Jacob's Semi-Yearly Year's End Review of the Year- 2011

Here we are at the end of another year.  In what seems to be a a pattern, this was a weird year.  As per tradition, let's take a look back at the highlights, lowlights, and in-betweenlights.

2011 started with a mix of excitement and exhaustion after the recent completion of Four Tanks and a Healer.  I took a brief rest, then shifted back into work mode and finished animating The Girl and the Ghost while Marisa and Larry had some big meetings in LA about Four Tanks.

Following completion of the animation for Ghost, I laid low for a while and let myself decompress a bit.

After a long, rainy spring that lasted into the summer, in late June, I took a trip to Niagara Falls and met Teal Sherer.  We spent a few days hanging out, saw Chantal play at Jackson-Triggs and just had a great time.

Sadly, the vacation ended with me getting sick and it took me until the end of July to feel back to normal.

At the end of August, I was ready to donate again, so I went and got my hair chopped.

In September, Mom was out of commission with an infection in her finger and took most of the month to recover.  Before the month was over, Mom was back on track and we took an interesting trip to Toronto, which I still need to blog about.

In October, nearly a year after its completion, Four Tanks and a Healer premiered at TheOneRing.net and received very positive reactions.

In November, Bridget, Mom, and I saw Marketa Irglova in an amazing, intimate concert.  Still need to blog about that one too.

This strangely rainy December saw the release of a great holiday video Teal came up with.  I was happy to have been involved, even if I only lent a small hand.

http://youtu.be/6ZnxWz3NAY4?hd=1

Christmas, though snowless, was nice.  I loved watching Matthew experience the magic and fun of it all.

Overall, 2011 was a slow year that flew by.  It was also, as most years are, a year filled with change.
One big change is that 4Reelz now consists of just Marisa and me, as Larry left to start his own company, Eddy Spaghetti Productions.  I'm sure we'll still team up on plenty of stuff though.

Another notable change is that Matthew has grown from this little guy...

...into this less-little guy.

Entertainment-wise, I'd say it was a decent year.  A brief rundown of what entertained me this year...

Movies:
The Muppets
Super 8
Thor
Captain America
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Music:
Marketa Irglova- Anar
Anna Nalick- Broken Doll & Odds & Ends
Billy the Kid & The Southside Boys- Ours
and even though it wasn't actually released this year, Jenny Owen Youngs- Transmitter Failure, which features probably my most listened-to song of the year, Last Person.

http://youtu.be/vLsV1IWB8nY?hd=1

I don't want to risk jinxing anything, but I have to say, the coming year is looking like it could be pretty outstanding.
In the next few weeks, music and sound effects for The Girl and the Ghost will be done and this seemingly endless project will finally be finished.
Things are in motion for my next project, currently titled Waiting for the Sun, to really get moving.  Fingers crossed, this one could be a dream project.
And without giving anything away just yet, if all goes well, the coming summer could include a trip out west...
Also coming up in 2012, my 30th birthday the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and who knows what else?

Here's hoping 2012 is full of happiness, health, love, and success for all of us.  Happy New Year, everyone!

Part 2

The action-packed second episode of Four Tanks and a Healer is online at TheOneRing.net!

Check it out here:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/10/21/49241-theonering-net-presents-four-tanks-and-a-healer-episode-2/

Or go right to the YouTube video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDhTB_rrvQk

And if you missed Part 1, watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A47d3fjDNSQ

Enjoy!

On the Eve of Part 2

So, have you watched Part 1 of Four Tanks and a Healer yet?  What did you think?

I'm pumped to say Part 2 goes online tomorrow morning, thanks to TheOneRing.net.  You can read all about it here:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/10/20/49224-four-tanks-and-a-healer-episode-2-online-tomorrow/

Want some other fun tidbits?

Marisa was the special guest on TORn Tuesdays a couple days ago to promote Four Tanks.  I thought it was great and you can check it out here!

Video chat by Stickam.com

http://www.stickam.com/viewMedia.do?mId=192304917

And then, to completely boggle my mind, in the newest episode of Hobbit in 5, Four Tanks was mentioned alongside The Hobbit and the leaf on the wind himself, Alan Tudyk.  I'm feeling major nerd pride.
Take a look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hySTr6lwbYs

That's all for now.  Get ready for Part 2!

Part 1

Part 1 of Four Tanks and a Healer is online!  Check it out!  Spread the word!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A47d3fjDNSQ

"Four Tanks" News

Tomorrow, October 14th, will be a special day for me.  Nearly a year after its completion, Four Tanks and a Healer will finally be revealed online.  At 11:00 AM EST, Part 1 will go live at TheOneRing.net.  Check out the press release here:

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2011/10/12/48986-this-friday-theonering-net-presents-four-tanks-and-a-healer/

I'm definitely excited, but I'm mostly relieved that the project I spent most of last year animating will finally be out there for the whole world to see.

So, please, tomorrow morning, check it out, share your thoughts, and spread the word!

"Now go.  And may the Light bless you."

A Boring May Update

I wish I could blog more often.

Correction- I wish good, exciting, blogworthy things occurred more often. Truth is, everything I'm involved with seems to have a long and involved process with not many exciting updates until the very end. So, looking at my blog may give the impression that I'm lazy and not doing anything at all, that's not the case.

For the most part.

Most recently, I've been working on editing The Girl and the Ghost. I'm happy (and relieved) to say it's nearly finished. The next step, which I'm very pumped about, will be adding sound effects and music. After that, it should finally be finished. Then comes the task of figuring out what to do with the finished film...

I've been doing a little bit of plotting and outlining for a new script that I really think has the potential to be unique and special, but it's too soon to get into details on that, so consider yourself teased.

Besides that, I've got a new animated short written and ready to go whenever I am, plus Larry and I are talking about coming up with something new to work on. So, when it comes to what's next, I've got options aplenty.

As for Four Tanks and a Healer, I've got no real news to share as of yet. Hopefully I'll have something exciting to share soon.

Other than that, I've pretty much just been laying low and hanging out with my constantly growing and ridiculously smart nephew. I brag, but it's true.

Movie-wise, I've only gotten to the theater to see Paul and Thor, both of which I loved.

I'm looking forward to all the movies you'd expect me to, like Green Lantern, Captain America, and Super 8, and I'm surprised to say I'm (cautiously) looking forward to the new X-Men and Transformers movies, even though their previous installments left me cold.

So, cartoons, writing, and movies...yep, I'm boring. I will be having a much anticipated adventure next month, so I know I'll at least have some excitement to write about then, if not before.

Until then, stay snazzy.

From OldSchool to the Future

It's crazy the way things align themselves sometimes. Today, January 26th, 2011, is the fifth anniversary of the release of my first animated short, Nintendo: OldSchool Revolution.

It just so happens that today, on the anniversary of our first project together, Larry's out in LA with Marisa and Mark Ordesky for some big meetings with some big networks regarding Four Tanks and a Healer. Cross those fingers.

But wait! There's a third cool tidbit about today I'd like to share. As of a couple hours ago, animation for The Girl and the Ghost is finished. There may still be some minor tweaks to be made, but for the most part, it's done. Next up is editing and some audio work, then this baby will finally see the light of day. It's been a long time coming.

We've certainly come a long way since posting our little cartoon on iFilm in 2006. Howsabout we celebrate by taking a stroll down memory lane and revisiting this old boy?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdbl0s_nintendo-oldschool-revolution_fun

PS- You can also read a couple awesome articles from our wrap party here and here.

Jacob's Semi-Yearly Year's End Review of the Year- 2010

Well, kiddos...it's been a crazy year. Who's up for a little recap?

Way back in January, after a hiatus that was much longer than intended, I resumed work on The Girl and the Ghost.

As I animated that, Larry and the gang finished and premiered Dolly Oxem's Traveling Video Circus.

I worked right through February and in March, realized that at some point, the music video for Sex Love and Honey had snuck past 100,000 views without me noticing.

Mom and I took off to Toronto for a few days and attended a pair of amazing back-to-back Our Lady Peace concerts. (A blog entry for this trip is still coming. Really.)

A few days after getting back from the trip, we had The Meeting. The 4Reelz crew came together for a meeting which I consider to be the official start of the journey known as Four Tanks and a Healer.

As work on Ghost continued into April, the schedule for Four Tanks and a Healer began to sink in. I knew I couldn't handle them simultaneously, so I reluctantly put The Girl and the Ghost on hold once again and started animation on Four Tanks.

Toward the end of the month, I took in a fantastic concert by The Swell Season.

The summer was comprised of endless long hours of animation. By the time August rolled around, I was in massive need of a break. Mom and I swung up to Niagara Falls for a few days and saw Chantal & Raine play two shows at the Jackson-Triggs winery.

It was a great break and an unforgettable experience.

August also saw the release of my personal favorite movie of the year- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. 112 minutes of pure movie fun.

Before the month was over, Superman paid us a visit.

Christopher Dennis, the Hollywood Boulevard Superman, was in town to film a scene for The Long, Slow Death of a Twenty-Something with Larry. After filming, they stopped by my house. Not many people get surprises like that.

September got off to a bumpy start. A fun night out at the wine bar with Corey, Eric, and Beth ended with heavy rain basically frying my wheelchair's controls.

This left me stranded with a dead chair for my birthday and a couple weeks beyond. It sucked, but I got a lot of animation done.

Once my chair was semi-functional, Mom and I spent a day at the zoo. A weekday in late September is definitely the time to go. Everyone's at school and work and you pretty much have free reign of the place. It's pretty nice.

The work continued through October. When Halloween arrived, Matthew was ready. His love for Toy Story was apparent by his costume choice.

In early November, I allowed myself another little break and headed up to Niagara again with Mom. This was a very laid back trip consisting mostly of eating, drinking, and a Chantal concert. It was a short, but sweet getaway.

Upon returning, I buckled down for the home stretch and finally finished animating Four Tanks and a Healer after seven months.

In the following days, I re-learned how to relax just in time to enjoy Thanksgiving and Matthew's 3rd birthday. Still can't believe the little bugger's already three.

In December, I sat down and just wrote for the first time in months and it felt great. I now have a script for a brand new animated short film.

On the 18th, we all gathered at Pufferbelly in Kent for the wrap party for Four Tanks and a Healer and The Long, Slow Death of a Twenty-Something.

A few days later, it was time for Christmas and all the fun that comes with it.

Now, I'm sitting here in the early hours of 2011, just reflecting to myself on 2010 after spending New Year's Eve with Mom and Matthew. If I had to pick a word for the year, I guess it would be "strange." I spent most of the year with my nose in my laptop, racing toward the animation deadline. The working hours seemed to drag on forever and stressed me out to my wit's end. Oddly, that made the rest of the year fly by. I honestly barely even remember the summer. So, it was a productive year, but a strange one.

The highlight? Watching this butthead...

...grow into this butthead.

So, what's up for 2011? First and foremost, I'm jumping in and FINALLY finishing The Girl and the Ghost.

After that, I'll be tackling the new short, which I really think will be amazing. I'm extremely excited about this one.

And what of Four Tanks? Well, Larry has meetings scheduled with some big TV networks out in LA at the end of January, so we'll see.

Here's hoping 2011 is a great one. Happy New Year, guys!

Completion and Relaxation

Well, since my last blog entry, I've been busy. Very busy. I suppose the biggest news would be that after 7 months of working like crazy, I've finally finished animation for Four Tanks and a Healer. Completion was reached in the early hours of November 13th. I was exhausted, but so relieved.

The guys are currently editing and scoring it, then it'll be totally done. In the meantime, here's the most recent trailer:

Four Tanks and a Healer- Full Trailer
Uploaded by JacobDrake. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xf8621_four-tanks-and-a-healer-full-traile_shortfilms

I hope people will like the finished product once it's released. It was a long road of many many late nights spent sitting by myself in the dark and animating. I won't lie, it was rough. My sanity was frequently saved by watching The Nostalgia Critic and more recently, old clips of The Kids in the Hall on YouTube. I had forgotten how great that show was, I really need to get myself the complete series on DVD soon.

Since finishing my work on Four Tanks, I've spent this last week living a fairly hobbitish lifestyle- eating, drinking, relaxing, and enjoying my sleep more than I have in quite a while. It's nice. It actually took me a couple days to get over feeling guilty for relaxing instead of working, but I'm good now.

So, now that that's done, what's next? Well, after I decompress a bit more, my top priority is to dive in and finally finish The Girl and the Ghost once and for all. After that, I've got a few potentially amazing projects in the works, but we'll discuss those once they're a little closer to fruition.

Now I've got more time to blog and I've got tales going back to March waiting to be written about, so it'll be nice to sit down and tackle those.

For now, I'm just looking forward to enjoying Thanksgiving week, hanging out with friends, and just being.

Quick Little Update

I'm still hard at work within the Animation Cave, chipping away at Four Tanks and a Healer, but wanted to peek my head out for a second to let you know that the trailer went online yesterday. Check it out!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdy258_four-tanks-and-a-healer-trailer_shortfilms

So, what do you think?

Amusing and Creative Entry Title

My brain may explode soon. I've been going nonstop for so long now, I thought I'd take a minute to update the ol' blog. It's been three months since my last entry. Shame on me.

So, what have I been doing?

Shortly after I last wrote, I snuck away for an awesome Toronto trip which will get its own entry (or entries) on here soon. Really. I mean it.

Upon returning, my aunt and uncle came down from way up north in Canada for a visit. It had been a few years since I last saw them, so it was great to spend some time with them.

A few days later, Larry, Aaron, Marisa, and I had our first 4 Reelz production meeting. Hmm... Come to think of it, I don't think I've mentioned 4 Reelz on here yet. Go to 4Reelz.com and take a look-see.

Anyway, the meeting was at Mirabile's, a little family-owned Italian restaurant. The neighborhood's not the best, but the place itself was nice.

After the production meeting, Vince and Travis joined us for some food and a table read-through of Four Tanks and a Healer.

The food was great and they had me drinking homemade wine before noon, which helped numb the ache of actually having to be up before noon.

The read-through went nicely and we were ready.

They recorded all the dialogue for Four Tanks the next day and I went back to working hard on The Girl and the Ghost. I had hoped to finish it before starting Four Tanks, so I would have one less thing to worry about. I got close, but it didn't quite pan out that way.

In the following weeks, Larry drove up and we recorded the last of his dialogue and I directed Aaron's recording session via Skype.

The animation is about 95% finished, but I got to the point where I had to start Four Tanks. So, right now I'm a little over a month in on that.

Here's a little teaser peek at Four Tanks and a Healer...

I'm working hard and putting in long hours so I can make sure this thing is as good as it can be. It's turning my brain to mush, but it must be done.

I'm a machine.

This weekend, I'll be recording the last of Marisa's stuff for The Girl and the Ghost and I'm going to see The Swell Season. Should be a good weekend.

I'll be blogging again soon and I'll be posting some long overdue Ghost goodies, so stay tuned.

2010: Time to Catch Up

It's been over two months already?

Oops.

I've never claimed to be a punctual (or good) blogger, but I'll always keep coming back and updating. The main problem for me with blogging is that when nothing's happening, there's nothing to write, but when things are happening, there's no time to sit and collect my thoughts into a semi-decent entry.

I'm pretty busy these days, but I want to get an update out before it gets too out of control.

Let's do this.

Christmas was a great time. Lots of long-running traditions failed to come together, which was a bummer, but Christmas Day made up for that. Kris, Jessi, Hanna, and Matthew came over on Christmas morning and we did presents here. I loved watching Matthew have the whole experience, that was the highlight for me.

Keeping with tradition, the afternoon and evening were spent over Grandma's, just hanging out with the family.

Matthew spent the night on New Year's Eve, so I hung out with him and Mom all night. Ate some cheese and crackers, had a little drinky drink, it was nice.

The highlight of that night was the pudding episode. Matthew was sitting next to me as I putzed around on my laptop. He was eating pudding, so I asked "Is that good?"

He looked at me, gave it some thought, and said "Have some."

He then grabbed his spoon and stretched, trying to get it to my mouth. Half of it smeared across my cheek, the rest across my teeth. He said "uh oh", grabbed his napkin, climbed up, and started wiping my face. I was laughing too hard to make a sound. When he started wiping my teeth, I closed my mouth to avoid getting a mouthful of paper napkin. He then proceeded to grab my beard and pull down, trying to open my mouth.

The kid's a trip.

2009 got off to a rough start and never really seemed to recover. There were highlights and bright spots, but the overall tone of the year wasn't all that great, so I was happy to see '09 go so 2010 could get a shot at not sucking.

So far? I suppose it's been okay. The winter weather's been pretty rough, so I haven't been able to get out much. Honestly, I've pretty much gone stir-crazy at this point.

I've been using my indoor-time to catch up on some of the movies I missed last year. I've recently watched The Hangover, 9, District 9, and Zombieland. All were good, but my favorite movie I've seen recently was easily Moon. Blew me away. See it.

I also saw Avatar in 3D. I can't say I fell in love with it, but I definitely liked it.

I've mostly been spending my time working to finish animating The Girl and the Ghost. It's been a big test, trying to push myself without burning out on the process more than I already am. But I'm moving forward. I wouldn't say I'm in the home stretch just yet, but it is in sight. This movie's almost done.

Want something to watch now? Dolly Oxem's Traveling Video Circus premiered a few weeks ago! Check it out!

DOLLY OXEM'S TRAVELING VIDEO CIRCUS!
Uploaded by Bullcrank. - See more comedy videos.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbvvtu_dolly-oxem-s-traveling-video-circus_fun

Production for Four Tanks and a Healer begins next month. Craziness, I tell ye.

I better get back to work.

Late November Catch Up

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged. Why? Because my days have been pretty boring. My change-of-season-sickness turned into a sore throat/cough/ear infection/sinus infection...thing. It ended up hanging around in some form for about two months. Thankfully, it has FINALLY passed as of recently. I am still fighting with my ear as it continues to randomly plug and unplug. Fun, fun, fun.
Oh, and I also got my swine flu shot two weeks ago today, so hopefully I won't have to worry about sprouting a twirly tail and feeling the urge to roll around in the mud.

So, the major frustration of the long sickness (besides being sick), is that my work on The Girl and the Ghost was delayed. Bigtime. I had hoped to have it finished by the end of the year, at least the actual animation phase, but that's pretty unlikely now. It WILL get done though. This one has been far too long of a journey to turn back now.

Some recent highlights have included Halloween and Thanksgiving. Halloween was great because little Matthew made me proud and dressed up as Superman.
Check this awesome little nugget out.


I also carved a Jeff-Goldblum-O-Lantern.

Thanksgiving was nice, I had fun just chilling out with all the family. On top of that, it was also Matthew's second birthday. It was a blast to watch him open his presents and dive into his cake. Can't believe the little bugger's only been around for two years, it kind of feels like he's always been here.

As one of my gifts to him, I made another video to follow The First Four and The Following Fifteen. Here's Eighteen Through Twenty Four.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly7y7vqqSAQ

Thanksgiving weekend was rounded out with lots of hanging with the gang. It was the first I've gotten to hang with Corey, Eric, Brendan, Jeff, Mikey, and Mo all together in ages.
Twas a good time.

There's also a bit of big news I'm excited to share. A couple weeks ago, Larry, Aaron, and the guys headed out to LA for a week of meetings. On November 19th, I got a text from Larry that read

"Lotr producer just took us to breakfast to tell us he's investing in our new toon"

Mark Ordesky, producer of Lord of the Rings, is investing in our next animated project, Four Tanks and a Healer.

You can read Larry's account of the trip here.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/notes/larry-longstreth/onward-to-awesomeness/207207984601

This is so mind-boggling to me that my brain has yet to fully process it. It'll definitely be interesting to see where our projects go in 2010.

But before that? Christmas. I'm really looking forward to it this year. I'm ready for some Christmas spirit.

Full Plate. Here, Have a Bite.

It's getting busy again, kiddies. The projects are a-stackin', so I'm gettin' crackin'.

Currently, I'm finishing up work on an animated intro for Larry and the gang's upcoming comedy sketch show, Dolly Oxem's Traveling Video Circus. From what I've seen, I can tell you it's going to be bizarre, ridiculous, and hilarious. They're sort of going back to a style similar to their classic Eyeball Papercuts days, but applying all the things they've learned about filmmaking in the years since. I can't wait to see the finished product.

As soon as I'm done with the intro (within the next couple of days), I'm finally going back to dust the cobwebs off of The Girl and the Ghost. It's been about two years since I put it on hold to focus on The Greatest Fan Film of All Time.
I haven't resumed animating it yet, but I have spent the last few weeks slowly dipping my toes back into that world. Two years is a long time, creativity-wise. Ideas change, situations change, and the production of The Girl and the Ghost is definitely reflecting that. I've rewritten the climax of the story and the cast has some new blood in it.
Marisa Tomasic, who you'll remember as Cheyenne in The Wimp Whose Woman Was a Werewolf, is now on board as the female lead. I spent the past two Fridays with her, recording all the lines for her parts. Yes, I typed "parts", she's pulling double duty on this one and doing an amazing job. Can't thank her enough.

Recording with Marisa

And there's more lined up once that's finished. Remember my big dramatic announcement that I wouldn't be working on Larry's next animated project? Scratch that, I'm on board now. It's still a little ways off and the details are still being figured out, so there's not too much to say about it just yet. But yes, it's called Four Tanks and a Healer, I'm working on it, it will rock, and the Longstreth/Drake magic will continue. Or is it Drake/Longstreth? Drakestreth? Longdrake?
Whatever. It's continuing.

And somewhere in there, there's the new story idea I want to get moving on. I recently put together some concept art for it and I'm completely in love with it. It has me beyond excited, I've even had moments of temptation where all I wanted to do was push everything else aside so I could focus solely on this new idea.
I'll get to it though, hopefully sooner than later. Right now, it's the carrot dangling in front of me.
No, I don't like carrots, make it a soft pretzel. With cheese.

Here's something visual for this entry. I needed a break after animating a few nights ago and thought I'd have some editing fun.
During the editing process for Nintendo: OldSchool Revolution, there was a bit of quality loss in the picture. It bugged me. So, I went back to the original Flash files and re-rendered them in high definition, then edited the footage exactly as Larry did originally. The colors are vibrant, the lines are clear, and the lip-syncing is fixed.
Now, nearly four years after I began animation for it, you can finally see Nintendo: OldSchool Revolution in full quality, flaws and all. HD, baby.

Check it out and tell me what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV1a_1ubJuo

So, that's what I've been up to and will be up to for the next little while. Who knows what other projects might sneak their way in there too?

Right. Gettin' crackin' now.