AWN Oscar Travelogue » DreamWorks Animation

Animated Shorts Celebration At DreamWorks

24 02 2009

Me on the left with This Way Up director Alan Smith.

written by Rick Farmiloe

I was lucky enough to be included in part of the Oscar Showcase tour this year. Every year the nominees for animated short films are given a tour and luncheon at some of the animation studios here in the Los Angeles area. The organizer of these celebrations, Ron Diamond, invited me to join them at DreamWorks on the last day of the tour. Ron and I are on the Executive Committee of the Short Films/Animation Branch of the Academy, and see scores of animated shorts every year. There is always a wide range of styles and ideas presented in various mediums. It’s always interesting to see which ones will make the final cut for the Oscar nominations. This year the field was exceptionally strong, with every film being quite unique and different from the rest. Meeting the filmmakers and hearing about their thought process and methods of getting it on the screen was extremely interesting and inspiring.

Everyone gathered outside the Campanile Building where the theater is located. There would be a screening for the DreamWorks staff, then a question and answer period with the filmmakers afterwards. It was fun to meet the filmmakers beforehand and mingle around a bit. The director of PRESTO, Doug Sweetland, could not attend this day, unfortunately. This was the last of the tour stops, so they were very friendly with each other by this point. There seemed to be a common bond, regardless of language or background. They were joined together by a love and passion for filmmaking and animation. There was absolutely no competitive vibe among them. They were just all together as filmmakers, celebrating the animated art form. Jeffrey Katzenberg showed, and greeted everyone very warmly, making everyone associated with this tour feel extremely welcome. Jeffrey is one of animation’s biggest fans and supporters.

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Categories : Personal Musings, People, Tour Destinations, DreamWorks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Lavatory Lovestory, La Maison en Petits Cubes, Oktapodi, This Way Up, Oscar Tour 2009

Oscar Showcase 09 DreamWorks Brunch/Chocolate Foscas Photo Gallery

24 02 2009

Every year the day before the big event offers two annual events that allow the nominees to take a chance to relax with fellow members of the animation community. Check out this year’s pics.

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Categories : Photo Galleries, Films & Filmmakers, DreamWorks Animation, Chocolate Foscas, Lavatory Lovestory, La Maison en Petits Cubes, Oktapodi, Presto, This Way Up, Oscar Tour 2009

Oscar Showcase 09 DreamWorks Photo Gallery

24 02 2009

Oktapodi director Olivier Delabarre (r) meets DreamWorks' Jeffrey Katzenberg.

The last stop on the 2009 Oscar Showcase tour was DreamWorks. View the day in photos.

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Categories : Photo Galleries, Tour Destinations, Films & Filmmakers, DreamWorks Animation, Lavatory Lovestory, La Maison en Petits Cubes, Oktapodi, This Way Up, Oscar Tour 2009

Oscar Tour Comes to Close at DreamWorks

22 02 2009

The tour members pose outside the Campanile Theater.

The Oscar Showcase tour came to an end on Friday with a visit to DreamWorks. The filmmakers were clearly tired from their long week and a half, but their excitement hasn’t wavered. Ron invited Academy board member Rick Farmiloe to join us for the day to experience the tour with the filmmakers. The day was a bit of a homecoming for Farmiloe, who served as a story artist on the original “Shrek.” At Disney, he animated classic characters like Lefou in “Beauty and the Beast” and Abu in “Aladdin.”

For the first time, the “This Way Up” filmmakers were able to join the tour. Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes have been busy though, spending much of the week meeting with execs around town on feature projects. Alan said they met with the Hensons, former Fox exec Chris Meledandri, and Sony’s Hannah Minghella. Accompanying the famed commercials directors, their most recent work was seen during the Super Bowl — the Coca-Cola “Avatar” spot — were writer/producer Chris O’Reilly and producer Charlotte Bavasso, who I had met two nights prior at the AWN/Acme Filmworks party. She said the party at Ron’s house was especially nice, because she was tired of restaurant after restaurant every night that she has been in L.A.

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Categories : Personal Musings, Tour Destinations, Films & Filmmakers, DreamWorks Animation, Lavatory Lovestory, La Maison en Petits Cubes, Oktapodi, This Way Up, Oscar Tour 2009

Oscar Showcase 08 DreamWorks Brunch Photo Gallery

28 02 2008

Oscar winner Suzie Templeton gets a chance to talk with My Love director Alexander Petrov. © 2008 AWN Inc.

The day before the Oscars DreamWorks hosts a brunch at Campanile. Look at the animation who’s who gallery.

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Categories : Photo Galleries, Oscar Tour 2008, Madame Tutli-Putli, Peter and the Wolf, DreamWorks Animation, My Love, I Met the Walrus, Even Pigeons Go to Heaven

Oscar Showcase 08 DreamWorks Photo Gallery

27 02 2008

Oscar-winner Hugh Welchman, producer of Peter and the Wolf, chats with DreamWorks exec John Tarnoff after lunch. © 2008 AWN Inc.

On Thursday, Feb. 24th, the Oscar Showcase tour pulled into DreamWorks. View the fun we had there.

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Categories : Photo Galleries, Oscar Tour 2008, Madame Tutli-Putli, Peter and the Wolf, DreamWorks Animation, I Met the Walrus, Even Pigeons Go to Heaven

DreamWorks Day on the Oscar Showcase Tour

21 02 2008

At DreamWorks, the group poses with famed children's author Bill Joyce (center in black jacket). © 2008 AWN Inc.

With the Oscar Showcase beginning to slow down, Thursday marked our chance to see DreamWorks L.A. While the screening was taking place, John Tarnoff, the head of the DreamWorks’ “incubator” department, showed us around the facility. After seeing production art from Bee Movie, Kung-Fu Panda and Madagascar 2, we got to see some production art and CG characters from DreamWorks’ 2009 releases Monsters vs. Aliens and How to Train Your Dragon. Being that Monsters vs. Aliens is the studio’s first stereoscopic production and the release date was moved up to March, the production is in furious mode. In regards to the challenges of working in 3-D, John said that DreamWorks looks at stereoscopic as they do stereo sound – a subtle enrichment of the movie going experience. Though the release will not be in 3-D, a test was done using the opening action sequence from Kung-Fu Panda to discover the limits to which they could push the technology. David Verrall, the exec producer of Madame Tutli-Putli, who has a hand in every English language film produced at the NFB, said they have artists working on eight foot screens for stereoscopic productions so they can get a better idea of how the mind processes the images as they are working on them.
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Categories : Personal Musings, Oscar Tour 2008, Madame Tutli-Putli, Peter and the Wolf, DreamWorks Animation, I Met the Walrus, Even Pigeons Go to Heaven

Nominees Unwind at the DreamWorks Brunch & Chocolate Foscas

25 02 2007

Mike Thurmeier (center) catches up with Tamas Liszkas (left) and Maestro's Geza Toth at the DreamWorks brunch. © AWN Inc.

With the screenings now complete, Saturday — the day before the big event — was filled with parties to celebrate the nominees. Both the DreamWorks brunch at Campanile and the Chocolate Foscas were chances for the nominees to reconnect and meet other animation pros.

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Categories : Personal Musings, Photo Galleries, Oscar Tour 2007, DreamWorks Animation, No Time for Nuts, The Danish Poet, Little Matchgirl, Maestro, Chocolate Foscas

Ron’s Pics from DreamWorks, Fox, the Academy, Disney & ICM

23 02 2007

The group gathers for a photo op at DreamWorks. Don Hahn (l to r), Roger Allers, Katherine Sarafian, Chris Renaud, Gary Rydstrom, Marcy Page, Badgered director Sharon Colman, John Tarnoff, Torill Kove, Rick DeMott, Geza Toth and Lise Fearnley. © AWN Inc.

Here it is the long awaited gallery of select pics from Ron’s camera from the Oscar Showcase tour’s swing by DreamWorks, Fox, the Academy, Disney and ICM. There’s also a couple special pics at the end courtesy of No Time for Nuts director Mike Thurmeier.

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Categories : Photo Galleries, Oscar Tour 2007, 20th Century Fox, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, Walt Disney Animation, DreamWorks Animation, ICM, Lifted, No Time for Nuts, The Danish Poet, Little Matchgirl, Maestro

Katzenberg, Fox Lot, Mirren: Another Whirlwind Day on the Oscar Tour

21 02 2007

Jeffrey Katzenberg introduces the screening at DreamWorks. © AWN Inc.

Well, I just got back from the Academy screening, which closed another whirlwind day on the Oscar Showcase tour. In addition, to Roger, Don, Marcy, Geza and Tamas, Gary Rydstrom, Lifted producer Katherine Sarafian (who we’d all meet at the Pixar screening), Torill Kove, The Danish Poet’s Norwegian producer Lise Fearnley, co-director of No Time for Nuts Chris Renaud and No Time for Nuts producer Lori Forte all joined the fun. Mike Thurmeier is back in New York with his wife and we’re happy to announce their new daughter has arrived. Her named is Katelyn Ivy. She was born on Feb. 18th at 2:23 in the afternoon. She was 21 inches long and a healthy 8lbs 10ozs!!!

We began our day at DreamWorks, where we were greeted by John Tarnoff, the head of the studio’s “incubator” department, which develops the initial artistic designs and storyboards for the company’s feature animated films. Jeffery Katzenberg came to meet the nominees and introduce the screening. He commented that the current renaissance in animated shorts is inspiring. He added that one of his dreams when he started in the industry was to be involved with a project that was nominated for an Academy Award, because it was an acknowledgement from your peers, and told the nominees to cherish this moment. In addition, he was delighted to finally have Roger and Don, who he worked with at Disney, visit the DreamWorks studio. During the screening, Jeffery requested a private screening of Lifted, which Ron provided for him. The audience at the screening was receptive and had many of the same questions that artists at the other studios had such as “what was your inspiration” and “how long did it take to make the film?”

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