Reality Check: Animating the City

Resonance FM Podcasts » I’m Ready for my Closeup

Alex Fitch talks to the directors of two new cutting-edge animated films which mix animation and live action footage to beguiling effect. In a Q and A recorded at SCI-FI-LONDON, the London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film, Zoltan Sostai discusses his film Cycle, a spiritual successor to Tron and The Matrix, which sees a nameless astronaut trying to escape a bleak urban landscape which twists and loops back on itself, creating an endless maze he can’t find the exit from.

Also, British animator Paul Bush talks about his first feature film Babledom which looks into the layers of history and potential future that are unearthed by explorers of the modern city. Mixing a dialogue between two residents of a dystopian city in the style of Chris Marker’s La Jetée, with visuals that recall the architecture of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Babledom is an evocative look at mankind’s varied relationships with the crowded spaces we inhabit.

Still from Babledom and poster for Cycle

Cycle was released in Hungarian cinemas on 21st February 2013 following its London première at SCI-FI-LONDON in 2012 / Babledom is released in UK cinemas on 8th March 2013. (Expanded podcast of an episode of I’m ready for my close-up, broadcast 01/03/13 on Resonance 104.4 FM)

Links: Babledom website
Paul Bush’s website
Cycle clips on vimeo.com
Info about the film’s premiere at SCI-FI-LONDON

Recommended events:

Tripwire 21st anniversary Kickstarter campaign

In 2013, Britain’s favourite comics and genre magazine celebrates its 21st birthday. To commemorate, we are doing a must-buy book.

TRIPWIRE has been Britain’s only features-driven comics and genre magazine which has published since 1992 and with 2013 being the magazine’s 21st anniversary, its coming of age if you like, we thought it would be remiss if we didn’t do something to commemorate this.

The book will come in regular paperback and in a limited hardcover edition. Between its covers will be a selection of new material, including art either never seen before or rarely seen from the likes of Drew Struzan (poster artist for Indiana Jones, The Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Phil Hale (award-winning portrait painter), Howard Chaykin (American Flagg, The Shadow, Blackhawk),Frank Quitely (Batman & Robin, All-Star Superman), Walter Simonson (Elric, Thor), Dave Taylor (Batman, Tongue Lash) and many more. Additionally, it will include features looking at the trends and issues that have played a major part in comics and genre over the past 21 years, including the best and worst comic and genre movies 1992-2013, the 21 most important creators to come to the fore in the last twenty-one years, the 21 best graphic novels (mainstream and independent) and much more. It will also include the best content from twenty-one years of TRIPWIRE, a magazine which covered the cream of comics and genre and will include the likes of Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Guillermo Del Toro, Mike Mignola, Joss Whedon, Joe Kubert, Will Eisner to name but a few. It will also include a selection of photos pulled from the magazine of genre movers and shakers. It will be a must-buy for fans and aficionados of comics and genre, approached with the same level of professionalism and quality that people have come to expect from the magazine.

“TRIPWIRE really is a breath of fresh air. Its layouts are superb, with great well-written features perfectly set off by the pictures, adding clarity and intelligence to every page. And it keeps on doing it. Amazing, Gratifying. A pleasure to look at, a pleasure to read…” MICHAEL MOORCOCK

Incentives run at prices between £1 and £500 including signed copies, PDFs, prints T-Shirts and more…

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/154246759/tripwire-21st-anniversary

Help launch The Black Cloud

Support Charles Cutting’s new graphic short story compilation… If you think it’s the kind of thing you would be cool with posting about, liking and sharing on Facespace and Twitter, Charlie would be most grateful…

Over the last year and a half Charles has produced three short stories in graphic form for three different authors.

‘After The End’ is penned by Tauriq Moosa and deals with a secret scientific experiment.

‘Two Little Boys’ concerns an intriguing coincidence linking the lives of Adolf Hitler and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is written by Christian David. It first appeared in Issue 29 of The Illustrated Ape.

The final story ‘The Bleeding Horse’ is an adaptation of a macabre story by Brian J Showers about a haunted Irish pub.

Charlie needs $2000 to cover the printing and shipping costs. By pre-ordering a copy of Black Cloud via Indiegogo you will be entitled to various perks depending on how much you wish to chip in to the campaign. These cost between $15 and $200 and include sketches, advertising space and original artwork.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/black-cloud

British SF Films need funding

If you’re a fan of SF films or SCI-FI-LONDON, you could help and find a moment to post some news to your friends/contacts about their crowd funding of new British Sci-Fi films…

To time its release with this year’s film festival they’re making a short film called “Ellipse” – co-written and directed by Ilana (We Are All Cylons) Rein. It’s a co-production with SCI-FI-LONDON and The Royal Observatory Greenwich. They have much incredible talent on board including Territory Studios – the group that did some of the FX for Prometheus….

The campaign page is here http://www.sponsume.com/project/ellipse

Also, SCI-FI-LONDON’s first feature has begun production – an askew look at Alien Abduction dramas called “The Search for Simon”, directed by Martin (Death) Gooch, which will included crowd sourced footage in its production. To quote the director: “Think Shaun of the Dead rubbing up against The X-Files, with a little Blair Witch Project, and UFOs thrown in for good measure.”

Perks include a chance to drive a WW2 tank! (Louis Savy, CEO of Sci-FI London says: “Really, a tank! You can be an oddball for the day in our homage to Kelly’s Heroes!”)

The campaign page is here https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-search-for-simon

Develop your graphic fiction ideas with Mike Carey

This one-day course will enable you to really build on and develop your own ideas, and to take some practical steps towards getting your graphic fiction work into shape for an agent or publisher. Mike will look at how to develop ideas for a series, and lead some discussion around the wider scope of the graphic form. There will also be plenty of time for you to craft your own work under Mike’s guidance.

This workshop is perfect for anyone who is already working on an idea for the graphic form, and is looking to develop their ideas further. You don’t need to have come to last season’s workshop to attend.

Saturday 16 March, 11am – 4.30pm
£60 / £45 concessions

Toynbee Studios
28 Commercial Street
London E1 6AB
Nearest Tube/Train: Aldgate East (Hammersmith and City, District)

More info: www.spreadtheword.org.uk