February 09, 2006
Co-opted By The Man
Ahem. Take a look at the commercial for the Anime Network below and tell me if you see something that looks familiar :
Here's a couple of screenshots from our non-profit political cartoon "Brother, Can You Spare A Job?" :
I should probably point out that the Anime Network's commercial is at odds with the Creative Commons license under which we released the short :
The point here isn't to lock down the rights to the short completely, but to ensure that our hard work is shown in the context in which we created it. Specifically, we didn't want Brother's message to get lost in the shuffle. That's why we've granted every request to repackage, exhibit, and present the short in full. It's been shown on television, film and animation festivals, video podcasts, DVD's, and worldwide screenings. And because our goal has always been to juxtapose a depression-era setting with the Bush Administration's elitist economic policies, we've never asked for a penny in return. So it's doubly insulting to not only have our work chopped up and reappropriated without permission or attribution, but that it's being done by some mega corporation that could easily afford to make a charitable contribution in exchange for the rights to re-use the footage.I know I'm being petty here, but let me also say how much I'm annoyed that our work is being sqeezed into their strained "cartoons vs. anime" comparison as an example of animation that sucks. If you want to sell your infantile "robots, babes, and ninjas" crap to the masses, that's fine, but there's no reason to insult your fellow animators in the process. Since you drew a line in the sand, however, I gotta wonder where the works of animation geniuses like Isao Takahata, Osamu Tezuka, and Hayao Miyazaki would fit. They seem more like "cartoons" to me.
Posted by greg at 10:59 AMJanuary 29, 2006
"Brother..." for you iPods!
With the 2006 election coming up, "Brother, Can You Spare a Job?" is as timely as ever. The stocks soaring and wages shrinking, who's on the receiving end of this economic recovery we keep hearing about? If things are going so great, then where are all the jobs going? As the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has shown us, poverty is a problem that's getting worse and worse under the leadership of the Republican Party and their merry band of cronies and thieves. You're doing a heckuva job, Bushie!
Now, with the help of
Channel Frederator, we are able to spread our little film to an even bigger audience. Channel Frederator assembles 15 minute episodes of cartoons that are formatted specifically for your iPod (or other digital players). So, whip out your credit card and indulge in this bustling, capitalist society by purchasing an iPod (what were you gonna do with that money- give it to a more worthy cause or something? ). Then go to Channel Frederator and download "Brother, Can You Spare a Job?"! The cartoons are FREE! You can download it from the Channel Frederator episode 14 site, or you can get it through the iTunes store. After you get it, be sure to go back to Channel Frederator, register, and vote for your favorite shorts. (The normal Frederator audience is slaughtering us over there- voted "worst cartoon" ever so far). Also, be sure to check out my other cartoon, the Muffs music video "Don't Pick On Me", in
Channel Frederator episode 5. Then be sure to
vote in the 2006 election. Sure they'll rig that election, too, and steal all the votes with the help of their privately owned voting machines... But voting is fun, and you get a nice shiny sticker! Then in 2007 Bush will declare himself Emporor and we'll plunge further into despotism... but hey- at least you'll have an iPod with some cool cartoons on it! Posted by tom at 12:20 PMSeptember 27, 2005
Back from Ottawa '05!
I'm back from the Ottawa '05 International Animation Festival
It was a helluva week. I blogged a report on everything at my personal news site here.
Posted by tom at 11:43 AMSeptember 07, 2005
Art for Katrina...
I'm horified by what's happening in the country right now.
Many artists are organizing there efforts
to make art for disaster relief.
Basically, you buy a piece of art,
and the money gets donated to a disaster relief fund.
I haven't been able to organize it yet,
but I am going to try to do something similar.
More details to come as soon as possible.in the meantime check out these links:
Posted by tom at 07:55 AMMore Muffs News
My Muffs video, "Don't Pick On Me", is now up on the The Muffs website. Check the "Muffs Media" section and go to "Videos." to watch it!
The video has also made it into the Ottawa International Animation Festival 2005. I'll be off to beautiful Canadia in a couple of weeks.
Posted by tom at 07:50 AMJuly 01, 2005
Don't Pick On Me!
I'm Really Really Happy to announce that i have finally finished my music video for the Muffs.
It is an animated music video for their song "Don't Pick On Me" written, directed, and animated by me (tom).
We're working to get it up on the Muffs site soon. More details later.
Posted by tom at 04:03 PMJune 20, 2005
Anima Mundi!
There's still life in our little cartoon! We are a part of the official selection for the Anima Mundi Festival in Brazil!
Click here for more details.
Posted by tom at 10:18 AMFebruary 28, 2005
Next year they'll be handing 'em out in the parking lot...
Chris Rock's joke hit straight to the point... Why The hell were the short film awards given out in the Balcony!?!? It's probably the biggest moments in their careers, but the nominees and winners for Best Animated short and Best Live-Action Short were segregated from the rest of the Oscars. The winners weren't even allowed near the stage last night.
Not only that, but they didn't even show 5 second clips of those films!!! I still remember when i was 13 years old and watching the Oscars for the first time, seeing a series of 5 second clips of the animated short nominees and thinking "WOW! Those look really cool, where can i see that?" I've stil never seen them, but those 5 second clips are burned into my brain. Most people will never see these films. The Oscars are the only chance these short films will ever be noticed by the mainstream. Those two awards are practically the only representation of independent film-making at the Oscars, but last night the Academy sent a clear message of "You're not worthy" to all short-subject, independent film-makers.
Anyway... that said, I am very happy for the two animated winners last night: The Incredibles was definitely the best animated feature (even though it was worthy of a "best feature" nomination, and the other two nominees weren't even worhty of a greenlight). And Chris Landreth's "Ryan" is a really innovative and wonderful film. Both of these films really push through the barriers of what animated films can be while still remaining accessible and entertaining. Applause and admiration to everyone involved in these films.
Posted by tom at 09:36 AMFebruary 25, 2005
Hey, Loook at ME!
Amid, over at Cartoon Brew, linked to us today with an image of an album cover i recently designed. I'm no David Stone Martin, but i'm a big fan and it's nice to be compared to the great jazz-record artist.
for more of my record cover designs, check out the illustration section of my personal website www.iwilldestroyyou.com
Posted by tom at 10:41 AMFebruary 17, 2005
Oh the HORROR!
the new Bugs, Daffy, Taz, Roadrunner, Coyote, etc
Finally they've made them appealing for today's hip, cynical youth.
i've got an idea... why don't they show the classic Looney Tune cartoons on t.v. somewhere where kids might see them? maybe that would re-vitalize the stagnation in kids interest in these characters. Kids won't be interested in these characters unless they are exposed to them.
but i guess it's easier to rape the characters that we grew up with and love.
A better idea is pointed out by Amid at Cartoon Brew.
Posted by tom at 08:58 AM
