We're Moving...

Independent Animated Films is moving to its new home:
62 George Street - http://www.62georgestreet.com

Feel free to stop by...

The Creator's Project (Vid): The Making Of ERNEST & CELESTINE

When Benjamin was here for The Oscars®(heck, each time he
came to LA) he was flooded with requests for interviews.

This interview (see video in the link below) by The Creator's Project was particularly interesting, as I sat on the floor behind the cameraman, Ben (as always) handled it like a pro.

The only errors I notice is they credited "Vincent" for the tumblr drawings as they were discussing the late Gabrielle Vincent, the cut in the animation causing a glitch in the animation, and a misspelling of the the incredible composer's name: Vincent Courtois.
Those charming (& hysterically funny) tumblr drawings which were referenced in the video are all Benjamin's.

Other amazing tidbits worthy of mention (which are not included in the interview) is that (*for the majority of the film), Benjamin's team consisted of only 5 animators & 3 BG painters.
YES, 5 animators did almost all of the animation and clean up themselves - and at the height of production, there were approximately 15.
(For those of us who have worked in the LA studios, that is unheard of - our teams have consisted of about 50 - 80 animators and 80 - 100 clean up artists.)
Ben's background team consisted of 3 painters for over 500 backgrounds - and when the production was in full swing, approximately 10.
The budget was only 9.6 mil euro / 12 mil US and the film took approximately 4.5 years (from the time Ben started) to complete.

Ben's AMAZING co-directors (Vincent Patar & Stephane Aubier - who also co-directed A TOWN CALLED PANIC) were on the film for 2 years, helping Ben with the narration of the film (and Ben was responsible for all of the art & artistic direction).
In Europe filmmakers must finalize the animatic before moving further into production. 

Ben took the boards and locked the animatic in FLASH in 18 months - with the timing, pacing, staging and acting choices so precise that the animators were able to go into the files and flush out the animation in 16 short months.

The animation was done traditionally in FLASH and the backgrounds are watercolor on paper.

It is a co-production with France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

The French producer is the great Didier Brunner (who also produced THE LADY AND THE PIGEONS, KIRIKOU & SORCERESS, TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE and THE SECRET OF KELLS), who used to read the ERNEST & CELESTINE books to his daughter, Pauline, when she was a child - and it is she who is the voice of our beloved Celestine.

See more about the "Making of" ERNEST & CELESTINE from this great video interview by The Creator's Project:
http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/video-the-indelible-artistry-behind-the-making-of-ernest-and-celestine

And, of course, learn more about the film from each chapter of Ben's HYSTERICAL "Making of" ERNEST & CELESTINE Tumblr - start from the beginning...
http://ernestandcelestine.tumblr.com/

Elliot Cowan's THE STRESSFUL ADVENTURES OF BOXHEAD & ROUNDHEAD.

I have to say, I continue to be astounded by the incredible talent and perseverance demonstrated by my friend, Elliot Cowan.

I am a huge (HUGE!) fan of his drawings (and the speed by which he works).

Elliot's whimsical style is so incredibly appealing - to me, it is uniquely his own but also sliiiiightly reminiscent of two of my absolute favorite artists, Ralph Steadman and Gerald Scarfe.

Elliot is also generous with his artwork, he is quick with a drawing and generous to share and donate to a good cause.

Elliot has made several short films with his Boxhead/Roundhead characters.  These two amiable brothers rather often get into some frightening misadventures - always accompanied by an amazing soundtrack (cue: the great Matt Saxton or the Australian band, The Gadflys).

Elliot's feature film: THE STRESSFUL ADVENTURES OF BOXHEAD & ROUNDHEAD premiered in New York last night - and with the help of a handful or two of some extraordinary folks, he made an ENTIRE FEATURE FILM in only a few short years.

The calibre of these people is quite impressive.
The backgrounds/production designs were made by the incomparable Neil Ross - who helped set the visual tone of the film.
Combined with Elliot's superbly & bizarrely appealing characters, whom Boxhead & Roundhead meet throughout this latest adventure, as well as the timing of the animation, some great voice acting (h/t to the man of the hour himself - Elliot Cowan, Jeremy Beck & Carl Doonan, and [the multi-talented] Boris Hiestand), a tremendous soundtrack (The Gadflys), and the wonderful relationship between the characters - makes, what I have seen of, this film so engaging!

I continue to be incredibly impressed by Elliot and would like to give him and his very small crew a big shout-out...
http://sandwichbag.blogspot.com/2014/03/thank-you.html


Can't wait to see the west coast premiere.
Congratulations, Elliot.

I raise my glass.

The "Making of" ERNEST & CELESTINE tumblr

Honestly, Benjamin might be the funniest person I know.
(Make sure to check out each and every chapter on the left side of the tumblr page...)

http://ernestandcelestine.tumblr.com/

Paul Ó Muiris' (Cartoon Saloon's) THE LEDGE END OF PHIL

I'm pretty humbled and thrilled beyond words to be associated with the Oscar®-nominated Irish studio, Cartoon Saloon.
After working on the promotion of KELLS, I was recently hired as the studio's US-based representative for business development, PR and marketing.
I was in Ireland in September of last year (for the opening exhibit of the KELLS limited edition prints at Culture Tech in Derry.http://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/2013/07/the-secret-of-kells-gets-limited-edition-release-of-iconic-prints/ At the studio in Kilkenny, I was able to look at all of the incredible work the studio has done and continues to do - and was utterly mesmerized by the quality of work (not just by the studio in general but by artists on their own projects).
Paul Ó Muiris is one of these artists - and his short film is called THE LEDGE END OF PHIL.

It will have it's international premiere at the Aspen International Film Festival in Denver, Colorado in the beginning of April.
Here is Paul's blog and a little teaser from the film.
http://ledge-end-of-phil.blogspot.ie/

Please keep it on your radar.

ERNEST & CELESTINE - Coming to a theatre near you!

ERNEST & CELESTINE 
**New theater and festival list as of 3/11** 

NOW PLAYING
Los Angeles, CA – The Landmark (ENDS 3/13)
Irvine, CA – Regal University Town Center (ENDS 3/13)
Claremont, CA – Laemmle Claremont (ENDS 3/13)
Laguna Niguel, CA – Rancho Niguel 8 Cinemas (ENDS 3/13)
North Hollywood, CA – Laemmle NoHo
Pasadena, CA – Laemmle Playhouse

OPEN FRIDAY MARCH 14
New York, NY – IFC Center
Rancho Mirage, CA – Cinemas Palm D'Or
Burbank, CA – AMC Burbank Town Center
Long Beach, CA – Regal Marketplace 6
Irvine, CA – Regal Westpark
Westlake Village, CA – Westlake Village Twin
Encino, CA – Laemmle Town Center 5
Salt Lake City, UT – Tumbleweeds Film Festival (thru 3/16)
Oklahoma City, OK – Oklahoma City Museum of Art (thru 3/16)

MARCH 21
Montpelier, VT – Green Mountain Film Festival
Akron, OH – Akron Sparks Family Film Festival (3/23)

MARCH 28
Seattle, WA – Landmark Theatres (TBD)
Portland, OR – Regal Fox Tower
San Jose, CA – Camera 3 Cinemas
Washington, DC – Landmark E Street
Boston, MA – Landmark Kendall Square
Philadelphia, PA – Landmark Ritz at the Bourse
San Diego, CA – Landmark Theatres (TBD)
San Francisco, CA – Landmark Theatres (TBD)
Berkeley, CA – Landmark Shattuck
Cleveland, OH – Cleveland International Film Festival (3/29-3/30)

APRIL 4
Austin, TX – Regal Arbor Cinemas
Salt Lake City, UT – Broadway Theatre
Santa Cruz, CA – Nickelodeon Del Mar
Chicago, IL – Music Box Theatre
Phoenix, AZ – Harkins Camelview
Dallas, TX – Angelika Film Center
Baltimore, MD – The Charles Theatre
Houston, TX – Landmark River Oaks Theatre
Minneapolis, MN – Landmark Theatres (TBD)
Atlanta, GA – Landmark Midtown Art
Denver, CO – Landmark Theatres (TBD)
Orlando, FL – Florida Film Festival (thru 4/7)
New Orleans, LA – Prytania Theater
Sebastopol, CA – Rialto Cinemas

APRIL 11
Chicago, IL – AMC River East
Northbrook, IL – AMC Northbrook
Skokie, IL – AMC Village Crossing
Portland, ME – Nickelodeon Cinemas
Las Vegas, NV – Regal Village Square
Louisville, KY – Baxter Ave. Filmworks
Tucson, AZ – The Loft Cinema
Raleigh, NC – Raleigh Grande
Asheville, NC – The Carolina Asheville
Honolulu, HI – Kahala Theatres 8
Charlotte, NC – Regal Park Terrace
Knoxville, TN – Regal Downtown West
Santa Fe, NM – CCA Santa Fe
Pittsburgh, PA – Regent Square Theatre
Columbus, OH – Gateway Film Center
St. Louis, MO – Landmark Plaza Frontenac
Indianapolis, IN – Landmark Keystone
Cincinnati, OH – Mariemont 4
Durango, CO – Animas Theatre
Lincolnshire, IL – Regal Lincolnshire
Coral Gables, FL – Coral Gables Art Cinema
Gloucster, MA – Cape Ann Community Cinema
Sarasota, FL – Sarasota Film Festival (4/12 - 4/13)
Omaha, NE – Film Streams Omaha (begins 4/12)

APRIL 18
Waterville, ME – Railroad Square Cinema
Mobile, AL – Crescent Theatre
Buffalo, NY – Amherst Theatre
Salem, OR – Salem Cinema
Spokane, WA – Magic Lantern Theatre
Philadelphia, PA – Zoetropolis (4/23 - 4/27)
Geneva, NY – Smith Opera House (thru 4/20)

APRIL 25
Providence, RI – Cable Car Cinema
Wichita, KS – Tallgrass Film Festival
Bellingham, WA – Pickford Film Center
Detroit, MI – Landmark Main Art
Albuquerque, NM – Guild Cinema (begins 4/30)
Wilmington, DE – Penn Cinema Riverfront (4/24 - 4/27)

MAY 2
Gainesville, FL – The Hippodrome
Tallahassee, FL – Tallahassee Film Society
Lincoln, NE – Mary R. Ross Film Center

MAY 9
Las Cruces, NM – Mesilla Valley Film Society

Welcome!

Welp, after some warm-hearted advice from my friend, Marco, I have decided to start a blog...

My background is in traditional animation but I have trained in CG Animation and also made a little short film in stop-motion, with the help of a tremendous filmmaker Elliot Cowan (who whizzed through the compositing in just a few days).

I transitioned from being an artist to being a champion of independent films when I came across the film, THE SECRET OF KELLS while working in Edinburgh on Sylvain Chomet's THE ILLUSIONIST.

The images from KELLS were absolutely stunning and I knew I needed to see this film - and it was everything I had hoped it would be (and the team from Cartoon Saloon was even more incredible).

I have been so lucky to have been able to work on the publicity campaigns, promoting some of the greatest films (& the greatest filmmaking teams) to come out of Europe & Japan in recent years - and in the last 4 years, 4 of those films have garnered Oscar nominations.

The latest film which I championed, ERNEST & CELESTINE was an absolute joy and a blessing.

The film is just now out in theatres and Benjamin Renner's amazing approach to filmmaking is a story in itself and deserves to be told.

Marco's right...
I suppose the only way to reach a broader audience, get out dates and times of the film releases, talk about outstanding achievements by the filmmakers and up-and-coming features, shorts, artists and exhibits is to start a blog.

So bear with me as I start this venture.

All artwork is owned by the respective artist or studio.

And any information about which I write is what I believe to be true and is relayed to my audience in good faith, with all intended respect and good will.

Welcome!