Celebrating the Art, Craft and Business of Animation https://www.awn.com/ en-US 15 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:31:26 -0700 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:35:22 -0700 https://www.awn.com/blog/ottawa-international-animation-festival-2024-highlights Exuberant self-expression dotted with wrestling self-reflection. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/ottawa-international-animation-festival-2024-highlights Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:31:26 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/animationworld/hisko-hulsing-talks-about-his-rotoscoping-process The ‘Undone’ director combines rotoscope and hand-drawn animation, live-action performance, and oil-painted backgrounds to capture the subtle intricacies of human emotions within a dream-like, 'unreal' aesthetic; watch the animatic of his upcoming short, ‘Resurrection,’ to be released in 2025. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/animationworld/hisko-hulsing-talks-about-his-rotoscoping-process Thu, 02 May 2024 12:33:48 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/animationworld/letter-pig-traumatic-memory-through-eyes-youthful-imagination Filmmaker Tal Kantor’s first solo short film uses live-action and hand-drawn animation to tackle the heavy and complex subject of a Holocaust survivor addressing a classroom full of students, sharing a letter he wrote to the pig who saved his life, and how reality, memory, and imagination blend together in one young schoolgirl’s reaction.   Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/animationworld/letter-pig-traumatic-memory-through-eyes-youthful-imagination Tue, 21 Nov 2023 13:53:23 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/quick-look-boy-mole-fox-and-horse Charlie Mackesy and Peter Baynton’s Annie Award-winning and Oscar-nominated feel-good short film, about the unlikely friendship between a boy, a mole, a fox, and a horse as they explore the meaning of kindness, courage and compassion, brims with comforting, heartwarming messages of hope. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/quick-look-boy-mole-fox-and-horse Fri, 03 Mar 2023 9:16:09 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/look-my-year-dicks Created and written by Pamela Ribon, and directed by Sara Gunnarsdóttir, the Annecy Cristal winner and Oscar-shortlisted animated short, a refreshing tale of a 15-year-old girl’s discovery of sexuality and her fearless rite of passage, is now a Staff Pick on Vimeo. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/look-my-year-dicks Fri, 06 Jan 2023 11:00:37 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/madi-pillers-my-elliot-24-hours-life-elliot-yarmon Alice Walker once wrote, ‘Time moves slowly, but passes quickly.’ How do you pack a 24-hour narrative into a 3-minute film? By animating time. In conversation with the filmmaker. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/madi-pillers-my-elliot-24-hours-life-elliot-yarmon Tue, 27 Dec 2022 12:45:37 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/holiday-gifts-your-animator-0 Snow in the north, sunny and hot in the south? It must be time for gift giving! Here’s my 2022 indie animator gift-giving guide – this year, it’s about books! Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/holiday-gifts-your-animator-0 Thu, 22 Dec 2022 14:57:14 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/quick-overview-uri-lotans-black-slide-short In this Oscar- qualified film, courage against terrifying odds at the water park can mean much more than becoming a hero to your friends. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/quick-overview-uri-lotans-black-slide-short Thu, 15 Dec 2022 14:16:09 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/animationworld/its-wrap-my-oiaf-2022-competition-diary There’s nothing like it – immersed in the dark theater, engrossed in OIAF competition films, popcorn greasy fingers tapping out notes in the dark. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/animationworld/its-wrap-my-oiaf-2022-competition-diary Thu, 03 Nov 2022 11:24:58 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/thomas-renoldner-definitely-knows-what-hes-doing Director mixes slapstick with elegant avant-garde in ‘Dont Know What,’ his OIAF 2019 grand prize-winning experimental animated short film.   Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/thomas-renoldner-definitely-knows-what-hes-doing Wed, 16 Oct 2019 9:55:42 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/animationworld/films-watch-ottawa-animation-festival-competition-highlights Many notable shorts and features standout in a competition artistic director Chris Robinson calls ‘weird, disorienting and divisive.’ Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/animationworld/films-watch-ottawa-animation-festival-competition-highlights Fri, 13 Sep 2019 14:34:42 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/interview-composer-judith-gruber-stitzer-talks-about-her-creative-process Catching up with Judith Gruber Stitzer, whose music is as varied and exciting as the many animated and live-action films and TV productions she's created soundtracks for. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/interview-composer-judith-gruber-stitzer-talks-about-her-creative-process Wed, 11 Sep 2019 11:27:00 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/catching-janet-perlman What’s new in the world of indie animators? I tracked down heavy hitter Janet Perlman at the Ottawa festival last fall and we continued by email this past week...   Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/catching-janet-perlman Thu, 21 Feb 2019 14:58:36 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/wendy-and-amanda-go-ballet-part-2-fray Build up to the big performance... Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/wendy-and-amanda-go-ballet-part-2-fray Thu, 18 May 2017 13:37:15 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/wendy-and-amanda-go-ballet Award winning animators Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis are currently taking on the stage. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/wendy-and-amanda-go-ballet Tue, 02 May 2017 11:01:03 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/animationworld/turner-classic-movies-showcases-nfb-animation-primetime Curated by film analysts Ellen Besen and Aubry Mintz, 30 of the National Film Board of Canada’s master works by filmmakers such as Caroline Leaf, Cordell Barker, Norman McLaren, and Ryan Larkin airs on TCM on Sunday, April 9. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/animationworld/turner-classic-movies-showcases-nfb-animation-primetime Thu, 06 Apr 2017 10:56:47 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/laura-taler-when-dance-approaches-animation When do slow-moving, highly controlled choreographies approach animation? Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/laura-taler-when-dance-approaches-animation Wed, 29 Mar 2017 7:46:24 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/catching-paul-driessen Now in production in Paul Driessen's studio... Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/catching-paul-driessen Tue, 21 Feb 2017 8:46:44 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/ushev-conducting-signal-film Theodore Ushev conducts the signal film at the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2016. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/ushev-conducting-signal-film Sun, 25 Sep 2016 7:33:13 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/watch-ottawa-international-animation-festival-2016-picnic-fun Share a bit of the fun at the annual animator's picnic at the 2016 Ottawa International Animation Festival. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/watch-ottawa-international-animation-festival-2016-picnic-fun Fri, 23 Sep 2016 15:41:07 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/we-have-lift-off-ottawa-international-animation-festival-2016 Opening night, packed house...the 40th OIAF officially begins! Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/we-have-lift-off-ottawa-international-animation-festival-2016 Thu, 22 Sep 2016 7:24:22 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/paintings-and-inbetweens What do the paintings of Charline von Heyl have to do with animation inbetweens? Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/paintings-and-inbetweens Fri, 08 Jul 2016 8:57:44 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/critiquing-art-school-crit Why do I feel so under the gun? Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/critiquing-art-school-crit Wed, 29 Jun 2016 13:50:36 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/whats-difference-between-art-and-retail Let's be really clear, it's all about absolutes Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/whats-difference-between-art-and-retail Wed, 13 Jan 2016 11:31:09 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/holiday-gifts-your-animator Finding the perfect holiday gift for the animator in your life. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/holiday-gifts-your-animator Tue, 15 Dec 2015 14:42:27 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/paul-virostek-talks-field-recording Profiling field recordist Paul Virostek Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/paul-virostek-talks-field-recording Fri, 27 Nov 2015 8:42:40 PST Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/wheres-your-ear-horn Why is it so hard to find good, mid-priced recording gear? Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/wheres-your-ear-horn Tue, 27 Oct 2015 18:41:43 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/creative-field-recording Excited about Creative Field Recording Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/creative-field-recording Tue, 27 Oct 2015 9:37:55 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/great-women-animators-project Heather Smith talks about The Great Women Animators project, a growing international archive showcasing women animators throughout history. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/great-women-animators-project Thu, 08 Oct 2015 10:46:27 PDT Ambling Around https://www.awn.com/blog/interpreting-steven-subotnick An in-depth look at TWO and PIG, recent experimental-narrative animations by Steven Subotnick. Sharon Katz https://www.awn.com/blog/interpreting-steven-subotnick Tue, 21 Jul 2015 7:25:17 PDT Ambling Around