Finally the film is online

Finally after a very successful year on the festival circuit. The ATA is moving away from home ready to live its own life on the web. Be good to it...

Late Night Work Club

Greetings from Zinebi in Bilbao

So many things has happened since the last entry: a TON of festivals and screenings (see sidebar) and some more exciting creative things in the pipeline.

Scott Benson started a new collaboration called Late Night Work Club, with some stellar indie animators from around the world. It is the cool baby brother of the ATA and definitely worth paying attention to. So go to the website, sign up for it and wait in excitement... It looks amazing!

http://latenightworkclub.com/




On a side note; this came in the mail with greetings from Zinebi film festival in Bilbao...

Second place at the Solyanka State Gallery, Moscow

The Animation Tag Attack takes second prize at The VII International Festival of Contemporary Animation and Media Art LINOLEUM. It was an honor just to be shown at the Solyanka State Gallery, but this REALLY tops it of. We are SO honored!

Party at my place next Saturday!

Animation Tag Attack Trailer

The Trailer for the ATA is online...

ANIS talentprisen 2012

We just returned from an amazing week at Odense International Film Festival. Not only was it a week with beautiful people and good friends, but to top it off with an award ceremony that honored animation as a medium and not a genre, awarding Hund i Himlen (Nørlum and Basmati Film) the National Grand Prix and showering the animation industry in general with awards and special mentionings.

We took home "ANIS talentprisen 2012" (The Danish Animation Guilds Talent Award 2012) for "an extraordinairy film within the animation genre" - I am SO honored to have received this award alongside the team of the ATA (the m.fl on the plaque means among others) it has been a power presentation from everyone involved.

It was the top of the cherry to get it handed over by Flemming Quist Møller, one of the animation directors that created my childhood alongside Gunnar Wille (another childhood hero) and Paw Charlie Ravn, who is one of the most talented young Turks in the Danish animation industry today.

A very nice person from the audience was so kind to send me my acceptance speech, where I am very happy and ranting a lot. I forgot to thank a bunch of people, not least Ewen Stenhouse, Maxwell A Oginni & Kaiserbrand who all did episodes and are really good friends, Shaun Farley (and ANIS, ouch). But I hope you all know it wasn't personal, my brain just malfunctioned. Hopefully you can tell by the clip that Im really happy...

Annecy 2012, World Premiere!

Last night I had a dream that I was in Annecy and I was partying REALLY hard. And at some point I stole a Porsche and took it out into the mountains to drive some badass off road. And the next day it dawned on me: FUCK I missed the ATA world premiere!!!
If you dont want that to happen to you, you should come rock the cinemas with us at Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2012. Itll be our world premiere. Finished in HD on DCP with a glorious 5.1 soundtrack mixed and made by the amazing Shaun Farley... It looks AWESOME on the big screen...

Here are the Screenings:
- Petite salle, 05/06/2012, 23H00 
- Salle Pierre Lamy, 07/06/2012, 16H00
- Decavision 2, 08/06/2012, 18H00

And earlier this morning I just received word from Odense International Film Festival that we are selected for this years competition. It'll be in Odense, Denmark from 20. – 25. of August 2012.

To make all this Easier Ill make a tab on the side where Ill put down the screenings. Hopefully there'll be more than these two. I've spend the past couple of weeks filling out forms for the most prestigious of festivals.
Keep your fingers crossed.

First Batch of festival Submissions ready to ship...

Episode 12 Making of

These past 6 months has been insanely crazy and so much fun. I've been giving lectures in Las Vegas, showing my movies at the Directors Guild of America, and just got home from an exhibition at the Royal/T in LA where i exhibited alongside artists like Takashi Murikami & Yoko Ono. All amazing experiences, but unfortunately for the ATA I've been neglecting the last episode for all that. But now I'm back ready to make it up to everyone. We are actually quite far down the road, just the last tweaks and the final grading, and now the calender has cleared up to get my head back in the game. Ah summer, what a glorious time...

As a small newsflash btw: We did a sneak peak screening at this years Webcuts.11 where the ATA won for Best online collaborative project over such amazing projects as Blender's Sintel & the epic Project London Movie. There are a few more amazing things in the pipeline for the ATA for the fall, but because of hushhushness and spy-stuff I cant elaborate on it any further. But stay tuned...

To throw some mind food in your direction while waiting for me getting my thumbs out, I have a small interview segment to you cats from the Webcuts. I am talking ATA from 3.17:



And a quick and dirty making of E12 to tease a bit further...

E11 - Attack of the BearDuck

Finally after a few hard months with unfair deadlines from everybody involved, a Christmas & several crazy trips around the world we have now finally Episode 11 up and running.
If all goes according to plan Episode 12, the final piece, will be up and running latest in 4 weeks. Mark your calenders it will be grand. But speaking of grandeur give it up for Francesco Giroldini & Brendan Carroll and their E11 - The Attack of the BearDuck (parental discretion is advised)...



And of course as always the entire thing put together in the crudest way possible by yours truly:

Episode 1-10

And as always the epic edit of all the episodes. Ladies and Gentlemen; Episode 1-10...

Ps: The Project is now running amok in the States with Brendan Carroll & Francesco Giroldini. The 2 rock on guys who brought the world  "The Monk & The Monkey" - Brendan is working as a layout Artist at Dreamworks & Francesco has been working with the cool cats at Pixar in the lighting department. So in the meantime go check their pages and blogs & brace yourselves - this will be good!


ATA episode 1-10 from Animation Tag Attack on Vimeo.

What is the meaning of all this madness?

Hey everyone. As I mentioned earlier we are about to end this bastard baby of ours in 2 episodes, and just out of curiosity I would love to hear everyone's opinion on what the story means so far. Ive been speaking to 5 guys so far and have gotten 5 different analysis, and it would be awesome to hear everybody's take on it. Please keep the "the story sucks" to a minimum and give some constructive feedback: What does it all mean? What doesn't make sense? Which way could it go from here? Etc. That would be awesome to hear...

Thank you.

Episode 10: Mikey Please

Now we finally got episode 10 online. Made by Mikey Please in pure paper and sound design by Joesph Tate. I just love the texture and the style of it.

Unfortunately our weekly upload limit has been reached on Vimeo, but Ill upload the edit as soon as we reach Wednesday...

Mmmm Paper (& words):


Animated by Mikey Please
Sound design Joesph Tate

Animation Tag Attack Update

Hi Everybody and so sorry for the loooong gap between these two episodes. So many crazy things has happened the past few months, but during the next couple of days we should be up and running again and back on track. The main reason for all this delay has been my absence to take part in the Youtube Play exhibition at the Guggenheim 2 weeks ago. So Ive been neglecting my post as curator on this project and for that Im sorry.
And there is a mad story about Mikey P ending up in a desert somewhere in the States without his hard drives that pulled some extra weeks as well, but the graphics are done now and as soon as the sound is running it will be up asap. All in paper. mmm.

We have had a long debate on the team weather to continue this bastard baby of ours or not, and came to the conclusion that either we should round it off shortly, or we should let it go on forever and make the maddest feature ever seen. But because it is quite a heavy pull for me organizing it all, we have decided to end it off after episode 12. Don't get me wrong; it has been awesome working with these cats, and Ive been taken aback with every new episode as they have been ticking in. And all the positive feedback from all of you has just been invaluable. But it seems that a year is a good round number - and with this Guggenheim thing under my belt there has been a lot of offers to go talk on festivals etc...

The Attack is interesting on so many levels (in terms of cooperation with the internet as a platform, the creativity as a single artist Vs. collaboration, style and storytelling etc.) that it just seems natural to spend the next couple of months writing some articles on it and get all intellectual on your asses. And see if I can bring the ATA as a base for the lectures instead of Bear Untitled that went on the exhibition.

So the game plan now is to get 2 more episodes done and enter the public eye and the festival cirquit.

Ill of course keep you guys updated, and if there's anyone out there interested in lending a hand, or knows some good festivals (or has one) - or you organizes talks etc and would be interested in hearing more about the behind the scenes from me and the boys please let me know.

If you happen to know a good sound designer that would be interested in running over the entire thing to rework the sound we would be most grateful as well...

So that's how it all looks. Again Im sorry for the long wait. But all will be back to good a few days from now. Take care, and thank you for listening in.

Christen

ATA episode 1-9

Finally I got a few seconds to edit Kaiserbrands sweet-tooth blood and gore episode into the mix, heck yeah! Thanks to the guys for jumping in with such short notice and cranking up the mix.

Mikey Please in London is working full steam on the next episode  - and I cant emphasize enough to go check out his work! Cant wait to see what hell turn out from his cool-cat style and his mix of digital and analogue.

But for now... Here it is; Episode 1-9!

ATT: Episode 9

The Kaiserbrands just delivered episode 9... Brrr The plot thickens...



Creator: KAISERBRAND: Traditional 2D animation (on paper) by Andreas Rohde. Photoshop, After Effects, Toon Boom, LightWave
I will make the edit next week as I return to Berlin.

Episode 8

And just as I thought we couldn't up our game any more, Scott Benson walks in and delivers an epic of an episode. With its 53 seconds it is not only the longest episode by far, but Scott also excels in paying minute attention to details in the previous episodes, introducing new characters, reintroducing old, and beautifully advances the plot in a clear and graphic style.

In his own words: "I tried to keep the storyline going while expanding the universe and moving some characters forward."

I'll take off my pirates hat and go watch it ooone more time...



Creator: Scott Benson, Flash, Photoshop, After Effects

And the ever growing entanglement, Episode 1-8

Episode 7

Ewen Stenhouse just brought a new lift to the project with an episode igniting setup and drama - and old friends re-entering the scene. I am truly in awe of this episode. Here go see for yourself..:




Creator: Ewen Stenhouse, 2D Flash animation, Photoshop and After Effects...

And of course the monster in its entirety;

Episode 1-6

Finally I got a short moment to edit episode 6 into the mix. Sorry it took so long, you guys, but I have been up till both ears in work the past few weeks. And what better way to celebrate that Ewen Stenhouse is half way with episode 7. I cant wait - It's gonna be awesome!

While waiting for 7 you guys should go check out Max' blog. He just posted a process piece on episode 6. Good stuff. a couple of timelapses of his backgrounds, sketsches, boards etc. go GO!

 
ATT_Episode 1-6 from Animation Tag Attack on Vimeo.

Episode 6

Creator: Maxwell. A. Oginni. Adobe Flash, After Effects, Photoshop.

I am so thrilled about this episode, Great job Max. I am so hung up on work right now that I will have to post the collected 1-6 later - but enjoy this piece of art from London in the meantime...

Episode 5

Oren Mashkovski: Flash animation

And of course the collected edition. On this note I am quite exited to mention as well that Maxwell A. Oginni and Ewen Stenhouse from Angry Natives has signed up to do the next 2 episodes. Stay tuned that is definitely going to rock some boats.