No dice

Réf. : Présentation du film « BONY LIL'S DISTRACTION » au Comité de Sélection du 60ème Festival de Cannes (16 – 27 mai, 2007).

Monsieur / Madame Michael POPE

Nous avons le regret de vous informer que votre film n’a pas été retenu par le Comité de Sélection du Festival de Cannes pour sa Sélection Officielle (Compétition, Hors Compétition, Un Certain Regard).

Avec nos meilleures salutations,

Me encanta

http://noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com/

"Popsicle: animation" or "Being a public punching bag" {update}

I posted the animation I made four years ago using the same animation technique I use in Bony Lil's Creation. It just occurs to me now, that it's basically hand-drawn cel animation without the cel. Instead of being put on a transparent sheet they are cut out. That means registration between actions happens during filming rather than as they are drawn making it somewhat stop-motion. But with my way, the characters can run across any surface in 3D and crumple and stuff. They can interact with a real 3D space with specific lighting etc.

So I posted this piece about the adventures of a frozen novelty snack that I made in ought-three with help and guidance from Lisa Bufano, and Yahoo! Video picked it within 48 hours and featured it on the front page. went from 18 hits to...
currently 1803, quick like bunny. Youtube is for shmoos.

{UPDATE: so despite the 8,096 hits, I had to go through 280 top featured videos to find one rated near as poorly as mine has been. one star. "hated it". (this one got 1.5 stars) It's a flash/green screen jobby called cosmonaughty about a dancing cosmonaut. Keep the faith, my brother. {Although, safe to say this lad did not spend the better part of a year on his video}}

{April 2nd, 8,857 hits

User reviews:

Puh-leese - wasted time

ugh - 3:11 seconds of my life that i will never get back

detesting - More could be found at www.tv-video.net, and you know you should work on this video more .Best wishes {ad}

Don t waste your time - Looked interesting, but extreamly slow paced video. Got better things to do.

Very Bad - Stupid

lousy - lousy

Everybody feel better now? Feels good to anonymously berate people's work. It's so hard when folks like me force people to sit in front of their computers for hours on end randomly watching whatever's put in front of them. It could be ANYTHING. Life is so tyrannically difficult. I can really see how this piece would raise one's hackles. Thanks for speaking out. Maybe this will bring about some change. In the meantime, while they work at cleaning up this internet joint, maybe it's safer to move back to watching specially programed, corporate-approved television. Their advertisements are guaranteed to more closely determine, I mean, pander to your tastes. Now someone bring me my beret and black turtleneck I have more people's time to waste.
[take THAT you pre-adolescent folks who could care less about any of the above and have already forgotten about the experience anyway]
(I feel better)}

for more on a potential utopia sledgehammered by human nature: go here

(April 10th, 11,059 hits, 244 suscribers:
horrible
que manera de perder mi tiempo

Tiempo perdido
Hacía tiempo no dejaba que me tomaran por estúpida, vaya siempre se tropieza con la misma piedra.

thus: Spanish speakers also find it to be a waste of time)

Me corto mi pelo {fashion post #2.5}

So I stumbled across this doc (called "The Eternal Children" by some german guy about freak folk folks Cocorosie, Devendra Banhart, Antony etc) first thing this morning and watched the whole thing before getting out of bed. I'd heard plenty about these folks before, heard a few songs from each, but hearing them talk about their approach to and perspectives on life made me want to... cut my hair. (blushing). So, I did. Not totally psyched about it but it'll do. freak folk for all my friends!


{ramona-quimby-age-8 in the front, cut-rate hipster fringe in the back}

Waiting: They got'm...

Monsieur / Madame Michael POPE

Nous avons bien reçu votre film BONY LIL'S DISTRACTION (and CREATION too)

La conférence de presse annonçant les films sélectionnés pour le Festival de Cannes se déroule durant la seconde quinzaine d’avril.
Si votre film est sélectionné pour le Festival de Cannes, vous serez prévenu avant cette date.
Nous essayerons dans la mesure du possible de donner des réponses à tous les candidats avant la conférence de presse.

Cordialement,

Festival de Cannes
Département Films
_______________________________________________________________________________

Dear Michael POPE

We have received your film BONY LIL'S DISTRACTION (and CREATION too)

The press conference will be held in the last two weeks of April.
If your film is selected for the Festival de Cannes, you will be notified before the press conference
We will do our best to notify all candidates before the press conference.

Yours sincerely,

Festival de Cannes
Film Department


Next comes the deadline for the Hamptons Festival, then maybe Locarno and Rhode Island International, probably Ottawa's Animation one. That's just May. June comes Sundance... more more more (where do we think the money is coming from for all these submissions? dunno. I just hope somebody says "yes. we love it. do come.")

A coup {& fashion post #2}

Last night's screening went very well (nothing like stacking the deck with your friends). Thanks to Evan for the opportunity and support. We killed'm, gang.



'Big Pimpin' in Navy'
totally overdressed for the occasion

Feature on Yahoo! Video Again

It's a few pages back now from the home page, flew in under the radar, but the teaser for Bony Lil's Distraction has been featured on Yahoo! Video. Lots more hits. (better get crackin on those new videos for all those new subscribers)

Come see full length rough cut of Bony Lil's Creation tonight in Providence. fun.

{I'll post my outfit later}

For the lads over at B's blog {fashion post #1}

Today's Outfit as per mentioned on Barnaby's blog comments. (somebody has to start doing the "outfit blog"){snork}

I have been rocking a style recently I like to call "farmer urban chic"
(Vogue and W can feel free to contact my handler)

Additional SHoot

It didn't occur to me until very recently that when the two films are screening back to back there might need to be a bit of an interlude between them. So, yesterday Pope and I put some good quality time into the issue and came up with something marvy, fitting.

Introducing Harriet and Alejandro:






{Roll your eyes if you must, but stuffed animals are fun.}

Sketchbook Doodle and Screening

made in the usual stream of subconscious manner



Ten minutes of animation. Check out what I've been doing for the last two years.

And a tip of the hat to the cirque eloize folks. Thanks for bringin the funk.

Nominee

The Creation Teaser was nominated in the Best Indie Trailer or Promo category by the folks at Yahoo! Video.

soopare cooool.

{if you say it over and over again it's sort of neat. nomineenomineenominee.
conjures up the image of a chubby cheeked creature contentedly chewing with its mouth open.}

New internetuals

So I've made a new Zea page on my site.

And a whole new Extravagant Bedhead site.
Redid Myspace page... new info in "about me"
...

So that's nice.

{still have a shnoop of audio tweaking and credit polishing to finish films officially. Still holding breath waiting to get delivery confirmation. Keep the evening of March 23rd open if you live near Providence. More soon}

Shipping Day: an afternoon in pictures

*intermission*

While we scamper about to finish the last of the whathaveyou for the films, I provide this intermission entertainment before the main feature {aargrhgrhrghhh}...

I adore this woman.

Instructions for Efficient Work Flow Management

1. take in deep breath down to the bottom of your torso.

2. extend index finger and place between lips, in front of teeth, parallel to the ground (should you be vertical at the time)

3. move finger up and down rapidly between lips as you exhale, using your voice.

4. repeat.

*optional* feel free to augment with rolling of eyes or walking in a tight circle. Feel free to change pitch. Feel free to wipe finger on hanky in between breaths.


Alternate Version

1. take in deep breath down to the bottom of your torso.

2. pout out your lower lip slightly.

3. pull down and release lower lip with alternating finger tips as you exhale, using your voice.

4. repeat.

*optional* experiment with speed and pitch.


{ten days 'til shipping}

ReTransfering: Christina Bryant Saved My Life

Here, we see the last functional super8 projector on the Eastern Seaboard (belonging to one Ms. Bryant) being worked over (in the best possible way) by Pope. We set up our vid camera and captured the first roll or so. Seeing the Super8 in it's original glory makes me even sadder to hear that it's getting phased out. It's nice stuff. So, Pope had all the tender attention and perfect settings for everything and it's looking great; Far surpassing the shlock we got "professionally" transfered before.
See below for "A" "B" comparison:


Hot.
A few more rolls to go...
thanks Chris.

We in POST, baby

That's right. Finished recording all sounds and images for both films. Hari and Trucci (pictured above) ended on a particularly high note with some fabulous cookie-drunk dirge music that knocked my socks off.

Not that we don't have our work cut out for us. We are retransfering all the super8 footage, recapturing it and recutting it into both pieces {lower lip biting cabbage patch dance}. Also shooting the aforementioned credits. Then Pope is in digital filter land. Noah is in audio mixypoo land. And I'm in purgatory. Keep an eye out for some more important additions to art history (see previous post, you KNOW that shit is hot)

[no, really, I mean, I'll probably be, like, working on the synopsis and the graphic for the dvd menu page and the disc itself and researching more festival stuff and, you know, being really busy, so... yeah]

My latest artistic collaboration

So, my housemate Greg had the inspired idea we all doodle together on newspaper photos; give them a new layer of dimension (a photo doodled-on is worth a bagillion words). The above image is a particularly hot collaboration between Greg, Brian and I. I think we can all learn something new from this piece.

{FOR FUCKSAKE SOMEBODY GIVE ME SOMETHING TO DO. 90% OF THE SHIT LEFT TO DO ON THE FILMS IS NOT IN MY HANDS. I AM RELEGATED TO WRINGING MY HANDS 'FATHER IN THE WAITING ROOM' STYLE. YOU'VE NEVER SEEN SOMEONE OBSESS QUITE SO MUCH OVER CREDITS AS YOURS TRULY.}

I have also enjoyed this sort of thing quite a lot.

Valerie Thompson Rocks My Bee's Ass

RECORDING FOR CREATION IS COMPLETE




After a hefty 13 hour day, we have wrapped recording for Bony Lil's Creation.
As each new instrument was added to the tracks I was continually blown away by the fantasticosity of Ms. Valerie's composition. Absolutely amazing, blazing flamenco style strings. hot hot hot. We had some hot musicians to laying that shit down (see above). And I spent a great deal of time doodling again (while in the expert hands of Val, Noah and Michael Pope (see below)).

It feels like a belly full of yummy breakfast. My manifold thanks go out to the sparkling individuals that helped make this happen.

P.S.

Here's one from the vastly superior cellphone camera machine of Brendan Burns.
Saucy clapping. hour eleven.

Again with the Whatnot

So these photos are a recap from last time for what sort of things will be happening this evening and tomorrow somemore; Well, with guitar and two violins and a bass also. Almost done, really. Should be by Saturday night, anyway, with the recording, that is; sounds effects, music; for Creation.

Got one more session with Hari and Trucc, too. Really narrowing this shit down.

Oh rue the day I've got to seal this puppy up and call it what it is: you know, done.

Recording s'more

We had a cookin' recording session with Valerie Thompson and Brendan Burns last night. Pope and I laid down some lingering sound effects with Noah before they arrived and played some spicy-hot cello and classical guitar.

Unable to watch things and see things and hear those subtle things musician types hear, I relegated myself to doodling (see above).

The tracks are hot.

We may just reach that Valentine's Day Deadline. (hyperventilation)

New Bony Lil Video Remix

A sassy new remix of Bony Lil's Creation & Distraction footage with vintage public domain film and a kickin' soundtrack cut together by BriAnna Olson for a certain birthday.

{if'n the video's not playing, click on the post title to be shuttled to le yahoo video channel}

Featuration

Bony Lil's Creation Preview
(was)Featured on Top Bar(now general feature list)
of Front Page
of Yahoo Video

hits up the shits

go see

Memories: A roof garden

Spurned on by Barnaby's blog post about his gorgeous garden
I was prompted to share my own little green paradise.

I don't have a yard. at. all.

So, this past summer, I took to trying to put one in milkcrates atop the pizza parlour. There was a lot of wind and too close with the planting so all the plants were interestingly dwarfed. I had six inch tall delphiniums with weensy little flowers on them. I'm not sure I'll be trying again next year. Getting a plot in one of the urban community gardens is more likely...