On August 15th SEAT member Joe Garber will be celebrating the release of his graphic novel Canyonlands with a desert-themed group art show!
Please come and check out how the desert inspires local artists of all walks.
Check out the comic here: http://www.canyonlandscomic.com/
So happy that Tyler Mangrum from the Capitol Hill Times decided to cover the animation scene here in Seattle. In this article for which I was interviewed earlier in the week, he covers SEAT, the status of indie animation compared to other kinds, as well as the Strange Creatures screening on August 3rd:
“These films will break your heart and make you laugh at the same time,” Martin said. “This is why I love doing these collections; the films are just awesome. Once I get people in the theater, there’s nothing else I have to do. The films will win them over. It’s just a matter of letting people know that it’s happening, that this scene exists here, that they should be proud of it, and that it’s inspiring as a medium.”
I’m happy to announce that on Saturday, August 3rd, you’ll have a chance to see the second program of animated shorts I’ve curated. These are also all by members of the Seattle Experimental Animation Team, and this time around they all have animal/nature themes. Ten films by seven artists (including Bruce Bickford!) plus a custom zine program by Kelly Froh and Marc Palm. It’s going to be an awesome show and you don’t want to miss it. Buy your tickets on the NW Film Forum website.
The Pacific Northwest has more than its share of curious creatures. This series of animated films, curated by Tess Martin, showcases the relationship between humans and the natural world in the wet and wild city of Seattle. Whales, owls, bumblebees, frogs, cats, dogs and the hairy forest-dwelling giant known as Bigfoot inhabit these flights of fancy created by award-winning members of the Seattle Experimental Animation Team, themselves a rare breed: truly independent creators who push the boundaries of animation.
1. Rocketmen trailer, Webster Crowell, 0:53 (2013)
The Rocketmen are the last surviving remnant of a WPA jobs program; their hardware, uniforms and budget haven’t changed since the great depression; generations of men employed atop rooftops and radio towers, waiting to save us from the threats of tomorrow. An adventure serial about what to do until the robots arrive, seven thrilling episodes written and directed by Animator Webster Crowell. Coming in 2013!
www.panicbuttonpictures.com
2. The Whale Story, Tess Martin, 3:46 (2012)
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.
www.tessmartinart.com
3. Song of the Spindle, Drew Christie, 4:03 (2011)
A man and whale argue about who is smarter and finally come to something of an understanding.
Animated in Flash and drawn by hand with tablet.
www.drewchristie.com
4. Crashing Waves, Britta Johnson, 6:53 (2010)
In this film, featuring a combination of stop-motion animation and time lapse photography, two shipwreck victims spend their days on a deserted shore, making the sun rise, the tides move in and out, etc. Are they gods, or have they been driven mad by their predicament?
www.thekmpi.net
5. Hi! I’m a Nutria, Drew Christie, 3:45 (2012)
In this animated Op-Doc for the New York Times, an invasive rodent asks how long it takes to become a native. Animated and colored in Photoshop with scanned ink drawings.
www.drewchristie.com
6. Harsh Tokes and Bong Jokes, Clyde Petersen, 3:46 (2013)
Hand drawn for his band Your Heart Breaks, Harsh Tokes and Bong Jokes is a drug-fueled teenage ride through the grunge rock streets of Seattle, Washington in the 1990’s. Climb into a car with a bunch of queer teenagers as they take bong hits, rock out to mix tapes and play guitar on the beach.
www.doitforthegirls.com
7. Excerpt from Dream of a Beatnick Poet, Bruce Bickford, 5:24 (2000-present)
Bruce Bickford, known for his claymation videos for Frank Zappa from the 1970s, continues to animate every day. Working primarily now in fine-pencilled drawn animation, this is a five minute excerpt from one of his work-in-progress films, Dream of a Beatnick Poet.
www.brucebickford.com
8. Edible Rocks, Stefan Gruber, 2:49 (2013)
This animation recounts the time when the animator convinced his little brother that there were some rocks you could eat. Made with charcoal, colored pencils and gel pens.
stefangruber.tumblr.com
9. They Look Right Through You, Tess Martin, 9:02 (2013)
Whether cat people or dog people, we all think we have relationships with our pets. But do our pets feel the same way? Can we ever really know how our animals see us, or are our relationships with them ultimately a leap of faith? This marker-on-glass animated short uses interviews to explore the depth and limitations of human-pet relationships, and how we communicate, feel for and understand each other.
www.tessmartinart.com
10. King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O, Britta Johnson, 3:02 (2012)
The strange courtship of a frog and a mouse – an animated music video made with watercolors for Laura Veirs’ song King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki- Me- O, featuring Bela Fleck on the banjo.
www.thekmpi.net
Total running time: 44 minutes
Here is some additional info from the press release:
Seattle’s vibrant alternative animation scene is on display in Strange Creatures, a screening of local independent animated shorts that explore our relationship with the natural world. Don’t miss this great opportunity to see films on the big screen that have previously shown at Sundance and SIFF, by award-winning filmmakers of the Seattle Experimental Animation Team: Drew Christie, Bruce Bickford, Stefan Gruber, Webster Crowell, Britta Johnson, Clyde Petersen and Tess Martin.
Curator Tess Martin will herself be bringing the program to European venues over the next year, echoing her 2011 tour where Seattle films screened in 15 venues in 9 countries.
ABOUT THE SCREENING and ZINE PROGRAM:
This screening takes place on Saturday, August 3rd, 2013 at 4:00PM at the NW Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122. Price is $10/general public, $6/Film Forum members, $7/Seniors, Children under 12 and Students with valid photo ID.
Each guest will receive a zine program designed by Seattle cartoonist Marc Palm, featuring portraits of the filmmakers by comic artist Kelly Froh. This zine will be distributed at every future screening of the program, and will serve to showcase the local comics community as well as the animation scene.
PRESS/MEDIA:
Seattle Weekly 8/2/2013: “Strange Creatures” Populate this Weekend’s Indie Seattle Animation Show, Kelton Sears
Central District News 8/2/2013: Work of Central District resident Britta Johnson featured in local screening, Megan Hill
CityArts Online 8/1/2013: Animator Tess Martin Unleashes ‘Strange Creatures’ at the Northwest Film Forum, Tony Kay
New Day NW 7/31/2013: Discover Strange Creatures with animator Webster Crowell
Blog 4Culture 7/29/2013: One night only screening of Seattle animation, guest contributor Tess Martin
Beacon Hill Blog 7/29/2013: Beacon Hill animator presents evening of short films, Andrew Hamlin
Capitol Hill Times 7/11/2013: Animation to win you over at Northwest Film Forum, Tyler Mangrum
Turns out our friends at Interstitial Theatre are kicking off their Mobile Screen Tour on April 4th in Pioneer Square, the same evening as the SEAT Bloodbath & Beyond event at Zeitgeist. The Mobile Screen tour is a video gallery on wheels, where media work from 14 artists is showcased on a loop and accessible to the public.
The screen will be situated at TK Lofts (115 Prefontaine Pl S) from 5PM-8PM on Thursday, April 4th, as part of the Pioneer Square Art Walk. Check out Interstitial Theatre’s Kickstarter campaign they have going right now. After catching that, saunter over a few blocks to Zeitgeist Coffee (171 S Jackson St) where from 8PM onwards you’ll be able to catch the new SEAT collective film The Little Shop of Animated Horrors, playing on a loop on multiple screen on windows and walls along with other new animated work.
It’s going to be an epic Pioneer Square Art Walk!
Hello SEAT fans!
Our Seattle event, and the premiere of our collective film based on the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors is coming up fast! As a reminder, it’s Thursday, April 4th, 8PM at Zeitgeist Coffee in Pioneer Square.
We’ve already bought our three fancy collapsible projector stands, and are about to buy a nice digital projector for the event.
We hope you can make it to see it all come together!
Here is the Facebook event.
Today (Thurs the 21st) is that last day to see The Rabbi’s Cat in Seattle at the NW Film Forum. This animated feature will delight you and blow your mind at the same time. Can a cat be Jewish? This and other questions are addressed. There are clever and elegant opening titles. There is a beautiful female character who is not stick thin. There are jokes. The cat hates kids. You will love it. Based on a series of graphic novels I also recommend by Joann Sfar. Go see it today!
SEAT is at it again! We’re creating a second collective film, this time based on the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors! What will it look like? Find out on April 4th at the premiere of the film at Zeitgeist Coffee at 8PM, as part of the Pioneer Square Art Walk.
AND, it will hopefully reach Portland as well on May 20th, as part of both the NW Animation Festival and the Experimental Film Festival.
BUT, in order to do all this we need some funds for projectors and projector stands. We’ve created an Indiegogo campaign that just launched a few minutes ago and will close on March 14th. You can see the campaign here. Please, consider donating! Contact Tess Martin (tess [@] tessmartinart.com) for a full press release and flier. Also, check out our humorous fundraising video here:
So many animated-related films screening in Seattle!
First up is this documentary about Ginger Baker, drummer for Cream, called Beware of Mr. Baker, playing at the Grand Illusion Cinema March 1-7. It features some interesting looking animated segments. You can see some short clips of them here at the one minute mark:
Next up is a documentary about Art Spiegelman called The Art of Spiegelman playing at the SIFF Cinema at the Uptown as part of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival on March 10th at 12:30PM. An animated short called The Basketball Game is also playing before the doc, in case you needed another reason to go see this.
The Rabbi’s Cat is also playing as part of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival on March 10th at 2:30PM, but in case you miss it then it is coming for a full week to the NW Film Forum March 15-21. Watch the trailer here:
Go by SIFF Cinema this weekend to check out one of the 11 (count ’em!) Studio Ghibli films playing.
Here is the full line up.
Last year animator Tess Martin curated a program of 12 animated shorts from Seattle called Inter-Action. It’s since screened in Seattle, Portland, New York, and she went on tour with it to 9 locations in Europe in October 2011. Now the program, with one substitution, is coming to Montreal, and screening at the Cinematheque Quebecoise on February 1st, 6:30PM and Tess will be there to present!
“I decided to switch out my own film, Plain Face, for a more recent one, The Whale Story. In Montreal it’s playing as part of the Cinematheque’s weekly animation night. I’m so excited to be screening at a venue that has a weekly animation program!”
Please tell anyone you know in Montreal to come on by! The screening is $8(CAN) for adults.