YouTubeing - The World of Golden Eggs

[J.sharp]

Since this list is meant to be about all aspects of Japanese visual culture,
not only film, I wanted to ask a little about the background of a program
called The World of GOLDEN EGGS that a friend of mine alerted my attention
to on Youtube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgjBIcGc9bM

Set in South Park-style American suburbia, it is something of a curio. It
seems like the intent of these brief skits is to teach English to the
Japanese. I gather its been quite a popular phenomenon over the past year,
migrating onto other platforms such as iTunes podcasts and mobile phone
downloads, although it originally surfaced on cable TV.
One interesting aspect is its use of CG for the animation, particularly the
expedient method known as Toon-Shading.

Toon Shading means the models are animated as 3d objects, and then rendered
to give them the finished look of a traditional hand-drawn cartoon. Using
software developed by the company SoftImage by Michael Arias, the technique
was first used to animate the opening Boar God attack in Studio Ghibli’s
Princess Mononoke (1997), and is often used as a shortcut for the more
challenging work of the traditional animation, with which it is often
combined. The most obvious use if for the 2003 film Appleseed.

Anyone caught this?

Jasper Sharp





--
Midnight Eye: The Latest and Best in Japanese Cinema
www.midnighteye.com

===

Available now in bookstores everywhere:
The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film (Stone Bridge Press)
by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp
http://www.midnighteye.com/features/midnighteye_guide.shtml
"Easily one of the most important books on Japanese cinema ever released in
English."
- Newtype USA



--------- Original Message --------
From: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
To: KineJapan <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Subject: Mainichi Concours 2006
Date: 19/01/07 18:29

>
> The results of the 2006 Mainichi Concours, one of the last of the big
> yearly film awards, were announced:
>
> Best Japanese Film: Yureru
> Best Director: Negishi Kichitaro (Yuki ni negau koto)
> Best Screenplay: Kato Masato (Yuki ni negau koto)
> Best Actor: Sato Koichi  (Yuki ni negau koto)
> Best Actress: Nakatani Miko (Kiraware Matsuko no issho)
> Best Supporting Actor: Sasano Takashi (Bushi no ichibun, Nezo no ban)
> Best Supporting Actress: Aoi Yu (Hula Girl, Neji no megami, Hachimitsu
> to Clover)
> Best New Face Award: Tsukaji Muga (Mamiya kyodai), Dan Rei (Bushi no
> ichibun)
> Tanaka Kinuyo Award: Kusabue Mitsuko
>
> Award of Excellence in Japanese Film: Hula Girl
> Best Cinematography: Kawakami Masato  (Kiraware Matsuko no issho)
> Best Art Direction: Taneda Yohei (The Yuchoten Hotel, Hula Girl)
> Best Music: Kako Takashi (Hakase no aishita sushiki)
> Best Sound: Shiratori Mitsugu (Hula Girl, Yureru); Onodera Osamu (Yuki
> ni negau koto)
> Best Technical Award: Koike Yoshiyuki (editing for Kiraware Matsuko no
> issho)
>
> Best Documentary: Edward Said: Out of Place
> Animation Award: Toki o kakeru shojo
> Ofuji Noburo Award: Tekkon kinkurito
> Fan Award: Death Note
>
> Best Foreign Film: Flags of Our Fathers
>
> Special Awards: Imamura Shohei, Kazami Shoko
>
> Forgive me if I got any of the name readings wrong. The original
> Japanese article is available at:
>
> http://www.japan-movie.net/news/?i=223
>
> As I mentioned the other day, the Mainichi tends to be fairly
> conservative, but they are one of the few major awards that also
> focuses on the technical staff and other genres like documentary and
> animation. Ofuji Noburo is one of Japan's great animators, and the
> award named after him commemorates some significant contribution to the
> art of animation.
>
> Aaron Gerow
> KineJapan owner
>
> Assistant Professor
> Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
> Yale University
>
> For list commands, send &quot;information kinejapan&quot; to
> listserver at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> Kinema Club: http://pears.lib.ohio-state.edu/Markus/Welcome.html
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

________________________________________________
Message sent using Hunter Point Online WebMail