Stop-Motion Animation Archives | Otaku No Culture

Kre8ing with Ezra Istiroti, An Interview

With a panache for sound design and a methodology, Ezra Istiroti is more than just another animator who teaches the craft of animation.

Ezra Istiroti is more than a typical digital media/ advertising content creator. With a panache for sound design and a methodology, firms like McDonald’s and The Coca-Cola Co. in Mexico City hired him to design their ad campaigns. He’s also the type of easy going and motivational talent people want to hear from.

After graduating from the Vancouver Film School and running his own firm to develop commercials and branding for other firms operations like BC Place, he’s back with the said institution and now teaching. For people who have been to the World of Wonders event during the  Calgary Stampede early this decade will now know he’s the creative mind behind the design of that interactive installation. He’s also done the jumbotron animations for the Ottawa Fury, 67’s and RedBlacks. It’s rare to know who made that stuff, and now the opportunity exists to say hi, thanks for your amazing work in the past and also learn from him in how it’s made, and do it yourself!

Istiroti is coming to Victoria, BC to lead a workshop to teach to newcomers interested in film, theatre or arts on what they can do with digital media with a three-day intensive Stop Motion animation program starting August 12th (click link to register).

Continue reading “Kre8ing with Ezra Istiroti, An Interview”

Top Scares from Fantasia’s Things That Go Bump in The East 2019 Shorts Program

We offer our top picks on which of Fantasia Festival’s “Things That Go Bump In The East” Shorts Program are must sees.

Runs: July 11 – August 1st Montreal, Quebec

This year, Fantasia Festival‘s “Things That Go Bump In The East” Shorts Program offers an eclectic mix of animated works which I’m savoring like fine wine. This year featured eleven works and plenty are from the Tokyo University of the Arts. Some of these will no doubt screen at other film festivals. We can find a few online, like Shishigari (a wonderful tale of survival with elements of Mononoke Hime tossed in) and the others–they are worth seeking to get your scream on.

Various cinematic and illustration styles are used to deliver the goosebumps. In what makes these films unique is in how the animators push the envelope not only in how 2D Digital Animation can tell the story but also with how Asian filmmakers are defining an age old genre.

Continue reading “Top Scares from Fantasia’s Things That Go Bump in The East 2019 Shorts Program”

Pages: 12

The Vintage Tempest’s Picks of the Fantasia International Film Festival 2019

Image result for fantasia film festival 2019 Runs: July 11 – August 1st
Montreal, Quebec

The Fantasia International Film Festival is in full swing, taking place in Montreal, Quebec with plenty of works to view and a wonderful look into all things fantastic. The genres also include horror, science-fiction and drama. In this show, the focus is on the extraordinary, hence the name. I encourage anyone who loves these genres to come to this show and see the world premieres that take place here.

Of particular note is a premiere screening of Shelagh McLeod’s Astronaut (review coming) starring Richard Dreyfuss. Arielle Dombasle’s Crystal Palace is a French production which only some can describe–a hallucinatory experience, a kitsch and camp kaleidoscope with surrealist dialogue and cardboard costumes (literally), all with a dash of meta-cinema. I’m particularly excited for the release of Takahiro Umehara’s The Moon in the Hidden Woods which blends steampunk, Korean folk styles and otherworldly fantasy into a tale of a world bereft of a lunar guardian. Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s Night God is said to be a waking nightmare, an unknowable maze of gigantic moving paintings, reminding one at times of the painter Carel Willink.

But it’s not the movies that defines a show. The huge list of shorts showcase the imagination of many a new filmmaker. Swiss animator Nils Hedinger’s Kuap looks like it may borrow from Hayao Miyazaki in narrative, Simon Beaupré’s Evil James Bond vs World War Z is a must for those who love crazy crossover ideas. Those who love Chinese folklore should look at Wan Jinyue and Du Jinzhi‘s The Girl and the Serpent.

The list does not end here. From the press release:

Continue reading “The Vintage Tempest’s Picks of the Fantasia International Film Festival 2019”

From Montreal to France–Gymnasia in VR

Ezra Istiroti By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream–perhaps that’s what creators from Clyde Henry Productions (Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, directors of Madame Tutli-Putli) were thinking of in Gymnasia–a virtual reality experience premiering May 28 at Montreal’s Phi Centre as part of the >HUM(AI)N exhibition, which runs through September 15. For Canadian users who like to experience this on Oculus devices, including the recently released Quest, it’s now available free of charge in the Oculus store.

Continue reading “From Montreal to France–Gymnasia in VR”

Hunting for The Missing Link in Studio Laika’s Latest

Ezra Istiroti

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Studio Laika always impresses. Their catalogue of works always offers insightful looks into the human condition. More often than not, they explore aspects of the supernatural world in relation to mankind. Missing Link considers what drives certain individuals to become what they are. This film suggests what makes homo sapiens superior to other forms of life, and when Charles Darwin is involved, it’s not always about survival of the fittest. Are they doing it for themselves to raise their self-esteem, or something else?

Enter wannabe world-renowned explorer Sir Lionel Frost (voiced by Hugh Jackman in his best British accent than Australian). He’s chasing after cryptids and he wants to join the prestigious Optimates Club. However, Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Stephen Fry) thinks all such creations are pish-posh; he believes mankind is superior and is supposed to dominate.

Continue reading “Hunting for The Missing Link in Studio Laika’s Latest”

Hedgehog’s Home finds its way to The NFB Homestead Dec 17th!

Not everyone understands what “home” is. A fox, wolf, bear, and boar berate Hedgehog after finding what his den is made of and try to understand why his home is different to their

Ezra Istiroti By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

All hail the Mighty Hedgehog! No, we are not talking about Sonic from the video games, but rather an innocuous creature of the woods, as imagined by poet Branko Ćopić. Simply titled Hedgehog’s Home, this stop-motion animated short has numerous accolades. It was spotlighted at many a film festival including Annecy and New York back in 2017, and how it’s making permanent residency on the free media servers of the National Film Board of Canada

The music takes some cues from the Wild West and perhaps even the narrative too. As someone from that era might say, “There ain’t no place like home.” Homesteaders back then had to stand their ground against resistance. Whether that’s over land ownership, against others (bullies) or against the aggressive climate (making a new life was not easy), many a theme can be explored. Ćopić‘s tale comes out of his experiences from native Yugoslavia, post-World War II and the folk tradition.

Continue reading “Hedgehog’s Home finds its way to The NFB Homestead Dec 17th!”