How delighted was I to get a Google alert this morning for LFC Short, The Car and The Road. It’s probably the first one ever for that short. Hey, not only that, but the file clearly states that TCATR made it into the prestigious Austrian animation festival, Prix Ars Electronica, in 2008. Prix Selection: Smart Worlds.  How did we ever miss that in this day and age of all points bulletins at all times of the day and night 24/7?  So, for all of you that missed it when it first premiered I’ve resurrected it from the archive and I’m featuring it here and now. Thank you Google Bot for all your hard and diligent work.

The Car and The Road: A Romance in Automation, follows the trials and tribulations of a sensible, straight road as he seeks to reinvent himself for the car he loves. Watch, as the road bares his inner passionate self to woo the fun loving car “that can do things other cars only dream about.”  Sigh… a true love story for the modern era.

This charming work, directed by Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries of Little Fluffy Clouds, was created for the Lexus Car Corporation. Described by the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (ASIFA) as, “A lovely animated fable…” The Car and The Road pay homage and takes its inspiration from Chuck Jones’ Oscar winning film, The Dot and The Line. Original composition for the almost 4 minute film was scored by Trivers-Meyers Music LA whose arrangement fits hand in glove with the visuals. Commissioned by Los Angeles ad agency, Team One, The Car and The Road, is a colorful and imaginative feast for the eyes and fun to boot!

Animated using Adobe Illustrator, After Effects and Photoshop with Autodesk Maya and hand drawn frames. The Car and The Road will be seen on all broadcast media – that’s Cinema, TV and Web.

I like reading blogs as much as writing one myself. In fact I often neglect mine in favour of reading others. So, imagine how great it felt when I checked in on fellow Brit, Ian Lumsden’s, intricate animation blog and found our piece, TODAY, there – In Praise of Barack Obama. Here’s an excerpt from what Ian had to say.

“It seems appropriate on a grey day here when such little light as exists is cast by events across the Atlantic. The words resonate with hope and the CGI piece is beautifully crafted by the design team, co-founders Jerry van de Beek and Betsy deFries. Quintessentially American rural landscape on a perfect Spring day, butterflies, canary let out of its cage, splinters of light, flowers and a young couple squinting in the bright sunlight: the piece unfolds and matches the rich voice of the narrator and lyrical beauty of the poem. Lovely and uplifting.”

Thanks Ian for discovering our work and pairing us with this breathtaking moment in history.

Check out Ian Lumsden’s wonderful blog and even more wonderfully animated films at: http://www.animationblog.org/

The Car and The Road: A Romance in Automation follows the trials and tribulations of a sensible, straight road as he seeks to reinvent himself for the car he loves. Watch, as the road bares his inner passionate self to woo the fun loving car “that can do things other cars only dream about.”  Sigh… a true love story for the modern era.

This charming work, directed by Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries of Little Fluffy Clouds, was created for the Lexus Car Corporation. Described by the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (ASIFA) as, “A lovely animated fable…” The Car and The Road pays homage to and takes its inspiration from Chuck Jones’ Oscar winning film, The Dot and The Line.

Original composition for this almost 4 minute film was scored by Trivers-Meyers Music LA whose arrangement fits hand in glove with the visuals. Commissioned by Los Angeles ad agency, Team One, The Car and The Road, is a colorful and imaginative feast for the eyes and fun to boot!

Animated using Adobe Illustrator, After Effects and Photoshop with Autodesk Maya and hand drawn frames. The Car and The Road will be seen on all broadcast media: Cinema, TV and Web.

I am an unabashed Francophile. SO imagine how happy I was to hear that our short film, TODAY, was being featured not only at Festival NEMO in Paris but also at the 9th Elektra International Digital Arts Festival in Montreal. Deux Reve Français – if I may make make so free with the Franglaise.

The mandate of ACREQ is to forge links between electronic music and other visual media. Here at Elektra you can immerse yourself in the latest aesthetic currents in artistic practice with new technologies at their core. The Elektra refuses to be restrained by the boundaries created by many so schools and styles in our field. It is their mission to promote only the highest quality work. Robotics, digital imagery and music come together. Added to this fertile mix is a genuine desire to attract a wider audience, to democratize and make this culture more accessible – while also satisfying the specialists in attendance with more specific interests.

This high-calibre Montreal-based cultural initiative, presents artists and works of art that align the latest electronic music and visual creations derived from new technologies (animation, installation and robotics). Elektra unites creative media like music, video, cinema, design, gaming and audio or interactive installation with the latest digital technologies. Artists from all disciplines – composition, performance, dance, visual arts et al all with a common interest in artistic applications of new technologies – uniting visual with sound. Elektra not only welcomes artists from all over the world, the festival also features local talents, helping make Montreal the North American meeting place for digital arts. Our best wishes for a successful festival! We only wish we could be there.

Elektra 9e Edition International Digital Arts Festival Mai 7 – 11, Montreal, Quebec. Enjoy the blog and the live festival site at: http://www.elektramontreal.ca/

Could anything make your heart race more than Paris in the spring? Try animation + Paris + spring + being on the same bill of fare with director, Peter Greenaway. And while I’m at it, try being part of a festival that invites controversy by taking a stand against the lowest common denominator and openly stating that they will show only the best of the highest quality. Now add a true egalitarian splash by opening the festival up to all for free. Viva La France! Viva Festival NEMO 2008!

Festival NEMO 2008 takes place in Paris and Issey-les-Moulineaux, France. Here you can see the best of French and International cinema and animation. For this their 10th anniversary year, selections were purposefully chosen to give a lasting memory of what is most precious to cineastes – beautiful work of extraordinary quality, shown in optimal conditions. Festival Directeur, Gilles Alverez, states with passionate sentiments indeed, that:

“This is NEMO’s answer to the crumbling values of our art form by social networking sites like Facebook and the generalization of You Tube.”

NEMO showcases multimedia presentations and animations along with music videos and documentaries on such luminaries as Scott Walker, Smiths, Sigur Ros, Holy Etienne, Daniel Johnston, John Cage, and Phillip Glass. Catch audio visual performances from Pageantry + Transforma, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Quayola, Adriaan Lokman, Otolab, Mikomikona, Mylicon and Scanner + TeZ as part of the Cinema Vivant! A feast for the senses – let your passion rule.

TODAY screens as part of the Panorama International playing in Paris on Sun. April 12th at Axes Biarritz Salle de cinema and in Issey-les-Moulineaux, on Wed. April 18th at Le Cube.

Festival NEMO 2008- Le Rendez-Vous Multimedia D’Arcadi. Panorama International des Nouvelles Images Experimentales, Cinema et Animations Innovants. April 10 – April 20, 2008.

See: http://www.arcadi.fr/rendezvous/rv.php?id=1 for details.

The studio’s short, TODAY, commissioned by Sundance for their Billy Collins Action Poetry series, has won a silver 2007 Creativity Award in the Consumer TV category. With more than 2700 entries from 37 countries, judges declared that:

“The winning entries stand out because of their ambition, strong communication, and excellent design.”

The 400-page Creativity Awards Annual, a veritable bible of excellent design, is published by Harper and Collins and will be available in 2008.

The Sundance Channel promotional film, commissioned in association with JWT NYC as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series, was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece.

For more info see: www.creativityawards.com

There’s no better on-line animation magazine than Frames Per Second. Edited by the inimitable, Emru Townsend, who somehow manages to produce a superb on-line zine – blog and related podcasts, hold down a heavy hitting job at Autodesk, keep a young family happy and amused and in his spare time chair the Computer Animation Festival for SIGGRAPH 2008. … Am I impressed? You bet your sweet life I am. Am I a fan? Hell, yes!

Check out the dulcet tones of Mr. Townsend and hear my partner, Jerry van de Beek and I, rattle on about animation, production and life as lived in a small indie animation studio.

It was a lot of inspirational fun being interviewed by this marvel of modern radio. I may just start podcasting myself : )

http://www.fpsmagazine.com/podcast/2007/10/podcast-016-little-fluffy-clouds.php

The San Francisco Film Society describes animation as being:

“Currently one of the most fertile, creative and productive forms in cinema and television… animation occupies a unique point between artistic, experimental, commercial and industrial media, ranging from the latest visual FX-based arthouse films to family-friendly cartoons.”

Such is the clarion call to join them, and us, in a lively and surprising animation celebration screening at San Francisco’s Landmark Theater.

TODAY, a Sundance Channel promotional film commissioned in association with JWT NYC as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series, was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece.

Little Fluffy Clouds Sundance short, TODAY, screens on Saturday, November 10th at 4.30pm as part of the festival’s, Makers Dozen. This lively festival runs from Nov. 8 – Nov. 11, 2007 at The Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco. See www.sffs.org for details.

Little Fluffy Clouds Sundance studio short, TODAY, is one of the innovative pieces showing at, The Art of Digital Show, a unique international exhibition featuring all forms of digital art. The public is invited to the Opening Reception Gala and Awards Ceremony on October 6th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lyceum Theater Gallery, in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. The Art of Digital Show runs from October 6 to November 11, 2007.

Neal Benezra, director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), fielded 104 pieces to be exhibited from 2796 entries submitted by artists representing 40 countries. Mr. Benezra selected works which embody imagination, original vision, sophistication, message, content, creativity and technical skill. The show includes 83 fine art pieces, 18 video art pieces, a 3D modeled sculpture, a digitally designed textile piece, and an amazing interactive piece – all of which create a distinct exhibition environment.

“Digital artists are pushing the boundaries and more directly expressing what is in their imagination than in any other art medium.  Our great love of this art form drives us to create a truly excellent presentation of digital art from around the world. Our goal is to elevate and promote digital art and to provide substantial benefits to the exhibiting artists.” ~ Steven Churchill, curator and founder of the event.

An estimated 1500 people, including most of the exhibiting artists, will attend the Opening Gala, and 20,000 people are expected to view The Art of Digital Show during the five-week run. A free 72-page show catalog will be available during the exhibit, featuring all of the selected images.

TODAY, is a Sundance Channel promotional film commissioned in association with ad agency, JWT NYC, as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series. It was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds’ creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece.

See: http://www.artofdigitalshow.com for details.

The Coyote Film Festival is Lake County, California’s “only voice for independent film”. This small festival-that-could, shows main features, short films, and animations, one weekend a month from June through September.

Enjoy a unique cultural experience under the stars at the beautiful Langtry Estate and Vineyards, once the home of the renowned Guenoc Winery. Lake County is approximately 2 hours north east of San Francisco, home of the Mayacama mountain range, abundant natural hot springs, bountiful wineries and rocking music festivals.

TODAY, a Sundance Channel promotional film commissioned in association with JWT NYC as part of their, Billy Collins Animated Poetry series, was directed by Little Fluffy Clouds’ creative team, Jerry van de Beek and Betsy de Fries. The film is an animated poem written by US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who narrates the piece. It screens in rotation nightly throughout the festival.

See: www.EcoArtsofLakeCounty.org.