Daily post 08 May 2008 08:17 am
Out There
- Hans Perk has been the source for much of the animation history we’ve been sharing on these blogs. His posting the drafts to Pinocchio and numerous Silly Symphonies led Mark Mayerson to prepare “Mosaics” which visualized these drafts and gave Mark an excuse for some detailed comments on that film. At the same time, I was able to post some of the storyboards from John Canemaker‘s collection which joined well with the two.
Recently, the same has been true of material for 101 Dalmatians. For this film, Hans not only posted the drafts but the legendary script by Bill Peet, as well. Mark is currently posting his Mosaics.
Now, I’d like to call attention to what I consider an enormously valuable post by Hans. He calls it Synchronizing Mickey and its follow up, More on Synchronizing Mickey. There you’ll find some historic patent documents which help to describe the Disney studio’s development of synchronized sound. Hans writes in clear detail how the few at the studio were able to go from silent film to Steamboat Willie at the Colony Theater in 1928.
It’s an informative and instructive piece well worth your look. 
- Harvey Deneroff offers an extended and informative piece on the Independent animator, Joanna Priestly. It’s an older article but worth the read. Harvey’s site is unlike most others and should be explored if you haven’t already, and it’s nice to see Joanna’s work given a nice appreciation.
- In the past couple of weeks I’ve posted some images sent to me by Robert Cowan from his collection of cels, artwork and memorabilia. They’re all astounding pieces. I’m pleased to say that he’s created a new website around this collection, and I encourage you to visit if you want to look at some beautiful animation art.
- There’s another excellent animated piece by Jeff Scher on the NYTimes website. This month’s edition is certainly one of the better films in the series. These are not Flash films that are knocked out in an afternoon; they’re obviously the product of good hard work, and Jeff is providing some real creativity to the Times’ OP ED page. To quote Jeff from the post:
___“All the Wrong Reasons†is an experiment in making a film
___that feels as if it has percolated up from the subconscious;
___a dream you can watch with your eyes open. It’s one of
___those big cathartic dreams, a labyrinth of fleeting moments
___full of metaphor and mischief. I wanted it to feel like a bumpy roller coaster ride in
___and out of the dark side of the brain where all the wrong reasons reside. And, as with all
___dreams, the meaning and significance are open to interpretation.
___There are almost 3,000 paintings and collages in this film. I used rapidly changing color
___to give a shimmer to the animation and lots of collage to create a visually percussive
___texture.
The score by Shay Lynch perfectly captures the mood of the piece. They’re so in synch that I wondered which came first the score or the animation. Take a look and a listen.
