Maynooth and Dog Day Media!

Thanks to Barry Mc Cabe for his annual invite to Maynooth to present to his Digital Media undergrads and postgrads. This year I discussed 'How to make money from Youtube video etc...', though I also referred to my personal animation journey and to the current state of the Irish animation industry. A great group and some great questions! Thanks to all.

part of my Prezi canvas for Maynooth...

Then back to IADT for a presentation to our DL832 Animation 3rd years by Will Bean and Eoin Devlin (two IADT animation graduates from 4 and 5 years ago) on their Dog Day Media company. Some great, simple, down to earth business learning from the lads and some excellent project material shown. Well done Will and Eoin! We will see you both again soon!

http://www.dogdaymedia.com/

Dublin Animation Film Festival - IADT Graduate Films and Indie Cork Film Festival!

Best of luck to IADT Animation recent graduates Aisling O' Reilly, Sarah Walsh and Anita Gaughan who are showing their films in the Best Irish Student or Graduate Shortlisted Film category in the 2014 Dublin Animation Film Festival on Saturday 18th of October in The Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire. Well done to all and fingers crossed!

The following films have been shortlisted for the Best Irish Student or Graduate Short Film:

 1. In Sheep’s Clothing – Aisling O’Reilly –  IADT (Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology)

2. Marrying the Sea – Sarah Walsh – IADT (Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology)

3. Shoot – Rory Conway – BCFE (Ballyfermot College of Further Education)

4. Wounded – Helga Kristjana Bjarnadottir – BCFE (Ballyfermot College of Further Education)

5. Vertical Horizons – Anita Gaughan – IADT (Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology)

All of these films are eligible for the Audience Choice Award – voting takes place after the screenings on the 18th of October at the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire.

http://www.dublinanimationfilmfestival.com/best-irish-student-or-graduate-shortlisted-films/ 

Apologies but I won't be there to vote for my favourites - my 'A Warning To All Kings' short film is screening at exactly the same time in the Gate Cinema in Cork, at the 2014 Indie Cork Film Festival! Prayers welcome...

Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival 2014

Eminent director and great pal of ours Steve Woods emerged as a big big winner at the 2014 Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival, picking up Best Arthouse Film, Best Cinematography and Best Original Music for his latest dance film 'Keeping Time'. Congrats, congrats and very well deserved!

Big Winner Steve Woods eats fish and chips before picking up his prizes!

DQ did a workshop/seminar on Friday afternoon entitled 'Collaboration in Animation' - Festival Creative Director Chris O' Dell said he'd never experienced so much information packed into one hour! I also participated in various technical workshops organised by Chris and judged and presented the festival's Best Animation category.

Chris O' Dell with his baby Bell and Howell

An excellent, excellent festival as ever! Especial thanks to Helen, Chris, Pauline, Hilary, Maurice, Maria and Chris O' Dell!

Chris's Technical Workshop - Sunday morning

2014 Corona Fastnet Film Festival

Just finalising my dates with the 2014 Fastnet Film Festival...  On Friday 23rd May, I'll be doing an Animation Seminar 16.00 - 17.15 and on Sunday 25th May, I'll be taking part in a 'Technical Forum' 10.30 - 13.00 Chaired by Chris O'Dell.

http://www.fastnetshortfilmfestival.com/

Animation At The Cutting Edge - An Alphaville Symposium UCC 150214

Thanks to all at Film Studies in UCC for organising an excellent Alphaville Symposium last Saturday afternoon. Some great presentations, especially Paul Ward's 'Animation as Atavistic Magic' and Helen Haswell from Queen's University on Hand-drawn aesthetics and Affection for the past in Pixar's Pioneering Animation'.

Thanks also to Yuanyuan Chen (UCC) for her presentation on Bu Hua's animation, and for assembling the Bu Hua screening after the presentations.

Some great potential linkages into the future. Excellent!

Paul Ward sets up his 'Animation as Atavistic Magic' presentation

The  Film and Screen Media Auditorium, Windle Building, UCC

http://animationcuttingedge.wordpress.com/programme/

http://www.buhua.com

http://www.buhua.com/flash.html

My New Film is Started!

This morning, after 6 months of tortuous procrastination, I finally recorded the voice guide track for my new film 'The King and the Princess'. The late late (€50) deadline for Fastnet Film Festival submissions is 16th February (23 days away)... Deadline for Yerevan Film Festival is April 15th. Might not quite be ready for Fastnet!

http://www.fastnetshortfilmfestival.com/

http://www.gaiff.am/

David Quin at 2013 Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival

7 windows in Schull have been transformed into what Fastnet Film Festival are calling 'a temporary museum' of 36 years of Quin family stopmotion animation! I installed the models on Saturday 18th May, with Katy, Thomas, Maria, Marie and Maurice - a long day, but everything worked great!

 

Mick Heaphey model in Film Festival Office, Schull

The windows are - Schull Dentist's (Bosco and Bailebeag), Festival Office (T'was a Terrible Hard Work), Headquarters Hairdressers (To Forget), Divecology (Dunin and Circus), Whyte's Bookshop (cutbacks), Arundel (The Art of Animation and Daisy Shoe, Floradora, Neddy). I've created a string of blogspots with information on each of the window themes...

http://cutbacks2010.blogspot.ie/2013/05/fastnet-bosco-and-bailebeag-window.html

http://cutbacks2010.blogspot.ie/2013/05/fastnet-daisy-shoe-floradora-and-neddy.html

http://cutbacks2010.blogspot.ie/2013/05/fastnet-to-forget-window.html

http://cutbacks2010.blogspot.ie/2013/05/fastnet-dunin-and-circus-window.html

http://cutbacks2010.blogspot.ie/2013/05/fastnet-art-of-animation-window.html

http://cutbacks2010.blogspot.ie/2013/05/fastnet-twas-terrible-hard-work-window.html

http://cutbacks2010.blogspot.ie/2013/05/fastnet-cutbacks-window.html

Bailebeag characters in Schull Dentist's

On Saturday 25th at 16.00 in The Village Hall, I'll be doing my presentation on 'The Anatomy of An Internet Series'. On Sunday 26th, at 15.30, I'll be chairing a round-table discussion with Darragh O' Connell, Rob Cullen and Gerard O' Rourke 'Irish Animation - Boom or Bubble'.

2013 Corona Fastnet Film Festival (Schull County Cork) from 22nd to 26th May

The 2013 Corona Fastnet Film Festival (in Schull County Cork from 22^nd to 26^th May) has invited me to look at ‘aspects of Irish Animation’. I will be chairing a round-table discussion of Irish Animation studio heads and practitioners. We’re hoping to get Boulder Media’s Rob Cullen, Brown Bag Film’s Darragh O’ Connell and possibly Paul Young from Cartoon Saloon. The discussion will be entitled ‘Irish Animation – Boom or Bubble?’
I’ll also be doing my presentation ‘The Anatomy of an Internet Series’ and one of my stopmotion short films will be featured in the Festival’s prestigious ‘Horsebox’ screening booth, the film interpreted by local artist Deirdre Cairns. Finally, models, props and characters from my stopmotion short films, TV series and other projects will be displayed in themed shop windows around the village of Schull. I’m exhausted already!

Fastnet Recce!

Saturday 20th April - Drive to Schull for the day to do the preliminary meetings and window recce for the Fastnet Film Festival. Great day with the committee and meeting Deirdre Cairns, the artist who'll be interpreting my films in 'The Horsebox'.

Get home at 23.00 - Kt worried...