Kidscreen - August 2012

I've been rewritten. I've rewritten others. And apparantly I said something interesting on the subject in the latest issue of kidscreen. My mugshot certainly needs rewriting. I wonder if I can tweak my own DNA, and get a better nose, less lopsided eyes, etc.

 

Norman Rockwell Museum

I went to the Norman Rockwell museum whilst in the idyllic Berkshires. This is me on my way to visit his studio, and I'm hiding my hands out of frustration. Because well... there's painting and then there's outrageously detailed PAINTING. Sure, he worked from reference, and yes he had models sit for him. So what? So did the masters. And his work was outrageously sentimental... but you have to also say to yourself 'So what?' There should be room in the world for sweet emotions alongside the angst of most of the art world. Besides, the guy had mad skills, as the kids say today.  To see his paintings in print at a smaller scale is sweet. But to see them on canvas (they are BIG) is an experience. Not just technique but the storytelling. He seemed to paint nostolgic moments about the time he was living in. As if the 'good old days' are actually the days your living right now. That's a wonderful attitude to have and to express in your work. Inspiring. 

For all my French friends. Fondly. :>)

Samantha Barks in Les Mis

Samantha Barks stars with Jonathan Bailey in the UK version of Groove High, which will be out on Disney Channel this fall.  And she's appearing as Eponine in the film version of Les Miserables which comes out in cinemas at Christmas. My friend Tim, who's busy on the effects for it, just sent me a link to the new trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnLSG5t_dc8

Lamington is not shy...

Further Strangers (doodled) On A Train

More Strangers (doodled) On A Train

 

Strangers (doodled) On A Train

I've just agreed to do another 'page one' rewrite. Not that all my rewrites are page one. Some are page 'up to page 52, we're really happy' and some are 'Well, we do like the characters and the ending.' whilst others are 'we thought the musical about cancer victims would be funnier.' Ok that's not a real one, and it was actually a musical based on animal experimentation. I passed.  But lots of times we see or hear of the page one rewrite and that's because lets face it, features are tricky. It's a long time that you're trying to hold the viewer's attention and it's even longer that the project needs to hold yours. Years.

It's easy to lose your way; easy to get distracted by that shiny thing over there and follow a minor character up a garden path and down a long lost highway on an adventure that really has nothing to do with the main storyline, with your protagonists, well... with your film.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken that left turn at Albuquerque." is one of Bugs Bunny's finest catchphrases, and I can understand why he got lost. It happens. And it's nobody's fault. Momentum is 90% of success in this business and when you're moving that fast, with that much force behind you (lets call it a producer shouting over a speakerphone) it's easy to take a wrong turn.

So, really, the bigger question is why do a page one rewrite? It's a question I was just asked by a friend, who's a civilian - you know he has a real job - and he asked me "If you're binning everything and starting over - picking Bugs up and bringing him back to the carrot patch - why bother sticking with that concept in the first place? Why not find something else?" 

It seemed a reasonable question. Really, if you're binning everything (and sometimes you're actually binning the core concept) then where's the 're' in rewrite?

But the answer is simple.There must have been something that made someone cut a cheque in the first place. And foresically speaking you need to find out what that is, and sometimes finding that out is a job in and of itself. Often, the people working on the film can't remember where it all started. Everyone is lost. (Prometheus anyone?) But it was just so long ago, and it may have been a few regimes back. But I assure you, something is at the core of the project. Even if it's just the casting. We've got Will Ferrell and Chris Rock AND Angelina Jolie, but they hate the concept? Fine. Page one rewrite. Or just one drawing that made you believe in the project in the first place and it's pinned up over that guys desk. Ok. Lets stare VERY hard at this thing, ask some deep psychological questions as if that drawing was drawn by Dr Rorschach himself and start again. Page one rewrite. And we've still got that momentum thing behind us. Onwards!

Think of it this way; For a long time there's been a deep desire to build a tunnel connecting France to Great Britain. This was not a desire of the French or of the Brits. None of the people wanted this, but you know, their engineers did. It was like some insane scratch they needed to itch. They kept looking at the map as if they were climbers staring up at the peak of Everest. And they kept thinking, how hard can it be? It's not that far. Lets stare at that map again. They had to find the right place to start, and the right place to finish and I'm sure that deep, deep down underground there were Act II problems. There are always Act II problems. And in the many times that they had to stop and start again, nobody ever thought, "Ah let's just build a turbine in Finland."  At their darkest hour, someone may have suggested a suspension bridge. In fact, I know they did. But the point is, the goal was always to connect France to Britain. They may or may not have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque as they dug, but eventually they did it. Beginning, middle and end. With a gift shop on both sides. It's just like filmaking!

The truth is on a page one rewrite you're never truly binning everything, and the one thing you're most definitely NOT binning is the map of how you all just got to here. Starting again is fine, but this time you know where you've been... and you will not be taking that wrong turn again. Oh no, you'll be taking new and different and exciting wrong turns but eventually you'll get to the gift shop.

A glovely endorsement.

Hmm. Licensed Minnie Mouse nail polish, brought to you by a character famous for wearing gloves. Hmm indeed.

 Ok. It works. Sort of. I love how the pose shows Minnie admiring her nails, somehow with her X-ray vision through the gloves.  It does make you look twice, which I suppose is half the battle when trying to grab the attention of the passing public.  

My daughter didn’t notice that Minnie had gloves on until I pointed it out to her. “Oh yeah.” And then she laughed hard and said with classic tween attitude, “Classic fail.”  

It’s just a very curious endorsement. Did Disney quietly giggle as they took the license fee, not pointing out the obvious, or were there lengthy conference calls? Having been a Disney exec for a few years, I’m guessing the latter.

Animation UK directory.

I was asked to write an intro for the new Animation UK directory. That's quite cool. Nice to be on everyone's desk for a whole year. There are a few typos and it's an odd edit of what I wrote but hey, who cares, I think I still got my point across. Animation is an indoor sport and people in animation (including writers) don't go out much. So anywhere that there's lousy weather, tax cuts help increase employment and animators will still move to your cold wet miserable town because they go where the work is, not where they can work on their tans. Cuts are coming. Thank goodness. Better late than never.

Lamington smiles? But why?

It's my boy's birthday today. Neither of my kids are fans of doing math, so this seemed appropriate. Funnily enough, I let Lamington smile for my own kid. Something he's never done before. (Lamington. Not my kid.) How curious. Maybe we should let Lamington smile, but only occasionally and for impact. Hmmm....  one to ponder.

 

Shhhh... another day another Lamington sketch.

Bounty Hamster lives on in strange ways...

You make a show. You put it out there. Then stuff happens, or rather it doesn't. Networks have ways of shutting down (see under CiTV) only to come back years later, regimes change, distributors go out of business, and toons get forgotten and lost in the shuffle.  And when I say lost, I mean forgotten.  I'm picturing a wharehouse that looks roughly like that last scene from Raiders Of The Lost Arc, where episodes of Bounty Hamster are nailed shut in a plain wooden crate amongst a million other plain wooden crates.  Seriously shelved. 

And yet, somehow people have a way of putting up their obsessions onto the internet and sharing them with other obsessives.  And those people, those hardcore people like the thing so much that they spend time drawing images that well... that reflect their own fantasies about the characters on the show.  I love this and happily endorse it. Even if it was a kids show. Lets face it, if you're going to fall in love with a cartoon character, it's your god given right to ponder what she or indeed he looks like with less clothes on.

Alan Gilbey found these when searching for images for a powerpoint presentation. You see, we developed the show with Graham Ralph and even we don't have images handy. The show is that lost. Still, it's nice to see it lives on ...and uh, erm, hit puberty.

 

And another Lamington sketch

 

Another Lamington Sketch

Status update on writing film.

Lamington new doodle for new card.

Just a  sketch. 

 

Picture of the day - Chicago 1989

 

I used to take one poloroid photo every day. Sometimes I'd write something about it. Sometimes I'd doodle around and or on it. And sometimes I'd just paste it into the journal. Here's one of my old writing partner from when I was living in Chicago. Paul Brandenburger disguised as cornflakes box disguised as Paul. Clearly I was in a daydreamy state of mind.

And this is what Zoe looks like in France.

 

Tom & Zoe almost kiss... again.

 

 In reviewing the eps for various things like sound effects, and music its always nice to see the live action stuff again.  The two actors for the UK version, John Bailey and Samantha Barks, gave their all and had a wonderful chemistry. They made the whole 'will they' or 'won't they' kiss work every time. Every time!  Sweet.  I'm looking forward to when the show actually goes out on air.  We're at the finish line now. I can see the white tape.

Sketching up new Lamington cards. Time for another batch of 18.

 

And strangely and for the first time ever, it feels right that he's smiling. But that's because his cake is ablaze. So what if I'm this old? I'm going to enjoy myself! That's the basic idea.

Speaking of design. The Shard is perhaps the best building to go up in London for ages. I have never been a fan of the Gherkin, despite it's comic tone. Like all jokes, after you've heard it (or in this case, seen it) a few times, it gets boring.

Whereas, The Shard makes me feel like I'm living in Metropolis, or Gotham City, or even better yet, Mordor!  It's truly a statement. It pierces the sky. It feels dangerous. And I get a thrill out of seeing it everytime I pass it on the train at London Bridge. Inspiring.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but actually coincidence is the sincere fact that going with Helvetica as a font is always a safe option.

It is typography's version of a pair of Levis 501's, or little black dress. Classic. Timeless.

When I was designing my letterhead years ago, I decided to remove all stress (I can't begin to explain how stressful designing one's own letterhead is) by simply going with Helvetica. But that seemed too dull. Too corporate.

So I thought, I'll just make it goofy and quirky by colouring it in like a pack of lifesavers. Not cool. But not dull either. Ah yes. Good. Job done in ten minutes. Stress over.

But now that I've seen that Cinecitta has done the same thing as me, I feel as though perhaps I may actually have mistakingly done something cool. Oh to be associated with anything Italian. Ok, not anything. I would never wish to metaphorically be associated with their political problems.  But Italian design? Oh dear lord, yes please! All Italian design is sublime. I lived in Italy for a while, and even worked once at Cinecitta. Even the gaffer is wearing Armani.

A nice clip from Groove High