The Animaze Film Festival in Montreal

Animaze is an international film festival and conference exploring the world of animation in all its diversity. The 2016 focus is Virtual Reality.

animaze

 

 
 
 
The festival is bringing a world of animation to Montreal. With a selection of short and feature-length animated films at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, an outdoor 360º Dome with planetarium-style projection and a Virtual Reality Cinema, Animaze has an inspiring and dynamic range of content across platforms and mediums.

Filmmakers and professionals from over 65 countries will converge on Montreal from August 18-21. Over the course of four days Animaze celebrates animation with:

  • Screenings of over 160 films at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
  • The Animaze Industry Conference with an exhibition hall, panels and speakers, networking opportunities at HOTEL10
  • An outdoor 360º dome
  • The Virtual Reality Cinema
  • Free outdoor screenings at Parc des amériques on August 19 and 20.
  • Talks and special events

The International Machinima Convention 2016

When – Saturday 25th June. Registration from 10:00, event ends 17:15

Title Slide - Low_Res
 
 

Where The Venue@DMU, Western Boulevard, Leicester, LE2 7BU

Website: http://MachinimaConvention.co.uk

Twitter: http://Twitter.com/Machinima_Con

Facebook: http://Facebook.com/InternationalMachinimaConvention

INternational Machinima Convention

What is Machinima?

 

 

Machinima: Games-based filmmaking. Machinima is a filmmaking technique that uses video game assets to provide virtual environments and actors. This method has existed since 1996, and has rapidly evolved alongside developments in games, animation, and film.

What is the IMC?
The International Machinima Convention aims to bring together students, academics, and those with an interest in games, animation, and film, in order to discuss the potential for machinima as a medium.  With a list of world-class academics, machinima producers, and YouTube content creators, this event will provide an amazing insight into the world of machinima.

machinima Tom Jantol

 

 

 

Panels and Speakers;

11:00 – 12:00     (Screening) Machinima: A Virtual Retrospective (Dr Tracy Harwood, Jason Boomer)
12:30 – 13:30     The Culture and Cultural Impact of Machinima (Chantal Harvey, Dr Jenna Ng, Dr Michael Thomas)
13:40 – 14:20     Screening of hand-picked machinima content
14:30 – 14:40     Leveling the Playing Field: An Introduction to Special Effect (Mick Donegan)
14:45 – 15:45     Is Justice Blind, or Simply Turning a Blind Eye: Machinima and the Law (Dr Tracy Harwood, Caroline Coles, Hugh Hancock)
16:15 – 17:15     Professional Development: Machinima as a Career (Chantal Harvey, Hugh Hancock, Tomohawk1989, Nettyplays, InTheLittleWood)

No Way!

No Way!

Re-edit of our 2011 official entry for the Doritos Super Bowl Contest.
Chantal Harvey & Tony Dyson,  a mamachinima.com production.

Awesome voice over work from Brian Albury and Liat Reina!
Tony wrote the story-line, and directed. I filmed and edited. The filming was done in Second Life, and it was absolute fun to do. We ran into many problems, I remember the frustration as Tony and Judi Newall (who handled the dragon avatars) would position their avatars in a straight line, but I would see them pointing sideways. I saw the dragon distorted in crazy positions, while they both insisted the dragon was flying around and looking fine. My recording software (Fraps) ate the frame rate, and the scripts caused lag, it messed up my camera view – and as I am the camera, what I see is what will be on the film…. I ended up clearing cache and logging out and back in, at least 15 times an hour, to get maybe 8 seconds of good film. It all came together when Markus Parker-Rhodes (yes, the Monty Pythons Flying Circus animator) created the scripted breaking glass prop for us. Ok, the glass would break too soon or too late, but we got it in the end.

We submitted the film for the Superbowl Doritos Contest in 2011, and it was disappointing to hear we didn’t make the selection. We published it anyway, under the title: Dad saved the Day.

I found the original files when clearing one of my hard-drives, and decided to have another go at it. Tony, I hope i did justice to the film 🙂

(click the picture to watch)

No Way!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Dyson, my personal memorial tribute.

In memory of Anthony John Dyson (1947 – 2016)
Best known for being R2-D2s ‘Dad’.

BBC Archives (1984) showing THIS

His website is gone, but archived here.
His facebook page.

Tony was honoured at the BAFTA 2017 ceremony.  The British Academy of Film and Television Arts gave credits to the man that created R2D2 for Star Wars, and one of my own photographs was used for this. (with permission, of course!). Aired on BBC television on February 12, 2017. He would have loved this!

In memory of Tony Dyson

tonydyson-©chantalharvey-adieu

Special Effects Designer
13 April 1947 to 3 March 2016

A British special effects designer and expert in robotics, Dyson’s first film job came designing the jetpacks for Moonraker (1979). He was best known for the R2-D2 robots for Star Wars (1977), which included remote control versions, stunt versions, and models that could seat performer Kenny Baker.

I worked with Tony since 2011, we met online in Second Life, and he agreed to be head of jury for the 48 Hour Film Project Machinima. We soon started creating machinima together, which he called ‘real time animation’. In 2013 we met in Malta, and I quit my day-job to work full-time on producing animated shorts and e-books with Tony. We met again in Finland for the Robotics conference, and later in Gozo, Xlendi, where we rented an office together.

Tony was more than a tutor, he was my inspiration and best friend. There are plenty of stories to tell about him, and our projects, but today I will share a personal memory.

Today, March 7th, 2016 – just 6 days before his 69th birthday – his ashes will be spread in Gozo.

To honor Tony, and the bond we had, I am sharing the only photograph that shows both of us together (I took hundreds of photo’s of Tony) and a poem he wrote for me, years ago.

ChantalHarvey-TonyDyson-GOZO-2014

 

Dawn has gone
Dusk is upon us once again
Swallows are resting
Bats are hunting
The Night Angels prepare our spirits for flight

Only our soul knows the true journey ahead
Only our soul knows our deepest desires
So listen to my voice and see my dreams unfold
For I will be heard above life’s din
I am mortal of flesh and bone and will have my time before I die
To see the colors of the rainbow up high

Touch me not with gold so bright,
Touch me not with ebony so dark
Touch me not with marble so cold
Touch me not with hands so eager
But touch my heart with love and truth and I will be yours for ever, Chantal.

AJD

Victoria-tonydyson-chantalharvey©

tonydyson-angrybird-chantalharvey-gozo-xlendi

tonydyson-©chantalharvey-adieu

tonydyson-chantalharvey-victoria

Tony Dyson.

Au revoir, Tony Dyson.
Tony passed away on March 2, 2016.

©ChantalHarveyIMG_7078

 

I am thankful for the years we worked together and everything that he taught me, and for the inspirational roller-coaster ride that started when we met in Second Life in 2011.

Tony became my friend, teacher and business partner and we started a film production company called Scissores, producing machinima or as Tony called it: Real Time Animation.

Tony became head of jury when I produced the 48 Hour Film Project Machinima.
After working together online for 2 years,  we met in Finland and later in Gozo (Malta) and started working on educational and promotional machinima shorts and a book ‘Clive & Sue and the Medieval Farm’.
We created The Bobbekins movie, an animated short film, which I will be submitting to festivals soon.
While carrying on with our machinima work, nobody will miss you as much as I do.
With a different view on the world since we met, I thank you for re-activating the artist in me.

Some of our films:
Their time will come
It’s great to be alive
Robotworld, Sam and Sam
Android Love
Artists in the desert

The future of virtual reality

The future of virtual reality and moviemaking.

ChantalHarvey2015

 

Pixar’s Ed Catmull: It’s not storytelling
David Attenborough: It gives you a dozen different stories
Chet Faliszek: You can slow gamers down
Mike Woods: VR demands interaction
Nicole Stenger: Hyperreality is a trend
Werner Herzog: We might live in VR
Baptiste Charles: VR is an insanely compelling way to tell stories, be they fiction or not
VR Circle: a lot of the excitement related to virtual reality has to do with the film industry, where the whole concept has disruptive potential.
The Wrap: it will likely be indie filmmakers who first master the format, Hollywood will follow

Sources:
http://www.raindance.org/virtual-reality-filmmaking-toolkit/
http://www.wareable.com/vr/storytellers-movies-games-vr-spat-2016
http://www.vrcircle.com/page/virtual-reality-360-degree-movies
http://www.thewrap.com/virtual-realitys-future-kings-major-studios-or-indie-upstarts/

List of filmfestivals worldwide

My friend NicolleX Moonwall sent me this great list, featured festivals on FilmFreeway, and I thought I would share it. I strongly recommend FilmFreeway!

filmfreeway

 

 

 

The Paris CinefesT

The Russian International Film Festival

IndieFlicks , Ziferblat, Manchester

The International Online Web Fest

The Polish International Film Festival

The London Indie Film Festival

The Horror and Thriller Italian International FilmFest

The Moscow Online International Film Festival

Roma Cinema DOC

The John Muir Wildlife & Ecology Film Festival

Stockholm Experimental and Animation Film Festival

Move Me Productions , Antwerp, Belgium

1st Swedish International Film Festival

The London Shows Film Festival

The Ukrainian international short film festival

The Lisbon International Film Festival

The Verona International Film Festival , Venice (Italy)

The Paris Online Film Festival

La Muestra de cortometrajes de La Cuna , Spain

„Experimental Superstars” Novi Sad, Serbia.

MINI MOVIE FEST is an International Film Festival , La.

Film Future Festival ,Aust

MOSCOW FILM FESTIVAL

Digital Griffix online film festival

The Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival (HKAFF)

The Martinique International Film Festival

Barcelona Planet Film Festival

INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION , ZE´S PRODUÇÕES (Brazil)

The Film Festival “Artplay”, Moscow Russian

Near Nazareth Festival ( NNF ) Israel

“Tv in Shorts”, Argentina

1st Annual Cascadia Dance & Cinema Festival.Canada

Independent international Animation Festival Funny Cat , Russian

The Hill Country Film Festival , Fredericksburg , Texas

USA, International and Canadian Film Categories SBE’s Hamilton (New York) International FilmFest

November brings new adventures.

November 2015, and I find myself working on 2 projects, getting back into machinima – full speed ahead!
First one is an assignment by Empire.Kred – my cool cat will tell you all about this social media booster!

And;

Robi is entangled in a brand new adventure, this time in a famous location in Second Life, the Petrovsky Flux, created by the Spencer museum of Art in Kansas. Will she find a new head? 2 Still shots, taken from my editline ….

robi2.6-chantalharvey-machinima-2015

 

robi2.4-chantalharvey-machinima-2015

Introducing Robi – new machinima series 2015

Robi. Pronounce: Raaabi.
The meaning of the name is `Brilliant, Illuminated Fame, Bright Fame, Famously Famous, Bright Famous One, Shining with Fame”

robi-ChantalHarvey-2015machinima

I am not broken
I lost my head
I was left behind, forgotten
I alone am Robi

Robi is an optimistic little robot, left behind on a deserted planet. As a true heroine she  explores, happily, always finding new beauty – and hoping to find a new head.

The machinima will go public soon, on this website.
ART: Mistero Hifeng
MUSIC: Alexander Blu – ‘new day’
AVATAR: Web Gearbox
PRODUCTION: Chantal Harvey
SET: Cammino e Vivo Capovolto , Blossom Land
Filmed in Second Life, trademark of Linden Research, inc

robi 01.Still003

 

robi-chantalharvey-machinima

The New Media Film Festival is here again :-)

The 6th Annual New Media Film Festival®

June 9th & 10th 2015

The Best In New Media
Honoring Stories Worth Telling

at The Landmark – Los Angeles CA

Enjoy Red Carpet Press Junket, VIP Soiree, Screenings from Around the World including World, US & LA Premieres. Q & A’s with filmmakers in attendance. Panelists with Industry Leaders. Opening & Closing Night Programming. Awards Ceremony, Networking Lounge, International Art Exhibit, New Media Marketing Table (Place One Take One) and much more. Reserve your VIP badge today.

With humble beginnings, The New Media Film Festival began in 2009 with a strong slate of films from around the world. Since its inception, the festival has brought thousands of people together to view, discuss, buy and sell movies across a variety of traditional and new media formats.

Now in its 6th year, The New Media Film Festival is stronger than ever, at a cross roads of excellence and embodying a potential future that could literally take the world by storm.

The New Media Film Festival is a gem that has been well cared for and exponentially promoted across a variety of channels and via several well manicured networks infused with high pedigree creators and executives. It is one of the most unusual festivals in the world today.