Disney Internship: NYC Street MGM Studio

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By October, I was starting to feel rather burnt out form all the inbetweening drawings I had to do to finish each animation scene I was working on.

On lunch breaks I would walk around the MGM theme park to fins a place to sketch. Just having a chance to sketch on location helped ground me.

On one occasion I was sitting on a bench in the New York City like in this sketch and A woman walked past me. She looked over her shoulder at me while she walked away. She came around a second time and stopped in front of me. She leaned forward and asked, “Are you an animatronic?” If I wasn’t so surprised, I could have acted mechanical and messed with her but I simply said, “No, I am very much flesh and blood.” People don’t sit still in theme parks. They are always in a rush to get on the next attraction. Children get cranky since their tiny little legs can’t keep up. Artists function on a much slower pace, to take the time to look.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: A Walk in the Park

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I had a day off from animating in the Disney Feature Animation Internship and I spent it walking around Disney World Magic Kingdom. I hit up the Haunted House and Space Mountain.I would have loved to sketch in the attractions but it is impossible to get a sketch when you are being shuttled along in a roller coaster carriage.

Actually sketching in a theme park is a real challenge since hoards of tourists are constantly rushing down the street. I chose to sketch the upper floors of Main street to keep the crowds out of the sketch.

It started to rain about 5pm so I escaped and went back to the apartment Disney had put the would be animators into. The rest of the afternoon was spent doing laundry and sketching up on errands before starting another week of animating.

Fringe: The Process is Ugly

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The Process is Ugly presented by The Scrappy Batch at this year’s Fringe was the hardest hitting emotional show I have seen this year. It is a one woman show that delves into the attempts at emotional recovery after physical harassment.

Daniella Ross was groped at work and she responded with a solid punch to the fellow employee. She and the employee were temporarily layed off. She later found out the male employee was layed off for much less time.

She decided to try an Eat, Pray. Love style recovery by traveling to an exotic location to practice yoga and holistic living. That lifestyle didn’t suit her. Her brain raced during meditation. Then during yoga the male instructors felt the need to correct her poses. The first instructor just uses the base of his hand but the second flat out grabbed her. She overheard him during lunch saying essentially that he could grab practitioners any way he liked. As an audience member I felt the anger. Why can’t people just respect the personal space of others?

I felt the most magical moment came when the show was over. This was a the first time she was performing the show at Fringe. She stood in front of the audience and said, “What do I do now?” What she had shared was so raw and emotional. She began to explain how certain conversations were verbatim what had transpired. She got choked up as she explained. The emotions were still raw and very real. This is the magic of live theater, sometimes it hits a nerve so tender and universal that the whole audience identifies intimately. I give the show 4 yoga mats.

The Process is Ugly is in the Scarlet venue and rated 18 and up. It has a run time of 60 minutes. Tickets  are $15.

The remaining show times are…

  • Saturday May 25, 4:20pm
  • Sunday May 26, 5:45pm

 

Fringe: The Light Bringer

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The Light Bringer is a one woman Fringe show about an Arab family coming to America and finding the American dream.

I thought I might be sketching the performer seated beside the lantern but Laila Lee immediately jumped up and related her tale with endless enthusiasm.

She was a young girl when her family immigrated to America. She loved discovering American culture which conflicted with her parents wanting to hold onto traditional ways. She truly had the energy of a 12 year old as she discovered American music and fashion.

Around her neck was a long shining yellow scarf. It turned out that scarf was actually a hijab which should be worn around a woman’s head. In high school she wore it as a bandanna to look cool.

Her desire to blend in and accept American fashion came head to head with her fathers ideas of what would be good for her. He wanted to marry her off to save her from becoming an American slut. Laina had to choose between her family or becoming who she felt she needed to become. As another act of rebellion she started taking acting classes which lead to her eventually taking the stage today and I am glad she did. There is a second show she has developed which takes off where this show left off. I for one desperately want to know more.

This was an amazing show brimming with energy. I give it 5 hijabs.

The Light Bringer is in the Blue Venue. It is rated 13 and up with a run time of 60 minutes. Tickets are $14,

Remaining show times:

  • Thursday May 23, 7:00pm
  • Saturday May 25, 9:20pm

Fringe: 1001 Red Flags (Shereen’s Version)

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I met Shereen Kassam at several Fringe Press preview shows and loved her back story so I had to see her show. 1001 Red Flags is a candid hilarious romp with equally candid views of American racism.

Shereen worked at Real Radio in Orlando which is a talk show station. Two talk show hosts kept teasing Shereen for not getting herself out there in the dating scene. They set up a dating game and invited men to come into the station to try an win a date with her.

Over 100 men applied but in the end she had to pick between three contestants. One was an a-hole of a jock who simply bragged about how long he could last in bed. Another wanted to get her knocked up immediately. The third was a fireman who said he had a steady income and would support her career. She picked the fireman.

Red flags started popping up immediately that hinted at the fact that they did not belong together. She was a bit drunk on the first date and didn’t want to be alone so she ignored the signs. She talked about just wanting to meet a guy with good insurance. As a freelance artist I can relate to that. Two doctors I have used have left the practice and my last doctors phone line was disconnected. Doctors ghost patients worst that any would be date.

In one stand up comedy show in Central Florida Shereen mentioned in her act that she was Muslim. After the show she was actually physically assaulted by a woman from the audience. American hatred and isolationism runs deep. All Shereen wants to do is make people laugh and she does that in spades.

She loves sneakers and wore a different pair during each section of the show. She had one pair that was absolutely gorgeous with vibrant rainbow springtime colors. I admire that obsession though I only wear earth tone hiking boots anywhere I go.

At one point Shereen was joking about the wonder and joy of uncircumcised penis’s. She might not have gotten along with her boyfriend, but she loved his penis. That started up a discussion in the audience members directly in front of me. Rather than ignore them, or heckle them, Shereen joined in their discussion to find out the guy was bragging about his penis. A mom seated directly in front of me was offering her opinions and mentioned off hand that her daughter was seated beside her. It was a hilarious unscripted moment you only get in live comedy theater. The hilarious discussion could have continued but Shereen managed to steer her show back on track.

I highly recommend this show. I love any performer who can share their life experiences so openly. It was a blast.

1001 Red Flags is in the Blue Venue in the Shakes. It is rated 18 and up and runs for 55 minutes. Tickets are $15.

Remaining show times:

  • Saturday May 18, 9:50pm
  • Sunday May 19, 3:00pm
  • Monday May 20, 8:10pm
  • Tuesday May 21 6:45pm
  • Friday May 24, 10:20pm
  • Sunday May 26, 9:40pm

Cocaine Bear the Opera

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I caught a dress rehearsal for Cocaine Bear the Opera which will be performed at this year’s Fringe festival. The show is written and produced by Eric Pinder.

If you have ever been to an opera or even seen some bugs bunny cartoons that use the classics, you will be familiar with the music, now with lyrics telling the tale of a cocaine crazed bear.

I know of the movie which this opera is built around, but I haven’t seen it. The opera holds its own as a hilarious romp.

The show begins with a drug runner dreaming of his future life filled with beautiful woman now that he is in possession of a stack of cocaine bricks. On the rear projection screen a plane on a stick bobs up and down before crashing into the forest.

A bear finds the mysterious substance which he calls “magic snow” and he lusts after it like Gollum after the ring.

There are lots of intestinal entrails when people find the magic snow and the bear defends his stash. I was entertained by a lustful scene between two park rangers who were then both disemboweled by the bear. Strangely a little girl in tears caused the bear to pause and take pity. Horrific chase scenes played out in delightful slow motion.

The glue holding this all together was classic operatic ballads that were so familiar that I found myself humming along. This is a strange quirky but absolutely delightful show. I give it five bloody bear paws.

The show will be in the Peach Venue inside the Orlando Family Theater. It is rated 18 and up for some language and suggestive situations. The run time is 50 minutes and Tickets are $15.

Show times:

  • Wednesday May 15, 5:45pm
  • Saturday May 18, 9:50pm
  • Sunday May 19, 10:05pm
  • Monday May 20, 9:35pm
  • Tuesday May 21, 6:05pm
  • Saturday May 25, 12:30pm
  • Sunday May 26, 9:40pm

COVID Dystopia: Watch the MFers Explode

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This shot from COVID Dystopia has flames that were hand animated. I layered some after Effects textures over the larger flames to add more movement to the painted effects. I was pleases with how the animation turned out on the torch flame. The ex-president also raises his arms a bit. His animation was always rather limited.

The waves do distort and move a bit but they are not fully animated. If I were to go back in and animate anything it would be the flags waving. I don’t want that motion to distract from the audience looking at the sinking ex-president.

Today I am off from teaching so I plan to spend the day painting Shakes Theater posters. For each poster I also have to paint a horizontal format version. I want to make sure all the vertical format posters are approved before I start that process which will double the amount of work I need to do.

 

 

Eye Doctor

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I have been having trouble seeing out of my left eye. When looking straight ahead I see a warped second image that arcs downward. When I look at something like a roof line, I see one as straight across and then a second that scoops down. My binocular vision then combines those two images to come up with a sort of jagged edge.

As a freelancer I pay for Ambetter Heath insurance. About a year ago I got glasses from an ophthalmologist on Michigan Street. That doctor no longer takes my insurance. My general practitioner dropped my insurance as well.

I searched through the few eye doctors who do take my insurance and decided on Dr. Sandra Mauro. I researched her education, and she has been in the eye business her whole life. She website also stressed how the office is run with COVID precautions in mind. That however was old news. I was the only one masked. Her office is a small concrete block building with parking behind it. All the parking spots were taken but I was lucky that someone pulled out. It seems like everyone is loosing their sight.

The waiting room was full of moms and their kids. After filling out some paperwork I got my eye pressure checked and a doctors assistant used a bright light to view the inside of my eye. Doctor Mauro had me look through a series of lenses. I was shocked when I found my left eye could not read any of the letters she showed me. I explained that the letters arced downward and were blurry. I wore my mask through most of the procedure but at one point the mask was fogging up the lens, so I pulled it down for that procedure.  She put drops in my eyes to dilate my pupils. When she left I sketched some of the equipment in her office.

She asked me to look at a grid and I could see the whole grid which was good she said. At least I don’t have cataracts. Then she repeated the procedure of s shining a bright light into my eye. Her assessment is that I have a swollen macula.  Essentially the back of my eyeball is caving inwards. There is also a “floater” in my left eye and I was surprised to find out my right cornea has a scar. She didn’t have the equipment needed to do any more tests, so she refereed me to a retina specialist.

My eyes are a mess. Possible treatments include pills to reduce the swelling, shots into the eye, laser or scalpel surgery to remove the swollen tissue. I am fascinated at the thought of having fluorescent dye shot into my veins to see how the blood flows into my eye. The thought of someone coming at my eye with a knife is terrifying. I am thinking a pirate patch might be enough. Even a cyclops can be an artist.

COVID Dystopia: I Can’t Let It Go

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This scene from COVID Dystopia has been reworked multiple times.I might animate the guy in the foreground who is walking screen left. The rest of the crowd has subtle movement just because of the depth map.

“I can’t let it go: pretty much sums up where I am at this point in the pandemic. Hospitalizations for those infected by COVID are at the lowest point they have been at in a long time. Despite this I will continue to mask indoors and outdoors if in a crowd.

I am getting my eyes checked tomorrow. My left eye is getting blurry and distorting my view. With both eyes open I get a secondary image that distorts downwards. Since I am an artist, the vision is kind of important.

I know there is a new variant on the horizon but it hasn’t stepped in to fill the shows of JN1 yet. Talking to a student last weekend I found she has been infected 4 times so far and might have been exposed again by a friend. She was quite cavalier about being sick so often.

I follow people who are suffering from Long COVID and would like to take any steps necessary to not have to experience the way the virus destroys the immune system and can debilitate for months or years. There is no treatment and there is no cure. So I take basic precautions. I don’t mind a side wards glance. I have no need to fit in.

Is there a COVID cautious community in Orlando? If there is I haven’t seen any evidence of it.

COVID Dystopia: But I Can’t Let It Go

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This shot from COVID Dystopia just has a depth map applied right now. It follows the wacky wacky tube men shot which is highly active.

I now realize that I need to add more animation to this shot. I can make the girl and all the demons look like they are walking by just moving them left to right and adding some up and down motion. By altering the strides of each they can move independently without much effort.

I am also considering having the demon in front raise his hand an put it on the girls shoulder. I already animated a candle flame for the melting Giuliani shot, so I should be able to import that an duplicate it for all the flames.

I haven’t animated a shot in the film for the last week and thought I might be finished, but sometimes when I share a shot here, I realize there is room for improvement. I have started considering the story line of another short animation but I want to take care that the story being developed has heart and is more linear than COVID Dystopia. I also want to start designing the COVID Dystopia book but I am wondering if I should self publish or seek out a publisher. I am at a cross roads and want to be sure COVID Dystopia is locked in as I begin exploring the next phase.