Last night’s One Plus Hub Flash Animation event was a huge success. Thanks to all who came out, the Formosa for hosting us, and the biggest thanks to Jill Gilbert, who organized and brought us all together.
We estimated around 175 people made it to the rooftop bar in West Hollywood to hear us celebrate the advances Flash has made in the animation industry in recent years. The speakers included the chiefs of the five major Digital 2D shops in Los Angeles:
Some of the themes that were touched upon included that while we all love what Flash can do, that it’s just a tool, and it shouldn’t define our world, or our budgets and expectations. Ashley wished that anyone on the hunt for the right studio approach the 5 Digital 2D shops listed above with an open mind, and let us suggest a solution. We all work with a variety of software options, production designs, artists and budget ranges, so nearly every conceivable look you may be after should be achievable. As Brendan pointed out - we Flash folk often find ourselves fighting off pre-conceived notions of what is achievable in the software. The best answer is - it’s whatever you want it to be, and for those in attendance in West Hollywood, it was a topic that helped get us all together for an amazing night.
Thanks to Heath Corson and Marianne Hayden for the photos.
Mike Roush’s 5-minute film was recently accepted in the Short Film category at the 2008 Annecy International Animated Film Festival. The Hidden Life of the Burrowing Owl, which was produced by Shannon Prynoski and Titmouse Inc., was animated in Flash, and composited with photo-realistic environments. Allison Craig and David Vandervoot joined Roush on the animation effort, and it marks the first release from the Titmouse Shorts project. Here’s the trailer.
I saw a preview of this film last month, and it’s an exceptional short; subtle, clever and completely unique. Bravo gang, and congrats on your nomination.
On Valentine’s Day, Titmouse Inc, the Hollywood-based animation studio, announced that their animation staff would have the entire workday to create whatever they wanted. Nearly everyone who took part used Flash in their productions, and below are the results - 10 shorts for your viewing pleasure.
Over on Allison Craig’s blog, I read about the latest Titmouse Inc. project - the Happy Monster Band. This is an original animated short-form series on Playhouse Disney, and it features a voting component. According to a press release, “starting October 12, preschoolers and their caregivers will be able to go online to vote for their favorite songs. The highest rated songs will be revealed on-air in a special Halloween Happy Monster Band Top Five Countdown.” Here’s a song titled I’m the Best at Being Me:
If you haven’t watched this Flash-animated series on Adult Swim, it follows Dethklok, who are “the biggest, baddest, and most famous heavy metal band in the world.” The series is animated by Titmouse in Hollywood. The DVD features 2 discs and the current price is $22.99. Here’s a clip from the first season:
Also released this month, the Kappa Mikey DVD which contains 66 minutes of animation and a “How to Draw Mikey” features.
This weekend, I participated in the 2nd Annual Flash Class at Six Point Harness Studios in Hollywood. The two-day event featured presentations and lectures by Matt Danner and Eric Pringle from Cartoon Network, 6PH’s Greg Franklin and Titmouse’s Chris Prynoski.
As always, the class was free, subject to a resume and portfolio review. After a post on cartoonbrew.com, the class size swelled past the 16 planned slots, easily surpassing 35. It was standing room only for both days, and you gotta give it up to these artists who passed up a perfect weekend at KROQ’s Weenie Roast to sit inside all day.
Thanks to everyone who attended and to Six Point for hosting. It was so promising to see that many people interested in learning about Flash animation. It confirms what many of us already know - this digital 2D movement has moved past ‘trend’ and now boasts a strong foothold in the animation industry.
In the witching hours last night, Adult Swim debuted ‘Metalocalypse,‘ a new Flash-animated series from Brendon Small, the creator of ‘Home Movies.’ The show took on a name change in the months leading up to the release, as ‘Dethklok’ was shed from the most head-banging title ever conceived. Below is the first episode (in 2 parts), which was produced at Titmouse Studios in Hollywood by Shannon and Chris Pyrnowski. Also check out the write-up from my visit to their studio a few month’s back.
Last night’s One Plus Hub Flash Animation event was a huge success. Thanks to all who came out, the Formosa for hosting us, and the biggest thanks to Jill Gilbert, who organized and brought us all together.
Some of the themes that were touched upon included that while we all love what Flash can do, that it’s just a tool, and it shouldn’t define our world, or our budgets and expectations. Ashley wished that anyone on the hunt for the right studio approach the 5 Digital 2D shops listed above with an open mind, and let us suggest a solution. We all work with a variety of software options, production designs, artists and budget ranges, so nearly every conceivable look you may be after should be achievable. As Brendan pointed out - we Flash folk often find ourselves fighting off pre-conceived notions of what is achievable in the software. The best answer is - it’s whatever you want it to be, and for those in attendance in West Hollywood, it was a topic that helped get us all together for an amazing night.
Over on Allison Craig’s 
A few days back the 
This weekend, I participated in the 2nd Annual Flash Class at 
Adult Swim debuted ‘
