Animators ‘Toon In to the Latest at CSUN Fest

Some talented folks showed their shorts to an appreciative crowd Saturday in CSUN’s Campus Theatre. Film shorts, that is.

The second annual California Sun International Animation Festival showcased the traditional and experimental works of student, independent and studio animators from Chatsworth to as far away as Australia and Finland.

The two-day event began Friday night with a “Best of the Fest” screening at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills.

Workshops, academic and industry exhibits, guest speakers and an awards ceremony Saturday occupied the several hundred participants when they were not viewing the screening of about 50 films from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Bronze Planet award for best student animation went to Sherman Oaks resident Aaron Yamasoto for his whimsical takeoff on the movie “Titanic.” Called “Iceberg,” it suggests the infamous iceberg had its own passengers--penguins and seals--who were cast adrift after the collision.

Yamasoto, 28, is a CSUN senior who came here from Hawaii to make his mark in cinema. He was nudged into animation by the success of a Claymation parody of Godzilla he made just for fun.

“It was more like an experiment. Then people kind of said, ‘That’s a natural thing for you to do.’

“I love film. I watched a lot of cartoons--Gumby and Mr. Bill,” he said. “I thought it would be fun to try.”

Recruiters from four companies, impressed with his work, sought him out during the festival.

He has two fantasies about his future.

“If I had a cult following--that would be the great ‘wow,’ ” he said. “Or if [director] James Cameron saw ‘Iceberg’ and enjoyed it.”

Animation is wide open right now because of the success of prime-time shows such as “King of the Hill” and the long-running “The Simpsons.”

Fox network, with its penchant for edgy, controversial programming, just added “Futurama” to its lineup.

Seth MacFarlane, creator of Fox’s “The Family Guy,” screened that series’ premiere episode at the festival and talked shop with audience members.

MacFarlane got his start in animation with an eight-minute student film using skills he learned as a stand-up comic.

One audience member asked MacFarlane the inevitable question:

“I don’t mean to be rude, but what kind of money is there?”

“I bathe in money,” MacFarlane said, laughing. “It’s good money--you just don’t have time to spend it.”

The “Best of the Festival” award went to Hannes Rall of Stuttgart, Germany, for “Der Rabe,” a loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven.” Next stop for his animated film will be a competition in Annecy, France. It’s like the Cannes Film Festival of animation.

Joe Pearson, president of Epoch Ink Animation, shared some of the results of his 15 years’ experience, including his compelling depiction of the human condition, “Do the Evolution,” a Grammy-nominated “Pearl Jam” music video.

There’s no guaranteed path to the top in animation. Lots of animators were laid off after several failed Hollywood projects, and much of the artwork is done abroad, said Jack Reilly, digital and video art teacher and festival director.

“China is on board, with Japan and Korea, and even Mexico has a studio,” he said. Newcomers to the business must be well-rounded artistic types, not just skilled illustrators.

“If you’re a creative, artistic animator, come up with your own idea, find enough funds to produce it, then market the piece,” Reilly advised.

Shannon Peitzman, training coordinator for Cal State Long Beach’s entertainment studies program, also stressed the need to develop multiple skills.

Peitzman started as a student in Long Beach’s computer animation program, where she met the man she married, Bob, whose animation skills can be seen in such movies as “Godzilla” and “Starship Troopers.”

“Animation’s not just film; there’s games, there’s architecture, there’s even court litigation,” she said. “The industry wants more qualifications because so many want to do it.”