Jury Screenings Wrap Up
Article written by Elliot Cowan.
Last night we wrapped up the last of 4 jury screenings for the upcoming ASIFA-East animation festival.
Student Films
First of all, a big congratulations to every student who had the belief in their film to step up, pay an entry fee and have it screen for their peers.
There is, I think, always a distinct pattern when watching a large collection of student films.
In every class, there’s probably going to be one incredibly talented person, who knows how to draw, animate, takes the time to learn the technology and has some understanding of the storytelling process.
There’s usually a mid range of capable animators who can only get better and better.
The last section is made up of reasonably uninspired individuals and this is reflected in their films.
And of course we saw a little of each.
Commercials and Promos under 2 Minutes
A diverse collection of media.
As is the case these days, a lot of puppeted matter, much of it was done with some style and flair.
Independent Films
This category is really the heart of the Festival.
We had the chance to see new films from two of the cities animation stalwarts (I’m not sure either of them would care to be referred to as warts, though…), plus some films from up and comers.
Very little in the way of character animation and great drawings, though.
Sponsored Films
The last night of jury screenings is always the hardest for anyone who’s sat through the previous eight or nine hours of films, but this year I think it was the strongest night, bolstered mainly by some great music videos from a certain band who favors the NYC animation scene.
It was also nice to see animation from more animation stalwarts (who are less warty than the other stalwarts).
As always it was a mixed bag although with less treats than one would care for, I think.
There was a surprising lack of bad flash, very little 3D animation and a peculiar abundance of music videos. Why so many, I wonder?
6 Comments
David Levy
March 18, 2010Neat stuff, Elliot. Always fun to see how all this adds up to a winners reel.
Emily
March 18, 2010When will the winners be announced?
Dayna Gonzalez
March 26, 2010The winners will be announced the same day as the festival, May 9. More details are forthcoming.
Mikhail Shraga
March 26, 2010Hi.
I was just wondering why it is that Elliot’s article seems to favor a certain approach to animation over others. It sounds as though a film without “great drawings” deserves less attention than one that contains them. Certainly Elliot’s own film didn’t have a single great drawing in it, but, at least in my opinion, was very good.
Also, maybe I misinterpret the purpose of this type of journalism, but none of the films, in any of the categories were reviewed. I think one should agree that articles of a more descriptive and inviting nature (and a more objective tone, at that) would benefit our warm but small community to a greater extent.
I hope my critique is fair. And I know, from experience, that it will be met with care..
-m shraga
David Levy
March 29, 2010Hi Mikhail,
Our reportage style on this event is our attempt to not show favoritism to specific films. Instead the focus was on trends each night. The festival ballots record what the audience thought and we’re excited to share that at the festival. Hope to see you there!
best,
Dave
Community Blogger: Elliot
April 5, 2010Hey Mikhail, how you doing this year?
You can read whatever you like in the tone or intention of this report.
I couldn’t care less how a film is made as long as it’s engaging.
Do I think the ability to draw and have a handle on storytelling techniques is important if you’re making animated films – yes, I do.