Scott Pilgrim

CURRENTLY READING:

Natural Gas Commercial

New Website

I've worked up a new website for my Web + Screen class. I still have to fix a few bugs with the videos, but you get the idea!

Chat Roulette Piano Man Improv

Weeds

This week I became addicted to Weeds. I watched the first two seasons in 3 days and am hurting for more. Damn Netflix for only putting two seasons on Instant Play! Anyhow, here's a bit of dialogue that just made me absolutely lose it!

Isabelle: Dad, you know the Harry Potter books that we read?
Dean: Love them all, Love Harry Potter.
Isabelle: Mom is Voldemort. Don't you know that? You may have reduced her to vapor now, but she is out there. Gathering her strength, and she will be back. Don't you know that?

The Season 2 Finale was probably the biggest cliffhanger I've ever experienced. SO INTENSE. I need the third season NOW and have no means of getting it until at least 6 pm! Ridiculous. Man I've missed watching TV shows straight through. Any other suggestions? I'm quite at my leisure. :)

Full Version of Weeds Theme
"Little Boxes" by Melvina Reynolds:

Short Versions of Weeds Theme
"Little Boxes" by The Shins:

"Little Boxes" by Regina Spektor:

"Little Boxes" by The Decemberists:

Phenakistoscopes

This week in Stop Motion class we learned how to make phenakistoscopes. It's hard to explain, but we've all see them. In short, they were one of the first forms of animation. I feel like it lends to many possibilities for installations or collaborations. This video is great example:


"We Got Time" by Moray McLaren


And here's a video about the making of "We Got Time".

Ax Man, Galactic Pizza, The Ghost Writer

Another beautiful spring day in Minneapolis, and how did I spend it? With my girls of course! Alyssa, Michelle and I began our sunglassed afternoon with a stop at Ax Man to splurge on Stop Motion materials. I left with $22 worth of wooden poles, bungee rope, and magnets. I hadn't realized it was bungee rope.

Then we stopped in at Galactic Pizza for a 12" Hipster and a few tall glasses of Mountain Dew. Feta cheese won over my taste buds once again.

"He can't drown two ghost writers; you're not kittens!"

With full tummies we legally parked and briskly entered the Uptown Theater to see Polanski's new film The Ghost Writer. I knew nothing of it except the fact that it was required for my Great American Film Directors class, where we recently studied the works of Roman Polanski. To my very pleasant surprise Ewan McGregor starred as the Ghost Writer himself, and made the movie more enjoyable than otherwise! It was, in every way, a Polanski film and I would recommend it very highly.

On our way home I declared, "I'm going to go home and scratch my foot."
Michelle observed, "There's a dog in that car and he's looking at me."
Alyssa laughed an Alyssa laugh.
We're a brilliant bunch.

Begone Dull Care

Begone Dull Care by Norman McLaren in 1949 is an example of 'visual music'. It shows that the visual can have similar effects as the aural. The idea that visual art is often compared to music is of great interest to me, and is one of the biggest reason I decided to go into animation! I'd like to experiment with some of this stuff, myself, and have already researched it in length in previous classes. There are so many directions to go within the animation field, but whenever I ask myself why I decided to become an animator, it always boils down to music.

I also discovered a fancy little fact about Begone Dull Care, that it shares its title with the most recent Junior Boys album. The unusual name was surely not a coincidence, and after looking at the track names, I was convinced of their commonality.

Begone Dull Care by Junior Boys (2009)
1.Parallel Lines
2.Work
3.Bits And Pieces
4.Dull To Pause
5.Hazel
6.Sneak A Picture
7.The Animator
8.What It's For

Pixar, RA, LCAD, & Summer Plans

Thought Vomit Commence!

Today I mailed out my demo reel and application for the Pixar Technical Undergraduate Program. (It's a ten-week program for undergrad students looking to go into art/computer science, and basically you go to Pixar and learn Pixar for the summer. BOSS!) I also found out that it would fulfill my internship credit for MCAD, even though it's not an internship; Pixar is just that prestigious. Score! I'm so thankful to have all that completed.

Recently I was encouraged by several peers and staff to apply for the RA position (of which I wasn't planning to take part in because of my tentative plans to study at LCAD next year), so I picked up the packet and am looking for that opportunity to open up! If I get Pixar and the RA position, there's a solid chance I won't look towards LCAD. Pixar would offer me TONS of extra experience, and saving money with the RA position would really help out my parents.

On the other hand, if I don't get Pixar, LCAD is always a possibility, but I was also considering living with my sister, Mike, and Nate in Florida for the summer. I can never find work in Missouri, I'm not sure if I want to stay in Minneapolis over the summer, and I always wanted to live with my sister, so it doesn't seem like a bad idea! Once I realized that Missouri isn't such a necessity, things got a lot more open, to say the least.

I've noticed that housing has been a HUGE problem to figure out for most everyone here at MCAD. Almost all the pals are planning on studying abroad in the Spring, but nothing is final, so we don't know whether to live on or off campus, who to live with, etc. As of right now, I'm a-okay with living on-campus. Let's see who I can convince.

Life is busy, busy, busy.
I won't fill you in on the smaller details,
'cause I'm sure you already know if you really care to know!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Scott Dunbar Sings "Billie Jean"

Front Row Jónsi Tickets!

Today three FRONT ROW tickets were invested for myself, Gina, and Sara to see Jónsi's live performance at the Pantages theater! Excitement doesn't even COVER it! Developed by 59 Productions, this performance is going to be like nothing ever seen before. Not only am I excited to see the show, but I've gained a new goal: to be an animation director for productions like this! There is NOTHING I would enjoy more.

The Pantages Theater where we will be sitting front row right:


Jónsi's "Go Do"


A Preview of the show by 59 Productions:


Making of the Show: Part 1


And for your personal enjoyment!
A free download of Jónsi's "Boy Lilikoi".