2021 Greeting for 2021

 For ASIFA International, hoping for a better 2021

(cc) 2020 The Animating Apothecary

New Year 2021 Greeting Experiments

A test series to see what Vegas can do with masks and assembling rotoscoped images...

And digging back to 1978 for a background:

Christmas 2020

 

Sparrow Greeting as a GIF

Because Atticus demands attention, too

And for the video inclined, the following distractions are offered:

1970s - studies, murals, and pharmacy exams

 

3D Poster ca 1982

 

(cc) 1982/2020 The Animating Apothecary

Unexpected Version of an Old Classic

 Will see if this is permitted on the blog - it isn't public domain by a long shot, but a 1940 version of a very familiar song performed by an unexpected artist.

The Rolling Trolling

This past week, Romania wins! 

Ed Counts, Animator

We lose track of some folks, and then discover the lost track will be forever derailed. I met Ed Counts at an animation retreat in 1998 where we swapped techniques and tapes. We had some nice conversations after that about his experience getting Stephen Webber as a composer for his (then) latest project, the mysterious recording process at a remote Skywalker Sound studio, how he aged his print - and how exhausted his dot matrix printer *and* his daughter as his enlisted colorist. The result was "Zoetrobics," and until I can find my VHS copy of his work (Joey Learns to Fly, some Sesame Street clips), this youtube link will have to suffice.
I discovered today that Ed apparently passed away in 2009, at the age of 63. He had been instructing animation courses at Western Kentucky University. Here is "Zoetrobics," from 1998:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJwDrCS6JQk

Progress Report - Seule Tod

Sketches, tests, and animatics - 2:22 So far...

(c) 2020 Animating Apothecary

Another 1979 revisit - experimenting with color balance filters and PD music

Two minutes of your life you'll never get back:

Vegas Studio V15 (anything after that is a hard drive suck!) and music from an Edison diamond disc from 1924.  Don't snore too loudly, you'll wake the neighbors....

Remembering 1979, somewhat...

Another GIF test...

...eventually, these will be strung together into an incoherent narrative... it's all the rage these days... 

1971 - Trying to Merge Chaucer and Marx

I meant well.  2000 drawings later, still didn't know what it meant.  But this bit was worth saving, IMHO.

Goodbye, Mr. Marx.  I feel fortunate to have stomped on the same planet as you for 22 years.

Putin Meme Time

Perspective Test

When I Should Have Been Studying Biochemistry

The Kreb Cycle was so convoluted for finals week, I typed this instead, with a 20 year old's obsession with the Marx Brothers and their (then) recent biography by Joe Adamson.  It may have been printed somewhere, but if so, they had the good sense not to digitize it for future review by Russian trolls.

2020 ASIFA Central Summer Newsletter - Retreat

Everyone Blogs But Father - A Tribute to a Vaudeville Staple, ca 1905

In "An Evening With Groucho," the aged Mr. Marx performed a few songs from his earliest days in vaudeville.  One was "Everyone Works but Father," by Jean Havez.  He performed a German version as well to prove its popularity.

So among the archives I found four examples based on the tune, which even had a sequel in 1906.  Since mp3s are not something the folks at Blogger allow, they are presented here in the most boring mp4 format I could muster - plainly titled with just the songs.  Here they are!

The Original Hit from 1905

The composer, Jean Havez, later went on to work with Buster Keaton on "Our Hospitality" and "Seven Chances" before dying in 1925 at the age of 52.  His widow married Edward Sedgwick, who later directed Keaton at MGM.

It Inspired Variations on a Theme - a "Humoresque" from 1905

....and a sequel, "Uncle Quit Work Too," in 1906

...and was common enough to use as bumper music and parody...

"They're everyone's jokes but father's"

Edison's "At the Minstrel Show #5" from 1906

A Bunch of Winsor McCay Editorial Cartoons - 1923 -1926

94 years later, and are things that much different?  The main difference is we don't have a Winsor McCay!