Adaptation

So, working on the adaptation of the film into graphic novel form, roughi9ng out the pages .
Actually its quite challenging, to faithfully adapt each scene to comics form would take much more than the two albums and I want to give a lot of room to the "new" stories at the start, the prequels about Brendan in the first album and Aisling in the second.
Truth be told those are the really interesting bits for me as its new artwork.
Most of the comics adaptation is mainly reused or reworked existing artwork so thats a different kind of challenge.
Mainly whats weird is how "cuts" don't work as easily. In film because we have time , when we cut from one scene to another, theres an automatic link, but in teh comic its kind of confusing, and I tend group panels more.
Also the publisher wants a very "classical" grid type layout which is not my usual style in comics so I'm trying to keep the more loose and experimental layouts for the prequels and go for the classical grid for the adaptation.
It kind of makes sense as the prequel is a different time and location from the rest and also the adaptation part uses a lot of artwork thats already in "boxes" , as in, screen shots designed for a rectangular screen!
Anyway, its a pile of work in a tight period and with the Song of the Sea schedule staying fixed I am up to my eyes.
But sure its all good.
Does'nt help that i fell off my bike the other night and nearly cut my ear off!
I'm working away with a very dramatic looking bandage all around my head.
Great for extra sympathy ;)

Fruitopia

"Frutopia"

At the View Two Gallery, Liverpool, Opening August 13th 2008 to September 14th. Fruitopia: Thirty photographs by Luli Barzman


Just yesterday I was sent this example of some beautiful art photography from wife of Kells Screenwriter Fabrice Ziolkowski, Luli Barzman.
Do go along!

Galway Film Fleadh

That was a great old weekend there in Galway, some class cartoons on show.
Congrats to the winners too!

I got some nice news too...

http://www.iftn.ie/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4281368&tpl=archnews

Moore Wins Directors Finders Series 2008

14 Jul 2008 |

The Secret of Kells

Director Tomm Moore is set to showcase his animated feature ‘The Secret of Kells’ at the Director’s Guild of America Theatre, LA on 19th September 2008 after being named winner of the Screen Director’s Guild Directors Finders Series 2008.

The award, organised by the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI) in association with the Director’s Guild of America, sees an Irish director present their feature in front of an audience of American distributors and industry personnel with a view to securing a U.S distribution deal.

Selected by an international panel of experts, the Irish / French / Belgian co-production ‘The Secret of Kells’ tells the story of Brendan, the boy behind the famed Book of Kells. Twelve hundred years ago, the young orphan meets Brother Aidan, the keeper of an extraordinary, but unfinished book of illuminations. Aidan sets Brendan the task of completing the Book of Kells and he overcomes obstacles and faces his deepest fears to complete his duty.

The animation is produced by Cartoon Saloon, France’s Les Armateurs and Belgium’s Vivi Film with funding from the BCI, Irish Film Board, Celluloid Dreams, Canal Plus, Gebeka, FTD Video, Eurimages and RTE.

Last year’s winner of the Directors Finders Series was Tom Collin’s ‘Kings’, which went on to secure a U.S distribution deal and was Ireland’s official nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in the Academy Awards. ‘Kings’ also won five Irish Film & Television Awards at this year’s IFTAs.

The Directors Finders Series award is supported by The Irish Film Board, The DGA, The Arts Council, Culture Ireland and Screen Training Ireland.

But y'know, its gonna be a scrambel to get it all tidied up sound and music wise, but we can do it...

Hollywood.

Ho Boy.

and now the traditional dublin airport misadventure

am back in kilkenny.

all flights cancelled tonight.

some kind of radar problem.

bizarro.

traditional Dublin airport post

Going over to meet Bruno Coulais about the music...should be a nice meeting.

Also the sound designer from piste rouge ..Sebestian...

here I go...

Distribution

Just a note in response to the comments on the last post.

The only place Disney are confirmed to distribute our film is in Ireland.

In France we have the distributor from Kirikou and Les Triplettes - Gebeka. A very good distributor of independant cartoons for France. They also distributed the last two Folimage movies for example.

In Belgium we arew ith Kinepolis another very good distributor.

For the rest of the world nothing is confirmed.
We have a very good sales agent in Celluloid dreams representing us.
They produced Persepolis so thats good pedigree!.

So hopefully we will find a partner for those territories soon.

SWEET!

man, one of the best things about having Disney distributing the film here in Ireland is getting to the premieres!
Couple of weeks back we went to the Prince Caspian premiere in Dublintown and Ruth gave us a shout out in the intro speech!
Now I just got an invite to the Irish premiere of Wall.E

joy.

The Song of the Sea

Just a note to point anyone interested towards a new blog about my new project -
The Song of the Sea.

Over the next few months I will be dividing my time between developing this , working on the music and sound of Kells and of course the comic book version of Brendan.

http://theblogofthesea.blogspot.com/

last scene approved on Hobsoft

I think (touch wood) I justa pproved the last scene ever on Hobsoft.

weird.

Bruno started sending some sample tracks of music yesterday.
Its gas how long everything has taken..how spread out it all is time wise.. once animation wrapped last year Nora had time to go have a baby, wean him on to solids and now shes back helping me with music notes!

Tidying up the old room we found some newspaper cuttings from 2000 about the imminent release of the film!


...ahh sure nearly there...

flemish voices

So had a quick Skype contact with the voice director in Belgium and Vivianne the Belgian producer as they are recording the Flemish voices at the moment. Seems to be going well from the little bit I heard. I'm happy about that. It would be nice to be in Sunny Belgium instead of rainy Kilkenny but I am too busy here unfortunately to get there. Anyway I dont speak Flemish. I think its in good hands anyway!