COVID Dystopia: Reno Plans

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I update the laurels and re-post the poster each time COVID Dystopia is accepted into a new film festival.

I booked plane tickets and the hotel in Reno. The full cost of the hotel will be reimbursed by the festival but the airfare is on me. The hotel room has a king size bed which is such a waste. I couldn’t find a smaller room in the Silver Legacy casino hotel which is where all the film makers will be staying.

Booking decent round trip flights is a challenge I haven’t yet mastered. Only after the tickets were booked did I discover that I have a 3 hour layover in Minneapolis. Well if I go out or sketch in the airport that will take carer of two hours. I have a similar 3 hour layover in Salt Lake City on the way back but that one goes until 1am. I might be less enthusiastic about sketching Salt Lake City that late at night but we will see. Hopefully I have learned from my mistakes. Actually the layovers are intentional. Had I paid several hundred more dollars for the tickets I could have flown much faster. In Iowa I am driving 6 hours to avoid a similar layover. I would rather watch the road flow by than sit inside an airport. No matter how challenging, this is all an adventure and I need to embrace that.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Dancing Bushes

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These dancing Hippo and Crocodile bushes were located right outside the animation tour building. They were in the MGM studio theme park for guests to enjoy, not necessarily the animators.

My evening of partying caught up with me and I had a horrible hangover. I had to leave work early.

I did get some work done on my quadruped assignment. I designed a centaur. The plan was to make the centaur walk onto the scene where he notices a female centaur and starts running after her. It was a great plan but a bit too much for my hungover brain to handle.

I was told that 23 positions were opening up in the animation studio in the next 18 months. There was hope to join the growing studio.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: Muppets on Location

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The interns went to Pleasure Island to blow off some steam. My favorite venue there was the adventurer’s club, but there were a wide variety of dance clubs and comedy clubs. Unfortunately Disney shut down this more adult themes attraction.

I had a good conversation with Pete about the future possibilities of working in Animation. We both agreed that it is important to invest in your own ideas besides working on company projects.

Disney felt homogenized. It offered security, but a life of adventure would require more risks. I had 6 beers and felt I needed to figure out the trajectory of my life. The key is to take it one day at a time and keep moving in a direction. Just as I was searching for my next step then, I am searching for my next step now. I have several spreads in my book I need to lay out today. That is all I can think about for now.

COVID Dystopia: Screening at the Iowa Independent Film Festival

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COVID Dystopia will be screening at the Iowa Independent film Festival in Clear Lake, Iowa on September 6, 2024 from 4pm to 6pm at The Lake Theater. It is right next door to the corner drug store.

In making travel plans I found the tiny puddle jumper airport does not have a car rental, si I am hoping that lyft will be able to get me around.I actually read an article online that said lyft does not exist in Clear, Lake Iowa. I will have to trust that can not be true or a taxi service at least must exist. The walk between the town is 3 and a half hours. I am not doing that but maybe I could find a bike rental. In some ways traveling to the middle of nowhere is terrifying but it is also thrilling.

The other Film Festival theater that is screening films is a 20 minute drive east at Mason City, Iowa. The awards ceremony and several after parties are in Mason City.

I decided I will stay in Clear Lake, Iowa. I found a very affordable hotel that overlooks the lake and is walking distance to the Lake Theater. I might bring my swim trunks although the water might be rather cold in Iowa come September.

My sound tech has offered to do a complete sound redesign for the film. That will not be ready by the time of the Iowa International Film Festival screening, but I am excited to see the film take another creative step forward.

It is exciting traveling to cities around the world to screen the film and spread the message that we might be done with COVID, but COVID is not done with us.

I am deep into designing a 200 page hardcover book that includes 600 of the COVID illustrations along with concise write ups for each day. One question at the Cleveland International Film Festival was, do I plan to make a longer version of the film? The book is that long form project. It allows a reader time to pause and think about the insanity that ensued. The film. COVID Dystopia hits like a slap in the face and is so fast paced that many can not keep up. In a way that is the point. I was the only artist trying to keep up and record what most want to ignore.

Disney Feature Animation Internship: MGM Studios Entrance

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This is another lunchtime sketch inside Disney’s MGM Studios. On the weekend I took some time off and wandered through Epcot people watching and sketching. Such excursions helped keep me sane through the pressure cooker that was the internship.

I managed to get a sun burn on my forehead since I forgot to wear my baseball cap while sketching.

I tried to arrange a haircut with a Disney barber but was told I would need to return in a week because I didn’t have a reservation. Just figuring out basic survival needs is a learning process.

The next assignment was going to be figuring out how a horse walks. It was hard enough figuring out how two legs worked in a walk and now I had to face 4 legs. Well, if the horses can figure out the mechanics of walking, then so can I.

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