Contemporary Animation Society

Yeah, Zelda here, back from the depths of self-induced insomnia to bring you the latest update on Savanijam V.  Because President Taylor decided to run off and elope with Vice President Hocutt, I get to flex my chords of steel and announce for the event in my stylin’ Captain Savanijam Uniform of Power, complete with the sparkly green cowboy hat I was chastised for not wearing last Savanijam.

So overall I am not displeased with the outcome, as I get to portray Ryan Seacrest in this year’s round of Animation Idol.  I can only hope my voice holds out until then.  It’s almost like the more sleep I miss, the lower my maximum volume gets…and I missed a ton of sleep finishing my 2-D EFX project on Wednesday and…er…making highlighter cookies on Thursday.  It’s kind of inexcusable.  I should probably get that sleep in so I’m in shape to pull off a decent game show host act in twelve hours.  That, and I should download the American Idol theme song.  Everything is better with background music.

Anyway, this year we did something different…our theme gave you a choice of three words: “lightbulb,” “tricky,” and “go.”  Contestants had to pick two and only two of those words to serve as their theme.  So far I have seen a ton of lightbulbs around and there seems to be quite a bit more stop-mo than last year.  Coraline and the Fantastic Mr. Fox must have made an impression or something.

There also appears to be a lot less hand-drawn 2D contenders this time around, though if I’m not mistaken the only ones on light tables were underclassmen anyway.  Right now it’s just hit that quiet, catatonic sort of time when everyone’s just beyond conversation, myself included.  Hint #13: Try to conserve energy whenever possible. That, and I need to keep the voice intact for the important stuff…

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This evening, at 5:00pm EST Savanijam 2010 kicked off amid uproarious applause and fanfare… at least that’s how I remember it. Everyone is now hard at work planning, sketching, and for some, already animating. I took the first hour to survey one of the most signigant parts of Savanijam… the snacks! Following is an official TKup Review: The Snacks of Savanijam 2010…

Contender #1: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ah, the chocolate chip cookie. Arguably the most popular cookie consumed in the American culture today, and a given for any dessert-themed bake sale. But how do these stack up? Well, I have to admit they are somewhat smaller than the average size of C.C. Cookie I’m used to. But flavor counts for more than mass. I have to dock it some points for a high brittle factor, and the texture pulls to heavily in the dry category. But it’s kept above mediocrity by a good chip flavor and smooth batter distribution. I give it a 6 / 10.

Contender #2: Snickerdoodle Cookies

Ah, snickerdoodles. One of my personal favorites. A good snickerdoodle requires the perfect blend of sugar, cinnamon and tartar; and it’s not easy. Did the chefs achieve it? Well, once again I am somewhat disappointed by the relative dryness of this cookie, and the size leaves something to be desired. Snickerdoodles are harder to get right than chocolate chip, but it cost me 33.3 cents and I’m afraid i can’t be forgiving. 5 / 10.

Contender #3: Brownies

After crunching my way through those brittle cookies, imagine my relief when the next treat i was to test was a big soft brownie. And this recipe did not disappoint. Some brownies can go catastrophically wrong, tasting more like dirt bricks than chocolate cakes. But this blend was a surprisingly well-delivered snack. Soft, thick, and good variation in texture mixing gooey bits with a flaky exterior that makes for a good contrast in layering. And the taste was a rich balance of fudge and chocolate. These brownies are above reproach. 8 / 10.

Contender #4: Highlighter Cookies

What are highlighter cookies, you may ask? I was wondering the same thing. But this special treat, as it turns out, is a classic sugar cookie mix smothered in Zelda’s special blend of electric colored icing, with large, titillating sprinkles adorning the top. Now regular sugar cookies on their own are never anything special, IMHO, but when given the right topping, they can become another thing entirely. And I must say when my tongue touched the florescent fields of condensed confectioner sugar sitting atop this baked batter like a wondrous radioactive ooze infecting the sandy white shores of a Caribbean paradise, this calamitous concoction grabbed my taste buds and tossed them into the depths of Yucca Mountain, keeping them there for what seemed like 25,000 years. Spectacular. The extra flavor will cost you through… highlighter cookies are $1 each. 8 /10.

Conclusion: The more standard cookies are good, but not great. The brownies and highlighter cookie are a surprisingly pleasant treat at such a humble event. They’re fairly evenly matched in terms of quality, and I’d recommend trying both. But if forced to choose a winner, I will have to go with the brownies, because of value. They are half the price of the highlighter cookies, and a third the price if you buy three. And three brownies for a dollar is never a bad deal. just ask Leslie Martin…

Until later, keep animating!
-TKup

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HAH!  Now that we’ve decided all CAS officers can post on our club blog, I’d like to share some photos I took at our very first meeting this quarter; the stage combat demonstration by Professor Martin Noyes.  Hopefully they’ll serve as good reference/nostalgia! 

-Lauren (the poster girl)

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This past Thursday our CAS meeting was a screening of The Secret of Kells, an animated feature film about fear, dreams and destiny. It was produced by the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon.

We took some excellent pictures of the event, and they can be found below! Remember next week: Mystery CAS Theater 3000: Jacques and Jason dismantle Pixar’s The Incredibles.

The turnout was spectacular!

We love our CAS officers.

CAS attendees fraternize after the screening.

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So for week eight, we sang some Disney karaoke, along with Dead or Alive’s smash hit “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”.  Gotta love that Pete Burns.  I almost feel sorry for those poor chumps trying to use the computers next to us…I heard we could be heard throughout the entire third floor.  Personally, I sang myself hoarse.

The following week, our quarterly critique session was actually packed!  Yay!

Zelda here, wishing you all a very Happy Finals Week and a great summer.  See you in the fall! 

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Students packed themselves into Monty 322 as the Cage staff worked feverishly to repair the long-suffering projector in 311 in preparation for John “Debber” Webber’s Q&A session.  One new bulb later and things were up and running after some light product placement and advertising for Richard Simmons’ Animator’s Survival Kit.

Old jokes die hard like that.

Webber was sporting a lovely reddish plaid shirt, which from a distance looked pink if you squinted really hard, khakis, and a belt that was probably brown, but I wasn’t paying too much attention to that.  No doubt, students will be rushing to Targets and Sears’s everywhere to emulate his tried-and-true fashion statement for the upcoming season.  The questions asked spanned everything from his favorite ice cream flavor to the sort of obstacles Disney (and any other) animators have to face during production…and the most important question asked will be answered right here, right now.

WOULD JOHN WEBBER LOOK BETTER IN A NEWSBOY CAP OR A TOP HAT?

We at CAS polled the audience and an overwhelming majority said “newsboy cap.”  If you don’t believe me, check out this official pie chart.  It’s very professional and therefore must be true.

Next order of business…to convince Webber to actually put a newsboy hat on and see if he does indeed look highly fashionable.

The Lilo and Stitch DVD kind of wonked out.  Tragically the idea Twi and I had to try and dub over the frozen frames flopped miserably.  Seriously.  You people woudln’t know a good idea if Glen Keane puked it up all over your shoes.

And speaking of Glen Keane barfing, tune in next week for an episode of the Contemporary Animation Society you won’t want to miss!

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In our last episode of the CAS blog, we left off with a teaser for Lucilla Hoshor’s acting workshop, where I took incessant video footage.  By clicking the link below you too will have access to the madness.

Professor Hoshor’s Acting Workshop in a Nutshell

The next week we did an animated exquisite corpse, which Nate never gave to Tracey to post on Youtube.  The following week, Mallory Pearce gave a dissertation on animals in preparation for the zoo trip…of which I actually don’t have that many pictures, unless you count this abomination…

Yes, this woman is actually taking an order from a LEGO minifig that bears some inkling of a resemblance to Professor Troy if he were ever to dress up as a rapping mailman.

Oh, we were supposed to go to the zoo to look at animals?  Whoops…okay, okay.  Would you rather have this picture of a baby jaguar, then?

You probably find this one much cuter.  Or at least less weird.

I cannot hype this next meeting enough…it’s going to feature none other than the legendary John “Debber” Webber, talking about Lilo and Stitch and putting up with my antics.  So if you like ducks as much as I think you do, drop by early and try to actually get a seat!

Till next time, this is Zelda signing off.  Wait, what am I saying?  I’ll be back tomorrow.  Pinky swear.

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Without further ado, I hereby present the highly-anticipated Savanijam winner list to all who were unable to hear it in person!

Sweeping the judging panel in every category and taking home the grand prize (Best Overall) was Tyler Kupferer‘s “Power,” a nonrepresentational, highly-stylized black and white clip set to a piece by Justice and created in Flash. It also won the honorary Jacques Award of Nonobjectivity.

The winning entry for Best Animation Technique was “Faturday Frolic,” by Max Steiner, Robyn Haley and Heather Surprenant.  It featured the deaths of several dozen blobbish rabbits and made Sim…er…Jason…giggle like a schoolgirl.

Rebecca Boensch, Nick Garza and Mark McDonald‘s “On and On” claimed an Honorable Mention for this category.

Logan McDonald and Katie Stoltze took home the Best Video Aesthetic award for “Bickford’s Pie.”  That was the marker-colored stop-motion piece…with the red pie and the paper cornstalks.  Their set kind of rocked.

Fay Helfer, Dave Hale and Stephanie Augello got this category’s honorable mention with “Collective Brain Explosion.”

Jessica Carroll‘s aptly-named “Power” garnered her the Best Interpretation of Theme prize with its creative transitions and most likely would have been the first runner up for the Jacques Award if it had actually been given out.

Ryan Coster, Chris Cantero and Gabe Asturias won the Honorable Mention for “Iphone Po,” which I found hilarious.

The Best Underclassman award went to Travis Lockhart and Yasumine Mousa for “Hey You,” which involved thugs and projectile vehicles.  Yay.

There were also two special Honorable Mentions:

Most Comedic Film goes to Ashlee Perkins and Brandyn Bold for “Power Guys,” and The “Debra Says” Award goes to Alexander Faircloth, Greg Radcliffe and Michael Petitto for “The Whale Vessel.”

The three of them probably remember what Debra said.

That’s all, folks, and here’s to another Savanijam come and gone.  Next week tune in for an acting workshop featuring the lovely and talented Professor Lucilla Hoshor.  Seacrest out!

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I would have posted a list of the Savanijam winners along with a nice, detailed description of the end of Savanijam, but a certain CAS officer hasn’t forwarded me the information as to who they were yet, so until I do get the complete list, you’ll have to deal with this lovely picture from the 2009 season premiere of ‘Animation Idol’ starring John Webber as Randy Jackson, Debra Mooreshead as Paula Abdul, and Jason Maurer as Simon Cowell (and featuring Nate Taylor as Ryan Seacrest). Thank you for your patience.

The season premiere...and finale. Le sigh.

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