Merchandise: 1930s Looney Tunes Placemats

Here's a week full of Looney Tunes fun courtesy of Archive supporter, Mike Fontanelli. Check out these great placemat designs from the late 30s!








Thanks, Mike!

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Interview: Bob Givens-Walt And The War

UPDATE: Nearly two hours of this interview have now been made available exclusively to members of ASIFA-Hollywood. Members, please check your email for downloading instructions.


Here is the second part of our interview with the legendary layout man, Bob Givens. Will Finn, Mike Fontanelli, JoJo Baptista, Michael Woodside and I were treated to nearly three hours of fabulous stories relating to his six decades in the animation business, and we are sharing his great stories with you here on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive blog.

You'll notice that the kinds of stories that Bob relates here are quite different from what you might have read. When I first met Bob, I asked him if he had read any of the books written on the subject of animation history. He was blunt. "A lot of it is bologna. Those books are written by people who weren't there... people who have never set foot in an animation studio." This is a sentiment that I've heard expressed by a lot of the "old timers" I've had the privilege of being able to speak to. But not many of them are left. We're all lucky to have this opportunity to virtually sit at the feet of a "golden age" animator and hear about his experiences in his own words.

Here is the first clip for today...

Bob Givens On The War And Censorship (11.11.08)
(Quicktime 7 / 9 minutes / 20.8 megs)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

I have also posted a choice clip to YouTube so you can post it to your own blogs and send it to friends...

Bob Givens on Working For Walt (11.11.08)
(YouTube / 10 minutes)

Feel free to embed this YouTube video in your own blog or website. Please link back to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive blog in case your readers would like more information.

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John Wayne & Judy Garland in Lancaster, CA
The Lake Norconian "Orgy"
Mentor Huebner's Film Concept Work
David Swift at IMDB
History of the First Motion Picture Unit

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be making available extended segments of this interview exclusively for members of ASIFA-Hollywood. The first two hours are now available for downloading. ASIFA members, please see your email box for downloading instructions. If you aren't a member yet, you should be.

Many thanks to Bob Givens for sharing his experiences with us, to Mike Fontanelli and Will Finn for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak with Bob, and to Michael Woodside and JoJo Baptista for producing this video.

In case you missed it, check out... Bob Givens Interview Part One: Grand Old Man Of Animation

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Interview: Bob Givens- Grand Old Man of Animation

UPDATE: A 50 minute extended version of this interview has just been made available to members of ASIFA-Hollywood. Members, please check your email for downloading instructions.


This week, we were very fortunate to host a visit to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive by the legendary layout artist, Bob Givens. Will Finn, Mike Fontanelli, JoJo Baptista, Michael Woodside and I were treated to nearly three hours of fabulous stories relating to his six decades in the animation business.


At Warner Bros, Bob designed the character models for the first true Bugs Bunny cartoon, "A Wild Hare", as well as providing background layouts for countless Jones, Freleng, Avery and McKimson cartoons.


Givens' career continued to flourish throughout the television era. He worked on the first TV cartoon, Jay Ward's Crusader Rabbit, as well as Clampett's Beany & Cecil, Post Cereal's Linus the Lionhearted and Hanna Barbera's The Flintstones. Along with Bernie Gruver, Givens designed the classic "Raid Bug" spots for Cascade, and continued to work steadily into his 80s, retiring in 2001 after laying out Chuck Jones' Timber Wolf.


Here is a segment of the interview where Bob discusses his television career...


Bob Givens' Television Career (11.11.08)
(Quicktime 7 / 10 minutes / 24.4 megs)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

I have also posted another clip from this interview to YouTube. This one relates to Bob's work at Warner Bros...


Bob Givens on Warner Bros (11.11.08)
(YouTube / 10 minutes)

Feel free to embed this YouTube video in your own blog or website. Please link back to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive blog in case your readers would like more information.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be making available extended segments of this interview exclusively for members of ASIFA-Hollywood. The first 50 minute video file is now available for downloading. ASIFA members, please see your email box for downloading instructions. If you aren't a member yet, you should be.

Many thanks to Bob Givens for sharing his experiences with us, to Mike Fontanelli and Will Finn for taking time out of their busy schedules to speak with Bob, and to Michael Woodside and JoJo Baptista for producing this video.

Will Finn posts his impressions of the interview on his blog, Small Room.

The Second Part Of This Interview Has Now Been Posted... Bob Givens Interview Part Two: War And Working For Walt

Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Bill Melendez 1917-2008

For many years, ASIFA-Hollywood VP, Tom Sito has been hosting informal interviews with important figures in animation. Here is a video excerpt from an interview with Bill Melendez...

Tom Sito and Bill Melendez
(Quicktime 7 / 9.5 megs)

Bill was a great friend of ASIFA-Hollywood. He will be missed.
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Voice Acting: The Stan Freberg Show 1957

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 4 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great biographies of important artists.


Daws Butler and Stan Freberg accept the
Grammy Award for "St. George and the Dragon-net".
Archive supporter, Rich Borowy has been contributing some wonderful material to the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Here's another one of his treasures... the premiere episode of the legendary short lived radio musical variety show created by Stan Freberg.

In the Summer of 1957, CBS debuted a comedy program to replace The Jack Benny Program. It starred Captiol recording artist Stan Freberg, with support from veteran voice artists like Daws Butler, Marvin Miller and June Foray. The show exhibited all aspects of Freberg's unique sense of humor from goofy cartooniness to biting satire. This episode contains liberal doses of both, and includes his classic riff on Cold War politics, titled "Los Voraces" ("The Greedy Ones"). Freberg's sharp wit and his refusal to accept commercials for cigarettes didn't endear him to advertisers, and the show was cancelled after only fifteen episodes. But it made an indelible mark on many fans in re-release on records.

This particular recording is unique, because it includes off-air introductions by Stan before the show and a pickup of a musical cue at the end. It's a tribute to the professionalism of the performers and the musical director, Billy May when you realize that this elaborate program was performed live from beginning to end in front of a studio audience.

Enjoy the genius of Freberg!

The Stan Freberg Show
(CBS Radio/July 9th, 1957)
(AAC Audio File / 90kbps-44.1kHz / Mono / 42 minutes / 30.25 mb)

Thanks for contributing this, Rich!

Fans of the great Stan Freberg won't want to be without this great four CD box set, The Tip of the Freberg, which includes many of his greatest recordings. Get it at Amazon!

If you enjoyed this article, you'll also want to check out these articles... Mel Blanc on Advertising, Profile of Carlo Vinci, John K on Flintstones Animators, Bugs Bunny In Coronet Magazine, Ward Kimball In Escapade Magazine, UPA Done Right, The Pencil Test of Art Babbitt's Best Scene, A Drawing Lesson From Walter Lantz, and Remembering Berny Wolf

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
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Voice Acting: Mel Blanc On Advertising

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 4 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great biographies of important artists.


There's one aspect of animation that I haven't dealt with much yet- Voice Acting. My own research in this area is pretty limited. I hope sometime in the future, a specialist in this field will contribute their expertise to the Archive to curate this important aspect of cartoon filmmaking.

But that doesn't mean that we don't have any interesting material dealing with voice acting at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Eric Graf stopped by with a wonderful treasure the other day... An LP record pressed by the production company of legendary voice actor, Mel Blanc. It's a recording of a speech by Blanc at the 1966 Annual Awards Luncheon of the Station Representatives Association. Titled "Mel Blanc Takes A Humorous Look At Commercials: Past, Present and Future (Who The Hell Is Mel Blanc?)", this record is a hilarious glimpse at both the advertising industry and a little known aspect of the career of one of the most famous voice actors of all time.

Who The Hell Is Mel Blanc?
(Mel Blanc Associates/1966)
(AAC Audio File / 32kbps-44.1kHz / Mono / 25 minutes / 6.25 mb)

Thanks for bringing this by Eric!

If you enjoyed this article, you'll also want to check out our... Profile of Carlo Vinci, John K on Flintstones Animators, Bugs Bunny In Coronet Magazine, Ward Kimball In Escapade Magazine, UPA Done Right, The Pencil Test of Art Babbitt's Best Scene, A Drawing Lesson From Walter Lantz, and Remembering Berny Wolf

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive
.

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Filmography: Happy Halloween!

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 7 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great cartoons to study.


I want to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. Cartoons have been giving moviegoers "the willies" all the way back to Disney's Skeleton Dance. Just about every studio made great cartoons featuring ghosts, skeletons and witches. One of the rarest is the cartoon we are presenting today.


In 1932, Hugh Harman and Rudy Ising made a pair of cartoons starring a character named "Piggy". These two cartoons are among the best of the early Warner Bros. titles, featuring jazzy soundtracks by Abe Lyman and Frank Marsales. The first was titled You Don't Know What You're Doing, and if you've ever seen it, you'll never forget the surreal, drunken motorcycle ride through city streets that forms the climax of the picture.


Piggy's second, and last starring outing was Hitting The Trail For Hallelujah Land. A sequence involving "Uncle Tom" being terrorized by skeletons in a graveyard has kept this cartoon off television for many years, but when it comes right down to it, there's nothing really offensive about this cartoon.


It is, however a masterful example of musical timing. Every scene swings to the beat, and the overall pacing of the film has a musical structure with a statement of theme, followed by variations, a scary bridge sequence and hot finish. (For more information on this technique, see our previous post on Musical Timing Rediscovered.)


Hitting The Trail For Hallelujah Land (Warner/1932)
(Quicktime 7 / 15.8 megs)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

10.25.08
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Media: Musical Timing Rediscovered

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 8 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great art instruction posts.


A few weeks ago, John K posted an article by Milt Gray about timing. If you haven't read it yet, by all means, click on that link before you go any further in this post. Milt explains how cartoons before the TV era were timed to a musical beat, and how musical timing has become a lost art.

Well, almost lost... I happened to be speaking to Mark Kausler about the article, and he mentioned that he had a complete set of bar sheets, given to him by Rudy Ising, for an early Merrie Melodies cartoon- "Shuffle Off To Buffalo". He graciously offered to let us digitize it and share it with you. This document is the "smoking gun" that animators interested in timing theories of the past have been looking for. It's a highly detailed plan for the timing of a typical cartoon from the early days of sound. This isn't a particularly good cartoon, but it gives us a clear look at the process. That makes it invaluable.

I've gathered together all the reference you need to analyze these bar sheets... I've supplied you with frame grabs from each scene to act as a storyboard, and I've posted a 24 fps movie file of "Shuffle Off To Buffalo". My own knowledge of animation timing theory is extremely limited, so I would appreciate it if the professional animators who are reading this blog would share their expertise through the comments link below, or by posting analysis to their own blogs. Nick Cross and Michael Sporn are the first to weigh in with their comments. I'll add links to other blogs discussing this topic as I am made aware of them.

Musical timing is one of the principle aspects of early cartoons that set them apart from modern animation. The perfect rhythm of cartoons is what makes them so appealing and magical. Rhythmic timing doesn't cost any more, in fact, careful planning saves money. "Shuffle Off To Buffalo" was planned down to the frame by two men- a director and a musician- before a single animation drawing had been done. The results are "magical perfection". Modern animation timing requires constant testing and revising by teams of artists and technicians to look "natural". Who wants cartoons that look natural? How many manhours could be saved with this technique? Let's share info and try to recapture the "lost art" of Musical Timing!

RUDY ISING'S BAR SHEETS


These 20 pages comprise the complete "detail sheets" (aka "bar sheets") for the 1933 Merrie Melodies cartoon, "Shuffle Off To Buffalo". This document was prepared by the director, Rudy Ising in collaboration with the musical director, Frank Marsales.

Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 01
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 02
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 03
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 04
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 05
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 06
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 07
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 08
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 09
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 10
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 11
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 12
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 13
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 14
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 15
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 16
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 17
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 18
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 19
Shuffle Off To Buffalo Page 20

STORYBOARD

Feel free to print out these images to use as a visual reference when you're studying the bar sheets. Every scene in the picture is depicted here, along with its scene number.















24 FPS MOVIE FILE


I have encoded this Quicktime movie at 24 frames per second, so you can count frames and compare to the bar sheets. If the movie fails to load quickly, check back a little later. We are experiencing a traffic spike right now.

Shuffle Off To Buffalo (WB/1933)
(Quicktime 7 / 15 megs)

PLEASE NOTE The text and media files on the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive Blog are not to be duplicated, redistributed or hosted on other websites without the prior written permission of the Board of Directors of ASIFA-Hollywood.

COMMENTARY AND RELATED LINKS

Comments on this post by Kent Butterworth, Tony Craig, Hans Perk and more

Animator, Nick Cross discusses the importance of musical timing

Director, Michael Sporn provides examples of other formats of bar sheets and a discussion regarding how timing theory morphed over time

Kevin Langley discusses how he is applying musical timing principles to his own work, and offers scans of bar sheets by Bill Hanna and Scott Bradley

Mark Mayerson explains how to use a metronome to time animation

Hans Perk posts lecture notes by Disney composer, Albert Hay Malotte and bar sheets by Dave Hand for Trader Mickey

Timing Director, Milt Gray talks about the differences between the way cartoons are timed today, and the way they were timed in the golden age

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

8.29.08
.

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