The cartoons from our SPRING I and SPRING II workshops are now online! See vicious were-chickens, hungry rats, and conniving cats! Check out run cycles, lip syncs, and mighty morphs! And a special note — Londo Lizard’s conflict with THE BULLY is now completed in color! Don’t miss it.

Watch the cartoons on our [...]]]>

The cartoons from our SPRING I and SPRING II workshops are now online! See vicious were-chickens, hungry rats, and conniving cats! Check out run cycles, lip syncs, and mighty morphs! And a special note — Londo Lizard’s conflict with THE BULLY is now completed in color! Don’t miss it.

Watch the cartoons on our website here:

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

Download them in iTunes here:

http://tinyurl.com/aniwork

If you’ve ordered a DVD, come by Animatus on a weekday between 10am and 5pm. (We’re not open Saturdays this month.) If it’s late in the day, give us a call to make sure we’ll be here when you come by. 585-232-3949

Dave Puls’ “Girl of the Finger Lakes” will be screening twice this coming week as part of the New York Filmmakers Quarterly series. The film shares a unique part of Americana through the stories of Kitty Puls. It reminds us all of the [...]]]>

Watch them in iTunes here: http://tinyurl.com/aniwork

[...]]]> Cartoons from Basic and Intermediate students in our March workshops are now online! See running horses, spinning heads, and flying saucers ! (Studio students, those cartoons will be uploaded at the end of April.) Watch the cartoons on our website here:

The cartoons from our winter workshops are now online! See flying fish, blobs, and a jabberwocky! See a wild west battle, a ninja melee, and spider swats!

Watch the cartoons on our website here: http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

Watch them in iTunes here: http://tinyurl.com/aniwork

If you’ve ordered a DVD, come by Animatus on [...]]]> Winter Cartoons Now Online

Merry Derfmas and Happy Holidays from Animatus Studio! Check out the Derf Christmas card we’ve created just for you fine folks. Enjoy as Derf serenades you with a lovely Christmas tune.

http://youtu.be/YYkbpfUguxI

Derf the Viking and Matty the Dragasaurus rock [...]]]> Celebrating The Holidays with Derf

Cartoons from our Fall workshops are now online.

It’s an explosion of animation! There’s morphing, squashing, and stretching. There’s running, jumping, and spear throwing. There’s cats, rats, and bats! Don’t miss all the cartoon action.

See the cartoons online at

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

If you ordered a DVD, come by Animatus [...]]]>

Cartoons from our Summer workshops are now online.

We’ve got more animation than you can shake a stick at! There’s a haunted castle, a determined squirrel, even a couple takes on Super Mario Bros! What does Batman eat for breakfast? What happens when Superman is late for a rescue? [...]]]>

Cartoons from our Spring and Spring II workshops are now online. Thanks to our students for their patience while we edited these videos!

We’ve got an angry cat and an x-rayed rabbit. There’s a bullied lizard and a rampaging Zilla. There’s even new Primus and Popeye animation!

See the cartoons online at

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

The Animated World of John Canemaker

Our special guest this year is John Canemaker, an Academy Award-winning animator and internationally renowned [...]]]> 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival

Visit the Animation Workshop website to see what our students created in January. See morphs, monsters, and mayhem! See cats, rats, guitars, and superheroes!

Watch cartoons online or download to your iPod: http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

If you ordered a DVD, you can pick it up at the studio weekdays between [...]]]>

It was 20 years ago this season that the Animatus-produced House of Guitars Christmas ad first aired. And, if you’ve been watching TV lately, you’ll notice it’s still airing!

It was 6 weeks of hard work back [...]]]> 20 Years of Blue Nosed Reindeer!

We’ve got all our Fall Workshop cartoons edited together and ready to share! See tales of singing cats, werewolves, sea serpents, rabbits, mummies, and much much more!

Watch cartoons online or download to your iPod: http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

If you ordered a DVD, you can pick it up at the [...]]]>

The crew at Animatus has been working day and night, and we’ve finally put together our collection of student animation from the August workshops. It’s an unbelievable amount of material this time, so buckle up for a wild ride!

See tales of opossums, zookeepers, super heroes, vacuum cleaners, antagonistic roomates, space wars, and much [...]]]>

The crew at Animatus has been working day and night, and we’ve finally put together our collection of student animation from the August workshops. It’s an unbelievable amount of material this time, so buckle up for a wild ride!

See tales of opossums, zookeepers, super heroes, vacuum cleaners, antagonistic roomates, space wars, and much much more!

Watch cartoons online or download to your iPod:

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

If you ordered a DVD, you can pick it up at the studio weekdays between 10:00 and 5:00. (Note: we’re not here on Saturdays except when classes are running.)

Sign up for Fall Workshops

There is still space available for basic and intermediate students in both the Fall AM and PM workshops.

Registration for our morning studio production level students is now full. We currently have TWO AFTERNOON slots open for studio production.

Any studio production students who have yet to pay should do so soon to secure your registration.

Fall Animation Workshops

Saturdays

October 2, 9, 16 & 23

$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Register online at

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Or call (585) 232-3949

Spooky Animation from Mike Boas

Horror fan and Animatus artist Mike Boas has put together a promotional video for this year’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Los Angeles. It’s creepy, weird, and funny!

Check it out on Youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06RoZELJRno

Time is running out to sign up for Animation Workshops in August! We have just a couple Thursday slots available.

WHEN: Thursdays, August 5, 12, 19, 26.

9:30 AM to 3:00 [...]]]>

We had a great time in our “Spring II” April workshops. Take a look at what our students come up with…

See wiggling worms, walking wabbits, and wack-a-moles! See talking rats, sailing snails, and zany zookeepers!

See the latest installments of Monster World, and Antipop. We also have the final colored version of [...]]]>

360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival

Be sure to take in some screenings at the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival this week!

Screenings suitable for kids:

THE SECRET OF KELLS

This justifiably Oscar-nominated film is beautiful and breathtaking for all adults, and for smart and inquisitive school-aged children.

MADE IN ROCHESTER

A block of short films from Rochester filmmakers, one of which features Animatus Studio’s Mike Boas as a timid vampire.

CHILDREN’S SHORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Featuring OUT OF YOUR SHELL by Animatus intern Trisha Hartnett.

There’s also the world premiere of WE CAN SHINE: FROM INSTITUTIONS TO INDEPENDENCE, a documentary by former workshop student Adrian Esposito.

See the schedule and buy your tickets online at: http://film360365.com/festival/tickets-and-passes

Follow 360 | 365 on social networks Facebook and Twitter for the latest news:

360 | 365 on Facebook

360 | 365 on Twitter

See morphs, monkeys, and mice! See rats, riddles, and run cycles! See the latest installments of Monster World, Flappy Rabbit, and A Typical Day at Work!

Monkeys and Mice

Riddles and Runs

Special Delivery

Monster World End Credits

A Typical Day at Work [...]]]>

What did our students create in March?

See morphs, monkeys, and mice! See rats, riddles, and run cycles! See the latest installments of Monster World, Flappy Rabbit, and A Typical Day at Work!

Monkeys and Mice

Riddles and Runs

Special Delivery

Monster World End Credits

A Typical Day at Work

Watch cartoons online or download to your iPod:

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

If you’re a student who ordered a DVD, you can pick it up at the studio weekdays between 10:00 and 5:00. We’ll also be here the next few Saturdays (with current workshops) from 9:00 to 4:00.

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on Saturday, March 13. For students (and their drivers) attending the Animation Workshop, it’s important to [...]]]> Every year, we hold Animation Workshops on Saturdays in March. And every year, hundreds of Rochesterians dress in green and walk up and down East Avenue, also on a Saturday in March.

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on Saturday, March 13. For students (and their drivers) attending the Animation Workshop, it’s important to know that THE ONLY WAY TO GET TO ANIMATUS is by SCIO STREET at EAST MAIN STREET.

Please take a look at the map below.

To print out a fancy PDF version, click the following:
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/files/awork-st-patricks-day2.pdf

Click for a larger view.

This installment of student cartoons includes giant snakes, happy rats, running lizards, and fearsome spiders! See the latest from Monster World, Antipop, and the workplace drama “A Typical Day at the Office.”

If you ordered a DVD, you can pick it up at the studio weekdays between 10:00 and 5:00. [...]]]>

New Animation Workshop Cartoons

This installment of student cartoons includes giant snakes, happy rats, running lizards, and fearsome spiders! See the latest from Monster World, Antipop, and the workplace drama “A Typical Day at the Office.”

If you ordered a DVD, you can pick it up at the studio weekdays between 10:00 and 5:00. (Note: we’re not here on Saturdays except when classes are running.)

Interested in signing up for our March classes? Go to http://animatusstudio.com/workshops to register online.

Watch the cartoons below, or subscribe to the free Animation Workshop podcast! Click Here to launch iTunes.

Tons O Stuff

Monster World End Credits

Antipop

A Typical Day at Work

Derf the Viking is celebrating 20 years of Animatus the only way he knows how.

What do you get the Viking who has everything? How about about a present he can’t put together?

Watch DERF IN PRESENT DANGER below!

Derf in Present Danger from Animatus [...]]]>

Last Chance For Winter Workshops

Happy New Year!

Feeling creative? Well, there are still a few spots left in our winter workshops! Everyone here at Animatus is psyched for another creative year. If you are too, join us this Saturday for some fun and laughs.

Winter Workshops

Start the New Year off with a BANG! Release your own fireworks of creativity and begin the year with some new animation. As Dave always sings, “It’s fun to do the impossible. It’s fun to dream out loud.” Join us for some more fun beginning January 9th! [...]]]>

Start the New Year off with a BANG! Release your own fireworks of creativity and begin the year with some new animation. As Dave always sings, “It’s fun to do the impossible. It’s fun to dream out loud.” Join us for some more fun beginning January 9th! Registration space is limited. Gift certificates are available.

Register Now For Winter Workshops

At a loss for what to give your aspiring animator this season? Give the gift of cartoons! They can see their ideas come to life in January’s Animation Workshops.

Winter Workshops
Saturdays
January 9, 16, 23, 30
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the

Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Register online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Or call (585) 232-3949

Special Price for Subway DVD

In honor of the Animatus 20th Anniversary, we’re offering The End Of The Line for the low price of $20 this holiday season.

“The End of the Line – Rochester’s Subway” tells the little known story of the rail line that operated in a former section of the Erie Canal from 1927 until its abandonment in 1956. The forty-five minute documentary recounts the tale of an American city’s bumpy ride through the Twentieth Century, from the perspective of a little engine that could, but didn’t.

“The End of the Line” Special Edition DVD contains over forty-five minutes of extra features, including three featurettes, a massive photo archive, outtakes, subtitles, and a subway map insert.

To buy your video directly from Animatus at this special price, go to http://animatusstudio.com/store/video.html

Play our animated holiday card!

One of our recent top secret projects was creating characters and artwork for Hopping Bird Productions’ new iPhone game, ASPERATA.

We’re pleased to announce that the game is now available for download!

Asperata is a warrior woman tasked with defeating a horde of desert sand creatures (commonly known as mummies). More than a simple shooter game, Asperata requires both skillful screen taps and tilting of the device to control your weapons, along with careful attack planning and defense.

Visit http://asperata.com to find out more.

Or search “Asperata” in the iPhone app store to download your copy.

For a limited time only, “The End of the Line – Rochester’s Subway” special edition DVD will be available at 30% off of the retail price.

The discounted price is $20.00 + shipping & NYS sales tax.

(No shipping if you pick it up from Animatus Studio.)

This offer is [...]]]> Animatus Studio 20th Anniversary Special

For a limited time only, “The End of the Line – Rochester’s Subway” special edition DVD will be available at 30% off of the retail price.

The discounted price is $20.00 + shipping & NYS sales tax.

(No shipping if you pick it up from Animatus Studio.)

This offer is only valid from November 17th – December 31, 2009.

This limited offer is only good only at the AnimatusStudio.com web site and Animatus Studio at 34 Winthrop St. Rochester, NY 14607

“The End of the Line – Rochester’s Subway” DVD special edition makes a great gift for those who have never seen it or for those who only have the VHS. The DVD includes 45 minutes of extras including “Motherless Child” remnants of the subway including The Phantom Run, A Photo Archive of 150 still images, Closed Captioning, “The Steel Wheel” & much more.

Celebrate Animatus Studio’s 20th anniversary by saving money on the best documentary made about the history of transportation in Rochester. It’s the story about the smallest city in America to build and abandon a subway.

Makes a great holiday present!

This anniversary sale will end on January 1st, 2010.

The price will return to $29.95 plus shipping and NYS sales tax.

To purchase, go to http://animatusstudio.com/store/video.html

See some spooky clay and cut-out cartoons, a riddle from a cave-man, the continuing adventures of Super Maintenance Man, Flappy Rabbit, and much much more.

Watch cartoons online or download to your iPod: http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

If you ordered a [...]]]>

Special Price for Subway DVD

In honor of the Animatus 20th Anniversary, we’re offering The End Of The Line for the low price of $20 this holiday season.

“The End of the Line – Rochester’s Subway” tells the little known story of the rail line that operated in a former section of the Erie Canal from 1927 until its abandonment in 1956. The forty-five minute documentary recounts the tale of an American city’s bumpy ride through the Twentieth Century, from the perspective of a little engine that could, but didn’t.

“The End of the Line” Special Edition DVD contains over forty-five minutes of extra features, including three featurettes, a massive photo archive, outtakes, subtitles, and a subway map insert.

To buy your video directly from Animatus at this special price, go to http://animatusstudio.com/store/video.html

One of our recent top secret projects was creating characters and artwork for Hopping Bird Productions’ new Iphone game, ASPERATA.

We’re pleased to announce that the game is now available for download!

Asperata is a warrior woman tasked with defeating a horde of desert sand creatures (commonly known as mummies). More than a simple shooter game, Asperata requires both skillful screen taps and tilting of the device to control your weapons, along with careful attack planning and defense.

Visit http://asperata.com to find out more.

Or search “Asperata” in the Iphone app store to download your copy.

360 | 365 Shorts Contest

Animatus Studio is a sponsor of 360 | 365 (formerly the High Falls Film Festival), and we’d like to encourage Rochester filmmakers to get a pie in the face. That’s the theme for the current shorts contest! So get some friends together, get some pies, and get going. The deadline to upload your entry to Youtube is January 15th. There’s a $1000 prize! Visit http://film360365.com/shorts for more info.

The Rochester High Falls International Film Festival has announced the finalists in its first-ever online short film contest. All 19 submitted films – which were based on the contest theme “Coming Home” – will be screened and the top winner announced at a special filmmaker celebration party on Monday, Oct. 12.

Saturdays October 10, 17, 24, 31 $159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Register online at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

See a demonstration of archery in medieval times, an introduction to the Laundry Master, a bizarre walk in the woods, and much much more!

Watch cartoons online or download to your iPod: http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

If you ordered a DVD, you [...]]]> Visit the Animation Workshop website to see what our students have been up to this summer!

See a demonstration of archery in medieval times, an introduction to the Laundry Master, a bizarre walk in the woods, and much much more!

Watch cartoons online or download to your iPod:
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

If you ordered a DVD, you can pick it up at the studio weekdays between 10:00 and 5:00. (Note: we’re not here on Saturdays except when classes are running.)

Sign up for Fall Workshops

Morning and Afternoon slots are still available!

Saturdays
October 10, 17, 24, 31
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Register online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Or call (585) 232-3949

For those who missed it, here are [...]]]> Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Animation Workshop Student Film Festival and open house! We had a great time sharing student cartoons from past and present. The evening culminated with the screening of our competition entries. It was great to see the pieces with an audience!

For those who missed it, here are the competition winners:

1st PLACE:
“The Dustbusters in Attack of the Killer Dustbunnies”
by David Zipeto

2nd PLACE:
“Super Maintenance Man”
by Greg Masceri

3rd PLACE (TIE):
“How the Wheel Was Invented”
by Adam Markajani
“Rates and Proportions”
by Eve Bobrow

All in all, we enjoyed spending the evening with our students and their families. We’re looking forward to hosting similar events in the future.

~~~

Sign up for Animation Workshops in August.

There are still a few slots open for the Summer Animation Camp! We have 1 Thursday slot and 2 Wednesday slots available.

WHEN: Choose Wednesdays or Thursdays in August, 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM each day.  See our Schedule for exact dates.

PRICE: $88.00 per week. Sign up for all four weeks and get a 20% discount, for a total of $284.

Visit our website for more info:
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/summer

~~~

Dunderbeck Surprise Premiere

Those who attended the Workshop Film Fest were treated to the unexpected premiere of the long term collaborative animation project, “Dunderbeck the Butcher.”

For the last several months, guilt-wracked workshop instructor Mike was haunted by dancing sausages in his dreams. “Why haven’t you edited the Dunderbeck film?” they called out. “Don’t the kids deserve a finished product? Also, the world is clamoring to hear you sing!” Certainly, these were very persistent sausages.

After many sleepless nights, Mike finally got his act together and edited music and sound effects to the kids’ animation. The film festival crowd seemed to love it, despite Mike’s off key singing.

You can now watch it online. But beware… you’ll be humming the Dunderbeck song all day!

Dare to watch at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

~~~

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,
Fred Armstrong
Animatus Studio

As part of the city’s 175th anniversary, a new laser light show will premiere this summer at High Falls.

Greg Winter of Wintek produced and designed the show, and Animatus contributed animation for the sports segments which pay tribute to Rochester athletes.

“Celebrate One City” includes a new recording by the Skycoasters. It features [...]]]>

As part of the city’s 175th anniversary, a new laser light show will premiere this summer at High Falls.

Greg Winter of Wintek produced and designed the show, and Animatus contributed animation for the sports segments which pay tribute to Rochester athletes.

“Celebrate One City” includes a new recording by the Skycoasters. It features the marks Rochester-area residents have made on the world, from opera singer Rene Fleming and The Chesterfield Kings to Olympic track star Jennifer Stuczynski, George Eastman and Susan B. Anthony. The stories are told by area broadcasters.

Starting July 9, the 20-minute show will be every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through Labor Day weekend. The best viewing is from the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge. For information, call (585) 428-5990.

We’re proud to announce that the Animatus-produced interactive cartoon “Help Mikey Make It Out” has been named a Grand Winner in the 2009 APEX Annual Awards for Publication Excellence.

Animator Mike Boas worked with illustrator Jennifer Glanton and writer Carolyn Kourofsky of Prevention 1st Foundation to create this educational web adventure. The piece was [...]]]>

We’re proud to announce that the Animatus-produced interactive cartoon “Help Mikey Make It Out” has been named a Grand Winner in the 2009 APEX Annual Awards for Publication Excellence.

Animator Mike Boas worked with illustrator Jennifer Glanton and writer Carolyn Kourofsky of Prevention 1st Foundation to create this educational web adventure. The piece was designed to teach young children about what to do in case of fire.

One challenge in animating the game was allowing for variables, such as whether Mikey’s bedroom door would be hot or if there is smoke in the hallway. Because of this, kids and parents can play multiple times for a different experience.

The feedback we’ve received since last fall has been rewarding, and it’s an honor to be associated with this award-winning project.

Visit this site with your family!
http://homefiredrill.org/HelpMikeyMakeItOut.htm

More about the Apex Awards:
http://www.apexawards.com/apexawards.htm

Come one, come all!

In celebration of Animatus Studio’s 20th anniversary, we’re throwing a party for all workshop students, past, present, and future.   We’ll be screening some of the best student cartoons from past years, including entries in our FIRST EVER ANIMATION COMPETITION.

Thursday, July 16, 2009 7pm-9pm At Animatus Studio, 34 Winthrop [...]]]>

Come one, come all!

In celebration of Animatus Studio’s 20th anniversary, we’re throwing a party for all workshop students, past, present, and future.   We’ll be screening some of the best student cartoons from past years, including entries in our FIRST EVER ANIMATION COMPETITION.

Thursday, July 16, 2009
7pm-9pm
At Animatus Studio, 34 Winthrop Street, Rochester NY

All attending students who entered something into competition (and  you know who you are) will receive a special gift.  Bring your friends and family!

What’s that?  You’ve never taken our workshops, but you’ve always wanted to see what we do?  You’re invited, too!

Maybe you’re part of the Animatus extended family — an intern we haven’t seen in years?  This is your chance to take a trip down memory lane!

If you’re planning on joining us, drop us a line so we know how many to expect!  (Your best guess will be helpful.)

FRED’S EMAIL: fred@animatusstudio.com

ANIMATION WORKSHOP RSVP HOTLINE: 585-232-3949

See Spyder Dude fight crime, a Dustbusters gag reel, the Bag of Cement saga, truck driving pencil tests, the conclusion of the Beast Wars adventure, and much much more!

Watch cartoons online or download to your iPod: http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

One of our own Animation Workshop students, Adam Markajani, has a cartoon short playing in the Young Filmmakers Competition this Sunday, as part of the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival.  “How the Wheel Was Invented” depicts the [...]]]>
Young Filmmakers Competition
Little Theatre – Little 5
Sunday, May 17, 2009 5:15 PM
Buy Tickets

One of our own Animation Workshop students, Adam Markajani, has a cartoon short playing in the Young Filmmakers Competition this Sunday, as part of the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival.  “How the Wheel Was Invented” depicts the unflappable Flappy Rabbit in prehistoric times, trying to (you guessed it) invent the wheel.  Adam produced the cartoon in our workshops, and we’re proud to see it play in this year’s festival!

It’s that time of year again, and Animatus is prepping for our involvement with the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival. We’ve been a sponsor since the festival’s beginning, and we’re happy to announce the events and films we’re involved with for 2009.

~~~

A Conversation with Pat Carroll

Animatus Studio and the [...]]]> Greetings!

It’s that time of year again, and Animatus is prepping for our involvement with the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival. We’ve been a sponsor since the festival’s beginning, and we’re happy to announce the events and films we’re involved with for 2009.

~~~

A Conversation with Pat Carroll

Animatus Studio and the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival are pleased to welcome Pat Carroll to this year’s program.

Thursday, May 14, 2009
5:30 PM
Memorial Art Gallery
Buy Tickets

Fred Armstrong of Animatus will conduct a conversation with Pat Carroll, actress of stage, television and the movies.

Carroll’s television work began as a regular on the sitcom Make Room for Daddy. She appeared on The Red Buttons Show, The Danny Kaye Show, The Red Skelton Show, and Caesar’s Hour, for which she won an Emmy in 1956. Carroll was also a favorite on game shows, including To Tell the Truth, Password, and I’ve Got a Secret.

Carrol later found an audience in animated roles. Her portrayal of Ursula the sea witch in The Little Mermaid is a favorite among Disney fans. Carroll portrayed Ursula in video games, theme park attractions, and The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. Her other voice work includes A Pup Named Scooby Doo, A Goofy Movie, Pound Puppies, and two Garfield TV specials. She also voiced Granny in the re-release of Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro.

As a member of The Actors Studio, Carroll continues to work in theater. Past roles include off-Broadway productions, Kennedy Center and national tours, and an acclaimed performance as Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor.

It is a pleasure to welcome this Emmy and Grammy winning actress to the festival.

~~~

High Falls Children’s Workshop Film

Children’s Shorts From Around the World
Little Theatre – Little1
Saturday, May 16, 2009 11:00 AM

Women Who Fought For Change

In the summer of 2008, the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival partnered with the City of Rochester’s Recreation Bureau to co-produce an Animation Workshop for Youth. Working with long-time collaborators Animatus Studio, nine teens were taught to create a short animated piece about three famous women who fought for change: Sojourner Truth, Joan Baez and Helen Keller.

~~~

Rochester Roots: Let’s Dig In

Children’s Shorts From Around the World
Little Theatre – Little1
Saturday, May 16, 2009 11:00 AM

Enjoy a playful romp through the community gardens of Rochester Roots as told and animated by students. An exciting look at one of Rochester’s finest educational programs for kids.

Dave Puls of Animatus edited this piece, with animation contributed by students of the Animation Workshop.

~~~

Plan ahead for summer! Sign up for Animation Workshops in August.

We’re now accepting registrations for the Summer Animation Camp at Animatus Studio. If you’re making your summer plans, keep us in mind so you don’t miss out!

WHEN: Choose Wednesdays or Thursdays in August, 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM each day. See our Schedule for exact dates.

PRICE: $88.00 per week. Sign up for all four weeks and get a 20% discount, for a total of $284.

Visit our website for more info: http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/summer

The Animation Workshop Student Film Festival will be coming in July! The deadline for submission is June 1st, so contact Animatus if you still plan to enter!

~~~

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,
Fred Armstrong
Animatus Studio

Friday night at 8PM is the Rochester Premiere of “THANKS TO THE WHISTLEBLOWERS,” the latest Fresh Toone from Dave Puls.

Friend of Animatus, [...]]]> Rochester Short Film Screenings
Join us this week for the Rochester Int’l Film Fest, presented by Movies on a Shoestring. There are four screenings of shorts at the Eastman House, April 23-25.

Friday night at 8PM is the Rochester Premiere of “THANKS TO THE WHISTLEBLOWERS,” the latest Fresh Toone from Dave Puls.

Friend of Animatus, Matt Ehlers, will present the insane comedy short, “LUNCH,” on Thursday evening at 8PM.

For a full list of shorts playing, visit
http://www.rochesterfilmfest.org/page4/page4.html

The 51st Rochester International Film Festival
A Short Film Festival
Thursday-Saturday, April 23-April 25, 2009

All showings at Dryden Theater
George Eastman House
900 East Avenue
Rochester, New York 14607

Free admission, donations accepted

**********

New Fresh Toones on the Big Screen
Friday April 24th at 8:00 PM

Thanks to the Whistleblowers

Dave Puls/Animatus Studio
The latest musical short from Puls is an expression of appreciation to a special group of people who risk so much to disclose what is hidden from us.

Free Admission!

For more about Fresh Toones, visit
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones
and
http://youtube.com/davesfreshtoones

**********

Plan ahead for summer!
Sign up for Animation Workshops in August.

We’re now accepting registrations for the Summer Animation Camp at Animatus Studio. If you’re making your summer plans, keep us in mind so you don’t miss out!

WHEN: Choose Wednesdays or Thursdays in August, 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM each day. See our Schedule for exact dates.

PRICE: $88.00 per week. Sign up for all four weeks and get a 20% discount, for a total of $284.

Visit our website for more info:
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/summer

**********

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,
Fred Armstrong
Animatus Studio

If you’d like to see the Winter 2009 videos from the comfort of your computer, they’re [...]]]> What a fun time we had at our Winter Workshops! If you ordered a DVD, you can pick it up at the studio weekdays between 10:00 and 5:00. (Note: we’re not here on Saturdays except when classes are running.)

If you’d like to see the Winter 2009 videos from the comfort of your computer, they’re posted online, sharper and cleaner than ever before! (Who needs Youtube, we’re going with Blip now!) You can see the wonders of stop-motion, hand-drawn, and computer-colored animation right here:

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/student-work

While you’re there, check out the rest of the Animation Workshop site. We’ve got a super-cool new design that makes you think of pencils, papers, and erasers. (Mostly because it includes pictures of pencils, papers, and erasers.) It’s even easier than ever to find the schedule and all our class details. And, as always, you can sign up online using your credit card or Paypal account.

The Animation Workshop Podcast? Unbelievable!

Animation Workshop students can now download their cartoons to play in iTunes or an iPod. Simply follow the subscribe link, which will take you to our podcast page in iTunes. It’s an amazing thing, and FREE.

Sign up for Spring Workshops

Morning and Afternoon slots are still available!

Saturdays
March 7, 14, 21, 28
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Register online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Or call (585) 232-3949

What’s going on for the Animatus 20th Anniversary?

We’re planning The Animation Workshop Film Festival and Open House for Thursday, July 16 from 7pm to 9pm. Workshop students have until the end of our April classes to submit their completed shorts. The first place winner will receive a copy of Animation-ish, a program from the ToonBoom company. There will be many other prizes and gifts for festival participants.

~~~

Emily Hubley in Person! The Toe Tactic Saturday, February 7th 2009, 8:00 pm

“A kind of free-associative, good-humored surrealism informs The Toe Tactic, a feature by [...]]]> Here’s some upcoming events for Rochester film fans! Renowned animator Emily Hubley will be coming to town for two screenings, and we’d love to see you there.

~~~

Emily Hubley in Person! The Toe Tactic
Saturday, February 7th 2009, 8:00 pm

“A kind of free-associative, good-humored surrealism informs The Toe Tactic, a feature by Emily Hubley that combines her squiggly, playful animation (most widely seen in Hedwig and the Angry Inch) with an oblique story about the serendipities of urban life” -A.O. Scott, The New York Times.

About the film: In her feature film debut, writer/director/animator Emily Hubley brings her distinctive hand-drawn style and an entire artistic community to this mischievous and melancholy cinematic meditation on themes of time, memory, loss and yearning.

Including performances by Lily Rabe, Kevin Corrigan, Daniel London, Hillary Hubley, Sakina Jaffrey, Sean J. Moran, Novella Nelson, Mary Kay Place, Jane Lynch and John Sayles with the voices of Eli Wallach, Don Byron, Marian Seldes, David Cross and Andrea Martin. Original score by Yo La Tengo. Animator and director Hubley will introduce her feature film debut and answer questions in a post-screening discussion. Co-presented by George Eastman House and the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival.

The Toe Tactic (Emily Hubley, US 2008, 84 min., Digital Projection)
Visit the website at www.thetoetactic.com

~~~

Emily Hubley in Person!
A Hubley Family Animation Celebration
Sunday, February 8th 2009, 2:00 pm

Pioneering animators John Hubley (1914-1977) and wife Faith Hubley (1924-2001) were known for their experimental styles and tendency to evoke genuine human emotions. The Hubleys frequently cast their own children as voice actors for their films. One of their daughters, Emily Hubley, became a celebrated animator and filmmaker herself.

This entertaining retrospective highlights several short works of animation by John, Faith, and Emily, including: THE TENDER GAME (1958); the Oscar®-winning MOONBIRD (1958); THE TOWER (1984); TALL TIME TALES (1992); HER GRANDMOTHER’S GIFT (1995); ONE SELF: FISH/GIRL (1997); PIGEON WITHIN (2000); BEYOND THE SHADOW PLACE (2000); SET SET SPIKE (2002); and OCTAVE (2006).

Emily Hubley will introduce the program and answer questions in a post-screening discussion. Co-presented by George Eastman House and the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival.

(Program running time approx. 90 min.)

~~~

Smoking Laws NYC Screenings

Know someone in New York City? We recommend checking out the hilarious Smoking Laws, featuring the one and only Fred Armstrong as the belligerent pan-handler.

Monday – 2/9/09 – 7:30pm
at The Gallery Players
BROOKLYN | 199 14th street
Between 4th & 5th Aves.

Wednesday – 2/11/09 – 8:00pm
at CSV Center
MANHATTAN | 107 Suffolk St.
Between Rivington & Delancey

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WITH RESERVATIONS
$5 Suggested donation | DVDs for sale
Reception with filmmakers and cast before and after

For more info & to see the trailer visit the official site: www.smokinglawsmovie.com To reserve your seat E-mail: info@eggwork.com

Smoking Laws (2008 | 83 min. | dir. Matthew Ehlers)
There’s a smoky new perimeter in the barfly subculture. Across the globe, more and more tobacco users are being forced outside of their favorite haunts. Smoking Laws takes you inside the curious conversations and confrontations that last the length of a cigarette. The film provides a voyeuristic look at the random strangers brought together by addiction. Smoldering in the haze of dirty secrets, dirty habits, beginnings, endings, even life-and-death, it’s smoking good fun. The first feature film from Eggwork Productions. Official Selection 2008 High Falls Film Festival.

~~~

Spring Animation Workshops

Our Winter workshops just finished up, so now’s the time to think about March!
Sign up today to experience the joys of animation.

Spring 2009
Saturdays
March 7, 14, 21, 28
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Call (585) 232-3949

Or register online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

~~~

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,
Fred Armstrong
Animatus Studio

Former Animatus Studio artist Brian Menz has hit the big time, working most recently on the Disney feature “Bolt.” Brian was our lead Derf animator on “The Quest for Happy Hour,” and for good reason. Even then, we could see his talent for character animation.

Read a recent article on Brian from [...]]]> Animatus Alumni Update

Former Animatus Studio artist Brian Menz has hit the big time, working most recently on the Disney feature “Bolt.” Brian was our lead Derf animator on “The Quest for Happy Hour,” and for good reason. Even then, we could see his talent for character animation.

Read a recent article on Brian from the Irondequoit Post here.

Not to be outdone, we also heard from Animatus alumnus Aharon Charnov, who is now a digital texture artist at the Henson Company, working on Sid The Science Kid. Before that he was briefly doing pre-vis The Pixel Liberation Front. He worked a bit on some sequences for Hulk, Speed Racer and T4.

Congrats to you both!

—

Winter Workshops make a great gift!

At a loss for what to give your aspiring animator this season? Give the gift of life! See their ideas come to fruition at The Animation Workshop.

Saturdays
January 10, 17, 24, 31
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Register online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Or call (585) 232-3949

What’s going on for the Animatus 20th Anniversary?

We’re planning The Animation Workshop Film Festival and Open House for Thursday, July 16 from 7pm to 9pm. Workshop students have until the end of our April classes to submit their completed shorts. The first place winner will receive a copy of Animation-ish, a program from the ToonBoom company. There will be many other prizes and gifts for festival participants.

—

An Award for Fresh Toones

Dave Puls’ latest short, “Thanks to the Whistleblowers” won 2nd Place in the music video category for the MY HERO SHORT FILM FESTIVAL in Laguna, California.

Congratulations, Dave!

To see the video online, CLICK HERE

For more about Fresh Toones, visit http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

—

123′s Gets a Grammy Nomination

They Might Be Giants’ “Here Come the 123s” is up for a GRAMMY as Best Children’s Album for 2008!

What does this have to do with Animatus? We had the pleasure of editing a music video for the song “The Number 2.” Director David Cowles and cinematographer Timothy Brown shot the live action puppets, and then David Puls edited the piece at Animatus.

Since then, the album has set the world on fire. Many of the videos can be seen by subscribing to the TMBG Friday Night Video Podcast, or you can see “The Number Two” right here:

Watch “The Number Two.”

Here is the text from the November 20 article in [...]]]> Former Animatus Studio artist Brian Menz has hit the big time, working most recently on the Disney feature “Bolt.”  Brian was our lead Derf animator on “The Quest for Happy Hour,” and for good reason.  Even then, we could see his talent for character animation.

Here is the text from the November 20 article in the Irondequoit Post.

At the Los Angeles premiere of “Bolt” earlier this month, local native Brian Menz had an up close and personal encounter with the lead character, a dog who plays a superhero but thinks he’s the real thing. “Bolt” in the film has the voice of actor John Travolta.

Bishop Kearney High School grad has a hand in new Disney film
By Linda Quinlan, staff writer
Irondequoit Post
Posted Nov 20, 2008 @ 08:29 AM

Irondequoit, N.Y. -
He’s already seen the film twice and expects that when he visits family in Rochester and Irondequoit, he’ll be seeing it again.

Brian Menz doesn’t seem to mind.

A lifelong dream came true six months ago when he got an e-mail from Walt Disney Animation Studios, asking him to be one of the animators on its upcoming movie, “Bolt,” which opens here and across the nation this Friday.

The normal production time for an animated movie is 18 months, Menz said, explaining that when the story was rewritten, directors were replaced and characters changed, the company decided to bring in more animators to keep it on schedule.

That’s where he came in.

He became one of 60 animators for the feature-length film and has been in Los Angeles the last six months, working at Disney’s studios.

“Disney was always my dream,” Menz said early this week by phone from Portland, Ore. “Just working in the building … there’s so much history; and, I got to meet and even have lunch with a lot of the guys I’ve idolized over the years.”

Brian’s mother – Elsie Menz, of the Culver-Empire area of Rochester, near Irondequoit – said her son has always been fascinated “with animation and the magic of making characters move.”

Brian recalls that when he and his twin brother, Carl, were in seventh grade, they used the family’s video camera to make their own “stick figure” animation.

While playing soccer, lacrosse and running track at Bishop Kearney High School, Menz also took two years of art classes and won awards at graduation for his work. He is a 1997 Kearney graduate.

He sought out a college where he could pursue animation arts and found it at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. There, he was mentored by Disney animator Mike Genz – who was hired to teach at Edinboro – and was awarded “Outstanding Graduating Senior in the Area of Cinema” in 2001.

During high school and two summers during his college years, Menz did internships at Rochester’s own Animatus Studio and worked on a couple of their animated productions, using traditional hand drawings to create the movement.

Next, he followed some Edinboro friends to the Dallas, Texas area and ventured into the area of computer-generated imaging.

His first big break came when he worked for DNA Productions, first on the “Jimmy Neutron Show” then the feature production “Ant Bully,” released in 2006.

That same year he moved to Portland, where he has spent time working with the animation studio Laika on the movie “Coraline,” which will be released in 2009. That film is a stop-motion production where the scene is manipulated for each frame.

Just back “home” from Los Angeles, Menz is now planning a move back east next week – to White Plains, Westchester County  – to work for a company called Blue Sky. He landed a staff position to work on the film “Ice Age 3.”

For “Bolt,” Menz said he worked mostly on shots of the lead character, a dog who plays a superhero in a TV show.

“But, he (Bolt) thinks he is a superhero and it’s all real,” Menz explained. “He eventually gets separated from his Hollywood set and has to find his way back to his owner.”

Along the way, Bolt – actor John Travolta provides the character’s voice – “captures” a cat to help him, Menz said with a laugh, and meets up with “a delusional hamster” who is Bolt’s biggest fan.

Menz predicted the project “will put Disney back on the map.”

“It just has that Disney warmth and a lot of heart,” Menz added. “The main gist of the story, I think, is that you don’t have to have superpowers to be a hero.”

The project was fun, “but it can get stressful, trying to get what the director wants,” Menz said. For instance, he explained, do you have Bolt pick up the cat by the scruff of his neck or pin it down with his paw?

It’s also not a quick process. Menz said he probably did no more than four or five seconds of film – each with 24 frames – a week.

“That’s why they had to bring in so many people,” he said with a laugh.

He attended the “Bolt” premiere Nov. 8 at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, sitting in the balcony with most of the other 525 people who worked on the film.

While he’d attended premieres for his previous films, “Disney throws a party,” Menz said, explaining that besides the premiere, clips of how the hamster (voice) was cast – for instance – were also included.

The two times he’s seen the film so far, “usually whoever is sitting next to me asks me to elbow them when the frames I’ve worked on come on,” Menz said.

He couldn’t be more thrilled to have been part of a Disney production.

“I always just liked Disney films,” Menz said. “There’s the magic of it … and you actually care about what happens to the characters, even though they’re just drawings.”

Story-wise, probably his favorite Disney film is “Finding Nemo,” Menz said, “but I also love the ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Lion King’ and ‘Aladdin’ era.”

His next dream is to write and direct his own animated film.

“But that’s probably a few projects off before I get there,” he said.

By the numbers

4 Or maybe 5 … the number of seconds of animated film Bishop Kearney grad Brian Menz completed each week while working on the new Disney film, “Bolt.”
21 The day this month – it’s Friday! – that “Bolt” has its nationwide release.
24 The number of frames in a second of the animated film.
30 The age of Brian Menz, who was an animator on “Bolt.”
60 The number of animators who worked on “Bolt.”

Bishop Kearney High School graduate Brian Menz was one of 60 animators who worked on “Bolt,” the new Disney film opening this weekend. The story includes Bolt, a dog, a cat and a hamster Menz describes as “delusional.”

Now Mike has consolidated many pages into a dynamic structure that utilizes the latest in blogification technology! What does that mean? [...]]]> Over the last ten years, Animatus webmaster Mike Boas has worked tirelessly (so he says) to keep our website up to date and useful for our clients, students, and the animation community in general.

Now Mike has consolidated many pages into a dynamic structure that utilizes the latest in blogification technology! What does that mean? I don’t know, it sounds made up…. but it looks cool!

The main pages of the site have a shiny new design. Now it’s easier to access the latest news, sign up for our newsletter, and search the site for specific content. (You may notice some sections of the site retain their old look, but they may change in the future.)

So take a moment and browse the site. And if you see any typos or glaring problems, let us know! Since it’s “dynamic,” it should be easy for Mike to fix, right?

http://animatusstudio.com

We worked with illustrator Jennifer Glanton, who had designed the characters for the book, [...]]]> Animatus Cartoon Teaches Fire Safety

We at Animatus are particularly proud of our recent collaboration with HomeFireDrill.org. “Help Mikey Make It Out” is an interactive cartoon designed to teach young children about what to do when the smoke alarm goes off.

We worked with illustrator Jennifer Glanton, who had designed the characters for the book, “Mikey Makes a Mess.” Our animator, Mike Boas, took the designs and new backgrounds into Flash to color and animate. The result is a unique choose-your-own-adventure style experience.

Visit this site with your family!

http://homefiredrill.org/HelpMikeyMakeItOut.htm

November Animation Workshops

SIGN UP FOR FALL ANIMATION WORKSHOPS

November is quickly approaching and we have limited spaces available! There’s just a few spots left in either morning or afternoon sessions, so sign up today.

Fall 2008
Saturdays
November 1, 8, 15, 22
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Call (585) 232-3949

Or register online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Coming in 2009:
The Animation Workshop Film Festival

Animatus will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2009, and we want to showcase the work of our Animation Workshop students! Now’s the time to work on your own independent cartoon to be included in the Animation Workshop Film Festival.

Each student will be eligible to win prizes, and entry is free for all Animation Workshop students. Selected animators will see their work included on an Animation Workshop DVD compilation, which they will also receive for free.

Come to the November workshops to get started on your entry. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months!

This Monday’s screening features work by Animatus creative director Dave Puls, plus a documentary short by Animation Workshop student Adrian Esposito.

TORN ASUNDER Directed by Bob Barancik , Animation by Dave Puls [...]]]> Emerging Filmmakers at the LittleCome out to the Little Theatre Monday night, September 29, for the latest installment of the Emerging Filmmakers series!

This Monday’s screening features work by Animatus creative director Dave Puls, plus a documentary short by Animation Workshop student Adrian Esposito.

TORN ASUNDER
Directed by Bob Barancik , Animation by Dave Puls
This experimental video creatively explores the increasingly frayed American national
psyche.

AGING TREES OF KNOWLEDGE: RESISTANCE FIGHTER
One part in a 5-chapter series documenting the lives of World War II-era survivors. This chapter focuses on the Japanese invasion of China, also known as the “Forgotten Holocaust,” and the heroism of people like Dr. I-Cheng Chang.

The Little has been nice enough to provide some tickets to our friends and family! So be one of the first ten people to mention Dave’s name (or Adrian’s) and get in free.

EMERGING FILMMAKERS
The Little Theatre
240 East Avenue, Rochester
Monday, September 29, 2008
9:15 PM

~~~

November Animation Workshops
SIGN UP FOR FALL ANIMATION WORKSHOPS

Our next session begins Saturday, November 1st.
How can you resist four weeks of funny cartoons and frivolity?

Fall 2008

Saturdays

November 1, 8, 15, 22

$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Secure your spot today!

Register online at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops
Or call (585) 232-3949

~~~~

Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,
Fred Armstrong
Animatus Studio

To view the animation in glorious internet video, visit http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html Look for the purple box and hit the play button!

For those who ordered DVDs, they [...]]]> The Summer Workshop cartoons are now online! We’ve got galloping horses,
frightening spiders, dancing devils, and a tribute to Kindom Hearts. Not to
mention a sandwich who juggles chainsaws!

To view the animation in glorious internet video, visit
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html
Look for the purple box and hit the play button!

For those who ordered DVDs, they can be picked up at Animatus
beginning Monday, September 15. We’re open Monday – Friday, 10:00 -
5:30.

* * *

SIGN UP FOR FALL ANIMATION WORKSHOPS

Our next session begina Saturday, November 1st.
How can you resist four weeks of funny cartoons and frivolity?

Fall 2008
Saturdays
November 1, 8, 15, 22
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be
showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an
additional $10.

Secure your spot today!

Register online at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops
Or call (585) 232-3949

Monday, September 8, 2008, 7:30 PM

SMOKING LAWS

The comedy feature Film from Rochester director MATTHEW EHLERS, with a performance by FRED ARMSTRONG as “HOMELESS FREDDY.” See the trailer at smokinglawsmovie.com

Also playing: Animation from Animatus Studio! Including the WORLD [...]]]> Join Eggwork Productions & Animatus Studio for the Outdoor Screening of Smoking Laws!

Monday, September 8, 2008, 7:30 PM

SMOKING LAWS

The comedy feature Film from Rochester director MATTHEW EHLERS, with a performance by FRED ARMSTRONG as “HOMELESS FREDDY.” See the trailer at smokinglawsmovie.com

Also playing: Animation from Animatus Studio! Including the WORLD PREMIERE of “Sirens,” also “Clicker Clatter” and “The Other Gods.”

Abilene Bar & Lounge
153 Liberty Pole Way
(Across from the Harro East)

$5.00 in advance
$7.00 at the door

Print out the Flyer! It has pretty pictures!

(Note: Feature and shorts contain some content not suitable for children.)

Time is running out to sign up for our August workshops!

Fish for New Ideas!Hike The Hills of Animation!Challenge the Wild Waters of Creativity!Experience Glorious Air Conditioning!

Are you interested in drawing? Do you want to see your characters come to life? Have you ever wondered what goes into [...]]]> LAST CHANCE FOR SUMMER ANIMATION CAMP

Time is running out to sign up for our August workshops!

Fish for New Ideas!
Hike The Hills of Animation!
Challenge the Wild Waters of Creativity!
Experience Glorious Air Conditioning!

Are you interested in drawing? Do you want to see your characters come to life? Have you ever wondered what goes into shooting an animated movie? You just might be right for our Animation Workshops.

This is also a great opportunity for our more experienced Studio Production students. Longer days means more time to devote to your epic cartoons!

Choose either Wednesdays or Thursdays in August, lasting from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM each day.

Summer Animation Workshops
$88 per day
(20% discount for all four)

Wednesdays
August 6, 13, 20, 27
OR
Thursdays
August 7, 14, 21, 28

Space is limited! What are you waiting for?

Register online at http://www.animatusstudio.com/workshops

***

ROCHESTER HIGH FALLS INT’L FILM FEST WRAP-UP

Animatus Studio and the RHFIFF were pleased to welcome animation guest Linda Simensky for a seminar about children’s television programming. Linda was a delight to have at the festival, and offered a fascinating look into the workings of innovative entertainment.

Animatus was also pleased to sponsor the screening of Sita Sings the Blues, which was received extremely well. Director Nina Paley unfortunately had the flu and was not able to attend, but we had a great Q & A with musician Todd Michaelsen and voice talent Reena Shah.

Dave Puls, Linda Simensky, Fred Armstrong, & Mike Boas

For more pics from the fest, visit http://rochestersmoviefest.com

***

HIGH FALLS WORKSHOP VIDS NOW ONLINE

For the last several years, Animatus has worked with the High Falls Film Festival to produce inspirational cartoons with Rochester students.

Now you can watch them all online at: http://www.animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html#highfalls

***

FRESH VENUES FOR FRESH TOONES

Dave Puls’ Hate Preachers has two more festival screenings this fall. This animated short takes a look at hate preachers’ destructive rhetoric and encourages all of us to speak out to offset their fabrications.

Fresno Reel Pride, Sept 17-21
http://www.reelpride.com

Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Oct 2-12.
http://www.pridefilmfest.com

In other Fresh Toones news, Hate Preachers and Things were recently featured on Tennessee Reid Norton’s Confessions of an Animated Mind Blog. Check it out here:
http://www.ananimatedmind.blogspot.com

More about Fresh Toones here:
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

Reporter Jane Flasch spoke with Adrian as part of a series of stories on Autism. Adrian is open about discussing his Asperger Syndrome and how it affects his filmmaking interests. As his instructors at the Animation Workshop for the last several [...]]]> One of our students, Adrian Esposito, was recently featured on Rochester’s Channel 13 News.

Reporter Jane Flasch spoke with Adrian as part of a series of stories on Autism. Adrian is open about discussing his Asperger Syndrome and how it affects his filmmaking interests. As his instructors at the Animation Workshop for the last several years, it’s rewarding to see how Adrian has grown.

Watch the video and you’ll see the last document of Mike’s wild hairstyle before his summer cut!

See some of Adrian’s work on Youtube HERE

We’ve got happy barnyard animals, disco dancing, and undersea fun. Not to mention a baby who refuses to eat, some extreme animation acting, and the continuing adventures of Aaron’s dragons and David’s Dustbusters.

For those who ordered DVDs, they can be picked up at Animatus [...]]]> The Spring II Workshop cartoons are now online!

We’ve got happy barnyard animals, disco dancing, and undersea fun. Not to mention a baby who refuses to eat, some extreme animation acting, and the continuing adventures of Aaron’s dragons and David’s Dustbusters.

For those who ordered DVDs, they can be picked up at Animatus beginning Wednesday, May 14th. We’re open Monday – Friday, 10:00 – 5:30.

Animatus is proud to announce our involvement in this year’s festival. Come out and meet the filmmakers! Pass this email on to someone you know and love!

Print out the Animatus mini-poster here:http://animatusstudio.com/highfalls/images/animatus-rhfiff-poster.pdf

Click here for ticket information:http://animatusstudio.com/highfalls/ticketinfo.html

–

SITA SINGS THE BLUESAn animated version of [...]]]> ROCHESTER HIGH FALLS INT’L FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Animatus is proud to announce our involvement in this year’s festival. Come out and meet the filmmakers! Pass this email on to someone you know and love!

Print out the Animatus mini-poster here:
http://animatusstudio.com/highfalls/images/animatus-rhfiff-poster.pdf

Click here for ticket information:
http://animatusstudio.com/highfalls/ticketinfo.html

–

SITA SINGS THE BLUES
An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920′s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. This feature film was directed, written, produced, designed AND animated (whew!) entirely by Nina Paley.

Opening Night! Wednesday April 30th – 6:55 PM at The Little 5

–

SOLDIERS OF SISYPHUS (East Coast Premiere)
Director/Producer: Bob Barancik; Animator: David Puls
A meditative look at the futility of war. This short film animated by Animatus’ own Dave Puls will play as part of the second Movies On a Shoestring block.

Thursday May 1st – 8:30 PM at The Little 5

–

FREDERICK DOUGLASS AND THE WOMEN WHO FOSTERED AN AMERICAN HERO

Change in Schedule!

We’re happy to announce that “Frederick Douglass” will be showing ahead of PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND (starring Bill Pullman) instead of with the children’s shorts program as originally planned. This is sure to be a great event, with Bill Pullman in attendance. Get your tickets ASAP!

“Frederick Douglass” is a biographical animated short, produced at Animatus’ Animation Workshop by Rochester teens from Community Place.

Friday May 2nd – 7:15 PM at the Dryden Theatre

–

LINDA SIMENSKY: PRODUCING TOONS AND INNOVATIONS IN KIDS’ TV
Our animation guest this year is LINDA SIMENSKY, Senior Director of Children’s Programming for PBS. In her work at Cartoon Network, Simensky was instrumental in bringing many beloved shows to air, including The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. She is now involved with numerous PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs such as Curious George, Super Why, Martha Speaks, Sid the Science Kid, FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, and WordGirl. Simensky will join us for a seminar about animation and what it takes to produce quality children’s programming, with clips from some new shows in production.

Saturday May 3rd – 1:00 PM at The Little 3

–

SMOKING LAWS
with preceding animated short KEEP ON WALKIN’
Smoking Laws explores a night in the life of a smoke-free bar during the coldest night of year. It offers a voyeuristic look at the random strangers brought together by addiction. It’s smoking good fun! Directed by friend of Animatus, Matthew Ehlers, with a role by Fred Armstrong as a cantankerous panhandler (what a stretch). Adult Themes.

Keep on Walkin’ is a music video produced by Phil Geiger of rock group SpiritEast, design, animation and production by Animatus Studio.

Sunday May 4th – 7:00PM at The Little 1

SPRING ANIMATION WORKSHOP VIDEO NOW ONLINE

We’ve got morphing, stop motion, scary spiders, and Neanderthal rabbits!

Access the snazzy Youtube videos below:

SPRING 2008 WORKSHOPS PART 1[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJtHKtmfuLc&hl=en]

For those who ordered DVDs, they can be picked up at Animatus beginning Friday, April 4. We’re open weekdays 10:00 – [...]]]> Greetings! Here’s the latest news from animatusstudio.com

SPRING ANIMATION WORKSHOP VIDEO NOW ONLINE

We’ve got morphing, stop motion, scary spiders, and Neanderthal rabbits!

Access the snazzy Youtube videos below:

SPRING 2008 WORKSHOPS PART 1
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJtHKtmfuLc&hl=en]

For those who ordered DVDs, they can be picked up at Animatus beginning Friday, April 4. We’re open weekdays 10:00 – 5:30, and Saturdays (during April workshops) 9:00 – 4:00.

***

LAST CHANCE FOR SPRING II ANIMATION WORKSHOPS

Our next session begins this Saturday, April 5th.
How can you resist four weeks of funny cartoons and frivolity?

Spring II 2008
Saturdays
April 5, 12, 19, 26
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation
will be showcased on the Animatus website. DVDs are available
for an additional $10.

Secure your spot today!

Call (585) 232-3949 to check availability of morning or afternoon slots.

***

ROCHESTER HIGH FALLS INT’L FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Animatus is proud to announce our involvement in several aspects of this year’s fest.

LINDA SIMENSKY: PRODUCING TOONS AND INNOVATIONS IN KIDS’ TV

Our animation guest this year is LINDA SIMENSKY, Senior Director of Children’s Programming for PBS. In her work at Cartoon Network, Simensky was instrumental in bringing many beloved shows to air, including The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Courage the Cowardly Dog. She is now involved with numerous PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs such as Curious George, Super Why, Martha Speaks, Sid the Science Kid, FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, WordGirl and The Electric Company. Simensky will join us for a seminar about animation and what it takes to produce quality children’s programming, with clips from some new shows in production.

–

SITA SINGS THE BLUES

Director Nina Paley will present her animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920′s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw. This feature film was directed, written, produced, designed AND animated (whew!) entirely by Paley.

–

SOLDIERS OF SISYPHUS (East Coast Premiere)
Director/Producer: Bob Barancik; Animator: David Puls

A meditative look at the futility of war. This short film animated by Animatus’ own Dave Puls will play as part of the second Movies On a Shoestring block.

–

SMOKING LAWS
with preceding animated short KEEP ON WALKIN’

Smoking Laws explores a night in the life of a smoke-free bar during the coldest night of year. It offers a voyeuristic look at the random strangers brought together by addiction. It’s smoking good fun! Directed by friend of Animatus, Matthew Ehlers, with an appearance by Fred Armstrong as a cantankerous panhandler. (Adult themes.)

Keep on Walkin’ is a music video produced by Phil Geiger of rock group SpiritEast, animated by Animatus Studio.

–

CHILDREN’S SHORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

This year, The Animation Workshop worked with Rochester teens from Community Place to produce FREDERICK DOUGLASS AND THE WOMEN WHO FOSTERED AN AMERICAN HERO. The short will play as part of the children’s shorts program.

For those who ordered DVDs, they can be picked up at Animatus beginning Friday, February 15. We’re open [...]]]> The Winter Workshop cartoons are now online! We’ve got an alligator chase, strange street fights, Mighty Morphers, and a tribute to Yu-Gi-Oh. Not to mention some Dustbusters action, plus the startling conclusion to “Bill’s Job Search.”

For those who ordered DVDs, they can be picked up at Animatus beginning Friday, February 15. We’re open Monday – Friday, 10:00 – 5:30.

—

SIGN UP FOR SPRING ANIMATION WORKSHOPS

Our next session is just weeks away, beginning Saturday, March 1st.
How can you resist four weeks of funny cartoons and frivolity?

Spring 2008
Saturdays
March 1, 8, 15, 22
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation
will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available
for an additional $10.

Secure your spot today!

Register online at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Or call (585) 232-3949

—

Note: Returning students who were eligible for the holiday gift of a 10% discount have until February 22nd, 2008 to register for the Spring I workshops.This will be your last opportunity to use this discount.

***

ROCHESTER SCREENING of “GEORGIE”

Dave Puls’ presidential sing-a-long “When Georgie Goes Marching Home” will screen TONIGHT as part of the Emerging Filmmakers series at the Little Theatre.

Close, personal friends of Dave get in free! That’s right, tell them you’re on “Dave’s [...]]]> Greetings! Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio and The Animation Workshop.

***

ROCHESTER SCREENING of “GEORGIE”

Dave Puls’ presidential sing-a-long “When Georgie Goes Marching Home” will screen TONIGHT as part of the Emerging Filmmakers series at the Little Theatre.

Close, personal friends of Dave get in free! That’s right, tell them you’re on “Dave’s list” and the first ten people will get complimentary passes to the show.

“When Georgie Goes Marching Home” takes the viewer on a surreal tour of the Bush administration and its many misadventures. Like a ride through a fun house, we are taken into the bizarro world of GW. A surprise ending makes this sometimes uneasy jaunt worth the ride.

EMERGING FILMMAKERS SERIES AT THE LITTLE THEATRE
240 East Avenue Rochester, NY
Monday, January 28, 2008, 9:15pm

Disclaimer: This screening of shorts will include scenes of nudity and violence.

***

SIGN UP FOR SPRING ANIMATION WORKSHOPS

Our next session is just a month away, beginning Saturday, March 1st. How can you resist four weeks of funny cartoons and frivolity?

Spring 2008
Saturdays
March 1, 8, 15, 22
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Secure your spot today!

Register online at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Or call (585) 232-3949

The idea behind “Rochester’s Movie Fest” is to provide a mini-site where visitors can buy tickets in advance online. There’s also a snappy promotional video to show how [...]]]> We here at Animatus have been slaving away on a new website for the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival. You can see the results at http://www.rochestersmoviefest.com

The idea behind “Rochester’s Movie Fest” is to provide a mini-site where visitors can buy tickets in advance online. There’s also a snappy promotional video to show how great the fest has been in past years.

The Rochester High Falls International Film Festival will run April 30 – May 5, 2008. It is the first year for the merged festival, which was formerly the High Falls Film Festival and the Rochester International Film Festival.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Animatus Studio!

As a special expression of our appreciation we would like to give all of our previous students a 10% discount ($16) to use towards the January workshops. (Returning students who have already paid for the January session can apply the 10% discount towards [...]]]> ANIMATION WORKSHOP SAVINGS

Happy Holidays from all of us at Animatus Studio!

As a special expression of our appreciation we would like to give all of our previous students a 10% discount ($16) to use towards the January workshops. (Returning students who have already paid for the January session can apply the 10% discount towards the March workshops.)

Thanks again to all of our students who have helped to make The Animation Workshop a fun place to learn.

Winter 2008
Saturdays
January 5, 12, 19, 26
With the discount: $143 (regularly $159)

What a great way to start the new year! Experience the joys of animation in a professional animation studio. Gift certificates are available — makes a great holiday gift!

Because we don’t want to rewrite the code for the entire website, this offer is only available through check and cash sign-ups.

Print out a registration form today at http://www.animatusstudio.com/workshops/register.html

Confused? Call 585-232-3949

***

CARTOONS FOR THE POLITICALLY FRUSTRATED

Come out to see cartoons and artwork from Dave Puls this Friday! Dave will share his creative process at the ANTI-WAR CRISIS CENTER on Monroe Avenue. While you’re there, pick up his latest Fresh Toones compilation, I’M THE DECIDER.

SHOW INFO:
Friday, December 14th 5pm-9pm.
Anti-War Crisis Center
658 Monroe Avenue
(near Oxford Street)

what’s on the I’M THE DECIDER collection? The latest political Fresh Toones, including “When Georgie Goes Marching Home,” “Sharks in the Water,” “Hate Preachers,” “Parallel Worlds,” and “True Believers.” Plus, a bonus collaboration with artist Bob Barancik entitled “Soldiers of Sisyphus.”

Read more about Fresh Toones at
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

***

A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW

If you’ve been watching Oprah, Good Morning America, and R-News lately, you may have seen the ads for Rochester boutique, “A Different Point of View.” This store on Monroe Avenue is unlike any other, so we at Animatus created the “shopping fairy” to help demonstrate that fact.

Watch the animated commercial online at http://animatusstudio.com/cartoons/adpov.html

***

NEW ANIMATUS VIDEOS ONLINE

Visitors to the Animatus website can now see a fine selection of cartoons and samples in our new video player!

Go to http://www.animatusstudio.com/cartoons to see our recent work, including the Jack Garner Roast and the ad for A Different Point of View.

***

A MESSAGE FROM SANTA’S WORKSHOP

Animatus Studio recently produced “intro” and “outro” animation for a series of online video messages from the North Pole.

That’s right, the people at Yoorit.com can arrange for Santa himself to record personal holiday greetings for your son or daughter.

Visit http://www.yoorit.com to find out more and see a sample video.

***

D’OH! HOMER COMES HOME DECEMBER 18

If you missed THE SIMPSONS MOVIE in the theater, don’t fret — it’s coming to DVD and Blu-Ray! That’s right, you can get the Simpsons’ big screen adventure for your small screen this coming Tuesday the 18th.

We at Animatus are perfectly happy to sell out and promote this movie for a few crumbs of promotional material from Fox. It’s just that good!

The Simpsons Movie finds the fate of Springfield — the suburban setting that has been home to “The Simpsons” clan for more than 18 years — hanging in the balance when Homer and his new pet pig inadvertently cause a major ecological disaster in their hometown. Forced to flee, it is up to the paunchy patriarch to save his family, the Springfield community and possibly… the world.

The Simpsons Movie DVD is loaded with bonus features including commentaries with “Simpsons” writers/producers, actors and directors, numerous deleted scenes and promotional spots including The Simpsons Judge American Idol and Homer’s Monologue On The Tonight Show. The Simpsons Movie single disc DVD will be available at a suggested retail price of $29.98 U.S.

***

ANIMATUS GOES ON HOLIDAY

Please note that we at Animatus will be out of the office between December 22nd and January 1st. We’ll be back to the grindstone January 2nd.

***

THE JACK GARNER ROAST

This last Saturday night, we at Animatus attended the roast of Gannett film critic Jack Garner, put on by the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival. To help celebrate Jack’s retirement, we put together a cartoon short entitled “Dr. Jackyl and [...]]]> Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s a run-down of recent Animatus news.

***

THE JACK GARNER ROAST

This last Saturday night, we at Animatus attended the roast of Gannett film critic Jack Garner, put on by the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival. To help celebrate Jack’s retirement, we put together a cartoon short entitled “Dr. Jackyl and Mr. Hyde.” Happy retirement, Jack!

Watch the video here:
http://animatusstudio.com/cartoons/jack.html

***

HOLIDAY DVD DUPLICATION

Time is running out to transfer your home movies for this holiday season! Do you have 8mm, Super 8, or 16mm films you’d like to see transfered to DVD? Or perhaps some VHS tapes you can’t watch now that you’ve thrown away your VCR? Let Animatus put those precious memories to DVD.

DEADLINE FOR FILM TRANSFERS: December 3, 2007

DEADLINE FOR TAPE TRANSFERS: December 17, 2007

See pricing info at http://animatusstudio.com/videoproduction/transfer.html

***

ANIMATION WORKSHOPS JANUARY 2008

What a great way to start the new year! Experience the joys of animation in a professional animation studio.

If you or someone you love has a burning desire to make drawings come to life, sign up today at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Gift certificates are available — makes a great holiday gift!

Winter 2008
Saturdays
January 5, 12, 19, 26
$159

***

FUTURAMA RETURNS!

Why is this coming Tuesday, November 27th, so special? An all new Futurama movie is coming to DVD!

Last week, our close personal friend Matt Groening called and BEGGED us to help spread the word about BENDER’S BIG SCORE. Fortunately, we knew that readers of the Animatus Newsletter would appreciate learning more about the continuing adventures of Fry, Leela, Professor Farnsworth, and Bender.

And now, the gripping synopsis…

Fox Home Entertainment presents the first new “Futurama” programming since 2003. Futurama: Bender’s Big Score features out-of-this-world hilarity on DVD November 27 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

As Xmas 3007 approaches, the “Futurama” crew must fight to save Earth in an epic battle against nudist alien Internet scammers. When the evil naked aliens launch a cyber-attack on Planet Express, they make a shocking discovery: the secret of time travel, mysteriously tattooed on Fry’s buttocks. Using their devious nudist software to control Bender, they repeatedly send the beer-fueled robot back in time to loot Earth of its greatest treasures. Bender’s rampage through history has shocking repercussions when he encounters
Al Gore (guest-starring as himself) during the 2000 Presidential recount. Meanwhile, Leela finds true love, a beloved crew member suffers an embarrassing decapitation, and Fry learns deep secrets about his destiny and his buttocks.

This is the first of three Futurama DVDs to be released in the next year. More info coming soon!

***

SOME RECENT ANIMATUS JOBS

Here are two clients whose projects deserve mention.

Rochester’s SISTERS OF MERCY convent is the subject of a new video short, which pays tribute to 150 years of service to the community. The 26 minute video, edited at Animatus, contains historical photos, archival films, and new interviews.

WINGMAN LURES is a company with a revolutionary new fishing lure. The challenge put to Animatus was to demonstrate that lure’s movement in Flash animation. Check out http://wingmanlures.com to see the results!

Want more? Click through the Flash playlist at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

For those who ordered DVD’s, they’re available for pick-up weekdays starting Tuesday, November 13th. Stop by between 10:00 AM and 5:30 PM.

The Fall Animation Workshops begin Saturday, October 6. How can you resist four weeks of funny cartoons and frivolity?

FALL 2007SaturdaysOctober 6, 13, 20, 27$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional [...]]]> SIGN UP NOW FOR OCTOBER WORKSHOPS

The Fall Animation Workshops begin Saturday, October 6. How can you resist four weeks of funny cartoons and frivolity?

FALL 2007
Saturdays
October 6, 13, 20, 27
$159

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10.

Secure your spot today!

Visit http://animatusstudio.com/workshops to register online or call (585) 232-3949.

***

FREDERICK DOUGLASS STUDENT CARTOON SCREENING

We’re proud to announce that a recent Animation Workshop short film, “Frederick Douglass and the Women Who Fostered an American Hero,” will be screening at this weekend’s Underground Railroad Conference.

Rochester’s Riverside Convention Center is hosting the Frederick Douglass International Underground Railroad Conference and Freedom Festival, and the animated short will play Friday the 28th at 3 PM.

The short film was produced by Rochester teens through The Animation Workshop, in conjunction with the High Falls Film Festival and The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc.

***

A MESSAGE FROM SANTA’S WORKSHOP

Animatus Studio recently produced “intro” and “outro” animation for a series of online video messages from the North Pole.

That’s right, the people at Yoorit.com can arrange for Santa himself to record personal holiday greetings for your son or daughter.

Visit http://www.yoorit.com to find out more and see a sample video.

***

FRESH TOONES NOW ON YOUTUBE

Dave Puls has joined the YouTube revolution and uploaded his personal films to everyone’s favorite website.

See everything from Sal Monella’s Deli to the most recent animated adventures of George W. Bush! Remember, high quality versions of most of these cartoons are available on the IT CAME FROM ANIMATUS DVD.

Visit http://youtube.com/davesfreshtoones

***

ANIMATION SCREENINGS

We’ve got several Animatus related cartoons screening at film festivals around the country. Here’s a look at what’s coming up:

“Clicker Clatter”
Directed by Benjamin Radford
Animation by Animatus Studio
California International Animation Festival
Riverbank , CA
October 2, 2007
NOMINATED FOR BEST 2D ANIMATION!
http://www.calanifest.com

“Clicker Clatter”
Directed by Benjamin Radford
Animation by Animatus Studio
B-Movie Film Festival
Syracuse, NY
October 27, 2007
NOMINATED FOR BEST SHORT!
http://www.bmoviefest.com/home

“When Georgie Goes Marchin’ Home”
Directed by Dave Puls
Tacoma Film Festival
October 4-11, 2007
http://www.tacomafilmfestival.com

“When Georgie Goes Marchin’ Home”
Directed by Dave Puls
Urban Mediamakers Film Festival (UMFF)
Atlanta, Georgia
Saturday, October 13, 2007
http://www.umff.com

“H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods”
Produced by Michael Boas
Eerie Horror Film Festival
Erie, Pennsylvania
October 11th, 2007
http://www.eeriehorrorfilmfestival.com

Also, a short introductory video by Mike Boas will be playing at this year’s HPLFF screenings, October 5-7, 2007. See it online at http://youtube.com/watch?v=zG_R-qfGG4U

The AWN Media Center is a new, comprehensive online video portal devoted exclusively to animation and showcasing the work of independent filmmakers from all over the world . When “The Other Gods” was submitted, the [...]]]> From Animatus artist Mike Boas, “H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods” is now featured on Animation World Network’s “That’s Demented” channel.

The AWN Media Center is a new, comprehensive online video portal devoted exclusively to animation and showcasing the work of independent filmmakers from all over the world . When “The Other Gods” was submitted, the powers that be decided it would be a good match for the “That’s Demented” channel. Who are we to argue?

To see a selection of “freaky, fun, and frightening flicks,” visit http://media.awn.com/popup/thats-demented

But wait, there’s more! The Rochester Insider just did a profile of Mike for the August 31 issue. No, his head isn’t that big in real life.

Click here read the whole article.

Just in time for Labor Day, the Summer Animation Workshop videos are now online. Sit back, relax, and watch cartoons on your day off!

There was so much content this time, that we’ve broken it up into four parts. Part 1 is mostly our basic and intermediate students. Parts 2 and 3 [...]]]> Greetings from Animatus!

Just in time for Labor Day, the Summer Animation Workshop videos are now online. Sit back, relax, and watch cartoons on your day off!

There was so much content this time, that we’ve broken it up into four parts. Part 1 is mostly our basic and intermediate students. Parts 2 and 3 contain studio production projects. The last part is a stand-alone episode of “Super Maintenance Man” by Greg Masceri.

Click through the Flash playlist at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

For those who ordered DVD’s, they’re available for pick-up starting Tuesday, September 4th. We’re open from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

August workshops begin next week! Both Wednesday and Thursday sessions still have a few slots open, so now’s the time to act. Payment secures your spot in this unique workshop.

NOW AIR-CONDITIONED!

WHEN: Choose either Wednesdays or Thursdays in August, lasting from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM each day. [...]]]> SIGN UP NOW FOR SUMMER WORKSHOPS

August workshops begin next week! Both Wednesday and Thursday sessions still have a few slots open, so now’s the time to act. Payment secures your spot in this unique workshop.

NOW AIR-CONDITIONED!

WHEN: Choose either Wednesdays or Thursdays in August, lasting from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM each day. See our Schedule for exact dates: http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

PRICE: $88.00 per single session. Sign up for all four weeks and get a 20% discount, for a total of $284.

We try to accommodate vacation schedules by pricing each week individually. These classes go all day, with a break for lunch.

All supplies and equipment usage included. Each student’s animation will be showcased on the Animatus website. Tapes or DVDs are available for an additional $10. Summer students should be sure to pack a lunch.

Sign up online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

***

SPECIAL EVENT: DAVE’S GARAGE SALE

Dave Puls is cleaning out the house! He has hundreds of BOOKS, COMPUTER GAMES, VIDEOS, LP’S, FURNITURE, and more.

Dates: July 28 – 29
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM
Address: 271 Westfield Street (between Brooks and Chili) Rochester, NY

***

ANIMATUS IN NEON

We have a bright new sign for our newly painted orange building on Winthrop Street. Now no one will say “Where are you located again?” Visitors will be able to find us, day or night!

See some pics at http://animatusstudio.com/news

Many thanks to Brent Gillette of Bristol Signs and Neon, Naples, New York.

More snaps of the Animatus sign, courtesy of Brent Gillette of Bristol Signs and Neon, Naples, New York

Animatus Studio will soon have a fancy neon sign! Here’s the first two letters, anyway. Photo courtesy of Brent Gillette of Bristol Signs and Neon, Naples, New York.

EMERGING FILMMAKERS MONDAY NIGHT!

Got no plans for Memorial Day evening? Come out to the Little Theatre for the latest installment of the Emerging Filmmakers Series.

This month’s show includes a Fresh Toone from Animatus creative director Dave Puls called “Hate Preachers.” This musical short [...]]]> Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio, online at http://animatusstudio.com/news

EMERGING FILMMAKERS MONDAY NIGHT!

Got no plans for Memorial Day evening? Come out to the Little Theatre for the latest installment of the Emerging Filmmakers Series.

This month’s show includes a Fresh Toone from Animatus creative director Dave Puls called “Hate Preachers.” This musical short takes a look at the destructive rhetoric of hate preachers.

Little Theatre
240 East Avenue Rochester
9:15 PM
Monday, May 28

For more about Emerging Filmmmakers, visit
http://www.little-theatre.com/emergingFilmmakers.php

More about Fresh Toones at
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

***

FESTIVAL NEWS ROUND-UP

What else is new with Dave’s Fresh Toones? His short, “When Georgie Goes Marching Home” was recently shown at SURGE: the International, Social Uprising, Resistance and Grassroots Encouragement Film Festival. Visit their website at http://www.WeSurge.org

“Georgie” was also featured at the Rochester International Film Festival. Dave received a trophy for his efforts and introduced the theater crowd to his mother, who played a role in the film. She was a great sport, considering her animated likeness is tied up by President Bush and forced to eat dog food! We think she’s forgiven Dave by now…

Another film fest nod went to Mike Boas, whose short “The Other Gods” received a certificate of merit from the Rochester International Film Festival.

***

SIGN UP NOW FOR SUMMER WORKSHOPS

The summer is upon us, and before you know it, August will be here. Will you be ready for animation? Registrations for our SUMMER ANIMATION CAMP are coming in, so don’t delay. Payment secures your spot in this unique workshop, so if you plan to attend, now’s the time to speak up!

Register online for Wednesdays or Thursdays at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

***

ANIMATUS PROJECTS REPORT

In addition to our standard animation workshops, we’ve also been doing a specialty project with a group of city teenagers. The animated historical drama tells about key points in the life of Rochester’s own FREDERICK DOUGLASS. The short film is being created for the Underground Railroad Conference in September, but may have some other screenings as well. We’ll make more announcements if that is the case.

We also had the pleasure of editing a music video for the popular band, THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. They’re doing another album of music for kids called “Here come the 1 2 3′s” and the song we worked with was “The Number 2.” Nationally renowned caricature artist David Cowles acted as director on the video, which was a live action piece featuring puppets. The lively song was stuck in our heads for days (weeks?) and Dave Puls did a great job of editing the wonderful footage captured by cinematographer Timothy Brown.

***

SPRING II WORKSHOP REEL NOW ONLINE

Visit the Animatus website to see the latest cartoons from the students of the Animation Workshop.

See our beginner students take on morphing, clay, and cut-out animation! See run cycles and horrible encounters with nasty spiders! See the [...]]]> More big news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, New York!

***

SPRING II WORKSHOP REEL NOW ONLINE

Visit the Animatus website to see the latest cartoons from the students of the Animation Workshop.

See our beginner students take on morphing, clay, and cut-out animation! See run cycles and horrible encounters with nasty spiders! See the latest installments of Edmund the Stuntman, A Night on Digi-Mountain, Super Maintenance Man, and Attack of the Killer Dust Bunnies!

Visit the student work page and click on SPRING II 2007

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

For those who ordered a DVD of student work, those discs are ready for pick-up.

***

3D WORKSHOP: INTRO TO LIGHTWAVE

Learn the basics of 3D animation! This four week course will include many guided tutorials and plenty of hands-on creative time. Students will explore the very basics in this beginner level course using the Lightwave 3D Discovery Edition animation program. Lightwave 3D is one of the more commonly used 3D animation packages used in television and the movies today.

$189
Saturdays in July, 9AM – 12noon
July 7, 14, 21, and 28

Recommended ages: 12 to adult

Register online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/registerfront.html

***

CLASSIC CARTOONS ON THE BIG SCREEN

When was the last time you saw 35mm prints of Bugs Bunny and pals projected in an actual movie theater? Most kids only know these cartoons from TV, but they take on a whole new life when projected on the big screen.

Don’t miss “WACKY WESTERNS FROM TERMITE TERRACE” this Tuesday at the Eastman House’s Dryden Theatre.

This hilarious collection of Western send-ups from the golden age of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies features splendid work from the acclaimed auteurs of “Termite Terrace.” EGGHEAD RIDES AGAIN (Tex Avery, 1937, 35mm); SCALP TROUBLE (Bob Clampett, 1939, 35mm nitrate print); THE LONE STRANGER AND PORKY (Bob Clampett, 1939, 35mm nitrate print); DRIP-ALONG DAFFY (Chuck Jones, 1951, 35mm); BUGS BUNNY RIDES AGAIN (Friz Freleng, 1948, 35mm); PUNY EXPRESS (Walter Lantz/Dick Lundy, 1951, 35mm) plus two of Tex Avery’s best from his years at MGM: DEPUTY DROOPY (1955, 35mm) and THE FIRST BAD MAN (1955, 35mm). Ticket price includes admission to 8:00 pm showing of Wichita.

May 08, 7:00 pm
The Dryden Theatre
900 East Avenue
Rochester NY, 14607

***

REMINDER: “GEORGIE” PLAYS TONIGHT AT THE EASTMAN HOUSE

The Rochester International Film Festival kicks off tonight, featuring the Telly-award winning “When Georgie Goes Marching Home.” This will be the Rochester premiere for Dave Puls’ short film, which takes a certain government leader to [...]]]> Salutations! Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, NY

***

REMINDER: “GEORGIE” PLAYS TONIGHT AT THE EASTMAN HOUSE

The Rochester International Film Festival kicks off tonight, featuring the Telly-award winning “When Georgie Goes Marching Home.” This will be the Rochester premiere for Dave Puls’ short film, which takes a certain government leader to task.

Thursday, May 3rd at 8:00 PM.
Dryden Theater at the Eastman House
Admission is Free! Donations accepted.
Presented by Movies on a Shoestring.

For more information:

http://www.rochesterfilmfest.org

http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

***

A WEST COAST SCREENING FOR “HOW TO BE A ZOMBIE”

Long time Animation Workshop student David Zipeto has not only completed his zombie epic, he has a screening at the ZOMPIRE FILM FESTIVAL held in Portand, Oregon. The festival is dedicated to films about zombies and vampires, so David’s instructional cartoon should impress the horror movie crowd. Congratulations, David!

To view the cartoon online, click the “How to be a Zombie” link at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

Find out more about the festival at
http://zompire.com

***

NEW WEBSITES DESIGNED BY ANIMATUS

Animatus can spice up your existing site or build one from scratch. Take a look at some recent sites we’ve worked on:

Powerhouse 27
http://powerhouse27.com
The new soundstage in Rochester offers 2000 square feet for commercial shoots. Browse through the website to see a selection of photos taken in this exciting new space.

Mammoth Production Packages
http://mammothpro.com
Greg Goodhew’s Mammoth Production Packages provides equipment rentals for commercials, documentaries, TV shows, and feature films. The new website gives a run-down of equipment rental options for film and video production companies in the Rochester area.

Tuthill Lighting
http://tuthilllighting.com
The people at Tuthill Lighting wanted to add some personality to their site with a “knight-lite” mascot. The lightning bug character is shown turning on lights when visitors first enter the site. Flash animation and character design by Animatus Studio.

See more Animatus website designs at
http://animatusstudio.com/websites

—

LITTLE BUDDIES AT THE LITTLE

Get the kids to the Little Theatre on Satuday morning, April 28, for a special screening of ANIMATED SHORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

Our own fearless leader, Fred Armstrong, will lead a flipbook project for all cartoon fans [...]]]> Greetings! Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, NY.

—

LITTLE BUDDIES AT THE LITTLE

Get the kids to the Little Theatre on Satuday morning, April 28, for a special screening of ANIMATED SHORTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

Our own fearless leader, Fred Armstrong, will lead a flipbook project for all cartoon fans in attendance.

Presented by Preferred Care, Gusto, Warm 101.3, Parent Magazine, and The Animation Workshop.

LITTLE BUDDIES
Family movie series at The Little
Saturday, April 28, 10 AM
Tickets $5
Little Theatre, 240 East Ave, Rochester

http://thelittle.org

—

NEW YORK ARCHIVES: THE END OF THE LINE

The Spring 2007 issue of NEW YORK ARCHIVES magazine features an article by Jim Harte regarding Rochester’s subway and the creation of the documentary.

As co-director of The End of the Line, Jim was able to convey the history and his own feelings about the Rochester’s experiment in mass transit.

Read the article on our blog at
http://animatusnews.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-york-archives.html

Purchase THE END OF THE LINE on DVD at
http://animatusstudio.com/subway

—

NEW WEBSITES DESIGNED BY ANIMATUS

We’ve recently completed work on several websites. Take a look at what they have to offer:

Harptallica
http://harptallica.com
What do you get when you cross Metallica songs with classical harp playing? Harptallica! Visit the website to see photos of this Louisiana-based duo, hear samples of their music, and buy their new CD.

Gribbins Films
http://gribbinsfilms.com
Gribbins Films is the only full-service grip/electric equipment company in Buffalo, NY. The new website lists equipment rental options for film productions, as well as showcasing the work of director/director of photography James P. Gribbins.

Powerhouse 27
http://powerhouse27.com
The new soundstage in Rochester offers 2000 square feet for commercial shoots. Browse through the website to see a selection of photos taken in this exciting new space.

See more Animatus website designs at
http://animatusstudio.com/websites

—

“GEORGIE” TO PLAY ROCHESTER INT’L FILM FEST

Mark your calendars for the Rochester premiere of the Telly-award winning “When Georgie Goes Marching Home.” Dave Puls’ short film, which takes a certain government leader to task, will play in this year’s Rochester International Film Festival on Thursday, May 3rd at 8:00 PM. Presented by Movies on a Shoestring.

http://www.rochesterfilmfest.org/

http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

—The End of the Line

To some, it was “an adventure in optimism”; to others it was a unique piece of Rochester’s history. But for [...]]]> The Spring 2007 issue of NEW YORK ARCHIVES magazine features an article by our own Jim Harte regarding Rochester’s subway. We are reposting it here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

—

The End of the Line

To some, it was “an adventure in optimism”; to others it was a unique piece of Rochester’s history. But for two filmmakers, Rochester’s abandoned subway, which ran for nearly thirty years, was an opportunity to discover “subway museums” in basements, films, and memories.

by James P. Harte

The motto of the State of New York is Excelsior, meaning “still higher.” Perhaps, then, the motto of the Rochester Subway should be “still below”. Rochester’s Subway continues to exist as a reminder of the city’s plan for itself. Midway between the Erie Canal and a drive to the mall, it is the forgotten chapter of Rochester’s history. For me, that chapter has two parts: the story of the subway’s construction, and the story of how my friend Fred Armstrong and I made it into a film.

By 1900 the Erie Canal was a downtown relic, halting traffic as its lift bridges rose for slow-moving canal boats and a mule named Sal. In 1905, the state approved funds for canal reconstruction and for rerouting it around several upstate cities, including Rochester. The improved canal would carry larger boats and a new name, the New York State Barge Canal.

A 1911 study recommended turning Rochester’s abandoned canal section into an automotive highway, but this was rejected by civic leaders who considered automobiles more of a nuisance than a form of reliable transportation. Instead, they approved $1,800,000 for construction of a subway, making use of the existing Genesee River aqueduct and the downtown section of the canal. Most of the subway’s nine-and-a-half-mile route would run in an open cut crossed by bridges, and a new street would cover the downtown canal section. The subway would continue freight service along the old canal route, divert electric interurban trolleys from Main Street, and establish a rapid transit system for a metropolitan area expected to grow to two million. While some criticized the subway project as “an adventure in optimism,” City Hall defended it as “one of the greatest investments any American city ever made.”

Faster Than a Speeding Trolley

In 1919, the Barge Canal opened, and the City of Rochester purchased the proposed subway’s right-of-way within its own boundaries and adjacent towns. In 1922, Mayor Clarence Van Zandt broke ground using a golden shovel. In 1924, the new downtown street opened, unnamed. After considering “The Towpath” and “Aldridge Concourse,” officials finally settled on “Broad Street.”

As construction progressed, so did Rochester. Prosperity allowed many citizens to purchase their first automobiles, forcing trolleys to compete against the growing love affair between Americans and cars. Debating how to run the subway, Rochester’s new mayor opposed any plan that would tax car owners.

During the subway’s test run on September 2, 1927, some of Rochester’s most prominent citizens (including George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Company, the giant photography pioneer based in the city) rode the completed east end of the line. It was fast––three times faster than a streetcar. A contract was signed with New York State Railways, and the official opening was set for December 1, 1927, with a fare of nine cents. Rochester, the smallest city in America to build a subway, now had a true rapid transit system. Interurbans had been rerouted away from its busiest streets yet still provided access to an extensive regional transportation network. Freight service along the canal route had been restored, joining several rail lines for the first time.

Demise of the Trolleys

The subway’s success was short-lived. With the Depression, New York State Railways fell into bankruptcy. Other railroads followed. By 1931, all the interurban trolley lines serving Rochester were gone, leaving the subway with no connections. City Hall washed its hands of it. In 1933, the city engineering department recommended that the subway be converted to a highway, twenty-two years after an identical plan for the old Erie Canal had been rejected

But in 1937, Harold MacFarlin became Rochester’s commerce commissioner––and the subway found a new champion. He extended its passenger service to a new General Motors plant, purchased twelve high-speed passenger cars, refurbished and policed the stations, and applied to the Works Progress Administration for funds to build an extension to the suburbs. The bankrupt New York State Railways turned ownership of the subway over to the newly formed Rochester Transit Corporation (RTC).

Then, in March 1941, Rochester preceded most American cities when it completely replaced its streetcars with buses. The trolleys’ overhead wires and tracks were torn away, and the cars were burned for scrap. With the removal of the tracks, the subway lost its rush-hour connecting service to Kodak. Some citizens began describing the now-isolated subway as “starting nowhere and ending nowhere.”

With America’s entry into World War II later that year came emergency rationing of tires, gasoline, and bus service––so Rochester turned once again to its subway to provide mass transit. By the end of the war, ridership had tripled. By its twentieth anniversary in 1947, the subway carried over five million passengers.

However, its high-water mark had been reached. With wartime restrictions gone, Americans purchased both new and second cars. Talk resurfaced of turning the subway into a highway. Even Harold MacFarlin lost hope for preserving it as a rapid transit system and resigned his position as commerce commissioner.

In addition, an interstate highway, envisioned a decade before, was becoming a reality: the New York State Thruway would roughly parallel the old Erie Canal and pass within ten miles of Rochester. The canal had transformed Rochester from a village to a city, and city leaders feared lack of access to the Thruway might reverse the process.

The Subway Becomes Memory

With ridership plummeting, the RTC announced it would discontinue the subway’s passenger service in 1950 unless the city paid for its losses. Rochester came through, but ridership didn’t increase. By 1952, Sunday and holiday service was eliminated. In 1954 the City Council pledged to promote the subway, but others pushed for the Thruway plan, stressing that it was time for Rochester to enter “the gasoline age.” Citizen’s groups and individuals fought for the subway, but it was too late. On September 9, 1954 in a secret caucus, the Rochester City Council’s Republican majority voted to discontinue passenger service on December 31, explaining that using the subway as a feeder highway to the Thruway was the cheapest way to recoup losses.

Because of construction delays, the subway was given a temporary reprieve until April 1956, when Governor Averill Harriman signed a bill designating conversion of its eastern end into a new expressway. City Hall set a final closing date: June 30, 1956. Many Rochesterians who had never ridden the subway before boarded it for a last-chance ride. At 1:36 a.m., Car 68 moved into the car barn for the last time, and the stations of the Rochester subway were locked forever. All but one of the cars were scrapped; Car 60 was donated to the Rochester chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and moved to a rail museum near Watertown, then to storage at the New York State Museum in Albany.
Subway on Film

In 1981 I was a young filmmaker living in Manhattan’s East Vill
age. My roommate, Fred Armstrong, was an animator from Rochester. One day I was riding the New York subway with him when he mentioned that Rochester once had a small subway of its own. I couldn’t imagine then that in the next few years I would marry a woman from Rochester, leave New York and move there, and find myself living in the same neighborhood as Fred––right next to that subway.

In 1993, Fred and I heard about a small grant available from The Reynolds Library Video Project to make films about Rochester. We decided to apply through his animation company, Animatus Studio, figuring that Rochester’s old subway would be a good subject because there might be archival film of it that we could use as part of a documentary. But as we researched the material, we discovered that there were subway “museums” everywhere: in basements throughout the city, with thousands of catalogued photographs and hours of film footage; and in the city and county historian’s offices, which had boxes of photographs and documents that pointed to even more boxes. We found that we had complete documentation on the subway, although we’d expected to find just pieces. What we hadn’t expected to find were the excellent preservation instincts of the City of Rochester itself, home of Eastman Kodak Company and of citizens who, as a result of Kodak’s presence, knew film and photography, had access to it, and remembered and loved the subway. Everyone welcomed us with open arms, as if they’d been waiting for years for someone to resurrect this chapter of Rochester’s history.

“Get a Horse!”

One man had grown up next to the subway as a boy. When he retired, he was determined to preserve everything he could find about it. Another man had found some old nitrate film of the subway as a teenager, which he and his friends had burned, and he’d felt so bad afterwards that he saved everything else he could. Yet another man was blind, but became our “go-to guy” for identifying downtown photos. As a young man, he knew he would lose his sight, so he had been determined to make his mind and memory a camera.

In addition to film, we had the real thing in steel and flesh and blood. The New York Museum of Transportation in Rush had interurbans and streetcars, the State Museum had Car 60––we had Harry Beach, the conductor who drove the subway’s last run, and Henry Clune, who at age 103 remembered the old taunt, “Get a horse!” Our fifteen-minute movie turned into a forty-five-minute epic. It took us a year, but we finished The End of the Line––Rochester’s Subway on the day it was due, and premiered it that same night.

In 2005 we produced a special-edition DVD of The End of the Line, with forty-five minutes of new material. By then, Car 60 was returned to Rochester to the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in Rush, there was an upcoming mayoral election, and what to do with the subway, in terms of historic preservation, became a campaign issue. The city’s still deciding.

It was derided as an “adventure in optimism,” but the builders of the Rochester subway thought big. Due to their own limitations and to changes they could not foresee, the enterprise failed. But they were proud of their city, and the subway was their best expression of it. It was their excelsior moment. Telling about it was mine.

The Archives Connection

Sources for The End of the Line––Rochester’s Subway include the Tom Kirn Collection at New York Museum of Transportation, Rush; the David Lanni Film Collection, Rochester; the Norman Davidson Film Collection, Rochester; the Rochester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society; the offices of the Monroe County Historian and Rochester City Historian; the City of Rochester Records Center; Gannett Rochester newspapers; New York State Department of Transportation; the New York State Museum; Eastman Kodak Company; and many other public and private entities. Firsthand information also came from countless individuals. The film was produced at Animatus Studio in Rochester, and is available at www.animatusstudio.com or by calling (585) 232-1740.

Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, NY.

—

SPRING ANIMATION WORKSHOP VIDEOS

The results of our March workshops are now online. See Flappy go hunting, Edmund the Stuntman in color, and the completed How to be a Zombie!

Check it out at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

or at http://www.youtube.com/animationworkshop

—

SIGN UP [...]]]> Greetings from Animatus!

Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, NY.

—

SPRING ANIMATION WORKSHOP VIDEOS

The results of our March workshops are now online. See Flappy go hunting, Edmund the Stuntman in color, and the completed How to be a Zombie!

Check it out at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

or at http://www.youtube.com/animationworkshop

—

SIGN UP FOR THE APRIL WORKSHOPS

The “Spring II” animation workshops begin Saturday, April 7. How can you resist four weeks of funny cartoons and frivolity?

Spring II 2007
Saturdays
April 7, 14, 21, & 28
$159

We still have some room in the afternoon, so secure your spot today!

Coming up in May, we’re offering specialty classes in Lightwave 3D and Macromedia Flash. These are smaller classes, so they may sell out.

Visit http://animatusstudio.com/workshops to register online or call (585) 232-3949.

—

A TELLY FOR GEORGIE

Dave Puls’ latest cartoon, “When Georgie Goes Marching Home,” has won a bronze Telly! This prestigious award honors outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions.

Congratulations, Dave!

“Georgie” takes a humorous look at what’s REALLY going on with the Bush administration, set to the crowd-pleasing melody of “When Johhny Comes Marching Home.”

More about Fresh Toones at:
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

—

THE OTHER GODS PLAYS SYDNEY AND PROVIDENCE

“H.P. Lovecraft’s The Other Gods” continues playing to pulp horror fans around the world. Earlier this month, the silent short from Mike Boas’ Subterranea Entertainment played in two new festivals.

First was A NIGHT OF HORROR in Sydney, Australia. The event had screenings devoted to horror, animation, and adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft’s works.

Providence, Rhode Island (Lovecraft’s hometown) played host to PULP UNCOVERED, a new festival dedicated to literary and film fandom. The Other Gods screened during the “Afternoon of Lovecraft” at the Rhode Island School of Design.

For more about the short, visit
http://maddogmovies.com/theothergods

Here’s the all new extra-special Winter 2007 student reel:

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

The video was compressed using Quicktime’s Ipod settings, and ooh-boy, does it look good! Anyone with the Flash plugin (and that’s EVERYONE) can watch the January workshop cartoons right [...]]]> 2007 is the year of online video, and The Animation Workshop is jumping in whole hog!

Here’s the all new extra-special Winter 2007 student reel:

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

The video was compressed using Quicktime’s Ipod settings, and ooh-boy, does it look good! Anyone with the Flash plugin (and that’s EVERYONE) can watch the January workshop cartoons right inside the Animatus Studio website. That means animated morphs, man-eating spiders, demons & devils, a stuntman with a motivation problem, plus zombies and a melting snowman.

It’s set up as a playlist, which we’ll be adding to it over time. There are a couple stand-alone student projects that would be good to upload, maybe even the Fall 2006 class. If I feel ambitious, the High Falls shorts and our news clips can go up, too. That way, the playlist won’t seem so empty.

We’re also available at YouTube and MySpace, by the way.

http://youtube.com/user/animationworkshop

http://myspace.com/animationworkshop

FRESH TOONES

Dave Puls’ presidential sing-a-long “When GeorgieGoes Marching Home” will get screentime in our nation’s capital when it plays the DC INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL, running March 1-11.

“Sal Monella’s Deli” is on the comeback trail! This audience favorite about [...]]]> Independent projects from Animatus animators are getting plenty of attention lately. Here’s the latest news:

FRESH TOONES

Dave Puls’ presidential sing-a-long “When GeorgieGoes Marching Home” will get screentime in our nation’s capital when it plays the DC INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL, running March 1-11.

“Sal Monella’s Deli” is on the comeback trail! This audience favorite about a questionable diet plan will screen at the FAUX FILM FESTIVAL in Portland, Oregon, which runs March 29 – April 1.

Coincidentally, the Faux Film Festival takes place in the same venue where Mike Boas’ “The Other Gods” played as part of the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in October of 2006.

H.P. LOVECRAFT’S THE OTHER GODS

This silent horror short from Mike Boas, based on the pulp fiction story of the same name, played earlier this month in Houston, Texas, as part of the HORROR DANCE event.

And just this week, “The Other Gods” screened in Park City, Utah! No, not with the overrated Sundance, but as part of the truly independent TROMADANCE film festival.

Finally, for you Rochester residents, “The Other Gods” will be screening at the Little Theatre’s EMERGING FILMMAKERS series. Come out and join us Monday, February 26 at 9 PM. The Little Theatre is at 240 East Ave, Rochester, NY.

RELATED LINKS:

http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones
http://www.dciff.org
http://fauxfilmfestival.com

http://maddogmovies.com/theothergods
http://horrordance.org
http://2007.tromadance.com
http://www.little-theatre.com/emergingFilmmakers.php

***

ANIMATION WORKSHOPS JANUARY 2007

What a great way to start the new year! Experience the joys of animation in a professional animation studio.

2007 is the [...]]]> HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the crew at Animatus! We wish everyone reading this a joyful new year. The rest of you not reading this? Ummm…. Happy Halloween or something.

***

ANIMATION WORKSHOPS JANUARY 2007

What a great way to start the new year! Experience the joys of animation in a professional animation studio.

2007 is the year of online video! After each four-week session, Animation Workshop students will be able to see their cartoons online. DVDs will also be available for an additional fee.

So if you or someone you love has a burning desire to make drawings come to life, sign up today at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Winter 2007
Saturdays
January 6, 13, 20, & 27
$159

***

CLICKER CLATTER SCREENING

After many challenging months, our work on Ben Radford’s short film, “Clicker Clatter,” was unveiled to an eager audience. This past weekend, Ben hosted a screening party in Buffalo to bring together cast, crew, and friends. A good time was had by all, with plenty of sandwiches and Pop Rocks to go around.

“Clicker Clatter” is a five minute short which satirizes our mass media culture. We plan to showcase some select clips on the Animatus website in the near future. Stay tuned!

***

FRESH TOONES HONORS AND SCREENINGS

Congratulations to Dave Puls, whose “When Georgie Goes Marching Home” was selected as a BEST OF THE FEST short at this year’s BERKELEY VIDEO & FILM FESTIVAL. Dave’s “Hate Preachers” received an Honorable Mention as well.

“Georgie” was also an entry in December’s Anchorage Film Festival.

For more about Fresh Toones, visit http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

IRONDEQUOIT LACROSSE DOCUMENTARY SCREENING

We’d like to remind everyone to come out and support Howard Nielsen andhis documentary on the history of high school Lacrosse in upstate NewYork. This Friday, November 24th, there will be a screening atIrondequoit High School at 7pm.

Read all about it [...]]]> Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s a run-down of recent Animatus news.

IRONDEQUOIT LACROSSE DOCUMENTARY SCREENING

We’d like to remind everyone to come out and support Howard Nielsen and
his documentary on the history of high school Lacrosse in upstate New
York. This Friday, November 24th, there will be a screening at
Irondequoit High School at 7pm.

Read all about it at http://stickylipsbbq.com

***

HIGH FALLS FILM FESTIVAL A GREAT SUCCESS

This year’s High Falls Film Festival went extremely well. We at
Animatus took part in several events, including the festival’s
animation workshop screenings, a screening of the French noir/animation
feature Renaissance, and a retrospective for independent filmmaker
Emily Hubley. Emily was a pleasure to have at the festival, and we had
positive feedback from attendees all during the festival.

***

NEW TV AD FOR ROCHESTER’S SUBWAY

The holiday season is upon us, and now’s the time to buy The End of The
Line – Rochester’s Subway for the history buff in your family. We just
cut together a new TV ad that will be airing soon on Time Warner cable.

Catch it on our website at http://animatusstudio.com/subway

***

ANIMATION WORKSHOP STUDENT PRODUCED AD

Young DJ, one of our most enthusiastic students, put together a fun
promotional cartoon for the Animation Workshop. It shows a lot of
charm, so check it out “The Greatest Place on Earth” at:

http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html

***

FLAPPY RABBIT VS. THE TORNADO

Another of our veteran students, Adam, made a short commercial for “OZ
Saferooms,” featuring his own character Flappy Rabbit. The people at
OZ have devoted a page to the project (and online video links) at the
following address:

http://www.ozsaferooms.com/kidz%20korner.htm

***

WON’T YOU BE OUR MYSPACE FRIEND?

The Animation Workshop now has a page at MySpace. We’ll be publishing
more student videos there in the future, so come on by and add us to
your friends list.

http://www.myspace.com/animationworkshop

“The Greatest Place on Earth” by DJ

Visit us on MySpace at http://myspace.com/animationworkshop

***

INDEPENDENT ANIMATOR EMILY HUBLEY IN PERSON

Animatus Studio and the High Falls Film Festival are pleased to welcome Emily Hubley to the 2006 program.

Join us for a special screening:

PIGEON (AND MORE) WITHINThe Animated Mind [...]]]> Here’s a run-down of High Falls Film Festival events that Animatus is taking part in this year. Enjoy!

***

INDEPENDENT ANIMATOR EMILY HUBLEY IN PERSON

Animatus Studio and the High Falls Film Festival are pleased to welcome Emily Hubley to the 2006 program.

Join us for a special screening:

PIGEON (AND MORE) WITHIN
The Animated Mind of Emily Hubley

Little Theatre 1
240 East Avenue, Rochester
11:15 AM
Sunday, November 12, 2006

Working in a simple hand-drawn style, EMILY HUBLEY has been making short animated films for almost 30 years. Her work explores personal memory and the unexpected turbulence of emotional life.

She is currently working on a feature, THE TOE TACTIC, now in preproduction with Orchard Pictures. Her newest short, OCTAVE, premiered in a program of recent work earlier this year at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
She is a 2004 Annenberg Film Fellow named by the Sundance Institute, and attended their 2002 Screenwriters’ and 2003 Filmmakers’ Labs.

Hubley created artwork and animation for John Cameron Mitchell’s HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH. She worked in collaboration with Jeremiah Dickey on inserts for the documentaries BUBBLE BOY, directed for American Experience by Barak Goodman, ORIGINAL CHILD BOMB, by Carey Schonegeval, and BLUE VINYL, by Judith Helfand and Daniel Gold.

For a summary of shorts we will be screening, visit http://animatusstudio.com/highfalls/hfmain2006.html

***

LIVIN’ LIFE: TEENS’ VOICES

For this year’s HFFF animation workshop, fifteen students from various schools and community organizations in the greater Rochester area collectively produced a remarkable short reflecting critical aspects of teens’ lives.

These filmmakers came together through “Raising 100,000 Voices,” a media literacy community education project run by WXXI Public Broadcasting, the University of Rochester Medical Center and The Roadwork for Success in Young Adulthood.

We’re proud to say that the film turned out great, and will be screening twice during the festival.

Saturday, November 11 at 5 pm (Little Theatre 4), it will precede the documentary FREESTYLE: THE ART OF RHYME.

Also, “Livin’ Life” will play at the Saturday Gala Night Screening at the Dryden Theatre.

***

PARALLEL WORLDS

This Rochester film will be playing as part of SHORTS PROGRAM #1, Wednesday November 8, 9:15 PM at the Little Theatre.

PARALLEL WORLDS
US, 2004, 6 minutes
Animator/Writer/Composer/Editor: Dave Puls
Assistant Writer/Editor: Luann Lindstrom

The abuse of the Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers moved the filmmaker to reexamine his own memories of working at a New York State Mental Hospital in the early 1970′s.

Luann Lindstrom lives in Rochester, NY and assists Puls with many of his projects at Animatus Studios.

For more about Fresh Toones, visit http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

***

ANIMATUS SPONSORED FEATURE: RENAISSANCE

Renaissance, the new animated sci-fi feature from France, will be playing Friday night at 11PM at the Little Theatre.

Imagine METROPOLIS and BLADERUNNER, then step further into the imagination where science fiction and digital animation meet to create an extraordinary world, giving film noir a new look and new life. It is the year 2054, and Paris is a city-state where big brother watches from above and all movement is monitored and recorded. The once ancient and beautiful skyline is overlaid with high tech skyscrapers. Avalon – the multinational cosmetic company – casts a long and dark shadow over the city. When a human genome scientist whose research may change the evolution of mankind forever is kidnapped, detective Karas is called in to help. In an underworld of dark secrets, corporate espionage, organized crime and genetic research, Karas finds a trail of dead witnesses and more. Christian Volckman stunning imagery combines high-tech animation, the look of black and white cinema with his own chiaroscuro painting style to bring the illusion of still-frame comics vividly to life. The narrative woven with futuristic imagery is completely absorbing and speaks of unlimited potential. (Kathy Kristich)

Director: Christian Volckman
Producers: Alexis Vonarb, Roch Lenner, Aton Soumache
Voiceovers: Ian Holm, Jonathan Pryce, Daniel Craig, Catherine McCormack
Casting Director: Celestia Fox

· 2006 Annecy International Film Festival: Feature Film Award

Celestia Fox began her casting career in 1978 with THE HOUND OF BASKERVILLE. She has taken on wide ranging projects from the edg: PINK FLOYD THE WALL, THE NAME OF THE ROSE, LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS to the extremely elegant REMAINS OF THE DAY, UP AT THE VILLA, THE GOLDEN BOWL. She currently resides in London.

http://www.highfallsfilmfestival.com/2006/films.html

Animatus is proud to welcome EMILY HUBLEY as this year’s animationguest for the High Falls Film Festival.

EMILY HUBLEY has been making short animated films since 1980 andproviding animation to television, fictional and documentary films forover a decade. She is a 2004 Annenberg Film Fellow, named by theSundance [...]]]> HIGH FALLS FILM FEST ANIMATION GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT

Animatus is proud to welcome EMILY HUBLEY as this year’s animation
guest for the High Falls Film Festival.

EMILY HUBLEY has been making short animated films since 1980 and
providing animation to television, fictional and documentary films for
over a decade. She is a 2004 Annenberg Film Fellow, named by the
Sundance Institute in support of her feature-in-progress THE TOE
TACTIC.

Hubley created artwork and animation for John Cameron Mitchell’s
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH and inserts with Jeremiah Dickey for the
documentaries, ORIGINAL CHILD BOMB (which aired on the Sundance Channel
in August 2005) by Carey Schonegeval, BLUE VINYL, by Judith Helfand and
Daniel Gold and most recently, for BOY IN THE BUBBLE, directed by Barak
Goodman. She is a daughter of animators Faith and John Hubley, and
worked at the Hubley Studio Inc. in several capacities from 1976 -
2001.

Visit her website at http://www.emilyhubley.com

The High Falls Film Festival runs November 8-13, 2006
http://www.highfallsfilmfestival.com

******

ANIMATION WORKSHOP ALMOST FULL

Fall workshops begin this Saturday. We only have a few spots in both
Morning and Afternoon sessions! This your last chance to join us for
regular classes until January, so take advantage of this opportunity
while you can.

Fall 2006
Saturdays
October 7, 14, 21, & 28
$159

What’s going on in between the Fall and Winter sessions? SPECIALTY
CLASSES, of course. Where else can you learn the magic of computer
animation in such a fun environment? Minimum age of 12, with a Basic
Animation pre-requisite.

3D Workshop, Nov-Dec 2006
An introduction to Lightwave
Saturday Mornings
Nov 18, Dec 2, 9, & 16
$189

Flash I, Nov-Dec 2006
Intro to Macromedia Flash
Saturday Afternoons
Nov 18, Dec 2, 9, & 16
$189

Sign up online at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

******

GEORGIE MARCHES TO CLEVELAND AND TULSA

The latest Fresh Toone from Dave Puls continues to make the rounds!
Here are two more “When Georgie Goes Marchin’ Home.”

“Georgie” played this last weekend at the Tulsa Uncensored Film
Festival
http://www.tulsauncensored.com/schedule.html

The short will also be playing the Ohio Independent Film Festival on
Wednesday, November 8th.
http://www.ohiofilms.com

For more info on Fresh Toones, visit
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

******

“THE OTHER GODS” TRAILER NOW ONLINE

The latest independent horror project from Mike Boas has a trailer
online at http://maddogmovies.com/theothergods/video.html

In this adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft short story, a proud prophet
meets with a tragic end when attempting to meet with the gods of earth.
“The Other Gods” will be premiering October 8th at the H.P. Lovecraft
Film Festival in Portland, Oregon.

******

CLASSIC ANIMATION AT THE EASTMAN HOUSE

Come out this Tuesday to the George Eastman House to see some classic
animation of the silent era, with live music by Philip C. Carli.

More Pioneers of Animation
Location: Dryden Theatre
900 East Ave · Rochester, NY 14607
Tuesday, October 3, 8:00 PM

(Program running time approx. 90 min.) A follow-up to our enormously
popular “Pioneers of Animation” program from 2004, this fun-filled
program features some of the most innovative, entertaining, and
influential cartoons from the silent era, all preserved by George
Eastman House. Selections include COLONEL HEEZA LIAR, NATURALIST (1914)
and COLONEL HEEZA LIAR, SHIPWRECKED (1916); early cell animation in
BOBBY BUMPS’ DISAPPEARING GUN (1917) and BOBBY BUMPS AT THE DENTIST
(1917); Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan’s famous feline in FELIX THE
CAT GETS REVENGE (1922) and FELIX THE CAT KEPT WALKING (1925); Koko the
Clown in the Fleischer Bros.’ FALSE ALARM (1923); Gregory LaCava’s
ABIE KABIBBLE OUTWITTING HIS RIVAL (1917) and BY THE SEAWAVES (1917),
staring the Katzenjammer Kids; Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in Walt
Disney’s SKY SCRAPPERS (1928); and Lotte Reiniger’s THE ORNAMENT OF
THE LOVESTRUCK HEART (1919). Live piano by Philip C. Carli.

“Georgie” takes a humorous look at what’s REALLY going on with the Bush administration, set to the crowd-pleasing melody of “When Johhny Comes Marching Home.”

See “Georgie” at the following:

Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, NY.

============================

OCTOBER ANIMATION WORKSHOPSThe Fall Animation Workshops are filling up. If you’re planning on joining us, don’t wait till the last minute!

Sign up today and see your drawings come to life! The Fall session begins Saturday, October 7.

Go to http://animatusstudio.com/workshops [...]]]> Greetings from Animatus!

Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, NY.

============================

OCTOBER ANIMATION WORKSHOPS

The Fall Animation Workshops are filling up. If you’re planning on joining us, don’t wait till the last minute!

Sign up today and see your drawings come to life! The Fall session begins Saturday, October 7.

Go to http://animatusstudio.com/workshops to sign up online or print out a mail-in form.

What’s down the road? Starting in November, we’ll be offering more specialty workshops, covering 3D animation and Macromedia Flash. For more info, visit http://animatusstudio.com/workshops/classes.html#specialty

We’re now on MySpace! Make us your friend at http://myspace.com/animationworkshop

============================

FRESH TOONES SCREENINGS

Dave Puls’ “Hate Preachers,” will be part of the line-up at this September’s Independents’ Film Fest in Tampa, Florida. It will play September 15 (tonight at 9 PM!) on The Education Channel in Tampa, as well as being featured on the festival website in the near future. Visit http://www.independentsfilmfest.com to view the whole schedule.

“Hate Preachers” will also screen at The Great Lakes Film Fest, held September 20-24 in Erie, Pennsylvania. For festival information, visit: http://www.greatlakesfilmfest.com/film_fest/2006/index.html

“When Georgie Goes Marchin’ Home” will be screening at the Red Bank Film Festival, which runs October 13-15 in Red Bank, New Jersey. See the schedule of films at http://www.rbiff.org/synopsis2006_sun.php#prescription

Find out more about Fresh Toones at http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

============================

THE OTHER GODS SCREENING

Animatus artist Mike Boas’ latest horror project is a silent short based on the works of cult writer H.P. Lovecraft. “The Other Gods” will premiere at this year’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Fest in Portland, Oregon, which runs October 6-8. Visit the festival website at http://hplfilmfestival.com

Discover the secrets of “The Other Gods” at http://maddogmovies.com/theothergods

But no more! Today, driving down Winthrop Street was a whole new experience, because the house was gone:

As if plucked from the Earth by a wicked tornado, the blue house is no more. [...]]]> For many weeks now, we’ve had this monster house with no roof sitting next door to the Animatus building:

But no more! Today, driving down Winthrop Street was a whole new experience, because the house was gone:

As if plucked from the Earth by a wicked tornado, the blue house is no more. Come, marvel at the hole! Enjoy it now, because someday soon, it just may be a parking lot, or perhaps a vegetable garden.

Dave Puls’ “Hate Preachers” will play at the 2006 Great Lakes Independent Film Festival in Erie, Pennsylvania this September.

Find out more atwww.greatlakesfilmfest.comwww.myspace.com/greatlakesfilmfest

Hate Preachers, one of the latest of Dave’s Fresh Toones, will screen during the event, which takes place August 4, 5 & 6 in Cleveland, Ohio. This annual event acts both as a film [...]]]> Congratulations to Dave Puls, whose short film Hate Preachers has won 3rd place for animation at the 2006 Indie Gathering!

Hate Preachers, one of the latest of Dave’s Fresh Toones, will screen during the event, which takes place August 4, 5 & 6 in Cleveland, Ohio. This annual event acts both as a film festival and convention for independent filmmakers, writers,
actors, and stunt people. Find out more at http://theindiegathering.com

Hate Preachers (4:00 min) takes a look at the destructive rhetoric and encourages all of us to speak out to offset their fabrications. See more about this short and others at http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

Why watch “So You Think You Can Dance” when you can dance to live music in the streets of Rochester? Get off your couch and come out to Pole-A-Palooza!

It’s a weekly celebration at the Liberty Pole in [...]]]> What are you doing with your Wednesday nights? You’re not staying in, are you? What a homebody!

Why watch “So You Think You Can Dance” when you can dance to live music in the streets of Rochester? Get off your couch and come out to Pole-A-Palooza!

It’s a weekly celebration at the Liberty Pole in downtown Rochester. This coming Wednesday, July 5th, there will even be Animatus and Eggwork shorts playing at the event. (Ah, now we’re talking — Honey, get my keys!)

POLE-A-PALOOZA
A European Street Party!
The Liberty Pole Plaza (E. Main St. & Franklin St. )
Wednesday, July 5

5:30 pm – 8 pm — Short films, including:
* When Georgie Goes Marchin’ Home
* The Scent of Valhalla
* Motherless Child – Remnants of the Subway
* Keep on Walkin’
* Animungus
Read film synopses at http://thelibertypole.com/art.html

5:15 pm — Music kicks off with:
* Loulou of Thievery Corporation
* Babaloo
More about the music at http://thelibertypole.com

Pole-A-Palooza will highlight an event-filled summer as the city promotes Rochester with its “Rockin’ the City” initiative. The free events will take place Wednesday evenings from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., through July 26.

In addition to the music, Pole-A-Palooza will showcase artwork by local artisans as well as short films from America’s cutting-edge short filmmakers. Visitors can even visit a psychic, have taro card readings and get a spirit drawing to be entertained as they stroll down Franklin Street and Liberty Pole Way.

A variety of food to accompany beer and wine will also be available.

=========================

ANIMATUS PREMIERES TWO NEW CARTOONS

The upcoming Pole-A-Palooza event will mark the first public screenings of two new cartoons produced at Animatus Studio in Rochester. That’s right, we don’t mess around — we’ve got shorts galore in store for you!

Keep on Walkin
3:35 • Music Video for SpiritEast • Animation produced by Animatus Studio

This upbeat song was composed by Phil Geiger and Steve Billow, and recorded by SpiritEast of Rochester. The music video takes our main character on a colorful stroll through a wonder filled world. He imagines a world where he can walk along with people of all races and religions in harmony.

When Georgie Goes Marchin’ Home
3:30 • Dave Puls • A Fresh Toone produced at Animatus Studio

This animated short takes us on a surreal tour of the Bush administration and its many misadventures. Like a ride through a fun house, we are taken into the bizarro world of GW. A surprise ending makes this sometimes uneasy jaunt worth the ride.

Other Animatus productions screening will be the Derf the Viking short, “The Scent of Valhalla,” and “Motherless Child – The Remnants of the Subway,” a feauturette produced for The End of the Line DVD. Also playing are “Animungus” shorts from Eric Merola and Matthew Ehlers of Eggwork Productions.

=========================

LAST CHANCE FOR 3D ANIMATION WORKSHOP!

We at the Animation Workshop are pleased to offer a new 4 week course in the basics of 3D animation. The class size is limited to 8 students, so sign up today to ensure your spot!

SATURDAYS
JULY 8, 15, 22, 29
9AM – 12 Noon
Cost: $189

Course Description:
Learn the basics of 3D animation. The course will include many guided tutorials and plenty of hands-on creative time. Students will explore the very basics in this beginner level course using the Lightwave 3D Discovery Edition animation program. Lightwave 3D is one of the more commonly used 3D animation packages used in television and the movies today.

Instructor Biography:
Paul Tracy graduated from RIT with a degree in Film & Animation. He has been working with Lightwave 3D since its beginnings in 1988, then known as VideoScape 3D. Paul has also been teaching adjunct classes at Monroe Community College in Computer Generated Imagery and Digital Photography. He owns his own 3D animation business in Rochester, NY and has worked with Animatus Studio on numerous projects.

Sign up online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

=========================

REMINDER: SIGN UP FOR THE AUGUST WORKSHOPS

Fish for New Ideas! Hike The Hills of Animation! Challenge the Wild Waters of Creativity! Join us for the Summer Animation Camp!

WHEN: Choose either Wednesdays or Thursdays in August, lasting from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM each day. See our Schedule for exact dates.

PRICE: $88.00 per week. Sign up for all four weeks and get a 20% discount, for a total of $284.

We try to accomodate vacation schedules by pricing each week individually. These classes go all day, with a break for lunch.

NOTE: All supplies and equipment usage included. Students attending all four weeks receive a VHS copy of their animation. Additional tapes or DVDs are available for $10. Summer students should be sure to pack a lunch.

Sign up online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

Yes, here’s your opportunity to meet and greet your favorite localdocumentary filmmakers! Just in time for Father’s Day, FredrickArmstrong and James P. Harte will be signing DVD copies of “The End ofthe Line: Rochester’s Subway” at Parkleigh this Saturday. DVD’s willbe available for [...]]]> What’s that you say? A personal appearance by those effervescent
Rochester Subway afficionados?

Yes, here’s your opportunity to meet and greet your favorite local
documentary filmmakers! Just in time for Father’s Day, Fredrick
Armstrong and James P. Harte will be signing DVD copies of “The End of
the Line: Rochester’s Subway” at Parkleigh this Saturday. DVD’s will
be available for sale.

ROCHESTER SUBWAY DVD SIGNING

Parkleigh
215 Park Ave. Rochester, NY
Saturday June 17th
1-3 PM

MAKES A PERFECT FATHER’S DAY GIFT!

If you or someone you know has a father, they just might love taking a
trip down memory lane with the story of the smallest city in America to
build and abandon a subway.

So don’t miss this chance to rub shoulders with these two noted
windbags! They know more about the subway than any man should. Come
on out to Parkleigh, visit scenic Park Avenue — make a day of it!

For more on “The End of the Line” visit
http://animatusstudio.com/subway

For more about Parkleigh, visit
http://www.parkleigh.com

We at the Animation Workshop are pleased to offer a new 4 week course in the basics of 3D animation. The class size is limited to 8 students, so sign up today to ensure your spot!

SATURDAYSJULY 8, 15, 22, 299AM – 12 NoonCost: $189

Course Description:Learn the basics of 3D [...]]]>
NEW 3D ANIMATION WORKSHOP!

We at the Animation Workshop are pleased to offer a new 4 week course in the basics of 3D animation. The class size is limited to 8 students, so sign up today to ensure your spot!

SATURDAYS
JULY 8, 15, 22, 29
9AM – 12 Noon
Cost: $189

Course Description:
Learn the basics of 3D animation! The course will include many guided tutorials and plenty of hands-on creative time. Students will explore the very basics in this beginner level course using the Lightwave 3D Discovery Edition animation program. Lightwave 3D is one of the more commonly used 3D animation packages used in television and the movies today.

Instructor Biography:
Paul Tracy graduated from RIT with a degree in Film & Animation. He has been working with Lightwave 3D since its beginnings in 1988, then known as VideoScape 3D. Paul has also been teaching adjunct classes at Monroe Community College in Computer Generated Imagery and Digital Photography. He owns his own 3D animation business in Rochester, NY and has worked with Animatus Studio on numerous projects.

Sign up online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

***

REMINDER: SIGN UP FOR THE AUGUST WORKSHOPS

Fish for New Ideas! Hike The Hills of Animation! Challenge the Wild Waters of Creativity! Join us for the Summer Animation Camp!

WHEN: Choose either Wednesdays or Thursdays in August, lasting from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM each day. See our Schedule for exact dates.

PRICE: $88.00 per week. Sign up for all four weeks and get a 20% discount, for a total of $284.

We try to accomodate vacation schedules by pricing each week individually. These classes go all day, with a break for lunch.

NOTE: All supplies and equipment usage included. Students attending all four weeks receive a VHS copy of their animation. Additional tapes or DVDs are available for $10. Summer students should be sure to pack a lunch.

Sign up online at
http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

***

WORKSHOP STUDENT WINS FILM FESTIVAL PRIZE

Congratulations to Animation Workshop student Adam Markajani, whose cartoon short won “Most Creative” at the Genesee Valley NYCLU PSA Film Festival. “Flappy Rabbit Learns About the First Amendment” played on the big screen at the Little Theatre along with other student entries in the fest.

Many kind (and well-deserved) words were spoken about Adam’s film by the judges and organizers of the event. Adam is one of our studio production students, who used his class time to work on this project with instructor Dave Puls.

***

“HATE PREACHERS” TO PLAY BOSTON INT’L FILM FEST

Congratulations to Dave Puls, whose Fresh Toone “Hate Preachers” will show at the largest film festival in Massachusetts and one of the largest in the United States: The Boston International Film Festival.

It will be shown on Saturday, June 10th, right before Henry Selick’s
short animation “Moongirl.”

For more info on the festival, visit
http://bifilmfestival.com/biffschedule.html

For more about “Hate Preachers” visit
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones/cartoons.html

***

“WHEN GEORGIE GOES MARCHING HOME” COMPLETED

The latest addition to Fresh Toones has just been completed, and creator Dave Puls is busy sending it out to festivals.

…This animated short takes us on a surreal tour of the Bush administration and its many misadventures. Like a ride through a fun house, we are taken into the bizarro world of GW. A surprise ending makes this sometimes uneasy jaunt worth the ride….

For updates on the film, bookmark
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones/cartoons.html

Congratulations to Dave Puls, whose Fresh Toone “Hate Preachers” will show at the largest film festival in Massachusetts and one of the largest in the United States: The Boston International Film Festival.

It will be shown on Saturday, June 10th right before Henry Selick’sshort animation “Moongirl.”

For more info on the festival, visithttp://bifilmfestival.com/biffschedule.html

For [...]]]>

Congratulations to Dave Puls, whose Fresh Toone “Hate Preachers” will show at the largest film festival in Massachusetts and one of the largest in the United States: The Boston International Film Festival.

It will be shown on Saturday, June 10th right before Henry Selick’s
short animation “Moongirl.”

For more info on the festival, visit
http://bifilmfestival.com/biffschedule.html

For more about “Hate Preachers” visit
http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones/cartoons.html

We encourage everyone to come out and support Adam and other Rochester youths this Sunday [...]]]> We’re happy to announce that one of our Animation Workshop students, Adam Markajani, has an animated short playing in the First Annual GVC-NYCLU PSA Film Festival. It’s a PSA about the First Amendment, starring his character Flappy the Rabbit.

We encourage everyone to come out and support Adam and other Rochester youths this Sunday at the Litte Theatre.

=====================================

Genesee Valley Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union
Presents

The First Annual GVC-NYCLU
PSA Film Festival

Featuring films from Monroe County
High School and middle school students
Juried Film Festival

CIVIL LIBERTIES BEHIND THE LENS OF YOUNG PEOPLE
Sunday MAY 21, 2006

3-5pm
Little Theatre
240 east avenue

Free and open to the public

WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN TO YOU?

Judges include:
George Grella, City Newspaper film critic, Professor of English U of R
Marla Schweppe, Computer Animation Professor at RIT,
Zena Collier, local novelist and author of “A Cooler Climate”,
Van White, Esq. local attorney and director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights Laws
James Pappas, film critic, Professor, African American Studies, University at Buffalo
Mark Costello, Esq. local attorney, Boylan Brown Code Vigdor & Wilson

Watch it online and submit viewer feedback through www.ManiaTV.com!

Too Short for Hollywood provides a testing ground for aspiring filmmakers to find their big break and air their work. They show the [...]]]> Dave Puls’ “Sharks In The Water” will be airing on Mania TV, Tuesday 05-09-06 during Too Short 4 Hollywood at 10pm. EST.

Watch it online and submit viewer feedback through www.ManiaTV.com!

Too Short for Hollywood provides a testing ground for aspiring filmmakers to find their big break and air their work. They show the hottest free animation, free cartoons, short films, viral videos and hilarious segments every weekday.

Find out more about “Sharks” at http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

Here’s a playlist of trailers we put together for Animatus products:

To embed the playlist on your own webpage or blog, follow the instructions here.

THE NEW YORK TRANSIT MUSEUM PRESENTSTHE STORY OF THE ROCHESTER SUBWAY

Join filmmakers Fredrick Armstrong and James P. Harte at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 6 at 1:30 p.m. There they will be presenting their Telly award winning documentary, The End of The Line – Rochester’s Subway, as [...]]]> SPECIAL EVENT:

THE NEW YORK TRANSIT MUSEUM PRESENTS
THE STORY OF THE ROCHESTER SUBWAY

Join filmmakers Fredrick Armstrong and James P. Harte at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 6 at 1:30 p.m. There they will be presenting their Telly award winning documentary, The End of The Line – Rochester’s Subway, as well as two featurettes from the DVD release.

THE END OF THE LINE focuses on the story of the smallest city in America to build, and abandon, a subway. Service on the Rochester, New York subway began on December 1, 1927 and ended in June 1956.

PRODIGAL SON presents the stories of that subway’s only surviving passenger car, and one of the last men to operate it.

MOTHERLESS CHILD is a final salute to the subway’s abandoned tunnel and includes a “PHANTOM RUN” through this mile-long underground stretch.

A question-and-answer session with the filmmakers will follow the screening.

Address:
New York Transit Museum
130 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201-5106
Tel: 718/694-1794

Saturday, May 6, 2006
1:30 p.m.

Directions to the Museum:
The New York Transit Museum is located at the corner of Boerum and Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn Heights. On weekends, local subways are the 2, 3, 4 to Borough Hall; R to Court Street; A, C, G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn; A, C, F to Jay Street/Borough Hall. By bus, B25, B26, B37, B38, B41, B45, B52, B57, B61, B65, B67, B75 – all stop within 1 to 2 blocks from the Museum. By car, the Transit Museum is just five blocks from the Brooklyn Bridge. Take the Brooklyn Bridge and proceed straight on Adams Street; Adams Street will become Boerum Place. You will then go two blocks to Schermerhorn Street.

Just a note – as there is work planned on the 4 line through the Fall, the line terminates at weekends at Brooklyn Bridge. So if you will be coming from Manhattan, we suggest you plan to take Westside trains – or if you are closest to the east side you can take the 4 to Brooklyn Bridge and then just hop on the J train to Court Street, which leaves you very close to us. Other plans for rerouted service are often available on a recorded message at 718-330-1234.

For more information about The End of the Line and its DVD release, visit http://animatusstudio.com/subway

CARTOONED CLASSICS at the RPO

This past Saturday, we were pleased to be involved with the Rochester Philharmonic’s presentation of CARTOONED CLASSICS. It was an afternoon of classical pieces made famous (at least to us) through their use in cartoons. Conductor Michael Butterman was gracious enough to invite [...]]]> Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio…

CARTOONED CLASSICS at the RPO

This past Saturday, we were pleased to be involved with the Rochester Philharmonic’s presentation of CARTOONED CLASSICS. It was an afternoon of classical pieces made famous (at least to us) through their use in cartoons. Conductor Michael Butterman was gracious enough to invite our fearless leader, Fred Armstrong, to speak about the process of animation and the use of music in cartoons from the golden age. There was also a quiz to test the animation knowledge of the audience.

We’d like to thank everyone at the RPO for the wonderful experience.

====================================

ANIMATUS SHORTS AT THE ROCHESTER FILM FEST

This year we’re happy to announce the screenings of two Animatus shorts in the Rochester International Film Festival.

***

MOTHERLESS CHILD – REMNANTS OF THE SUBWAY
Fredrick Armstrong & James P. Harte
After a close-up study of decay, the viewer is taken on a phantom ride through a vacant tunnel where the now-abandoned Rochester, NY subway once ran. A lone piano and the resurrected sounds of the subway accompany the ride. (Color, 9 min)

8pm Thursday, May 4, 2006
Dryden Theatre, George Eastman House
900 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

Admission is free. Donations are gratefully accepted.

***

SHARKS IN THE WATER
David Puls
A disconcerting look at the corporate corruption and political collaboration that plague the US. (Animated, Color, 4 min)

4pm Saturday, May 5, 2006
The Little Theatre
240 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

Admission is free. Donations are gratefully accepted.

***

For more about the festival and the Movies on a Shoestring organization, visit http://www.rochesterfilmfest.org

See a preview from Motherless Child at http://animatusstudio.com/subway/subwayphantomrun.html

Find out more about Dave Puls’ Fresh Toones at http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

====================================

The Animation Workshop Presents

FLASH WORKSHOP II
Advanced lessons in Macromedia Flash

Four Saturdays
May 13 & 20, June 3 & 10
(No class Memorial Day Weekend)

Time: 1-4 PM
Price: $189.00
Limited class size of four.
Pre-requisite: Flash Workshop for Beginners

In this workshop, we’ll be building on the basics of the Flash program (buttons, sounds, and animation tweening) to create an interactive self-contained website for each student.

Students can create menus and set up personalized pages about topics of their choice. Following this workshop session, students will receive a data CD of their work. Their work can be viewed from the CD or transferred to a computer hard drive.

If they wish to post webpages online, we can recommend several free hosting options.

To sign up, give us a call or send a check to:
Animatus Studio
34 Winthrop Street
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 232-1740

Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, NY.

============================

“ROCHESTER’S SUBWAY” DIRECTORS INTERVIEWED FOR TV

This Sunday, hop out of bed and flip on Channel 13 in Rochester to see JimHarte and Fred Armstrong speak about “The End of the Line – Rochester’sSubway.” Charlotte Clarke of “Many Voices, Many Visions” [...]]]> Greetings from Animatus!

Here’s the latest news from Animatus Studio in Rochester, NY.

============================

“ROCHESTER’S SUBWAY” DIRECTORS INTERVIEWED FOR TV

This Sunday, hop out of bed and flip on Channel 13 in Rochester to see Jim
Harte and Fred Armstrong speak about “The End of the Line – Rochester’s
Subway.” Charlotte Clarke of “Many Voices, Many Visions” will interview the
two directors about their recent DVD release and the history of Rochester
transit.

Channel 13 WHAM TV
Many Voices, Many Visions
9 AM, Sunday March 19

Find out more about the DVD at http://animatusstudio.com/subway

============================

ANIMATION WORKSHOPS IN APRIL

Our Spring workshops are half done, so it’s time to start thinking about
Spring II!

The Spring II session begins April 8th, 2006. If you’d like to see your
drawings come to life, don’t delay!

Sign up online at http://animatusstudio.com/workshops or print out a mail-in
form.

============================

FRESH TOONES SCREENING IN DETROIT

Dave Puls’ latest Fresh Toone, entitled “Hate Preachers,” will be screening
later this week at Detroit’s Metro Shorts festival.

Hate Preachers synopsis:

Hate preachers, for too long, have been fostering hate crimes. This animated
short takes a look at the destructive rhetoric and encourages all of us to
speak out to offset their fabrications. Reasonable people must stand up and
show that we are not intimidated by their bullying or we will find ourselves
living in a world of their making.

Read about the festival at http://www.metroshorts.com/

Find out more about Fresh Toones at http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

============================

OSKAR FISCHINGER SCREENING AT THE EASTMAN HOUSE

Rochester’s Dryden Theatre will be screening a selection of work by
animator Oskar Fischinger on March 24th. Don’t miss this great chance to see
experimental animation on the big screen!

Oskar Fischinger is best known to the public for his inspiring work on the
first sequence in Fantasia, which set Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue” to an
ambitious series of abstract images. However, Fischinger was so unswervingly
dedicated to his vision that conflicts arose with the producers, and his
efforts went uncredited. Luckily, there remains a body of personal work that
is pioneering in its form and enchanting in its content. Vibrant and
colorful, his films are experiments in the relationship between music and
imagery and could be described as the place where Kandinsky and Thelonius
Monk meet. The program consists of Fischinger’s finest, including: RADIO
DYNAMICS (1942), COMPOSITION IN BLUE (1935), COLORATURA (1932),
SPIRITUAL CONSTRUCTIONS (1927), and more. Program provided by Center
for Visual Music, with thanks to the Fischinger Archive. Prints preserved by the
Academy Film Archive, CVM and Fischinger Archive, with the support of Film
Foundation, Sony, Deutsches Filmmuseum, and Cinémathèque Québécoise.

(program running time, 85 min.)

Visual Music: The Animation of Oskar Fischinger
Dryden Theatre, George Eastman House
8:00 PM, Friday March 24

http://www.eastmanhouse.org/calendar

Karl Goldsmith creates handcrafted, one-of-a kindarchitectural reproductions of barns, houses, andhistorical buildings.

Visit www.goldsmithbirdhouses.com

Allie Peed offers fast, affordable relief of ailing networksand computers in Rochester, NY. His website,getyourguru.com, lists his qualifications and [...]]]> Webmaster extraordinaire Mike Boas has been busy
lately, providing fresh new websites for the following
Animatus clients:

Goldsmith Birdhouses

Karl Goldsmith creates handcrafted, one-of-a kind
architectural reproductions of barns, houses, and
historical buildings.

Visit www.goldsmithbirdhouses.com

The Computer Guru

Allie Peed offers fast, affordable relief of ailing networks
and computers in Rochester, NY. His website,
getyourguru.com, lists his qualifications and certifications.
Plus, read testimonials from satisfied customers!

Visit www.getyourguru.com

Ashley Toman

Ashley Toman is a professional harpist who performs a
broad range of musical styles. Those interested in hiring
Ashley for events can contact her through her site. Also
online are MP3 samples of her performances and links to
purchase her latest album.

Visit www.ashleytoman.com

For More Animatus Web Design

Visit our website
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Hate Preachers synopsis:

Hate preachers, for too long, have been fostering hatecrimes. This animated short takes a look at the destructiverhetoric and encourages all of us to speak out to offset theirfabrications. Reasonable people must stand [...]]]> Dave Puls’ latest Fresh Toone, entitled “Hate Preachers,”
will be part of the line-up at this April’s Kansas City
Filmmakers Jubilee.

Hate Preachers synopsis:

Hate preachers, for too long, have been fostering hate
crimes. This animated short takes a look at the destructive
rhetoric and encourages all of us to speak out to offset their
fabrications. Reasonable people must stand up and show
that we are not intimidated by their bullying or we will find
ourselves living in a world of their making.

Read about the festival at http://www.kcjubilee.org

Find out more about Fresh Toones at http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones

Audio from our Subway DVD premiere screening is now onlinefor your listening pleasure! Learn about the production of thedocumentary and what went into shooting “The Phantom Run.”Also, hear what audience members think about the subway’spast and present.

Visit the subway website to listen [...]]]> Q & A WITH THE FILMMAKERS FOR “THE END OF THE LINE”

Audio from our Subway DVD premiere screening is now online
for your listening pleasure! Learn about the production of the
documentary and what went into shooting “The Phantom Run.”
Also, hear what audience members think about the subway’s
past and present.

Visit the subway website to listen to MP3 files online.

http://animatusstudio.com/subway/index.html#premiere

============================

PRAISE FOR “THE END OF THE LINE”

Michael Roque of RAILROAD.NET has posted a new review
of “The End of the Line – Rochester’s Subway.”

“Overall, this is an excellent DVD with professional production,
high-quality imagery, and a compelling story told with a nostalgic
tone… certainly worth adding to any Rochester railfan’s collection.”

Read the whole review at
http://www.railroad.net/articles/columns/reviews/endoftheline/index.htm

============================

NEW VENDOR FOR “IT CAME FROM ANIMATUS”

Our cartoon compilation is now available through the recently
refurbished Animation World Network Store. See our disc rubbing
elbows with the likes of Plymptoons and Avoid Eye Contact!

Buy your copy today at
http://store.awn.com/product.php?productid=17161&cat=285&page=2

Film Description: Hate preachers, for too long, have been fostering hate crimes. This animated short takes a look at the destructive rhetoric and encourages all of us to speak out to [...]]]> The latest Fresh Toone from Dave Puls, “Hate Preachers,” will be making its debut at the 2006 Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California.

Film Description:

Hate preachers, for too long, have been fostering hate crimes. This animated short takes a look at the destructive rhetoric and encourages all of us to speak out to offset their fabrications. Reasonable people must stand up and show that we are not intimidated by their bullying or we will find ourselves living in a world of their making.

The festival will run March 9-17, 2006. Find out more at http://www.tiburonfilmfestival.com

Read more about Fresh Toones at http://animatusstudio.com/freshtoones or see cartoons online at http://freshtoones.com

This year’s FLASH ANIMATED HOLIDAY CARD is now online. What happens when our intrepid hero Derf tries to get his tree home safely? Follow the link below to find out. Tell your friends!

See our animated holiday card at http://animatusstudio.com/cards/seasonsgreetings05.html

ANIMATION WORKSHOP GIFT CERTIFICATES

Does someone on your Christmas list love to draw? Maybethey’d like to see their drawings come to life! Sign them upfor the next session of the Animation Workshop (beginsJanuary 7th, 2006). Our introductory four-week course onthe basics of animation is only $159.00.

Go to http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

================================

ANOTHER [...]]]> Season’s Greetings from Animatus!

ANIMATION WORKSHOP GIFT CERTIFICATES

Does someone on your Christmas list love to draw? Maybe
they’d like to see their drawings come to life! Sign them up
for the next session of the Animation Workshop (begins
January 7th, 2006). Our introductory four-week course on
the basics of animation is only $159.00.

Go to http://animatusstudio.com/workshops

================================

ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR THE HIGH FALLS FILM FEST

Once again, a good time was had by all at Rochester’s High
Falls Film Festival. The screenings were well received, and
many attendees took the opportunity to converse with our
animation guest, Teresa Drilling. Many thanks to all the
folks who came out and supported the festival.

Read more at http://www.animatusstudio.com/highfalls

================================

SUBWAY SCREENING A HUGE SUCCESS

Our premiere screening at Irondequoit High School for
THE END OF THE LINE – ROCHESTER’S SUBWAY really
packed ‘em in! Roughly 500 attended that evening,
including several Rochesterians who remember riding the
subway back in the day. Filmmakers Fred Armstrong and
Jim Harte took questions and talked about the documentary’s
production. Special thanks to the Rochester Audio Visual
Association, who hosted the event.

For those who couldn’t attend, here’s an online video clip
from the DVD’s special feature, The Phantom Run:
http://animatusstudio.com/subway/subwayphantomrun.html

================================

SUBWAY DVD FOR SALE IN ROCHESTER STORES
The End of the Line is available for $29.95 in the following locations:

Borders
Parkleigh
The Creator’s Hands
Despatch Junction
The Electric Train Company
Five Seasons Gifts
George Eastman House Gift Shop
Global DVD
The New York Museum of Transportation
Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum

For the complete list, visit http://animatusstudio.com/subway/subbuy.html

================================

PRESS FOR THE END OF THE LINE

Several newspaper and television stories about the
DVD have now been posted online.

See the video clips from local TV:
- WHAM News
- R News

Read recent articles from:
- The Democrat & Chronicle
(Jack Garner gives us a 9 out of 10)
- The Irondequoit Post
- Golden Times
- Head End: The Journal of the NY Museum of Transportation

Visit http://animatusstudio.com/subway/subpress.html

WALLACE, GROMIT, CHICKENS, RAISINS AND ME:Teresa Drilling on Life as a Stop-Motion Animator

Sunday, November 13, NoonLittle Theater240 East Avenue, RochesterAdmission $7.00, students $6.50

Fresh from her triumph as one of the principal animators for WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, 20-year animation veteran [...]]]> The High Falls Film Festival and Animatus Studio present…

WALLACE, GROMIT, CHICKENS, RAISINS AND ME:
Teresa Drilling on Life as a Stop-Motion Animator

Sunday, November 13, Noon
Little Theater
240 East Avenue, Rochester
Admission $7.00, students $6.50

Fresh from her triumph as one of the principal animators for WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, 20-year animation veteran Teresa Drilling will share the behind-the-scenes secrets of working with Aardman/Dreamworks on this wildly successful new film. Drilling has rubbed elbows with an odd cast of characters in her career: dancing raisins, talking potatoes, folded paper peppers, and stallions made of coal, not to mention our favorite cheese-loving inventor and his loyal canine pal. She’s worked with advertising agencies J. Walter Thompson, NY; DDB Needham, SF; Grey London Ltd.; Foot, Cone & Belding, NY; and Young & Rubicam, NY for clients including Kellogg’s, Clorox, Merck, Beecham’s, Tropicana, Chili’s Restaurants and Elizabeth Arden.

An upstate New York native and a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Drilling received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for her work on Will Vinton’s CLAYMATION COMEDY OF HORRORS. Among her many crowning achievements are the “Cecille the Ball” series for SESAME STREET, a four-minute holiday sequence for ABC’s HOME IMPROVEMENT, animated sequences in the 2003 feature film ELF, and her work as a key animator for CHICKEN RUN. This presentation is definitely appropriate for children!

Tickets are available from TicketWeb, either on-line at www.ticketweb.com or by phone at 866-468-7619. They will also be available at the Little Theatre one hour before show time.

Find out more about the festival at
www.animatusstudio.com/highfalls and www.highfallsfilmfestival.com

It’s been almost fifty years since Rochester abandoned its ill-fated experiment with rapid transit, the Rochester Subway. Gone but not forgotten, it was [...]]]> The End of the Line – Rochester’s Subway
Special Edition DVD Premiere
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 22
Irondequoit High School Auditorium
260 Cooper Road, Irondequoit
(North of Titus Avenue)
This event is free and open to the public

It’s been almost fifty years since Rochester abandoned its ill-fated experiment with rapid transit, the Rochester Subway. Gone but not forgotten, it was news again this summer as plans were announced to fill in the Broad Street tunnel with dirt. Rochester’s Animatus Studio, which produced an award-winning documentary on the subway in 1994, has re-mastered “The End of the Line – Rochester’s Subway” as a Special Edition DVD. In addition to the original film, Animatus has produced forty-five minutes of new material including a restored 1956 film about the subway, a montage on Car 60, the only surviving passenger car, an interview with eighty-seven year old Don Espenmiller, one of the last men to work on the subway, and a “Phantom Run” through the abandoned Broad Street tunnel.

The DVD will be shown as a feature length presentation on Tuesday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Irondequoit High School’s main auditorium as part of Rochester AudioVisual Association’s fiftieth anniversary. The event is free and open to the public.

For further information contact Animatus Studio at 232-1740.

Website:
http://animatusstudio.com/subway

Press kit:
http://www.animatusstudio.com/subway/images/endofthelinekit.pdf