Category: Distribution & Marketing

  • Backup!

    World backup day is March 31st. Even though I’m writing this in July the topic seems relevant at any time and the sooner the better if you are not backing up already.

    Stopmotion, or most animation productions for that matter, are very time consuming endeavors. Even though stopmotion productions involve real puppets and sets, a huge portion of the project assets live in the digital realm. A backup plan to maintain and restore hundreds of hours worth of footage and other production content is critical. I have been exploring backup scenarios and recently used gliffy to diagram a plan. I have also been exploring crashplan as an additional backup component during active productions where new footage and files are being created regularly.

    Here is my gliffy backup plan diagram.

    backup-plan-diagram-2013

    The plan contains redundancy to cover failures that might occur at various levels such as device, location and time. I also added the Vimeo example as a form of backup since it allows for the publishing of high definition content (although in a compressed form). There are other network attached storage solutions, external drives and RAID solutions that I may explore further. For example, something like drobo looks like it could take the place of individual USB drives in my diagram.


  • Man Drawing a Reclining Woman is Playing at the Northwest Animation Festival

    I am pleased to announce that my short stopmotion film, Man Drawing a Reclining Woman, will be playing at the Northwest Animation Festival.

    The festival runs from June 3rd through 5th and my film will screen on June 5, 2011 in the Block-F section between 3pm and 6pm.  This is the premier of the festival and there are some fantastic looking films being shown. Many thanks to the Jury and the festival director, Sven Bonnichsen, for selecting my work to be included in the program!


  • Northwest Animation Festival 2011

    Attention all animators and fans of the medium! Sven Bonnichsen (animator, playwright and artist from Portland Oregon) is launching a new film festival!

    NW ANIMATION FESTIVAL 2011:  Call For Submissions

    The NW Animation Festival is now accepting entries for 2011. Films from anywhere in the world are welcome. Deadline is May 1, with discounts for students and films received by April 1. The festival will be held on June 3-4-5, in the heart of downtown Portland Oregon at the historic 5th Avenue Cinema. See website for details and submission form: nwanimationfest.com

    • This is a festival created by animators, for animators, and all lovers of animation.
    • We are people who hunger to see MORE.  Not just the year’s top 10 shorts… We want to feast on the year’s top 100!
    • We’ve thrown the door wide open for submissions.  Films may come from anywhere in the world. You may submit films made at any time during your life. And you are free to simultaneously show your work online or at other festivals.
    • We know that great animation comes from all levels. Contributions from students, independent artists, and professional studios are all valued equally.
    • All types of animation are encouraged:  hand-drawn, computer-generated, stop-motion…  We attempt to program shorts blocks focusing on each method separately—both to educate, and to satisfy each methods’ enthusiasts.
    • We strive to pack the weekend with as much animation as possible. But the festival is still bigger than just this. Select films go on to become part of our “Best of the NW Animation Fest” traveling show, which will tour the region during the following year.
    • For more, visit: nwanimationfest.com

  • Lincoln: An Unrealized Experimental Animation

    PLAYING AT LIMITED TIMES ONLY!

    Lincoln, my unrealized experimental animation.

    • Synopsis: The supernatural trial and judgement of John Wilkes Booth for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
    • Running Time: 3:42
    • Format: NTSC, 1.77:1, Black & White
    • Audio: Mono
    • Genres: Animation, Computer Animation, Experimental
    • Location: Atlanta, GA, U.S.A.
    • Producer, Writer, Director: Grant Goans
    • Music: Grant Goans (Variations on “Dixie” by Daniel Decatur Emmett)
    • Completed: May 2009
    • Background: Lincoln was animated in 2002 as a CGI experimental project. It never coalesced into something satisfactory for me. The idea was to merge the alleged supernatural interests of Mary Todd Lincoln with a trial (set as a play in the hereafter) for the assassination of Lincoln. In 2009, I composed variations of the song Dixie (supposedly one of Lincoln’s favorite songs) and assembled this edit. – G. Goans 2011

  • Mirror Selected for the Stop Motion Montreal Film Festival

    I am happy to announce that Mirror has been selected for the Stop Motion Montreal festival.