Make it sad. Make it funny. Make it terrifying. Make it in 40 seconds.
To celebrate the Film Center’s 40th anniversary, we invite Northwest filmmakers to enter the MAKE IT SHORT film contest. No matter what genre or format—narrative, documentary, experimental, animation, 16mm, camera phone, DSLR—we want to see it, but keep it short: 40 seconds or less.
Oregon-based companies pride themselves on being amongst the first to leap beyond the established creative norms. And Fashionbuddha, an animation studio in Old Town Portland, thrives off this innate quest for innovation. “We’re a unique studio from the standpoint that we have animation and interactive under the same roof,” explains founder and Executive Director Robert Lewis.
Fashionbuddha got its start ten years ago creating high-end flash websites but has since expanded into mobile apps, interactive installations and broadcast animation. “We were all under the same roof at the beginning because it made sense with those projects but now we’ve splintered to some degree and it’s just as exciting,” says Lewis. Continue reading... “Case Study: Fashionbuddha Shares the Monterey Bay Love”
“How five crows managed to lift a 20-pound baby boy into the air was beyond Prue, but that was certainly the least of her worries.”
As if being the lead singer of one of the most highly-thought of bands around wasn’t enough, Colin Meloy – front man for the Decembrists – has added author extraordinaire to his list of titles. His children’s book Wildwood, the first in a series, is set to hit stores August 30th.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, you know of Will Vinton. He’s the man who coined and, in 1978, registered the term “claymation” to describe his films’ use of stop-motion animated clay. He’s responsible for some of the most well-recognized ad spokesmen of the twentieth century in this style – the California Raisins and the Red and Yellow M&Ms. He’s won an Oscar and multiple Emmys; all while working from his home base in Portland, Oregon. Continue reading... “An Interview with Will Vinton”
In early 2010, Oregon shop Feel Good Anyway began an intense journey into the heart of a network rebrand for IFC. IFC’s vision for the project was to extend the channel’s reach beyond indie film to include a wide selection of indie culture. Music, film, food, sex, gaming, internet shenanigans—all of these categories would be within IFC’s creative domain. They placed a particular emphasis on comedy as a focal point for the new brand, and everything from the logo to promos to the show packaging had to reflect the “Always On. Continue reading... “Case Study: Feel Good Anyway IFC Rebrand”
Following the successful effort to create a voice for the Oregon Film and Television community in the Oregon Confluence Blog, we recently convened a group of Oregon animation and visual effects professionals that we know, and asked them how a site dedicated to their segment of the industry might be received. After lots of lively conversation and great ideas, it became clear that there was great interest, and that it would be very helpful for drawing attention to the fact that Oregon has more than just great locations, amazing acting and crew talent, and not to mention, a terrific film incentive program. Continue reading... “OregonAnimation.com blog premieres today, come help us celebrate”
Oregon Cartoon Institute is a consortium of individuals and organizations working together to raise awareness of Oregon’s rich animation and cartooning history. Five organizations created the Mel Blanc Project: Oregon Cartoon Institute, Oregon Jewish Museum, Ethos Music Center, Oregon Historical Society and PSU’s School of Fine and Performing Arts. Continue reading... “Oregon Cartoon Institute Launches Mel Blanc Project”
Canada has a new hero and his name is “El Tabador”, a 4-inch tall Mexican wrestler who warms your heart, tickles your funny-bone, and effortlessly works in a few good words about Koodo Mobile.
El Tabador follows in a long tradition of Lucha Libre fighters. He’s part detective, ladies’ man, and a righteous defender of justice and the creation of Portland-based Bent. To meet this brief, Bent drew Director Rob Shaw’s vast knowledge of Lucha Libre culture and worked closely with the TAXI 2 to design Tabador from first sketch to final computer-generated character. Continue reading... “Case Study: Bent Image Labs and Koodo Mobile”
Portland native, two-time 
