COVID: Lion’s Den

Posted on by Thor

Yesterday as another day of animating lions. I noticed that the human skull on the floor is a bit lost in the quick shot, so I animated the male lion stepping on it. If there was time I would have him bat it about like a kitten with a toy.

I just need to add more paint to the second lioness to tie her into the look of the scene. I do this by first painting shadows and then highlights. The challenge is to try and do this consistently from cell to cell so that the paint doesn’t crawl too much.

Getting the lioness to walk away from the camera was quite a challenge and I am happy that I pulled it off. Other lions in the background will move subtly but I plan to animate then using pins in After Effects. The nurse will also lean forward ever so subtly again using pins to key frame the existing painting.

Yesterday I got a congratulatory note form filmFreeway with animating balloons ext to let me know COVID was a Finalist with the FilmQuest Film Festival in Utah. The note had buttons to share the news on Facebook and Twitter. I punched both buttons in my excitement. After some research on being a finalist, I found out that the film was not accepted to be screened. It was just one of the top 75 films that was cut at the last minute. There is still a possibility that the festival might screen the film online. This makes sense since those who would appreciate the film are likely COVID cautious and thus would not attend a crowded indoor festival.

My list of rejections so far include, Global Peace Film Festival, Film Quest and Saint Louis International Film Festival. My record now is 2 screenings and 3 rejections. I am coming to terms with the fact that I have created a film that no one wants to screen, since everyone wants to forget and move on. Most are vaxed and relaxed. However vaccines do not stop infections or long COVID symptoms. The main point of my film is that the pandemic is not over, and no one wants to hear that. Every rejection hurts, but every time I get bad news I apply to another festival until I find judges brave enough to screen COVID.

Uprising: Pulse to Parkland

Posted on by Thor

Pam Schwartz and I attended two screenings at the Global Peace Film Festival. The screenings were at the Bush Auditorium on the Rollins College Campus. The first film was “Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane“. It was produced by Kim A. Snyder the same documentary film maker that made “Newtown“. Father Bob Weiss was featured in Newtown. In the days following the Sandy Hook Massacre that took the lives of 26 children and teachers on December 12, 2012, he was tasked with burying 8 of those children. Interviewed in this film he broke down as he said that it was an honor to be able to do this for the families. After the tragedy he was still needing to heal himself while having to answer parishioners questions and grief.

He received a letter from Father Basil O’Sullivan from Dunblane, Scotland where in 1996 sixteen school children were gunned down by a gunman. Through a series of letters, the two forged a bond sharing their similar experiences in having to deal with the trauma and recovery. Father Basil agreed to fly to Newtown for the one year remembrance. One year after such a tragedy can be re-traumatizing and he decided to go in solidarity to offer his support. My favorite scene had the Father reading the same sermon he presented in Dunblane after that tragedy. The audio of that sermon from the past cross-dissolved with the present audio. At the Dunblane sermon, Charles Prince of Wales was in the congregation. After Pulse, I’ve seen members of our community reach out when others face the same kind of tragedy.

The second film, “Uprising: Pulse to Parkland“ was about two Florida Communities united by grief and anger from deadly mass shootings. After 49 lives were taken at Pulse, gun legislation was proposed and quickly died in Tallahassee. Part of the problem was that the legislature wasn’t in session at the time. When 17 lives were taken at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School  the movement for sane gun legislation once again ignited. March for Our Lives swept up the peninsula and marched into the Nation’s Capitol. The Stoneman Douglas Students demanded an end to assault weapons and a stop to gun violence in America. The NRA however is a strong force in America with many politicians paid off and in their pockets. The battle for gun legislation is a long and continuing battle. Other countries around the world are shocked by America’s murderous obsession with guns.

The Global Peace Film Festival Opening Night Party

Posted on by Thor

On September 18, 2018 the Global Peace Film Festival opened here in Orlando. On that evening there was a screening of the film, “Every Act of Life” which profiles the world renowned playwright, Terrance McNally‘s pioneering five decade career in theater focusing on the struggle for LGBT rights and his pursuit of love and inspiration at every age. The festival is in its 16th year. In these times of deep division, the festival focuses on our resources which are just an arm’s length away in our family, neighbors, friends and throughout our communities. All week films are being shown in venues at Rollins College, The Winter Park Public Library, The Center, Valencia College, and Downtown Orlando.

Pam Schwartz and I got a table with a view at the Enzian Theater on opening night. The film had not let out yet, so the Eden Bar was half full. Then the theater doors opened and the festival goers filled the bar. There were light bites and the room was suddenly a buzz with activity. At a table in front of us, photographer Peter Morey was having a discussion with Jim Lussier. Peter spent ten years shooting photos of Nelson Mandela and an exhibit of these photos is opening on tonight, September 20, 2018 at City Arts Factory. 2018 marks the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela. Photos in the exhibit feature Mandela’s inauguration, meetings with dignitaries, and even shots of Nelson at home with his family.

I intend to get to a screening of “Uprising: Pulse to Parkland”  by local film maker Vicki Nantz. The film is about two Florida communities united by grief and anger from deadly mass shootings. It is about the national uprising against the gun industry and the politicians who profit from gun violence in America. That screening is on Friday September 21, 2018 at 6pm in the Bush Auditorium at Rollins College.

Check the online Film Festival Schedule to find other amazing thought provoking films.

Dueling Dragons at the Global Peace Film Festival.

Posted on by Thor

I went to Rollins College to sketch a piano recital. As I walked past the Bush Auditorium, I heard my name shouted out. It was journalist Michael McLeod. He pointed out that it was the last day of the Global Peace Film Festival. He had just seen a film he loved called Accidental Courtesy, about Daryl Davis, a black musician, actor, author, and lecturer who befriends white supremacists and because of that friendship, they left the Ku Klux Klan. How can you hate someone you haven’t met? Rather than sketch the recital, I decided to blindly see a film at the Global Peace Film Festival. The film about to screen was called Dueling Dragons.

The Global Peace Film Festival, established in 2003, uses the power of the moving image to further the cause of peace on earth. From the outset, the GPFF envisioned “peace” not as the absence of conflict but as a framework for channeling, processing and resolving conflict through respectful and non-violent means. People of good faith have real differences that deserve to be discussed, debated and contested. The film festival works to connect expression – artistic, political, social and personal – to positive, respectful vehicles for action and change. The festival program is carefully curated to create a place for open dialogue, using the films as catalysts for change.

Michael had told me that because of Hurricane Irma, the film festival has had very low attendance this year. I decided to sketch the close to empty theater but people kept arriving to populate my sketch. The theater probably became close to half full. I didn’t have enough time to sketch everyone before the lights went out for the screening. The front row filled up with the musicians whose music was used in the film.



Dueling Dragons directed by Brett Gerking runs 65 minutes. Orlando police officers and inner-city
children form a dragon boat racing team and reveal their emotional
journeys as the program grows. This ancient sport is rooted in Chinese
culture, and is introduced at a critical time in the lives of both cops
and kids in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods. Success in dragon
boating comes only when all 20 paddlers are in complete synchrony. Told
from their straightforward perspectives, these cops and kids, they are transformed from wary participants to steadfast
teammates. Along the way, they build trust and mutual respect, compete
for gold medals and deal with the tragic loss of one of their mentors,
Orlando Police Department Officer Lt. Debra Clayton. 

I had sketched a makeshift memorial for Debra at Walmart but seeing this film finally hit home for me how beautiful a person she was and how much of a loss her being shot in the line of duty was. She appeared throughout the film, smiling and beaming her love and support for the youth who became a team and each time I saw her my heart sank, because I knew what was to come. Life is so short and precious. Don’t waste a moment. The Orlando Dueling Dragons team is the only rowing team in the country that has police and youth working together. I am intent now to find a dueling dragons race and shout for their victory.

49 Portraits at Gatlin Creative.

Posted on by Thor

On September 24th, the 49 portraits of Pulse victims were on display at Gatlin Creative (4940 South Orange Avenue Orlando FL) about a mile south of Pulse. I drove past the club to the opening. A new colorfull banner now covers the fence surrounding the club. I had just screened my short film, “Finger on the Pulse” at the Global Peace Film Festival. Vicki Nantz had allowed me to share the screen with her 18 minute documentary about her feelings after the Pulse tragedy. The screening was at The Gallery at Avalon Island which has a mini theater on the second floor. We held a talk back after the film that went on for over an hour. It seems everyone needed a forum to express the shock, horror and frustrations about how slow change can be. Vicki and her wife have faced open hatred for being lesbians. Someone actually threatened to kill them. Orlando is home to several well known hate groups. Since Pulse, Orlando has made a shift towards being more open and caring but there is still a long way to go. I was shocked to find myself sharing my thoughts and feelings openly in front of the audience. Both Vicki and I both broke down several times as we tried to express what drove us. Vicki invited down a psychologist to help us moderate. Mallory Vance was back a her parents place in the Mid-west and her description of her small town’s reaction, made it clear that the effects of the Pulse shooting are wide spread. Was the community conversation healing? I’m not sure, but I got to share thoughts that have haunted me, and the incredible love and support in the room was palpable.

As I arrived at the 49 Portraits opening, the sky to the west was ablaze in a gorgeous orange glow with huge billowing clouds. Tiffany Windsor was at the entrance collecting the $15 entrance fee. The 49 portraits filled the warehouse space perfectly in a single row hung clothes line style. The warm evening breeze kept the portraits fluttering as if they wanted to take flight. Channel 2 News was shooting footage for the evening news. I spoke to the reporter on camera and then invited another artist, Bob Hague to do the same. A Japanese TV station and UCF TV also showed up.

Cory James Connell age 21, was the first Pulse victim portrait I did. His parents Tara and James Connell came to the opening along with Cory’s grand parents and sisters. I got to meet the entire family and I’m humbled by their outward show of strength. Tara actually invited me to their home. As I worked on Cory’s portrait, a man looking over my shoulder had related details about the young man that brought him alive in my minds eye.  I am hoping that the Connell family will also share their memories.

People paused in front of sketches and took photos. I could see some getting choked up and wiping away tears. I wanted to meet them all, but also felt they deserved privacy. A young woman took me to the portrait of a dear friend, Luis Omar Occasion-Capo. This portrait was painted by Mitch Scott. She thanked me for helping keep his memory alive. I also got to meet Wilma and her son. Her son’s father, and her longtime best friend and salsa partner, Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado was drawn by Betsy Brabrandt. Xavier was the first portrait drawn by Betsy in about 25 years. She was a fashion illustrator in NYC, but when she moved to Orlando, her art took a back seat to raising a family. Wilma talked about how Xavier taught her everything she knows about Salsa dancing. She had never danced in heals but Xavier showed her how. She very well could have gone to Pulse that night but she was tired. How is it that the few artists in attendance got to meet the families of the person they drew. There really is some greater force at work.

The money raised from this showing of the portraits is going into framing the pieces.

Take Me Home

Posted on by Thor

On September 19th I did the last sketch of Urban Rethink (625 East Central Blvd. Orlando FL) which unfortunately has since been shut down. I went to a Filmmaker’s Brown Bag Lunch as part of the Global Peace Film Festival. I assumed I would get to learn about each filmmakers project with some kind of presentation. The dozen or so filmmakers gathered and chatted with each other on the couch and lounge chairs. When the brown bag lunches arrived, they continued their conversations in the conference room and at the scattered tables.

With the sketch finished, I realized that I hadn’t learned a single thing about any of the films. As I was leaving, I stopped to write down some information a poster about some “Shampouch” dog washing event that might be fun to sketch.  A gentleman entered ReThink and glanced around in frustration. I let him know that all the filmmakers had just left five minutes ago. He let out a deep sigh, he had hoped to speak to someone about the film he was involved with. His name is Rick Peete. He had been homeless on the streets of Orlando for two years. Now he helps father John feed homeless people at the Greek Orthodox Church on Robinson Street right across from Lake Eola. In past years, the food sharing program helped 150-200 people a night. That number has swelled to 400 to 500 people a night. On any given evening 15,000 people go to sleep hungry in Central Florida, of those, many are children.

Director Fabian Morales-Botero spent a year and a half producing a documentary film called, “Take Me Home” that interviewed many of the people who make up the homeless population, who find shelter where they can in Downtown Orlando.  Getting to know these people shattered his stereotypes about “the homeless” and allowed him to see them as individuals with compelling stories to tell, with talents and contributions to make to their community and with fates that could befall many of us given the difficult economic recovery. He also got to know the workers and advocates fond dignity,r the homeless, trying to give them the hand up they need. These people may not have a home, but they have heart and dignity.

A week later I saw Rich Peete walking towards the Greek Orthodox church where he helps to make a difference. I remember how his face glowed as he explained to me how helping others changed his life for the better.

Pisa Pizza

Posted on by Thor

I had intended to do a sketch of a film maker’s panel discussion as part of the Global Peace Film Festival at the Cornell Fine Art Museum on Rollins College. When I entered the museum however, the receptionist didn’t know anything about a panel discussion. She said that a film would be shown and she directed me towards a table behind me. On the table was an admission price of $8 which I didn’t know about. The receptionist then shouted at me, “I don’t think you are allowed in with that artists stool!” She started to call security and I just turned to her and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not going in.” I didn’t feel like fighting to get the sketch.

On the drive home, I decided to stop at Pisa Pizza (7058 West Colonial Drive, Orlando). For me this hole in the wall establishment is where I go when I’m craving the comfort of a steaming hot slice of cheese pizza. There was only two other people in the joint, seated over by the Push Bus Plush Toy Claw Machine.  Periodically the claw would drop and the machine would let out a loud mechanical wheeze. Talking heads on the TV discussed politics. A circular mirror distorted the room.

Half way into the sketch, The Lion King started up on the TV behind me. My heart still swells with pride during the opening sequence. When Simba tucked his head under his dead fathers paw, I wanted to shout out, “I worked on that scene.” The guy that was flipping pizza dough when I walked in, was now lounging in the seat behind me, chuckling as he watched the film. My sketch formed as I listened to a very dear and familiar story. Someday I’ll find my way on the path unwinding.

Global Peace Street Fair & Pet Parade

Posted on by Thor

I went down to Baldwin Park to see the Global Peace Street Fair and Pet Parade. The event was sponsored by the Global Peace Film Festival which ran from September 22 to September 27th. There were a large number of tents set up down Broad Street featuring art, wholistic foods, animal rescue and semianrs on how to be a catalyst for change. I walked up and down past the booths twice before I decided I had to sketch the Greyhounds who wore bright yellow vests that said: Donation Dog. A clear pocket on the vest held dollar bills that guests had donated to the cause. It was hot and the dogs tongue was constantly panting to try and cool down.
A fellow named Rick introduced himself to me and he has been reading this blog for some time. I am always surprised when people recognize me. I am so pleased to meet people who are actually following these random thoughts and sketch outings.
The pet parade strutted up and down this small stretch of Broad Street first up the far side of the sidewalk and than up and around behind me back to the starting point. Women dressed like belly dancers paraded along with the dogs and owners. The people of Baldwin park certainly love their pets. If only people could openly love one another as much as they love their pets. Peace and love, I am out.

Global Peace Film Festival

Posted on by Thor

I went to Baldwin Park to see a free outdoor screening of “Playing for Change” at the Global Peace Film Festival. As usual I arrived a bit early and I walked around the main drag of Baldwin Park to enjoy the night life. I like the fact that many shops are open to the street so you can watch people doing martial arts dancing or taking a dance aerobics class. What great sketching opportunities! I got myself a drink, found the outdoor screen and waited for the crowd to arrive. When the film started I was surprised that only 2 or 3 people were sitting on the grass lawn in front of the screen to watch. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that Americans would not find a film about peace worth watching. To take in the scene I decided to sit across the street leaning up against the corner of a Subway’s shop. This was the best place to watch the few people that stopped on the sidewalk to watch. Metal post barricades jutted up to help keep terrorists from slamming a truck into the small park, disrupting the screening. A woman was canvasing passers by trying to get them to sign a petition.
I let the film music wash over me as I worked. My attention was often on details of my surroundings so I only watched the film in small bursts. A female singer from Tel Aviv Isreal always caught my ear and made me look up. Toward the end of the film a story was told that hit me like a wall of bricks. One of the performers in the documentary passed away after the film was shot and his grieving wife was busy packing his belongings in boxes, so she could try to move on with her life after his death. One day by mistake she pressed the wrong button on her TV remote control and a DVD started playing that showed her husband playing with musicians from around the world for this film. These musicians had never met before but they stood united in the belief that music could help bring peace to the world. She saw her husband happy and joyous doing what he loved. He was part of something greater than himself. Rather than remembering him sick in bed, she now rejoiced in the memory of him playing music. The next song played, and had me sitting on the street corner with a sketchbook in my lap emotionally overwrought. “One love, One heart, lets get together and feel alright.” I rubbed my tired eyes and oil from my skin caused them to burn. I wiped away the tears with my sleeve. I tried to open them again to continue painting but they still burned. I sat quietly on the street corner with my eyes closes and waited for peace of mind. When I opened them again the end credits were rolling.
The film ended with a quote from the Dali Lama:
“Never give up; No matter what is going on, Never give up.
Develop the heart; Too much energy in your country Is spent developing the mind instead of the heart. Develop the heart. Be compassionate; Not just with your friends, But with everyone. Be compassionate. Work for peace; In your heart, And in the world. Work for peace. And I say again, Never give up. No matter what is going on around you, Never give up. ”