Post 676 - ASIFA Central is Packin' Plympton! International Animation Day for October, 2024

 

ASIFA Central 2024

Post 450 - Seule Tod's Festival Progress - A Learning Curve (evolving discussion) - updated 12 June 2023

A learning curve, for certain -  the film I completed in October of 2021, Seule Tod, has been making the rounds of Film Freeway online, and the results are mixed, but I'm learning a lot about the process.  2007 marks my previous real connection with festivals (the truly delightful KAFI experience in Kalamazoo being the last, helmed by the indefatigable David Baker, now soon to retire from FSU - 2024 update: RETIRED!), whether contributing to or serving as judge or presenter (oh, the powerpoints!).

Nonetheless, Seule Tod is being seen,  I believe, and has been earning "laurels" (those leafy things one sees frequently at the start of many independent bits of animation) on occasion, even if they can give the impression of a participation prize ("Hey, his Paypal came through, better give him something or he won't submit things again!").  

Seule Tod has been entered in over 40 festivals so far, and yes, that's a bit of an overkill, but again, it's a learning curve (the film's production budget of $41 left extra cash usually committed to film prints available for shameless self-promotion).  I'm summarizing my observations for a upcoming issues of the ASIFA Central newsletter.  Some of these online festivals seem to stand upon a very questionable foundation.

So far the Juries Say - 

 

VANCOUVER INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL - So just what is a quarter-finalist?  Can one be a semi-quarter-finalist?  It's an option in the Film Freeway grading scale, but not really defined.  Do you get a semi then quarter status?  Can it be adjusted to octi-finalist?  Nano-finalist?  There is an honor system, too, with the creation of many of these laurels - the participant gets to choose the laurel-style (see below for some other options) in some cases, and I was able to make a SUPER MONDO HOO HAH finalist category for my own amusement.  I am easily amused.  Some festivals do have a password-protected access to the assigned laurels, so those are under some control.  However, Film Freeway does have a "laurel creation" feature for filmmakers.  One can wonder how some films may have earned their laurels.   But it's fun to play with.  So play! 

SCREAM IT OFF SCREEN (SIOS):  I have found this particular monthly competition to be about the most honest experience so far - they get 100 or so entries, assign each one a number, throw the numbers into a bowl, and pull out 10-11 for the showing.  Sight unseen.  The audience becomes the judge, and at three or four minutes into the showing, you get to let it continue or "Scream It Off Screen."  And if it's a scream, they go to the next film.  

It's raunchy, rowdy, often odd, frequently funny, and occasionally a very good film appears - overall, it's reminiscent of a frat party where there is beer and extremely cheap pizza.  

I was lucky to share screen time with two excellent short films, "Housecat" by Kate Costello and "Oldboy's Apple" by Brad Hock.  It's nice to read the "live commentary" to see what does and doesn't work, and if various references are recognized.  It was a pretty savvy audience.  When it is over, the video of the evening is on Youtube for a while - ie, for January 14, 2022 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfVUnDuw2Lg  (Seule Tod is #10 at about 1hr35min, but do look at the rest).  

The festival coordinators are quite chatty during the process as well.  If they have a snag, or a lack of participation, they let you know.  

It's FREE, by the way.  

And a monthly winner gets a prize!  

And since you have eyes on screens, you can get a count of those in attendance (ok, they could be off doing something else, but flatter yourselves).  Usually over 100 look in live, and about 1000 check out the post-production video.  So that's a thing to consider, too. Their February 18, 2022 rendition is at - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUuT_7kUJhc

An unfortunate note: the March 11, 2022 edition is likely to be the last for a while - even bare-bones underground TV environments need a positive cash flow.  

Here is a local write-up on the festival and its creators, Terry Sommer and Natalie Koness: 

Minnesota Daily and SIOS Story

 

AUSTIN INTERNATIONAL ART FESTIVAL:  They may have changed it, but their website states it is in "Austin, US."  Now, what little I know about Texas, I think that if you're a real Texan, you're going to say "Austin, TEXAS!!!!! TEXAS Ya Mutha!"  So I hope this is just a minor aberration in their HTML composition.

ACCOLADE GLOBAL Film Competition:  To their credit, especially in the context of many festivals, the Accolade competition does list winning films AND their creators.  However, trying to track the documentation is a challenge!  One of the festival's sister competitions reached out to solicit the little film for participation in his west-coast festival, and that email came with a name and everything, so there is the appropriate semblance of humans working behind the curtain.

DEPTH OF FIELD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:  It's always nice to get recognition, but as "time goes by," one ponders the source.  "Seule Tod" here was one  of two in running for the animation category, and as an aside, the PSA category was without any entries at all.  The entry fee was, frankly, too steep, and the offer to send me a pdf certificate that I could print out on my own for $40 was hardly something I would hang on the wall.  Better to hang a framed pair of twenty dollar bills.  They have a total of TEN festivals in their line, and state IMDb status and an 11 year track record.  Rejections are supposed to get feedback and are given the opportunity to resubmit.  Given the competition, depending on the category, some sort of award is possible.   The 3D logos for the various festivals scream 1990's era graphic design.

PHOENIX SHORTS:  This is the first one I sent the film to, and it seemed rather disingenuous with its name - it is not in Phoenix, Arizona, but someplace on the outskirts of Ottawa, Ontario.  Using "transparency" indicates several name changes in its history, settling on "Phoenix," not as a location, but as a mythological reference.

APHRODITE:  I noted that the website for this film award program had not been updated for a while - Twitter notices seem to have ended in 2019.  But it is a cool name.  Reminds me of a Joseph Campbell ditty about Aphrodite.

But wait, there's more!  In 90 minutes on the notification date, it went from "Official Selection" to "Finalist" to "Winner." 

Fascinating! I made a comment about this on the festival site, that things seemed to happen in a bit of a haphazard manner, ascribing the pandemic as likely cause, and they responded to that note quickly.  I may have ruined my future in Winner stati for later entries with the lovely Aprhrodite.  But I'm an ancient typist, so my filters are a bit frayed (and no, there isn't liquid paper dabbed on my computer screen).

CMUIFF:  This one at CMU is nearby (Mt. Pleasant, MI, wherein the phenomenal animator and instructor STEVE LEEPER holds mighty presence, influence, and archival acumen), so with the reluctant blessing of Michigan weather and the parsimonious use of salt by the county's road commission, a quick trip became almost an hour on the road.  About 15 were in attendance, and it was a good 15 as we say in the independent film festival biz, and the sound became a problem right about when Seule Tod began its appearance, so it was more of a visual experience.  In any form, it was nice to see it on a larger screen for some post-production tweaking.

Note to those contemplating film festival participation - it's always a good idea to seek out University-based festivals - (1) they're real, (2) they're either free or have a modest entry fee (usually to cover reserving the hall), and (3), people in attendance have an idea of what is going on, or may have to attend for class credit.  Whether voluntary or captive, an audience is ALWAYS a good thing.

OREGON SCREAMS:  For Saturday, March 12, 2022.  AT AN HONEST TO GAWD DRIVE IN! Festival organizer Mikel Fair has made a helpful pdf booklet on the basics of submitting films to festivals, providing a background on his own filmwork and development of several other festivals.  It's a fundraiser.  He is also excellent in communication about the processes and how the films will be shown (the Dalles in Oregon having an actual drive-in theatre for the experience).  And, since interaction and networking is one of the major functions of these festivals, here is their web connection:

https://info.filmfestivalcircuit.com/blog/oregon-screams-horror-film-festival-spring-2022

 

PALM SPRING SHORTS: Very uncertain about this one - the entry fee was pretty low, but it was the first year, and its website, while pretty, was not exactly forthcoming on useful information.  When the notification date passed, twice, and no word, I sent an email to the anonymous site asking, "Hey, is it a go or a work-in-progress?"  Still no word until a few days later, when Seule Tod received "Semi Finalist" status, again by an anonymous email via FilmFreeway.  Note it is Palm Spring, and not Palm SpringS.  Note that "Seule Tod" is a semi-finalist for a February 2022 festival, but they won't be able to give final word until later in March.  (update on 28 March - checked out the source code on their website to discover that they have created a listing of the "February Winners" but haven't apparently activated the link - again, it's a disappointment in merely listing the title of the winner, and not the animator/producer of the film.  Attempting access to their IG or Twitter feeds takes you back to their generic, non-info website)

 

ASIFA EAST Annual Animation Festival - Now this is a big happy bit of acceptance.  ASIFA EAST is one of several US chapters of ASIFA (Association d'Internationale du Film d'Animation).  This one is centered in New York, one of the profession's hubs for those living at 24fps (23.976 for the Video Mavens).  Their showing dates are still being arranged, but the jurors were able to view the entries at the end of March.  Any ASIFA showing is a GREAT showing!
 

"Seule Tod" is on Vimeo and may be viewed with this link: Seule Tod on Vimeo
 

This is a fun bit of gooeyness that I was hoping for - the festival is set for July 29th, 30th & 31st 2022--- Their website announces, "Horror Fans Unite!  Michigan's Horror Convention.  We have celebrity guests, vendors, artists, costume contest, Miss Nightmare contest, and parties all weekend!"  Seule Tod will run at 4:50pm on the Saturday schedule, July 30.  Woot Woot!!

 

https://www.motorcitynightmares.com/ 

 

And this one, July 10, 2022, from East Nashville, Tennessee:

 

https://www.defyfilmfestival.com/

 

And as proof that this aging entry has legs:

 

July 13 - 26, 2023 - Seule Tod will be on the Friday showings

http://snakealleyfestivaloffilm.com/

Oh, it's like Ol' Man River, this film...

 

And in October, 2023 - it seeps through Europe - first stop, Amsterdam:

Then, Germany:  "Best Character Design" at FilmHaus, June 2024

Doing its best to create a New World Disorder...

For August 22, 2024, Baker City, Oregon

Post 444 - 2021 International Animation Day Celebration from ASIFA Central

International Animation Day commemorates the first public performance by Charles-Émile Reynaud of his Théâtre Optique at the Grevin Museum in Paris.  That October 28, 1892 premiere represented the beginning of modern animation, and the date has been celebrated by animators with showings and performances since 2002, coordinated by ASIFA International and its many chapters around the globe.

Animation? You want ANIMATION?!? For the International Animation Day (IAD) celebration this Thursday, October 28th, ASIFA Central is providing a Vimeo-hosted program of 17 short animated films from the local group and the WHOLE WORLD. This program is available for single or group viewing, and if you are interested in accessing this LIMITED TIME OFFER to create an instant 'toon party or fill in an hour of cultural class time, here's your chance! Seating is limited to only the first 300 who apply! Who do you have to kidnap for this? How many cartloads of zinc must you provide to the program coordinators? IT'S FREE. FREE FREE FREE. "All you have to do is email the ASIFA Central Secretary, Jim Middleton, at jim.middletonrx@gmail,com and ask for the SECRET INSTRUCTIONS on WHAT IT TAKES TO BE THE TALK OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. Why, just look at what you can see --

THE PROGRAM (61 minutes, 66 for the "Special Edition")

1. Toast for ASIFA - Deanna Morse, Christine Veras, Steve Leeper, et al - 1:11

2. Two Little People - ASIFA Australia - Xin Li - 3:00

3. Springtime in CoVid Land - Julie Goldstein - 2:08

4. Mala - Too Otaghia Group - Iran - 2:15

5. Large Scale Absurdities Volume 3 - “Docile Town” - Kimonos Animation Studio - Charalambos Margaritis - ASIFA Hellas - 4:21

6. Horsepower - Christine Veras, et al - 1:00

7. Notun Fasal (New Harvest) - Sovan Dutta - ASIFA India - 2:30

8. Tchisti - Sarah Tabibzadeh - Iran - 4:25

9. Candy Shop - Patrick Smith - ASIFA South - 2:30

10. Espresso Doppio - Mika Koskinen - Finland - 3:54

11. Eli - Jeff Martell - ASIFA South - 3:32

12. Connecting - Melissa Bouwman - 2:06

13. Happy Banana - Ali Raies - Iran - 8:20

14. Animated Doodle - ASIFA Hellas - 4:00

15. NamaStay - Margo Pierce - ASIFA South - 2:45

16. time passing : passing time - Polly Wolly Doodlers (Jim Middleton, Deanna Morse, Gretchen Vinnedge, Suzanne Zack) - 5:05

17. A Tale of Self-Preservation - Shannon Fleming - ASIFA South - 5:30

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!! If you act before midnight, December 15, you'll also get access to the SPECIAL COORDINATOR CUT, featuring a "you are there" installation experience for "time passing : passing time" as seen by DOZENS UPON DOZENS of Cichlids at the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery during the recent ArtPrize in Grand Rapids!

You will curl your toes with GLEE. You'll want to cavort! Frolic! Scamper!

But you must act NOW! (Well, before December 15th, anyway) Drop an email to jim.middletonrx@gmail.com while he is still permitted access to a keyboard!

2020 ASIFA Central Summer Newsletter - Retreat

ASIFA Central Anijam 2020 Project WITH SOUND!

(cc) 2020 Animating Apothecary/Jim Middleton

Springtime 2020 ASIFA Central Newsletter - the CoVid Late Edition

ASIFA Central Notes - 22 February 2020

So IAD is coming in October, we have up to 15 international participants, a deadline of 1 June 2020, and what are the rambling notes to that effect?

Wooden Denture Day 2020 - Saturday group chat Google land, beginning at 3pm and running to about 3:45pm.  22 February 2020

Present: Jim and Brad, Deanna and Gretchen, Mike Long, Josh, Christine Veras, Steve Leeper in between storyboard discussions,
THE COLLABORATIVE PROJECT OF 2 MINUTES IN DURATION FOR THIS ASIFA YEAR OF ANIMATION
Think in terms of the Swiss IAD project, a 50 minute epic with various styles and stories linked by a common thread.

Great Recreation of an animation that was lost
In the past the through line was the poster…
Maybe a line connects us
To this day, a spoken word piece, poetry jam the Mi

To this day Shane Koyzan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa1iS1MqUy4


Think of a project that represents the region, but can be expanded to represent the interests of ASIFA internationally.

Food, music. Art - what is regional to us in the midwest? Tater tot hot dish?
Well, that brings up - Memories of food
While 2 minutes is short, it is also 4 tv commercials - the 2 minute limit is a strict limit, so if 120 seconds for ASIFA Central is the limit, and there are a dozen participants, that means each one will only get a 10 second spot to get the thought across.

Think of a Pot Luck - Pick Your Poison - MOVEABLE FEAST

A List of Notions
Theme and structure - In the past, we have used the poster, and this time we can go of on our own with the interconnection.  (We don’t have access to the poster as yet)
We create a through-line (Steve L) - maybe it’s a literal line... Steve thinks of a film To This Day, Shane Koyzan (above)  - spoken word artist, poetry jam - but the through line is provided by the spoken piece.  Covers the gamut - it doesn’t matter, as long as the artist sticks to the soundtrack.
What’s it like to live in the midwest? (We’ll include Texas/Brazil in this - we are an extended family, this ASIFA central)
Potholes -  Corn Cars and Cows...
The questions asked and we see the animated response.
At the end, the spoken and read words - a la Norman McLaren and the end of “Neighbors”
Recipes from the home land
Tater tot hot dish.... the food and how it’s made
Break it down into sequences - if we can get 12 sequences into the 2 minutes - 10 seconds each
Is there a common recipe?  Corn?

Is a shared canvas a possibility - food to a dinner – and each one creates

With the ending being a long buffet of the individual sequences - can we run with a theme of a particular food?

5pm on March 7th - bring the ideas to THE TABLE!!!!  Remember - It’s a hard two minute limit.

Distinctive, yet universal - so the local and the international ideas are satisfied!!!!

Steve: there is a poem by Christine Rosetti - what can I bring?
There is a wonderful spirit to that - at the end, we are serving up the film

Get links to applicable animation and poetry and add to the document -

Check out ASMR Korean animations
(an FYI for the benefit of your humble typist)  ASMR (Autonomous sensory meridian response) - noun - a feeling of well-being combined with a tingling sensation in the scalp and down the back of the neck, as experienced by some people in response to a specific gentle stimulus, often a particular sound.
"ASMR is triggered by things like whispering voices, paper tearing, and scalp massage"

(Check out Brad’s link to Swiss 50 minute piece) - (he has sent the link in an earlier email)

Again, back to food, 10 seconds each, straight visuals…?
Coney dogs, Moveable feast, shared feast, potluck

Links:
Corgi Christmas Feast (ASMR)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JszWL2IpCOA

Brazilian Animation, recreation of “O Kaiser”
https://vimeo.com/117124801

Georges Schwizgebel sequence at 50:50 video starts at 25min.
https://vimeo.com/294903960
PW: H****
(Shared by Brad on the email)

Public Domain Observations - Seeking Stokowski

Animation for the Ear (from the ASIFA Central Summer 2019 newsletter)

        A rich musical resource, featuring Leopold Stokowski and his acoustic recordings between 1917 and 1923 (public domain by material, public domain by performance) is available for review and download from:
        https://www.stokowski.org/1917-1924_Stokowski_Acoustic_Recordings.htm

        For acoustic performances (recorded through a horn to the wax blank, and not with a microphone), these are quite sophisticated and well engineered.  I suspect that the  unusual, comparative roundness of the sound from the strings in these selections is due to the large size of the orchestra, with the additional violins working in close synchrony.  The engineers were giving it all for their attention as well, squeezing as much as possible onto the 12 inch matrices without sacrificing groove width and flexibility.
On the down side, they are all acoustic, with increased surface noise and muted fidelity.
On the plus side, they’re public domain, and of the available examples, are among the best.  Using some creativity with filters and speed adjustment, and you have some impressive sound beds.  The selections come as mp3s, along with the date of recording, just to smear the info into the faces of youtube or FB monitors.
Over the years, many of these 78s have found their way into the shellac-and-wax-based archive here, but these already-converted recordings are a remarkable collection of some very familiar selections waiting to join your digital library.  Through 1923, they include:

Hungarian Dances #1,5, 6, Brahms
Dance of the Blessed Spirits, from Orpheus and Eurydice, Gluck
Anitra’s Dance from Peer Gynt, Greig
Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scherzo, Mendelssohn
Symphony #40, 3rd movement, Mozart
Carmen, Prelude to Act 1, Changing of the Guard, The Smugglers, Bizet
Blue Danube Waltz, Strauss
Hungarian Rhapsody #2, Liszt
Largo from the New World Symphony, Dvorak
Finlandia, Sibelius
Faust, Waltz from Act II, Gounod
Dance of the Tumblers, Rimsky-Korsakov

        Next year, when 1924 opens its public domain vaults, Rachmaninoff’s Piano concerto #2, performed by Rachmaninoff, is at your service.  Like the acoustic version of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (which is another 1924 release), this first recording provides what some (including your humble typist) consider the better piano performance of the piece.
        The  website is of the nice, old fashioned html variety, and the links were all still connecting to mp3 versions of these recordings as of 30 July 2019.  I had no problem downloading the files for my thumb drive (formerly called, according to my students, as a “memory stick”) of road tripping material.  The site also has in-depth information on early recordings, the evolution of Stokowski’s style, and his influence throughout the acoustic and early electric era of recorded sound.  Someone spent hundreds of hours putting this all together, and you can easily spend a couple of hours here.
        Another source of recordings that are in the public domain can come from the record catalogues themselves - Victor, Columbia, and Edison put out annual promotions.  Remember, the current cut off is 1923, but 1924 kicks in come January, 2020...

Remember - if it's in here, it's public domain! (1922.1923 catalogs)

Really Rough Pencil tests

Experiment with importing, exporting, and editing - using inexpensive and outdated software, knock-off technology and wrinkled, yellowing tracing paper, because after all, I'm cheap.... an upcoming group project in the guise of an AniJam.

Version #1:

Work process:
The original image is a painting, on canvas, that has been roughed out in 3D for a 10 sequence template.  This permits a right-to-left tracking shot for the project.
It was provided as an mp4, with a 1920x1080 resolution.
I wanted to make the contribution a 2D animation, so.... some work-arounds....
In keeping with my habit of doing things in the most convoluted, irrational method possible with outdated technology, I was able to dissect the animation template provided by inputting it into Sony Vegas (v14, I kept that somewhat up to date), then exporting it as sequential images in four formats (JPG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, just to have all bases covered), then importing those images into (gasp) FLASH CS3 to build a reference layer.  In effect, a panning motion rotoscope.
My use of FLASH these days is not to build a "Flash Animation," but rather, to construct the animated sequences for input into Vegas or some other video editor (I have used Premiere in the past, but it went a bit wonky on its codec, a problem that has reportedly been corrected from Those Who Know Better, but I'm at a stage where my time is spent more in doing instead of twiddling....)
An additional layer atop that was created, with the intention of drawing my 3-second sequence as a test using an "Artist 12" digital tablet.
The tablet worked well, at least for the higher-resolution FLASH environment the project required.  The FLASH pencil tool was used for this portion of the project.
Scribble time - about 90 minutes.
The under-neath, background later will be removed on completion, to create a "green screen" with an export of the Flash sequence as a series of 1920 x 1080 images.  That'll go to the ASIFA coordinator for assembly,
And, after this, ready to collapse by 9pm, such a party animal am I!

Test #2 - first clean up

And, finally with some more detail and color:

And, some more details while experimenting with color splashing at the end:

And some more details:

And some background tests for the second sequence --

After this, time to shuffle frames, adjust timing, and do a Photoshop run on the drawings....

And this should be "it" - 18 May, 2019

Well, there are ALWAYS retakes, you know....
Like this one, so Andrew Z's segment doesn't get obliterated....

And, for the final product, assembled by the phenomenal W. Brad Yarhouse, here is the Vimeo link to cut and paste:

https://vimeo.com/350186551

or click on the bit of linkery below!

Vimeo Link to ASIFA Central AniJam for 2019

Or a dumbed-down mp4 version that may play below:

ASIFA Central Meeting Notes - 4 February 2019

ASIFA Board Agenda and Meeting - February 4, 2019, a Conference Call Collossus!

Chatting up a storm, after a storm, waiting for the thermal inversions to make a mockery of Monday moodiness and frigid fiasca.  Bleary-eyed participants dialed in at 8pm, Monday, February 4.  
A proper communion of puppetry began the celebration of new home ownership, knotty pines, radiation survival, and film stripping.  
Present: Deanna, Gretchen, Julie (her first time as setting up!), Chuck, Chris, Brad, Bob S, and some half-blind pharmacist in Battle Creek

Topics:
ASIFA IAD Central Review
From 50 attendants in 2017 to 125 in 2018; from 2 screening sites in 2017 to 7 in 2018.  26 chapters participated in the IAD, and 15 chapters exchanged film reels for the occasion.  By 2020, ASIFA Central will spread animation to all corners of the globe! Well, a globe by definition doesn’t really have any corners, does it?  That would be squaring the circle, which ignores pi, and a culture that ignores pi can only find culture in yogurt, which is not an ideal animation medium.
President Brad has been musing on the timing for future IAD showings, namely by pulling submission deadlines to the first of June, with this first challenge representing a best of compilation from the hours of material on the 15 programs already exchanged by the international chapters.  Then, by 2020, the reset schedule should allow for plenty of programming without the current concerns about last minute arrangements, which can contribute to a low level of animator and audience participation.

The new! Improving! ASIFA Website has some needs, mainly technical, with challenges on viewing the site based on the browser used (clipping on Firefox, trimming on Opera, and who knows what Netscape thinks of it).   Julie is working on links, Jim is prepping some mp3s to flood the fields of public domain (1924 - “Rhapsody in Blue” is up for grabs, and how one can salivate...), until then, some nice Edison masters of Felix Arndt.   Brad is working on the main header for the site.

And an earlier release of the IAD poster can improve participation (and again, reduce the rushed sense of wrapping up rapt contributions).  This year, Saturday February 23 begins ANI-JAM 19! The Grand Rapids Community Media Center will host, or members can participate via SKYPE at 1:00 EST.
Brad offered the following notes for the ANI-JAM:
Crazy idea 1: Proliferation and exuberance of life! 
Pitch: The landscape constantly scrolls belching out strange bugs till the last bug (the one on the poster appears)
Rules ideas:
One person creates the rolling landscape (it just scrolls)
The amount of landscape depends on the number of participants.
Each person gets a copy of their portion of the rolling landscape. The landscape scrolls 3 sec per person
Each person can make the animated belching bug volcanos act as they desire but the must keep moving at the same pace and match up with the next segment of the scroll. In other words during the 3 seconds, much can happen but the landscape must move consistently to the pace that you were given, and your end volcanos and holes must match the start of the next volcanos and holes. 
You can interpret the scrolling landscape in other mediums keeping consistent colors and basic shapes. (stop-motion, 3D, paint, etc.)
Within your 3 seconds you can go wild with creative insects
animators can combine their segments to make larger segments and have interaction between their bugs and interpretations of the world
Specifics will be worked out before the 23rd day of February gets nibbled away.

Deanna Morse also let slip that she is one of four new ASIFA International vice presidents.  She discussed her projects for the newly repurposed website, with US chapter profiles, overviews of ASIFA prize recipients for the past 20 years, and a celebration of ASIFA’s 60th anniversary.  Deanna wants writers to sharpen their pencils on behalf of the projects, offering prize money to stimulate the process.  April submissions with September deadlines for those projects.  Deanna and Brad will continue discussions between ASIFA Central conference calls.
Here is her official "release" - 

Elected (re-elected) as a V.P. for ASIFA International, 3 year term. Working with Sayoko Kinoshita (President, Japan), VPs: Johnchill Li (China), Mohamed Ghazala (Egypt), Thomas Rendolder (Austria), and the many ASIFA chapter representatives around the globe. Working for peace and mutual understanding, connecting through our shared love of the art of animation. Celebrating 60 years in 2020 for this organization. 

And a preliminary discussion for this year’s ASIFA Central retreat focused on St. Louis, Missouri for the location, with details being sent “to committee” for the next meeting.  A July 20 weekend is being proposed for the retreat, to allow for scheduling access to other summer events.  We understand St. Louis in July is a specialized treat for those who enjoy heat and humidity on a professional scale.  RETREAT Committee: Chris, Gretchen, Bob; with  details by next meeting

ASIFA Central is a non-profit group, and as a non-profit, members may be able to take advantage of certain special considerations for software access and promotional partnerships.  Nina Paley’s creative-commons “Seder Masochism” is certainly worthy of an afternoon showing and discussion in its own right.

The Ann Arbor film festival is also slated for March 26-31, with at least one major session concentrating on animation, with other films being scattered among the competitors.  Other local retreats were discussed, based on availability of material, topics, and creators.  Those, too, went into a committee for consideration.

Jim Middleton
ASFIA Central Secretary

ASIFA CENTRAL ANIMATION RETREAT - GRAND RAPIDS, AUGUST 11 12

COMING SOON TO A WEALTHY STREET THEATER NEAR YOU! 

(ok, it's near you if you get to Grand Rapids, but keep reading!)
last update: Sunday 12:20 am, 12 August 2018

Connecting animators to animators! Celebrating the Art of Animation! Activities for ASIFA members include a hands-on animation workshop, multiple screenings and an animator’s picnic. An evening animation screening will be open to the public.

Events will be held August 11-12, Saturday & Sunday, at the Community Media Center, 1110 Wealthy Street, Grand Rapids, MI. You are welcome to come, join, network, and delve into animation.

- We gather Saturday morning at 11:00 am. Brad Yarhouse, ASIFA Central President will then officially welcome folks and open the events. New members welcome! Come and join our group, and stay for the weekend.

- Join the animating workshop, noon - 3:00 pm, where we will have several animating stations to undertake a short joint project. Try your hand at various techniques, such as using sand, silhouette or 2D sketching! (Bring along your favorite supplies, if you wish.)

- From 3:00 - 5:00 pm (or so), it's "Show and Tell" - SEE the wonderful animation YOU helped to create at the workshop! BRING and SHOW your own projects you are working on right now! HEAR the wonderful stories, gasps of appreciation, and praises as we share our techniques and passions! We will Premiere the new ASIFA/Central Ani-Jam, inspired by the International Animation Day poster for 2018! For "Show and Tell" entries contact Jim Middleton at jim.middletonrx@gmail.com

- Then, it is time for dinner! Wonderful food emporia are located conveniently to the Retreat.

- 7:00 - 8:30 pm (or so): More animation! Bridging the past to the present, Chuck Wilson will present the amazing silhouette work of Lotte Reiniger, animation pioneer. Following, will be the Best of the Ottawa Animation Festival, celebrating new international animation curated by the top animation festival in North America. This inspiring screening is open to the public, bring a friend.

- Folks are invited to reconvene Sunday morning 11:00 am, for chatting, mingling, and our annual picnic. This event asks for a $5 participation fee to help cover costs. Picnic location will be at the north end of Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, near the Veteran's home on Monroe. The ASIFA Central Retreat then concludes around 2:00 pm.  There may be cake!

Retreat limited to ASIFA and CMC members only. Memberships available on site.

For more information you can reply to this post or contact Steve Leeper at steve@jsleeper.com

"Show and Tell" section on August 11 - thus far:

ASIFA CENTRAL “SHOW AND TELL” for August 11, 2018
3-4:30pm

Time Presenter                 Topic
3:00         Jim Middleton         Photoshopping Anijammery
3:15         Chris DeWitt         New member, new film
3:30         Dylan Shay         New member (the sequel), and film with friend
3:45         Chris Sagovac Drawn Film Project - 16mm analog experience!
4:00         Mackenzie Mayo Something Amazing This Way Comes
4:15         Lindsay Moore Pen Droppings and Inkish Behavior
4:30         Wrap up discussion (buffer time to 4:45 and next retreat production)

Times may be adjusted for content and space, in either direction!

Be ready to answer some questions -
1. Did you have a particular self-imposed restriction on this project (were you only going to use a specific software, this project being your self-grown tutorial)?
2. What technology(ies) did you use?  (Hardware, software, tablets, lighting systems)
3. What turned out to be your biggest challenge in this production (music rights? Software limitations?  Rendering challenges? Post production output decisions based on distribution platforms?)
4. How did you adapt to the needs of the workflow for the project?  (If it was bigger than you expected, how did you cut or create work-arounds?)
5. What turned out to be your most valuable resource?
6. And just what did you learn from all this?