'collage' in 2015 Galway Film Fleadh and no Frameworks

I did promise last year that 'A Warning To All Kings' would be my last self-funded short film ever! My latest animated short offering, a more experimental piece called 'collage' features multiple animation techniques and is 'an often abstract attempt to depict tortured lives and loves in the Ireland of 2015.'

The title of the piece is a respectful nod to filmmaker Sergei Parajanov, whose incredible house museum I look forward to returning to later this year, in Yerevan in Armenia. Imprisoned many times by the soviet authorities, Parajanov said 'I was not allowed to make movies and I started to make collages. Collage is a compressed film.'

Thanks to Ruth Matthews and Daniel Gallagher for the voices on 'collage' and thanks to ace producer Fionn Boland for looking after festival entries et cetera!

On a downside, my latest Frameworks application was shot down earlier this week - not even shortlisted, extremely disappointing. What can I say?

http://parajanovmuseum.am/

http://quindpdp.blogspot.ie/2014/01/yerevan-sergey-parajanov.html

http://quindpdp.blogspot.ie/2014/05/my-last-short-film-ever.html

Watching More Closely Research Project

An exhausting Tuesday and Wednesday this week in IADT with Kataline Balint (University of Ausburg) and UCD's Brendan Rooney on Kati's 'Watching More Closely' research project. Edited artwork from Kayleigh Scullion (IADT DL832 Animation 3rd Year) into the 'Father and Daughter' film, then tweaked timings and artwork and did some start point video interviews with the team. Kati will test the new versions of the film out on a first sample group in mid-March.

DQ, Brendan, Kati and Kayleigh, IADT 180215

https://uni-augsburg.academia.edu/KatalinB%C3%A1lint

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katalinbalint

The Bigger Picture

The Bigger Picture - winner of Best Short Animation at last night's BAFTA's. A lifesized animated short. Wow.

http://www.thebiggerpicturefilm.com/trailer/

Oscar Nomination for Song of The Sea!

Congrats congrats to Cartoon Saloon's Tomm Moore and Paul Young, and to all the Cartoon Saloon crew for their 2015 Oscar nomination in the Animated Feature category for 'Song Of The Sea'. 

A word of commiseration too to Alan Holly for missing out the Oscar (Short Film, Animated) shortlist with his wonderful 'Coda'.

Fingers crossed for the Oscars on Sunday 22nd of February! And we can't wait to see 'Song' soon on the big screens here! Go Tomm, Paul and The Saloon! Bring back that little golden man...

http://oscar.go.com/nominees/animated-feature-film/song-of-the-sea

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...

2014 Galway Film Fleadh - All Great Things Win!

Congrats, congrats, congrats to Clare Carroll 'A Girl's Best Friend' who won Best First Animation at the 2014 Galway Film Fleadh. Anita Gaughan 'Vertical Horizons' won Best Animation Sequence in an Animation Film and Sarah Walsh 'Marrying The Sea' received an Honourable Mention in the Best Animation Category. Best Animation was won by Boulder Media's Rob Cullen and Brown Bag's Cathal and Doc were presented with lifetime achievement Galway Hooker Awards!

Other IADT student films in competition included ‘Lena and Gray’ (Melissa Malone), ‘In Sheep’s Clothing’ (Aisling O'Reilly), ‘Your Move’ (Simon Riley), and ‘Useless’ (Eva Kavanagh) - all great to see - even if this year's animation screening was on at the ungodly hour of 9.30 on Sunday morning! DQ also screened his 'A Warning To All Kings' and Steve Woods screened his 'Keeping Time' during the week.

Huge crowd of IADT graduates, recent graduates and current students around. The Best Fleadh yet and thanks to Liz Quinn and the Fleadh Team for their immense hard work and for making us so welcome! Well done to all, but a special well done to Anita, Clare and Sarah!

Group Shot Sunday Morning

Anita Gaughan collects her Best Animated Sequence prize at 2014 Galway Film Fleadh!

Clare Carroll wins Best First Animation at 2014 Galway Film Fleadh!

Anita on the steps with Brown Bag glitterati...

Three winners!

Everyone happy.

Clare, trophy and Liam

http://www.iftn.ie/training/TrainingNews/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4287364&tpl=archnews&force=1

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

My Last Short Film - Ever!

The time has come to officially announce that my current animated short 'A Warning To All Kings' will be my last ever.

I've now completed 11 animated shorts - only three of them have been fully funded. My last 5 animated shorts have emerged (self-funded) from my 'cutbacks' internet series. Whilst the self-funded films have won prizes and have been very successful on the film festival circuit, they've cost me (and my family) an arm and a leg to produce and promote. I don't have the financial resources to continue this activity. As a very good friend says 'we gotta give up making short films, they're killing us'. Tony Donoghue describes 'a short film ghetto' from which escape is practically impossible. There's no money in this activity (there never was, I know) but the longer form (specifically tv) projects which I'd hoped would emerge from the success of my recent short film work have not materialised - funders are not interested. Schemes like Frameworks are fantastic, but they're getting harder and harder to access.

I now must concentrate on returning to tv production - the 'machines' series for RTE in 1999 was my last tv series. I don't care if my return to tv production takes years - it must be done. That's where the funding lies.

A Warning To All Kings - image

1991 - Arts Council Film and Video Award for ‘To Forget’ short film (stop motion) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL-NLR3bpeA&list=UUT34LrcyJLGwiMF6CmyhPKA

2000 - Frameworks Award for ‘Florida War’ short film (CGI) 
2002 ‘Forest’ short film (CGI) 
2006 ‘Press p To Play’ short film (machinima) 
2007 ‘biography (of DT Finn)’ short film (machinima) 
2008 - Frameworks Award for ‘T’was a Terrible Hard Work’ short film (stop motion) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APEMB_tDFWY&list=UUT34LrcyJLGwiMF6CmyhPKA

2010 'Mister Heaney - a wee portrait' (short film - stopmotion)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAtwCCtBOKo&list=UUT34LrcyJLGwiMF6CmyhPKA

2011 May 'leitronium' (short film)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KFBR_hUV1s

2011 May 'rinkydink and the salmon of knowledge' (short film)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7m7yJJm38w

2013 May 'Furniture, Murder and Love' (short film)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msbQW2crEPk&list=UUT34LrcyJLGwiMF6CmyhPKA


2014 May 'A Warning To All Kings' (short film)

http://www.davidquin.ie/CV.html

3rd Year DONE - Alan Holly - Anim Table Quiz

IADT DL041/DL832 Animation Stage 3 is DONE for this year - most of the exit tutorials done yesterday, on my return from Dusseldorf - well done to all! Then the final excellent IADT AnimSoc lecture, with IADT Animation graduate Alan Holly.

Key learnings from Alan... Keep pitching those projects - projects may be shot down by one panel, but funded by another. Pitch projects only when you're completely happy with them - but pitch documents CAN be simple and concise (the Frameworks proposal document for Alan's CODA was 5 pages of (beautiful, moody) concept images, a script, a budget, a schedule and director's and producer's treatment notes)...

Try to work out exactly what will end up onscreen and try to schedule the production accordingly - don't leave tracts of your film, unplanned and 'not nailed down'.

Other Alan learning... When your film is finished - keep applying for film festivals. Just because your film is rejected by one festival, doesn't mean it won't be accepted for the next festival - it might even WIN the next festival.

Once again - excellent lecture from Alan and thanks to Emily, Ross and the AnimSoc for organising it!

Next, it was upstairs to the Animation studio for a small 3rd year 'exhibition', AnimSoc pizzas and bottles of fizz... After that, an Animation exhibition fundraising table quiz in Bakers. Jazis - a long day, but a great day!

2014 Stage 3 exhibition...

Baker's - the table quiz...

Baker's - the table quiz...

Baker's - the table quiz... Checking them pesky answers...

Jazis - ANAMU Newsletter from 1992?

Mention of THE QUINS in an ancient copy of an ANAMU Newsletter... Who dug this up? Though marked from 1993, I think it's probably from 1992, when my first short film 'To Forget' started doing the rounds on the film festival circuit. As Pegbar's Daniel says 'a pinnacle changing point of Irish Animation?'

Seems like yesterday? No... Seems like a LONG long time ago!

Thanks to Daniel from Pegbar and to Cathal and Doc for the Twitter mentions!

Here's a Youtube link to a rough SD version of 'To Forget'...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL-NLR3bpeA&list=UUT34LrcyJLGwiMF6CmyhPKA

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/

Eamonn O Neill - IADT AnimSoc

Congratulations to Emily Lynch and Ross Ryder of the IADT Animation Society for following up their success with Louise Bagnall's recent fantastic talk with a one hundred and fifty minute epic talk and presentation by Eamonn O Neill! Entitled 'things I thought and things I think...'

Key Eamonn O Neill learnings from the evening...

99.9% of engineers do NOT make guitar pedals...
Be transparent (be open and honest with people)... (this actually comes from Eimhin)
It HAS to be human!
Make rules, set boundaries and start thinking about your work... Rules shouldn't be arbitrary, they should be based on the emotional intent of your film...
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should... Be economic.
Have BALLS - be scared - safe is boring.

Personal is universal! The more personal it is, the more universal it is.

Make work and show people. (get it out there, you don't know who's watching)

from eamonnoneill.ie

You get the work that you DO!
BAD experiences are STILL experiences.
There's politics and bullshit EVERYWHERE!
The grass is not always greener.
Reach out, ask questions, be a sponge.
You make your own luck (good luck follows hard work, work hard and get lucky)...
Learn always, because skills are brillz...
GO for stuff, you have nothing to lose!
It's okay NOT to know!
Don't plateau (just keep moving forward, keep trying to progress)
Say thanks - don't be a dick to people, there's enough dickheads EVERYWHERE!

Inspirational stuff! A joy to hear!

www.eamonnoneill.ie

RTE will NOT screen it...

Donald Taylor Black sends this update on his 2012 documentary 'Skin In The Game', in which I appear, way back in the day, animating Jedwards for 'cutbacks' in the middle of a General Election.

Dear All,
The film has been screened at a wide variety of festivals, arts centres, and cinemas over the last number of months - both in Ireland and the USA. Last week it won Best Documentary at the Irish Film Festival in Boston, the oldest Irish film festival in North America. 
On Wednesday, 9th April, Maynooth Film For All will show it at NUI Maynooth at 8pm in the theatre of the Iontas Building, North Campus.

Unfortunately, it seems that RTÉ will not screen it.

RTE will not screen it... It says it all...

'Skin In The Game' will be screened at the Irish Arts Centre in New York (553 West 51st Street) at 7pm on Tuesday, 6th May2014.

Donald Taylor Black’s Irish-Film-Board-funded documentary, examines the financial crisis through responses of a number of artists who used it as subject matter for their work. 

Participants include: Christy Moore (musician); Seán Hillen (photographer); Rita Ann Higgins (poet); Brian Maguire (painter); David Quin (animator); Anthony Haughey (photographer); Nicky Gogan (filmmaker); David Bolger (choreographer); Gerald Dawe (poet); and David Monahan (photographer) as they look at emigration, ghost estates and the legacy of politicians and bankers. Roddy Doyle has written texts for the film that are voiced by actors including Lorcan Cranitch and Hilda Fay.

74 MINUTES, IRELAND, 2012, COLOUR

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/

IADT Animation at 2013 Galway Film Fleadh

Great IADT DL041 Animation success at the 2013 Galway Film Fleadh, with grads Claire Lennon, Matt Porter, Rory Kerr, John Peavoy, Natalie ni Chleirigh, Thomas Young, Alan O' Cuileann and Eamonn O' Neill all screening films. DQ also screened his disgraceful 'Furniture - Murder and Love' animation.

some of the 2013 IADT Galway screeners

Rory Kerr won 'Best First Animation' with his 'That's Not supposed to Happen' and Alan O' Cuileann won 'The Don Quijote Prize' with his Frameworks 'CODA'. Congrats to all - screeners and winners alike...

Matt Porter's image of winner Rory Kerr!

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'.

My Animation MOOC Proposal

For my sins, I decided to put together an IADT application to run an animation MOOC - a Massive Open Online Course - with Iversity in Autumn 2013. We're in the public voting phase, up against hundreds of courses from (mainly German) institutes and universities - subjects ranging from international politics to remote sensing for earth observation. A very interesting process whether we succeed or not. Please log on and VOTE for the MOOC to get it through this phase!

https://moocfellowship.org/submissions/animation-beyond-the-bouncing-ball

Assessment and Evaluation Module

A final two days on IADT's Assessment and Evaluation course, as reflective essays, other submissions and our normal work tasks hang over us...

Here are the Assessment and Evaluation gang on the roof of The Cube...

The Prezi of our 'alternative methods of assessment' presentation is at... 

http://prezi.com/81ggyv0n85k6/alternative-modes-of-assessment/

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...