Advertisement
Published: June 13th 2005
Annecy ville
The view off a friend's terrace, where we had champagne and snacks before the final awards ceremony. I must be dreaming. I'm still alive!
And still in France.
Since the knowledge that all of my classmates are in the thick summer right now, things have felt diffrent. Another big change was getting settled in a new apartment. My trusty home of 317 Vaugirard was cleaned out and abanoned, and I hauled all my stuff to an apartment on the outer edge of southern Paris. Bertrand, the exchange student who went to Calarts has retured to Gobelins with a gorgeous film and familiar stories. In a few days my flatmate will move in, a 50 year old Chinese fellow named Ming. I don't have telephone, internet, or a mailbox, and the metro station is a fair walk away. All of these changes mark the last leg of my France stay and give life totally diffrent flavor.
I spent alst week in the town of Annecy, a 4 hour train ride from paris, at the International Animation Festival. The city itself is unbelievable. It's set around a huge, clear lake, and canals with tiny bridges lace the pedestrian streets. It is the most "european" looking place I have been yet. See the following pictures. There are even swans in the canals. It's that
Proof
Sketchbook, cafe, paradise. idylic.
The week centers around seeing loads of short and long animated fimls in a series of theatres around the city, mingling and passing out buisness cards and demo reels to the professionals, taking pedalboats out on Lake Annecy, and falling into sunshine-induced comas on the huge lawn at the center of it all. Every night more films are screened on the giant outdoor screen, if you're up for it, or nightly parties and bbq's in the bar of the nearby youth hostel. But the best part of it, in my eyes, is that all of this classy, artsy celebrating is done in the name of animation. The crowd is not one that you'd find at a comic convention, but one that's just popped by from the Cannes festival next door. The films are taken seriously, the artform respected and admired. And the turnout is massive. I was sad to not see any calarts films at the festival. I think the main issue is that they don't select pencil test films, or anything slightly unpolished. Europe watches Annecy like the Oscars, and the festival cultivates a very artsy, high class image by the films they select. The Gobelin's students trailer-films
The lawn
Sunshine and animators! People picniced and relaxed on the lawn at all hours. ran before each screening, an although I had not worked on the films myself, my nametag listed me as a Gobelins student, and it was fun to be associated with the trailers everyone had seen. I was sad to leave when it was all over... mostly because I'd despretaley like to get back to the festival again another year, and I don't know how it would happen. Better get animating.
The countdown till my trip is over is now very real. The days I've got left match in number with the scenes I've got left to animate. It's scary.... I lost a lot of work time due to the festival, but I wouldn't swap the experience for anything. Now I need to eat. Or draw. Or work. I love and miss everyone! Till later!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.053s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 5; qc: 51; dbt: 0.0322s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
anonymous
non-member comment
seriously
It is so good to see your blog updated again. The pictures are wonderful (as always) and it is interesting to hear how seriously they take animation at Annecy. We are anxious to have you home. Three short weeks that seem like three months. love ya. - dad