The Butterfly Dragon - [2010, Sushan Yue]

Animation from COFA student Sushan Yue, winner of the Wacom Award for best 2D work at the 2010 COFA Annual Awards.

Source: http://www.bluemountainsfilmfestival.com

Sushan Yue's The Butterfly Dragon is a gorgeous piece of art. The artform of traditional, 'hand drawn' animation has, I think, only grown more beautiful given the modern prevalence of computer generated animation in the film realm.

Yue's film is a fable like tale, with an almost spiritual, esoteric quality to it. The predominately purple visual palate is contrasted stunningly with the ethereal, stark white beings that populate it. The animation in the film is dynamic and Yue has not been afraid to try things that are out of the ordinary. My favourite shot is a short one, from a first person point of view of an animal bounding excitedly away. Just like All Bound which we featured in the Online Cinema last week, The Butterfly Dragon features an impressively matched soundtrack which draws out the themes and emotions of the film. Narratively, I think it is one of those great stories from which everyone can take their own meaning. For me the film depicted some of the trials that we all go through in life - the failures, lessons and growth that combine to define someone. There was also an interesting repeated suggestion of guardian angels through the film, the ethereal white beings who exist to save and teach the film's young protagonist. In its short running time, The Butterfly Dragon also manages to create a tender parent-child dynamic, as these two beings interact, interrelate and are forced to change their relationship. And the entire joyful experience is rendered in animation that will move you simply through its distinctive and artistic formulation.

Your film is such a beautiful example of traditional or 'hand-drawn' animation. Although I assume that most of the work is computer based these days. Could you give us an insight into the process of bringing these films to life?

The production process for traditional animation is very similar to films created using other media in that it begins with developing ideas for the story, designing characters and setting, and drawing up storyboards. From the storyboard the animatic is created, which determines the length of each shot and the film as a whole, and then comes animation. The program I used to animate was Photoshop CS5 so I actually drew everything straight onto the computer.

The animation process is broken up into a couple of stages: keyframes, in-betweening, and clean-up. For each of my shots I have rough sketches of the background done first before I start drawing in the keyframes of each character. After the keyframes, I start the task of filling in the rest of the animation (the in-between frames). I do test renders constantly as they track my progress for each shot and also help me pick up any timing issues. Since I opted for a sketchy art style, clean-up for me mostly involved detailing the backgrounds and fixing up movement(s) of tails, wings, hair, etc.

After completing the animation, colour is added to characters and backgrounds. That and applying textures were the last things I did before rendering out each shot properly. For my film, post-production was handled in After Effects and included adding scene transitions, audio, and credits, and doing the final render of the film.

And how long, from start to finish, was the process of making the film?

All up the production of the film took about nine months from March to mid November. Pre-production took place in the first three months, the following six months were spent doing the animation, and post-production was done in the last two or so weeks.

Could you tell us a little about the story of the film? The inspiration behind it and any special meaning it has for you?

A couple of years ago I came across a Latin phrase, "Est deus in nobis", which means "there is a god inside us". It was this phrase that gave me the idea of a bunch of little creatures who 'grow up' by creating masks--faces of their very own. These masks are an expression of each creature's individuality and have the ability to transform the one who made it into something wonderful and unique.

My film, then, follows the adventure of one such creature discovering the concept of individuality, imagination personified as a butterfly and a dragon. It is, in essence, a story all about the power of one's imagination, the unlocking of creativity within you, and the gift of sharing it with others, to help them do the same.

Do you have a favourite shot or scene from the film?

I'd have to say my favourite scene is the ending, specifically the final two shots before the credits.

As a short filmmaker, what were the major challenges you faced getting the film made?

Getting the story together was a major challenge, actually. Since the film was my graduating piece from COFA, I had a deadline to meet … and a traditional animation with an initial storyboard 45 pages long was going to be a bit difficult to make in a couple of months. I had to scrap a number of ideas and rework the story so that it would be much shorter/more manageable.

Another major challenge I faced was rendering. The file sizes for some of the shots became so large because they were either enormous dimensions-wise or contained so many layers (or both) that when I tried to render the finished shots in Photoshop, it would crash the program. Rendering out the final animation in After Effects was also a nightmare; that program would frequently crash too.

Tell us about the journey the film has taken since you made it. Other festivals it has played at etc.

Since making the film I have spent a lot of time building the world of the butterfly dragon, creating some more masked characters and fleshing out their 'culture' as I would love to produce more short films set in their world. Currently I am collaborating with another short filmmaker. We are planning on making a 2D animation (though not related to my film), which, if all goes well, may become something like a mini web series in the future.

What is your predominant source of inspiration for your films? Is it animated films, live-action ones, art, literature?

I have drawn ideas from a number of places including art and literature, but I find that I am inspired the most when I am listening to music, particularly pieces that are purely instrumental. As music isn't a visual medium I am free to let my imagination run with the melody, which means stories and characters can form more easily in my mind. It's then just a process of building on the ideas that are the most interesting and/or have the most potential.

What are some of your favourite animated films, particularly ones that we may not have heard of?

There are many animated films that I enjoy very much as I love the medium itself. My favourites include: from Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Fox and the Hound and Alice in Wonderland; Hayao Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky; Cartoon Saloon's The Secret of Kells; Dianne Jackson's The Snowman; and Katsuhiro Otomo's Memories.

Disney or Pixar? Or both? Or neither?

Both Disney and Pixar. Each studio produces its own fantastic animations with wonderful stories and characters; their movies are always a joy to watch.

Could you give us a list of your five favourite films of all time (feel free to give a short reason or just the title)?

It's really hard to choose as there are many great films out there, but I would have to say my top five favourite films are: The Fox and the Hound, The Secret of NIMH, The Land before Time, The Prince of Egypt and Fantasia (1940).

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes . [J.C.Staff, 2010]

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes (探偵オペラ ミルキィホームズ Tantei Opera Mirukii Hōmuzu, lit. "Detective Opera Milky Holmes") is a media franchise owned by the Japanese trading card game company Bushiroad. The first release was an Internet radio drama, released in December 2009. An anime adaptation by J.C.Staff aired between October and December 2010, with a special episode aired on August 26, 2011. The second anime season aired between January and March 2012 with another special aired on August 25, 2012.^[1][2] A third series, titled Futari wa Milky Holmes, aired between July and September 2013.^[3] A fourth series titled Tantei Kageki Milky Holmes TD aired between January and March 2015. Other media includes a manga adaptation serialized in Comp Acebetween May 2010 and January 2011; two visual novels, released for the PlayStation Portable in December 2010 and August 2012 respectively; a trading card game tie-in with Bushiroad's Weiß Schwarz; and a light novel series published by ASCII Media Worksunder their Dengeki Bunko label.

The series is a homage to the detective fiction genre, with the four female leads named after famous fictional detectives: Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe, Hercule Poirot and Cordelia Gray. Milky Holmes is also the name of a voice acting unit consisting of the series' four main voice actresses; Suzuko Mimori, Sora Tokui, Mikoi Sasaki and Izumi Kitta.

Set in the near future in the Great Era of Detectives, chosen people are born with supernatural abilities known as Toys (トイズToizu). Those who use these Toys for evil are responsible for a wave of crimes and necessitate employing Toy-using detectives to help solve them. In the Yokohama District, Opera Kobayashi runs a detective agency named Milky Holmes, made up of four budding young detectives, Sherlock Shellingford, Nero Yuzurizaki, Hercule Burton and Cordelia Glauca, who each wield their own unique toys and train to become detectives at Holmes Detective Academy.

The video game casts players in the role of Kobayashi, who must utilise Milky Holmes' unique abilities to stop the Thieves' Empire, a band of thieves led by the mysterious Arséne. The second puts players in the role of another detective, Ellery Himeyuri. TheAlternative TV specials also take place in this universe, in which Kobayashi and Milky Holmes are assisted by another Toy user, Lily Adler, in fighting against the Thieves' Empire whilst visiting London.

In the first two television anime series, the four girls of Milky Holmes, Sherlock, Nero, Hercule and Cordelia, end up losing their Toys during an encounter with the Thieves' Empire. Taken away from their rich lifestyle and thrown into an attic, the girls must try and regain use of their Toys or else face expulsion from Holmes Detective Academy. Futari wa Milky Holmes, which takes place two years after the other series, follows two young girls, Alice and Kazumi, who, inspired by Milky Holmes, form their own detective unit, Feathers, and fight against a group of thieves known as the Color the Phantom. Tantei Kageki Milky Holmes TD sees Milky Holmes help an idol named Marine Amagi recover her Toys, the seven Elements, which have been stolen from her.

Making of "Angel Beats!" Full: How Anime is Made - [2010]

Very well made making of documentation for Angel Beats! anime. The recording of the OP/ED by Lia and Aoi Tada including comments by both singers and Jun Maeda. Interviews and more.

Angel Beats! (エンジェルビーツ!) The Making Episode 1&2

Source: wiki/Angel_Beats!

Angel Beats! (エンジェルビーツ! Enjeru Bītsu!) is a 13-episode Japanese anime television series produced by P.A. Works and Aniplex and directed by Seiji Kishi. The story was originally conceived by Jun Maeda, who also wrote the screenplay and composed the music with the group Anant-Garde Eyes, with original character design by Na-Ga; both Maeda and Na-Ga are from thevisual novel brand Key, who produced such titles as Kanon, Air, and Clannad. The anime aired in Japan between April 2 and June 25, 2010. An original video animation (OVA) episode was released in December 2010, and a second OVA will be released in June 2015. The story takes place in the afterlife and focuses on Otonashi, a boy who lost his memories of his life after dying. He is enrolled into the afterlife school and meets a girl named Yuri who invites him to join the Afterlife Battlefront, an organization she leads which fights against the student council president Angel, a girl with supernatural powers.

Key worked in collaboration with ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Magazine to produce the project into a media franchise. Three manga series are serialized in Dengeki G's Magazine and Dengeki G's Comic: two illustrated by Haruka Komowata, and one drawn by Yuriko Asami. A series of illustrated short stories written by Maeda and illustrated by GotoP were also serialized in Dengeki G's Magazine between the November 2009 and May 2010 issues. Two Internet radio shows were produced to promote Angel Beats!. The first volume in a six-part episodic visual novel adaptation produced by Key will be released for Windows on May 29, 2015.

Angel Beats! received generally positive reviews by critics. The integration of various individual elements together, such as musical performances, humor and action, was commended in one review but panned in another, saying that the story was overloaded with too many elements. P.A Works was praised for the animation of the action sequences and attention to detail with the weapons used. A major flaw noted by critics, however, is that the anime is too short, which leaves many of the characters with untold back-stories. The anime was selected as a recommended work by the awards jury of the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2010.

Angel Beats! takes place at a high school acting as a limbo for those who have died, where students learn to give up any lingering attachments they still have from life before passing on. Those in the afterlife school can still feel pain as they did when they were alive, as well as dying again, only to awaken later with no injuries. The story follows the main protagonist Otonashi, a boy who has lost his memories of his life after dying. He meets Yuri, a girl who invites him to join the Afterlife Battlefront (死んだ世界戦線 Shinda Sekai Sensen^?, (SSS)), an organization she founded and leads which fights against God for the negative experiences the SSS members went through in life. In the SSS, there is a four-girl band named Girls Dead Monster that acts as a diversion during missions, and an organization called the Guild that mass-produces weapons out of dirt and supplies them to the SSS. Their only enemy is Angel, a girl who uses her supernatural powers to fight against the SSS. Angel creates her powers with the aid of a computer program called Angel Player. The rest of the afterlife school is populated by a large number of "normal" students and teachers Yuri deems "non-player characters" (NPCs), which are not human but look and act the part.
The first of the characters to fulfill her dream and pass on is Iwasawa, the leader of Girls Dead Monster. Angel, whose real name is Kanade Tachibana, loses her position as student council president and the vice president Naoi succeeds her. Naoi uses powers of hypnosis to control NPCs to fight for his own interests against the SSS, but Otonashi stops him after acknowledging Naoi's existence and he subsequently joins the SSS. Otonashi regains his memories with the aid of Naoi's hypnosis and agrees to continue with the SSS. Otonashi befriends Kanade and invites her to join in on SSS activities. After Otonashi fully remembers the details of his life and death, he starts cooperating with Kanade to help the other SSS members move on, and Kanade is reinstated as student council president in accordance with their plan. Yui, the girl who replaced Iwasawa after she passed on, is the second of the characters who passes on.
When mysterious shadow monsters begin attacking the SSS, Takamatsu gets devoured by one, only to reappear as an NPC. Otonashi reasons with the other SSS members and many of them agree to pass on in lieu of becoming an NPC, including the rest of Girls Dead Monster, Chaa of the Guild, and several unnamed members. Yuri destroys the computers responsible for the shadow program, which was programmed to activate when love was detected in the world, to prevent it from becoming a true paradise and maintain its limbo state. Those who are left—Otonashi, Yuri, Kanade, Hinata and Naoi—hold a graduation ceremony where they thank each other for their support. After Naoi, Yuri and Hinata pass on, Otonashi learns that Kanade's regret was not being able to thank him for the heart she received from Otonashi after his death. Otonashi is heartbroken after she thanks him and passes on, as he has fallen in love with her. In the epilogue, two people resembling Otonashi and Kanade meet each other on the street in the real world. In an alternative epilogue, Otonashi is shown to have stayed behind in the afterlife to help people pass on.

からくり - [Gimmick] - [Shuhei Nishizawa, 2010]

これは、友人と制作した『合作のアニメーション』です。テーマは、再生や循環です。全­て手描きで、鉛筆・色鉛筆・水彩絵具で表現。ぜひ感想等お聞かせ下さい。
This is a collaboration animation was created by a friend. A theme is a rebirth and regeneration. Is all hand-painted. We expressed in pencil colored pencil watercolors mainly.

L’HERBORIST (THE HERBALIST) - The Past Always Catches up with you. - [SciFi Animated] - [2010]

THE HERBALIST

2010

A man in the twilight of his life is enjoying the sunset. The balance shifts when everything he ran away from him catches up with him.

L'HERBORISTE (2010) 07:57 | Animation - SciFi
Produced at ISART Digital (www.isartdigital.com)

CREDITS: Created, Written & Animated by Denis Duchesnay, Jérémy Lelorrain, Nassim Laajaj, Hugues De Tournemire, Houda Lambarqui. Music & Voice by Ismael Colombani. Sound Design by Jeremie Duvergey & Gilles Benquiqui. Thanks to Rodolphe Jouxtel.

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L’HERBORISTE

2010

Cinéma d’Animation : Denis Duchesnay, Hugues De Tournemire, Nassim Laajaj, Houda Lambarqui, Jérémy Lelorrain

Au crépuscule de sa vie, un homme savoure la fin de la journée devant un coucher de soleil. Mais son équilibre bascule quand il est rattrapé par ce qu’il a toujours fui…

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(See also lherboriste-film.blogspot.it/)

Space Battleship Yamato - Battlesequences! - [2010]

Space Battleship Yamato (SPACE BATTLESHIP ヤマト Supēsu Batorushippu Yamato) is a 2010 Japanese science fiction filmbased on the Space Battleship Yamato anime TV series by Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto. The film was released in Japan on December 1, 2010. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan on June 24, 2011, and in the United States on April 29, 2014. 

In 2199, after five years of attacks by an alien race known as Gamilas, the Earth Defense Force launches a counter-offensive near Mars. The fleet's weapons are no match for the Gamilas, who easily wipe out much of the force. During the battle, EDF captain Mamoru Kodai volunteers to use his damaged ship, the destroyer Yukikaze, as a shield to cover Captain Jyuzo Okita's ship, allowing his escape. Mamoru's ship is destroyed.

On Earth, Mamoru's brother Susumu is scavenging on the irradiated surface near the half-buried wreck of the battleship Yamato, when an object impacts near him and knocks him unconscious. He awakens to find an alien message capsule. Susumu also notices that the radiation has been reduced to safe levels around him. He is rescued by Okita's returning ship and it is discovered that the capsule contains engineering schematics for a new warp drive and coordinates for the planet from which it came (Iskandar). After learning what happened at Mars, Susumu accuses Okita of using his brother as a sacrificial lamb and tries to hit him, but crewmember Yuki Mori violently stops him.

Okita believes the hope for humanity lies within Iskandar. A request for volunteers for the mission is sent out, and Kodai - a former EDF pilot - decides to re-enlist. Their last battleship, the long-dead Yamato, is rebuilt and enhanced with alien technology. Before the Yamato can launch, the Gamilas attack with a gigantic missile. Captain Okita gives the order to fire the yet-untested Wave Motion Cannon, which successfully destroys the incoming missile. Kodai is reunited with his old fighter squad. Yuki, who joined the EDF years ago because of her admiration for Kodai, is bitter towards him.

The Yamato crew performs their first warp test and encounters more Gamilas ships. Since the Wave Motion Cannon is powered by the same reactor as the warp drive, the crew has to wait until the engine recharges before they can warp again. The Yamatodestroys the alien capital ships, but the battle damages Yuki's fighter. Kodai launches to rescue her and is sent to the brig for disobeying orders. Shima, Kodai's former squad-mate, tells Yuki that Kodai left the service because he accidentally caused the death of his own parents and also Shima's wife during a mission.

After warping out of the Milky Way, the Yamato crew finds a Gamilas fighter adrift and recovers it to study, but the alien pilot is still alive and possesses Commando Team Leader Hajime Saitō, in order to communicate. The alien calls himself Dessla and says the Gamilas are a race with a hive mind. Kodai stuns the possessed Saito, but the alien apparently is destroyed.

Later, an ailing Captain Okita makes Kodai the acting-captain. The crew discovers the captured Gamilas fighter contains a homing beacon, giving away their position. The Yamato fires its Wave Motion Cannon to destroy a Gamilas ship, but a stealth Gamilas spacecraft latches onto the ship's occupied third bridge on the bottom of the hull. Kodai reluctantly orders Yuki, in her fighter, to blast the third bridge support away moments before it detonates, saving the Yamato but killing several crew. Kodai apologizes to Yuki for ordering her to doom their crew-mates, and they have an intimate moment as the ship warps again.

The Yamato arrives at Iskandar, but is met by a large Gamilas fleet that sends a spacecraft to obstruct the muzzle of the Wave Motion Cannon. With their main weapon disabled, Kodai makes the dangerous choice to conduct a random warp and ends up at the opposite side of Iskandar. They are surprised to see that it is lifeless, and in fact strongly resembles Earth in its presently irradiated state. It is then discovered that Gamilas and Iskandar are the same planet. The crew thinks it is a trap, but Kodai urges them to go ahead. He leads an attack party to the planet's surface against heavy Gamilas opposition. Much of the assault force is killed, and the remaining pilots stay behind to cover for Kodai, Sanada, Saito and Mori as they head for the coordinates.

Once they reach the coordinates, an alien possesses Yuki's body and explains that the Gamilas and Iskandar are two aspects of the same race. The alien says their planet is dying and they saw Earth as the most suitable replacement, after first killing off humanity. Iskandar did not agree with this and was imprisoned. Iskandar implants in Yuki the ability to clean the radiation from Earth. As she and Kodai return to the Yamato, Saito and Sanada sacrifice themselves by destroying the Gamilas power source. TheYamato returns to Earth, where Okita dies. The crew rejoices at their return home, but a surviving Gamilas ship ambushes them and severely damages the warship. Dessla now appears and says they no longer wish to invade the Earth; however, since the majority of the Gamilas were killed, he intends to destroy the planet with his ship to avenge his race. Kodai orders the surviving crew to abandon ship before he pilots the Yamato on a kamikaze attack against Dessler's ship. He fires the blocked Wave Motion Cannon, which destroys both spaceships.

The ending shows Yuki standing with a child, implied to be Kodai's son, on the Earth's surface now restored to its original state.

La Bruja - (The Witch) - [Pedro Solis] - [2010]

An old witch his frantic searching for her prince charming. Will the old hag in the forest to find her Prince Charming?

The classic fable of the enchanted prince, a witch who wants to be a fairy princess, very polished graphics and magnificent scenery. 

3D Animated Comedy 11 minutes directed and scripted by Pedro Solis. Music Kaelo River. Goya Winner 2011 for Best Animated Short. Short film produced by La Fiesta PC, 2010. No dialogue.

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Una vieja bruja busca a su príncipe azul desesperádamente. ¿Podrá la vieja bruja del bosque encontrar a su príncipe azul?

Divertimento animado que reinventa la clásica fábula del príncipe hechizado, con una bruja que desea ser la princesa del cuento, unos gráficos muy trabajados y magníficos escenarios.

Comedia animada en 3D de 11 minutos dirigida y guionizada por Pedro Solís. Música de Kaelo del Río. Ganador del Goya 2011 al Mejor Corto de Animación. Cortometraje producido por La Fiesta P.C., 2010. Sin diálogos.

The Monk & The Monkey (HD + Sub) - [Brendan Carroll & Francesco Giroldini] - [2010]

Official website: monkmonkey.com

A determined young boy, Ragu, is sent by his master on his final quest to become a monk. A seemingly simple task becomes an unexpected challenge for Ragu as he discovers the real value of his quest.

© 2010 Brendan Carroll & Francesco Giroldini.
Music by Erez Koskas.
Ringling College of Art + Design.

Je t'aime - [Mamoru Oshii] - [2010]

Je t'aime is a music video directed by Mamoru Oshii. The songs are "Satellite of love" and "HUMBLE HOME" by the Japanese musical group GLAY [1]. 
The video focuses on the figure of a dog, the only creature living in a Japanese city deserted and depopulated. His only friend is a humanoid robot, featured as a woman-dummy. The android is apparently in quest of something and the basset-hound, every day, with loving patience, brings her a ball while interacting with her. One day, the dog offers the object she was looking for. The woman-dummy robot - as in the order for which it was programmed - begins shooting wildly and explode. 
Now all that remains  is the hound itself.

Italian:
Je t'aime è un videoclip diretto da Mamoru Oshii accompagnato dai brani Satellite of love e HUMBLE HOME del gruppo musicale giapponese GLAY^[1].

Il video è incentrato sulla figura di un cane, unica creatura vivente in una città giapponese deserta e spopolata. Unica sua compagnia è un robot umanoide, dalle fattezze di una donna-manichino. L'androide è apparentemente sulle tracce di qualcosa ed il segugio ogni giorno, con amorevole costanza, le porta una palla pur di interagire con lei. Un giorno offre alla donna l'oggetto che stava cercando, questa - come seguendo l'ordine per cui è stata programmata - inizia a sparare all'impazzata per poi esplodere. Al segugio ora non rimane che la compagnia di se stesso.

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Je_t%27aime_(animazione)

MM ! (えむえむっ! Emu Emu!) - [Xebec] - Opening & ending - [2010]

MM! (えむえむっ! Emu Emu!) is a Japanese light novel series by Akinari Matsuno, with illustrations provided by the group QP:flapper made up of Tometa Ohara and Koharu Sakura. Media Factory published 12 novels under their MF Bunko J imprint between February 2007 and September 2010, including two side story volumes. The series was left unfinished due to the author's death on April 18, 2011. A manga adaptation by Issei Hyoju was serialized between the September 2008 and February 2012 issues of Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive. A drama CD adaption was released by Edge Records on March 24, 2010 and its first-press limited edition came with a bonus CD.^[1] A 12-episode anime adaptation produced by Xebec aired between October and December 2010. Sentai Filmworks released the anime series on English-subtitled DVD in North America in September 2011, and then re-released it in February 2014 with an English dub on both DVD and Blu-ray.

Motto To Love-Ru Opening - [2010]

To Love-Ru (To LOVEる -とらぶる- To LOVEru -Toraburu-) is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, creator of Black Cat. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine between April 24, 2006 and August 31, 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 tankōbon volumes. A drama CD was released in February 2008 with an original story. A 26-episode anime series adaptation by Xebec aired in Japan between April and September 2008. Six original video animation episodes were produced by Xebec between April 2009 and April 2010. A 12-episode second season by Xebec titled Motto To-Love Ru aired between October and December 2010. A video game was released on the Nintendo DS in August 2008, and another game for the PlayStation Portable was released in October 2008, with a PlayStation Vita game announced in Japan for May 2014.