CARTOONS FROM HELL, Charleston Film Festival...

That's right... the third edition of the traveling showcase "Cartoons From HELL" is going to play at the Charleston International Film Festival this Saturday night. New to the line up is Christy Karacas and Steve Warbrick, the creators of "Super Jail".

"Bubble Wrap" by Arthur Metcalf
"Lupo the Butcher" by Danny Antonucci
"Puppet" by Patrick Smith
"Shut Eye Hotel" by Bill Plympton
"Bar Fight" by Christy Karacas and Steve Warbrick
"The Box Man" by Nirvan Mullick
"Ah L'Amour" by Don Hertzfeldt
"Son of Satan" by JJ Villard
"Seventeen" by Hisko Hulsing

As you can see, it's quite the line up of darkly epic disturbing animation. These are simply my favorite animators to date, and some of the greatest animated films of all time. "Cartoons From HELL" will also screen at MOCCA Art Festival this June here in New York.

David Lynch Says it, So I don't have to...

Rory Aronski, a film critic for Film Threat magazine, once said about my films "Patrick Smith has the mind of David Lynch and the hand of Bill Plympton".. to this day nobody has ever paid me a higher compliment. I was reminded of that when my intern, Peter Ahern, posted this great clip on his facebook page. Enjoy.

"Time Warp" on Discovery Channel...

This program is practically tailor made for Animation Artists. I've never been so obsessed with a television show before. Motion analysis is one of my favorite past times, and capturing it with a series of drawings is what sets the art of animation apart from all other art mediums. Once you get into motion, everything else feels static and boring.The movie above is one of my favorites. I'm always fascinated at how fluid human flesh can be. And to think that people say MY FILMS are weird and stretchy! Real life can be so much more bizarre, just look at this fighters nose! Enjoy a free course in action analysis complements of Discovery Channel.

Discussion with Mike Stuart...

Last month I began an exchange with Animator Mike Stuart based on my longstanding interest and obsession with the animation from "Pink Floyd's The Wall". Mike was the directing animator on practically all of the sequences, and the more I researched, the more I realized that Mike was simply "The Man" behind "The Wall". Here's bits of our exchange, Enjoy:

above: Master Animator Mike Stuart, photographed and obnoxiously watermarked by Richard Wolff. Who has an impressive collection of photos on his site of mostly british animation artists.

"THE WALL" gave me a lot of creative freedom and allowed me to move into direction as well as animation. The opportunity to 'forward animate' ie. to start with a drawing and draw from drawing to drawing instead of producing 'key' drawings and then have an assistant 'inbetween' them. The Flower Sequence is an example of 'forward animation'(psmith note: "straight ahead" to us americans). And I used it also in the 'Tumbling Leaf Man' sequence - which, incidentally, is the first bit of animation I did for Pink Floyd." -Mike Stuart

"THE WALL" was made in a very unconventional way. Very much 'on the hoof' as it were. Most of the animation for the live performances was 'recobbled' and used in the picture. The 'hammers' caused a big problem as they were initially designed for the circular screen - extra hammers had to be added on either end as, in the film, we used an 'anamorphic lens', It is really Roger's film (Roger Waters) in my opinion. Nick Mason (pink floyd drummer)occasionally came to rushes but it was Roger Waters that had the last word." -Mike Stuart

"I am working with a chap in the states who is writing a book on the making of the film. He has already produced a book on the making of the album." To quote G. Scarfe - "I don't understand why people like it so much" I think you'll find this comment on the DVD." -Mike Stuart

Above: Images depicting my obvious influence from "The Wall" from my films "Drink" and the music video "Moving Along"

"My last project was the 78 'KIPPER' series. It won a BAFTA and Annecy in 1998 plus something in Positano. I have just designed a float for the Viareggio carnival. I mainly spend my time painting and making jewelry". -Mike Stuart

I'm sold... xtranormal.com

Some of these are better than films i see at film festivals! and it's solely generated by text!! I'm rarely impressed with computer technology, but xtranormal.com is incredible and hilarious. If I was an animator I would really be concerned... oh wait.. I am... anyway, If you're wondering where the future is.. pre-programmed actions using text. all this needs is professional voice acting, custom character design option, then tweeking by director, and you have a dialogue driven script and one hell of an entertaining film!!! I love how the awdwardness actually makes it funny!!!! My prediction.. we will see a lot more of this company and this concept. I feel like making a film right now and submitting it to film festivals, it would probably get more attention than one of my traditional animated short.. NEW TECHNOLOGY just fascinates everyone, it's so pathetic. Ok...on second thought.. i'll be here at my studio drawing. Here's my attempt at it.. Enjoy.