Jan 22 / Paul Paul

The Very Cranky Bear – ebook

Apps for portable platforms are super hot right now! To jump on the train, XYZ founder and director Tim Kentley has launched a new company with music publisher Matt Tanner, illustrator and author Nick Bland and producer Adrian Shapiro.

Named Wheelbarrow the company specialises in creating content for portable media platforms. Its first title is and adaptation of Bland’s award winning and best selling children’s book, ‘The Very Cranky Bear’ into an interactive ebook.

Check out Bob Monster, host of The Monster Report as he interviews Bear about his role in “The Very Cranky Bear” ebook.

Directed by XYZ’s Eran Hilelli, narrated by actor Angus Sampson and original music by Helen Croome, the book is available on the App Store.

Jan 17 / Paul Paul

SBS – World News Promo by DMCI

SBS recently approached the DMC Initiative (Sydney) to help with the development of a promo package for the channels update of their news offering.  The team responded with a beautiful sequence flowing in a poetic and visually engaging manner. Visual metaphors and interesting play of shadow and lights creates an interesting ambiance that portrays the stance of SBS World News.

Jan 14 / Paul Paul

Happy New Year from Dirty Puppet

Dirty Puppet is a design-driven animation studio hailing from Collingwood, Victoria. Like many studios, agencies and plumbers they decided to send out a lovely card for the new year. Except this one is not only very cool but it is also a good testimony of how diverse and original their work is ! There are so many techniques and combinations present here that it would be ridiculous to name them all. So sit back check out the card and then check out how it was made! And keep your good eye on this bunch in ’12!

Breakdown:

Jan 4 / Paul Paul

Mike & Christie – Proposal

Brisbane Animator, James Lee  made this adorable animation for a client of his who wanted to propose to his girlfriend in animation form. The Animation was originally done in Flash and at the end of the video it had “Yes” & “No” buttons on the screen (the “No” button just moved around, avoiding the cursor :) ).  Since then the video has gone viral and has been spreading around the Web!
Dec 28 / Alex

Ozanimate Meets Jonathan Nix and Brendan Williams of the Missing Key

A film seven years in the making, The Missing Key has been a long fought labour of love for filmmaker Jonathan Nix and his crew. The 28-minute hand-drawn traditionally-animated epic made its debut at the Sydney Film Festival earlier this year and has gone on to win a bundle of awards including the prestigious 2011 Inside Film Award. It is also currently in the running for an AACTA for best short animation.

After catching a glimpse of the beautiful trailer several years ago it has been an excruciating wait to witness the completed piece. Now, at long last, it is exciting to confirm that The Missing Key has been worth the wait. It is a beautiful feat of animated filmmaking dealing with the dilemmas of the creative process. From initial inspiration to the inevitable blood, sweat and tears required to see it come to fruition. The Missing Key explores a timeless story of the artist’s struggle in the way only animation can.

Ozanimate was lucky enough to sit down with Writer/Director/Animator/Musician Jonathan Nix and Animator Brendan Willliams during the Sydney International Animation Festival to get an insight into the making of the The Missing Key.

Dec 23 / Alex

Meet Tom Hunter

Tom Hunter's Hotdog Friend

Tom Hunter released his film Hotdog Hustle last week to a ravenous internet audience. Although having only just finished his second year at RMIT, Hunter has worked on backgrounds for Adventure Time, directed work for Yo Gabba Gabba and commands a significant internet following. He’s pretty much nailing it.

As the season of Graduate screenings wraps up and continuing students look toward the 2012 school year I wanted have a chat to Tom about his work, the internet and being at university.

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Ozanimate: So your film! Its great. I noticed on your blog you have a short gif animation with a similar story. Is that where the idea came from originally? or had always intended to make the film, and the gif as a step in that direction?
Tom Hunter: Yeah the idea came straight from the gif, I made the final animation for a uni assignment and was struggling for inspiration at the time, so just trawled back through earlier gifs I’d made and plucked it out.

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OZ: I hear you’ve been doing some work for Adventure Time and Yo Gabba Gabba. That’s pretty huge. Can you tell us how that came about, and what it’s been like?
Hunter: I was super lucky to be approached by both shows, just via email to see if I was interested in work. It was really just as simple as that. the Adventure Time job was just a few background layouts for an upcoming episode, so it was a pretty quick job. A few emails, and some file exchanges and it was done within days. Yo Gabba Gabba was a bit read more…

Dec 22 / Paul Paul

Frisdinga

Frisdinga is a unique iphone/ipad game Proudly made in Brisbane with outside the box, independent design, and development. Animated and designed by local animators: Steven Smith and Sen Wong, the graphics are in perfect tune with the programming of talented developer, Jack Lee.

So unleash your frisbee into a world of fun and enjoy the exciting gameplay that will test the finest of motor skills.

Find Frisdinga on the App Store HERE.

Dec 22 / Paul Paul

Somewhere in between

Todd fuller is an animator and an artist who works across drawing, painting, sculpture and curatorial practice.
His animations are hand drawn, charcoal, chalk and acrylic on canvas. “Somewhere in between” was created during his residency program at the Bondi Waverley School of Arts in 2011.
The short took three months and contains just under 3000 stills.
It also might interest you to know that Todd will be curating an animation screening in April at the Bondi Pavillion showcasing animation in Australia.