Michael Sporn

I had a really good book buying day today!  I found an example of another on the fringes of Moved X Words theme of animators and books.  I found 2 books by John Gardner today and to my pleasant surprise both of them were illustrated by Michael Sporn!  He was an animator.  Michael passed away in the early days of January of this year and I feel an odd sense of admiration, inspiration and guilt of not thanking him for all that he has done.  You see I used to write another blog and in the decade that has passed and the transformation of the internet, there was not a lot of people showcasing the art of animation in those early days.  The Splog! of Michael's was a constant source of insight, spark and new discoveries that I still go back to.  To bring this full circle, he also adapted many children's books into film from his independent studio in New York.   I've always loved this little animation he finished up for Vinnie Cafarelli based on a drawing by Picasso.  

The Kickoff!

Well, here we are with pen dipped in the inkwell ready to be drawn into Moved X Words!  It is more of an exhibit than a typical festival.  You will get to wander around the book store at your own pace and take in the space and the displays that will be set up.  Maybe you'll only have time to watch one film or just maybe you can sit for the afternoon and explore many of the different techniques and genres that will be showcased in each offering.  For me there is many connections to explore like low tech vs. new tech and the importance we put on them, the influence of literature on animation through the decades and the aesthetics of each of the mediums.  But no matter what the connection, it comes down to storytelling: cool books and cool films.  So, I will let Chel White kick things off with this nice collage animation piece, A Painful Glimpse into my Writing Process.  It has the feel of stream-of-conscious writing but in reality animation is just painstaking and yet it still captures the rambling, self-torment that we all go through in the act of Creation!  With books stacked in the backseat, lets gun it towards the cliff and jumpstart this off right:)   Hope to see you in the 2 week run of this painful glimpse into my mind of books on film!

cheers,

Jeff

Book inspired by Animation

Here is a switch up.  Today, I bought a book inspired by an animator:)  But not just an animator, one of the GREATS, Norman McLaren!!  He is an original.  Norman was always pushing the limits of the art form and is one of the innovators of many techniques: from scratch on film, pixellation, graphical sound and even stereoscopics.
He is not only an inspiration to me and generations of Canadian animators but to animators around the world!  Go check out more of his films at the NFB site: www.nfb.ca

Neighbours by Norman McLaren, National Film Board of Canada

Example of what you can expect...

Tyger Tyger by William Blake

When entering Juniper there will be books with a QR code on it (see previous post). For example, you come upon a book of poetry by William Blake.  You open it and flip through the pages, you feel the weight of the book and take in the mesmerizing illustrations.  You land on the page of the Tyger and mentally read aloud the verse.  One X one.  Now from codex to digital tablet, you scan the QR tag as it takes you through the virtual jungle to watch Guilherme Marcondes's interpretation of the same poem.  Through the magic of the moving image the Tyger comes alive...

What is a QR code?

A QR (or Quick Response code) is a supped up bar code that stores various data.  It can be used for product tracking, item information or document management.  It can also store web site URL, text or e-mail addresses. For this animation festival, you will be able to watch films by scanning the QR code and that in turn will take you to the on-line animated film.  All you will need to do is download a free app for your phone, bring some earphones and then come to Juniper and watch some animated films among the books!

Welcome to Moved X Words Animation Blog!