Oregon Animation

City Honors “Bill PlymptonDay!” with Celebration and Screenings at Bagdad Theater

oregonfilm — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:27:36 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

In honor of one of the world’s most accomplished animators, and in recognition of a recent documentary about Oregon creative legend Bill Plympton, the city of Portland proclaims Saturday, May 26, 2012 as “Bill Plympton Day!” The day will be celebrated with screenings of “Adventures in Plymptoons” at the Bagdad Theater on SE Hawthorne in Portland at 3pm and 7pm, preceded by a Bill Plympton-themed street party at 2pm in front of the Bagdad Theater. Filmmakers Alexia Anastasio, Steve Tenhonen, Kevin Shawn Michaels and other special guests will be in attendance. Bill Plympton and other guests will appear at the screening by telecast. With lighthearted but racy humor, the movie is intended for mature audiences. (Minors will be allowed to the 3pm screening only with adult supervision and the 7pm screening is 21 and over.) The public is invited to all events, the 3pm and 7pm screenings are $9 in advance and $11 at the door. Anyone wearing a Hawaiian shirt or fishnet stockings on the day of the screenings will receive $1 off the door charge. (Wear both and get $2 off!) Advance tickets can be purchased at http://mcmenamins.com/events/u/Great_Northwest_Film_Tour.

“Adventures in Plymptoons!” features the life and animations of Bill Plympton in a highly entertaining and comedic look on the improbable life of a successful animator, and includes Oregon creative industry staples Will Vinton, Gus Van Sant, “Coraline” producer Mary Sandell, poet Walt Curtis, animator Marilyn Zornado, as well as director Lloyd Kaufman, actors (and voice-actors) Tom Kenny (the voice of Spongegbob Squarepants), Martha Plimpton, Ed Begley Jr, Terry Gilliam, Ron Jeremy, Weird Al Yankovic and a host of others. Special guests including the filmmakers and cast attended a screening on May 19 where the proclamation was read to kick off the movie’s tour through the McMenamins movie theaters. The full text of the proclamation follows.

Anyone who appreciates a good laugh will enjoy this story that is part interview, part animation, part mock-umentary, includes Oregon’s animation history and celebrates the triumphs of Oregon’s professional creative community. All told by a woman filmmaker who is being recognized world-wide for her intelligent and humorous storytelling. Catch “Adventures in Plymptoons!” before it screens next month at the MOMA in New York.

Adventures in Plymptoon’s premiers in Oregon as the first selection of the “Great Northwest Movie Tour”, presented by McMenamins and OMPA to promote profitable releases of independent films.

WHAT: Bill Plympton Day! Celebration & Film Screenings
WHEN: Saturday, May 26, 2012. Celebration at 2pm; Screenings of “Adventures in Plymptoons!” at 3pm and 7pm
WHERE: The Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd in Portland)
HOW MUCH: Street Party: Free. Movie screenings: $9/advance, $11/door
WHO: All are invited to the 2pm street party! 3pm screening is open to all (minors with an adult). 7pm screening is 21+.

Following is the text of the official proclamation of Bill Plympton Day by the City of Portland:

Whereas, Bill Plympton is the only human being on the planet to have hand drawn five feature length films: The Tune (1992), I Married A Strange Person (1997), Mutant Aliens (2001), Hair High (2004), Idiots and Angels (2008), and

Whereas, Portland, a capitol of world class animation, is where he first learned the art of animation, and

Whereas, Bill’s creative animations are reflective of the character of Portland’s Culture of Creativity, and

Whereas, Bill’s devotion to hand-drawn animation reflects the craftsmanship of our city’s professional and non-professional creative class, and

Whereas, Bill has earned the respect of the national and international animation community as a two-time Oscar nominee, for Your Face (1987) and Guard Dog ( 2005), and winner of the Palm d’Or for Push Comes To Shove (1991), and

Whereas, for years Bill has nurtured Portland’s animation community with yearly meetings on the banks of his beloved Clackamas River, and

Whereas, Bill actively encourages and mentors young animators, sharing with them the secrets behind his success, and

Whereas, fellow Portland animator Matt Groening has stated his belief that “Bill Plympton is God,”

Now, therefore, I, Sam Adams, Mayor of the City of Portland, Oregon, the “City of Roses,” do hereby proclaim May 26, 2012 to be Bill Plympton Day in Portland, and encourage all residents to observe this day.

Adobe Camp – What’s New BBQ: Presented by AEPDX & 3DPDX

oregonfilm — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:48:22 +0000

Our annual What’s New BBQ serves up a sizzling portion of After Effects goodness. We’ll BBQ, plus the entire Adobe AE team to walk you through all the juicy new parts of CS6 Production Premium. Hungry for more? Side dishes include a chance to win a free Adobe Master Collection, Extended Creative Cloud trial memberships, a Wacom Intuos5 Professional Pen Tablet, and a slab of raffles from Red Giant. If this sounds kosher, reserve your seat now. Seating is limited.

RSVP: http://aepdx.eventbrite.com/

Key Highlights

The Adobe Production Premium Development Team Will do 3 demos covering key new featutres for Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and SpeedGrade
Unique opportunity to have Q&A session with the creators
Chance to win 1 Adobe CS6 Master Collection
Raffling off 10 extended licenses for 3 month Creative Cloud memberships
Red Giant Software raffles
Wacom Intuos5 Pen Tablet Raffle
Adobe swag
Network with your peers
BBQ & Beer
Its in the Ziba Auditorium and Patio
Attendance is limited

OMPA and McMenamins’ Great Northwest Film Tour present… “Adventures in Plymptoons!”

oregonfilm — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:16:37 +0000

Portland declares May 26 date “Bill Plympton Day”

The Great NW Film Tour is a new series geared toward independent releases, kicking off at McMenamins Mission Theater on Saturday, May 19

In a partnership with the Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA), McMenamins presents The Great Northwest Film Tour, giving new films a place to be shown, gather momentum and burst out onto the scene. At regular intervals, The Great Northwest Film Tour will host directors, actors and/or producers at our McMenamins hotels and theater-pubs with their latest work – could be a documentary, an action film, animation or beyond. Guests will be able to watch a premiere piece of film work, and maybe engage in a Q&A or listen to some music beforehand, all while enjoying McMenamins ales, wines, spirits and more.

First up is a film entitled Adventures in Plymptoons!, celebrating the life and work of legendary Portland animator Bill Plympton with a week-long series of screenings throughout McMenamins theater-pubs from May 19 through May 27, 2012. All screenings include a Q&A with director Alexia Anastasio and producers Steve Tenhonen and Kevin Sean Michaels with special guests and activities to celebrate “Keeping it Weird” in Oregon. Tickets are on sale now and are $9 in advance, or $11 day of show. McMenamins is also offering special hotel packages on night when the Tour hits one of its hotels – the package includes lodging for two, two tickets to the film, two beers, a large popcorn and breakfast the following morning. Rates vary by property.

***
Newly announced!
The City of Portland has declared Saturday, May 26, to be Bill Plympton Day. Events will begin with a parade from Laurelhurst Park to McMenamins Bagdad Theater, culminating in a screening of the film Adventures in Plymptoons!, including a Skyped-in visit from Plympton himself.

Sat., May 26: Bill Plympton Day Parade
1 p.m. * Gather in Laurelhurst Park, near the marching band – all are welcome.
2 p.m. * March over to the Bagdad Theater
3 p.m. * First screening of “Adventures in Plymptoons!” — you must have a ticket to go to the screening!

While Bill cannot be in attendance on this day, we will Skype him in to the event. Director Alexia Anastasio and Producer Kevin Sean Michaels will be at every screening to do an intro to the film and a Q&A.

More information below:

Schedule of the Inaugural Great NW Film Tour, featuring Adventures in Plymptoons!

Saturday, May 19 * Featuring an appearance by Bill Plympton!
Mission Theater (1624 N.W. Glisan St., Portland, OR)
6 p.m. doors; 7 p.m. film * 21 & over

Sunday, May 20
Old St. Francis School Theater (700 N.W. Bond St., Bend, OR)
8 p.m. doors; 9 p.m. film * Hotel overnight package available * 21 & over

Tuesday, May 22
Kennedy School Theater (5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. Portland, OR)
7 p.m. doors; 8 p.m. film * Hotel overnight packages available * 21 & over

Wednesday, May 23
Grand Lodge’s Compass Room Theater (3505 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove, OR)
8 p.m. doors; 9 p.m. film * Hotel overnight packages available * 21 & over

Thursday, May 24
Olympic Club Theater (112 N. Tower Ave., Centralia, WA)
8 p.m. doors; 9 p.m. film * Hotel overnight packages available * 21 & over

Friday, May 25
Edgefield’s Power Station Theater (2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale, OR)
8 p.m. doors; 9 p.m. film * Hotel overnight packages available * 21 & over

Saturday, May 26 * OMPA Benefit Party & Bill Plympton Day!
Bagdad Theater (3702 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR)
1 p.m. Gather in Laurelhurst Park
2 p.m. March to the Bagdad Theater
2 p.m. doors; 3 p.m. film * Minors welcome with an adult. [Note: The film has scenes of an adult nature and is not recommended for minors.]
6 p.m. doors; 7 p.m. film * 21 & over

Sunday, May 27
St. Johns Theater (8203 N. Ivanhoe St., Portland, OR)
5 p.m. doors; 6 p.m. film * Minors welcome with an adult [Note: The film has scenes of an adult nature and is not recommended for minors.]

Synopsis of Adventures in Plymptoons!

Taken from imdb.com:

A documentary film about Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton. This is a portrait piece that includes interviews with family, friends, colleagues, critics and fans. Cast members include Will Vinton, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Martha Plympton, Moby, Ed Begley, Jr., Matthew Modine and many others.

****

About McMenamins Mission Theater
Constructed in 1912 with roots as a Swedish Evangelical Mission and Longshoreman’s Union, the historic McMenamins Mission Theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1987, the Mission opened under McMenamins as Oregon’s first theater-pub, a movie house model that has been oft-emulated in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Today, the Mission’s mission is to present a dynamic roster of exclusive film premieres and intimate live shows, along with recent silver screen releases, cult classics, stand-up comedy, quiz shows and more. See mcmenamins.com for upcoming events at the Mission. As always, McMenamins pub fare and handcrafted ales, wines and spirits are available to enjoy during the show or performance.

About OMPA
The Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA) is the largest nonprofit association for commercial, film and TV professionals in Oregon, uniting crew, talent agencies, producers, directors and others who cater to the industry. Since its founding in 1982, OMPA has educated and informed a diverse membership about important industry news, provided forums for networking and professional development, and advocated and actively participated in business growth and job creation.

Growing job and business opportunities for media story-tellers contributes to Oregon’s culture of creativity, in a green and economically powerful 21^st-century industry that fuels desperately needed jobs and tax revenues. OMPA members benefit from industry information, access to other industry professionals, and a forum to shape the future of Oregon’s economy.

New Startup “The Digits” is Greenlighted for Rebates from the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & TV

oregonfilm — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:33:02 +0000

Last week, web series creator Scotty Iseri received some good news on the startup venture he’s bringing into existence in September 2012; The Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & Television granted Iseri’s newest project, The Digits, to be the office’s first Next Generation media project to receive production rebates through the Indiginous Production Fund.

The Digits is an interactive “Appisode”, that involves a trio of lovable live action characters who travel the galaxy fighting evil. Iseri’s mission with The Digits is two-fold in helping 7-to-13 year olds love math and to feel good about their intelligence.

The Oregon Governor’s Office of Film and Television has overseen production rebates for such high profile series as Leverage, Portlandia and Grimm. The state’s recognition of Iseri’s work underscores the project’s potential to boost the local economy through hiring local talent, creating elaborate scenery, props and buying other goods and services to produce The Digits.

Vince Porter, executive director of the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film and Television echoes the relevance of supporting new media. “We’re very interested in Next Generation storytelling,” he said. “We’re proud to support an ambitious project like The Digits as an example of new entertainment business models that can have a positive effect on the way children learn. The fact that it’s happening here in Portland is incredibly exciting.”

Iseri, a native Oregonian, couldn’t be happier with the news from the state film office. In 2009, Iseri gained global web fame with Scotty Got an Office Job, a comedic web series that chronicled the absurdities of working in cubicles and with officemates. The series ran for 3 seasons, the 3^rd being sponsored by Klick, an international marketing company based in Sydney. The viral success caught the eye of tech writer Liz Shannon Miller, who called Scotty “an inspiration” for freelancers worldwide, which was picked up on GigaOm and then the NY Times.

Now back in his home state of Oregon, Scotty no longer has an office job but a startup, and he founded The FUNDA Organization LLC as the parent company of upcoming projects like The Digits.

“It feels like Oregon’s Film and TV office has given The Digits wings and we’re ready for take-off,” said Iseri. “After securing funding from investors this recognition at home is a huge impetus for us. We’re proud to be an Oregon based company, and can’t wait to show off what we’ve been working on. The support of the state is fantastic and shows that new media business models can be a part of the traditional entertainment industry. Filming begins in Portland next month!”

The Digits refer to the three intergalactic space characters, in a rock band, comprised of female-lead Pavi, Gorgolax, an alien drummer and Ray Ray, a loyal cyborg on the keyboards. They’re out to stop the evil Marvwell Doomfinger whose mission is to use music to make the galaxy stupider. The interactive show is a first-of-its-kind project combining live action video designed for touch screen tablets like the iPad and the Kindle Fire, which allows children to control the outcome of the story, and learn important math skills on the way.

The Digits is aimed at older elementary school students, where research shows math comprehension begins to trail off. Other subjects then take the forefront in young people’s lives until middle school, but more often than that, they may have gotten the message that they lack math skills, that math is not fun, or that they’re simply not good at it. The Digits, in Iseri’s words, seeks to give parents a cool “booster rocket to middle school” in getting children to love math.

More about The Digits

The Digits (http://www.watchthedigits.com/) is a Portland-based live action narrative comedy that uses interactive gameplay to introduce and strengthen math concepts to children. By combining interactive gameplay into the narrative, the outcome of the game directly affects the outcome of the story, thereby turning viewers into players and players into learners. The Digits seeks to offer the best of both worlds as it delivers fun, engagement and excitement to children and an educational opportunity to parents. The Digits is a privately funded project of FUNDA (www.funda.co)

The Pulse of Living Beings: An Evening with Jim Trainor

oregonfilm — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:39:34 +0000

Presented by The School of Film, Cinema Project, & Experimental Film Festival Portland

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 6-10 PM

Working almost exclusively on 16mm for his entire career, Chicago filmmaker and animator Jim Trainor’s preferred technique is Sharpie on typing paper. This is the medium he used to create THE ANIMALS AND THEIR LIMITATIONS, a series of pulsing line-drawn animated films featured at this year’s Experimental Film Festival Portland. Exploring the natural/animal world, the series uses a witty balance of scientific exposition and humorous narration often coming from the animal itself (one piece screened in the 2004 Whitney Biennial in New York). It is also the medium he used to explore the animalistic, psychopathic behavior of a 1940s serial killer in the 1997 film THE FETISHIST, his first widely distributed work, which has a running time of 38 minutes, is composed of 20,000 separate drawings, and took 11 years to complete. Tonight, as an introduction to his interests and working methods, Trainor screens THE FETISHIST to decipher how he uses the dream state, metaphoric fantasies, and other approaches to investigate derailed social behavior. He follows with work-in-progress clips from his latest project, THE PINK EGG, a live-action feature film, complete with a script and actors. The subject matter is still social behavior, but here it plays out in the life cycles of seven main characters, all of them wasps and bees. How this “funny, austere horror movie” continues his artistic trajectory is the focus of an extended Q&A session and discussion.

FEES

Tuition:	$35.00
Equipment/Lab Fees:	$0.00

LOCATION

Northwest Film Center School of Film

934 SW Salmon Street, Portland, OR (Corner of 10th & Salmon)

JIM TRAINOR

JIM TRAINOR is a filmmaker and animator living in Chicago and teaching at the School of the Art Institute. The 2010 recipient of the prestigious Alpert Award in the Arts and numerous other honors, he is a featured visiting artist in this year’s Experimental Film Festival Portland. His many films have screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival, Sundance, and in the Whitney Biennial, as well as many other venues. In addition to the films mentioned above, he has also completed HARMONY, THE MAGIC KINGDOM, and THE PRESENTATION THEME.

TRAINOR screens a program of his films from THE ANIMALS AND THEIR LIMITATIONS as part of the Experimental Film Festival Portland, 7 PM on May 24, at The Mouth @ Zoomtopia, 810 sW Belmont. For full program details, visit www.cinemaproject.org

You can view Trainor’s “The Bats” below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Second Story Creates Interactive Sculpture for TEDx

oregonfilm — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:44:53 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Portland’s Second Story interactive studio recently created a special interactive video sculpture for display at the Portland TEDx after-party. As you can see in the making-of video above, the sculpture went from floor to ceiling and allowed guests to interact by translating their movements into a colorful digital visual display. Second Story explains the project further:

Positioned at the center of a large art gallery, the installation embodied the spirit of the conference theme, “Uncharted Territory.” Topographic forms and kinetic shapes move along the vertical panorama of the sculpture and as guests approach, they become immersed in the flowing landscape. Depth-sensing cameras read human forms in real-time, creating topographic contours that pulse upwards along the 40-foot surface, literally projecting ourselves and our visions into uncharted territory.

The theme of the conference holds a special resonance for Oregonians, and the physical form was designed to reflect and amplify the natural environment. Conceptually, the structure finds inspiration in the poetic juxtapositions of the Cascade Range, where angular volcanic rock formations meet the fluidity of the skies and rivers. The details of the structure appropriate the tools of exploration: sails, ropes, rucksacks, tents, traditional knots.

As an integrated installation, we tried to design an experience that recreates the optimism of exploration and the hope one feels from constantly looking forward.

“Fireflies” – Kickstarter Launch Party / Open House

oregonfilm — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:39:44 +0000

invites you to our

Kickstarter
Launch Party /
Open House

RSVP via: Upcoming or Facebook

Subscribe to the Fireflies mailing list to stay up to date on the film and see if we reach our Kickstarter goal.

Also, sign up to be a part of StopMotionPDX , a resource for stop motion filmmakers.

If you are interested in donating, please click here.

Hinge Digital Brings the Carfax Car Fox to Life in CG

oregonfilm — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:50:04 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

When Zimmerman Advertising approached Hinge Digital to bring the beloved Carfax Car Fox to life in CG, we jumped at the opportunity to apply our extensive experience in character development, animation, and visual effects to a national advertising campaign.

Building on a collaboration of several years on over 30 animated commercials, Zimmerman and Hinge began Car Fox’s character development in 2011. Working very closely with the agency and Carfax, Hinge created the spokes-character in CG to seamlessly integrate into the live-action. “We saw this as a unique collaborative opportunity—one that would give Carfax access to high-end vfx and allow Hinge to showcase its work in the national advertising arena.” said Roland Gauthier, Executive Producer.

You can view more videos of Hinge Digital’s recent work on their Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/channels/hingedigital or view a video of Car Fox: Behind the Scenes below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Northwest Animation Festival, May 18-19 @ the Hollywood Theatre

oregonfilm — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:51:57 +0000

The biggest animation festival that Oregon has seen in years is just around the corner. From Beaverton to Beijing, filmmakers have responded to our call, sending in their best work. Even the most seasoned animators on our jury agree: this is going to be something special.

NW Animation Fest 2012
amazing shorts from around the world

SHOWTIMES
7-11pm
Friday, May 18
Saturday, May 19
different program each night

TICKETS
in advance: $12 for one night / $20 for both
at the door: $15 for one night / $25 for both
CLICK HERE to buy tickets

VENUE
Hollywood Theatre – main auditorium
4122 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97212

HIGHLIGHTS
The 2012 Northwest Animation Festival showcases nearly 60 short films from 15 countries, representing the very best of contemporary animation. It’s a variety show that emphasizes both fun and astonishing artistic accomplishment. Special treats this year include entries from many Oscar contenders, work by sculptor/filmmaker John Frame (concurrently on exhibit at the Portland Art Museum), and an exciting sneak peek into LAIKA’s forthcoming feature film ParaNorman.

CLICK HERE for more info »

Also, just announced are the 58 official film selections for this year’s festival:

http://www.nwanimationfest.com/2012-official-selections/

“VFX Revolution” May 17th – Presented by WebVisions

oregonfilm — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:04:40 +0000

VFX Revolution: How the Internet and Digital Devices are Reshaping Visual Effects and Film

Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM (PT)
Location: Bagdad Theatre, Portland, OR

Anyone with an interest in VFX will not want to miss this opportunity to see and hear first hand what is currently going on directly from some current experts in the field. In less than 40 years, computer graphics and digital devices have transformed film experience with techniques such as digital compositing, motion control, computer-generated characters and photo-realistic images incorporated into live-action footage. Join a panel of film and visual effects experts as they discuss the new visual effects tools and techniques that have not only revolutionized the industry but have globalized the industry.

5:30-7:00pm – Pre-event Mixer sponsored by Yammer
7:00-8:30pm – Panel discussion

This event is free to WebVisions attendees.
Purchase/Reserve Tickets Here…

Speakers include:
Jeff White, Industrial Light and Magic
Ramiro Gomez, Hinge Digital
Brian Van’t Hul, LAIKA studios
Fred Ruff, Bent Image Lab
Jim Clark, Hive-FX

Event Sponsors:

WebVisions
Autodesk
3DPDX
52 Ltd
Oregon Film
NW Film Center

Oregon Animation

City Honors “Bill PlymptonDay!” with Celebration and Screenings at Bagdad Theater

Adobe Camp – What’s New BBQ: Presented by AEPDX & 3DPDX

Key Highlights

OMPA and McMenamins’ Great Northwest Film Tour present… “Adventures in Plymptoons!”

New Startup “The Digits” is Greenlighted for Rebates from the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & TV

The Pulse of Living Beings: An Evening with Jim Trainor

Presented by The School of Film, Cinema Project, & Experimental Film Festival Portland

FEES

LOCATION

JIM TRAINOR

Second Story Creates Interactive Sculpture for TEDx

“Fireflies” – Kickstarter Launch Party / Open House

invites you to our

Kickstarter Launch Party / Open House

Hinge Digital Brings the Carfax Car Fox to Life in CG

Northwest Animation Festival, May 18-19 @ the Hollywood Theatre

“VFX Revolution” May 17th – Presented by WebVisions

VFX Revolution: How the Internet and Digital Devices are Reshaping Visual Effects and Film

Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM (PT) Location: Bagdad Theatre, Portland, OR

Kickstarter
Launch Party /
Open House

Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM (PT)
Location: Bagdad Theatre, Portland, OR