COVID Dystopia: Breached the grave

Posted on by Thor


I had to animate this scene twice because I first animated the scene a resolution that was too low. The scene is working fine now. The film was rejected by another film festival yesterday. This has to be the most hated film festival jurors see. I feel it is my responsibility however to keep putting it out there to be seen. I feel I have to keep reminding audiences that the airborne virus has not magically disappeared just because a politician lifted the National Emergency. COVID is a seasonal virus the seasons are Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. The virus is not getting milder. The virus is not a cold. The virus is not a flu. The virus wreaks havoc on the immune system making people more prone to there infections. The virus fuses brain neurons and damages blood vessels and the heart. The virus is airborne traveling long distanced in the air like smoke or perfume. We always has simple measures to stop the spread such as properly worn N-95 masks, HEPA air filters and proper ventilation. The vaccines to not stop infections from happening. They do help prevent hospitalizations and immediate death. Each repeat infection makes it probably that the person will develop long COVID and become disabled.

I only have a few more scenes that need touch ups in this film. Yesterday I wanted to refine the Zeus scene but I was unable to find the After Effects file. I will have to search for the scene again today. I will be teaching virtual art classes for six hours and then sketching a production of Who is a Afraid of Virginia Wolf. Hopefully I will find the file I am looking for late tonight.

I am searching for late night sketching opportunities. Many of my virtual classes end at 8pm so sketching rehearsals is often out of the question. If anyone has suggestions on late night events that are ripe for sketching, let me know. I usually have topics ready to pursue and sketch, but right now, I am searching for what is next.

Whisky Duo at Eden Bar

Posted on by Thor


I decided to cover the Florida Film Festival as an outsider. My film, COVID Dystopia was rejected by the festival. My thought is that the Florida politics shown in the film probably disqualified it. It is a bit too hard edged for the quaint hometown FFF.

I have sketched the festival many times in the past and I know you can rub shoulders with some pretty incredibly film makers just by hanging out at the Eden bar.

I saw more than my share of films at the Cleveland Film Festival which was a truly incredible experience. So I don’t feel the need to review films at the Florida Film Festival. Instead my thought is to cover the Florida Film Festival ancillary activities.

As I walked up to the Enzian Theater I could hear live music. Whisky Duo was performing outside on the patio in front of the Eden Bar. The bar was packed as were most of the outside tables. The front two tables closest to the performers were however empty. Chairs had been borrowed to seat more people at other tables so I set out my art stool. I masked up since it was a dense crowd.

I was enjoying the set until they broke into playing The Bear Necessities, from Disney’s The Jungle Book. Ugh, Disney’s sweaty paw seems to try and permeate all local arts and culture. I liked that yellow blooms had fallen from a tree onto the table and I liked that the Live Music banner reflected the dense Florida foliage that surrounds the Enzian. The performance was free, you can’t beat that.

On the night I did this sketch, International Animated Shorts were to be shown at 9:15pm. The laughing crowd around me were probably waiting for that show to begin.I figured that a crowd interested in seeing International Animated Shorts might have a familiar face but I didn’t recognize anyone. This weekend I will be buying a ticket to see the shorts for myself. I am curious what types of animated films were selected.

The musician announced that they were performing their last song. I panicked and sketched faster. I got some semblance of line work done of the performers before the end of the song. I spent the rest of the time working on the background and adding color. The lights made the painting a challenge since they kept changing color. I settled on the bright purple lights.

COVID Dystopia: Flaming Baby Close Up

Posted on by Thor


This close up of the flaming baby has a depth map which makes the face turn with the camera move. The hand drawn flames and breath are the animated elements. With so many people expressing an interest in seeing a longer slower version of the film, I am in a pickle. Part of me wants to storyboard a more linear story structure that is easier for an audience to digest. After the screening of COVID Dystopia I could feel the audiences stunned silence before the applause. Perhaps they were thinking, “is that it?” I also don’t give the audience a chance to identify with any single character which they could root for.

Having spent a two solid days watching short films, I have a billion ideas about what could make COVID Dystopia even better. Whoever, Though I am still making tweaks to animation that needs improvement, I will not start an overly ambitious longer form of the short. I have to live with how it has turned out. The Seattle Film Festival turned down the film as soon as I got back from Cleveland. COVID Dystopia had only a 17% acceptance rate. Film Freeway has claimed that is a good acceptance rate but that is hard to believe.

I will keep promoting the film at festivals because I think people need a swift slap in the face to remind them that the pandemic is not over. There might not be another huge spike like the Omicron wave, but people are dying from COVID at the same rate as automobile accident deaths. The vaccines are helping prevent death and hospitalizations, but vaccines don’t prevent infection.  Most of the population has embraced mass infection. The virus decimates the immune system. Meanwhile Long COVID keeps disabling people. Every repeat infection increases the chance of people developing Long COVID.

Cleveland International Film Festival

Posted on by Thor


COVID Dystopia was shown at the Cleveland International Film Festival. I got up at 4am to get ready for the flight to Cleveland. I made an egg sandwich before I left which became important since I forgot to eat for the rest of the day. The Frontier flight was on time and I got to Cleveland around 10am. I couldn’t check into my air b&B until 4-m so the Lyft driver took me directly to the theater district.

It was cold and raining, so when I got out of the Lyft, I dashed directly into the CSU Idea Center right next to the theater. On the 6th floor there were a series of panel discussions on the making of films. The panel discussions were, “The Story: the journey from page to screen”, and “The Business: follow the money.”

The panels were filmed, so I found a spot where I could sketch the cameras and the audience. Since my film literally had no budget, just my time, blood sweat and tears, I was certainly curious about the money side of making films. It was inspiring to hear all the filmmakers trials and tribulations on their film making journey. For each it was clearly a passion rather than a way to make a quick buck.

After the panel discussions I made my way to the theaters. Dear god these Cleveland theaters are opulent and gorgeous. I asked several red coated ushers where I could sign in as a filmmaker. The guest services area is where I signed in. I was given a lanyard and a swag bag. I was the told I could attend any screening I liked. I wasn’t expecting that. I thought I would have to pay $18 for each screening.

I then wandered slack jawed through the theater lobbies that were all interconnected. In the Connor Palace I thought I might just sketch the lobby but the ushers directed me towards some doors.  A screening had just started. I had no idea what film was showing, but I went inside. The introductory trailer had just started. The immense theater was dark. I stumbled half way up an aisle until I had cleared the opulent balcony.

The film was titled “Minted” bout the rise and fall of the NFT art market. I am so glad I saw the film. The film showcased how NFT helped artists make a mint during the rise in the market. They showed Bepples sitting with his family as his NFT sold at Christie’s for 65 million dollars. Other artist success stories showed them fining freedom of expression and financial independence. It all seemed to good to be true. And it was.

Another Artist found her digital creation were being stolen and sold by others as NFTs. Artists were making good money because they made royalties any time their work was sold. Those royalties disappeared once the bubble burst. Artists can no longer make a living off of just selling NFTs. Many were commercial artists before the NFT craze but they had to return to commercial work after the crash.

Speculators got into the market just to make a quick buck. Most of the art being sold was put crap but the craze allowed crap to be worth millions. The NFT craze coincided with the height of the COVID pandemic. In the documentary artists were wearing masks when they were struggling to make a living. But when their work began selling for thousands of dollars the mask came off. If my work ever starts selling for thousands, I might consider taking my mask off as well. Then I could afford the inevitable health care costs not covered by insurance.

COVID Dystopia: Babies bursting Into Flames

Posted on by Thor


This scene from COVID Dystopia has hand drawn flames. I later started doing flames using distortion tools in After Effects, but these flames work just fine. I see no reason to go back to make these flames like the other more digital flames. The film has a mix of techniques used to create flames.

COVID Dystopia faced two rejections from film festivals yesterday. It is the flaming baby no one wants to hold. To counter the rejections I researched festivals I would like to submit to next. The only response to an indifferent world is to press ahead.

On April 12, COVID Dystopia will have screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival. It is part of the After Hours Part 2 Shorts block. I will be flying in to attend the screening. I am hoping to sketch the theater before the screening. Since I will be traveling light, I will not have my art stool so I will get some exercise as I stand to do the sketches.

I will be bringing 5 by 8 inch poster cards that have the lyrics on the back. The printing job by Fed Ex Kinkos is horrible. The type was printed as a dot screen and is barely legible. Anyway I want to get rid of these 40 or so cards and print up better cards. I also have about 50 “COVID is not done with us” buttons. I don’t know if there is a place to leave this free swag but I will find out. Is it cold in Clevelend, Oh God I hope not.

COVID Dystopia will also be streaming on CIFF Streams online from April 14, 2024 – April 21, 2024 (Part of short: “After Hours Shorts 2”). Tickets for online viewing are $14.

COVID Dystopia: Tanks Attack

Posted on by Thor


This shot from COVID Dystopia has tanks on the streets of New York City firing up the invading virus’ as they float down the side streets. I like how the shot is working.

The entire film was altered to get rid of he snap zoom effects between shots. Those snap zooms were the original reason I wanted to create the film but I am realizing the intensity and speed need to be dialed back a bit for the average audience to have any chance of digesting all that is being thrown at them.

A random Facebook message from a follower in South Africa convinced me to slow things down a touch. He said his wife kept asking him to freeze frame the movie so she could see all the details in each shot. I recognize that people might miss many details, but that is true to the times where the 24 hour news cycle keeps churning out viewpoint weather true or not and the internet further distorts simple truths.

This film has had a 17% success rate in getting into festivals. Those are slim pickings. The list of rejections is immense. I had tow festivals reject the film yesterday. Facing so much rejection eventually wears you down. But when I get a rejection I research a new festival that might accept the message and I also refine and improve shots. I hope I am polishing a gem and not something that everyone hates. From curse words in the lyrics to very adult themed images, I know I am facing an uphill battle. The audience is out there however I just need to find them. This will be a year of patience and perseverance.

In two days I fly to the Cleveland International Film Festival where COVID Dystopia will screen at 9:50pm. This is the first Academy Award qualifying festival that the film has been accepted into. Hoping to make the most of that 17% acceptance rate.

 

COVID Dystopia: Flesh Dropped Like a Waterfall

Posted on by Thor


The full lyrics for this shot of the film, COVID Dystopia are, “Flesh dropped like a waterfall from every Nazi face.”

I hand animated the candle falem in this shot and the flames around the edges of the Constitution were animated in After Effects.

Rudy simply rotates a bit using a depth map. I am considering opening his mouth a bit and it might be good to hand animated a couple of drips flowing downward. If I fully animate the hands that might help as well. The consideration is always weather the move is actually needed.

I am going through the whole film now and making sure the camera moves work the way I want. Since I deleted all the snap zoom effects there are often hold at the beginning and end of each shot where those transitions happened. I just need to expand each of those markers out for the duration of the shot.

As I am doing all those camera move tweaks I am also compiling a spreadsheet so I can keep track of all the things I might consider improving in each shot. I will go back through all these posts since I often shared those considerations here.

This past week I have been swamped with moving the studio but now I can start animating again. I watched the film through this morning without the snap zoom effects and it is starting to grow on me. By the end of today I hope to have any camera move timing issues cleaned up. I also need to finish cleaning up the Times Square Hazmat shot. I am just making sure the line work in that shot is crisp. They say you learn from your mistakes. Well on this film, I seem to have made every mistake possible.

COVID Dystopia: Hazmat Cleanup

Posted on by Thor


This scene from COVID Dystopia was animated at a resolution of 1920 by 1080. Unfortunately when scaled up in After Effects the line work became pixelated and blurry.

To fix the animation I had to re-import the blurry mp4 file into Callipeg and clean it up. This involved going back to the original art to find the high resolution bodies and go through frame by frame adding them over the blurry footage. The three guys to the left have been reworked and I have two more to do.

I had almost finished the scene earlier in the week but I pinched all the separate layers together so that it would play back correctly. Callipeg has a glitch where layers that are not completely filled with art will cause the program to flicker on playback.

I discovered that several of the layers had shifted by a frame or so causing the clean up animation to fall out of sync with the blurry footage. Then the program wouldn’t let me move anything. I decided to start over and avoid merging layers. I am living with the flickering effect since I know that it will render correctly in the end.

I have just two more hazmat suited guys too go. I should finish tonight. However I plan to head out today to go to a solar eclipse viewing party. The plan is to sketch the crowd outside looking up. I don’t have protective goggles, but I will be sketching the people not looking up. At least I think I can resist looking up.

COVID Dystopia: Virus Over Manhattan

Posted on by Thor


In this shot from COVID Dystopia, a huge virus enters screen left and settled in over Manhattan. Animation was done in After Effects. The only possible thing that could make ths shot better would be for the shadows of the skyscrapers to change as the virus settles over Manhattan. I don’t think that is needed however.

I have one more day of working on a shot that has given me hell. I will write about the trails and tribulations tomorrow. Today I should be moving the last of the art and a filing cabinet into the studio. Then I can relax and start hanging paintings. I also have a small Mexican fire pit int he backyard and I plan to burn some paper items from my past.

I have started putting events on my calendar which should be good to sketch. Since I am animating I keep canceling any sketch outings.

I arranged all my sketchbooks chronologically yesterday. They were well organized through 2016 but then the system had been abandoned. I decided to arrange the books bases on the date of the last sketch in the sketchbook. I think the sketchbooks b=prior to 2016 had been arranged according to the date of the first sketch in the sketch books. I have a sketchbook in my bag now that was started way back in 1981. It fell off my bike as I was starting a cross country bike trip. Someone found it in the snow and packed it away in their garage. 30 years later they realized the book was signed and they returned it. When I finish the last sketch in that sketchbook the date of the last sketch will affect how I catalogue it. Is this the right system? I don;t know. Life is short beginning or end of a sketchbook, even with a 30 year gap is a infinitesimal fraction of time.

 

COVID Dystopia: There Were Lasers

Posted on by Thor


This scene from COVID Dystopia has an alien virus enter from the top and fire off one large laser blast. The explosion quickly expands. It has always bothered me that the scene cuts on the blast and that the farm house is unaffected.

If I go back into this scene it will be to animate the farm house exploding. That is a tall order, but could also be quite fun. The advantage is that the are probably only 6 to 12 frames that need to be animated.

I finished refining all the timing of camera moves through out the film yesterday. I want to finish off the clean up of the hazmat suit Times Square clean up crew. I cleaned up two of the hazmat suited workers last night but I have like 6 more to go.

Two drinking mugs that came to the new studio in the move. I have been using a white one with orange inside the cup every day. I woke up this morning and for the life of me, I can not find it. I know I drank from it at dinner last night. I wandered through every room looking at every surface where I might place a mug.

I must be going nuts. I finally gave up and started using the second mug which is a black coffee mug. I don’t know, but when I drink Mountain Dew out of the black mug, the Dew looks dark and menacing. I am used to my Dew being a bright nuclear glowing green.

I have two other white mugs that I now use to store things like scissors and X-Acto blades. One cup shouts CALM and the other shouts CREATE. I think I will use one of those instead, but I can’t decide which message is most relevant. I will not decide today. I figure if I don’t think about the missing cup it will just pop up unexpectedly.