Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

- As I said last Sunday, I’m going to use Sunday posts for photos. I have a lot of shots of crews from many of my films. Everyone worked enthusiastically over the years, and I like giving attention.

So, this is the group in 1987 on Lyle Lyle Crocodile: the House on East 88th St. that worked in house. The studio at the time was located between Fifth & Sixth Aves, and I was there from 1985 thru 1988.

These are, Back row L to R : Lisa Crafts – animator, Tom Repasky – coloring, Susan Tremblay – coloring, Madeline Fan (full pic w/T-shirt) coloring, Caroline Skaife (leaning on Madeline) – coloring, Mark Baldo (w/puppet Lyle) coloring, Doug Vitarelli (leaning on Caroline) runner, Theresa Smythe – asst. animator.

Front row, sitting, L to R: Caroline Zegart – coloring, Steven Dovas – animator, John Schnall – Prod. Coordinator/Animator, Ray Kosarin – Asst. Animator/coloring, Michael Zodorozny – Layout, Bridget Thorne – Art Director/Bgs.

Some of the others who worked in the studio and not pictured in the group are: Elizabeth Seidman – ran the rendering and supervised the production, Greg Perler – editor, Kit Hawkins – studio coordinator, and me.

Working out of the studio on the artwork were: Tissa David – animator, John Dilworth – animator, John Canemaker – animator. Of course there were also actors, musicians, camera guys, and engineers.

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(Click on any image to enlarge.)
1) Lisa Crafts animating at her desk. Steve Dovas behind her.
2) Me at my desk with Mark Sottnick a producer of Santa Bear. Theresa Smythe on the right.

The studio was a good one. It was just over a music rehearsal studio where Tito Puente’s group practiced every afternoon. All we could hear was the endless bass line over and over and over and over and over and over. At one point, late night, we heard Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler rehearsing the new album they’d just done.

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Unfortunately, the large skylight made it easy for people to break in. It happened three times in one month, and all that was stolen were walkman radios from the crew. Ultimately, I gave up, and we moved downtown.

A shot of the whole studio from the door. (Things were tight.)
In the BG from L to R: Mark Baldo, Steve Dovas, Lisa Crafts, Ray Kosarin.
At the center table L to R: Susan Tremblay, Madeline Fan, Doug Vitarelli, John Schnall – behind Doug and Liz Seidman (in pink).

- Since I have a lot of photos – I mean a lot of photos of my various crews over the years, I thought it’d be fun to post some of these and will use Sunday as the best day for it.

To break the habit before I start, I’m putting up a caricature of the staff done in 1992 by a fabulous artist and animator who worked for us. Rodolfo Damaggio was someone who came fully formed from Brazil. I gave him his first job in the US, and was glad that I did. He started as an assistant and it took him two days to become an animator. He was a dynamo to work with. He’s moved out of animation onto comic books (Superman, Green Arrow et al) and storyboards for feature films (Jurassic Park trilogy, Star Wars III, currently Iron Man).

(Click on image to enlarge.) A better crew you won’t find - at the steenbeck.

Pictured: (back row standing) Sue Perotto (animator), Elizabeth Seidman (production coordinator), Ray Kosarin (animator), Stephen Gambello (colorist/runner), Masako Kanayama (designer/Production Manager), Marilyn Rosado (studio manager), Rodolfo Damaggio (animator), Jason McDonald (colorist/storyboards/designer).

(Front row seated) Stephen MacQuignon (colorist), George (Dancing Frog), me, Ed Askinazi (editor), Denise Gonzalez (assistant/publicity).

Not pictured: Christine O’Neill (colorist, at the time) who doesn’t like her picture taken and worked out of the studio at the time. It always has bothered me that she wasn’t in there.

- Well the Yankees were knocked out of the playoffs yesterday, so I decided to reminisce for the big winners ten years ago. That brings me to a big birthday party Heidi threw for me in my studio. It was a surprise to me even though it took place in my own studio, thanks to an evening class I taught, back then, at NYU.

A lot of people were there filling the rooms, and a lot of balloons bounced off the ceiling. Kit Hawkins travelled the room taking polaroids of the folk there, and I’m going to post some of those photos. Since color deterioration has started to set in, and since the lighting was horrible, I apologize to everyone in the photos below. I also apologize to those not in the photos. I have a lot of them, so there may be another day of this (if I weren’t lazy I would have posted them on Flicker, but I am; I like them here.)
(Click on any image to enlarge.)

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1. Heidi Stallings & Bridget Thorne
2. Faith Hubley, John Canemaker & Tissa David

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3. Me and Mo Willems
4. Faith Hubley and Heidi Stallings

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5. John Dilworth and Sophie Kittredge
6. Emily Hubley and Bridget Thorne

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8. Me and Bob Blechman
9. Christine and Bill O’Neill (my sister & brother-in-law)

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9. My mother and Bridget Thorne
10. Gary Becker, Robert Marianetti & Mo Willems

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11. Me and John Rosco (one of my brothers)
12. Dave Levy & friend, Bret Marianetti, Sue Perotto & Jason McDonald

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13. Heidi Stallings and Donald Farber
14. Steve MacQuignon, Heidi Stallings & Robert Marianetti

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15. Bob Blechman, Tissa David, Vinnie Cafarelli & Candy Kugel
16. Ray Kosarin and Gary Jacobson

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17.Mo Willems and Jason McDonald
18 Steve & Marie Dovas and Stephen MacQuignon

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19. Jerry Rosco (my other brother), (unknown), and Cindy Wishengrad, a friend.
20. Animator, Doug Compton and me.

– While in Ottawa, I came across Chris Robinson’s most recent book, Between Genius and Utter Illiteracy – A Story of Estonian Animation. This is released by John Libbey Publishing through the Indiana University Press in the U.S. There’s an excellent, in depth review at AWN, and, since I haven’t yet read the book, I don’t intend to review it now.

I’m glad Chris has written it since I think it’s a subject worth visiting. The Estonians have been producing films for many years, and I’m glad for them to get a bit of attention.

Aside from their own films, they’ve also been doing some outsourcing work for other European studios. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, they’ve actually become one of the dominant producers of animation in Russia.

The book focuses on a few particular artists in their history.

- Now let me tell you something about me. Back in my days of Raggedy Ann, 1976, I was contacted by a friend from my Navy years. He was a Russian interpreter working for Columbia Management in NY. He toured with Russian groups (such as the Bolshoi Ballet) around the US interpreting for them.

He had in his charge two Russian animators and thought they might get a kick seeing a studio. Since I understood a bit – a very little bit – of Russian, I might be able to help. A little adventure.

I asked Richard Williams if we could tour the studio on a Saturday, and he said absolutely not. He didn’t want Russians in his studio. OK. Faith & John Hubley were out of town, so we couldn’t go there. Howard Beckerman‘s small studio was in the same building as Raggedy Ann, and he said yes.

On a very cold January day, they met us, and we went up to visit the two colorful rooms of Howard’s small studio. The animators were delighted, and we had a good hour or so.
The animators were Svyatozar Rusakov and Rein Raamat.
Rusakov was from Soyuzmultfilm and had created the most popular series of children’s films in Russian animation history – the Nu Pogodi series.
Raamat was from Estonia and spoke Russian haltingly (something we had in common.) However, he told me he’d recognized my name from the few Hubley films he’d seen. I’d gotten credit, and they played in Russia.

Having a car, I offered to take them wherever else they wanted to go in New York.

Svyatozar Rusakov wanted to go to Delancey Street and buy lots of jeans that he could bring back and sell for a lot of money. After returning him and his black-market goods to the hotel, we picked up Rein Raamat. He wanted to go to the Museum of Modern Art to see a particular Modigliani painting in person. He told me he’d never seen any of his actual paintings just prints. Modigliani was his favorite painter. We did that.

As Rein came face-to-face with the painting, he stopped in shock. Tears came down his face, and I knew I liked this man. After he returned to Estonia, I sent him a coffe-table book on Modigliani; he sent me a book on Bosch and some tour guides of Estonia. We exchanged a number of letters – both of us wrote in our pigeon-Russian. I met him at several film festivals. A couple of years ago he sent me a sad note that he was no longer drawing as the head of the studio, and he wasn’t as happy. I hope to meet him again someday.

In preparing this, I noticed on IMDB’s report that Svyatozar Rusakov died in August. I’m sorry to hear that.

I was pleased to see a whole chapter in Chris Robinson’s book devoted to Rein Raamat. I had a short, interesting conversation with Chris about Rein. Now I’d like to read the book.

(All pictures can be enlarged by clicking.)
#1. L to R: (in Beckerman’s studio) Richard Mayer (interpreter), Maxine Fisher, Svyatozar Rusakov, Howard Beckerman, Rein Raamat.
#2. L to R: Rein Raamat, me, Richard Mayer, Maxine Fisher
#3. L to R: Svyatozar Rusakov, me, Richard Mayer
#4. L to R: (outside) Rein Raamat, Svyatozar Rusakov, Maxine, and me.

(Click on either image to enlarge.)

– Back in August 1990, a crowd of animation folk gathered to celebrate Grim Natwick‘s 100th birthday. At one point, during the celebration, a photo was taken of many of the elder statesmen positioned on the stage.

It was a blast being there; events like this probably occur in LA often enough, but they’re truly rare in NYC. I spent a good part of the evening talking with Bob Little, who had painted BG’s for many – if not – most of the Paramount cartoons, and I had a great time doing so. I thought it funny that we both had to fly out to LA to meet.

I recently located this photo that Tom Sito sent me, and thought it’d be fun to post it. Below the original, I’ve posted a key to identify those on stage. I’m not sure why Walter Lantz didn’t make it to the photo, but he was most certainly there. Only one person remains unknown in the picture. (Please let me know if you recognize the gentleman in the back row.)

– To give you an idea of our studio and its makeup, I thought it worth posting some photos of the physical space. These were all photographed by Paul Carrillo, our brilliant editor.

This photo gives you an idea of what you see as you first enter the studio. This is the main room, where much of the action takes place. Animator, Matthew Clinton is working in the far corner on his computer. Laterally across from him (several stations down from the moviola) is Paul’s desk. I like the open feeling of it.

This photo shows the reverse of the one above; it’s taken from Paul’s desk facing the front desk. The front door is out of frame to the left.

We’re animating-coloring-completing a Rosemary Wells story. Unlike most of the films based on her books, this is an original story of hers which tries to encourage young children to read. The title and art styling come from another book of hers.

Mary Chapin Carpenter sings a new song written for the film.
(Click on images to enlarge.)

Matt’s almost finished with his sequence and is compositing it in color. By the time he’s done with his section, I’ll be done with mine and the two of us will animate the finale/song sequence together. We’re actually using art from a book done by Rosemary to illustrate some of the song, but we’ve mixed an animated band in with it. Bunnies.

- If you’ve been following the Production drafts that I’ve been posting here, you may want to follow-up on Michael Barrier‘s site today. He has definitive comments by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston about assigning credit, historically, from the listings on the drafts. It obviously makes sense. These drafts help locate scenes in production – the person listed on the draft was the last one to work on it. Anyone who had come before was taken out of the picture – dropped from the drafts.

- At AWN, Chris Robinson has written a very good article about George Griffin‘s latest animated short, It Pains Me To say. Robinson does more than review the film; the article is an analysis, inspired by the film, of the entire process of animation, Griffin, and film making. A good read about a film we’ve been waiting to see.

- Meanwhile, if you’re at all pumped up about the Oscars & animation, you should take another look at the films on AWN’s animation showcase. It’s a great service the site offers us.

- Ruby – What better model to test out a digital camera. She’s our studio cat saved from the ASPCA by my brother and saved from other attack cats by me via an interim owner. A diabetic with a thyroid problem, she makes it entertaining (and ever hairy) in the studio. She came complete with her name and appetite and hasn’t met a box she doesn’t like.

- Yesterday I saw the exhibit at MOMA of William Kentridge‘s work. Little more than the film is there, but it’s a chance to see it in a theater, if you’re interested. I like looking at the large artwork, so the gallery show is more up my alley.

- While at the museum, I whisked through the members preview of the Edvard Munch show. He certainly had some deep emotional struggles. It’s obvious that he had a lot of difficulty in his life, and fortunately he had art to let it out. It’s interesting that a number of other artists seem foreshadowed in Munch’s work. There was one series of paiintings that looked exactly like some of Larry Rivers’ work. Tim Burton is present in a lot of the art, and I even felt like Emily Hubley was visible there. The one piece, of course, that wasn’t there was The Scream. Stolen and still missing even though they think they’ve caught the thieves.

The stolen and still missing Munch painting:
The Scream

(Click images to enlarge.)