Patrick Smith Program at Lake County Film Festival...

In addition to programming this years selection of Animated Shorts, Lake County Film Festival is hosting a talk and a screening of my last five short films, as well as several commercial productions my studio has completed this past year. It should be fun, I love talking shop with other professionals or students. I'll be at both Animation programs Sat. and Sun., and the Patrick Smith show is Sunday... info below. Hope to see you there!

Patrick Smith Show: Sunday March 8th, 2pm.
Animation Program: Saturday March 7th, 12pm, and Sunday March 8th, 4:10pm.
19351 W. Washington St., Room D100, Grayslake, IL

Patrick Smith films in HD on Youtube...

I'm happy Youtube started to support a higher resolution option, it kills several of my complaints I had with this exhibition medium. Although I still think Youtube is an outlet for predominantly 14 year old zombies, I have to confess that this looks pretty darn good. Please watch my 2004 films "Handshake" and "Moving Along", or my most recent short "Puppet". Let me know what you think. I know it's not like watching it in a theater or at a home theater, but it's the best the internet can offer right now. For true believers you can still get my DVD for a more formal experience. oh, and it's my birthday, please make checks payable to Blend Films Inc. c/o save an animator birthday fund.

"Puppet" two years on....

Puppet has won several recent awards lately, since it's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006. Most recently, it won Best animation at Arizona Underground Film Festival, and also at Naperville Independent Film Festival. Awards are fun to get.. it's always nice to get recognized for your work. It wasn't too long ago when i swore that i just COULDN'T win anything. my first film "Drink" screened for over a year with not a single prize.
Best Animation, Northampton Independent Film Festival, 2006.
Best Animation, Action on Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2006.
Best Animation, Griffin International Film Festival, 2006.
Best Animation, Grand Festival Award, Berkeley Film Festival, 2006.
Best Animation, Phoenix Film Festival, 2007.
Best Animation, Backseat Film Festival, 2008.
Best Animation, Arizona Underground Film Festival, 2008.
Best Animation, Naperville Independent Film Festival, 2008.
Honorable Mention, Signals International Film Festival, UK, 2006.
Honorable Mention, Smogdance Film Festival, 2007.
Third Place, First Glance Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2006.
Runner Up, Asheville Film Festival, 2006.
Third Place, Lake Havasu Film Festival,AZ, 2007.
Second Place, ASIFA-East (Association Internationale du Film d'Animation), 2007.

Abstraction...

These are stills of a secret independent film project i've been working on with the design studio Plus et Plus. I animated the 500+ drawings and we rendered every frame in pencil (needless to say, it's taken quite a bit of time). The result is really shocking, very fluid, and surprizingly graphic, especially with it's Massive Attack inspired score. stay tuned.. i'll let you know when it's all done, should be within the next couple weeks.

Diving Bell and the Butterfly.... Schnabel's masterpiece..

It takes a painter to make a film like "Diving Bell and the Butterfly". There are moments in this wonderful film that only a painter could ever think up. One scene in particular, a long moment of a girls wind blown hair in an automobile is so subtle, hypnotic, and beautiful, it seems to be lifted directly from one of his abstract paintings.I was fortunate enough to visit Julian Schnabel's studio in Montauk this winter (all the cool kids have studios out in montauk;), and it was so inspiring that I jumped at the opportunity to go see "diving bell and the butterfly", as well as several other of his films, ie "basquiat, and "before the night falls", the later of the two is another epic film worth it's length in gold.
Netflix Before the Night Falls. Netflix Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Masks... Consumption.. other stuff...

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. -Oscar Wilde. This image above sums up a strong theme in my recent work, that of consumption, greed, and abuse of the environment and it's resources. This consumption occurs with our "masks" firmly in place. Ultimately, the consumer will be the loser, and be the one that is wiped out. everything else will return with time. The only remains will be empty masks rocking in the wind. In my film, the "little dudes" seen above are early on the victim of over harvesting in order to satisfy a gluttonous need.
My fascination with masks is really only beginning with my next animated short. I've been collecting masks for years, shown above is a Balinese mask, used for the Barong Dance, one of the many mind-blowing things I saw during my time in Indonesia almost a decade ago, a time that directly influenced the artwork i'm currently interested in.

Pratt Animation Show May 27th...

It's that time of year again, when my animation students at Pratt Institute showcase their films that they have been working on all year. This year you won't want to miss some of these talented students. Pratt Animation Show, Anthology Film Archives, 2nd Ave. and 2nd Street, New York City, Tuesday May 27th, 8pm
I think all the films came out quite well. My personal favorites are "Sea People" by animator Maya edelman. Maya depicts a beach scenario filled with distasteful freaks, and a lone, humble girl who tries to coexist in peace. Mayas style has been developing over the last few years, and she's really pulled it together for her thesis production.
Another worth noting is Isam Prados, "Fish Have No Feelings" (pictured above), a dark and disturbing tale about a young womans struggle as a captive in a marriage, and her actions to free herself. I'm sure you will see more of Isam's work in the coming years. Other's that catch the eye is the bizarre "Adventures in Broccoli" by Dan Mountain. Several other great films by the very talented Chris Ko and Jen Lee, both interns of mine from last semester. The very experimental work of Javen Ivey, who has been assisting the animator PES this semester, and his association with such a talented pro has really rubbed off on his own work. Also, the graphic flash animation of Nathan Gooden, and a dramatic folk tale by Andrew Iyageh are both worth noting. And Jonathan Denny offers the sole stop motion from my class, and there's many more! So please try to attend, and please let the students know what you think of their works.

New Plympton Feature "Idiots and Angels"...

I'm not just talking smack when i say that this is the best plympton feature ever. actually, i believe he was chillin' at my pad in Montauk when he made the earliest sketches for this film. Bill was very insistent on sharing his storyboards with our nyc clique, welcoming comments early on (a great method that i have totally adopted. feedback in the early stages is key). "Idiots and Angels" will be premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, a few blocks from my studio. it takes place April 23-May 4. Bill Plympton's "Idiots and Angels" is a dark comedy about a morally bankrupt man struggling to hide the good side of himself, which manifests itself in a pair of angel wings that just won't go away. If you can't see it in Tribeca, it's also in competition at Annecy this june in france.photo above, Bill Plympton, Patrick Smith, Sarah Phelps, PES, Amid Amidi, and CC Edwards, at my last gallery show in feb., bill had just finished his rough cut for "idiots and angels".

"Firebird" a Modern Disney Triumph.....

I have no idea why "Fantasia 2000" isn't heralded to be just as great as the original "Fantasia". and just like the original used "Night on Bald Mountain" as the grand, enormous finale, "Fantasia 2000" uses Stravinky's "Firebird". It's a reminder of what drawn animation can accomplish, especially when combined with truly great music, like Stravinsky.

Rant: Persepolis should have won the Oscar...

Was I the only one that was disappointed about Ratatouille winning over Persepolis? Persepolis is a ground breaking film, the subject matter is serious and educational (it's practically a doc for those of us who don't know anything about the fascinating history of Iran) and is delivered in a heartfelt and entertaining way. The film is also incredibly timely, in a day where tensions are so high due to a clash of civilizations. It really proves that a medium that is too often dismissed as "for kids" can carry a mature theme, even with a limited style. btw, there's some great animation in this film, it's basic, but nicely timed. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend checking it out. Oh, and totally not related, but the director Marjane Satrapi is a total babe.

FANTASIA thoughts....

Above is the mushroom dance, part of the Nutcracker suite by by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. If you don't own the two volume Fantasia set, go now and buy it(jeez!) . Everyone should own this, the extras alone are worth the cost.

I believe that Fantasia is the most innovative, experimental, groundbreaking, quality, thought provoking, amazing animated feature of all time. It must kill "disney haters" and avant-guard gurus that one of the most experimental and revolutionary pieces of film came from Disney, and furthermore, they actually used Mickey Mouse(the symbol for hollywood and capitalist evil worldwide) in one of the best segments! I friggin' love it. I can hear hundreds of annoyingly artsy animators groaning at the thought. Also, I have to point out how amazing Fantasia 2000 was. I think they did a great job extending the concept into this millennium, it surprises me how little you hear about Fantasia 2000, perhaps, like it's predecessor, it will take a while for it to be truly appreciated.

Great "Star Wars" post by Mark Kennedy...

Mark Kennedy nails it once again, with possibly the best crit of this 70's masterpiece I've ever read. Star Wars is just such a brilliant film in so many ways, and Mark points several things that will really get you thinking about the elements that make quality visual storytelling. "Star Wars" is one of those movies that I think every filmmaker should watch every year. right along with pulp fiction, ET, and the shawshank redemption:)... maybe american history x for the curb stomping scene.

"Most people think a flowery exchange of dialogue between two characters or a long monologue from an actor to the audience is what "great writing" is but I totally disagree. Ninety-five percent of writing is structuring the events of the story correctly so that they are in the right order, build properly and resolve themselves in a satisfying (and hopefully surprising) way" -Mark Kennedy

Scene from "Notting Hill" is rad...

Ok, don't laugh at me, or lose respect. I call it like I see it despite what pretentious film snobs say. so open your mind a sec and look at this scene from Notting Hill. It's well shot, well timed, fg and bg used well, also very emotional, and effective for the story. I'm actually a big Hugh Grant fan, as well as a sucker for cheezy chic flicks. The passage of time is always a fun thing to deal with in a film, my favorite part of this clip isn't necessarily the technical part of the changing seasons, but the sense that the characters are moving in time (ie, the pregnant lady in the start is with a new born at the end, and the couple in the start are breaking up at the end) also, you just gotta love that Bill Withers song, a classic.

"Delivery" reality in animation...

"This is a wordless and darkly comic piece that turns no action longueurs into the heartbeat of a diabolical comic timing, deftly rendering suspense out of the spaces between movements and expressions."-Animation World Magazine.

If an anvil falls on the head of one of my characters, that character WILL DIE. Furthermore, there will be repercussions of that death, regret, rage, or sadness. So many animated concepts get lost in the "unreal", from talking animals to fairy dust, animation needs a jolt of reality. I've posted my 2003 film "Delivery" HERE to hammer in my point (it's for sale on my site, this is a freebie for you bloggers. it's not even on youtube!). The first version was very graphic when the brother is murdered, lots of blood, and even a dangling spine. I redid it with a somewhat bloodness neck snap, and it became even more twisted and sick than all the blood could have accomplished. "Delivery" premiered at the Slamdance film festival in Park City, 2003, and was a winner at the 2003 ASIFA-East Animation Festival(Association Internationale du Film d' Animation).