Stop Motion Geek

Last year, (before I started the blog) I learned that Nickelodeon was starting this thing called the Nickelodeon Animation Shorts Program .  Which is a contest for creative persons to create a pitch for a possible Nick show, and the prize is a job ( "your show" creator/director) and you'll go to Nick and produce your show. Last year they received over 1,000 pitches worldwide!  Essentially you are encourage to present to them any type of animation including 2d, Stop Motion, 3d, and Mixed media for the design of your show.  In your pitch you should include storyboards, scripts, character designs, ect. of the ideas of a possible show.  They explain the program like this to us like this: "We are always looking for new creative talent, innovative concepts, funny character ideas, and original designs. Most of all, we are thrilled to hear your ideas.  Animated shorts must be:   comedic, character driven, and have kid appeal . We look for ideas that feature an origi

Mikey Please, is by far my favorite internet Stop Motion director/animator making films right now.  His shorts include The Eagleman Stag , Seven Legs, The Rabbit Lover, and the upcoming Marilyn Miller .  I'm am stunned that he hasn't won an Oscar yet.  Below, is a great profile interview with the man behind the camera and we may get to see some sets from Eagleman Stag ... It's all very cool stuff so check it out along with the other great links! Link:  http://vimeo.com/84577462 Mikey's website:  http://www.mikeyplease.co.uk Profile: Mikey Please from Submarine Channel on Vimeo . Be sure to check this awesome site too! -( http://www.submarinechannel.com/category/profiles ) it's interviews with creative persons like game designers, animators, directors, and a ton of other goodness!

Guys!  I've been finding so many amazing shorts on Vimeo lately its hard to keep up!  So just expect a lot more posts about Shorts in the upcoming weeks.  Also, there probably won't be much that I'll say about the films like a description or what I thought of it.  Just automatically accept that if I've posted them, they are totally worth watching! These two flicks are both hand-drawn 2d animation.  Which, I have to admit, I like just as much as Stop Motion; if it's done right.  And both of these are done completely right... Link:  http://vimeo.com/jareddweiss/transmission Transmission from Jared D. Weiss on Vimeo . Link:  http://vimeo.com/82413431 Golden Age of Insect Aviation: The Great Grasshoppers from Wayne Unten on Vimeo .

Go see it here:  http://youtu.be/tX41olrZnfc Hollywood Reporter article

I'd like to say first of all, this is SMG's 200th post!  So happy 200th everyone!  I'd share my celebration cake with you but it doesn't share, Google +, post, or another type of virtual sharing very well... My first [short flick] internet find is this really awesome music video entitled Cicada Princess.   It has a Short of The Week award [ http://www.shortoftheweek.com ].  Which you can find the webpage here:  http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2014/01/22/cicada-princess/ .  The film's composition was by  Jesse Solomon Clark .   Fantastic soundtrack!  I will say with the utmost certainty, Clark's performance has a certain brilliance in the music, it just speaks to your heart in a weird way.   Cicada Princess , and I'm just going to say it straight: is a beautiful epic.  Also, it's not Stop Motion!  It's puppetry!  Some of the most beautiful puppetry I've seen since Jim Henson passed anyway.  The film has a very beautiful and poetic narration, whic

Robot Jox  Theatrical Release Poster With the upcoming  RoboCop  remake I though it only necessary to discuss the 1989 action flick  Robot Jox . Robot Jox  was the first massive project for David Allen Productions, and to watch the movie shows you that with $10,000,000 and a devoted and passionate crew, you can accomplish a magnificent final product. Robot Jox , full film:  http://youtu.be/jZXWHswqCQo According to Ray Harryhausen, the gigantic Stop Motion puppets were, "The robot puppets for Robot Jox were so heavy that they often needed to be supported by tungsten wire sliding along overhead rails while walking." Even though the critics were none to pleased by this film, many new and unseen things were accomplished in this film.  It is worth a look or two. I hope after reading this post and watching the film you will agree with me, even though it's not Shakespeare, this is a innovative, and interesting masterpiece of film.

Now, obviously my favorite way of reviewing software is to get to the dirt n' grit of it all.  And by that I mean shoot a Test Animation and export into a GIF.  (GIF is a new format that you can export your project in).  Though I wanted it to remain high-res so I uploaded it to Vimeo.  I'll email it to you in GIF form if you really want to see it though, email me at chefelepsy@gmail.com.  Now the definition of a GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is, and I'll quote Wikipedia here: " The   Graphics Interchange Format   (better known by its acronym   GIF ;   / ˈ dʒ ɪ f /   or   / ˈ ɡ ɪ f / ) is a   bitmap   image format   that was introduced by   CompuServe   in 1987 [1]   and has since come into widespread usage on the   World Wide Web   due to its wide support and portability. The format supports up to  8 bits per pixel  for each image, allowing a single image to reference its own palette of up to 256 different colors chosen from the  24-bit  RGB color space. It als

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM The Croods ,  Frozen ,  Despicable Me 2 ,  The Wind Rises ,  and Ernest & Celestine . SHORT FILM Animated Feral , Get a Horse! , Mr. Hublot , Possessions , and Room on The Broom , None of the shorts/feature flicks that were nominated were Stop Motion.  For me, I think it's sad to have just written a post on these incredible shorts that are Stop Motion, any of which should have been nominees!  Though, it's a new year and more stopmo will come our way so no worries! Though, I do think that Feral did deserve, and got, a nomination. Feral trailer from Daniel Sousa on Vimeo .

First, when writing this I thought that I would rate about 10 short flicks, but then I came to the revelation that 2013 brought so many shorts that I decided it wouldn't be right to have just one number 1 on the list.  So, everyone is #1 on this list, flat down.  Also, happy new year everyone!  My hope is that this year will bring us even better Stop Motion goodness.  And hey, The Boxtrolls comes out in September! :) http://vimeo.com/82278384 Goodbye mister de Vries from Mascha Halberstad on Vimeo . http://vimeo.com/29487560 Nick jr Id bus from Ronda on Vimeo . http://vimeo.com/citoplasmas/foamy