Monday 21 September 2015

Thank You OIAF 2015!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Everybody,
My name is David Cuevas, and before I finish my OIAF 2015 recap, I would like to say a couple things!

1. I would love to say Thanks to Kelly Neal (For making me the official Kid Reporter of OIAF 2015) and Azarin Sohrabkhani (for letting me into the Pitch This activity and most of TAC)! You two rock!!!


2. Whoever put this photo in the official OIAF 2015 magazine is awesome!!!

3. In dedication of OIAF 2015, I made this short video of me, all around the 5 Amazing days at the OIAF/TAC!

 
4. Finally, Below, you can see my list of the top 10 Short Films of  OIAF 2015 plus a couple Honorable Mentions! Enjoy!
 
Before you head on below, I would like to say again, one more time, THANK YOU OIAF 2015!!!




My Top 10 Shorts of this Years OIAF!


Before we start, if you see a film that has a ** on it, it means that I saw the film at the screening room! If it does not have the **, then I saw at a screening! Lets Begin!

1. World of Tomorrow

Where do I begin with this one! The story and script itself was very well handled in a very stylized way. The film execution was terrific and it was very well played with the commentary! The way it was animated is equally Innovative and Charming! And it's society commentary is both smart and Hilarious! World of Tomorrow is a 10/10 film, with funny moments and a fantastic script!




2. Pombo Loves You

The one word that I would describe this short is just plain Haunting. The film is very well executed with very slick movements! The Characters are fully developed from the start to finish of the film, which goes through a terrifying third act! The film is about trying to let things go, and even though this seems to be done hundreds of times before, this concept and story is fresh and new!




3.**Loop Ring Chop Drink

This is most likely the darkest film on this list! The film is basically about life. How people struggle, how people find there place in the world in the worst of situations, and how a very odd conflicts can change your life! The film is equally tragic and dark, but also has some hilarious moments while with a very colorful animation style!



4. Planeta de Queso

1 Minute short film? WHAT CAN YOU DO!!!???? Planeta de Queso is the answer! It succeeds and will please every audience member while entertaining them! The film is both smart and inventive, while using it's amazing animation styles with it's short but awesome story!



5. Mynarski Death Plummet

It's one of the best love letters to a historic event that happened in a great war! The film has a fantastic animation technique while using a haunting score. This 7 minute long epic War piece is a defiantly mandatory to watch!




6. Waiting For The Boom

Haunting? YES! Electrifying? YES! Utterly Amazing? YES!!! Waiting for the boom is a chilling true story, while using quick and slick drawings to represent a thrilling concept!



7. Violet

Most likely the most funny short film of OIAF 2015, Violet is both smart and hilarious when using it's comedic timings which creates comedy GOLD!




8. Wrigley Live Safe

If a commercial can keep a tune inside your head and also make you remember it for over a week, then that commercial needs to be on a top 10 list! Live Safe, is both innovative and inventive while just using Wrigley Candy! Yum!!!

 



9. **The Infinity Project

I SUPPORT THE INFINITY PROJECT! This ad for a very awesome animation campaign is both inventive and an absolute tear jerker to any animator!




10. TIE Amelia and Duarte and Sonámbulo

Let's start first with Amelia and Duarte! This is absolutely the best use of pixilation used in anything! The film has a very clever love story concept that puts 4 book long romance stories (like Twilight) to shame!




Sonambulo is a very an imaginative piece of experimental animation! The film is both incredible to look at and very thought provoking! As the director said, "It's like if I was making this film asleep!"



Honurable Mentions

Fears- A fantastic Concept with a fascinating message



The Moustache, Funny, Hilarious, and absolutely an entertaining piece of animation!


**The Garden Ape- It's one of the cutest/sweetest things ever!



**The Diary of Ochibi- Fantastic Stop Motion, with an educational message for the family!




The Yellow Ball, Utterly Random, but very creative in world building!
 
 
 
Thanks for reading my OIAF 2015 Broadcast! Hope to see at OIAF 2016!
 

Sunday 20 September 2015

David The Reporter.... At OIAF 2015!!! Sunday, September 20, 2015!

Hello Everybody,

My name is David Cuevas, and this is the last day of OIAF 2015!

The First thing that I did, was to head to the Arts Court Theater to see "Meet the Filmmakers of Short Film Competition 5"! The discussion in general was hilarious and very well discussed! Also, Patrick McHale came along into the discussion which I thought personally was awesome!
 
After the fantastic discussion, I got to interview Sarina Nihei, the Director of Small People with Hats (Who won the grand prize for best short film, and is the first filmmaker in OIAF history to win the grand prize as a graduate animation!)
 
 


After I interviewed Sarina, I then interviewed Matisse Gonzalez, The Director of "Planeta De Queso!"

After this event, I went to see Short Film Competition 2 at the Bytowne! The screening it self might be my least favorite of OIAF 2015. My favorites from this event are Sillon 672, When I was Done Dying, Pekk, Filmfabrik, Car Face, and A Single Life!


 
https://www.animationfestival.ca/index.php?option=com_oiaf&task=showevent&i=1189#1189

After the Meh Screening, I went to see Animated Series For Kids Competition at the Arts Court Theater! Some of my favorites from this event are Bear and Bird, Kung Fu Bunny "The Mosquito's Revenge", Coyote and the Rock, and Regular Show "Brilliant Century Duck Crisis Special"!


After this fun and Entertaining Event, I went to see Hotel Transylvania 2! Just before the Show Started, I got to interview, Michael Kurinsky (who is a production designer at Sony Pictures Animation!
As For the Film itself, I can't say much about, but I can say that the film is absolutely better then the First Film!

 
 
After the screening, I took a small break and after that, I headed to see my last screening of OIAF 2015, Best of the Festival! As I said before, the jury this year was brilliant, and I thought all the films that won were well chosen! For the first time, out of all three times that I've been at the OIAF, this has been the only Best of The Festival Screening that I enjoyed or like all the shorts from the screening! Some of my Favorite Shorts from the Screening were Violet, Mynarski Death Plummet, Jazz Orgie, and of course, World of Tomorrow
 

Wow! This year at the OIAF has been huge!!!! Well, I had my fun! See you next year OIAF!
 
See You In My next post!

Saturday 19 September 2015

David The Reporter.... At OIAF 2015!!!!!!! Saturday, September 19, 2015!

Hello everybody,
My name is David Cuevas and here was my fourth day at OIAF 2015! Enjoy!

In the Morning, I headed to Saint Brigid's for the Animation Career Fair! The Fair was actually really big, and I managed to interview 75% of the company's/studios/University's that were there! Here we go! :)

The First Company that I interviewed was Frame Store, a Visual Effects company that made the visuals for films like Gravity and The Dark Knight!
Up Next is Guru Studios, who created some awesome show recently such as Justin Time!
Up next is 9 Story, the famous studio that created iconic shows such as Wild Krats and Numb Chucks!
Up next is the famous Portfolio Entertainment, the studio that made the awesome new Cat in The Hat series and the new show coming out very soon, Freak Town!
Next up is Copernicus Studios, a studio based in Halifax, with Awesome shows such as Teen Titans GO!
Last But Not Least, I interviewed Mercury Film Works, the Studio that's making Atomic Puppet, Wander over Yonder, and Jake and The Neverland Pirates!
After these awesome interviews, I went to see behind the scenes of Sanjay's Super Team, Pixar's newest Short, which is releasing with the Good Dinosaur! All what I can say right now is that it's one of the most colorful, creative, and memorable Pixar short to date!

After this amazing presentation, I met the director of the Short, Sanjay Patel! Sanjay is a very nice guy and he was very nice to me! Here is my exclusive interview with Sanjay, in which he talks about the inspiration and making off the film!

After Sanjay's brilliant presentation, I went to see the Making off Over The Garden Wall, with the creator Pat McHale! I'm a HUGE fan of Over the Garden Wall, and I've already seen the whole show over 3 times! It was an honor to be at this event! After the awesome presentation, there was an awesome poster signing and there, I managed to get an Interview with Patrick McHale!
After the interview, I actually also got to interview Steve Wolfard, who is a famous story board artist who works at Cartoon Network, and has worked on several Famous shows such as Adventure Time!
https://www.animationfestival.ca/index.php?option=com_oiaf&task=showevent&i=1255#1255

Before I left to have a small break, I interviewed the Director of Kaleidoscope from Canadian Student Competition, Catherine Dubeau!
After a small break, I headed to the Awards Ceremony! Before the ceremony started, I actually interview Tom McSorley, who works at the CFI! It was a true honor to meet him!


As for the awards ceremony, It WAS AWESOME! This years jury was fantastic in my opinion, and all the films that they choose were excellent! Also, I'm so happy that World Of Tomorrow won the DHX Prize for Best Public Prize! Here is a bunch off photos that I took of the Awards Ceremony in motion!


























 





















 
And Now, For the Whole List of Winners!
Grand Prize for Best Independent Short Animation
Small People With Hats | 2014 | Sarina Nihei | UK | 6:51 | Graduation Animation
“[Small People With Hats] is a brilliantly written absurd script with a compelling visual picture and sound that successfully interprets a political reality of our time.” – Competition Short Jury statement.
Grand Prize for Best Animated Feature
Over The Garden Wall | 2014 | Patrick McHale | USA, South Korea | 110:41 | Animated Feature
“The Grand Prize goes to the film that expressed the awe and wonder we felt as kids with a mix of amazement and magic, while realizing that scary things might not be as scary as they seem. For its unbridled romp through the joy and darkness of growing up, the award goes to Patrick McHale’s Over The Garden Wall.” – Competition Feature Jury statement.
Honourable mention to La Montagne Magique (The Magic Mountain) by Anca Damian.
Cartoon Network Prize for Best Narrative Short Animation
Isand (The Master) | 2015 | Riho Unt | Estonia | 18:00 | Narrative Short Animation
Prize for Best Experimental/Abstract Animation
The Five Minute Museum | 2015 | Paul Bush | Switzerland, UK | 6:20 | Experimental/Abstract
Prize for Best Undergraduate Animation
Violet | 2015 | Ryan Ines | USA | 5:56 | Undergraduate Animation
Walt Disney Animation Prize for Best Graduation Animation
Loop Ring Chop Drink | 2014 | Nicolas Ménard | UK | 9:45 | Graduation Animation
Prize for Best Commissioned Animation
Jazz Orgie | 2015 | Irina Rubina | Germany | 0:53 | Commissioned Animation
Prize for Best Short Film Made For Children
Compte les moutons (Counting Sheep) | 2015 | Frits Standaert | France, Belgium | 7:00
Prize for Best Animated Series Made for Children
Bird and Bear | 2014 | Dan and Jason | USA | 4:31
CRAFT AWARDS
Award for Best Script
World of Tomorrow | 2015 | Don Hertzfeldt | USA | 16:30 | Narrative Short Animation
Award for Best Design
Loop Ring Chop Drink | 2014 | Nicolas Ménard | UK | 9:45 | Graduation Animation
Award for Best Animation Technique
Alateadvuse maja (House of Unconsciousness) | 2015 | Priit Tender | Estonia | 10:41 | Narrative Short Animation
Award for Best Sound
Small People With Hats | 2014 | Sarina Nihei | UK | 6:51 | Graduation Animation
DHX Public Prize
World of Tomorrow | 2015 | Don Hertzfeldt | USA | 16:30 | Narrative Short Animation
Canadian Film Institute Award for Best Canadian Animation
Mynarski chute mortelle (Mynarski Death Plummet) | 2014 | Matthew Rankin | Canada | 7:46 | Narrative Short Animation
Honourable mention to Sonámbulo by Theodore Ushev and Focus by Alex Boya.
VIA Rail Prize for Best Canadian Student Animation
Fears | 2015 | Nata Metlukh | Vancouver Film School | 2:08
Honourable mention to Religatio by Jaime Giraldo, Vancouver Film School
 
Wait Wait Wait! I'm still not done!

After the Awards Ceremony, I got to interview Nata Metlukh (The Winner of best Canadian Student Animation for Her Film Fears) and Honorable Mention for the Same Category, Jaime Giraldo!
 
After those two awesome interviews, I interviewed a Very Awesome Animator, Pillar Toons! Here's my interview with Pillar!

After I interviewed Pillar, I got to interview Cal Arts Professor and the director of Animation Talent Development at Walt Disney Television, Brooke Keesling!


Last but not least, I interviewed Saschka Unseld, one of the jury members of this years OIAF, and if you remember, The Director of The Blue Umbrella (Which came out if Monster's University in 2013)!
WOW! It was truly an Awesome Day!
See you in my next post!