation Festival Schedule

2011-06-02T15:25:00.000+10:00

(image source: MIAF)

The Melbourne International Animation Festival is only a few weeks away now folks and they have recently released their festival schedule here so you can plan your festival week!

We have some great features and interviews coming up from some of the stop motion animation entrants so stay tuned.

Interview: MaricorMaricar

2011-05-20T15:12:00.000+10:00

Some of the many characters made by Maricor and Maricar for 'Big Green Idea' stop motion
(image source: provided by MaricorMaricar)

I was so excited when Maricor and Maricar were interested in answering some questions for The Creative Haven blog as we are huge fans of their work. They are 2 super talented sisters from Sydney currently living in the UK who have created animations for clients such as Architecture in Helsinki, Murder by Death, ABC's Playschool, SBS and the British Council Australia.

I really didn't know how to cut down this interview and incorporate all that I wanted - so I didn't cut anything and now it's all here for your reading pleasure! Maricor and Maricar have kindly provided us an insight into their work, inspirations, background and some awesome process images from their stop motion animation work for 'Big Green Idea'.

Before we begin though here is a link to their full animation catalogue from their website as I couldn't post up everything!

Tell us a little about yourselves, your arts/design background and how you came to the decision to work together.

I've always felt a little shy when explaining our art and design background. We were never those kids that grew up drawing from a precocious age instead Maricor and I grew up reading a lot. We'd stay up all hours (it's probably why we need glasses) and go through piles of books. The stories we read fed our imagination and were ultimately how we came to discover a profession called 'design'. Our high school art teacher introduced us to Neil Gaiman's The Sandman graphic novels. We were instantly drawn to the mythological and at times terrifying stories but also equally drawn to the rich and textured covers that Dave McKean created for the series. I think this was when we first decided that we wanted to be one of those people that interpreted stories and that's how we came to pursue design.

Artwork by Dave McKean for the Sandman Graphic Novel 'Worlds End'
(image source: Fantasy Fiction Website)

We've always expected to one day work together. I think having studied together and lived together our whole lives it seemed inevitable! We started out working for different companies but finally teamed up again while at Mathematics (studio in Sydney). It was a great opportunity for us to test how we'd work together professionally. At the beginning of last year we found ourselves wanting to focus more on hand crafted design and animation so we branched out on our own and established MaricorMaricar.

When did you first discover stop motion animation?

Our university lecturers screened some work by the Brothers Quay which blew us away. We'd grown up watching shows like Pingu and The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town but this was the first time we'd seen a stop motion animation that was dark and for adults.

Image still from Brothers Quay film Street of Crocodiles 1986
(Image source: Optimistic Underground blog)

Do you have any particular favourite stop motion works or other artists that inspire you?

We're constantly amazed by Sean Pecknold, Pes Films and Jamie Caliri's stop motion masterpieces and would love to be able to work with them.

Image still from Dragon commercial for United Airlines animated by Jamie Caliri
(Image source:Bryan Beus)

What mediums do you like to work with the most to create your sets etc?

We've experimented with paper, clay and miniature landscaping materials used commonly for train sets. I think the most fun was working with the fake grass, afterwards I wanted to cover everything in it.

Image still from MaricorMaricar's stop motion animation Blerg for IDN Magazine's 100th Issue
(image source: MaricorMaricar)

Image still from MaricorMaricar's stop motion animation 'If all the World were Paper' for ABC's Playschool
(image source: MaricorMaricar)

How do you share the work load when working on an animation together? Do you each have particular skills areas that you focus on or can you both multitask?! (e.g crafting/set building, editing, shooting)

During the building and shooting stage we share the tasks equally which means we can easily swap duties when one of us needs a break (usually the person animating the props). When we're setting up a shot though we do tend to divide the tasks. Maricor understands the animation program we use more than I so she'll set up the program and the edit and also plan out the frame numbers, and since I have more experience using cameras I'll set up the framing, lighting and camera.

What has been your favourite stop motion piece that you have worked on?

My favourite so far would have to be our latest animation “Big Green Idea” for the British Council, Australia. With each animation we create we try to expand on our skills so for this one we added more rigging and camera operating techniques. It was perhaps a bit ambitious for us to add shots involving camera tracking and focus pulling with just the two of us on set and with a two week turnaround but we're really pleased with how the animation turned out. Next animation though we'd love to work with a DOP.

Can you talk a little on the processes used and experience of making this stop motion animation? (How long did it take? did you use storyboards or sketches to plan it out, camera type)

The following images including the above are process images from 'Big Green Idea' stop motion animation
(Image Source: provided by Maricor and Maricar)

With Big Green Idea British Council Australia worked with their communications agency Republic of Everyone to write up an initial script which we then interpreted, fleshing out character designs and scenes. When we start an animation we go through as much pre-production as we can, Maricor usually takes care of sketching out the storyboards and creating test animatics while I start on designing the characters and the style frames.

We've had mixed experiences with animatics with our clients – with some expecting more refined animations and character movements. These animatics can vary from moving storyboards (very basic) to more detailed animatics with camera movements and animated characters for timings. Ideally we would want to spend more time refining the animatic to get specific frame numbers for everything that will be in shot before we start shooting. This is because changes are very to difficult to execute when you start shooting, it's not like a digital animation where you can go back into a scene and change/add/delete an element and then re-render.

Style frames are also usually created digitally, so before we cut it all out of paper or sew them up we'll sketch them out, colourise and texture them in photoshop to simulate what the final props will look like. Once we receive sign off on the style frames and animatic we then go full tilt both building the props and characters.

When the British Council first approached us asking if we would like to create a paper animation we initially planned to use a multi-plane set-up but the more we worked on the script a 3 dimensional technique using upright props that could be animated like puppets seemed more appropriate. It was still touch and go however whether we could achieve this technique in the time we had but I'm very glad we stuck to it. It definitely helped that we had just worked on a project creating paper props for a series of stop motion TVCs produced by the Jungle Boys and had seen how their crew set up rigging for the props and planned out camera moves, it inspired us to try out an improvised dolly and be more adventurous with the props. Our set up was a little DIY, we used a Canon 7D mounted variously onto a 'magic arm' mount or on a box (to slide on a table as an improvised dolly), one dedo light and an ikea floor lap made up our lighting kit and we used a hinged desk lamp as a miniature crane to suspend props from. The software we used were Photoshop, Dragon Stop Motion and AfterEffects.

From preproduction to post production we had 2 weeks but we ended up cramming about 4 weeks work by working around the clock. We realise now that was an insane deadline especially since it was just the two of us involved so we wouldn't recommend doing that again.

Do you think there is a resurgence in stop motion animation in the recent years?

I think digital photography has made stop motion a lot more accessible. Also the current trend in hand crafted design works well with stop motion animation.

Do you prefer working on collaborations with other artists/clients or do you prefer creating from ideas of your own?

I thought my answer would be a definite yes, we love working on collaborations but looking back a lot of our projects we've created with just the two of us. We don't work the usual 9-5 and tend to hole ourselves up when we're working on a project. Also we're so used to working together that we don't often fully verbalise what we're thinking about a certain direction or idea (maybe it's ESP!) so I think the combination of all those things make it tricky to collaborate. I'd like to come out of my creative shell more though and have found when we work with other people it has always resulted in exciting projects so we're definitely open and keen to collaborate.

Last year you guys were one of the 5 winners of the Realise your Dream British Council Awards which must have been very exciting! What are the dreams and future plans for Maricor/Maricar?

Winning Realise Your Dream has been amazing for us. We're currently in the UK on the trip made possible by the award and are looking forward to meeting with directors and studios while here. We also recently signed on with an illustration agency here called Handsome Frank so this year is already off to a great start. We're looking forward to building up MaricorMaricar's portfolio of work and developing our embroidered artworks and animation craft.

For all you Fans of Stop Motion Animation

2011-05-19T13:58:00.000+10:00

For all you folks who like to use Facebook instead of Google Reader (or whatever means you use to follow your blogs!) we have created a fan page here or click on the image on the righthand side of the screen!

Inspiration: The White Stripes - Fell in Love with a Girl Video Clip

2011-05-14T15:30:00.000+10:00

This weeks inspiration is dedicated to a band I love who has finally called it a day. Of course it is also dedicated to LEGO stop motion animation. I didn't realise there was such a huge movement for this but have just discovered this webpage Brick Films which is entirely about LEGO stop motion animation and has it's own forum, tutorials and shop!

Anyway back to The White Stripes and their video clip 'Fell in Love with a Girl' it's an oldie but a goodie - I hadn't watched this in ages and it is amazing! Directed by Michel Gondry who also did the film The Science of Sleep which also features alot of stop motion animation.

Interview: Malcolm Turner & Helen Gibbins - Melbourne International Animation Festival

2011-05-05T22:57:00.000+10:00

(image source: MIAF)

In just over a month (19th - 26th June) the annual Melbourne International Animation Festival will be held at ACMI. To coincide with the upcoming festival, we wrote to Malcolm Turner the Executive Dicrector and Helen Gibbins the Festival Manager to have a chat to them about the history of the festival, their thoughts on stop motion animation and the Australian names to look out for when the festival starts.

This is an awesome festival and there are so many things on offer in the program this year (especially for you stop motion fans). To buy tickets you can either go to ACMI Online or to their box office in the city at Federation squre.

Now for the interview!

Can you give us a bit of background information on how MIAF started?

In 1999, 2 Melbourne animators (Nag Vladermersky and Susi Allender) had completed a short animated film called Ashputtle Or The Mother's Ghost. They toured with this film and were amazed to find animation festivals existed in every corner of the world except here. Meanwhile, in New Zealand Malcolm Turner had been running arts festivals and theatre companies and other arts events and was becoming increasingly interested in animation, including bullshitting his way into a job programming animation for a the New Zealand Film Festival (just one of many great leaps of faith to pay off for visionary NZFF Director, Bill Gosden). All three began communicating about Ashputtle and in no time had formed a plan to unite in Melbourne, set up a festival and live happily ever after. Two outta three ain't bad.

What does MIAF11 have on offer this year in regards to stop motion animation? Is there a strong presence?

Stop motion is an interesting term. There's certainly plenty of classic/traditional puppet animation spread right throughout the program. Probably the most specific answer I can give is that this year's technique focus is "Cut-Outs". There will be an entire program devoted entirely to cut-out animation both contemporary (which is in competition) and classic, dating back to some early McLaren work from the 1940's (the print of which arrived this very afternoon). MIAF exists to present the notion of animation as a diverse artform (both words carrying equal importance). In part, this means reinforcing the fact that most animation is not, in fact, in CG but is still to one extent or another truely handmade, even if computers are called upon to help with the drudge work. This means that there is always a hell of a lot of stop motion animation in the festival line-up - always has been, always will be. So long as people keep makin' em, we'll keep showin' em.

Have you noticed an increase or a resurgence in stop motion animation in recent years through your work with the festival?

Yes and no. I think there is AT LEAST as much stop motion around as ever there was and in many ways computers have made some fringe elements of the workload easier and, of course, have great boosted distribution opportunities and in turn that has made more people want to give it a go. But I think there is a decrease in the perception of most people about how much stop motion animation is out there. The roll out of main stream animation (be it features, commercial applications, gaming, etc) would probably present a false impression to someone who only looked to the mainstream for their view of where animation trends are heading. The one possible exception to that rule MIGHT be TV ads, there's a surprising number of stop motion ads out there but how the ratio of stop mo to CG runs I don't know.

Are there any stand out Australian entries in stop motion you can mention?

Yep. ZERO (Christopher Kezelos, David Cox), GRAVITY (Darcy Prendergast), THE BATCHELOR EXPERIENCE (Fiona Dalwood), REMEMBERING BONEGILLA (David Pennay), BLOWN AWAY (Seamus Spilsbury), AWW JEEZ (Michael Greaney). Interestingly, there was probably just about as many stop motion submitted for the student section as submitted for open competition.

Why do you think audiences still connect with animation and in particular stopmotion animation?

Geez, where do you want me to start? It is WAAAAAY more likely to have a soulful componant to it, they are real objects. There is a sense of understanding how it is made, a sense the audience can appreciate the wonder. There is a stronger chance that it will feel like a personal statement and will be a more individual looking and feeling work. They tend to lack polish and sheen (the non-charlie variety.... whatever happened to that dude anyway, he was big news this time last week) which makes them easier to connect with on a more personal and instinctive level. None of these are universal truths (trust me, there is no shortage of shitty, souless stop mo out there) but as a generality I think they're undeniable elements of the auteur animation landscape and I just never see that changing, some people just really want to make films using those tools and while people are making them people will watch them and seek out the best ones.

Big thanks to Malcolm and Helen for answering our questions. We are hoping to have more on the festival when it hits Melbourne in June including reviews and hopefully some chats to the local animators as well if we are lucky!

Stay tuned...

Inspiration: Hélène Ducrocq (FRA) - Elle Demeure

2011-04-28T15:07:00.000+10:00

(image source: KaAM)

Hélène Ducrocq is an animation director from France and part of a multimedia collective called KaAM. She is also an illustrator and artist in her own right has a gorgeous portfolio over here!

I was lucky enough to be given permission by Hélène to show their latest creation Elle Demeure which is a stop motion animation made from paper using a technique called Stratastencil. They have a great website which shows some stills from the film, some process images, serveral films showing the making of the stop motion animation and of course the actual animation!

I have included a few images and one of the making of video's just to give you an idea of the techniques used and what was involved but please do go watch the actual animation here.

Also here is a link to an interview Hélène did with thenewfilmmaker.com where she explains her inspiration, techniques and education.

Thanks Hélène for sharing!

p.s: I have to mention I saw Hélène's work over at a beautiful blog called Upon a Fold about paper artists.

(image source: KaAM)

MAKING OF - clip ANA DESS - "Elle Demeure" : 3j... by collectif_KaAM

Exhibition - Cat Rabbit

2011-04-23T23:02:00.000+10:00

(image source: The Creative Haven)

Okay - this is a partial review until we make it into the city again as unfortunately we were way to early for the gallery thanks to an early rising toddler. We did however manage too get some picks from the outside to entice you into going to visit the magical world that Cat Rabbit has created.

Sponsered by Frankie and held at No Vacancy Gallery at Federation Square this is Cat Rabbit's first solo exhibition Secret Animal Realms. The exhibition features beautiful handmade creatures, embroideries, accessories, zines and of course what we are very interested in - a stop motion animation!

Cat Rabbit has collaborated with Melbourne animator Isobel Knowles to create a whimsical and fantastic animated world. We don't obvoiusly want to reveal much but it was lovely to see Cat Rabbits creations come to life in this film. The animation is showing at the Atrium at federation square while the exhibition is showing.

Please go check out the exhibition if your in Melbourne it will be on from 20th April to 8th May.

Below are a couple of images we managed to get from the outside.

(image source: The Creative Haven)

The Creative Haven - Blog Makeover

2011-04-07T22:10:00.000+10:00

This blog started out as a record of a stop motion animation I had made with my partner Andy a few years back but I have recently decided that I would also like to make this blog into a little hub of information on stop motion animation production in Australia.

The Creative Haven is still our production company and we will (when we make stuff!) be posting about our works but as they are few and far between at the moment I would like to expand the blog to include what people are up to, exhibitions, film screenings and competitions within Australia. Additionally I would like to have an inspirations section which shows independent and indie animation from over the world.

If anyone has any suggestions for film clips or wants to post about an exhibition or event coming up please let me know. You can email suggestions to me at thecreativehaven@hotmail.com.

In the meantime my apologies as there will be a bit of maintenance work happening to update the blog for it's new direction!

Eagle Vs Shark - Apple Animation

2011-03-30T14:40:00.000+11:00

Long time, no post! Here is a little clip from the movie Eagle vs Shark. I have been meaning to share this for a while, I saw the movie on SBS last year and its fantastic.

Inspiration - The Science of Sleep

2010-12-06T14:46:00.000+11:00

It has been ages since I have watched this film but I love it. I found this clip on youtube which puts together some of my favourite animated/arty moments of the film!

Animation Inspiration - United States of Tara Opening Sequence

2010-09-23T19:34:00.000+10:00

I know this show has obviously been around for a while but was just watching the show last night and thought I should post about the animation in the opening sequence. How amazing is it - I love the popup book concept and illustration style.

I am hoping to be posting here more regularly with more stop motion inspiration, info and hopefully something i have made (if i ever get my act together!). If you have seen any great stop motion animations lately please send me an email or leave a comment as I would love to add them to the blog.

Maricor Maricar - Architecture in Helsinki Video clip

2010-03-30T12:14:00.000+11:00

Check out this aweseom video clip by Sydney animator's MaricorMaricar for Architecture in Helsinki - 'Like it or Not'.

Sewn then animated!

Mary and Max: The Exhibition

2010-02-04T18:42:00.000+11:00

Very excited to just find out that ACMI is having an exhibition of Adam Elliot's latest stop motion Mary and Max opening Tuesday 2 March and it's free!

They are showing character models, costumes, sketches, sets, storyboards, props and footage of the animators at work.

More Info here.

Quaq Quao

2010-01-15T21:14:00.000+11:00

How cool is this - my sister sent me a video of Qua Qua. We used to watch this all the time when we were kids!

What's New?

2010-01-10T19:20:00.000+11:00

It has been a long while since I have posted over here as we haven't been working on any animation work lately. But we have grand plans for this year to start something new. Especially after seeing Fantastic Mr Fox - I loved this movie!

I have been working on alot of solo work over here -however we have collaborated on something new - our wedding invites. Here is a little sneak preview of the work in progress.

PÖLLÖ is now Online!

2009-08-31T20:22:00.000+10:00

It has taken a while to get together, what with computer issues, software issues, etc, etc you know the story! But we have finally organised to put our first stop motion PÖLLÖ online. You can watch the animation by clicking the T.V icon on the righthand side of the screen or click here. This animation was aimed at young children and experimenting with using textiles as an animation medium.

We would love everyone's feedback so please do leave a comment or send us an e-mail!

Hope you enjoy

Inspiration: Mick Turner

2009-08-20T22:16:00.001+10:00

Since the puzzles are in hiatus at the moment until I get a bit of extra time what with baby care, wedding planning, and a million other plans going on in my head I have decided to post daily/weekly inspiration to stay in touch till things get moving.

Today I have chosen Mick Turner who is an artist/muscian from Melbourne - otherwise known as a member of the Dirty Three - an amazing 3 piece instrumental band (one band which helped me get through labour!) The image below is called "Rescue" and I just love it! Which is part of the Kilkenny Arts Festival 2009 in Ireland (unfortunately).

Image credit: http://www.hiveart.com/MJT/index.htm

Ponyo - New Hayao Mayazaki Film

2009-08-03T21:26:00.000+10:00

We are very excited to see that the new Mayazaki Ponyo will be out on 27th August in cinema's in Melbourne. He also directed Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro (to only name a few) - amazing, amazingly beautiful animations! Can't wait to see it.

Puzzle Pack for Amelie and Atticus

2009-07-20T23:12:00.000+10:00

I've been pottering away tonight trying to get a puzzle pack together for Thouraya over at Amelie and Atticus for her photography and craft challenge as a prize for this months winner. If she hadn't asked me to do it I wouldn't have finally got my butt into gear and started figuring out how I want to package the puzzles. As you can see above I have made a sample pouch for the puzzle pieces to be kept in, for the final products I will get proper patches embroidered instead of machining my own. They will also come with a free postcard with the finished image as a guide for the puzzle maker.

If your interested in the Photography and Craft Challenge here is a little info from the blog:

The Amelie and Atticus Photography and Craft Challenge:

"Launched on 1 July 2009 the challenge is designed to provide inspiration and just as importantly the drive to get stuck into those projects and ideas that have been passing through your mind and not made it into the real world! Each week there will be a challenge to take 4 photos and create 1 craft project in response to the given theme."

It's a great way to get you motivated so send her an email here and who knows you might even win the above featured puzzle!

3 Choices

2009-07-07T23:03:00.000+10:00

Things have been so busy lately, I have been meaning to post up the 3 different puzzle sizes I need to choose between - so here they finally are. I am leaning most towards the 30 piece puzzle, and now working out packaging and a little bag to go with to keep your pieces all together.

Here are the sizes:

Top Left: 24.3cm x 19.00cm - 110 piece
Top Right: 20.5 x 14.5cm - 60 piece with metallic sheen
Bottom Right 24.3 x 10.00cm - 30 piece

Hoping to have them in our store soon!

More Puzzles

2009-06-27T00:30:00.000+10:00

Here is the A4 size, 30 piece puzzle which I think is our favourite! You get to see a much clearer image then with the 110 pieces and obviously easier for kids which is a large part of our market. We are hoping to have these coming to our Shop soon.

Puzzles!

2009-06-23T18:14:00.000+10:00

Sorry about the lull in information, somethings have been in the pipline one of which is our new product! Below are some images of the first puzzle size we got printed up which is A4 size with 30 pieces. We have 2 other types of puzzles, one which is A4 size and 110 pieces and another which is A5 and 60 pieces.

Once I get time to do all the photo's tomorrow I will post the different types of puzzles up and might needs some help from people as to what their opinions are etc.

Hope you like!

The Creative Haven on Etsy

2009-06-01T18:11:00.000+10:00

The Creative Haven has now made it's way to Etsy with our range of blank cards with imagery from our stop motion film PÖllÖ.

Printed on Finesses single sided gloss card with C6 via bright matt envelope.

Card Size: A6

Height: 14.8 x 10.5 cm (5.8 x 4.1 inches)

If you are intersted in purchasing anything from our store click here

Craft ACT Exhibition

2009-05-20T10:42:00.000+10:00

Well it was a year ago but the film Pollo and the set were exhibited with Craft ACT as part of the exhibition Re-Fab. The exhibition was a collection of 6 textile artists working with recycled fabrics including myself, Sally blake, Mog Bremner, Meredith hughes, Monique van Nieuwland and Julie Ryder.

Film Stills

2009-05-08T22:10:00.000+10:00

Below are some photo's taken from the final animation set. We are currently entering the animation into some film competitions so are restricted on putting up the actual animation online at this time. But stay tuned as we will eventually have it up on You Tube!

Very Very Early Animation Experiment with Pollo

2009-04-22T16:56:00.000+10:00

The video below is a very early test to see whether we could work out how to make a stop motion film. We wanted to see if we could make Pollo walk and how it would look when his eyes were animated. Something went a bit strange with the noise so you can turn that down but it kind of sounds like an old silent movie reel!

Filming

2009-04-22T16:50:00.001+10:00

Pollo's World

2009-04-22T16:30:00.001+10:00

Below are some images of Pollo's surroundings to give you an idea of the creation of the plantlife and some early sketches of potential sets.

Development of the Set

2009-04-17T14:21:00.000+10:00

Process Images - Making Pollo & Buho

2009-04-14T18:24:00.000+10:00

Final Character Sketches and Fabric Samples

2009-04-14T17:20:00.000+10:00

Early Character Development

2009-04-13T16:50:00.000+10:00

Below are early sketches of Pollo - exploring owls and colour.

Early Inspiration

2009-04-13T16:29:00.001+10:00