KEDI

Here is a new documentary from a cat's perspective called "Kedi" by Ceyda Torum.

KEDI - Trailer 1 from Termite Films on Vimeo.

This is the  story of seven cats living in Istanbu and here is a letter from the director of the film...

A Letter to the Audience

For those of you who may not have visited Istanbul or know anyone from there, there are a few things you should know before watching our film.

Cats — tabbies, calicos, angoras, norwegian forest cats; ginger cats, grey cats, black  cats, white cats, black and white cats — all kinds of cats, roam the city, free, without a human master. Some fend for themselves, scavenging from dumpsters, living in abandoned buildings, others are cared for by communities of people, pampered with the best cat food and given shelter for the cold months. Cats have been a part of the city for thousands of years, and so, everyone who grows up in Istanbul or lives in Istanbul has a story about a cat. Stories that are memorable; sometimes scary, sometimes spiritual, but always very personal. Street cats are such a big part of the culture that when US president Barack Obama visited Istanbul, part of his tour included a stop at the Hagia Sophia to visit its famous cat. Cats are as integral to the identity of Istanbul as its monuments, the Bosporus, tea, raki and fish restaurants.

Kedi - Official U.S. Trailer - Oscilloscope Laboratories from Termite Films on Vimeo.

I grew up in Istanbul and I believe my childhood was infinitely less lonesome than it would have been if it werenʼt for cats - and I wouldnʼt be the person I am today. They were my friends and confidants and I missed their presence in all the other cities I ever lived in. This film is, in many ways, a love letter to those cats and the city, both of which are changing in ways that are unpredictable.

When we set out to make this film, I had many ideas about what it should be. I wanted to explore philosophical themes that would make an audience ponder about our relationship to cats, to nature, to each other... I hope the film succeeds in doing that but more importantly, I hope this film makes you feel like you have just had a cat snuggle up on your lap unexpectedly and purr endlessly for a good long time, while allowing you to stroke it gently along itʼs back, forcing you, by the sheer fact that you canʼt move without letting go of that softness and warmth, into thinking about things that you may not have given yourself time to think about in the busy life you lead.

Hopefully this film will be that cat for you, and that youʼll leave with a tingle in your hands.

This film is now playing at a theater near you, check screenings. Let us know if you have seen this film or plan on seeing it. This film has been Watchcat Approved!

Watchcat Wednesday Screening

Columbia Alumni Filmmakers Night
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
6:30 p.m. – Arrival and seating
7 p.m. – Screening and Q+A

El Cid
4212 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90029

Featured Short Films:
G Eazy "Downtown Love", Dillon Schneider ’12
Dumbfounded, Diane Baldwin ’05
Watchcat Episode 1 & 2, Jim Richardson ’86
Portrait of My Mother, Sophia Nahli Allison ’14
Seven Miles, Daniel Pico ’02
Dino Now, Matt Brookens ’99  
The Outcast, Bucher Almzain MFA ’15
Setting Son, Rachel Rosen ’15 
Paré, Myra Casciato ’15
Perfect Day, Jessica Huggins ’12

We gathered at the El Cid, a mexican restaurant on Sunset near Los Feliz. Everyone was a stranger, even though we all went to the same college in Chicago, years ago. 

The turnout was pretty good and I want to say this politely, but there were a lot depressing stories presented that evening. All the films were well done in production value, but so many downer endings or setting up characters to fail or die were shown. 

Watchcat fit in well enough, because we had a lot of gun play in our story. It was a great opportunity to watch our film with an audience and hear the reaction from the crowd. This was very helpful for us to hear, since you don't get that kind of instant feedback when posting your film online.

After the screening, the filmmakers were ask to stand on the stage with a little Q/A from the audience.

Afterwards, many were working the room, networking with business cards and iphones. Here we handed out our cards and met some of the other filmmakers. Even though I was the only animator in this land of live action filmmakers, I felt somewhat at home with them.

We gotta work on our candid posing for photos. Ha ha...
https://www.facebook.com/81523290672/photos/a.10154910643950673.1073741848.81523290672/10154910644385673/?type=3&theater 

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Watchcat Episodes screening in Hollywood!

Watchcat episodes 1 and 2 will be shown as part of the Columbia College Alumni Filmmakers Screening held this Wednesday, March 22nd. We have been asked to help promote the event and so, if you are in the Los Angeles area, like to watch movies and love Mexican food,  please click on this link for more info.

If you sign up, please mention in the email that Watchcat sent you. Greg and I will be there, so please say hello and enjoy a lot of other filmmakers who went to our school in Chicago.

We will post about the event next Watchcat Wednesday.

Rigging Watchcat

March. In like a lion, out like a lamb. Here’s a lion, built in Adobe Illustrator, animated in Adobe After Effects by Joe Gast. 

We got .33 cents in ad clicks last month from viewers clicking on the ads to help us donate the money to a local animal shelter. Unfortunately, I did the math and at this rate,  we will have a $100.00 check from Google in about 20 years from now.

The only way to up this number would be, if every viewer of this blog clicked on the ads, everytime they viewed this blog. Then maybe, it would only take 10 years to get a check.

This week, we found out that Watchcat episodes 1 and 2 will be shown on the big silver screen at the El Cid on Sunset Blvd. The episodes will be screened at the Columbia College Alumni Filmmakers Night on March 22nd, 6:30 - 9pm. You can purchase tickets here.
 

After making several episodes now by myself, I have decided that the only way to continue this process is to create a character rig. The above animation is a simple rig where different parts are attached to one another allowing simple movement. The best thing about creating a character rig is that the character will always look the way. This is called " Being on Model" and is the biggest problem with 2D animation. 

A hand drawn animation character must be drawn the same way throughout as if only one person created it. Animators were given model sheets showing how the character looks in different attitudes, poses or angles; side view, front, 3/4 and even from the back. The Animator relied on this information to be able to draw the character as close to the design as possible.

In computer animation, your character is a digital sculpture which can be moved and posed in the computer, without worry of ever "being off model". This process now allows more Animators to be give different scenes to be worked on as a group, rather than worrying if your character is on or off model.

Here is a good example of puppet animation in Flash by Richard Murray of RichToons.

If Watchcat is ever to be made into a TV series, the characters would need to be rigged so that anyone could animate them. And so, I am putting on my rigging hat this week and working on adding a skeleton to my drawn designs. This is a bit of a challenge, because the main character is a 4 legged cat. I will post some test in the next few weeks.  

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