PAF animation festival

Am in Cyech republic typing on very strange key board in very nice university building where we gave a presentation.
Very christmassy buzz here with all the snow and son on. beautiful country.
Ok off to see the Danish film Princess now.
have been up since 4.30 this morning traveling to be here.
vegetarian options are ,,,,,,as usual..... interesting!
have learnt to swear fluently in czech.

Hooray.

Nora Twomey enters the blogosphere

http://nora-twomey.com/

hooray .

But the photo on the header does'nt really look like her that much.

Disney "family" screening

We had a screening for all the marketing people who will work on the film with Disney Ireland on Wednesday in the IFI.
Some of the band memebers of Kila were there too as well as James Flynn the exec producer and some people from Trinity college and the Dublin Film festival.
The "keeper of the book" Bernard Meehan was there too, I was sitting beside him and was nervous thru'out, afraid he would not like the liberties we took with the history to make this fantasy film, but thankfully he enjoyed it and was very enthusiastic. He (naturally) spotted all our references to mediaeval art and appreciated the research and homework we poured into it despite the fiction/fantasy nature of the story.
It was a positive day overall, thanks to Trish fro making it happen.

Today, Michael McGrath , voice of adult Brendan is doing the Voice Over for the Irish trailer.

T

French trailer

Here is the French theatrical trailer edited by Gebeka.
I hope everyone in France will go to see this movie at least twice! hehe!

I will post the trailer from Disney/Buena Vista Ireland in a few days time as well
as a link to a mini site as soon as its up and running.

Comments on comments

The movie will be distributed by Disney in Ireland branded as Buena Vista International (Ireland). No distribution is confirmed in US or UK .
Release in Ireland is March 2009.
Our sales agent Celluloid Dreams is in charge of the territories outside the co-production countries of Ireland, Belgium and France.
Benelux distribution is handled by Kinepolis.
French distribution by Gebeka.
Release in France and Benelux in February.

The comic book is published by Glenat in French in two hardback Albums. Also planned to be published in Dutch by Glenat.
No English language publisher confirmed yet .

Stay tuned for developments but thats how it stands at present.

he saved me from the vikings when I was a baby

he took me in when my parents....were'nt there anymore.

1st page coloured by Marie!

"Inking"

Full time blasting into getting the comics done now. Cant colour them all myself so Marie Thorauge is helping out there, I'm "inking" them partly with pens on paper and partly in Flash.
The deadline is looming so its heads down time.
People may remember I posted a different version of one of these pages a while back - the story changed slightly since then, so the Aisling wolf cub had to be replaced with a younger Cellach.


Also working on the poster for Disney. They are taking a very different marketing approach to the French distributor , Gebeka, so are cutting a different trailer and doinga different poster.
We are nearly there, I am learning a lot about marketing!

Adrien Merigeau is the bestest

http://oldfangs.blogspot.com/

Adrien merigeau who was a bg supervisor on Kells and now Art director on Song of the Sea is making a beautiful short film with us called "Old Fangs" ...he started a blog on it...
Check it out!

comics

Hopefully the publishers will like the roughs I have been doing.
This is my second pass at the "prequel" pages, trying to make it clear and easy to follow.
Its 24 hour comics day today, I had hoped to spend it in Dublin doing one, but instead I am here in the studio working on these roughs.
Well, at least I am making comics .
I really want to do a 24 hour comic sometime though....just to see what comes out!
Good luck to Cliodhna and the rest of ye tonight! Keep the faith! Make comics!

Work in Progress Poster

Not approved yet - could change some more...lets see what the distributors think ...we like it though!

Posters

For France and Belgium I get to design the poster - Hooray.

This poster was based on a pretty detailed brief from the distributors and Les Armateurs who wanted to emphasize the "heroic fantasy" element the most.
I also attach some earlier ideas I had in really rough form of using a three panel design like in medieval art or a more mysterious one with Brendan just a light in the dark as he works on the book.

Stay Tuned for the finished piece! Ross Stewart is doing the colour and inking , he is also designing the typography and doing the final Celtic designs. He's class.

Buy this Book!!!!!

http://www.goalanthology.com/

Dear Everyone,

This is an anthology comic published by Cliodhna Lyons who worked with us on Kells here in CS last year. Its all in aid of Goal . My sister Catherine and I contributed a short strip . Catherine is involved in human rights voluntary work overseas at the moment.
I attach the first page of our three page strip.


Heres some info about Goal from their website -

ABOUT GOAL

From its first year of operation in 1977, when it spent a mere €12,000 on a street children’s project in Calcutta, GOAL has grown and grown – spending over €500 million implementing relief and development programmes in 50 countries in the past 30 years.

GOAL ensures that the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable in our world and those affected by humanitarian crises have access to the fundamental needs and rights of life: food, water, shelter, medical attention and literacy.

Thanks!

It ain't over til its over

Something clicked last night after finishing work.
We had a drink with the sound design guys Seb and Fabien and then met up with Bruno the composer.
And I finally had the feeling that we are finished all the directing that can ever be done.

We have to check the print, maybe do some colour grading in the lab in a few weeks.
But thats it really.
On Monday I will be working on the French poster with Ross .
Theres the comic to finish off.

But really, the film is done.
After so many years its all over.
I keep sleeping. On the plane, in Pauls car on the way back down
and all day in the house.
Tonight we are going to Ross' new house warming and Jonas' going away party.
(Jonas made the compositing of the credits BTW- another superstar intern!)

I could easily just sleep but its worth going out to celebrate!


Thanks to everyone who followed this journey...I'll keep you all posted of release news and so on
and the comic stuff etcetera as the films journey is in a way just beginning now that the production has wrapped.
Well, I'm saving myself from saying its "in the can" until its actually on film and in a can!!!!

tada

its a wrap

sound and music all done !

nice.

Piste Rouge Paris

So back in gay Paree :)
Almost the last day of the production , just finalising the mix.

Paul and Nora came over this time as I am so wrecked I think I really needed their input here and not just from Kilkenny as usual.
Nora had a very strong idea about changing the order of some of Brunos music. At first Paul and I were really not so sure, especially me, I knew what we had worked pretty well after all the compliments we got in LA , and was afraid Bruno would be disappointed by us tinkering with his score.
But he was completely in agreement with it, Ms.Twomey was right on the money as per usual.
So happy days. I thunk this latest edit of the music is very powerful and more emotional.

Sound design by Seb and the mix by Fabien are really excellent and its cool to hear it all in 5.1.

I am suitably wrecked now, just gonna give the whole thing one more listen thru and then its a wrap!

I hope Stewy can come over with me for the print checking and colour tests in a few weeks.
With that done it will be all in the can as they say.

Hooray.

Producer of the Year

Oh and Pauly was named producer of the year at Cartoon Forum too.

back in Dublin Airport

So , the screening went well and I a had a whole day with wee Brian to decompress on Saturday.
Bizarre feeling now as I am in Dublin on Monday morning having got on the plane from LA on Sunday morning.

Off down to Kilkenny now and then to Paris on Wednesday for the mix .

Sigh. No rest for the wicked!

whayhey

Trish Long, the head of Disney in Ireland , just sent me this picture from Wednesday.

Thanks again to Victoria, Pete, and all the artists who took some time out of their busy schedules to meet me !
It was a class.

screening today

Wish us luck ! Screening today in DGA at 3.00pm. Gulp.

Had a great trip to SF and to Lucas , Pixar , Disney, Dreamworks.
Eyes burning from the amazing artwork I saw.

Was great to meet so many really nice people too.
Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming.

Was great to be hanging out with wee Brian too , its been ages.
Hooray.