My first commercial animation.

Jar Pixie - Final project submission - Mission being the operative word!

Team building and new work

Ejected from school into the work-force, trying to find a way through to employment.

Currently I am volunteering on the short film "Minor Head Injury" for Adam Harvey and Evangeline Than. That is a cool experience. My role is stand-in 1st Assistant Director. This I see as mainly being a team building exercise. I will need skilled, reliable people to create my own projects. Film is a related field to my past (theatre and circus) but this is the first work I have actually done in it. I enjoy it.

My first paid animation work has come through - a corporate client. The first draft was accepted and enjoyed. So I can start to build my Flash portfolio now. This is also a team-building exercise in a different sense. I am not working with these people - more I am a sub-contractor who fulfils a task offsite. I need to satisfy the clients (3 of them - my agency, their client and the client's client - ha). By doing this, I line myself up for further work.

And suprise suprise, teaching work seems to be paying the bills - websites, animation and circus teaching are going great guns. I hope that they will keep me afloat long enough to establish a foot hold in creative work as well.

Wish me luck!! (even as I make it :)

Networking.

I am now a Wanimate committee member. Wanimate is the peak body representing animators in WA. Part of my plan to be an EMPLOYED animator is to network as much as possible, and see what opportunities it presents. Part of Wanimate's emphasis is examining the employment options for animators, and working to further them. Here is their website: http://wanimate.org.au

Already as a committee member I have been exposed to opportunities that I would not have seen otherwise. Additionally, being in a position to talk to people I respect in the Perth Ani Industry is great. It is very educational for one, and inspiring for another. Educational because greater experience is filtering down to me and I can see wisdom is certain actions (like not being a sole-trader to cover myself legally), and inspiring because these people have years of experience behind them and are still working in the industry (and I keep getting asked about my short film project - so I'd better do some more work on it!).

All in all I am happy with the move. The next week will be very busy. I am getting 1st and 2nd Assistant Director experience with a short film being created by people I met through the animation department at FTI. I have a my first animation job to work on, and the FTI final project to complete. I have potentially 32 hours or more of available time to do these last 2 projects, SO it is "heads down, bums up". (thumbs! I mean thumbs).

Animation work in Perth?

And now the real test begins. The course has completed but for one final project. And now, will the industry bear us? Can a diploma grad make a go of it in Perth?

On the basis of my student work as well as my previous work in web and visual arts I got my first job today! I feel lucky to be working on a portfolio, and a bit daunted to be in the corporate world already. I found the job online googling animation jobs in Perth. It is Flash based, and was advertised on several popular employment sites. Essentially I am working for a temping agency that fill jobs for corporate bodies in and around the CBD. Which is good because they get the work, then call me, which I like.

I am yet to complete the job, or get anymore work! But importantly, I feel, my foot is in the door. Stay tuned for more on animation, soon.

My 3D assignment submission - The Caveman's Dream

Caveman wire frame.

 I'll render the video off soon

.

24 Comic Day, Perth

Why comics? Comics are often cited as good reference material for animators - each drawing is a story telling pose -  like the initial breaking down of an animated sequence into key shots and poses to tell the story the best way possible.

The last day since 10am Saturday morning was drawing flat out with 20 or so comic compatriots. I'm very impressed by the quality of work. There were alot of laughs to be had from reading the work.  I thoroughly enjoyed the process and meeting a bunch of really cool and nice people. Today I am totally shattered, and will very much enjoy some sleep, soon... ish.

My comic does not contain many laughs. By contrast it is a existentialist tragedy - but I got alot of laughs during the creative process :) I liked writing the story and plotting it out - I was inspired mostly by
a) The FTI building itself (featured on page 2). Once this was locked in the other pieces fell into place.
b) Books -  Holy Blood and the Holy Grail , all about the history of the knights templar, with lots of secrets hidden for centuries in it, and Umberto Eco's Focault's Pendulum, a great book and finally
c) A news article I heard about a discovered underground passageway between an old monastery and a nunnery.

 Also I enjoyed nutting out the arc of the story and using elements to help build it - eg repetition, pacing, and reveals. Also the intentional use of graphic elements to represent different things - e.g. gradients represent the 15th Century. It is so short it all flies by and you could miss it all, but it's there.

Like all the comics on 24 Comic Day, the story was created on the day, with no preparation.
If you read it I would like to hear your thoughts on it - just reply to this post :)
My entry is here.

Simon Allen rocks

Thanks, Simon, for sharing so many gems. I'm sure I'll be learning from these 2 days for quite some time yet. Here are some gems that I picked up, that I hope will inspire others to attend your workshops.

Try to capture the essence of life.
Show one idea at a time.
Get an office with a bar.
To get more work done, workout!

For me the 2 days of workshops cemented ideas that had been sifting in from various other places. For others I know it was simply enough to sit and listen, and soak up the goodness. I, on the other hand, recorded as much as I could. I feel so little and young compared to the ancient giants of animation, and like I need to absorb as much as I possibly can.

But now, there are no more notes to edit. I've read and re-read ( and will re-read more again). But there is simply nothing left for it but to put my head down, butt up and draw, draw, draw.

Simon Allen of Pixar talks to Wanimate.

Simon spoke easily, practicedly perhaps. Nevertheless the jokes queued the laughs and everyone was enjoying the presentation this engaging fellow from Pixar (from Perth) had to offer.
Key points for me were:
Pixar invest heavily in having high morale - because directly it affects the fiscal return.
That a group like Pixar values ideas as well as being awesome at animating, or editing, or lighting.
That being fit in body and having a fit mind are importantly related.
That the Pixar's art department work the longest on a movie of all departments.
That a lucky break can be enough to get you into the big time.
That top students are pulling 80-90 hr weeks.
That Perth is deemed as good a place as anywhere to set up. If Weta can do it in Wellington, why not in Perth?
That online learning, in particular Animation Mentor, is valued highly in the States as a cheaper but viable (even prefferable) method to learn animation deeply. And you can train anywhere because of that. Some Pixar staff also mentor and teach for Animation Mentor.
That constant learning is highly valued.
There were others, but in a nutshell it was an entertaining talk. I'm looking forward big-time to the emerging animator and masterclass days next week!!

Screenwriting Workshop 101

The weekend was one big long screenwriting workshop, presented by Ben Young. And it was great.
I suprised myself by taking comprehensive notes and recording as much as I could (with a somewhat unreliable iPhone recorder) and then spent most of Monday compiling them.
I am grateful to FTI for making positions available on the course to the Diploma students currently enrolled. In the end there were 3 Diploma students and 7 participants.
Screenwriting is a remarkably concise, predictable art. Beginning, middle and an end, conflict, twists, comedy and tragedy, the lows and the highs are all formulaic. So the structure is more like maths than art. The effectiveness of the writing? That is the art.
All in all I found it very informative, and an excellent investment of my time.
I'm looking forward to having a crack.

Caveman clock test.

Flash submission - finally! - Qing loses her magic pearl... Again.

Flash project draft compile

Draft video of Qing Loses her Magic Pearl Again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B-w1BeblNU
Grr - aspect ratio compromised..

Background concept art - Jar Pixie

Tradigital walk-cycle showing secondary action

This one was from a while ago - clearing out some projects to make way for the final. I got stuck on processing the images in photoshop - I ran into a funny little thing where any adjustments I made wouldn't apply - it put me off it for a while. Eventually I figured out a work around. So this is a pencil drawn walk-cycle, scanned and imported into photoshop, enhanced, bitmaps brought into Flash and vectorised in flash. Backgrounds drawn in flash.

Max Frenkel kobold - Ushan Boyd walk cycle

This link will take you away from this site. You need the Quicktime plugin to view.

https://www.me.com/gallery/#100050/kobold_walk_loop2

It's Alive!!! harharhar.

This link will take you away from this site. You need the Quicktime plugin to view.

http://gallery.me.com/ushan#100050/line_ani_wings

My first animation job

Is teaching high school students animation. I landed at Applecross SHS under the wing of Liz Rankin, following up an email sent from FTI. Applecross are the "Special Art" school - they have a large program of art encouragement. So they are running animation this year and I lucked in. Following in the esteemable footsteps of Steven Grant :)
It's cool, they have dedicated laptops, and programs. However for the first couple of weeks they didn't have tablets (to draw into the computer with). So I started them with plasticine and found objects, and showed them this cat that I had prepared earlier - my own first attempt at stop-motion animation:


And lo, they were inspired...

First Caveman model

Thats my first proper mouth sans mouthbox. Very entertaining.

Anita Salamanca's Pixie Slug won the day

I should update to the latest for the course. At the FTI Animation Course, there is a process for choosing one script per 4 or 5 people out of however many scripts (1 per student - in our case 4). The pitching process is the method of elimination. This involves pitching your brilliant idea to a panel of adjudicators and a room of peers. Elimination is used because in order to complete a script on time you need to have a coordinated team going hammer and tongs on it.

Each of our ideas had merit, according to the panel. In the end, Anita's idea was more open and accessible -  for instance my idea is fairly locked down - I have a defined a lot of it and it doesn't leave much swinging room. However, Anita's Pixie Slug is cute-as-a-button and with a cast of supporting characters and a wonderland to play in, there is plenty enough for everyone to sink their teeth into.

Heaps, in fact. So much so that we need to focus very hard to be sure of getting the job done in time. I am finding the backgrounds are lingering a bit. They need a bit more work than I initially thought to do a job I am satisfied with. Because this will be shown on a big screen, I need to zoom in while painting in Photoshop ( a skill I'm forever grateful for ) in order to get the accuracy required for smooth lines. And that is just the start.

More updates forthcoming. Animation writers group tonight. I shall make the pilgrimage to Leederville to see what the biz is. Part of the reason why is because I have a few stories I want to develop after this course. I can see one method of gaining experience is to create as many jobs as possible through the funding method - for which you need solid story ideas. But more on that another time.

Backgrounds to complete - horizontal and vertical pans

The backgrounds must be done quickly, and well. They will be the first completed items, along with the character designs.
We are feeling the pressure of having a small group. Everyone will have to haul hard to complete this project in time.

3D's Max hotel fly-through complete render

In this final render I adjusted the lights - turned everything down a little - the bathroom was too sterile, now it is comfortable, I think.
Thanks for looking!

Apologies to Gareth and Steven for typo

I said Steven Grant was from Raging Pixel, but in truth he is from Animation Works, while Gareth Lockett is actually from Raging Pixel.

Of course it was a typo. A research typo...

Thanks to Gazza for pointing it - noice one, m888888888Te[*].

[*] - typo.

Wanimate Life Drawing

Location:TAFE, Aberdeen St.

WAM BAM team "Blue Reggae Love"

(L-R: Danial Watson, Ushan Boyd, Adam Harvey, Andy Ng, Bodie Hartley)
Thats right, Bobble Heads are the new wooden spoon.

Revelation Film Fest Animation Showcase

Animations shown:
"7x3", "An Insidious Intrusion", "The Lost Thing", "Petrol Can Rider", "Hog", "Cockroach", "Nest of Skeletons" and others.

Worthy of mention in a positive light is "Petrol Can Rider". Even though I didn't follow it all the way I loved the trad-animation style - pencil and paper.

"An Insidious Intrusion" and "Nest of Skeletons" were thematically linked stop-motion episodes, and followed the lives of a early-human style hunters - albeit insect sized skeletal with a hive - and wings. The sound scape was so-so, but overall the entertainment value was good. Perhaps a bit serious for such a whimsy - but thats just personal taste.

The outstanding work I thought was "The Lost Thing", "Hog" and "Cockroach". All had good story-telling, characterisations and 3D animation. "The Lost Thing" I have been very eager to see, and aside from a certain lightness to the 3D -almost floaty I thought - I loved it. "Hog" was by contrast weighty, with an entertaining if dark story, and funny. "Cockroach" was an excellent live-action/3D mix, funny and well executed.

3D's Max with Max Frankel - First fly-through incomplete render.

Flash Project - first compile - draft

Wanimates Youtube channel

Go here to see all the WAM BAM entries: http://www.youtube.com/user/wanimate#g/a

This is another 2010 FTI animation student's team's effort - Andrew Patterson: Here

More traditional animation classes please!

What I like about this picture, aside from the nice people, is the 1:1 lecturer to student ratio.

Overall the FTI course is great.

However, we have noticed that industry highly values animation principles in it's new employees.

We know it is important to know programs, but it seems that employers - when asked (re: Steven Grant) value animation know-how over program know-how. And what is the best way to drill animation know-how? The broad consensus is "Traditional animation"! Hand-drawn animation experience teaches animation principles more effectively than learning programs. . We the students have frequently asked for more traditional animation and drawing classes. I feel like at the moment, to properly learn the basic and secondary animation basics I will have to undertake my own study away from FTI. Walks, expressions, anticipation, drag and so many other things are learned by discussion and drawing practice. Learning a program's individual idiosyncrasies is not this practice. More traditional please!

Our teams result for Wanimate this year.

WAMBAM comes to closing

The teams are compiling now, most animation has been done. Adam is working hard for our team, pulling th' pieces together. It's been great so far. Very enjoyable.


Tanya, Gareth from Gate Street High and Peter from the Animation Works team.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Kendrew Crescent,Joondalup,Australia

WAMBAM 2010 has begun....

Ian and Gareth ( Lockett of Raging Pixel Productions )- WAMBAM support team (and much more).

The Caveman proposal.

The Caveman who dreams of the future.
Feedback: Pitch was good. Save the project, go for funding and do it properly.
OK!

Max Frenkel is a boss lecturer.

Thanks Max :)

Animation Works's Steven Grant gives us noobs the low-down on lip-syncing in Season 2 of Dog-Star.

40 seconds a week per animator, 6 weeks for a 25 minute episode. We were lucky enough to watch the rushes on one episode, and notice what the animators notice. I like Dogstar because it's quite quick, and Steven was saying they need to make it even quicker for an American audience. Awesome stuff!
Thanks alot, Steven, for having us into the studio.

Andrew Smailes loves his new get-up. So do we all.

We went toWest Coast College of Training in Joondalup today, as well as Raging Pixel in Mt Lawley. At TAFE, they have about $70,000 worth of motion capture gear, including facial mocap. Andrew jumped in a suit and had a play with the real-time computer simulation.

 I'm only dark because this course is putting me in fair financial debt, and if I had've known there was a cheaper way of doing it (waiting till next year) I definitely would have. Not only this, but we do not get access to use mocap or stop-motion for our projects this year, where they will next year. The WCCT will be twice the length and less than 1/2 the cost.

Nonetheless, it is even more motivation to put it behind me and get on with doing great animation.

Shaun Tan short doco.

http://www.inframe.tv/filmproject.aspx?id=10

I will chop a toe off for this - if I have to.

I didn't have to, thank carumba, and it is great.
Trailer for Shaun Tans The Lost Thing

My flash project draft #1 - 1/5 clips

This project uses a secondary character from Gate Street High - Qing. The project brief was this character in another characters room. The premise I decided on was that a raven has stolen Qing's magic pearl and hidden it in the room.

3D's Max with Max Frankel

 











Thanks, Max :)

Coming back

Hi readers (yes you, Sari :), here we are again.
I fell off the face of the planet for a while there. Interestingly I was doing exactly what everyone warned me not to do - play WoW. As a new recruit to the whole immersive digital experience, I wanted to see exactly why it causes so much reaction. I found out why.
I think it is important to keep a very real perspective on my approach to digital media. I guess it enforces the strength of entertainment - it is a very powerful medium, and one that should be used - not abused.

To read more - go to my personal blog.

Julius is a Gate Street High character. As students of FTI animation, we get to work with the characters that our lecturers Tanya Beeson and Angie Than have much to do with.

Drawing in Flash

Mr Coo is sweet-as hand-drawn flash animation.
That link I found here :
http://flashtrick.blogspot.com/2007/11/using-symbols-to-clean-up-traditional.html
which is an explanation of using a symbol to assist with hand-drawn clean-up in Flash.

Walk cycles

FTI is leaning heavily on walks, and for good reason!
Here are some references:
http://www.cartoonthrills.org/blog/01Principles/walks/woodywalkSolidIv.mov
http://www.cartoonthrills.org/blog/01Principles/walks/woodywalk2.mov

Hand draw walk cycles in Flash tutorial here:
http://flashtrick.blogspot.com/2007/10/walk-cycles-right-way.html
This one does not break the walk down into separate symbols. Instead he animates the R.W's way - handrawing a cycle to 17 frames with a symbol - creating a walk cycle loop. Nice. He does clean-up straight ahead within each frame.

Bone tool in Flash helps walk cycle. But easing?

Richard Williams has some great stuff to say. I'm loving studying his stuff. On spacing and timing, I've yet to learn Flash's variety of easing options, and how they are relevant to R.W.'s lessons.
Keep you posted.

Pitching Party!

The Film & Television Institute is proud to present the SDA Stand Up & Pitch, generously supported by ScreenWest. The competition provides an avenue for filmmakers to learn and practice the art of pitching.

Judges select the winner based on quality, clarity and the ability of the short film project to be realised for the screen. Entry is open to all program formats - film, television, animation and digital media.

Pitches can be presented by one or more people but must be no more than 5 minutes long. The winning person or team will receive registration to the SPAA Fringe Conference as well as contribution to flights and accommodation to the value of $2,500. Apply
If you have queries, contact Production Support Manager Yvette Coyne.

FTI is a member of Screen Development Australia (SDA), a network of Screen Resource Organisations in Australia.

Applications close Friday, May 28th 2010.

FTI AGM 2010

Hey! It's got a ring to it - heheh.

Actually I thought I'd give an animator - relevant breakdown of the 2009 Annual Report that we received at the AGM.
Initially, in a general interest sense, FTI's CEO, Grahame Sward, mentions that
"FTI's Core Goals within the next three year Strategic Plan are shaped around our Statement of Intent which states: FTI will continue to provide opportunities to engage people in a diverse rannge of screen experiences. We will remain a flexible and adaptive organisation that is outward looking, curious, passionate and committed in supporting the development of screen-based activities in Western Australia. Particular focus will be aimed around infrastructure needs - building refurbishment or relocation and digital content management services; multi-platform projects; and increasing our connection and relevance to the sector and the wider industry."

Actually I'd like to quiz him a little to find out more about the interperetation of "...digital content management services; multi-platform projects...". I think this may be alluding to web, perhaps live projection... At the least it is open to anything new and interesting that can provide a medium for screen work. (the e.g. of iPhone games spring to mind?)

Animations that are mentioned in the Annual report are The Little Wooden Boy by Hope and Cornish ( Delivery expected in Dec, 2010); My Extraordinary Little Sister for Nick Shorts by Producer: Kate Vyvyan Directors: Stephen Grant & TJ Beeson and Hairoes - The WASA Winner of Best Short Animation 2009. I think thats right!

In 2009 FTI ran the Diploma in Screen Animation just once (instead of twice) due to insufficient enrolments. "FTI has maintained a strong focus on connecting and nurturing early career animators, multi-media artists and the art of storytelling, communication, animation and cross platform creation." 2009 also saw a mentor program for upcoming animators. (which is not now there).

My summary is that, due to 2010's small intake (just 4 Diploma of Animation students), the students are going to have to work extra hard to make their work be noticed. As always the challenge is to stand out from the crowd (while working in a collaborative environment). In this case, so much has come before, and with such a small class the challenge is to create truly outstanding work. The danger is that 2010 may be swept under the rug if the small intake of students does not shine!

We the students are very grateful that FTI is even running the course with such a small intake! Lets not waste a minute!

View 3D 2009 Best Character Design

See the Competitions NOW page for more info on 2010's upcoming comp, plus the 2009 Best 3D Short.

Sohan Ariel Hayes

Sohan was funded under the Nick Shorts initiative with which he directed the completion of the short animated film "The Paper Tale". Heres a teaser. He has some CG shorts posted to you tube here. He's from Perth too.
Here's the media release for his latest collaborative work(with Laetitia Wilson) - Datadrum 2.0.4


I like Will the most.

Animation studios.

These guys are working now on Dogstar, Season 2. Post production I believe. Unfortunately there is not much to see...
http://www.siamese.com.au/

Key Frame Cops are in VIC. Heres a link to their show-reel. It's all ad's from what I can see.
http://www.keyframecops.com/html/demoReel.shtml

There seems to be alot of  Web Animation in the Google pages of Perth. It is encouraging. I would like to see something thoroughly inspiring... Most web animations are intro pages selling an idea or lifestyle to the browser....
At least it looks like a genuine employment opportunity if not the inspiration of a lifetime :P

3D clips from Perth

This one was produced by Fungus Studio - its in old school 3D!
Bus Stop
Its HD, so give it some time to load.

Here is the link to the Animation catagory on Vimeo - a well respected site for industry professionals and enthusiasts.
http://vimeo.com/categories/animation

This is an interview of Jarrad Gittos, a 3D animator working in Perth.
http://www.brainsquestionmark.com/blog/2009/06/30/jarrad-gittos-interview-3d-in-perth/

Max with Max (3d's Max, that is)

MAx has been our latest teacher, emersing us quickly and (relatively painlessly) into the world of digital 3D. We've been learning how to model - how to use simple polygon shapes and make a specific shape from that.
It is very interesting!

Angie had made us aware previously in the day that in Perth, most 3D animation is for the mining and architectural industries. Here are a few sites from page 1 of a Google for "Animation in Western Australia" that support that theory.
http://cavepictures.net/
http://www.constructivemedia.com.au/
http://www.lastpixel.com.au/
http://www.mapability.com.au

So this describes the current climate. Is the room to move in fresh directions?

Traditional animation cycle using flash

First flash walk cycle using an original character

Today we did heaps of animation and it rocked.

Monitor, April 2010, is of interest to animators. Check this out.

Excerpts from E-Vent, FTI's monthly e-wag.


Monitor, FTI's Members mag is available to download
Here's a taste of it this month.

It's got a staff profile on our animation lecturer Tanya (T.J.) Beeson!


It also feature's Raging Pixel's Gareth Lockett. Raging Pixel have just produced the 10 minute animation The Cold Hearted Giant.
Some pertinent points were offered to new animators:

"

• Just being an "animator" isn't enough.Which part do you want to work in?
•  Be organised if you’re looking for animation work – have a good CV, a showreel ready to show and be prepared to talk to people. It’s a visual medium – you need to show your stuff to people.
• A large percentage of jobs aren’t advertised publicly – so networking is a must.
• Turn up at Industry events.
• Learn about basic budgeting.

"
There's loads more to read in the mag.

Watch the film on you tube here.
=========================================================

BACK to E-VENT!

IRON MAN PREMIERE FUNDRAISER
If your idea of a good film includes explosions, then you should get your ticket to the WA premiere of Iron Man 2 at Piccadilly Cinema's on Thursday 29 April.

Pre-movie nibbles and drinks provided.

Tickets are $20 with all proceeds donated to the Relay For Life.
Tickets must be purchased by April 27 from 11 Recruitment.
Call 9225 6211 for tickets or for more details.

6pm Thursday 29 April 2010
Piccadilli Cinemas
========================================================

Scriptwriters are the lucky ones!

Tim Fergueson teaches how to write comedy for television and film!

Apply by May 10th. More here.

AND

FTI ANNOUNCES REGULAR SCRIPT ADVICE DAYS More

My you-tube account

I will be posting as much work as I can to this channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ushanbb

Please visit and comment. I'm open to feedback. Currently there are just 3 pre-course animations there.

Thanks!

Welcome to live-animation dot blogspot

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to commence the FTI (Film and Television Institute) Animation Diploma course under the able tutalege of Daniel Kristjansson (forever Svenka thanks to JH) with Ebbie Williams (professional development and training co-ordinator) and Tanya Beeson (production animator and lecturer).
There are many people to mention, actually. FTI seems to be a a bit of a hive of activity, acting as a generator of talent and projects and also a nexus point for networkers and industry connections. That's how it seems to me, anyway.

Phil and Angie also rate a mention in the first two paragraphs. Phil quizzed us on our FTI knowledge. (FTI teaches film, documentary, animation and (as of last year) screen-acting as well as seeding the Making Movies Roadshow  and a bevy of other projects). Phil gave us our OHMS - I mean OHS -lesson from which I am still compiling notes. Angie also left me with notes after INDUSTRY (a suitably impressive word in caps). INDUSTRY is the genesis of this 'ere live-animation dot blogspot. This, my friends, is Ushan Boyd's effort.

So lets talk INDUSTRY.

Yesterday FTI held its 2010 AGM. The required quorum of 20 was met by by a half a dozen or so.
Helen received all the guests in the office and we signed the guest list (quorum register?), we were given the important-financial-member-white-vote-card and the green sheet which was the voting for 3 board members (CJ, CR & MT). Laughter tinkled through the doors as people took their seats. I later though this may have been (re-elected board-member) MT's laugh, but have no way yet of being totally sure as I didn't manage to actually get an audio recording and so have a wave file for comparison.

Chair Lisa Braddock commenced the meeting at 7:05pm, April 14th 2010. Minutes were taken by Murray-the-Legend. (As a volunteer secretary myself I believe this a virtuous and noble title) At 7:08 Lisa mentioned we were well on the way for the fastest meeting ever as we had moved, seconded, voted and upheld the first 1/2 of the agenda.

I had taken notes, but the imperfect demon machine iPhone crashed the app without saving. I never would have believed I would leave the house without pen on such a regular basis. I think it is something I might need to address.

Grahame Sward, FTI's esteemed CEO, spoke for precisely 10 minutes. The main gist of what I learned was that 2009 was huge, not the least because of a triennial 3 way agreement between FTI, Screen West and Screen Australia. The big 3-3. It is viewed as a Good Thing. (I was kind of hoping for another 3 in there for a nice symmetry. Odd, you know. 3-3-3. Nice ring, but tricky.) The Good Thing took lots of hard work and is deemed to reap more Good Things in the future.

He also mentioned that FTI came through in the black last year. I'm aware that anyone could have read that in the report, but actually I just left the book till later and let GS tell me the cool bits. In the black, to the tune of $28K (or so). Thats good. Then he said something which I heard reference to time and again throughout the evening. He thanked the staff for their commitments and their efforts. Other people also mentioned that the staff are really dedicated. GS also thanked the sponsors and spoke particularly highly of Screen West, and both GS and LB thought that the relationship has floated FTI's boat in a big way and that we - as FTI financial members - should talk 'em up whenever able. Duly noted.

Then he mentioned that 2011 will be FTI's 40th anniversary and an little bubble of antici
Pation grew in the bellies of the people in the cinema. Reminisces of the 30th gave some inkling of a time long ago being only yesterday.

Then we watched some snippets of films. I  liked My Nan and the Yandi because I always enjoy Deadly Yarns. They make me feel included in a long oral history, just by watching it, which I value.

Afterwards were nibbles and shoulder-rubs. Here are some pictures. All in all it was quite entertaining, for an AGM.

Ebbie Williams, Cassie Rowe (board) and Liz Sward (Screen West).

David Smith (board), Antonio Corea.

Chris James (board) and Don - Honorary Life Member of FTI.