Animation continues on Whale Story

 SEAT, Tess Martin - The Whale Story, WALLRUS  Comments Off on Animation continues on Whale Story
Dec 062011
 

New painting - close-up of the whale's eye

The sign identifying Tess' live animation project

Animator Tess Martin today spent time at the Wallrus wall (the portion of the Sound Transit red wall assigned to SEAT) and animated a short close-up shot for her current project The Whale Story. This is a segment of a larger film and tells the story of a whale being freed from fishing nets. If you’re curious, pass by the wall (in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park near the cone fountain) Wednesday morning and Friday afternoon for more live animation.

The Whale Story

 Tess Martin - The Whale Story, WALLRUS  Comments Off on The Whale Story
Nov 252011
 

A fisherman experiences a moment of connection with a female humpback whale in the waters off of San Francisco. Is this an example of inter-species communication or a mysterious fluke? This true story is retold in paint on a 16 foot high wall with the help of the passing public in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park. Watch the timelapse here: vimeo.com/32413369

Directed and Animated by:
Tess Martin

Additional Animators:
Webster Crowell
Stefan Gruber
Britta Johnson
Amanda Moore

Actor:
DK Pan

Music & Audio:
Spencer Thun

Interviewees:
Jenny Asarnow
Alec Deason
Emily Eagle
Marc Hobbs
Ilana Holmes
Britt Madsen
Tristan Parker
Anthony Sonnenberg

Volunteers:
Katie Durant-Storey
Alma Khasawnih
Shannon MacIntyre
Britt Madsen
Doug Mora
Houria Rollosson
Venus Volante

This story was originally heard in the
Radiolab podcast ‘Animal Minds’
and was animated primarily
over one weekend in
Seattle’s Cal Andersen Park

Made Possible by:
Sound Transit
4Culture

Whale Story Timelapse video

 SEAT, Tess Martin - The Whale Story, WALLRUS  Comments Off on Whale Story Timelapse video
Nov 182011
 

Check out this timelapse video of the Whale Story being animated on a 16ft high wall in Cal Anderson Park! Many people helped and some even got recorded re-telling the RadioLab story on which this film is based. To listen to the original RadioLab story, find the ‘Animal Minds’ podcast.

http://youtu.be/sfTpDgL_KN0

The Whale Story wall video at Art Walk on Thursday

 SEAT, Tess Martin - The Whale Story, WALLRUS  Comments Off on The Whale Story wall video at Art Walk on Thursday
Nov 092011
 

Tess Martin directs actor DK Pan as fellow animators wait their turn

For those of you that stopped by the animator’s wall (Wallrus) the weekend of Oct 1 & 2, you may have noticed a bunch of crazy people animating giant murals. The story, about a whale being freed from fishing nets, is part of Tess Martin’s film about animal-human relationships. I still need to reshoot some scenes, so the segment is not completed yet, but you will be able to see the work-in-progress, starring actor/artist DK Pan, at the Capitol Hill Art Walk this Thursday, 5:30PM-8:30PM (at the Green Door studio, 1520 11th Ave, above Purr). Come by and check it out!

Note I will only be there until 8:30PM, so if you want to catch it, come early.

Wallrus 3 – sample timelapse

 SEAT, Tess Martin - The Whale Story, WALLRUS  Comments Off on Wallrus 3 – sample timelapse
Oct 032011
 

Here is a sample of timelapse photos take during the Seattle Experimental Animation Team’s Wallrus project on October 1st & 2nd 2011. Led by Tess Martin, the group animated a story from RadioLab. Those three second were probably 2 hours of work! Photos taken by Doug Mora. Thanks Doug! More coming shortly!

WALLRUS – Live Animation event on Local Sightings calendar!

 SEAT, Tess Martin - The Whale Story, WALLRUS  Comments Off on WALLRUS – Live Animation event on Local Sightings calendar!
Sep 212011
 

The Live Animation by SEAT event on Oct 1 & 2 is up on the Local Sightings calendar! It’s free and will happen in Cal Anderson Park, near the fountain and the 10th & Denny entrance. Come on by!

Also check out our Facebook event.

WALLRUS – Live Animation Event

 SEAT, Tess Martin - The Whale Story, WALLRUS  Comments Off on WALLRUS – Live Animation Event
Sep 122011
 

Local animators premiere 3rd installment four-year wall animation project

Wallrus, an animated wall project lasting four years and involving 8 animators, continues in its third installment on Saturday, Oct 1st and Sunday, Oct 2nd, 9AM-6PM in a special Local Sightings Film Festival event in Seattle’s Carl Anderson Park. Local animator Tess Martin will direct a group of other independent animators in the animation of a life size whale, part of her film about animals tentatively titled ‘Cat Person.’ This event is free. Those members of the public interested in being interviewed (audio only) are especially encouraged to attend.

ABOUT WALLRUS:
SEAT (Seattle Experimental Animation Team) in conjunction with Sound Transit, and with support from the NW Film Forum, presents: Wallrus – The slow moving, ungainly giant movie, an eight part collaborative mural/animation created over four years on the surface of a construction barrier in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park. Part of Sound Transit’s STart’s Capitol Hill Wall Project, seven animators and one school group collaborating over time
take over part of the huge plywood wall around the Capitol Hill Light Rail construction – specifically a section by ‘the Philosopher’s Tree’ near the 10th Ave and Denny park entrance. Clyde Petersen kicked off the project in September 2010 by animating a music video for The Thermals in chalk, and Amanda Moore created animated clips in March 2011 for her film The Open Town. Tess Martin will have tenure on the wall from September 2011 until March 2012 and after this kick-off event on Oct 1&2 will be animating on it roughly once a month.

ABOUT THE EVENT:
Tess Martin will begin her work on the wall with the help of five other independent animators (Britta Johnson, Webster Crowell, Salise Hughes, Stefan Gruber and Amanda Moore) at 9AM on October 1st. They will continue animating throughout the weekend as light and weather permits. The spectacle is free and open to the public. Tess will be directing a scene from her short film Cat Person which depicts a story in RadioLab’s Animal Minds podcast (about a whale). Members of the public interested in being interviewed (audio only) about the story are especially encouraged to attend.

ABOUT TESS MARTIN:
Tess Martin is an animator who has been making her own short films since 2004. Her specialty is back-lit paper cut-outs. She has received an Artist Trust GAP Grant, a CityArtist Grant, a Puffin Foundation grant and a 4Culture grant for work on her most recent film, Plain Face, which premiered at SIFF on May 28th. Her last film (A Moment’s Reverie, a 10 min. stop frame animation) was on display at e4c, 4Culture’s media gallery in Seattle for a year, and has shown at multiple venues around the world. She has received a 4Culture grant for her current film, Cat Person. She is a member of SEAT, Seattle Experimental Animation Team, and has helped organize animation events, screenings, and public works.

Forthcoming and previous animators include:
Clyde Petersen, Amanda Moore, Webster Crowell, Britta Johnson, Sarah Jane Lapp, Stefan Gruber and Coyote central.

Most of the animators are part of SEAT (Seattle Experimental Animation Team), a loose coalition of animator/filmmakers based in Seattle whose mission is to be a nurturing force for the creation and dissemination of experimental animation.

Contact: tessmartin[at]filmandscissors.com

Local Sightings – SEAT animating live on the Wallrus wall!

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Sep 072011
 

Get ready for a life size whale in Cal Anderson Park on Oct 1st & 2nd! As many of you know the Seattle Experimental Animation Team has been commissioned by Sound Transit to make work on part of the big red wall around the light rail construction on Capitol Hill. We have the wall for four years total, and one animator takes over every six months. Clyde Petersen used his time on the wall to create chalk animations for the amazing Not Like Any Other Feeling video for the Thermals. Amanda Moore used the wall to create clips for her film The Open Town. Well, Tess Martin’s tenure begins in a few weeks, and goes until March 2012. Her first endeavor is a live animation event that is part of Local Sightings, the yearly festival of work from the NW organized by the NW Film Forum.

She will begin work on the wall with the help of five other independent animators (Britta Johnson, Webster Crowell, Salise Hughes, Stefan Gruber and Amanda Moore) at 9AM on October 1st. This will involve lots of paint and rollers on long extension poles. Possibly also ladders of various sizes and scuba gear.  We will continue animating throughout the day Saturday as light and weather permits, and will return Sunday as well.  The spectacle is free and open to the public. She will be directing a scene from my short film tentatively titled ‘Cat Person’ which depicts a story told in RadioLab’s Animal Minds podcast. Members of the public interested in being interviewed (audio only) about the story are especially encouraged to attend. If you haven’t heard this story yet, listen to the whole thing here.

Check back soon for an official flier and press release!

New iPhone Vimeo App Features Animation by SEAT

 Clyde Petersen - Not Like Any Other Feeling, Uncategorized, WALLRUS  Comments Off on New iPhone Vimeo App Features Animation by SEAT
Apr 142011
 

vimeo feature

Well you’d never guess it. April 1st, 2011 brought an interesting surprise to SEAT members as the Thermals video produced on the wall at Cal Anderson as part 1 of Wallrus ended up as a featured video on the new iPhone Vimeo app screenshots. The play count went through the roof and director Clyde Petersen wondered if it was an April Fools joke from Vimeo. But two weeks later, it’s still there. It’s everywhere. How nice. If you haven’t seen the video yet, check it out now!