YouTubeing - The World of Golden Eggs

[David Blair]

ok, maybe off on a tangent here, but is pretty straightforward, and just 
like you see in the video... main body parts are given an outline [arms, 
chest, head], and areas inside the outlines are given  single flat 
color, rather than the multiple shades [of that color] that a rounded 
form regularly has. It is a step down from what you see in  Through A 
Scanner Darkly, where shading is visible. The artist could make the 
picture more realistic, but choses two [or a few more] tones to imitate 
other media.

Bruce Baird wrote:
> Dear Jasper,
>
> I regret that I can't help you out with the background of Golden Egg, 
> but I wonder is there a good visual resource out there for being able 
> to understand more fully the point you are trying to make about the 
> Toon Shading animation?
>
> Best,
>
> Bruce
>
> On Mar 15, 2007, at 10:13 AM, J.sharp wrote:
>
>> 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 
>> <mailto:KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
>> To: KineJapan <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu 
>> <mailto: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 
>>> <mailto: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
>>
>
> Bruce Baird
>
> Assistant Professor
>
> Asian Languages and Literatures
>
> University of Massachusetts Amherst
>
> Butô, Japanese Theater, Intellectual History
>
>
> 717 Herter Hall
>
> 161 Presidents Drive
>
> University of Massachusetts Amherst
>
> Amherst, MA 01003-9312
>
> Phone: 413-577-4992
>
> Fax: 413-545-4975
>
> baird at asianlan.umass.edu <mailto:baird at asianlan.umass.edu>
>
>
>
>
>