COVID Dystopia: Breached the grave

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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

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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.

Lucia Di Lammermoor

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I attended a final dress rehearsal for Donizetti’s bel canto masterpiece Lucia Di Lammermoor in the Steinmetz Theater in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Preforming Arts. (445 S. Magnolia Avenue
Orlando, FL). Presented by Opera Orlando, this was an impressive production.

Music is by Gaetano Donizetti with libretto by Salvadore Cammarano. The opera is Sung in Italian with English and Spanish super-titles. Since I was sketching I didn’t have time to read the super-titles.

What is particularly interesting about the show is that they styled it to resemble Game of Thrones. It is a tale of love, betrayal, and madness, Lucia is torn between allegiance to her family and her love for Edgardo–her brother Enrico’s sworn enemy. A forced marriage leads to tragic ends for all involved in this gorgeous operatic treatment of Sir Walter Scott’s gothic romance The Bride of Lammermoor.

Particularly impressive were the large celebrations with crowds of guests in gothic attire. At one such celebration the partners turned and gasped when they saw Lucia stumble down the steps in a white dress holding knife covered in blood. Her disruption took center stage as she sang her sorrowful aria. Again I didn’t read the translation, but read the meaning in every guests reaction of horror and bewilderment.

I started a second sketch towards the end of the production. Time was short, this was the final moments of the opera. Singers stood around a funeral pyre.

I was among several dozen people who were in the second tier of the theater. The rest of the theater was empty. In the pit were members of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. choreographer Mila Makarova, had dancers from the Orlando Ballet performing some sinister dance moves around Lucia as she went mad.

Next time I sketch a production from so far away, I plan to bring opera glasses. I used them in the courtroom for the Pulse Nightclub shooting case, but realize now I need them when seeing a theater production from afar.

Performances are on Friday | April 19 at 7:30 p.m. and  Sunday | April 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

Cleveland International Film Festival

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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

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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.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ Poster First Pass

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The art for the Ain’t Misbehavin’ poster is a rare case where my first impressions were right on point. I think I had to work on the title and credits but the art itself held up. There were a whole list of instructions on how big each credit should be related to the other credits. Actually now that I am thinking back, several of the facial expressions on the men had to be changed. So the final poster is a bit different than what I first created. If I remember right one of the men’s fces looked a bit painted as he was singing. It is always a challenge to get just the right expression while someone sings.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ runs at the Orlando Shakes between April 10-28, 2024. I watched the original cast perform to get inspiration for the poster and the show is a blast.  Tickets run between $32.86 and $48.76.

This is the first post I am writing after moving into a new home/studio in Orlando. I spent the morning setting up the modem and router and this is the first time I have hit the internet. I am surrounded by mountains of boxes mostly filled with art books. I unpacked a couple of boxes because I had to find the phone and computer charging cables. I unpacked 3 boxes before I hit the power chord pay dirt.

Yesterday most of the moving was done but a few things remain, like my Disney Desk and a mattress and box spring. I was stiff as a rockk after a day of lifting. I could baily turn my head. I slept hard last night. This place has two bedrooms and one is now filled with art. The other is mostly empty but I layed out the camping mats in case I decide to sleep in there. The living room which I am using as the studio, has tons of light. I will do a sketch of the chaos tonight after I finish working with an online student between 6-8pm.

COVID Dystopia: From the Observation Dome

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This scene from COVID Dystopia has a waves crashing against a lighthouse. The movement was created using animation pins in After Effects. I think the shot works as it is.

I made a drastic change to she whole film yesterday. I got feedback from a viewer from South Africa that he felt the film moves too fast. His wife kept asking him to pause each scene so she could take in the details. He wanted me to do an entirely different version of the film that runs half as fast.

I am not going to go back into each shot and add twice as many drawings to extend the animation. I did however decided that all the snap zooms that transition between each shot might not be needed. Each snap zoom happens over 3 frames, so each shot loosed 6 frames to the quick transitions. Most of the transitions were on a separate layer in the timeline, so I simply turned off the visibility of that layer and watched the film again.

Nothing was lost when the snap zooms were dropped. As a matter of fact the animation became the focus since it is no longer competing against the fast transition effects. I still need to do quite a bit more tweaking since the timing of each shot has to be adjusted, but the next cut of the film will be much cleaner and focused.

I discovered that an out of focus scene needs to be re-animated to make it 4K high resolution. I thought I had revised the scene already but apparently the work was never done. I have to move my studio in a couple of days so that scene might start after my Disney Animation Desk is set up in the new studio space.

COVID Dystopia: Ocean into Foam

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This shot in COVID Dystopia pans up to show just how tall the wave is and then there is a fast snap zoom into the foam. I could animate the woman shifting her weight a bit but there really isn’t time to notice such a subtle movement.

The iron beach barricades are from scenes in Ukraine. During the pandemic Russia decided it was time to invade the small neighboring country. War it an amazingly effective vehicle for spreading disease during a pandemic.

America has shown its weakness for allowing this invasion to continue. Of course there is the fear of complete nuclear annihilation since Russia and Americas could end all life on earth ten times over. The virus is ending life in a much slower and more indigenous way that can be ignored until it affects you or your loved ones.

My vote on this scene is, no change,

COVID Dystopia at the Cleveland International Film Festival

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I am pleased to announce that COVID Dystopia will be screening at the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) on April 12, 2024 at 9:50PM in the Allen Theater which seats an audience of 500. CIFF is the first Academy Award qualifying festival that the film has been accepted into. The festival also has online screenings between April 14 and April 21.

I will be flying out to Cleveland to attend the screening since this will be the first time I get to experience the film in such a large theater with the new surround sound soundtrack. The soundtrack still has some glitches and problems and could use a solid artistic run through for refining the folly but it was finished at breakneck speed to meet the festival deadline. The only way to really judge how the sound is working right now is to hear it in the huge theater.

COVID Dystopia: Surround Sound

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There was a steep learning curve in getting surround sound for this film. I hired Alan Kirkland, a sound engineer in Georgia, to do the mix. He managed to complete it in two days. The trouble is that I am unable to hear the surround sound mix on my end. When I play the six audio tracks on my computer they only go through the two stereo speakers.

I only gave Alan one note from that listen through, which was to cut the volume of Mike Pence‘s clapping by half. No one ever noticed Pence, so I didn’t need him clapping loudly for attention. I still need to edit that change into the final Premiere Pro project.

At noon today I am going over The Rev‘s to listen to the surround sound mix on his 6 speaker system. Andy Matchett said he is going as well. I think I just need to hook my computer up to the home system to get it to play. I just have to hope it will work. Honestly there is no time to make changes since I need to send out the files today to have a Digital Cinema Package made TODAY. It takes three days for the DCP to be made and the technicians test the file in a cinema to make sure it works.

Now that the surround sound mix is done I talked to Alan about possible sweetening it further after the next Film Festival. He said there are at least 30 instances of things he would like to try. I am thinking various ambient sounds could be mixed throughout. The sound of flames would probably help along with other folly work. Though the DCP creation may signal a completion to the film, it continues to evolve.