Animated By Sharvonique

The DC Independent Film Festival (DCIFF) is hosting an anime seminar on March 9th, and yours truly will be a co-panelist for the event along with Steve Bennett. The invitation to participate was extended by the DC Anime Club.

This rather flattering description of the seminar was posted on the DCIFF website:

Renowned animation experts, Steve Bennett and Sharvonique Renee Fortune will share their expertise on the Japanese technique known as anime. Panelists will discuss their work, including how they make their living and the impact of Japanese animation on their work. Learn vicariously through their years of experience and specialized knowledge of character animation.

The DCIFF runs from March 6-16, 2008 at the Jack Morton Auditorium of George Washington University. This is the 10th anniversary of the festival and it continues to celebrate independent films and provides an opportunity for independent filmakers from across the globe to showcase their work in the DC area. 

Here are the details of the seminar:
Sunday, March 9
4:15pm-5:15pm
Cost $25

George Washington University
Jack Morton Auditorium - media and public affairs building
805 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20006
(corner of 21st & H Streets)
www.dciff.org

Follow this link to view directions and a schedule of events: http://www.dciff.org/2008.htm

I hope to see you there!
 

I’m happy to report that the 4 Soren Art Show was a big success! In fact, the show was so successful that a closing party was held on February 2nd. $13,000 was raised on Soren’s behalf, and he’s now able to get the van, a ramp, and a wheelchair! It’s amazing when people ban together for a good cause.

click to view list of participating artists

More photos are available on Soren’s blog: http://sorenrogers.blogspot.com/2008/01/art-on-walls.html

On Saturday, January 19th, there will be an art sale fundraiser for Soren Rogers at  Monkeyhouse Toys & Art Gallery.  Soren suffers from a rare seizure disorder called Infantile Spasms which has caused severe developmental delay, thereby making him a 4-month-old in a 4-year-old’s body.  The art show is to help raise funds to make the family’s mini-van wheelchair accessible.

Opening Reception:
Saturday, January 19th
5pm-9pm
Food by Trader Joe’s
Music by Nick the Ring

Monkeyhouse Toys & Art Gallery
1618 1/2 Silver Lake Bl.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-662-3437
www.monkeyhousetoys.com

Read more about Soren on his blog: http://sorenrogers.blogspot.com/

I finally made my way to the Kwik-E-Mart and I was so excited. Probably more excited than anybody else there! But I think it takes someone who loves animation to truly appreciate the experience, as it’s like being a guest character in the Simpsons’ cartoon. Well, enough of my babbling. Here are the photos!

Hmmm, donuts...

Hey, a real life Bart!

Krusty-licious!

Shouldn't you be at Moe's?

Popsicles taste like pooh.

help...

I should've checked the dates.

Notice the official Kwik-E-Mart uniform!

To see someone posing as Duff Man would’ve really put this over the top for me, but Duff beer wasn’t included as one of the promotional items. D’oh!

I also just realized that I’m drinking a Buzz cola while writing this post. Buuuuurrrrrrpppp!

7-Eleven is helping to promote The Simpsons Movie by converting 11 of its US stores into actual Kwik-E-Marts from the show. The store fronts were changed to recreate the animated look of a Kwik-E-Mart, and they’re going to sell Simpson-themed items like Squishees, KrustyO’s, and Buzz Cola.

The best news is that one of the 11 stores is located in Bladensburg, MD, which isn’t very far from where I live! I’m going to go as soon as I get the chance and will post pictures.

Here’s a list of all the US stores:

• New York City, NY                                              
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Denver, CO
• Burbank, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• Henderson, NV
• Orlando, FL
• Mountain View, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Bladensburg, MD

Thank you! Come again!

I can’t believe two months have come and gone since my last post. Where did the time go?! No excuses, though. Just busy working to complete some projects. I’m itching to begin work on some of my original stuff. There are a couple of things in the pipeline. More on that later… 

WB has launched an animation scholarship to honor Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The scholarship will be awarded to graduating high school seniors who enroll into college to study animation. The recipient will receive $10,000 annually and four paid summer internships at WB Animation.

With the increased interest in animation and the growing number of animation schools and programs, it would be great if more scholarships like this become available. I actually think the internship at the studio may prove to be more valuable than the funds. It would also be great to extend the scholarship to people already enrolled in college, or who would like to pursue a graduate degree.

OK, I’m officially a blogger. Like many bloggers, I hope my blog will grow into something that people will find useful, informative, and entertaining. In the meantime, it should be fun watching the posts that are made along the way.

 Stay Tooned!