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April 21, 2012
review: portland animation now! @ cinema pacific
by sven at 9:20 pm
We've just finished showing Portland Animation Now! at the Cinema Pacific festival. It was exciting to take a NW Animation Fest show out to another city for the first time.
As its website says, Cinema Pacific is "an annual film festival based at the University of Oregon in Eugene that is devoted to discovering and fostering the creativity of international films and new media from Pacific-bordering countries, including the U.S." After seeing the original PAN! show back in January, Cinema Pacific director Richard Herskowitz contacted me with a proposal to screen it at his festival on April 20. How could I refuse?
Our show took place at the much loved Bijou Art Cinemas. The historic building began as a church, then was used as a mortuary for a number of years, before finally becoming a movie theater. Great place!
Since Cinema Pacific was hosting the show, a lot of the advance work I usually do was unnecessary. I didn't have to do press releases, invitations, and publicity. I didn't have to organize event staff, coordinate with the theater beforehand, or host an after-party.
Even so, there was still much to do. I needed to get permission from each of the 20 filmmakers involved. One declined, so I scrambled and managed to get master animators Joan Gratz and Jim Blashfield to share two of their films instead. The projection DVD had to be painstakingly remastered. I also put together a batch of fancy new programs for the audience.
There's a temptation to slack off when doing a repeat show under someone else's banner. I remind myself: every show is someone's first impression of the festival — it's important to present the best possible show every time.
The long-time owner of the Bijou passed away about two years ago. Edward Schiessl has since taken over, and seems to be doing a really great job putting in new equipment and programming films that connect with his audiences. He was warm, down-to-earth, and a pleasure to work with.
As it turned out, we had our pick as to which auditorium PAN! would screen in. Auditorium 1 was very impressive, with high vaulted ceilings, a 27-foot screen and capacity for 105 people.
However, talking it over with Gretchin, we decided that if I was running Q&A after the show then auditorium 2 — which has a more intimate feel — would be the better choice.
So we trundled over from auditorium 1 through the lobby...
Passing through the theater's beautiful enclosed courtyard...
Auditorium 2 has a slightly subterranean feel to it. In a good way, though! Like the cinematic equivalent of a hobbit hole.
Low ceilings help amplify sound when you're speaking from the front of the room. There's more of an incline to the seating than in auditorium 1. Seats, screen and carpets are all in good condition; capacity is 97 people.
Edward obliged a tech check. Everything seemed good: picture was in focus, aspect ratio correct, sound level neither too loud nor too soft, and we got a small portable amp set up with two microphones.
Gulp. Looks like we're good to go!
Separate from the Bijou's box office, Cinema Pacific had a table in the lobby for anyone buying tickets on the night of the show. I checked and made sure that the comp tickets promised for my animators were ready and waiting for their arrival.
I had put together a short survey for audience members, which was slipped into the PAN! program. As it turned out, Cinema Pacific was also doing surveys. Oops. After conferring, we all decided to slip the Cinema Pacific surveys into the PAN! programs, so as not to bombard attendees with too many loose papers. Even so, it felt a bit embarrassing to ask the audience to fill out two separate questionnaires. Next time, it would be wise to check with the host organization first.
People didn't really start arriving until 10 minutes before the film, with a majority showing up in the last 5 minutes. It was a bit nerve-wracking, pacing the courtyard, reviewing my introductory notes, wondering if anyone was going to come. But this is also sort of what happened when we did our Best of the Fest event at the Hollywood Theatre. A lot of people aim to arrive at the last minute — we have to plan for that.
After a brief introduction from one of the Cinema Pacific event coordinators, I gave a little welcome speech. I knew from previous experience: keep it short — get to the films.
The lights went down, and the films began. To my surprise, there was a much different feel in the house from when we've done our other events. Previously, I've always made a big deal about the makers of the films being in the audience. There's a sense of excitement in the air. People applaud after each short. This time, though, it felt like the audience wasn't prepared to be socially engaged; they were simply there to watch a film, just like any other.
After the first short ended, Gretchin and I started to applaud. There was NO similar response from anyone else, so we stopped that immediately.
Despite the general lack of excitement, I was very relieved to hear the audience having audible emotional responses to the film. All the funny shorts got chuckles. There was a little gasp when we briefly see the main character in Ursula 1000 - Rocket topless. And once again, someone exclaimed "YEAH!" when the second Ruby Rocket short comes on.
Everything was going pretty well until Chef Antonio came on. The sound was was distorted due to being too loud. I rushed over to the projection booth...
The projection booths that I've encountered so far are universally a bizarre mix of super-new digital technology and old film canisters that have likely been hanging around since the 70s. This one was no different. It has a nice feature, though, which I'd been introduced to earlier: a master volume knob positioned at the door, so you can quickly adjust volume on the fly. Very handy, since folks in the projection booth seldom have an accurate sense of how loud a film is in the auditorium.
I started fussing with the volume when suddenly crisis struck: the sound cut out entirely!
I ran to the lobby as fast as I could and got Edward. He came and quickly fixed the problem, while the film was still in motion. The sound cut out once more during the Chef Antonio— but was then fine for the rest of the program.
What was the problem? It seems that this particular sound system has a "feature" that causes it to cut out if there's clipping on the film's audio track — supposedly to protect the speakers from damage. After it cuts out, you have to hit the on/off switch to reboot.
I've tried to be very careful about eliminating clipping in the films I receive, adjusting levels during the DVD mastering process to avoid this problem. I never expected, though, that there would be such a horrifying punishment if I missed an overly-loud spot in a soundtrack!
The same film has been fine in the other theaters where it's played... But now I know that some equipment will bring the entire show to the stop if I make this mistake again. Painful lesson!
A few Portland animators thought that they'd be able to make it down to Eugene for the show. In the end, only Matthew Dan (Chef Antonio) and Cassandra Worthington (Button Song) could be on hand. Not a problem... Taking a suggestion from Gretchin, I shifted the focus of the talk away from interviewing the artists, and made it more of an "art appreciation 101" spiel.
After the film ended, the first thing I did was welcome the animators down to the stage with me. I asked the audience to give Matthew a very special round of applause, since he'd driven all the way from Portland and then had the bad luck of seeing his film suffer technical difficulties.
It was an awkward situation, but I'm pleased with how I spun it. I could have been apologetic about the technical failure — instead, this was an opportunity for the audience to extend some empathy to the filmmaker. Finding a way to bridge the emotional distance between the stage and everyone seated in the audience is a delicate art... This improvised solution seemed to work pretty well.
Something I only learned after the Q&A was over: the PAN! menu screen had been projecting across my face the entire time. It looks pretty strange in a lot of the photographs — and was distracting enough that someone actually mentioned it on their survey. Live and learn...
After it was all over, we emerged into a beautiful warm night in the Bijou's courtyard. Venus beamed down from her perch in the wide cerulean sky.
Thank you to Richard Herskowitz and Larissa Ennis at Cinema Pacific for setting us up with this screening opportunity; to all of the kind Cinema Pacific volunteers overseeing the event; to Edward Schiessl for his grace under pressure and a good conversation; to all the filmmakers who contributed their fine work to the show; to Matthew Dan and Cassandra Worthington for joining me onstage; and to Gretchin Lair for help preparing the programs, driving us to Eugene, managing lobby matters, and tremendous support in every aspect of the NW Animation Fest..
Next up: The 2012 Northwest Animation Festival — with nearly 60 films from 15 countries — will play on May 18-19 at the Hollywood Theatre here in Portland. Tickets on sale now!
posted by sven | permalink | comments (5) | categories: nw animation festival
February 3, 2012
review: portland animation now! 2012
by sven at 3:08 am
This past weekend I produced Portland Animation Now! — my third major film event. This was my favorite yet. Not because it ran smoothly… But because there was a crisis and we emerged triumphant.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Our first night we were running a little behind schedule.
The doors to the theatre were unlocked at 6:00pm. We arrived not more than 5 minutes after six, but discovered one ticket-buyer already waiting — and another taking a nap on the bench where we needed to set up the ticket table. Advance tickets were sold via BoxOfficeTickets.com, which included a notice that our box office wouldn't open until 6:30. Even so, everyone's instinct was to purchase tickets as soon as they walked in the front door — even though we obviously weren't ready for sales yet.
While Gretchin held back the increasingly impatient throng, the rest of us worked furiously to get our auditorium ready.
Auditorium 2 at 5th Avenue Cinema doubles as a classroom during the week. We need to go through and put seat tables down, move furniture around, sweep the floor, and set up our own microphone, speaker, and CD player for pre-show music. We need to check sound levels and make sure there are no surprise problems with the DVD. As emcee, I need to get each volunteer to their station, reviewing how the projection system works, the lighting setup and light cues. I have to make sure each one knows what to do at the end of the show: who's handing out surveys and who's going to go save us a table for the after-show party.
When told, "we're still getting set up," one irritable patron exclaimed, "what's there to set up?!" …Well, now you know.
I always plan to have at least one spare volunteer on hand — in case we need to send someone out to deal with an emergency, or if someone gets sick, or simply flakes. On Friday night, I found myself three volunteers short. Each for very good reasons: sickness, a job interview, friends from out of town. I had some advance warning and we managed… Still, lesson learned: always plan to have at least THREE backup volunteers on hand!
In a 100-seat theater, you might think having 8-10 people for event staff cuts into ticket sales. Don't be miserly. Having the show run smoothly is far more important than giving up a few seats.
We filled the exact same number of seats each night: 82. While we didn't sell out, the room felt full. It seems to me that a room feels full at 50% capacity. Most people don't like to sit next to strangers unless they have to, so there's a tendency to spread out — and the eye simply skips over the empty seats.
Looking back at my records, I see that the average number of seats filled during last year's June 3-5 event was also 82. I wonder how to interpret this consistency?
The numbers of seats filled last summer were 97, 87, and 62. (I make no distinction in those numbers between paying audience members and filmmakers who attend free — but don't include event staff, since we sit in a special area at the back of the room.) NWAF11 was a completely different show each day, whereas PAN! was the same program on both nights. Maybe I can infer that the house would have sold out if there were only one screening this time?
Whatever the case, I think the experiment in showing one program on multiple nights was quite successful. If I can get enough good material to do a PAN! show again next January, I may have it run for three nights, just to see what happens.
I go to a great deal of trouble to make the event's ephemera look pleasing. This was the last time I'll be showing audience favorite Ruby Rocket, Private Detective for a while, so I worked the character's image into all of the graphic design. Her image appeared on the ticket stubs, the pre-show slideshow, the programs, and button pins.
I made improvements to the program this time around. One of the surveys from September's "Best of the Fest" mentioned that the text was too small to read in dim light. So I came up with a new multi-page layout that uses bigger type and includes a small color photo from each film. Stapling all the pages together adds further labor — but this new format will be absolutely essential when I get around to selling ad space.
The PAN! show came about because I saw the chance to do something that hadn't been done before. This year was my second year producing live stage plays for the group PDX Playwrights at the Fertile Ground festival of new works. While reading through fine print, I noticed that the fest is intended to include live theatre, dance, visual arts, and film.
"Odd," I though to myself. "I've never seen film at Fertile Ground." Then: "Wait a sec! I show films now! I've got lots of films that I could show!"
So I wrote to festival director Nicole Lane to discuss the idea. She loved it. She's been wanting to include film for some time, but hadn't known how to reach the right people.
There was some initial concern about the films needing to be world premieres. I pointed out differences between live theatre and animation: how long it takes to produce animation, the economic pressure to premiere in places where there are film markets, and the need to present shorts in anthologies. For film to work at FG, a modest compromise would need to be made.
I proposed the following criteria: (a) films in the program should be "recent" (new if possible), (b) they should all come from Portland, and (c) the program taken as a whole should be substantially different from previous compilations. That sounded fine to folks, and I got the OK.
I'm very proud, in Fertile Ground's fourth year, to have now produced the festival's first-ever film program.
Working with Nicole Lane over the past six months, I have a pretty good sense of how much effort she's put into Fertile Ground — a 10-day city-wide festival encompassing more than 100 performances. Making lunch one day, just before the fest was about to begin, it occurred to me: "Nicole totally deserves a medal for this." Then my next thought: "Oh, that's totally doable!"
So I emailed all 70+ Fertile Ground producers, and asked them all to chip in for an award. It didn't take too long to get enough pledges. I went ahead and ordered a hefty yet elegant crystal thing from Bardy Trophy. A lot of the donors were my PDXP playwrights, who were able to just hand me cash. For the rest, I set up a private online payment system via the NW Animation Fest site.
Gretchin has another way of telling this story: "So, Sven was organizing 19 plays and a film festival. And he thought, I don't have enough to do…"
I could see from my BoxOfficeTickets.com Will Call reports that Nicole had reservations to see Portland Animation Now! on Friday. Perfect!
After making my opening speech, I announced that we had someone very special in the audience tonight — and sprung the surprise. Nicole was taken totally unaware, and was deeply moved by the gesture. Later, after she got home, she wrote this to me:
"Well, I'm pretty much still blown away. What a huge surprise! I was completely taken aback. I'm not much one for lime-light, more a behind the scenes/keyboard kind of gal and being recognized and thanked by you so publicly leaves me a little discombobulated...and pretty much at loss for words. I teared up in front of a room of strangers -- geez!
I'm, honestly, so very touched by your thoughtfulness. That you thought, acted and contacted the other producers....well, that is just so very kind of you. I actually went to three events tonight, and at the one I ran to after yours, I mentioned the award and they all just laughed and said they knew about it and were all in on it. That you went to those lengths, I truly appreciate. Deeply.
You must know I work on Fertile Ground because I love what it is...what it is to artists, first and foremost, and what it can be for audiences in their growth process as well. I feel blessed that I GET to do this and I have skills I can share to help everyone.
I'm still thinking on how I'm going to thank, talk about this, publicly. My first impulse was to FB immediately, of course. And yet, I need to sit with it. I really does mean a lot to me."
THANK YOU NICOLE! You deserve this and so much more!
Then, we watched a 90-minute program of 22 films:
- Ursula 1000 - Rocket
by Eric Kilkenny
- Timber
by Adam Fisher
- The Box Game
by The Box Game Collective
- Ruby Rocket, Private Detective
by Sam Niemann & Stacey Hallal
- Missionary
by Mike A. Smith
- Mashed
by Adam Fisher
- Colorless
by Michael Graham
- Old-Time Film
by Marilyn Zornado & Barbara Tetenbaum
- The Old Man and the Butterfly
by Andrew Brown
- Coffee Critics
by Jesse Brennan
- Chicxulub
by Christopher Purdin
- Chef Antonio
by Matthew Dan
- Phlush PSA
by FashionBuddha
- Ruby Rocket, Private Detective Web Series
by Sam Niemann & Stacey Hallal
- Button Song
by Cassandra Worthington
- Inritus
by Troy Hileman
- Pop Goes The Weasel
by Joel Brinkerhoff
- Marauder's Mistake
by Christina Beard
- Eyeliner
by Joanna Priestley
- Landscape with Duck
by Patrick Neary
- Operation: Fish
by Jeff Riley
- Old-Time Film: behind the scenes
by Marilyn Zornado & Barbara Tetenbaum
As with all the events I've run, after the films ended I asked all the animators in the show to come to the front for another round of applause and to take questions from the audience.
There are important things to remember for this part of the show. People are shy at first about asking questions, so it helps for the emcee to start things off with a question that allows each filmmaker to introduce themselves. (My opening has been: "Tell us either about what inspired your film, or an amusing anecdote about the process of making it.) People never talk loud enough for the whole room to hear — so be sure to put a microphone in the animators' hands — and also to repeat each audience member's question back after its been asked.
I was particularly pleased that Joanna Priestley was able to make it to the Friday night show. Saturday night she was premiering 3 new animated shorts at the NW Film Center — so it wasn't until Friday afternoon that she discovered there was time in her schedule. Joanna has made more than 20 films, and is widely known as "the queen of indie animation" (a title given to her by the king, Bill Plympton). It was quite an honor to have her with us.
I'm still searching for what questions I want to pose to filmmakers. This weekend I finally got the inkling of an insight. I think I'm looking for questions that help educate the audience about animation in general. On Friday night, I came up with a pretty good one: "Many people assume that you've got to be a bit crazy to spend so much time creating up to 24 separate images for every second of film. Help us understand what it is that you love about animation that keeps you going."
Saturday night, an audience member asked filmmakers to explain what the main methods of animation are, and which variety each film in the program exemplified. Great question… As a facilitator, I need to think about how I might use a variation on that in the future to help the audience better understand what they're watching.
SATURDAY NIGHT
Saturday night things seemed to be running smoothly. We got smarter about crowd control, and technical issues with the DVD were all sorted out.
Gretchin took the initiative to make sure that we were the first ones let into the building, so no would-be patrons could lay claim to our ticketing area. We put up a ribbon at the end of the hall so people would be physically prevented from trying to purchase tickets while we were setting up.
Previously, we'd had a series of signs on the wall asking people to separate into a Will Call line and a Buying Tickets line. That totally failed. Everyone just jumbled together. I think part of the problem is that most people pay no attention to the walls. Intuitively, they make a bee line for the ticket table. So for night two, we put a sign on a microphone stand with arrows pointing toward either side of the hall. I'm not sure it kept folks from being a jumble — but when it was time for the Will Call people to pick up their advance tickets, it was indeed easier to get them separated out and queued up.
There was also another music stand at the entrance to the long hallway with two signs on it. One said "Filmmakers please come directly to the ticket table." The other said "We are running a little behind schedule. Thank you for your patience."
I am extremely pleased with this second sign — and intend to have it up at every show I do from now on. See, it's almost always going to be true. And even if we are running on time, it prompts people to be understanding rather than increasingly impatient. Whether or not the sign is strictly true is less important than the atmosphere it creates.
The preceding weekend, I came in at 11pm and did a late night tech rehearsal at the theatre. I'm very glad that I did. I discovered that the DVD player's settings were wrong, and the films were being "postage stamped" — black bars on all four sides, making the image unnecessarily small. Fortunately, it was an easy fix. Some people still mentioned in surveys that the image should better fill the screen. What they don't realize is that we're screening in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio — whereas the screen was originally made for celluloid films shot at 2.39:1.
During the tech rehearsal, I also discovered an appalling stutter in the pre-show slideshow. After much research at home, I think I figured out what the problem was: the still images had been compressed more than once, leading to artifacts that looked like interlacing lines — and a "de-interlacing" option may have misinterpreted that, creating the stutter. I had really wanted to have the slideshow cycle through 10 images… But in the interests of certainty (since there was no time for a second tech run), I wound up killing the slideshow in favor of the one static image of Ruby Rocket.
In general, the second night of an event goes easier than the first. The auditorium had already been put in order, and the event staff had a clear sense of their roles. We'd sorted out crowd control, and the DVD was running smoothly…
So it was a terrible surprise when Dielle and Kate came out and grabbed me from the lobby. Up on the screen, we had the following message in big red letters:
No matter what, it wouldn't go away. And already we had a line of attendees extending down the hall and into the lobby.
We ran and got that night's theatre manager, Jason Ross. When he saw the message, he was straight to the point: "This could be bad."
We raced through options.
Option #1: "Do you have any friends who have a projector we could put in the aisle?" Uh, no. And for the price we're charging, that's not an acceptable cinema experience.
Option #2: "Call the Portland State University A/V staff." Unfortunately, it's a Saturday and the folks in charge of these $500-$600 bulbs all go home by 5pm.
Option #3: "What if we cannibalize the projector in Auditorium 1?" That was my contribution. But even I saw pretty quickly that it was a terrible idea. The projectors are a good 15+ feet up, and all components are sealed inside a metal enclosure. Too dangerous and foolhardy.
Option #4: "We're going to cancel the show in Auditorium 1 and give you that space."
Bless you Jason. That was a solution we could all live with. Only a few people had bought tickets to that night's other show, The Red Shoes. Still, it's a terrible thing to get all the way to the theater to see a show, just to get kicked out. So I told Jason and Gretchin that anyone who'd bought tickets for The Red Shoes should get comped in to Portland Animation Now!. Jason made a gutsy move to deal with the crisis we found ourselves in — helping smooth things over with his displaced patrons was a no-brainer.
As soon as the idea of switching auditoriums was raised, I told my event staff to quickly and quietly begin setting up the other space. How pleased was I that I've made a policy of always having a backup DVD on hand? …So pleased!
Then, with the decision official, it was time to time to address the waiting crowd. I climbed up on a folding chair, and a in my loudest, most charming voice proclaimed:
Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for your patience. I'd like to explain to you the predicament that we are in. Right now, we are seeing a message on the screen that says 'replace lamp,' and we cannot make it go away. This is not acceptable. However, 5th Avenue Cinema has very generously offered to cancel their other show and let us use Auditorium 1. We are now in the process of moving everything to the other room. If you will wait just a few more minutes, we will begin taking tickets here at this table. I'd like to ask everyone to please move to this side of the hall, so there's an easy path for volunteers. Thank you!
Or, you know, something very close to that.
As I said at the start, of all the film shows I've run so far, this was my favorite. Here's why.
At most shows, people arrive singly or in pairs. Everybody's separate from one another, maybe with even a hint of competition, just wanting to get in and get into the seats. But faced with the threat of the show possibly being canceled, suddenly the people in line all had a sense of shared purpose. They would experience success or failure together. All of them were focused on the hope that our crew would surmount the challenge, and everything would turn out right.
Succeeding in saving the evening — fairly gracefully, no less — provides a vicarious sense of victory for all involved. What would have been a routine outing to the movies instead became something out of the ordinary, a story that could be recounted to friends and family later on.
There was drama. There was heroism. We were all in it together. And we won.
5th Avenue Cinema doesn't usually rent out Auditorium 1. It's where they show 35mm prints each weekend. But now having done a show there, I can say: it's niiiiice. There are lights along the aisle leading to the front of the room. There's a little stage area. There's more space at the back of the room, and everything feels just a bit better maintained.
I'm definitely having fantasies about how to negotiate use of this room for future events.
As the audience waits for the show to begin, they have an opportunity to read my "director's statement." I felt my message this time was a little less inspirational than previous ones, but I'm sure it sufficed. Here's what it said:
As director of the Northwest Animation Festival, I curate films from around the globe — from cities as far-flung as London, Kraków, and Beijing. Yet, it seems that few people understand what a treasure trove of talent we have right here at home. Tonight I’d like to show you.
Portland birthed the California Raisins. It schooled the voice of Bugs Bunny and the mind behind The Simpsons. It’s home to “the queen of indie animation.” It’s a rising force producing hit feature films such as Coraline. All these cultural icons emerged from our electric, eclectic, eccentric community of creatives.
Portland Animation Now! showcases 22 short films from local independent animators. Encompassing both masters and remarkable amateurs, it’s still only a small sample of our creative wealth.
Tonight’s event is being presented as part of Fertile Ground: an annual ten-day arts festival with over a hundred new Portland-generated performances. Traditionally focused on live theatre and dance, I am very proud to say that this will be the festival’s first-ever program of films.
It is my hope that you will encounter something here that helps broaden your vision of animation and our community’s special talents. After the show ends, please stay for discussion. Attending animators will answer questions, helping to further illuminate their process and this remarkable, magic art form.
Now, let’s watch some films!
Sven Bonnichsen
NW Animation Festival
During the introduction to the films, I mentioned that there would be surveys available following the show. As an incentive to fill them out, each night the first ten people to turn in surveys would get Ruby Rocket buttons.
We got a great response. Over the two nights, we received a total of 74 responses — nearly 50% of the audience. Still, I may have made a tactical error. As soon as the filmmakers got up to the stage for Q&A, almost half of the audience filed out. Maybe they just wanted to get home… Or maybe I accidentally encouraged them to bolt with the promise of freebies.
A lot of comments in the surveys seem to cancel each other out. Some people wanted fewer student films — others were grateful to see a wide range of skill levels. Some wanted a longer program — some shorter. Some felt there was too much talking — others loved the Q&A. Some expressed a strong preference for traditional narrative stories — others were enthusiastic about abstract and/or darker offerings.
When asked how we could improve, a number pointed to things that we have no control over. Such as turning up the heat in the auditorium. And free beer.
One clear positive did rise to the top, though. "Variety" was repeatedly mentioned as one of the program's strengths. And lots of people cried for "more!"
As for negatives, it seems we need to work on improving sound quality during the Q&A. (Often a difficulty.)
Here's the thing that fascinates me most about the surveys.
Despite the crisis on Saturday night — or perhaps because of it — people had almost nothing negative to say about the second show. On the night when things went more-or-less according to plan, people were more critical… Whereas when things went wrong, enthusiasm and supportiveness was higher.
I certainly have no intent of ever manufacturing a crisis. But this does get me to thinking. The time when people are waiting in line is also an experience unto itself. How can I make what happens before entering the auditorium more interesting and interactive?
What if I could arrange things so people in line could be part of making an animated film — one that would then go on screen during the program proper? The technical challenges are considerable… But how cool would that be?
Originally, I had been thinking that Portland Animation Now! would be a more low-key affair than my previous events. I figured I could dispense with having an after-party and doing photography, and just show a simple block of films.
But I changed my mind. My photographer from previous shows was eager to be involved. And one of the filmmakers wrote to ask if an after-party was planned. I realized that while this batch of films may be old news to me, for many people this would be their first-ever exposure to the NW Animation Festival. Perhaps some had already been to the June 3-5 event — but even if so, few could have attended all three days. Why would I treat this event with any less importance and gravity than the original fest?
Every show I do will be somebody's first show. I owe it to them to always give my best.
Both nights after the show I invited the audience to congregate at the McMenamins Market St. Pub. I even provided a walking map in the program — a detail I'm particularly proud of.
McMenamins was very accommodating. We reserved a table for twenty. Maybe 7 people attended the first night, 10 the next. It was good to let loose and decompress. Me, I got to chat with Jesse Holden (who stood in for Jesse Brennan during Q&A) who has apparently managed to make it to every event I've run so far... Wow!
It was also a good moment to download all the photos that our pro photographer Carly J. Cais had taken. After September's "Best of the Fest" event, I learned that reviewing what happened can do a lot to help me avoid post-show depression. Seeing photos, it's less like 2-6 months of my life have suddenly evaporated into nothingness.
Two lessons about event photography that I need to remember for next time: Always get a good group photo of your volunteers! And if you're shooting in low-light conditions, dial down the camera's resolution to get better results. Since most of my photo use is online, I seldom need anything bigger than 640x480. No matter how good the camera, 2592x3888 is going to slow down image capture and produce blurrier results.
Huge thanks to 5th Avenue Cinema — and particularly Jason Ross — for dealing with our technical crisis gracefully. Being a student-run theater that (due to bureaucracy) lacks direct control of certain resources, it's not surprising that there will occassionally be snafus. Yet, the rental price cannot be beat — and there's a lot to be said for an enthusiastic, accessible staff.
(Gotta get them to take down that "free movies" part on the marquee the next time I run a show, though.)
Next up: The Northwest Animation Festival's second season begins with our international showcase on May 18-19 at the newly remodeled Hollywood Theatre.
I'm really excited about this one… I've been receiving great entries from countries all around the world — including China, Norway, Poland, Ireland, and Brazil. And while I'm not quite ready to make the big announcement yet, it's fairly certain now that we'll have a very special keynote speaker this time to kick things off.
Hmmm.... Any guesses? :)
posted by sven | permalink | comments (3) | categories: exhibits & events, nw animation festival
January 1, 2012
portland animation now! - jan 27 & 28
by sven at 4:30 pm
I'm proud to present a new show later this month:
PORTLAND ANIMATION NOW!
short films from 20+ Portland animators
Dates: Jan 27 and 28 @ 7pm
Runtime: 90min
Venue: 5th Avenue Cinema
Address: 510 SW Hall St, Portland, OR 97201
Tickets: $8 cash or check only
Amazing short films from Portland's powerhouse animation scene! Highlights include…
Eyeliner by Joanna Priestley (dubbed "the queen of independent animation" by Bill Plympton): A playful exploration of the organic geometry and archetypes of the human face. Ursula 1000 - Rocket by Eric Kilkenny: A love story told as a fever dream involving stolen works of art, dualistic robot terminators, and a giant floating head who seriously needs his moustache trimmed. Ruby Rocket, Private Detective by Sam Niemann & Stacey Hallal: It had been a long night and Ruby Rocket, Private Detective needed a stiff one—then HE walked in. Missionary by Mike A. Smith: Geopolitical allegory as cartoon slapstick, featuring eggs and fearsome hand-on-stick technology. Old-Time Film by Barbara Tetenbaum & Marilyn Zornado: Handset type, printer's ornaments and antique engraving come to life in the first film created entirely through letterpress printing. Operation: Fish by Jeff Riley: After a series of goldfish abductions, a secret agent is dispatched to bring the fishnappers to justice, and possibly save the world!
Portland Animation Now! is being presented as part of Fertile Ground, a city-wide festival of over 100 new Portland-generated arts events.
Buying a festival pass will get you into ALL Fertile Ground shows for a single, low price of $50. When you check out, you’ll be asked to select the company that should be credited with your pass sale. Please select “NW Animation Festival” from the pull-down menu. That’s the only way NWAF makes any money back from festival passholders.
…See you at the show!
posted by sven | permalink | comments (0) | categories: exhibits & events, nw animation festival
December 27, 2011
the great leap forward: from analog to hdtv
by sven at 5:10 pm
If you check the electronics section of your local department store, it's clear that society has transitioned from Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) televisions to High Definition flat screens. I have pretty mixed feelings about this. But now that I'm running the NW Animation Festival, I finally have compelling reasons to catch up with the times. Both for better and for worse.
THE GOOD
Here's what excites me. After maybe a decade and a half of slow development and format wars, HD standards have finally solidified. Every filmmaker should be producing work with Blu-ray resolution in mind: 16:9 aspect ratio, 1920x1080 pixels, 24 frames per second, progressive. I reel reasonably confident that this standard will hold for the next ten years.
I'm thrilled that the standards for television and cinema have begun to converge. A 16:9 aspect ratio is nearly identical to the most common one for screens in movie theaters: 1.85:1. Regrettably, digital broadcast television remains based on the old 30fps NTSC standard; however, Blu-ray and most HDTVs now have native support for 24fps—the same frame rate used for celluloid. Coming from the other direction, big chain movie theaters are rapidly transitioning from celluloid to digital projection. One well-regarded industry report forecasts that by 2015, 35mm film will be projected on only 17% of screens, globally.
As a filmmaker, I crave to make films that screen equally well on a home TV or in a movie theatre. Good riddance to 4:3 aspect ratios, 30fps, and interlacing!
THE BAD
Now here's the bad news. Despite the hype, Hi Def televisions are still an adolescent technology. And it really shows. Analog televisions have been in our homes since roughly the 1930s. They are dependable, predictable, and fairly forgiving. HDTVs look vastly superior when you play a well-authored Blu-ray disc—but can make anything less look damnably awful.
A poor broadcast signal will lead to huge blocks of stuttering pixels. A poorly compressed film of any sort has artifacts that look like mosquitos. Movies that were shot on film, often lose their cinematic quality when displayed on an HDTV, instead having that "too crisp" look of video. Digital media are much less forgiving of audio clipping, which becomes a harsh buzz. While Blu-ray players are backwards-compatible for playing DVDs, most of my (considerable) collection now looks muddy and pixelated unless I sit far back from the screen.
As I said, the technology is in its adolescence. Given another 5-10 years, it ought to be easy enough to compensate for these awkward translations of data. I'm not sure that the industry is interested in improving quality, though. By making anything less than Hi Def data nearly unwatchable, society is forced to abandon DVDs and the like, and adopt the best new formats. It just seems a bit mean-spirited when the majority of digital content currently looks like crap.
"Upgrading" to HDTV, I feel like we've now caught up with where society is going... But with the understanding that we haven't really evolved to a higher level of being—rather, we're all going to go through some rocky technological times together.
OUR CHOICE
At least I feel confident that we made the best selection possible at this point in time. We went for a Panasonic VIERA TC-P42ST30 42-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV.
There are three major flat screen technologies at present: plasma, LCD, and LED. Of them, plasma has been around the longest and is best developed. One indicator of this is refresh rate. A typical plasma refresh rate is 600Hz, whereas many LCDs are still only 60Hz. LED is the newest hybrid technology, which has the best brightness—but gives uneven luminance because the LEDs are only positioned around the edges of the picture frame.
Among producers of plasma TVs, Panasonic is currently the industry leader. Plasma TVs are noticeably dimmer than LCDs, but also have the ability to show blacker blacks. Plasmas are viewable from a wider range of angles than LCDs. There's a danger with Plasma that images will burn a permanent afterimage into the screen if you leave them on too long. However, we don't really play video games or watch TV channels with logos in the corners, and "neo plasma" technologies have lessened the problem—so this wasn't a big concern.
Ultimately, what I'm most looking forward to is running film jurying sessions for the NW Animation Festival, where I can run a single cable from my laptop to the TV and show films at full resolution. (And without having to be concerned about TV-safe areas!) I'm also excited to see the 1920x1080 version of my film Mutate displayed at full resolution for the first time.
It's curious... Technology has moved "forward"—in the process making the majority of available content look much worse. It cools my desire to be a media consumer—but simultaneously fuels my interest in creating new content that will look excellent using the new tools at hand.
posted by sven | permalink | comments (1) | categories: nw animation festival, studio space
September 19, 2011
review: best of the nw animation festival 2011
by sven at 10:58 pm
The "Best of the Fest" show brought in a good-sized crowd and got rave reviews!
With 78 films at the inaugural fest back in June, it seemed to me that we had enough material to do a "best of" show, which might draw in a different audience. This was an opportunity to try out a higher stakes venue and learn its quirks — without having to simultaneously pull together an entirely new program.
We were well-prepared by event day, and things went off quite smoothly. A minor snafu at the very beginning: the restaurant I'd told my staff to meet at now closes at 5pm. Oh well — we sent folks over to the Plan B restaurant for food. The process of re-organizing, though, meant that I didn't really get to see the marquee with my own eyes before we headed in. I'm sad I missed that experience.
As is often the case at the Hollywood, the line for tickets stretched down the block. Still, even though I knew it was likely, it was thrilling to see so many people eager to get inside.
When we were at 5th Avenue Cinema three months ago, NWAF was the only show playing in its auditorium. That really allowed event staff time to take ownership of the space. At the Hollywood, there was another show prior to us that didn't get out until 6:30. From an organizer's point of view, it was a very different feeling waiting to be let in. Not bad — but I do look forward to a future when we'll be able to occupy the theatre entirely.
We had three tables set up in the lobby. One was an info table for the NW Animation Fest. The other two were for local animation organizations: ASIFA-Portland and Cascade ACM SIGGRAPH. Thanks to Gretchin, Rob Bekuhrs, and AJ DeFlaminis for chatting folks up!
There was less ephemera to produce this time around. There were name badges for filmmakers, programs for the audience, and a 24"x36" poster to put by the front doors... But no signage for the walls or specially branded tickets. Ticketing all went through the Hollywood's box office, which simplified things for us greatly. (And, boy, do I dig getting a prompt and well-organized financial statement at the end of things! Kudos to the Hollywood's business manager, Cailin Bell!)
As soon as the show prior to us let out, I went into the auditorium with our projectionist and did a final tech check... Then that magic moment, when the doors swing open, and the audience finds its seats! Thanks to Dielle Alexandre, Jeff Mulcaster, Nicklas Nall, and Temris Ridge for handing out programs.
An interesting thing I've noticed: It's really hard to take photos from the rear of a theatre that make the screen look as big as it actually is. When you think about it, it's a trick of forced perspective. Because the seating slopes downward, your mind tries to compare the size of the screen to the seats in the foreground and gets fooled.
Because there were still people waiting in line outside, we wound up delaying the start of the show by a full 15 minutes. That threw timing off and had me worried. But, by keeping questions-and-answers with the filmmakers short, we were able to make up for the delay and end the evening right on time at 11pm, as promised.
The DVD compilations I made for the show were flawless. Everything was sized to use as much of the screen as possible. The aspect ratios were correct. Image quality was as good as the original files. Transitions between films were seamless. Sound levels were equalized.
Despite all that effort, I made one dumb move. Though the sound levels were equalized, I failed to set the auditorium's sound system to the proper level during our tech check. The first few films were too loud, to the point of distortion. Fortunately, all I had to do was go up to the booth and get our projectionist, Matthew Combs, to turn the volume down. Lesson learned for next year!
After the first block of films, I had all the attending filmmakers come up for Q&A. In attendance: Adam Fisher, Dean Holmes, Eric Kilkenny, Kartika Mediani, Sam Niemann, Barbara Tetenbaum, and Marilyn Zornado.
BLOCK 1 (90min)
1. Ursula 1000 - Rocket ..... by Eric Kilkenny
2. Timber ..... by Adam Fisher
3. Heart ..... by Erick Oh
4. Spirit of the Bluebird ..... by Jesse Gouchey & Xstine Cook
5. Chicxulub ..... by Christopher Purdin
6. Gerald's Last Day ..... by Justin & Shel Rasch
7. Ruby Rocket, Private Detective ..... by Sam Niemann & Stacey Hallal
8. The Necessities of Life ..... by Gerald Guthrie
9. Zero ..... by Christopher & Christine Kezelos
10. Cheez…z ..... by Arut Tantasirin
11. Operation: Fish ..... by Jeff Riley
12. Breath ..... by Kartika Mediani
13. The Nose ..... by Neil Burns & Dean Holmes
14. Old-Time Film ..... by Barbara Tetenbaum & Marilyn Zornado
Dean Holmes talked about how he and Neil Burns had been working on a stop-motion TV show in Canada that was put on hiatus. During the break, they were given permission to use the studio to work on "The Nose." The TV show wound up not being renewed — so they were able to use the facilities for almost a full year!
Marilyn Zornado and Barbara Tetenbaum's "Old-Time Film" is thought to be the first animation made using traditional letterpress printing. I've been told that it's making something of a splash in the printer's community. For the fest, the two brought along a box full of flipbooks made from the film's prints, which the audience got to examine and play with in the lobby during intermission.
An important part of growing a festival is learning about your audience and what works for them. At intermission we handed out surveys. As an incentive, the first people turning them in got NWAF lapel buttons (the last of the batch we made back in June). We had a great response rate: almost half of everyone attending filled out a survey.
56 attendees handed in surveys. 36 wrote comments. Response was astonishingly consistent… See for yourself!
Frequency of adjectives used to describe "Best of the NW Animation Festival 2011":
- great: 10
- awesome: 8
- good: 6
- wonderful: 5
- love: 3
- amazing: 2
- excellent: 2
- fun: 2
- nice: 2
- fantastic: 1
- incredible: 1
Oh, and the number of exclamation marks? Thirty-three.
(Punctuation matters!)
I really wanted people to stay for both block 1 and block 2, to see all the marvelous films. As encouragement, I set ticket prices at $8 for one or $10 for both. It would have been simpler to have only one price for the whole evening, and I was worried about creating confusion. But, at intermission, another 15 people arrived just for the 9pm show. I think the gamble paid off.
Has everyone had a chance to use the restrooms? Get more popcorn at the concessions counter? OK, I'm ringing a hand-held bell in the lobby. Back to your seats, so we can move on to block 2!
BLOCK 2 (97min)
1. Medusa ..... by Nick DiLiberto
2. The Quiet Life ..... by Timothy Hittle
3. Just Can't Trust a Drunk Ninja ..... by Greg Doble
4. Ruby Rocket, Private Detective Web Series ..... by Niemann & Hallal
5. Slow Joe ..... by Philip Gray & Stephen Boot
6. The Lighthouse ..... by Po Chou Chi
7. The Box Game ..... by The Box Game Collective
8. Transformations on Bartok ..... by Stephen Campbell
9. Missionary ..... by Mike A. Smith
10. In the Fall of Gravity ..... by Ron Cole
11. Good Bot Bad Bot ..... by Marcus Ng & Nick Matthews
12. Something Left, Something Taken ..... by Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata
13. Landscape with Duck ..... by Patrick Neary
14. 24 Frames ..... by Brad Pattullo
Attending filmmakers for block 2: Lisa Brackney, Patrick Neary, Sam Niemann, Mike A. Smith, Becky Steele, and Danie West. Sam had "Ruby Rocket, Private Detective" episodes in both blocks. Becky, Danie, and Lisa formally represented "The Box Game" — but we got a number of the other students who worked on that film up on stage, too.
For the Q&A sessions, there just wasn't enough time to allow interaction with the audience. Instead, I posed a very open-ended question and let each filmmaker have a turn responding. I phrased it something like this:
What was the inspiration behind your film, or what made you want to make it? Or, tell us an anecdote from the process of making it... Something that went horribly wrong, or fantastically right. Entertain us!
(A little awkward, but it did the job.)
As the festival director, I watch the festival from an odd vantage point. While the audience lines up, I'm introducing my volunteers to the Hollywood's staff. While the event staff welcomes people into the lobby, I'm in the auditorium doing tech checks. When everyone gets seated, I'm up on the stage blinded by lights, talking into darkness. When the films begin, I'm far in the back of the audience in an aisle seat so I can run to the projection booth if there's a problem. When the filmmakers are answering questions, I'm at the side of the stage maintaining a poise of respectful interest...
It's disorienting. I'm extremely pleased that everyone who attended seems to have been blown away. Yet, I sort of feel like I wasn't able to attend the same show that they saw. After it was all over, I had a bit of post-partum depression. At a visceral level, I couldn't understand where the event I'd put so much work into had disappeared to. Getting to see the photos a few days later helped enormously, making it all seem real again. Huge thanks to Carly J. Cais for being our event photographer!
All told, 120 people bought tickets. 105 for the first show, 75 for the second. 60 stayed for both blocks. Additionally, we had 24 filmmakers/guests and 8 event staff. A pretty good number of warm bodies, really, for a first-year festival.
As the evening came to a close, I invited everyone to join us for an informal post-show gathering at the Moon and Sixpence, a British pub. Being 11pm by that point, few joined us — mostly just the event staff. Your loss... Best. Pasties. Ever.
Finally we come to the big question... Was the event successful enough to justify doing another festival?
YES.
We were in a huge auditorium and news coverage was disappointing. Yet, we still managed to break even, and have gotten tremendously positive feedback from everyone who attended. We are definitely doing another full-scale festival next year — and we're doing it at the Hollywood. The dates have been set!
Let's end this review where the "Best of the Fest" began — with this introduction I wrote for the program:
FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Beyond Hollywood and Cartoon Network, there is an amazing world of animation you've never seen.
Independent animators produce hundreds of short films each year that are in turn hilarious, heart-warming, and profound. Sadly, without million-dollar advertising budgets, you probably won't ever hear about these gems. Through the newly-formed Northwest Animation Festival, I want to help change this.
Here's the dream: I want Portland to host the biggest animation festival west of the Mississippi. Instead of a dozen or so films, give me an abundant feast of 100+ each year. Let there be a mix of new work both from masters of the art and from remarkable amateurs. An event that inspires and brings together a community of artists.
It's a lot to wish for. But we've made an excellent start.
The inaugural NW Animation Fest took place in June. Three days of films packed the house at 5th Ave Cinema. “I gained a newfound respect for the art of animation—and if they keep things going, this festival has a future ahead of it,” wrote Cecilia D'Anastasio for the Portland Mercury.
“It was a life changing experience!” animator John Divide told me, having flown all the way from England to see his film’s screening.
This is the impact a film festival can make, and why it’s important to give indie animation a platform.
Tonight's “Best of the Fest” show gives you a taste of the finest treats from our first event. It’s also meant to be a teaser for things to come. I’m very proud to announce dates for our next full-scale fest: please join us on May 18-19 for the 2012 NW Animation Festival — here at the historic Hollywood Theatre!
Now, let’s watch some films!
— Sven Bonnichsen
posted by sven | permalink | comments (5) | categories: nw animation festival
September 10, 2011
best of the nw animation festival 2011
by sven at 2:58 pm
at Best of the NW Animation Festival 2011
If you missed Portland's first NW Animation Festival this summer, here's a second chance.
"Best of the Fest" showcases 28 short films from around the world that are in turn funny, heart-touching, and profound. This special one-night event includes films from two Oscar-nominees, and many other award-winning artists. Attending filmmakers will answer questions from the audience following each block of shorts.
A feast for animation lovers, there are delights here for every taste. Just Can't Trust a Drunk Ninja hilariously warns us about the danger of intoxicated, weapon-carrying ninjas. The Nose, based on a story by Nikolai Gogol, tells the surreal tale of a vain civil servant who wakes up one morning to find that his own nose has disappeared. The Lighthouse touchingly portrays a father's unwavering, life-long support of his son's dreams — like a lighthouse forever lighting for the boats.
For schedule, photos, and film descriptions, see the website: www.nwanimationfest.com
SHOWTIMES
Saturday September 10 - one night only!
Two different shorts blocks at 7 and 9pm
7pm Block 1
9pm Block 2
TICKETS
$8 for one block / $10 for pass to both
CLICK HERE to buy tickets
LOCATION
Hollywood Theatre - main auditorium
4122 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, OR 97212
PARKING
In addition to street parking around the theatre, Hollywood patrons can park in the Broadway Medical Clinic lot (4212 NE Broadway).
PROGRAM
BLOCK 1 (90min)
1. Ursula 1000 - Rocket ..... by Eric Kilkenny
2. Timber ..... by Adam Fisher
3. Heart ..... by Erick Oh
4. Spirit of the Bluebird ..... by Jesse Gouchey & Xstine Cook
5. Chicxulub ..... by Christopher Purdin
6. Gerald's Last Day ..... by Justin & Shel Rasch
7. Ruby Rocket, Private Detective ..... by Sam Niemann & Stacey Hallal
8. The Necessities of Life ..... by Gerald Guthrie
9. Zero ..... by Christopher & Christine Kezelos
10. Cheez…z ..... by Arut Tantasirin
11. Operation: Fish ..... by Jeff Riley
12. Breath ..... by Kartika Mediani
13. The Nose ..... by Neil Burns & Dean Holmes
14. Old-Time Film ..... by Barbara Tetenbaum & Marilyn Zornado
BLOCK 2 (97min)
1. Medusa ..... by Nick DiLiberto
2. The Quiet Life ..... by Timothy Hittle
3. Just Can't Trust a Drunk Ninja ..... by Greg Doble
4. Ruby Rocket, Private Detective Web Series ..... by Niemann & Hallal
5. Slow Joe ..... by Philip Gray & Stephen Boot
6. The Lighthouse ..... by Po Chou Chi
7. The Box Game ..... by The Box Game Collective
8. Transformations on Bartok ..... by Stephen Campbell
9. Missionary ..... by Mike A. Smith
10. In the Fall of Gravity ..... by Ron Cole
11. Good Bot Bad Bot ..... by Marcus Ng & Nick Matthews
12. Something Left, Something Taken ..... by Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata
13. Landscape with Duck ..... by Patrick Neary
14. 24 Frames ..... by Brad Pattullo
posted by sven | permalink | comments (0) | categories: nw animation festival
July 7, 2011
northwest animation festival 2011
by sven at 8:00 pm
The inaugural Northwest Animation Festival took place just over a month ago. This was by far the most ambitious event I've ever organized: 78 films from nine countries, shown over the course of three days.
The 5th Ave Cinema was an excellent first venue. We had 100 seats, low rental fees, and full control of projection from a kiosk at the front of the room.
A majority of tickets were purchased in advance. Our Will Call table was set up just in front of the doors to Auditorium 2. The line for tickets stretched down the hall, but moved quickly once we opened the doors.
An important part of running an event smoothly is having enough volunteers. Depending on the night, we had up to eight positions:
- managing the line (jokingly dubbed "the bouncer")
- tickets - both Will Call and General Admission
- giving filmmakers their name badges
- auditorium door - handing out programs, making sure door closes quietly
- usher - with flashlight for late seating
- photographer
- projectionist
- emcee
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped out: Jeff & Dielle Alexandre, Carly Hirano, Gretchin Lair, Jessica Lockwood, Nick Nall, Temris & Matt Ridge, and Rebekah Villon.
A lot of effort went into making the event's ephemera beautiful. The festival's logo went on our programs, tickets, filmmaker name badges, buttons, and some of the signage. Wherever we needed signs, I was sure to use the festival's font: century gothic.
Gretchin generously took on a last-minute project at my request, producing a batch of 50 buttons as a special freebie for filmmakers and volunteers. Thanks to Bridget Benton of Eyes Aflame for lending us the button-making machine.
What makes a film festival different from just going out to see a movie at the cineplex? People. It begins with your interaction with the event staff, from ticket table to usher to emcee… And then during the show, it's getting to do Q&A with the filmmakers. It's a very different, more social experience when you know that the people who made the films are seated all around you in the audience. At the end of every film, the audience applauded. I didn't know to expect that — but it was awesome!
Coming into the auditorium, I wanted people to feel like they were entering a special, magical space. Lights were dimmed, the festival logo was on screen, and pre-show music set the mood (Cirque du Soleil.)
As people found their seats, I was delighted to say hello to many friends and acquaintances who'd made it out for the show. One of my few regrets is that I was unable to personally give all the filmmakers a proper greeting. Having spent so much time with their artistic works, I'd developed a fondness for these people I'd never met.
The job of an emcee is to shape expectations. Why are we here today? How should we judge the films we're watching? When do we start, take breaks, and end? Where can we congregate after the show? And when's the next festival going to be?
People just need to know what's going to happen. Focus on that, and you've got a good chance of avoiding Interminable Opening Speech Syndrome.
There IS a place for talking at length about the big vision, though: the director's statement in the program. Here's what I said in mine:
FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR I’m an animator myself. I love this magical art. So what do I want from an animation festival?
I want an abundant FEAST. Not just a dozen films — a hundred films!
I want to inspire fellow artists to make new work. The festival should stimulate imaginations — and give a concrete answer to that awful question, “What do I do with my film once it’s done?”
I want to help artists grow. I envision every animator being on a path to creating the best work of their life. Something profound or beautiful or funny or moving. Not everyone who submitted this year could be in the fest, but my hope is that everyone who stays on the path eventually WILL be shown.
Portland is an animation town. There is a family of artists here. The festival should be our annual family reunion, where we watch new talents gradually develop into masters.
It’s important to showcase the breadth of what’s being done with animation. There needs to be a place for people who still draw toons with pencil and paper; people who make vectors, layers, and Bézier curves in a computer; people who pose puppets one frame at a time; people who are making up entirely new ways to bring the still image to life.
Some films should be works of genius that just blow you away. But I also want to give screen time to the ones that make you say, “What a neat idea — maybe even I could do that!”
It’s OK if not every film in the program is your cup of tea. I’m confident that there will be something here for everyone. Hopefully you’ll get to experience a little bit of the delight that I’ve had while sifting through submissions… Discovering a collection of gems that dazzle.
— Sven Bonnichsen
I was surprised at how different the feel of the crowd was each night. Friday night people had a hard time getting settled down; some were arriving up to a half-hour late. Saturday, everything when remarkably smoothly, and people seemed to arrive ready to be absorbed in the films. Sunday I thought the room felt just a bit lethargic.
After each block of films, I'd invite all the filmmakers whose films had just screened to come up and answer questions from the audience. Gretchin coached me to say something like "So, what did you think?" immediately after the end of the films, to get a reaction from the crowd and warm them up. Justin Rasch helped me better understand the need to start the Q&A with some questions of my own, giving the audience a little time to start formulating what they might be curious about.
It's a special experience to be the filmmaker taking questions. None of your answers feel entirely adequate. You're hoping that the next question is directed to you — and simultaneously that the next question is NOT for you. You're standing beside these other filmmakers whose works just blew your mind… But for all the clumsiness, there's a rush of adrenalin from being in the spotlight. And even though all that you've done is stand up at the front of the room, somehow that actually does make you an authority — and everyone in the audience contributes their suspension of disbelief toward making that role a shared reality.
The festival was broken into 8 blocks of films. On Friday and Sunday I scheduled two 1-hour blocks, followed by a half-hour featurette. On Saturday I showed two 75min blocks. From the feedback I heard, both ways provided adequate time for stretching and using the restroom. The 75min blocks were significantly more difficult for me to assemble, though.
There's an art to creating a good line-up of films. I used three tools:
- photos of the films, which I could slide around on a big folding table
- a spreadsheet, which could automatically calculate the length of each block
- video clips in iTunes, which allowed me to hear soundtracks in sequence
I tried to put the very strongest films at the beginning and end of blocks. I tried to make sure there were short "palette cleansers" between longer films. I did a lot of color-coding in the spreadsheet, noting which films were light and funny, dark and gothic, or impenetrably abstract. I had further color tags to indicate whether a film was 2D, CG, stopmo, or hybrid/exotic.
Basically, assembling a program of films is like creating a giant mix tape. Variety is crucial, and you have to pay a lot of attention to the highs and lows of mood/energy. The temptation to put all the dark, bleak films on one day must be resisted! Or, by the same token, the urge to group all environmental films on one day. Avoid theme!
Despite juggling all those factors — strength, length, animation method, happy/sad, energy level — problematic similarities would still emerge. For instance, four films made conspicuous use of butterflies. Three featured skeletons. Two films had almost identical guitar riffs. The first shorts block had an overabundance of films where the predominant color was either white or muted/desaturated hues...
You do your best. I was very pleased to hear folks saying that the program seemed well-balanced. When it works, you don't even mind watching the films that "aren't your thing," because you trust that something else that you will like is only a film or two away.
Depending on how many filmmakers were present for a particular block, I'd facilitate 5-7 questions, then go to intermission. People milled in the lobby and hallway.
We brought along a chime that was Gretchin's signature "time's up" sound back when she was running Artist's Way classes. Ringing it was en elegant way to let folks know when it was time to return to their seats.
Another nifty thing about 5th Ave Cinema is that for an additional fee, you can provide free popcorn for your entire audience. Gretchin was marvelous, and donated popcorn to the festival. Because I was wearing my Festival Director hat, it was only slightly strange to be thanking Scarlet Star Studios for the generosity.
During the films, all the volunteers got to come into the auditorium and watch the program. Really, though, we could almost have had someone staffing the ticket table during the whole show. One night we had someone purchase a ticket for just the last half hour. Apparently they weren't very impressed with the John Wayne film in Auditorium 1, and wandered over to see what we had to offer.
Both ASIFA-Portland and Cascade ACM SIGGRAPH were very helpful in getting word out about the festival. I'm embarrassed that I forgot to give either one time for promoting their group from the stage until the last day. It also took until Sunday to figure out where we could put an info table that wouldn't block traffic... And to start encouraging people to sign up for the email list to be notified about the next NWAF event.
I hope to foster community among animators, and for NWAF to become a valued community gathering. There's room for improvement.
Several people traveled from out of state for the festival:
- Michael P. Glover - Milton the Demon Boy ..... New York
- Dayan Paul - Courageous Crustaceans ..... Nevada
- Curtis Randloph - Moon Diary ..... Washington
- Carly White - Pink Spray Paint ..... California
- Maureen Zent - Bostle Sleench ..... Georgia
And the winner for our imaginary "traveled furthest to be here" award?
- John Davide - Hope ..... England!
I was careful to let everyone know what we could and couldn't offer at our first festival — and still they came! It was a shock (albeit a pleasant one) when the first person let me know that they'd bought plane tickets. Suddenly the event became so much more real... Other people believed in it enough to make a journey!
Most of the filmmakers currently living in Portland were able to come at least for their own film. Attendees included:
- Art Institute of Portland students - The Box Game
- Christina Beard - Maurauder's Mistake
- Jesse Brennan - Coffee Critics
- Andrew Brown - The Old Man and the Butterfly
- Matthew Dan - Chef Antonio
- Fashionbuddha - Phlush PSA
- Adam Fisher - Mashed, Timber
- Michael Graham - Colorless
- Troy Hileman - Inritus
- Dean Holmes - The Nose
- Eric Kilkenny - Ursula 1000 - Rocket
- Patrick Neary - Landscape with Duck
- Sam Niemann - Ruby Rocket, Private Detective
- Christopher Purdin - Chixulub
- Justin Rasch - Gerald's Last Day
- Jeff Riley - Operation: Fish
- Mike A. Smith - Missionary
- Barbara Tetenbaum - Old-Time Film
- Cassandra Worthington - Button Song
- Marilyn Zornado - Old-Time Film
It was a very special pleasure to show The Box Game, which was created by more than 30 students at the Art Institute of Portland. It's an extremely well-crafted and delightful short. It deserves to be seen on a big screen — and I'm glad I could give its makers the opportunity to see it this way.
I'm very pleased about the relationship growing between NWAF and the Art Institute. Several films came from the school: The Box Game, Button Song, Colorless, Inritus, The Old Man and the Butterfly... And both Marilyn Zornado and Teresa Drilling (teachers at the school) made it a homework assignment for their classes to attend the fest!
Each day of the fest, everyone in the audience was invited to walk a few blocks over to the McMenamins Market Street Pub. I had reservations — but our group was late to arrive on Friday, which made things awkward. Saturday and Sunday I wised up and sent an NWAF volunteer (Jeff) over to McMenamins to hold onto our table. By introducing him earlier in the evening, everyone knew who to look for when they arrived at the pub. This worked very well, and we wound up easily filling 20 seats.
Probably my happiest story from the festival is about John Davide from England. As the pub was closing, he came up and thanked me profusely. In his words, the festival was a "life-changing experience." Regardless of whether his film was best in show — just to have someone believe in his work enough to put it up on the screen meant the world.
He stayed at a hostel on Hawthorne Street. After telling other guests about his film, the hostel manager took people's names down on a napkin and organized buying festival tickets for everyone!
John felt such warmth — talking with Jeff Alexandre, Matt Dan, myself, and others — he's seriously looking into moving to Portland... Perhaps to take some classes at the Art Institute. "London has lost its soul," he says — but in Portland, there's tremendous cultural support for creatives. I wish you the best, John!
Lastly, THANK YOU to Gretchin for supporting this mad endeavor. Behind the scenes, she was making buttons, folding programs, making the special treat of popcorn happen. She lent me her computer for a few days while I was encoding the festival's eight DVDs. Anything I could ask for, she fulfilled.
Beyond the tangibles, though, she was nothing but supportive during the months when I had to quit doing anything but festival work... When she'd go to bed, and wake up to find me still sitting, typing in the same chair. Without her belief in me, this wouldn't be possible.
Would I do all again? ...YES.
The "Best of the NW Animation Fest" show is scheduled for September 10 at the Hollywood Theatre. It's a gorgeous 450-seat auditorium — and if all goes well this fall, it's where we'll do the 2012 festival next spring.
posted by sven | permalink | comments (7) | categories: exhibits & events, nw animation festival
May 3, 2011
100th submission
by sven at 8:15 am
I registered the NW Animation Festival with the State of Oregon on my birthday, Nov 1.
The postmark deadline for entries was this past Sunday... May 1: exactly six months later.
The same day the 100th submission arrived!
Last minute submissions are still trickling in. We are now officially in "beyond my wildest hopes" territory.
posted by sven | permalink | comments (6) | categories: exhibits & events, nw animation festival
February 16, 2011
founding the nw animation festival
by sven at 7:09 pm
Big announcement... I'm founding a new film fest: the Northwest Animation Festival!
I hope all my animator friends will consider making a submission. It's very open. Films may come from anywhere in the world. You may submit films made at any time during your life. And you are free to simultaneously show your work online or at other festivals.
All types of animation are welcome: hand-drawn, computer-generated, stop-motion, etc. If there are adequate submissions, I'd very much like to program shorts blocks dedicated to each of the different methods.
The festival will take place on the weekend of June 3-4-5 in Portland, Oregon. However, the project is bigger than just this. Plans are in progress for a "Best of the NW Animation Fest" traveling show that will tour the region.
If you don't have something that you want to submit this year, then please help out by passing the word on to others.
Thank you in advance for your support!
posted by sven | permalink | comments (10) | categories: nw animation festival