Joseph Fasolino

I have recently been doing much research on different animators, and over the past few months I've been obsessed with shows such as Pendelton Ward's "Adventure Time," and "Regular Show." I have come across a show called "Home Movies," which ran from 1999 to 2004 on Cartoon Network.  It was created by Brendon Small, who hold positions as writer, animator, and composer for the show. Being a musician myself, I thought it was particularly interesting that Small writes all of the episodes, and composes 100% of the music. He actually holds a degree from Berklee College of Music.

The show is supposed to be a parody of Small's life growing up as a teenager. He and his awkward friends go on various misadventures while simultaneously figuring out what it means to grow up.  The show has it's own custom made censor, which is a significantly different pitch than Adult Swim's censor, and it is commonly used for words that Adult Swim would have otherwise allowed. The show also uses it's own process of scriptwriting, called "retroscripting," a process in which scripts are purposely left vague, and the plot is merely outlined. Most dialogue is actually done through improv by the actors.

The show has reach various levels of critical acclaim, and January of 2009, IGN listed Home Movies as the 28th best in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows.  Here is the link for Season 2, Episode 1.

Toy Story - Live Action

Toy story has become a classic movie of our generation with its cutting edge graphics and editing techniques to tell a story. Two fans Jonason Pauley (19) and Jesse Perotta (21) wanted to visit the facility where it was all created. Unfortunately for them Pixar does not let any visitors in unless they have done something fantastic. So armed with $1000 and 150 friends they created a shot for shot live action remake of the entire movie. The result is quite spectacular and the effort that must have been put forth is immense. What I find to be interesting is seeing this story told without animation. The characters are literally less animated with no facial expressions or fluid movement. This makes the scenes less believable and its harder to connect with the characters. That aside it is a very cool project and definitely worth a look. 

Aside: They learned yesterday they get to tour pixar.

Improving Old Home Videos and Final Project

Searching for motion graphics videos on youtube I came across this interesting video. I like to deconstruct the videos and try to decide what tools were used to produce some of these effects. Additions from After Effects gives you the ability to incorporate new elements to your old projects and would be a great way to alter old home videos.

For my final project I decided to remake the opening for Mrs. DoubtFire. I am currently juggling ideas around for how exactly I want the segment to flow. I want the style to be similar to a children's television opening due the role Robin Williams plays within the movie. I was thinking of building off the Saved by the Bell, incorporating iconic props from the film. Each time I think about conceptualizing the project my idea changes.