The Independent Animator?
From mediaartiststudio
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[edit] Don Hertzfeldt
Don Hertzfeldt is a cult favorite Academy Award nominee animator best known for his dark sense of humor and usage of stick figures. Don’s animations have won over one hundred awards and have screened at more than a thousand festivals and venues. “The popularity of his work is unprecedented in the history of independent animation and his films are frequently quoted and referenced in pop culture.” His animations Billy’s Balloon and Rejected are enormous youtube hits. Don was born on August 1st, 1976 in Fremont, California. Don went to film school at the University of California in Santa Barbara. He went there to study basic live action film and quickly realized how expensive it was. Utilizing his love for drawing the relatively affordable venture of one-man animation production he became an animator. From a 2001 interview, Don says: "I watched films relentlessly growing up, and was fascinated by visual effects. My family used to make outings to animation festivals in San Francisco every year, so credit my parents for that. I ended up seeing all of those classic [independent] cartoons throughout my teenage years. But animation production for me sort of just happened as a by-product. I've been drawing things and writing things all my life, and animating my stories was always cheaper to do and looked more interesting than low budget live action."
[edit] Filmography:
- Ah, L'Amor (1995)
- Genre (1996)
- Lily and Jim (1997)
- Billy's Balloon (1998)
- Rejected (2000)
- Welcome to the Show/Intermission in the Third Dimension/The End of the Show (2003)
- The Meaning of Life (2005)
- Everything Will be OK (2006)
- I’m So Proud Of You (2008)
[edit] Artist Links
- Official Website: http://www.bitterfilms.com/
- The Don and Bill Show: http://www.apollocinema.com/donbill/index.htm
- The Animation Show: http://www.animationshow.com/
[edit] David Daniels
David Daniels got a Master’s Degree in Animation from Cal Arts in 1985. During which, he created his break through animation, Buzz Box, which utilized the animation technique that he developed and refined known as stratacut animation.
[edit] Stratacut Animation
[edit] Filmography
- Buzz Box (1985)
[edit] Artist Links
- Bent Image Labs Official Website: http://www.bentimagelab.com/
[edit] Caroline Leaf
Caroline Leaf has been making animated films for over 39 years. Caroline started her career making animated films at Harvard University. She was originally a fine arts student until one of her professors suggested she should look into taking an animation course. At the time, 16mm technology was thriving, which meant film and processing was relatively affordable and film instruction was accessible. She took an animation course at Harvard University taught by Derek Lamb. At first, Caroline didn’t like animation very much. It wasn’t until she did her first sand animation, Sand or Peter and the Wolf, that she really got into animation.
[edit] Filmography
- SAND OR PETER AND THE WOLF (1969) 9:59
director/animator/designer [producer: Harvard University]
- two clips for CHILDREN’S TV (1971-72) 1:00
designer/animator/designer [producer: Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood]
- ORFEO (1972) 11:00
director/animator/designer [producer: Harvard University]
- HOW BEAVER STOLE FIRE (1972) 12:00
designer/animator/designer [producer: Communico Inc.]
- THE OWL WHO MARRIED A GOOSE (1974) 7:30
director/animator/designer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- THE STREET (1976) 10:04
director/animator/designer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- METAMORPHOSIS OF MR SAMSA (1977) 9:32
director/animator/designer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- intro for TV PROGRAM (1978) 1:00
designer/animator/designer [producer: Media Probes, Inc. NYC]
- INTERVIEW (1979) 13:21
codirector/animator/designer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- KATE AND ANNA MCGARRIGLE (1981) 30:00
director/co-editor [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- THE RIGHT TO REFUSE? (1981) 13:00
co-writer/co-producer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY (1982) 13:00
director/co-writer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- PIES (1983) 12:00
producer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- WAR SERIES TITLE (1983) 1:00
co-director [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT (1985) 4:00
designer/director/producer [produced with a Canada Council Grant]
- THE FOX AND THE TIGER (1986) 4:41
director/designer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- A DOG’S TALE (1986) 3:58
director/designer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- PARADISE FOUND (1988) 0:20
director/animator/designer [producer: Noyes & Layboune agency Saatchi&Saatchi DFS Compton Inc.]
- TWO SISTERS/ ENTRE DEUX SOEURS (1990) 10:26
director/writer/animator/designer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- I MET A MAN (1991) 0:51
director/animator/designer [producer: MTV New York]
- BELL PARTOUT (1993) 0:27
animator [producer: La Fabrique d’Images]
- FLEAY’S FAUNA CENTRE (1994) 0:30
director/animator/designer [producer: Queensland Dept of Environment & Heritage]
- BRAIN BATTLE (1995) 0:30
director/animator [producer: Acme Filmworks agency: RM&D Advertising]
- RADIO ROCK DÉTENTE (1995) 0:30
director/animator [producer: Les Productions Pascal Blais, agency: Olive Communications]
- DRAPEAU CANADA (1996) 0:10
director/animator/designer [producer: Les Productions Pascal Blais, client Benson & Hedges]
- ABSOLUT LEAF (1998) 0:10
director/animator/designer [producer: SwellProductions]
- ODYSSEUS & OLIVE TREE 2001 1:15
animator/designer [producer: National Film Board of Canada]
- SLAVERY (2004) 4:26
animator/designer/director [producer: Acme Filmworks Inc.,client: Nat'l Underground Railroad Freedom Center]
[edit] Artist Links
- Offical Website: http://www.carolineleaf.com/
[edit] The National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada or NFB (also known in French as Office national du film du Canada or ONF) is a public film producer and distributor as an agency of the Government of Canada. The NFB was founded in 1939 as part as the National Film Act, which was part of John Grierson’s research on Canada’s film production. The NFB’s objective is defined as “The overarching objective of the National Film Board is to produce and distribute audio-visual works which provoke discussion and debate on subjects of interest to Canadian audiences and foreign markets; which explore the creative potential of the audio-visual media; and which achieve recognition by Canadians and others for excellence, relevance and innovation. — Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage (2000).” The NFB has a set of primary and secondary goals that are achieved through a series of programs. Some of the primary goals of the NFB include to “create programming reflecting Canada's linguistic duality and cultural diversity, create programming of film and audiovisual works on subjects relevant to the general public or niche audiences, support innovative and experimental projects in new and interactive media, [and to] exploit the audiovisual heritage of the NFB.” The NFB’s secondary goals incorporate “broadcasting NFB films on national television networks and specialty services, developing and maintaining an e-commerce system to sell products directly to Canadian and international customers, [and] developing and diversifying markets for NFB products.” To achieve these goals the NFB has made advancements towards signing contracts with school boards, colleges, and universities in America to create an educational television market, working with major airlines and specialized distributors to develop an in-flight market with the CineRoute project, and taking strides towards creating a cinema-on-demand service through the internet. When Norman McLaren became a member of the NFB in 1941, the NFB began animation production, which eventually acquired its own distinction and became a major part of the NFB. The NFB also plans to expand its regions, mainly focusing on moving into China, Brazil, and Mexico. In 1996, the NFB received a major 32% budget cut that forced much of the staff to be laid off and the closure of its film lab, sound stage, and other numerous departments.
[edit] Links
- Official ONF NFB Website: http://www3.onf.ca/splash/splash.php
[edit] Richard Williams
[edit] The Animator's Survival Guide
[edit] Filmography
- The Little Island (1958)
- The Story of the Motorcar Engine (1961)
- A Lecture on Man (1962)
- Love Me, Love Me, Love Me (1964)
- Circus Drawings (1965)
- Diary of a Madman (1966) [not completed]
- The Dermis Probe (1966)
- What's New Pussycat? (1966)
- Pubs and Beaches (1967)
- The Liquidator (1967) [animated sequences]
- The Spy with a Cold Nose (1967) [animated sequences]
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1967) [animated sequences]
- Casino Royale (1968) [animated sequences]
- I Vor Pittfalks (1968) [not completed)
- The Sailor and the Devil (1968)
- Prudence and the Pill (1969) [animated sequences]
- The Charge of the Light Brigade (1969) [animated sequences]
- Don't Drink the Water (1971) [animated sequences]
- A Christmas Carol (1977)
- Raggedy Ann and Andy (1982)
- Ziggy's Gift (1988)
- The Princess and the Cobbler (1993)
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1995) [Animation Director]
- The Thief and the Cobbler (1995)
[edit] Artist Links
- The Animator's Survival Guide Website: http://theanimatorssurvivalkit.com/index.html
[edit] Annotated Bibliography
Hahn, Don. The Alchemy of Animation. New York: Disney Book Group, 2008.
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