Animation
On Friday, students display
their artistry with live-action
and stop-motion films
-j
By Jessica Blanchard
Oregon Daily Emerald
Fine arts and business major
Nick Falbo said he first became
interested in animation when,
as a high school senior, he at
tended an Animation Explo
sion, an annual showcase of
student animation at the Uni
versity.
“I decided it was some
thing I wanted to do,” he
I said. Now, two years later,
Falbo is this year’s Ani
Wk mation Explosion stu
flk dent coordinator, in
charge of organizing
and running the show.
Baft He will also be con
Jfe.% tributing a stop-mo
L. |f|k tion animation and
hi a s^ort live-action
sequence to the
show, which
L will display
work from
more than 60
student artists
in several
University
animation
classes.
Their work
ranges from
simple
drawings on
index cards
that are
filmed, to
complex 3-D
computer ani
mation done
with the soft
ware called 3-D
Studio Max.
Clay, cut
illustration by Giovanni Salimena
fabricated puppets are also
filmed in stop motion.
In addition to the animation
tape, the presentation Friday
will include a short animated
film from 1957 by animation pi
oneer David Foster. There is also
an exhibit in the LaVerne
Krause Gallery in Lawrence
Hall that displays artwork from
the animated films that will be
shown on Friday.
“There’s some pretty amazing
stop-motion animation in the
show,” said Ken O’Connell, a
fine and applied arts professor
who teaches several of the ani
mation classes. “The results are
pretty spectacular. Also, the
computer animation gets more
sophisticated every year.”
Falbo agreed that the quality
of work is improving each year.
“Each year, the standards
w have gotten higher and higher,”
he said.
Animation is a time-consum
ing process, and many of the
projects on display Friday night
are the product of hours upon
hours of work. When animating
something like a person walk
ing, a person would have to
study the movement and break
it down into pieces, O’Connell
said. The average walk cycle, for
example, has 12 phases, and
people move at about one stride
per second.
When people see the finished
product, they have no idea of
the hours of work that went into
making the animation move
smoothly on the screen, O’Con
nell said.
“Basically, animation is
shooting one frame of film at a
time,” O’Connell said. While a
regular movie camera could
shoot around 24 frames a sec
ond, one second in an animated
movie can take almost an hour
to film. And when the anima
tion is drawn, it can take up to
350 drawings to make one
smoothly-animated film that
runs three minutes, Ken said.
For another one of the films
that will be shown at the Ani
mation Explosion, a student
spent 50 hours working on his
three-minute animated film,
O’Connell said.
Senior fine arts major Paul
Kuck is also contributing work
to the show. His work, which he
completed as part of his anima
tion class, is an abstract visual
music piece, uses mostly geo
metric shapes set to music.
“I’m basically taking an
African-driven percussion piece
and putting visuals to it,” he
said.
The Animation Explosion has
been held for the past three
years, though O’Connell said
the department put on a similar
show before it got its official ti
tle. Donations and grants from
corporations such as Sony Disc
Manufacturing, Intel Corp. and
Eugene Print help fund the
event each year.
O’Connell said that since the
University began teaching ani
mation and motion graphics
more than 42 years ago, gradu
ates have gone on to work for
companies like Disney, Dream
works, Apple Computer, Adobe
Software, Broderbund, Mi
crosoft and Netscape.
■ Thursday June 1
2 p.m.—The Groove Juice Special, EMU Am
phitheater. Free. All ages.
7 p.m.—Cynthia Beal w/Bleu Tie Affair (torch
ballads), Chez Ray’s, 44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
8 p.m. — UO Ensemble Concert, Beall Concert
Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave. Tickets $5 general, $3 stu
dents and senior citizens.
8 p.m. —johnny Wilde and the Blue Yonder
(rock), Foxfire Restaurant and Bar, 4740 Main
St., Springfield. Free.
9:30 p.m. — Fritz and the Poor Boys, Black For
est Tavern, 2657 Willamette. Free.
9:30 p.m.—Soloist (jazz), Chez Ray’s, 44 W.
10th Ave. Free.
10 p.m.—80s Night (dance), John Henry’s, 136
E. 11th Ave. Free.
■ Fridayjune2
5 p.m.—Walker T. Ryan (blues), Chez Ray’s, 44
W. 10th Ave. Free.
6 p.m.—Opening Reception, Maude Kerns Art
Center, 1910 E. 15th Ave. Until 8 p.m. Suggest
ed $2 donation. Local artists Nancy Pobanzand
Keiko Yanamouchi will display their works
through June 29.
7 p.m.—Simply Jazz with Cynthia Rae, Chez
Ray’s, 44 W. 10th Ave, Free.
7 p.m.—Animation Explosion 2000, Room 177
Lawrence Hall. Showcases student-created mul
timedia, animation and visual design work.
Free.
7 p.m.—"The Life and Adventures of Nicholas
Nickelby, Part 2,” Robinson Theater, Villard
Hall. Tickets are $10 general; $8 senior citizens,
UO faculty and staff; and $5 students. Part 1
also runs at 1 p.m. June 3.
7:30 p.m.—Oregon Ballroom Dance, Room
220 Geriinger Hall. $4 general, $3 students and
staff. No partner needed.
7:30 p.m. — Dance Theater of Oregon, Swine
Dive #9, Soreng Theater, One Eugene Center.
$16 general admission, $12 youth.
8 p.m.—“Cross the Map,” featuring the Tiffany
Mills Dance Company, Dougherty Dance The
ater, Geriinger Annex. $6 general, $3 students
and senior citizens.
9 p.m. — Moth with Blyss, WOW Hall, 291 W.
Eighth. Tickets are $6 at the door.
9 p.m.—Eclectic Open Mic, The Buzz Coffee
house, EMU. Free.
9:30 p.m.—3-D movie “Revenge of the Crea
ture” (sequel to “The Creature from the Black
Lagoon”), featuring Clint Eastwood in his first
ever film role. EMU Amphitheater. $2 for stu
dents, $3 general admission.
9:30 p.m. — Flying Colours (rock), Black Forest
Tavern, 2657 Willamette. Free.
9:30 p.m. — Mr. Wizard (rock), Foxfire Restau
rant and Bar, 4740 Main St, Springfield. Two
drink minimum.
9:30 p.m.—Stone Cold Jazz, Chez Ray’s, 44 W.
10th Ave. Free.
9:30 p.m.—Rally Boy, Welsh Rabbit, Gabriel
Blue, and The Messengers (alt rock), John Hen
ry's, 136 E. 11th Ave. $3 cover.
■ Saturday, June 3
5 p.m. — Eileen Hemphill-Haley (folk artist),
Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette St. Until 7
p.m. Free.
6 p.m.—Summer Send Off, EMU amphithe
ater. End-of-the-year party includes a dance
competition, DJ Dan Craig, refreshments and
prizes. Free.
7 p.m. —Jamie Maderas (flamenco), Chez
Ray’s, 44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
8 p.m.—The Man Without a World, Room 180
PLC. The After Quartet will perform a live score.
$5 for students, $6 for general public.
9:30 p.m. — Honey Bucket (bluegrass), Chez
Ray’s, 44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
9:30 p.m. —Jubal (jazz-rock), Black Forest Tav
ern, 2657 Willamette. Free.
9:30 p.m.—Watermelon Head (rock), Foxfire
Restaurant and Bar, 4740 Main St., Springfield.
Two-drink minimum.
10 p.m.—Courtesy Clerks, Naysayers, The Bak
ery (alt. rock), John Henry’s, 136 E. 11th Ave.
Free.
■ Sunday, June 4
3 p.m.—Vaudeville for the family, Chez Ray’s,
44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
5:30 p.m. — Karaoke, Foxfire Restaurant and
Bar, 4740 Main St., Springfield. Two-drink mini
mum.
6 p.m.—Vaudeville for the family, Chez Ray’s,
44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
7:30 p.m.—Sandy Silva (percussive dancer),
WOW Hall, 291W. Eighth. Tickets are $11.50 in
advance, $13 at the door.
9 p.m.—Blues Jam, Taylor’s Bar and Grill, 894
E 13th. Free.
9 p.m.—Open Mic, Black Forest Tavern, 2657
Willamette. Free.
9 p.m. — Nobody’s Business with One Up Two
Down (rock), John Henry’s, 136 E. 11th Ave.
Free.
■ Monday, June 5
7 p.m.—Allen Ginsburg Birthday Celebration,
Chez Ray’s, 44 W. 10th Ave. Until 7 p.m. Festivi
ties will include a reading of “Howl,” a Gins
burg classic, by Izzy Whetstine.
10 p.m. — DJ dance, Taylor’s Bar and Grill, 894
E 13th. $1 cover.
10 p.m. — Mixology 101 (house, jungle, trip
hop), John Henry’s, 136 E. 11th Ave. Free.
■ Tuesday, June 6
7 p.m.—Scotty Perey (sing-along), Chez Ray’s,
44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
9:30 p.m.—Carmizin (folk fusion), Black For
est Tavern, 2657 Willamette. Free.
9:30 p.m.—Grateful Dead Appreciation Night,
Chez Ray’s, 44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
10 p.m. —JLA Night at the House (house), John
Henry’s, 136 E. 11th Ave. Free.
■ Wednesday, June 5
8 p.m.—Theurgic Seed (multimedia show),
Soreng Theater, Hult Center, One Eugene Cen
ter. Includes animation, lights, art, Raging Fam
ily and a string orchestra. Tickets are $12 for
students, $15 general admission.
8 p.m. — Dick Dale (surf guitar) with Los Mex
Pistols Del Norte (Latino rock), WOW Hall, 291
W. Eighth. Tickets are $10.
7 p.m.—Skip Jones (Louisiana folk), Chez
Ray's, 44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
9:30 p.m. —John Barley (guitar), Chez Ray’s,
44 W. 10th Ave. Free.
10 p.m.—Justice League of America (dance),
John Henry’s, 136 E. 11th Ave. No cover for
women; men $2.