2024-07-03
The Animation Munster Project (AMP) is returning on July 17 for more clips, short animated films, VFX work and talks. As well as meeting a whole crew of animators*.
At the last meeting in February, we had "the talk" from seasoned animation producer Daniel Spencer, but this time we will have the talk from the wonderful Eimhin McNamara.
Eimhin is an award winning animation artist, Founder and Director of Matchbox Mountain and lecturer in Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT). His specialities include stop motion animation, special effects and 2D animation.
If you've seen Wolfwalkers from Cartoon Saloon, you will be familiar with the "Wolfvision" he and his team worked on where 2D and 3D animation collide. It takes a lot of work to achieve.
You can read more about Eimhin’s work in Variety.
Tickets for the event are available on Eventbrite and take place at 7pm in The Pav, Cork on Wednesday July 17.
*I checked, apparently the collective noun for animators really is a crew.
2024-07-01
Sometimes a mistake or something misheard makes you think "would that work?"
In this case it was about an exercise video that looks like John Wick's. But what would that involve? Dog walking while avoiding assassins? Sparring while doing ab crunches?
What was meant was Joe Wicks of the The Body Coach not the character in film series played by Keanu Reeves.
But I think it might be worth investigating, for Comic Relief at least. I can see a fictional mixup between the two, and I think that Mr Reeves leading an exercise class while the coach is avoiding attacks (with a dog to protect of course) could be played for laughs. I'd like to see it.
Mixing two unrelated ideas is always worth looking at, because sometimes it makes you laugh, and then it makes you think.
2024-06-27
AnamoLABS want to see people move. Not just from the perspective of motion capture and analysis, but actually moving and maintaining health. From this, Futsal is interesting.
Futsal is a variation of five-a-side football played on a hard surface. Unlimited substitutions are permitted, which means that it is very suitable for cooperative play.
Last year saw the establishment of an Irish Down Syndrome futsal team which competed at the SUDS European Championships in Padova, Italy. Several League of Ireland clubs embraced the opportunity to support players with Down Syndrome and form new teams.
And on June 9th this year the League of Ireland Down Syndrome Futsal Festival took place at Gormanston Sports Complex, Co. Meath. Set up by the FAI Football For All programme and the League of Ireland, it featured teams from the over 16 years Down Syndrome squads from Dundalk FC, Shelbourne FC, Cork City FC, Finn Harps FC, Wexford FC, Bohemian FC and Sligo Rovers FC. The overall winner of the event was Finn Harps FC.
Kudos to Cork City FC and a special Thank You to Conor Fionn McKahey for his support of the athletes.
If you have any interested players for future events, get in contact with their nearest club by getting in touch with
2024-06-25
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, Atticus Education and Northern Ireland Screen last week announced, the eight filmmakers that will be the 2024 Puttnam Scholars.
Now in its fifth year, this is a cross-border initiative, through the Atticus Education "Puttnam Scholars" programme involving a series of interactive online seminars for early-to-mid career filmmakers with Oscar-winning producer David Puttnam. The programme is supported by Accenture Song.
The talented scholars will be developing their creative resilience and professional acumen as well as forging cultural connections across the island of Ireland.
This year's scholars are:
Claire Frances Byrne – Director / Writer selected by Screen Ireland
Eoin Cleland – Director / Writer selected by Northern Ireland Screen
Sarah Gordon – Director / Writer selected by Northern Ireland Screen
Ian Hunt-Duffy – Director selected by Screen Ireland
Nicky Larkin – Director / Writer / Documentary Maker selected by Northern Ireland Screen
Cara Loftus – Writer selected by Screen Ireland
Suzanne McNally – Producer selected by Northern Ireland Screen
Colin Thornton – Writer / Producer selected by Screen Ireland
You are going to be amazing. Have fun and make us laugh, cry and have all the feels with your results.
Image: Clockwise from top left - Claire Frances Bryne, Ian Hunt-Duffy, Eoin Cleland, Sarah Gordon, Suzanne McNally, Nicky Larkin, Colin Thornton, Cara Loftus
2024-06-24
Due to a quirk of timing, RTÉ broadcasted a documentary of David Puttnam during the Leaving Certificate exams. It's currently available on the RTÉ Player.
In the build up to the broadcast, Mr Puttnam (he retired his Lordship), gave an interview on the Brendan O'Connor show, and he brings up the exams.
Around the 22 minute mark he goes on to education, and says... "I've been a critic", ... "of the Leaving Cert ever since I've been living in Ireland. I think it's a very very blunt instrument and I'm not sure it provides either the kids or society at large here, with the young people we are going to need for the next 20, 30, 40 years. They are going to need to be a different type of human being, almost, with a different set of skills, and a different attitude to the place of work and their roles within society. I don't think the Leaving Cert does any of that. I very much like the opportunity that TY offers, and I think that if we were able to fund TY properly and apply it well, I think it could be an enormous help. But I think that the net result of that would be a rethinking of the Leaving Cert."
Much as we don't really have jobs for life (expect parenthood) "You are going to have to constantly learn and relearn." ... "Every single person is going to have to become a Lifelong Learner, because the nature of what they do , and the technology with which they do it is going to alter 3 or 4 times during their careers."
And he is right. There is the old quote about the kids of today going to apply for jobs that don't exist yet is true. We have no idea how the world is going to change for us, so we have to keep adapting and learning new skills, and apply the experiences we pick up along the way.
In short, we are going to have to stay curious.