b-Manhattane

Erte

2012-01-08T13:30:00.000-05:00

JuiceBox (?) @ The 92Y Theatre in Tribeca on New Year's Eve.

Best Street Art of 2011

Scientists still puzzled by a fractal discovered 500 years ago

A Giant Chart of the finances of the average American.

Twopence

2012-01-02T16:35:00.000-05:00

Animated Intro to Bolshoi Re-Opening

Projection on the Bridge - Immersive Surfaces - As Above, So Below from Light Harvest Studio - Ryan Uzi on Vimeo.

Tree-Lighting

2011-12-04T19:32:00.001-05:00

Gobble-Gobble

2011-11-27T20:50:00.001-05:00

Mr. Croup: "If you cut us, do we not bleed?"
Mr. Vandemaar: [pondering] "No."
~ "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman

Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham

2011-11-15T18:57:00.001-05:00

She smiled and added: "The clothespin had its way and we'd never got too far without it. Whenever we needed it, it was around us. It was going to be something, if it had its way. And then stopped it all after finding it was a clothespin."
~ Dementia Tale #4, from "Damn Shoe's & Other Talking Tales" by Dr. Daniel Boone

A step by step analysis of how "The Lion King" ripped off "Kimba the White Lion"

Long Beach

2011-10-29T18:31:00.002-04:00

Paper Lanterns

2011-09-06T20:45:00.004-04:00

5 words I looked up in the dictionary:
- transhumanism
- eldritch
- cultured
- excoriate
- languid

Acetaminophen

2011-08-17T22:51:00.002-04:00

"Oh those crazy Russians...."

A Dance to Summer

2011-07-10T22:41:00.005-04:00

Pierre sometimes attended her soirees and dinner parties, where politics, poetry, and philosophy were discussed, and knowing how very stupid she was, listened with a strange knowing of perplexity and alarm. At such times he felt like a conjurer who expects that at any moment his tricks will be seen through. But whether it was that stupidity was just what was required to conduct a salon, or that those who were deceived took pleasure in the deception, at any rate it was not discovered, and her reputation as a "charming, witty woman" became so firmly established that Ellen Vasilyevna Bezukhova could say the most banal and stupid things yet people continued to go into raptures over the least remark she made and to discover some profound meaning in it of which she herself had no inkling.
~ War & Peace

Whole Wheat

2011-06-13T21:36:00.004-04:00

Watch this in HD!

My artwork gains a toe-hold in other blogs, as I review animation screenings...

And Now For Something

2011-06-02T22:05:00.007-04:00

The Unfortunate Only

2011-05-13T23:38:00.003-04:00

100 years of special effects

The Fortunate Only

2011-04-10T22:03:00.004-04:00

Launch of Pamela Liou's new jewelry line" Langoliers.

Oh it burns

2011-04-05T18:28:00.004-04:00

A documentary I worked on wins an award.

The Constitution Project: Jury Selection: Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Company from The Documentary Group on Vimeo.

The Evolution of the Meme

Friday Friday

2011-03-25T14:24:00.004-04:00

Opening party for "Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels"

Defending America, the Underdog
By SETH SCHIESEL
Published: March 24, 2011
It is 2027, and Korea is a superpower that invades the United States. You play as an American resistance fighter.

Let's Get Fucked Up and Die

2011-03-19T10:46:00.003-04:00

ASIFA East 2011. Who might show up at the awards:

Student Films -
"Book Girl and Cabinet Girl" by Jane Wu
"Eclipse" by Liat Koren
"Dashera" by Animesh Dwivedi

Short Sponsored Films -
"Martha's Vineyard Film Fest Bumper" by Twins are Weird
"ChileVision La Verdad" by Nola Pis / Juan Delcan

"Daffodils" by Magik Studio

Long Sponsored Films -
"Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed" by Mo Willems
"The Human Voice" by The Rauch Brothers

"The Christmas Shoes" by Brian Musikoff / John Kawamoto

Independent Films -
"Mask" by Pat Smith
"Of Frogs and Gods" by Brad Pattulo
"Calypso Agency" by Joe Andres Velasco

Educational -
"Word on the Street" by David Levy

Music Video -
"Dot Dot Dot by Around the World" by Bryan Brinkman

Experimental -
"Accumulonimbus" by Andy Kennedy

Secret Passion

2011-03-14T12:29:00.002-04:00

Exhaustion

2011-03-01T21:12:00.004-05:00

5 new vocabulary words I looked up:

titer
hirsuteness
copacetic
grotto
arbiter

Albert Maysles

2011-02-18T12:28:00.003-05:00

Loss of Balance

2011-01-27T19:25:00.008-05:00

Coming to a DVD near you... a behind-the-scenes featurette of "The Moon & the Son" with after-effects work by me!

An animated Christmas card for the nice studio I intern for.

My review of the reopening of the Museum of Moving Image, for ASIFA-East

This happened already, but soon it will spread across the nation... I made the title cards. Jules Feiffer's dancer-cartoons are brought to life by the Merce Cunningham Dance Co.

Baller

2010-12-30T14:59:00.006-05:00

Lunar Totality

2010-12-20T13:45:00.005-05:00

Tron Defragged A New York Geek Cast movie review

The Xbox Moves In
Forbes Magazine dated December 20, 2010

Scenes from the Latin Quarter

2010-12-12T11:41:00.004-05:00

War N Peace

2010-11-30T19:10:00.005-05:00

"No I was never in the Macon country. I've puked my puke of a life away here, I tell you! Here! In the Cackon country!"
~ Estragon, "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett

Borromini, After Effects artist of the 17th century!!!

The Nutcracker Chronicles
Published: November 16, 2010
Readers shared photos and memories of appearing in or attending the holiday classic “The Nutcracker.”
See if you can find me! I'm the NYCBallet version.

Near Death

2010-11-04T19:08:00.005-04:00

A concept sketch for a friends hit webisode series: Prep School Blues.

Intimacy

2010-10-18T22:47:00.003-04:00

5 animators to watch out for:
- Noella Borie a French Parsons student who intelligently animates mixed media and is assisting on a feature animation

- Chris Monti a freelance concept artist who knows how to perfect a design into something he can animate well
- Kyle Cabral a USC-Jerseyite with great emotional animal animation
- Josiah Sarr, educated somewhere in middle America, and despite that made a great amalgamation of fairytales
- and Karen Ross, a Pennsylvania animatrix who has clearly defined and settled into a personal style

This analysis is based on the 2010 ASIFA East open screening.
A special shout out to David Levy, whose film "Grandpa Looked Like William Powell" is a wonderful, artistic reminder that us fellow newbie-animators have a hell of a lot left to learn from teachers like him.

Bart-Man

2010-10-06T19:28:00.006-04:00

"Melinda The Seer"
I found several drawings, comics and sketches from my 2008-early 2009 notebook, and had a couple laughs and groans as I relived memories and ideas. Some will be declassified in 20 years. This one is a character study for a hippie oracle that gives vital information to my hero in an epic crime drama. My notes say: "Seal of Solomon contains -smoke in the dorm room."

"And then came, as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS. Of this spirit philosophy takes no account. Yet I am not more sure that my soul lives, than I am that perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart--love of the indivisible primary faculties, or sentiments, which give direction to the character of Man. Who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a wile or a stupid action, for no other reason than because he knows he should not."
- The black cat - Edgar Allen Poe

Elephant Stampede

2010-09-26T19:49:00.002-04:00

A discarded idea for a client.

I was trying to find something that involved "Tarzan" and "Celluloid Closet," but stumbled upon this history of sex in cinema, from the early 1910s and on.

Valor

2010-09-14T10:44:00.004-04:00

Hans Vredeman de Vries

My new book! Will begin after finishing Edger Allen Poe stories:

by the guy who painted Dinotopia

Fervor

2010-09-09T16:08:00.006-04:00

Heat Stroke

2010-09-02T18:52:00.003-04:00

My review of Tom Strathe's 6th Cartoon Carnival

LAGOA MULTIPHYSICS

PASSIONPIT REMIX

Unchained Melody

2010-08-26T12:04:00.005-04:00

Aluna Test from Tristian Goik on Vimeo.

A test for the motion comic book "Aluna." I did not draw it, but I animated it. I was replaced by an Indian company, and unfortunately the project did not premiere at the San Diego Comic Con as originally intended.

The Web Means the End of Forgetting

By JEFFREY ROSEN

Published: July 21, 2010

The digital age is facing its first existential crisis: the impossibility of erasing your posted past and moving on.

It was late in the evening when K. arrived. The village was deep in snow. The Castle hill has hidden, veiled in mist and darkness, nor was there even a glimmer of light to show that a castle was there. On the wooden bridge leading from the main road to the village, K. stood for a long time gazing into the illusory emptiness above him.

~ "The Castle" by Kafka

Dubliners

2010-08-10T19:09:00.005-04:00

"The Birthday of the Infanta" now at a website near you!!!

Suprise alternative music!

Why is it that words like these seem to me so dull and cold? Is it because there is no word tender enough to be your name?

~ "The Dead" by James Joyce

Battle: Los Angeles

2010-08-04T15:39:00.004-04:00

Inspired by the Jean Leon Gerome exhibit at the Getty museum in L.A.

My review of Comic Con, via NY Geekcast.

Know Your Mushrooms

2010-07-21T20:34:00.004-04:00

LABAN NOTATION

Chicken Man

2010-07-14T15:08:00.005-04:00

Backstage at the Met Opera House, watching the "Romeo & Juliet" ballet

5 minutes of Bruno Bozetto's "Allegro Non Tropo, which is like "Fantasia" meets "8 1/2"

AND NOW... it's "My moon my man" remixes, BOYS NOIZE vs GRIZZLY BEAR

And my latest NY Geekcast post about the year 2050...

Haku

2010-07-05T17:34:00.005-04:00

I am now guest blogging at the New York Geekcast. Check out my Naruto & Haku article.

You should never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth.

~ "An Enemy of the People" by Henrik Ibsen

Family of Trees

2010-06-22T17:22:00.004-04:00

Strangers' faces hold no secrets because the imagination does not invest them with any. But the face of a lover is an unknown precisely because it is invested with so much of oneself. It is a mystery, containing, like all mysteries, the possibility of torment.

- Another Country, by James Baldwin

GORILLAZ "MELANCHOLY HILL" VIDEO. TEH AWESOME

Clark Little

Sangfroid

2010-06-11T11:28:00.002-04:00

An Interactive 3d Photo model of the Vatican, at the official Vatican website!

Last night, I went to Midsummer Night 2oons last night at the M1-5 bar (which is either a reference to a globular cluster in the Pegasus constellation or a punk band). It was organized by 5 semi successful animators who convinced the bar that they could show their animations and drive people to buy drinks during happy hour, but could not convince them to let them use their 6 HD flat screen TVs and instead projected animations on the wall (over lamps) and had several audio issues. That being said, the idea was great, very good for them and their friends. I ran into Alyssa D, and we had a good time and The Adventures of Man Child seemed to be the favorite.

And also yesterday my dad asked me to photograph a tour he arranged of the new Cooper Union building for various architects and engineers of the School Construction Authority.

Sideswipe

2010-06-04T21:32:00.001-04:00

You can find a cute 1 minute recording of my lovely self at the Sunnyside Sound Project and listen right HERE. Sabine Heinlein is a really cool lady who moved into the neighborhood a few years ago and apparently was inspired by her neighbors. I got to make friends with some crazy old ladies.

"Poor creatures, why must we destroy you? I'll tell you why. Order is the tide of creation, but yours is a species that worships the one over the many. You glorify your intelligence because it allows you to believe anything. That you have a destiny, that you have a right, that you have a cause, that you are special. That you are great. But the truth... you are born insane. And such misery, can't be allowed to spread."
~ Evil Alien at the end of "Starship Troopers 2"

B.E.A.T.

2010-05-26T10:18:00.003-04:00

ENVISION : Step into the sensory box from SUPERBIEN on Vimeo.

VIA Sarah Elizabeth Clemens

BABIES

2010-05-13T17:10:00.002-04:00

Animation ebbs and tides, apparently. In this year's NYU Tisch Animation festival there were fewer films than I expected, and I looked for some pearls. Matt Christensen's "Rant" was great, but I covered that in an earlier post. So my highlight goes to Vincent Hon's "Cold Place, Warm Tale" which was a solid attempt to make a good film with a nice flair in fairy tale, anime, and character animation. Plus, I enjoyed the "draw two people with both hands while not looking at your drawing" game very much.

I couldn't find a relevant picture or video, so this will have to do. Vincent Hon animates with his feet, apparently.

Some cool art by *Phobs

Intro to animation pieces usually have great music too:

Genuflect Genuflect Genuflect

2010-05-05T21:16:00.003-04:00

Asuka's Mind Rape

2010-04-28T18:51:00.003-04:00

Watch more cool animation and creative cartoons at Aniboom
This is my submission to the Aniboom Awards 4, for Sesame St. Check it out, leave a comment!

Please watch copious amounts of French film before attempting to watch the Neon Genesis Evangelion series.

A scary Jesus magazine I found on the subway.

Crystal Castles

2010-04-22T19:06:00.006-04:00

A sweet memorial for the passing of the Ugly Betty TV show...

My friend Ben O did the animation for this video!

South Park... redefining "fags."

I saw "The Man with a Movie Camera" today at MoMA. It sets up editing for all history.

Pas de Trois

2010-04-17T20:08:00.003-04:00

Katyn

2010-04-10T09:46:00.002-04:00

"I was not only 23 but a conspicuously retarded 23." ~ Buddy
Storyboards for "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters" by JD Salinger

Somehow I missed the existence of the NYU Center for Advanced Digital Applications while I was in school. However, I have now had the opportunity to watch the DVD of their 2009 films (a surprising haven of 3d animation?). How come they can hand out free DVDs and our Tisch Animation Showcase can't?

Deliver Us

2010-04-02T21:19:00.003-04:00

I recently attended Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival and had the pleasure of drinking Cucumber Raspberry Collins and watching "Minnie's Yoo Hoo" while everyone sang along in a vaudeville atmosphere.

OMG, I was going to post the trailer for the 1981 "Caligula" (which drove me to drunken disorder) but I just found the imaginary remake trailer that someone made for the Whitney Biennial in 2006(?)!!! If you like this, go rent the original. It's highly disturbing... NSFW

Men in Skirts

2010-03-26T22:55:00.005-04:00

"I simply state that I’m a product of a versatile mind in a restless generation – with every reason to throw my mind and pen in with the radicals. Even if, deep in my heart, I thought we were all blind atoms in a world as limited as a stroke of a pendulum, I and my sort would struggle against tradition; try, at least, to displace old cants with new ones. I’ve thought I was right about life at various times, but faith is difficult. One thing I know. If living isn’t seeking for the grail it may be a damned amusing game."
— F. Scott Fitzgerald (This Side of Paradise)

The winners of the New York International Children's Film Festival are listed HERE.

NSFW
NSFW but from a brilliant Fosse move "All That Jazz"
NSFW!!!

Rodeo

2010-03-18T14:31:00.008-04:00

And now for my review of the ASIFA-East Film festival. I will restrict my opinions to one short sentence:

Top 5 Student Films:
5 - "A Rant" by Matt Christensen A clever stream-o-consciousness piece about the struggle over making student films.
4 - "New Soul" by Audrey Skalkowski A roughly animated but sensuous story of a tormented trapeze artist.
3 - "Down to the Bone" by Peter Ahern A creepy hilarious story about allergies gone horribly wrong.
2 - "The Terrible Thing of Alpha-9" by Jake Armstrong The cutest sharptoothed 6 eyed space monster ever!
1 - "Singles" by Rebecca Sugar. A hallucinatory reflection upon the self and loneliness.

Top 3 Independent Films:
Honorary Mention - "Aesthetic Species Maps" by David Montgomery Beauty in form and color found in ordinary and exotic nature cross sections.
3 - "The Thing in the Distance" by Elliot Cowan A primal story of two best friends dealing with the world.
2 - "The Hybrid Union" by Hybroll Animation 3 machines. 1 cloud. The desert.
1 - "Off-Line" by Tom Gasek. A microwave's circuit board flawlessly brought to life.

Woody Award - "Batman: A Death in the Family" by RobsMedia

Top 3 Sponsored Films under 2mins:
3 - "My Daughter Studies" by David B Levy A funny and educational short about punctuation.
2 - "Don't Miss It" by David Cowles & Jeremy Galante. A slickly polished and action packed commercial for an orchestra.

1 - "Midtown Twist" by Twinkle LLC (loses points for being unGooglable). A sketchbook of NYC brought to life.

Top 3 Sponsored Films over 2mins:
3 -"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Weston Woods Studio You must not let the pigeon drive the bus.
2 - "One Time We Lived" by Slippery Rock Creative LLC. I <3>

1 - "ELECTRIC CAR" *CLAP CLAP* by Tiny Inventions I almost sang along to this "They Might Be Giants" song in the theatre itself.

Cairo

2010-03-10T10:17:00.008-05:00

I premiered my latest Macy's drawing (above) at "The Art of Fashion" show at Webster Hall last Friday (below). Thanks to everyone who came to support my art!

STYLO - the new single from the GORILLAZ... My favorite animated band makes the transition to the 3rd dimension! And a special cameo by my single most favorite comic bk character.

For a month of Sundays I will be volunteering at the NY International Children's Film Festival.
The first Sunday I got to rip tickets and hand out programs and ballots for the short films. Here are some highlights:

The Happy Duckling pop up book animation!
Electric Car - They Might Be Giants catchy song, cute video

Lebensader Eskimo art!

DSi head tracking video games

Triple Axel

2010-02-23T22:58:00.002-05:00

UnSound

2010-02-17T17:59:00.004-05:00

One day I decided to see what I thought was a Polish Electro Punk Festival...and instead I found UNSOUND which is exactly that, if you redefine the meanings of 'Polish' 'Electro' 'Punk' and 'Festival.' Woe is me, I could only afford to go to the free event at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, but I wanted to see the live music show they played during a screening of Warhol's Blow Job.

Later I got to see a screening of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. I was sitting in the middle of a bunch of urban middle school children, who were trying hard to be gangsta but their fascination and ignorance of Greek mythology overwhelmed them. My favorite moments: 1) when Percy's mom says she met Poseidon on the Jersey Shore me and the teachers giggled (about The Situation) 2) the 5 day accidental lotus/acid trip Percy and his friends take in Vegas, with the obligatory Lady Gaga dance sequence, and 3) the oh so subtle reference to Citizen Kane (find it for yourself!). I am a sucker for anything fantastical and Manhattan based, so this would have blown my mind back in high school.

My favorite Superbowl ad...

Wonder Lab!

2010-02-08T21:29:00.001-05:00

The Sony Public Space on Madison and 56th. Then I went to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab and programmed a robot, practiced virtual open heart surgery, and did some blend shape Maya animation. It's a really cool museum, for free, family fun, you get a ID card that you can program with your photo and voice print and you swipe it at every exhibit and everything is personalized.

Portrait Of Ludovico Capponi

I read an article in the New Yorker about the artist Bronzino at the Met, an Italian Mannerist, and they mentioned this painting "with that lad's unforgettably protruding, glad-to-see-us codpiece"

NIGHTFALL is a short story by Isaac Asimov, about a world where there is perpetual daylight, and about the possible consequences of that civilization experiencing one night for the first time.

LOST

2010-02-02T18:07:00.010-05:00

Ok, so I was at this freelance job where I had to upload a million videos, and each one took 15 minutes. I thought it would be good to do some drawing. The first day I was looking for inspiration, and I remembered this great techno song with the lyrics "Hello Seattle / I am a manta ray" Then I saw "The Secret of Kells" and I just got really carried away. :-D

My new Mac Book Pro, with my new Adobe Production CS4, and Final Cut. And my tablet, on my new Parson's table!

On Sunday, I went to see the Dance on Camera Film Festival at the Walter Reade Theatre at Licoln Center. I read a NYTimes article about Disney and dance animation so I thought I would check it out. They showed 5 shorts: Goofy's How To Dance, The Skeleton Dance, Dance of the Hours from Fanatasia, Cock of the Walk, and maybe something else... I suggest you all look them up. Then they showed the festival submissions, and i voted for my favorite: "She" by Kathy Rose

Brief

2010-01-27T20:55:00.004-05:00

"The stupider one is, the closer one is to reality. The stupider one is, the clearer one is. Stupidity is brief and artless, while intelligence wriggles and hides itself. Intelligence is a knave, but stupidity is honest and straightforward."
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

Watch the TV show not the movie on Utube

California minimalism at the David Zwirner gallery: newyorker.com

Just Gimme Some Truth

2010-01-18T17:51:00.006-05:00

The Welf Dorr Group

Kirikou & The Sorceress, by Michel Ocelot

Just finished the box set of Ray Harryhausen

Mademoiselle Gaga

VAIO

2010-01-16T10:47:00.003-05:00

Partying at my friend's band The Best Hits

The First Internet Video I ever saw

Yonder from Emilia on Vimeo.

New Directions

2010-01-12T21:30:00.005-05:00

I just saw The Secret of Kells and I feel like a wonderful happy child. Every frame is a blessing and study in composition. And I scored a screener DVD! Thank you ASIFA!

And here is a pitch I made for a project called "Pirate Vs Ninjas" But that story will continue without me.

And now a refreshing animation from MTV Polska:

Twenty-Ten

2010-01-06T20:02:00.005-05:00

"There cannot be enough hours in the days of a queen... and the nights have too many."

The Swan Lake Costume, drawing of either myself or the other guy I was with, and then a really cool plant that we saw in the West Village.

Accentuate the Positive

2009-12-21T22:35:00.021-05:00

Yoga to the People @ St. Mark's Place

"The Adventures of Prince Achmed" by Lotte Reiniger, a cute German girl in Leia Buns who made the first animated feature film. There is a great documentary about her on the DVD called "Homage to the Inventor of the Silhouette Film," but there is some other documentary on Youtube that might be good too.

I apologize for Youtube's blatant titling, but I liked the dance and concept.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-20T10:02:00.009-05:00

I found in an errant folder a series of drawings I made for a graphic novel. I believe the story involved a wayward college student who gets visited by 3 people: an angel, Morpheus (from the Sandman not the Matrix) and Andy Warhol. His life then changes in some dramatic way. I think it's appropriate for today.

This documentary about Girl Talk and copyright laws is the most important documentary for any artist living today.

He couldn't imagine what to say to her next. Tucker Trigg spared him the task by introducing the man who stood next to the chair. He was a tall, older man. His gray hair was combed back smartly. He had the sort of military posture seldom seen in New York. His name was Clifford Priddy, and he was well known for defending prominent people in federal criminal cases. This one had Wasp written all over him. He looked at you straight down his long, thing nose. His clothes were subdued and rich, as only these bastards knew how to do it. his shiny black shoes were oh-ho-sweetly fitted in the instep and trim in the toe. The man made Kramer feel clumsy. His own shoes were heavy brown sloggers, with soles that stuck out like rock ledges. Well, this case wasn't in federal court, where the old Ivy League network still looked out for it's own. No, they were dealing with the basic Bronx now.

- "Bonfire of the Vanities" by Tom Wolfe

Not the official video, but once you hit 2 min 44 secs this video gets great.

A New Eden, Both Cosmic and Cinematic

Straight to Hell

2009-12-11T20:03:00.015-05:00

12 'Sexy' Ads that will give you nightmares.

Barbara Walter's 10 most interesting people of the year.

There's a good cover by Lily Allen, and of course by MIA

The best new Christmas animation on the block. Click photo for their blog.

Fishville

2009-12-08T16:08:00.010-05:00

Donnie Darko is not a movie about a scary bunny. It is a movie about Time Travel. And the 1980s. And Suburban Teens. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Seth Rogen, and Drew Barrymore!!!

Kid Robot

2009-12-05T11:33:00.013-05:00

James Madison... reimagined with blend layers in AE!

In Animated Videos, News and Guesswork Mix

A video that simulates Tiger Woods’s accident has drawn attention to a new world of pseudo-journalism in Taiwan.

Bergdorf Goodman: Fantastic Mr. Fox and Scottish Ostriches!

Wanted to see more Bolshoi...

Que Sera Sera

2009-12-01T17:27:00.011-05:00

The Bidwell House Museum Silent Auction

Glee: It finally happened, Will finds out his wife Terri has faked her pregnancy. There is a big argument about why she lied. This is the most dramatic scene in the TV series so far:
Terri: “Ever since you started [Glee Club], you just walk around like you’re better than me.”
Will: “I should be allowed to feel good about myself.”
Terri: “Who are we kidding, Will. This marriage works because you don’t feel good about yourself.”
Exit Will.

French Hip Hop + "Metropolis" film

ArtsBeat: Dungeons, Dragons and Debate: A Gay Love Scene in Gaming Stokes Discussion
By DAVE ITZKOFF
The lead designer of the role-playing game, Dragon Age: Origins, talks about why a gay love scene was included in the game, and the reaction it has generated. AND there is a YouTube link included...

Sunnyside

2009-11-29T18:59:00.004-05:00

I walked off the 40th St Lowery 7 Train and discovered that there is a Sunnyside Drum Corps.

My parents took me to a silent auction at The Bidwell House, and I won this box set of Narnia:

Probably broke some kid's heart. Haha.

I try not to give opinions but I do have a problem with this particular story: The mysterious ecological disaster is cool, once you figure it out. I am very saddened by the loss of humanity's technological future, and don't think the farmer's existence amongst the ruins is particularly romantic. I want Toola to succeed in her quest to restore the past, and I don't understand why Agito would give up his simple girlfriend immediately for the new girl, and on top of it sell his soul to the forest for superpowers that would hurt him. The bad guys are shown venting black pollution, but they also created the beautiful nature? Maybe it's a good thing that this movie creates mixed feelings and you can't paint everything black and white.

Thanksgiving Stuffin

2009-11-24T18:07:00.005-05:00

"Do you think I'm blaming them for talking rot? Not a bit! I like people to talk rot. It's a man's only privilege over the rest of creation. By talking rot, you eventually get to the truth. I'm a man because I talk rot. Not a single truth has ever been discovered without people first talking utter rot a hundred times or perhaps a hundred thousand times -- and it's, in a way, a highly commendable thing even. But so far as we are concerned, you see, the trouble is that we can't even talk rot in our own way. Talk rot by all means, but do it in your own way, and I'll be ready to kiss you for it."

~ Crime & Punishment

Short Short Story Film Festival

Phil Servati (my composer) Kristen Garris (friend) and me!

This was a great film "The Garbage Angels"

Old Mom's Stuffin

Pushpins

2009-11-17T10:42:00.010-05:00

THE BIRTHDAY OF THE INFANTA will be screened at the Short Short Story Film Festival at THINK CAFE at 7:00pm on SATURDAY NOV 21!!!

This is my rotoscoped version of Andy Warhol's famous screen-tests, where he would sit a person in front of a camera and film them for 3 minutes. I made this about a year ago, but I finished the last 12 frames just recently.

Quarter Life Crisis Article: "He listlessly works through lunch, then goes to the bar after work to meet up with some university friends, where they talk about their jobs and make ironic jokes about other people. Back at home, he wonders why he feels so gross and empty after spending time with them, but it’s mostly better than being alone."

Facebook status cloud uploaded before the application was blocked

No place, sometime

2009-11-10T14:59:00.007-05:00

My new Moleskin Art book.

This music video is a cross between "Tale of Tales" by Yuri Norstein and my own animation "A Cliff-side Romance."

Name Day

2009-10-28T22:34:00.010-04:00

She found her husband in his study. He was sitting at the table lost in thought. His expression was austere, preoccupied, guilty. This was not the Pyotr Dmitrich who had been arguing at dinner and whom his guests knew, but a different man--exhausted, guilty, dissatisfied with himself, whom no one but his wife knew. He must have come to his study for cigarettes. Before him lay an open cigarette case full of cigarettes, and his hand was still in the drawer of the table. As he was taking out the cigarettes he had become absorbed in his thoughts.
Olga Mikhailovna felt sorry for him. It was as clear as day that the man was tormented and could find no peace, and was, perhaps, undergoing a struggle with himself. Olga Mikhailovna went up to the table without a word; in a desire to show her husband that she had forgotten the argument at dinner and was no longer angry with him, she shut the cigarette case and put it in his side pocket.
- "The Name Day Party" by Anton Chekhov

Video Games:

Related - for a laugh, youtube "Princess Robot Bubblegum"

Disney Magic:

I tried to compile a Top 10 list of my favorite techno songs but my brain crashed.

My sister told me that you can get DMX files from an ultrasound, which means you could put it in Maya and make a 3D print of your baby if you wanted to...

Ball & Chain

2009-10-27T11:18:00.009-04:00

Tonight I went to see a free screening of MARY & MAX. An "A+" clay-mation if I ever saw one, remarkable for transcending the child genre entirely. Yet humorous... I will never think of the song "Que Sera Sera" the same way again. It is the story of two pen pals: one a girl in Australia, the other an old man in New York.

I recently watched "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," as part of my attempt to watch all the Star Trek movies. What a great Sci-Fi movie. Stunning visuals (for 1979) and a fascinating story and plot twists. Yay!

Spray-Tan

2009-10-22T11:31:00.004-04:00

On Sunday, I went to the Big Apple Comic Con. Just to see what a comic-con was like. Essentially, it had a bunch of stalls selling comics, toys, t-shirts, merchandise, a section for autographs, a big Chewbacca, and the car from Back to the Future. The highlight of the event was buying The Thief and the Cobbler and a special Xmas present for my sister.

An Animation about the Doctor who discovered LSD

Then on Thursday I went to a One Plus Hub Animation networking event at the Beauty Bar, which was really cool and fun. They have manicures for $4! But the network people were really nice, there were ASIFA-East members and Women in Animation members. I ran into the coolest girl on the internet: KENDRA ELLIOT who literally makes Facebook interesting and educational for me. I also ran into some people who worked at the same places I did, so I did learn a lot and make connections.

An article about virtual reality fashion

Bacta War

2009-10-09T12:57:00.005-04:00

Website Updates:
- new resume
- new reel
- newly posted life drawings
- reorganized old art work from before 2005
CLICK HERE TO SEE ME WEBSITE, HAR HAR

Virtual Reality:

Fashion Photography:

Movement of a Hand

2009-10-07T16:25:00.009-04:00

Handzor from Tristian Goik on Vimeo.

Step 1: Sketch hand for fun.
Step 2: Realize that I should probably be animating.
Step 3: Experiment with what FX I can make in Flash MX only.
Step 4: Add "Happy Birthday" by Modeselektor.
Step 5: Find musician friend to develop into better music video!
Step 6: Completely redo when I get my own copy of AE!

The future of animation, from right to left: myself, George Conkin, Connie Chan, JOHN CANEMAKER (my role-model) Harry Teitelman, and Steve Neary. This is at Canemaker's screening-party of his documentary about Chuck Jones, which we all assistant-animated on.

Movie Reviews!
9:
A good movie, animated well with the "stitch-punk" style. Best moment: when #1 sees the dead ghost of #2, which is attached to the tail of the Cobra-monster, and he experiences a Macbeth kind of moment. Worst moment: the end.

Sword in the Stone:
Cute, interesting. No plot. Nice try Disney. Didn't appreciate the rip off opening of Sleeping Beauty, but I like Archimedes the owl.

Memories:
Magnetic Rose = Space + Mdm Butterfly = Sweet Goodness

Pretentious

2009-10-01T22:15:00.002-04:00

ASIFA_East Open Screening
I thought it was on Sunday but it was on Tuesday which was fun because I had to run out early to an Aida dress rehearsal.
But I got there early and I was the 5th to screen and at least 2 girls chuckled at my animated jokes for "The Birthday of the Infanta" so I consider it a success. I also met PILAR NEWTON who was running around seizing the day and sporting a cool promotional t-shirt. She did "My Sister's Butt" which is very cute. Other than that I saw no one I knew, and at least SIX 1940's orphan boy newspaper caps. And I got to see the new animated music video for Moby's "Mistake"

Mistake (Animated version) from Moby on Vimeo.

He's cool.

FILM FEST
Oh and I will be screening my movie at the Merging Arts Film Festival... more info when I know.

COOL PICS

painting by KELLEY

Play It Cool

2009-09-24T19:10:00.003-04:00

A Cool T-Shirt I would like to buy:

Cool Air Plants that don't grow in dirt!

A not so cool-quality camera photo of my fun at Aida

And a cool animated Opera?

Birthday Teaser

2009-09-21T22:50:00.002-04:00

Finally, a teaser trailer for my film (which is completed) and screenshots!

The Birthday of the Infanta - Teaser from Tristian Goik on Vimeo.

Birthday of the Infanta

Brasil Brasil

2009-09-13T21:51:00.004-04:00

MOVIES:
Walt & El Grupo -
A wonderful documentary about the time Disney decided not to freak out about his animators' strike and instead go to South America on a (surprisingly) successful good will tour to make movies. If only I could have been one of those happy artists... My sister scooped me on the short films they made.

The Player - I <3 Robert Altman

And a fun fun party song. I think it's hilarious this video is the only way I can share it.

Con Men

2009-09-11T14:09:00.007-04:00

The Confidence Man
A play about where we place our confidence. For Free. On a Boat. Starring my friend Nick F in the top hat. My Docent (in blue shirt) was highly pyscotic and flirtatious and stole my heart. "I dumped this guy Thaddeus, and I almost killed myself, but it's not like I wanted him dead and then kiss him and hold his hands..." I suspect her main role was to distract us from the various scenes happening on the boat. The best part I saw was the IM conversation between a tricky-girl and a love-struck boy. But after a while I ran around the boat exploring what else was going on at the same time, and saw a crazy woman channel the spirit of someone's dead lover. It reminded me of Myst III for some reason. Never have I had the opportunity to physically explore a story world.

Amazing. At the end it was rained out, and I found my friend Nick playing poker and I thought it was part of the play but then I realized we were just playing poker. Haha. Oh, and his first lines were:
*docent drops a pen, Nick picks it up for her*
Nick: "Nice Ass."
Docent: "Go fuck yourself"

WIZARDS by Ralph Bakshi
- Wizards used to be called Wizard Wars but since it was released close to Star Wars, Fox told them they sounded too similiar and Lucas convinced Bakshi to change
- Disney tried to push out Wizards with Fantasia, but it didn't matter since Star Wars exploded over all of them
- Bakshi wanted to prove he could make an intelligent and moving story for kids "that didn't talk down to them like certain Mouse- Films"

I over watered my orchid! It needs some rehab.

On GLEE they performed "Gold Digger" by Kanye. Which I love and everything, but why choose a pop song with an obviously missing swear(?) word?
SHE AIN'T MESSING WITH NO BROKE NIGGERS!

Crunch

2009-09-03T11:07:00.009-04:00

My sister and I collaborated on "The People Speak" contest! Its a 30 sec animation about famous American Quotes. This is a speech on patriotism by Emma Goldman. VOTE FOR US NOW!

Watch more cool animation and creative cartoons at Aniboom

This movie I first saw at Tisch, and learned the name from someone I met on a dating website. It was fun to watch.
TWICE UPON A TIME

I had to track down this awesome Bagpipes song I heard on an Irish radio program...The Full Moon Down Under set, last track. It was like a beautiful techno song, sadly we can only hear 30 secs.

Girl and the Sea

2009-08-30T21:30:00.008-04:00

Did that really happen?

CLONE WARS: My new favorite part of the Star Wars Saga

DISTRICT 9 -
was awesome. An intrigueing story with cool aliens not-thrown-in-your-face. I smell a sequel! Was disappointed that the trailer footage was not actually in the movie...

And Hitler learns that the Avatar trailer sucks...

Twenty-One-Derland

2009-08-27T22:47:00.011-04:00

This is a Birthday Present for Brigid. She had a great Twenty-One-Derland party while I was away and I saw this photo on facebook. Bordering on the edge of stalking, I thought it was a great photo and decided to use it for art-practice. I did a life-sketch with the line tool, but decided I should push myself further and do a cartoon version from that with the brush. I now feel more confident with my Wacom Bamboo.

My Film, the Birthday of the Infanta is in the running for the 4th quarter contest at ANIMAZING. I have to update my website soon...

And now a little queerness. Thank you Disney for not suing this annoying-yet-nice men! I still hate Miley cyrus.

Now to cleanse your pallete, here is a beautiful old love song
(ignore the questionable image)

IS TAKING RIOT

2009-08-25T11:15:00.007-04:00

First:
AVATAR TRAILER!!!!
It looks pretty dope. And I trust in spectacular 3d effects.

I'm running a little off schedule with these posts. My apologies.

CZECH Animation

LEGO Animation (someone Tell dave pagano!)

And a Beach Boys remix by my fav electro artist.

Deux semaines dans le pays

2009-08-24T12:38:00.009-04:00

I have just returned from my family's annual two week vacation in the Berkshires. A retreat from the social and technological scene, it turned out to be more relaxing and fun than originally anticipated.

Day 1
- picked up grandparents from Connecticut; derived a certain satisfaction out of seeing my grandmother annoy my mother
- discovered my orange-mint is not growing as well as hoped
- briefly crashed a wedding across the street from our house

Day 2
- watched "Do the Right Thing," was disappointed to see that it was just about a bunch of sweaty pissed off african-americans
- finished "Atlas Shrugged":
"Love is blind, they say; sex is impervious to reason and mocks the powers of all philosophers. But, infact, a man's sexual choice is the result and the sum of his fundamental convictions. Tell me what a man finds sexually attractive and I will tell you his entire philosophy of life. Show me the woman he sleeps with and I will tell you his valuation of himself."~ Franscisco d'Anconia
- visited the Freylinghuysun-Morris house and studios, which is a Bauhaus in the Berkshires with some fancy art and good design in it; in particular I liked the living room with the leather floor tiles which I've never seen before

Day 3
- went swimming at Lake Garfield, was out of breath sadly and got a little sunburnt

Day 4
- went to the Berkshire Mall, where the only clothes I bought were from Target, which tells you something about the stores
- saw "Julie & Julia" with the whole family, squirmed when Julia Child pulled out pasta from the oven and said it was "Hot as a Stiff Cock!"

Day 5
- mom went to ER to check out bug bite
- watched "In Bruges," pretty deep and funny
- discovered family history:
A. Wobojinski (Russian Bolshevik refugee) begat B. Wobojinksa, who married L. Bonkofski and begat S. Bonkofska (b. 1924) who married Marian M (b. 1924, from Julia Ejak and Piotr Matyjas)
who begat Christine M (b. 1947) who married Roman G. (b.1941) who begat TRISTIAN G. (b.1987)

Day 6
- visited the Ventfort house (name from french for 'strong wind' but anglicized) interesting Victorian styles, discovered that the town of Lenox lost a lot of youths as servants to passengers on the Titanic; had a very cool dress exhibit

- watched "The Simspons Movie" got psyched out by aspect ratio change

Day 7
- returned grandparents to Connecticut
- waded in beach @ Hamanassett, saw a pipe fish hiding in seaweed, along with a lot of other wildlife and trash

Day 8
- BATS IN THE ATTIC!
- watched "Afro-Samurai," can't get enough
- got hooked on "Afro-Pop Worldwide" radio show, now looking for Brazilian techno

- went to Lake Fest, party at the lake which had good fireworks

Day 9
- bought Sleeping Beauty 50th Anniversary DVD and The Last Unicorn 25th Anniversary DVD (to replace my old VHS and crappy dvd respectively)
- watched "Darjeeling Limited,"

Day 10
- went to Berkshire Museum, saw lots of cute frogs
- went to Berkshire Brewery; top 3 beers: Rauch Bier (smoky), Gerry Dog Stout (creamy), and Apricot Pale Ale (sweet)
- saw "Twelfth Night" at Shakespeare & Co., raunchy! I <3 Sir Andrew!

Day 11
- watched Volver, such beautiful simple credits I could die

- also watched "Burn after reading" "the Queen" and "Faulty Towers" at various times

Day 12
- went to the Botanical Gardens, way more mosquitoes than necessary, but lots of tasty mint

Day 13
- went to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemp Art; toured the new Sol Lewitt building of which I have mixed feelings about because his stuff will be there for 25 years, and saw Project Bandaloop. Lewitt likes to do things like "connect every single architectural corner on a wall to everyother corner with chalk" or "completely and evenly fill a wall with 10-inch long not-straight lines" And project bandaloop are the people who suspend themselves and dance horizontally on the sides of buildings, breathtaking choreography.

Day 14
- had a terrible night of sleep
- drew a lot
- finished "The Letters of Madame de Sevigne"
"I went to Mlle de Louvois's wedding. What can I tell you about it? Magnificence, celebrities, all of France, costumes dripping with gold, jewels in profusion, braziers of flame and of flowers, a traffic jam of carriages, shouting in the street, fiery torches, carriages backing up and running over people! All in all, a turmoil, an extravagance, questions asked--the answers unattended; empty compliments paid by people oblivious to what they are saying; cordial salutation addressed to those one does not even know, heels caught up in other people's trains!"

SYTYCDance Finale

2009-08-08T08:43:00.002-04:00

Ah the season draws to an explosive end. Congrats to JEANINE, WINNER OF SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!

I love the Matrix music

T3h aw3som3

2009-08-06T16:15:00.001-04:00

I<3NY

2009-08-04T21:53:00.005-04:00

I discovered the beauty of 3d Buildings in GoogleEarth at work today. It made me remember why I made this blog. Apparently this area is called Foley Square.

SYTYCDance 108

2009-08-02T19:59:00.006-04:00

A Scanner/Mirror Lightly/Darkly

2009-07-30T15:32:00.005-04:00

A sketch from Google inspired by The Half Blood Prince and boredom at work.

A statue from the Rose Garden at Brooklyn's Botanical Garden.

Guinea Techno

2009-07-28T22:10:00.004-04:00

MOVIES:
First of all, I went with my Mom and Dad to see G-Force, because my smart sister Guenever who works at In-3 helped make that movie fit for 3-D glasses. I thought the movie was pretty funny, although I do not approve of Lady Gaga songs for small children. And I don't know if I should be pleasantly surprised or ashamed that I didn't see the ending coming. You should all go see it anyway, it made 32.3 million opening weekend and it could use a bit more.

PARTIES:

Some great exhibits at PS.1 but Warm up this year was a blast with a great techno DJ and a very chill environment.

MUSIC:

Art Fiesta!

2009-07-27T14:09:00.006-04:00

ANIMATION BLOCK PARTY:
I attended the first night of this great film festival on Friday in Williamsburg. Last year I remember it as being very funny, crazy, and gross and I hoped for more of the same. My one true trooper friend Kelly (amazing artist) was there with me. We both decided that "Ergo" was the best film of the night. I then suffered through a crowd to get a terrible beer, and trekked to Flushing Ave to try to go to Rudebegah, but the cops shut it down just as I got there.

Later on Sunday night, I went to see another set of animations, and ran into David Levy. He taught one of my animation classes. There was some awkward waving, either he didn't recognize me or that's just how we wave. It's ok. I had the misfortune of sitting next to some rotund guy on a Blackberry who thought it would be OK to make comments after each film to no one in particular; I decided I didn't have enough energy to fight him. Anyway, this night's best-in-show was Dan Hertzfeldt's "I'm So Proud of You." Usually a creator of violent humor, this time he pulled out a poignant movie about family. The absolut best part of it was the leaf-blowing scene, which reminded me of Jacque Tati.

DANCE:

Poor Kupono was voted off, and Jason too. :-(

Feel Good

2009-07-23T22:11:00.004-04:00

I Netflixed Gorillaz Phase 2: Slowboat to Hades. It appears to have a fun adventure DVD menu, so I haven't cracked all of the videos yet, but this MTV appearance is a real gem. I am sorry the Gorillaz have disbanded; not only was their concept ingenious, but their music and artistic style were punk ass cool. (There is a Bananaz documentary that I saw at an Apple Store event, but the director has the attention span of a duck).

That was some 3D stuff, but the 2D Cribs show is also pretty funny

I love the internet

Innovation

2009-07-23T09:01:00.003-04:00

Watch the Making Of Video

Pool Parties and Lightsaber Duels

2009-07-20T21:38:00.006-04:00

Dirty Projectors at yesterday's Pool Party

MOVIES:

I just watched the "Within a Minute" documentary of Star Wars Ep3. They went over every aspect of a 50 second scene from the movie, from script to sound mix. Having every detail pointed out to you overwhelms the mind when you watch the clip for a second time (from a certain point of view, haha). So many people bitch to me about how terrible this movie is, but now I know that they are just jealous because they could never make something that looked as good as these special effects.

Scene 158: Mustafar Duel
26 Shots
1185 Frames
910 Artists
70,441 Man Hours

Emmy Nominated Commercials & SYTYCD 106

2009-07-19T09:49:00.005-04:00

Listed in my order of preference!

O Positive, Production Company
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Ad Agency

Hungry Man, Production Company
Ogilvy and Mather, Ad Agency

Wieden + Kennedy, Ad Agency
Psyop, Production Company

Tips • Career Builder
MJZ, Production Company

Bottled Courage • Nike
@radical media, Production Company
Wieden & Kennedy, Ad Agency

Alec In Huluwood • Hulu
Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Ad Agency

Circus • Anheuser-Busch Budweiser
DDB Chicago, Ad Agency
PYTKA, Production Company

Magazine Buyer • Anheuser-Busch Bud Light
DDB Chicago, Ad Agency
Tool of North America, Production Company

DANCE:

MUSIC:

A Collection of References

2009-07-17T22:15:00.004-04:00

I was invited to a friend of a friend's 'fancy gallery party' under the stipulation that I dress-up. So I put on my fancy pants and walked about 20 blocks to the Bo-Concept Design store on 57th btwn 2nd and 3rd. It was Bo-tastic. I had heard of art being shown in stores but this was the first time I've actually experienced it. A smattering of sharp looking people and artists, lounging on modern furniture. I had fun.

BOOKS:
I read about 60 pages of William Faulkner's "The Sound & The Fury" and decided I dealt with enough idiots in my life. So I switched to "The Bounty Hunter Wars" which doesn't exactly require a lot of processing but at least it has Boba Fett in it.

MOVIES:
I just watched "The Lives of Others." It seemed very real to me. Those poor Germans. The big clunky spy equipment was pretty funny, but I found the Spiegel article very moving.

GAMES:
Two weeks ago I accomplished something on my major life's TO DO list: beat the Elite Four with an all Eeevee Team. I raised them all from eggs and gave them special names: Death (Umbreon), Dream (Espeon), Desire (Flareon), Despair (Vaporeon), Destiny (Eevee), and Delirium (Electreon).

I will now voyage to the Berkshires to check up on my Edelweiss.

RIP Cronkite

Irish Rasta Jazz Day

2009-07-13T18:33:00.004-04:00

MOVIES:

The Secret of Kells is breathtaking. Every shot (at least on the website) seems to have centuries of composition carefully drafted into it, and every line seems to be sinuous and continuous across forms. I think it is a period piece animation that will prove to be better animated than Azur et Asmar (beautiful but stiff) and I will have to add another dvd to my collection.

MUSIC:
This is a music video created by my friends Kelly and Mike at KNEEON, which is their cool little production company. The idea was to get a bunch of animators to contribute, so I made the segment with crayon, and a flying square, geometric patterns and eye about 45 seconds in.

John Brown's Body - "The Gold" (Dubmatix Runnin' Remix) from //kneeon! on Vimeo.

DANCE:

My Generation

2009-07-07T13:07:00.005-04:00

Say Hello to Underachieving: A generation used to summer internships and trips to Italy faces long, hot days learning to kick back.

click here for NYTimes article

addendum - I will now be interning at The Documentary Group!

SYTYCD 104

2009-07-03T20:01:00.004-04:00

Oh boy this week's show was much more fun than last week! Everything from sexy Broadway, to alien sex, to chained up girls, to classical pas de deux!!! I had to sketch the pop jazz alien dance (the story is the invading alien woman has to find the last man on earth) for fun, but the pas de deux gets an honorable mention since I'm going to be supering in Romeo & Juliet at Lincoln Center next week.