Adelaide Film Festival 2009 Premiere

We are happy to announce that The Cat Piano will premiere at the 2009 Adelaide Film Festival. Our short was lucky to be the only animation to receive funding support from the film festival's Investment Fund, following in the steps of two of our past shorts; Sweet & Sour (2007) and Fritz Gets Rich (2005).

We're really excited to get this fantastic opportunity at what is a great film festival that provides great opportunities for filmmakers in this state by funding films, not just screening them. We attended the media launch the other day at Adelaide Airport and the funded projects (features, docos and shorts) look pretty diverse and intriguing. To check out the official press release go to:

2009 Adelaide Film Festival

The full festival programme festival will announced early next year.

A Touch of Halloween

As it's Halloween today we thought we'd post a piece of animation from The Cat Piano that had that a bit of a haunting Halloween flavour. This shot (uncoloured at the moment) of three young Von-Trapp-esque singing kittens being snatched by the shadowy kidnapper via a gramophone, was animated by Makoto. It's been quite an epic shot to finish, with it's different elements and characters, even though it is a short shot. I can't wait to see what the sound and music add to it's humour.

It's Alive

The animation of The Cat Piano is being steadily created by our 2d animation team here at The PRA. It is really amazng to see a film slowly coming alive by the day. We thought we'd put up an example of a cleaned up, but uncoloured shot from the film. It gives you a sense of what the animation style will be. This shot, of a folk-singing cat atop a city rooftop was animated by Ari. We have also chosen to make the film in a 2.39:1 ratio as it seemed to really help the dynamic of the composition in the film.

TWO JOIN THE CLOWDER

We're very happy to welcome two more animators aboard The Cat Piano animation team. Alex Grigg and Benjamin Drake both students of Queensland's Griffith University animation course. The two animators who studied with our own Makoto Koji, have come down from sunny Queensland to work on the film here in well..sunny Adelaide! Both of them have great drawing and animation skills and we look forward to what they can bring to the project.

Check out Alex Grigg's blog



and Benjamin Drake's




Here's a lively page of cat piano themed sketches that Alex sent us a week before he arrived. His style clearly fit with the film's.

The film will be finished by the end of January 2009 so watch this space.

Cat Piano in IF mag

Hi all you fiesty felines

There was an article on The Cat Piano in the latest issue of IF (Inside Film) magazine. The issue was focused on music and sound so our film sat well at home in it. The article, by film journalist Simon DeBruyn also includes an interview with Benjamin Speed in regards to the film's score.

Here's the link:
If Magazine

Also, above is a sketch of some of the cast of characters that our poet in the film enlists the help of. The pic is only a sketch and is still to be cleaned up and coloured of course.

Thanks to everyone for your interest and kind comments on our film. We really hope to have a really cool final film to show you in the coming months. Along the way we promise to put some animation tests up on the site.

Nya!

Hello and hajimemashite! (nice to meet you!)

My name is Makoto Koji and I am a member of the Cat Piano team. After graduating my animation degree in Griffith University Brisbane, I traveled south to animate on this project alongside the inspirational duo of Eddie and Ari.

We have once again been over due for a blog, so I will be filling in this evening to update you all on our progress.

Since my arrival I have been animating after hours alongside co-director Ari, who has taught me so much. It is a pleasure to be animating beautiful characters "traditionally" and I have found it very therapeutic. Eddie has now joined the animation team (making it three of us! YAY!) , to help us colour the Cat Piano world.

To help you visualize the process, I have drawn a picture!
(My camera is broken...)

The Cat Piano Animation Team!!!



Eddie in orange: colouring,
Ari in blue: animating on his cintiq
Me on a Piano....???

Although it may seem that everything is coming along, we are actually having many difficulties.
At this point in production it is vital to have a locked edit of the film.
We do not have one.... BUT!!!!

Ari has postponed his animation and is working hard on this edit as I speak/type.
He is confident that it will be completed soon and this should assist in speeding up the animation process.

We are aiming to post some animation tests as possible.
So please stay tuned!

Until next time, OYASUMINASAI!!! (Goodnight!)