The North Pole Deception

Movies in Parks!

2011-02-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

Free screenings of "The North Pole Deception" this March as part of Show Me Shorts Film Festival.

This selection of seven of the best has been specially curated for the Movies in Parks series. These short films are varied in tone and temperament, but all are engaging and entertaining. The subjects range from an amusing road trip by a gang member with wanderlust to a 'serious' exposé highlighting the poor working conditions for elves in Santa's workshop at the North Pole. Don't miss 2011 Academy Award shortlisted 'The Six Dollar Fifty Man' or Show Me Shorts 2010 Best Film winner 'This is Her'.

Screening in the Aotea Square as part of the Auckland Arts Festival 2011.

Date: Fri 11 March & Mon 14 March 2011
Venue: Aotea Square
Cost: Free

More information available here: http://moviesinparks.co.nz/films/showmeshorts.asp

NPD on IMDB

2010-12-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

The North Pole Deception is on the Internet Movie Database, so you can see who played the voice parts - and rate or review the film if you want to. You can also "like" the film through IMDB on facebook.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1609971/

I've recently sent the film off to a few film festivals further abroad. I'll update (rejections and all) when I start to hear back in 2011!

Duperie au pôle nord

2010-11-19T11:21:00.000-08:00

French synopsis courtesy of Camille Maroslavac:

The North Pole Deception » est un portrait intimiste des tribulations quotidiennes des ouvriers et du gérant d’une usine, ainsi que celles d’un militant sans domicile vivant dans la rue.
C’est un aperçu glaçant de l’exploitation de la communauté elfique par l’occident, dans le lieu le plus froid de la planète.

People are talking...

2010-11-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

The highlight was the "world premiere" of Joe Hitchcock's The North Pole Deception, a clever, stop-frame animation satire of workers' conditions at Santa's factory.

Hobbits don't have anything to complain about compared with the working conditions the elves have to put up with: the freezing cold, lack of toilet breaks and a tyrannical boss who appears to be the missing link between the workers and the big man himself.

The film had all the makings of parody gold, particularly the broad Kiwi accents that peppered the dialogue with street slang, and blasé yeahs, nahs and y'knows.

- Short films pack in originality and wit, Rebecca Barry, NZ Herald (9th Nov 2010)

Financially-beneficial or otherwise, there's no doubt that the range of films on offer in the 2010 offer a diverse selection of takes on the world. While some films have benefitted from funding, others have been achieved by the sheer amount of time and energy their creators have invested in them – Joe Hitchcock's claymation North Pole Deception (screening in the Imagination strand) being a case in point.

- Show Me Shorts: exhibits sexual preference for soft toys, Screen Hub (20 Oct 2010)

What films are you most looking forward to at this years line-up?
We have such a strong programme of films this year. The collection includes timely and clever gems like the claymation mockumentary ‘The North Pole Deception’, about the poor working conditions for elves in Santa’s workshop.

- Show Me Shorts Film Festival interview, Viewauckland.co.nz

This could be my first negative review, but it's too brief for me to tell:

The North Pole Deception is a claymation doco about the intolerable working conditions for elves under Santa’s yolk and owes more than a little to Aardman’s famous Creature Comforts series.

- At the movies with Dan Slevin, Capital Times (10 Nov 2010)

"A Local Highlight"!

2010-11-07T23:22:00.000-08:00

I somehow ended up being nominated in the "Best Director" category with the big kids who make NZFC funded short films! Congratulations to Mark Albiston for taking the award with his hilarious short film ‘The Six Dollar Fifty Man’. The same film also won "Best International Short" at Sundance, and "Jury Prize" at Cannes, so it's really an honour to be nominated in the same category!

You can read the full list of Show Me Shorts awards here.

THIS may be my first ever film review:

"The North Pole Deception sees the workshop conditions of the elves at the North Pole blown apart. Filmed in a doco and interview style, the crude plasticine animation may lack aesthetically but a clever script certainly brings the cruelty into the yuletide season. And the final shot and use of candy canes is perhaps one of the cleverest I've seen in a while."- by Darren Bevan

You can read more of his Show Me Shorts reviews at tvnz.co.nz.

The film has also been recomended as one to watch out for on National Radio (mp3 interview), Kiwi FM (my interview - not recorded sorry), WIFT, in "Gina Dellabarca talks Show Me Shorts" and numerous other media.

All this fuss has made me realise I should send the film to some festivals further abroad!

NPD Cinema Sessions

2010-10-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

WORLD PREMIERE - Fantastic Planet Film Festival

SYDNEY - Dendy Cinemas Newtown
Nov 4th @ 7pm

Shorts Program #4: AMAZING ANIMATIONS

One Small Step (Dir: Damien Slevin/4 min/AUS)
The North Pole Deception (Dir: Joe Hitchcock/10 min/NZ)
The Cats of Mars Meet the Toy Car (Dir: Jacob Stålhammar/8 min/ Sweden)
The Adjustable Cosmos (Dir: Adam Duncan/21 min/AUS)
The Astronomers Sun (Dir: Simon Cartwright & Jessica Cope/6 min/UK )
Lifeline (Dir: Andres Salaff/6 min/USA)
Tales from the Afternow: Little Rocks (Dir: David T. Krupicz/12 min/CAN)
A Complex Villainelle (Dir: Howard Cook/8 min/USA )
SuperBattle: Episode 1 (Dir: Ethan Marak/7 mins/USA)
Yamasong (Dir: Sam K. Hale/9 min/USA)
The Painter of Skies (Dir: Jorge Morais Valle/20 min/ESP)

Tickets from Dendy Newton

SHOW ME SHORTS New Zealand 2010

IMAGINATION Session:

Bird Brain (Dir. Patrick McGabe, 9 min, AUS)
Bridge (Dir. Jochen Fitzherbert, 11 min, NZ)
Tundra (Dir. Claire Phillips, 13 min, AUS)
Sacrifice (Dir. Robert Jukic, 9 min, AUS)
Base Jump (Dir. Steve McGillen, 9 min, NZ)
Locked In (Dir. Nick Fernandez, 17 min, AUS)
The North Pole Deception (Dir. Joe Hitchcock, 10min, NZ)

AUCKLAND - Academy Cinema
November Fri 5th 8:15, Mon 8th 4:30, Wed 10th 4:30, Sun 14th 4:30

DEVONPORT - The Victoria Picture Palace and Theatre
November 5th, 8:15, Sat 6th 12:30, Wed 10th 8:15, Fri 12th 12:30

WAIHEKE ISLAND - Community Centre
November Sat 6th @ 5:00pm

TAURANGA - Bay City Cinemas
November 18th @ 6:30, 22nd @ 1:30pm, 25th @ 1:30pm, 26th @ 1:30pm, 27th @ 1:30pm

WELLINGTON - Paramount
November Sat 13th @ 6:30pm, Mon 15th @ 1:30, Thurs 18th @ 1:30, Sun 21st @ 6:30

CHRISTCHURCH - Rialto Cinema
November 11th @ 8:30pm

DUNDEDIN - Rialto Cinema
November 17th @ 8:30pm

WHITIANGA - The Monkey House (2011)
January 6th @ 7:30pm, Fri 14th 7:30pm

Fantastic Planet! - Australia

2010-10-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

WORLD PREMIERE!

Thursday, November 4, 7:00pm
Dendy Cinema Newtown, SYDNEY - AUSTRALIA

Prepare for a visual and cerebral feast with this selection of the best animated sci-fi and fantasy short films from Australia and the world. The secret behind the moon landing, robotic teddy bears, 15th century space explorers, post-apocalyptic landscapes, inter-dimensional travels, exploited elves, Martians cats, and more await! The perfect program for lovers of animation, sci-fi, and fantasy all.

Screening as part of the FANTASTIC PLANET FILM FESTIVAL,
You can BUY TICKETS here!

Fantastic Planet Film Festival is dedicated to seeking out and encouraging bold new speculative films that explore imagined worlds, universes, and realities; celluloid glimpses of alternative futures, presents, and pasts.

This year the festival is boasting the Australasian premiere of MACHETE (Robert Rodriguez), and this other cool looking Santa Flick RARE EXPORTS:

More info at the Fantastic Planet Film Festival site.

Show Me Shorts! - NZ

2010-10-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Show Me Shorts is a travelling festival of the best 40 short films from Australia and New Zealand. The films are divided into six themed sessions, which will be announced along with the selected films in early October.

AUCKLAND 4TH – 11TH Nov at Academy Cinema, Victoria Picture Palace
WAIHEKE ISLAND – 5th – 14th Nov at Waiheke Island Cinema
MATAKANA – 12th – 17th Nov at Matakana Cinemas
WELLINGTON 11th – 21st Nov at Paramount Cinema
CHRISTCHURCH 11th – 21st Nov at Rialto Cinema
DUNEDIN 11th – 21st Nov at Rialto Cinema
TAURANGA 18th – 28th Nov at Bay City Cinemas
ARROWTOWN 21st – 24th Nov at Dorothy Browns
WHITIANGA 6TH -15TH Jan at the The Monkey House

Read an interview with the festival director Gina Dellabarca at the TVNZ Website.

Check back soon for session times, or go to http://www.showmeshorts.co.nz/

CINEMA RELEASE in November!

2010-10-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

THE NORTH POLE DECEPTION has been selected for more than one film festival and will screen in lots of cinemas soon. The feedback on the film has been extremely positive!

I can't announce which festivals yet, so I will instead post my first OFFICIAL REJECTION message:

From BLUE PLANET FILM FESTIVAL (USD$25 entry fee)

"Good luck with your film. It doesn't fit into animal (elves aren't) welfare. And though it does take place at the north pole, which is melting rapidly, your film deals with... social issues, I guess you could say, not environmental. Mira Tweti , Executive Director Blue Planet Film Fest"

I think it's weird they disregard the film, when their goal says:

"We are seeking films on any subject related to:
Animal Welfare
Wild Life
Environmental issues
Ecology
Conservation
Sustainable Living/Unsustainable living
Globalization
Climate Change
Factory Farming/Agriculture issues
Water
Land/Soil/Air"

Official Selection Wreaths coming soon!

Countries of Production

2009-12-20T00:47:00.000-08:00

The North Pole Deception is finished. This is where it was made...

2006
Hamilton & Auckland, New Zealand (pre-prod / storage)
Los Angeles, United States (voice recording)

2007
Te Aroha, New Zealand (voice recording / Set building / storage)
Auckland, New Zealand (Set Design/Storyboards/armature construction)

2008-2009
Auckland, New Zealand (Set Building / Animating)

2009
Auckland, New Zealand (Animating / VFX / Colour Grade)
Melbourne, Australia (Sound Design / mix)
Bali, Indonesia (Title Design)

and of course...
The North Pole (where the movie is set)

Talk about a slow process! Of course this would have all happened much quicker if I had money to pay my rent etc.

Santa is Real!

2009-12-20T00:40:00.000-08:00

Merry xmas for some, not all.

More clips to follow next year!

Video technical specs:
This trailer was put together using the temp grade which has been compressed twice. Shot at 4k resolution with Nikon DSLR stills, exported at full HD.

98% complete

2009-12-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

VERY almost finished.. check back before xmas for a trailer!

Finding Time

2009-09-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Big Thanks to Trade Aid for sponsoring us some fair trade coffee to get it done!

Post-Production on hold.

2009-06-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

I'm currently preparing for the final week shooting Kaikahu Road (as Director of Photography). Filming 4th-8th July on RED HD.

To keep up to date on this production you can become a fan of Kaikahu Road on facebook

North Pole Deception After Effects Master Timeline:

Lots of layers required to grade one scene in the elve's house:

The Factory!

2009-06-20T23:24:00.000-07:00

Not quite final comp. Machine behind the front one is actually supposed to be a different one.

Looking for a Genie

2009-06-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

I decided I need a little bit of help finishing everything I'm working on at the moment, so I did a quick search on Trade Me for a Genie.. a real life, three wish granting Genie.

I had a few promising leads, so I asked questions on several auctions (scroll to bottom for questions)...

Genie Depressed Bottle
Ancient Lamp "I don't deal in fake rubbish"
Yasmin Genie #3
Genie Bottle
Lavender Oil in Genie Bottle
Blue Genie Bottle
Retro Genie Bottle
Alladin Large Genie Soft Toy Plushie

Back to finishing NPD online tomorrow..

Malcolm Xmas.

2009-06-18T01:42:00.000-07:00

Original footage

Television grade (looks brighter on CRT):

Hand-held motion tracking

2009-06-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

I filmed a door with a cross on it today with shaky hand held camera.

Now we need to motion track these videos frame by frame in after effects to make it steady, then copy the motion onto some of my steady elf interview shots, and kapow! The elf interviews have the illusion of looking hand held, and therefore, seem more "realistic".

On it goes..

2009-06-08T01:34:00.001-07:00

Still experimenting with colour grading and artificial lights etc. Sequence isn't on my computer so I don't have footage yet. Will upload some still by the end of the week.

Colour Grading

2009-05-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

I don't have stills yet, but we've been experimenting lots with the colour grade. Because it was shot at 4k (double the size of full HD) there is a lot of colour information to play with. We're also messing with lighting highlights, and overlaying some subtle effects to make things seem a bit smoother. Colour grade is expected to be roughly complete by Wednesday (cos' we're shooting a music video on Thursday).

Australian based Sound Designer Michael Taylor is now on board to fix up the sound and master it all properly!

This means the film is being produced in four countries... New Zealand, America, Australia... and the North Pole.

This is a rough factory composite, with a temp grade... I'm photoshopping a background for this week.

An educational movie for aliens

2009-05-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

This is our attempt at making an educational movie in the 48 hour film festival..

Brad Davison and I managed to achieve this much while still making time for a british comedian, a canadian folk band (I helped with lighting), a ridiculously drunk girlfriend and a whiney 2 week old baby.

The film stars me and Michelle Fitz-William, with Jamaine Ross and my daughter Kaiarahi Hitchcock. Jamaine and Michelle also did voices for The North Pole Deception, this is Kaia's first movie experience..

Next year we hope to allow more time in the weekend to work on the film.

Editing Again.

2009-05-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

The film is now re connected in glorious HD for online editing by Luke McPake. Lots of updates coming this week..

48 Hours

2009-05-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend furiously making a film in the annual 48 Hours competition. This was my fourth year in the competition (but couldn't enter last year as we were in Cannes), and we seemed to have learned from all our previous mistakes.

I was part of a 2 person team with Brad Davison, but also had Michelle Fitz-William, and Jamaine Ross actorising.

The genre was "Educational Movie", so we made a movie for aliens who might want to invade and colonise earth. Unfortunately our film might have been a little over ambitious visual effects wise (considering neither of us can do VFX), so we didn't have time to do a proper fine cut. But we're happy with the film and all it's B-gradeness.

It's screening at the Academy Cinema in Auckland, next Friday at 8:30pm.

Online Edit

2009-05-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

Online Editor and Compositor Luke McPake analyzed the film with me yesterday, and worked out the best workflow for creating an "online edit" of the film.

I have to export every shot in the film as an 8 bit Tiff sequence (folder of still images), which are 30Mb per file.

With 7200 total frames in the movie (at 12 frames per second), these images will add up to roughly 216 Gb of space. They will then be reconnected in After Effects, and we can start to mess with colour and visual effects.

Fair Trade Fortnight

2009-05-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow. Why not do something selfless and buy yourself some fairtrade chocolate from Trade Aid?

Baby Kaia

2009-04-27T03:51:00.000-07:00

As expected... slight delays as my wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl today!

Overdue baby

2009-04-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

Am less than an hour away from heading into the hospital. Our first baby is 2 weeks overdue today so doctors are going to see what they can do to "speed things up" and get it into the real world.

I'm very nervous despite Marama being the one who has to do all the hard work.

I'll most likely be a dad by the time I get home, which is quite a strange feeling.. We've been getting calls from friends and family every day asking for news so it will be good to finally have an answer for them. Boy... or Girl...?

Final-post-production

2009-04-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

I submitted a 90% complete work-in-progress copy of the film to two film festivals because the deadlines were closing. It feels like the film is finished now, but it's not quite.

My schedule now, is to have the "online edit" complete by the end of next week (including final sound mix); which involves motion tracking several shots to give the impression of a hand held camera, bluescreen compositing (just one shot), and colour grading... Although this schedule may be put out by the arrival of our first child.

I'll put together an online trailer as soon as the colour grading is done.

My festival plan is to try a few A-list festivals this year (the film commission's faves), then submit to animation and human rights film festivals throughout 2010. It's such a long process - I'm ready to start on my next project already!

Supporting Oxfam

2009-04-21T02:34:00.000-07:00

Strangelight Animation is now endorsing the work of Oxfam, fighting poverty and injustice around the world. Any potential profit from the The North Pole Deception will be donated to their efforts.

Next time you want to get someone a present, try www.oxfamunwrapped.org.nz.

Strangelight.org

2009-04-19T23:13:00.000-07:00

Sound design almost finished, rough cut almost locked down!

New website in development on strangelight.org!

Will put together a film trailer as soon as the colour grading is done!

Wrap on Principle Photography!

2009-04-18T03:01:00.000-07:00

The animating is done!

Now I just have to fine cut the film, fix up the sound design, and get my online editor Luke McPake to colour grade and composite a couple of VFX shots and the film is finished, finally!

The Naughty or Nice machine

(the screen will say Naughty or Nice, and if it says naughty the light below turns off)

CAUTION Wet Blood

3 Shots to go!

2009-04-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

A bit of "culture jamming" from Malcolm Xmas, the activist from Elf Liberation Front..

Behind the Rock Salt...

New sets in progress

2009-04-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

These sets are to be finished, dressed and animated over next few nights.

Old phone books holding the set together with a bit of gaffer tape...

Haven't got a photo yet, but I actually painted a bunch of these steel hooks to look like candy canes... In the North Pole, they use candy canes as grave stones...

8 Shots to go.

2009-04-14T00:36:00.000-07:00

Need lots of candy canes to finish the film, but they're hard to find out of season (I'm sure I stored a box of them somewhere!).

Built half a street scene tonight, and only have one more big scene to go.

And by big, I mean... only 4 shots lasting a total of 18 seconds... I would stay up all night getting it done but the baby could come any minute now.

9 shots to go!

2009-04-13T01:12:00.000-07:00

After spending a day in a small room fine cutting, my wife Marama wanted to get out of the house tonight so we walked down the road and had a play with long exposure photography...

Yeovil Road by night...

Auckland city from Te Atatu Peninsula (with dancing ghosts)

30 second pose.

Am currently rendering the film (for playback) to do some fine cutting (it took 9 hours to render the entire 11 minutes last week).

"They'd replaced me."

2009-04-12T03:17:00.000-07:00

I completed a 5 second clip and an epic 35 second interview shot of Malcolm Xmas today (pictured above). To be a little bit different, this shot will have his face blurred out to make him anonymous, and he makes gestures with his arms. Just in case, I animated his mouth as well, and just kept his eyes in the dark.

It came out quite well, except the computer crashed and wouldn't reload all of my file, so I had to animate a big chunk of it twice - which was rather painful. It takes about 25 minutes to save a 30 second shot (which is about 10Gb uncompressed), so I have to choose my save times carefully at the end of a sentence (because a lot can change on it's own in 25 minutes).

My workspace (the large tin under the computer was my tripod today! - I just taped the camera down and it was sweet!). That's also a lawn boules set holding up the wall against the baby cot.

Reported Mishaps This Year

2009-04-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Malcolm Xmas character is basically finished, I just have to spray paint some graffiti for the wall behind him and I can start animating him.

13 shots to go!

14 shots to go!

2009-04-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

A few years have past, and now I'm almost finished animating! From there, I add handheld motion to the shots, and do a bit of colour grading, and minimal VFX work - and it'll be sent out to festivals. Although animating is somewhat on hold for now, as my wife is due to have a baby today...

Setting up the festival sites with the project, I stumbled across this cheesy video of me from 2006:

Joe Hitchcock - 2006 AMP Scholarship

Malcolm Xmas.

2009-04-08T00:37:00.000-07:00

Jamaine Sonny Ross, the voice of Malcolm Xmas, a street artist / activist from the Elf Liberation Front (E.L.F):

More factory stuff:

"If you don't work hard today..."

2009-04-07T01:49:00.000-07:00

Animated 5 shots on one factory set today.

If I have time I'm going to build another workstation, but may settle for this one...

Bluescreen test composite: (Workstations will eventually get smaller to a vanishing point...)

The Factory

2009-04-06T02:21:00.001-07:00

The factory component to the film is actually really minimal, but I assembled, painted and dressed the set today. I was going to animate tonight but need to rest, so will begin animating the factory tomorrow.

Nearing completion..

2009-04-04T00:49:00.000-07:00

Finished the elve's house with cutaways...

Work now begins on factory workstations...

Dialogue wrap on elves!

2009-04-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

Just finished an epic 6 hour animating session, to complete a 56 second shot (the longest in the film). This completes the elve's house, and all the shots with dialogue, so I won't have to deal with so many mouths!

Checklist:

Last dialogue script:

Finally opening the windows after insane temperatures in the blacked out room..

"I don't know how to read though..."

2009-04-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

Completed a 27 second shot yesterday, originally planned to be a 47 second shot - I had some trouble with the character but there was a natural end to the conversation in the middle, so all was good.

This was my first attempt at multiple voices at the same time (because the elves talk over each other), only 2 more shots like this to go before I can strike the elf house set.

The Elf House

2009-03-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Finished animating the exterior of the elve's slum house. I discovered I haven't got any better at animating walking (supposedly the hardest thing to animate), so I'm cutting that part out...

Demonstrating my forced perspective crates..

This shows the kind of tight space I'm working in... (the interior set is right behind this one)

Forced Perspective!

2009-03-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at forced perspective. The close side is scale 1:5, then it's half that size (1:10) on the far side. If I made the whole set at scale 1:5 it wouldn't have fit in the room! I'm going to finish the set today, and animate by Sunday...

Snow soup.

2009-03-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

This one doesn't really work as a still.. you have to imagine the flames flickering about, and the snowman head melting into soup.

Animation Score

2009-03-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

I've rented out the tripod I was using this week, so I just have a lightweight tripod, which is only good for cutaways and short clips. I was going to be doing some long shots this week, but am instead starting to script them like this...

The following shows that I am most of the way through the elf house set:

I'm also currently building a factory set, which I can hopefully start animating late next week.

Screen test

2009-03-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Two-year-old Teletubbies enthusiast "Caleb" was recently in Auckland and offered to give me some feedback on my animation.

His feedback was rather positive for a demographic I wouldn't have considered to like this genre:

"oooohhhhh"
"aaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

(Don't worry, the scissors right in front of him are just a... prop)

Nursery / Studio

2009-03-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

It might look suspicious from the road, but our baby room is relatively light proof at the moment, meaning I was able to film another 30 seconds this evening, but with less success than the previous nights.

The scene was a parody of the scene from Jaws where the characters compare wounds, so it was always going to be hard, but i won't know if it's good enough until I can play it back properly next week (I can't do instant playback because I'm animating at too high resolution).

Also have to stop this working during the day, then animating at night business. Ridiculous.

"I was told there was a factory accident"

2009-03-17T03:45:00.001-07:00

Just completed 25 seconds of close-ups of Trixie being interviewed about her mother's death...

Looking good so far...

Kismet

2009-03-16T16:22:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend finishing principle photography on KAIKAHU ROAD, and will be back to the animation station this week.

I found my armature for my last animated short "KISMET", and compared the scale to the elves, explaining why the sets for KISMET were much smaller than the North Pole ones.

"Supervisors are pretty hard on us"

2009-03-12T00:56:00.000-07:00

Taking the weekend off to shoot second unit car photography for KAIKAHU ROAD in Te Aroha.

"I like being at home"

2009-03-10T06:08:00.001-07:00

A 20 second shot (pictured below) just took me 5 hours to animate.

This was my first time animating with multiple characters talking, and using real eyelash extensions. The shot was especially difficult because the three characters all blink and fidget - except Mixon, who is very disabled (she doesn't even have arms or legs under that blanket).

It was also [hopefully] the hardest shot for this set because it is the widest frame - so I have to be further back from the set to stop light bouncing off my shirt during photos.

An example of how this might look after colour grading (desaturated to 50% black and white):

Elves, glorious elves!

2009-03-09T04:25:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start animating elves tonight, but I didn't quite have all the equipment ready.. so instead, here are some photos of the elves in their home!

Mixon.

Wheelchair detail.

Trixie.

Miette.

Long exposure test - using only practical LED light. Miette is actually on a stand here so should be slightly shorter on the day.

More lighting and detail after I start animating this scene tomorrow night.

"we go without pay for months sometimes"

2009-03-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Workspace / Nursery.
I'm expecting a child soon, so the baby cot is holding up my back wall and strengthening the set.

Mixon Armature.
Mixon is a wheelchair bound character, who's whole body will be wrapped in a blanket, so this is all there is to her inner workings.

Elf Interviews

2009-03-07T00:42:00.000-08:00

I plan on animating the Elf interviews over the next few nights, which I expect to be the hardest part of the film to animate (simply because there are so many things to consider with multiple characters). Lots of photos next week...

Mini-Hiatus

2009-02-01T13:23:00.000-08:00

I'm reluctantly taking a week off animating to work on elf costumes and new props. The film is now 50% complete, but I'm thinking about the next one already..

2009-01-31T23:28:00.000-08:00

"We're one of the top ten factories in the North Pole"..

Hogspot's House

2009-01-30T14:57:00.000-08:00

Using christmas tree lights as practical wall mounted lights, and a photo LCD frame as a large television, I just shot some very still cut aways of the interior of Hogspot's house. The Cobra Khan music video on the television is just a reference for another animation I am going to overlay on the screen.

Kaikahu Road

2008-12-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

Production begins next week on Marama's HD feature Kaikahu Road. So I don't expect much animating to be done in the next two weeks..

Just do it for Santa

2008-12-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

The opening train sequence and titles are now done.. These are some highlights..

Note that this all needs a lot of colour grading. A friend of mine has offered to do this early next year which will be good timing.

The workspace: Had to dress the set during the day, and animate overnight (because I couldn't black out the whole room), then pack up the set before a kid's show opened in the morning. I used 4Kg of Rock salt and another table salt shaker this weekend..

Started out with something I learned from a Nick Park book.. when they filmed Wallace and Grommit (whichever movie it is with the train race), they moved the train a few centimeters every time they took a photo. This is exactly what I did for my fast train shots and it came out really well...

I also don't have proper animation lights (flicker free), so a slow shutter speed balances out the lights and keeps a consistent look.

Getting a bit trickier... a focus pull. This shot is a little darker because any key light killed the train reflection. Although I've just made it bright enough that the colour grading will match up this shot to the rest.

Hogspot's factory:

Welcome to the North Pole... Ice on the sign is spray on adhesive and table salt.

(I was going to animate the reindeer being destroyed, but felt it was better to just have a spooky still frame).

Exteriors

2008-12-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

I'm about to lock myself in a large "studio", and attempt to animate over 1 minute (screen time) of "exterior" sets within the next two nights. Fortunately there is no voice lip-synching, so I'm expecting to get it all done, which will mean I can finish the animation in smaller studio spaces.

Elves recorded

2008-12-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

Recorded voices of Chelsea Beckett and Michelle Fitz-William on Saturday and it couldn't have gone any better. The script couldn't help but sound scripted, so I asked questions which led to similar responses and the girls were awesome!

Am also pottering away slowly with various shots.

Above: Hogspot's house at Sunset.

Action!

2008-11-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

Finally, a break from work and enough space to put together an animation!

I spent a few days last week putting together Hogspot's office and animating to Mark Boone Jr's voice. To complete his character I just need to animate two bluescreen shots, and add a few action cut aways. Revised schedule is to complete animating over this summer.

Elf Liberation on Facebook

2007-11-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

I have started an Elf Liberation cause on Facebook.

If you are a member of Facebook, you can help the elves, by adding the "causes" application and joining the cause. You can also donate money, which will go straight to www.sweatshopwatch.org, to fight for the rights of workers worldwide.

DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE

2007-10-21T22:03:00.001-07:00

The reason North Pole Deception has been moving so slowly is about to be resolved...

Downending Films and Film Waikato are proud to announce the New Zealand Premiere of the feature film Down by the Riverside on November 2nd at Rialto Hamilton!

The "Best Foreign Feature" nominee, which is about to have it's world premiere in New York’s prestigious B-Movie Film Festival, is described as a murder mystery, art house-noir-horror, and is set in the Waikato town of Te Aroha. The film follows two historians as they investigate an unsolved murder, and they soon become part of the horrific story.

The premiere will be attended by Co-Directors Brad Davison and Marama Killen, who will answer questions from the floor after the screening, as well as lead actress Rebecca Trelease who was also nominated at the B-Movie awards for her performance in this film.

Seats for the 8:30pm screening are available at Rialto Cinema in Hamilton central for $12. More information on the film is available on Downending Film's website; downending.com.

This is a one time only screening for New Zealand before the nationwide DVD release on November 14th.
Tickets are limited and some of the content of this film may offend - viewer discretion is advised.

Marama presents CHICAGO

2007-10-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Marama Killen is directing "Chicago", the "well loved musical". It's on in Te Aroha and is going to be awesome. You should check it out... I'm planning on flying up to see it on the 19th of this month. Tickets $20 each and package deals are availabe. You can book by emailing here. More information on www.futuretearoha.co.nz

They are also seeking a few more musicians, so if you're interested email chicago@futuretearoha.co.nz.

In other news, production has basically come to a stand still on the North Pole Deception. I had my first two day weekend last week and spent the whole time shooting a music video for the Braxton Hicks. I will now be working most Saturdays, so when I am up north again, I will bring back my sculpting stuff and get the characters and props made in Wellington (while I still have access to the resources at work).

If you're not up on the play with Down by the Riverside, there's some stuff happening over on www.downending.com
:)

Technical Rehearsal

2007-09-08T15:02:00.000-07:00

I've been getting tired of not shooting anything, so I decided to do a technical rehearsal, using only theatre lighting, I attempted to shoot the title shot: which is a "North Pole" sign in front of the distant city at night. The original plan for this sign is to get it laser cut in Auckland, and get my electrician brother to wire up some miniature street lights. But I thought I would try painting the sign and using christmas lights instead. Unfortunately I can't paint very well, and the lighting was very average, so the shot is unusable, but I did learn a lot about what I need for the actual shoot.

- Rock salt is awesome snow.
- I need more Xmas Tradition's "Ice crystals" and "Snow spray"
- Everything needs to be animated at 24 frames per second.
- I'm going to need a lot more Harddrive space.
- This film is going to take a long time to make.

Also recorded the rythmic part of the soundscape and started a bit of sound editing... drumming on just cymbals, will [hopefully] compliment the low frequency atmospheric soundscape.

Front Room: Hamilton Animation

2007-09-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

My student animated short Kismet, is playing in Ariki Gallery as part of the "Front Room: Hamilton Animation in Cahoots with HUFF"....

"Hand/Eye: Contemporary Poster Art" and "Front Room: Hamilton Animation in Cahoots with HUFF" open on the 14th of September at 5:30.

"Hand/Eye" is a series of 10 posters crafted by digital artists, all have been screen-printed by hand in Christchurch by 'Garage Collective,' a small-scale and highly esteemed operation. Only 30 limited edition prints of each design will be available for sale.

"Front Room" is an opportunity to see animated shorts from local filmmakers.

The exhibition runs until 26th of October & our opening hours are
Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 am till 4:00 pm.

Hogspot's construction site

2007-08-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

Took a break from polystyrene to start my first wood structured set; a 1m2 Office for Hogspot. The black lines on the wall represent where a bluescreen window will go. Still need to add another wall or two, some skirting boards, and some serious set dressing...

What we need is a great big mountain landscape...

2007-08-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

In the darkness of the studio, my camera fell onto the dirt floor today, fortunately the floor is padded with polystyrene...

Which came from cutting out this landscape:

You hardly ever see exterior wide shots of landscapes this big in stop motion, because I need 4 sets (2500x1800mm) all connected together to create a realistic wide shot (without forced perspective)... This particular set still needs more sculpting, rocks, then paint & snow.

The Exterior fields are being built at 1% of actual size (1:100), but the characters are 1:5 size (20%), so the sets which require characters will be much bigger. Fortunately, Nick is a genious and has saved me heaps of work with his designs (I am recycling sets, stages & materials).

The Animatic

2007-08-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

Edited together all the voices with temp storyboards, and was able to watch the North Pole Deception for the first time on Friday night. I am quite happy with the way it works as a short film, but think that the sound design and real live animation should really bring everything out in the end.

Mr Boone Jr recorded 3 different voices, and I kind of like all of them, but have picked the one which sounds most like Boone in his other movies.

For various reasons I have decided to cut the end of the film off, meaning there is no resolution for the characters, but leaves it more open to interpretation. It also means I have two and sets to build, and obviously, less to animate.

I have also decided to simplify an interview scene, having characters interviewed on a couch with a wall, instead of a full on dressed house. This means less work for me, but the main reason I chose to go more Nick-Park-Style for two scenes, is that it seems more like how It would be done in a documentary. EG. If I was interviewing elves in the North Pole, they wouldn't be walking round talking all the time, so I'm shooting a couple of basic scenes on a couch.

The film is now going to be 7 minutes, which should be a "more accessible" running time. (instead of the predicted 12 mins)

This also brings down by anticipated frame count from 12960 photos to 9120, which is approx 27Gb of RAW photos, which I will then need to add the bluescreen backgrounds etc...

Construction begins...

2007-08-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

Utilising amusingly dull natural lighting, I began construction today in the basement.

The photo below is of my key light source... This is actually one of the largest "windows" in the room! Of course, I will get an extension lead long enough (approx 30 metres) for me to have some decent light soon.

Fortunately my camera flash is awesome, so you can see the start of the first set, which is a 1:100 scaled exterior snow field, and it is really massive. When we were planning the sets, Nick tried to convince me that these sets would be too big and I am only now realising they are going to take up lots and lots of room.

This is the base for one of 4 fields, and is 2.5metres long, and 1.8 metres wide. The stacks of poly are the start of cone shaped mountains, which will soon have a train bridge and tunnel. The 4 exterior snow sets will be assembled together to form one huge landscape, providing the establishing shots for the opening montage of trixie going to work. Below is a crazy focus on a train model on the polystyrene. Of course the set needs to be painted, dressed and snowed on after they are built.

If anyone has a spare warehouse I could fill with sets for a couple of months let me know...

Hogspot

2007-08-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

After a few months, I have finally tracked down a DV deck capable of NTSC playback, so I can transfer the voice of Hogspot to PAL (thanks to Jody & Graham!). Never saw that hurdle coming...

However, am very stoked on Mark Boone Jr's take on the character, and can't wait to see the storyboards edited to his voice. You can also see him in the new restricted 30 Days of Night trailer. I also have a claim to fame in the wide shot of the street, where the car turns a corner, that is me driving that car...

You can see the 30 Days of Night trailer here

Voice of Trixie

2007-08-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

Recorded Maia Wharawhara's voice for Trixie yesterday. Her voice sounds really cool, although it's hard to imagine coming from an elf without seeing it. I can finally start assembling a storyboard animatic in the next week (editing storyboards to the voice tracks), and will be building snow mountains at the same time.

The best things in life are free...

2007-08-05T17:20:00.001-07:00

Today I am officially moving in to a bigger, darker basement in Te Aroha...

It is a very glamorous location with no lighting (yet) or flooring. But it is a large space where I can make a big mess with Poly and other materials. I will then be moving into daylight for painting, detailing & dressing sets...

Studio Re-location

2007-07-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Due to budgetary constraints, I am re-locating my main auckland studio to Te Aroha & Hamilton.

Am currently stocktaking materials, and will start building sets next week. :)

Results from the 48 Hours - Won best music, and won a camera for best cinematography!
To be more precise, a Panasonic DV camera called a DVX102B...

Also finally finished Down by the Riverside, and have some positive yet-to-be-confirmed news about distribution. Here's the trailer...

Set Designification

2007-06-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

Sat down with Production Designer Nick Conner today and have almost finished designing all 12 sets. With some clever use of polystyrene and movable boards, we are able to reuse 4 sets to make up approximately 7 "massive" snow covered exteriors. By massive I mean extreme wide shots of vast panoramic landscapes at 100th of their actual size.

Thanks to Nick I also have 3D Models of each set, so I can do pre-vis style storyboards, and edit an animatic from that, before we even start building.

Of course, this means I now have to build 12 detailed sets, some involving tricky moving parts and insane tiny set dressing. Fortunately I don't watch TV and will be finished grading DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE any day now...

Above: Miette's Acting Headshot
Below: Scale elevation of Hogspot's office.

Getting other stuff done.

2007-05-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Just finished a furious filmmaking weekend (48 Hours Film competition), making a film called "The Mists of Ureia" - a true story about the Taniwha in the Karangahake gorge. The film was rediculously serious, but with stupid titles like "Lola Killcock" (See Marama Killen above). Using sweet locations it also looked pretty cool. Maybe Tanya will blog some images up soon.

Have also been frantically busy finishing Down by the Riverside, which means I am about a week away from getting back into TNPD semi full time again.

Sorry to those who I have not been in touch with, production has been on hold for the last couple of weeks but will continue asap. :)

3 voices recorded!

2007-04-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

To add to the voice of Hogspot, I have now also recorded the voice of Miette and Mixon with Chelsea Beckett - pictured below as a witch in the children's film 'The Sword, the Wand and the Stone'.

I now only have a couple more voices to record before editing storyboards into a moving animatic. :)

My cellphone has just been lost and/or stolen, so please contact me by email.

New Hardware

2007-04-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to MACALISTER, I have bought a new Nikon Digital SLR Camera at a discounted rate, which will be used to shoot The North Pole Deception. I have also sold our G5 computer setup and bought a shiney new Dual 2.16 Macbook Pro, which I will soon use to capture and edit the film (thanks to Boinx iStopmotion).

Here is a focus test for the camera, using only auto settings...

I have also recieved the DV tape from Mark Boone Jnr, but won't be able to capture it for a few days, as I need to work out the NTSC capture settings first.

Have also been distracted with finishing Down by the Riverside, but can now get back to the Elf revolution!

I should also be able to update more frequently now as I am back online!

Storyboards

2007-03-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

I currently don't have frequent access to interweb, so here's a quick recap/update from the past week.

- Finished the final dialogue for the film with the completion of a fourth draft.
- Done a lot more research on production design with Brendan and Nick.
- Storyboarded the entire film with Brendan Heffernan, which made me re-think a lot of the planned shotlist. I realised that a lot of the framing was too conventional and repetitive so I'm going to change it up a bit, without straying too far from the repetitiveness of traditional human rights documentaries.
- Sculpted several rough marquette's, which are starting to look close to how I want them. I have to work really slow on these because I haven't done a lot of sculpting before, but am slowly getting better.

:)

Pencil Trains

2007-03-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

Brendan Heffernan has offered to storyboard the film! Which means my flat cartoons will be replaced by much prettier pictures, and will hopefully be completely drawn by next week.

Am now busy choosing a model train for the opening sequence...

Hogspot recording

2007-03-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

The Voice of Hogspot, the American factory owner, has been recorded by

Mark Boone Jnr (pictured with Batman)

In his hometown Los Angeles. Boone is the ideal voice actor for the role of Hogspot, who is the only speaking male character in the film. The tape is now making it's way to New Zealand and I will start on the Hogspot final Marquette next week.

Aslan must be Crazy.

2007-03-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

I have inherited a wealth of leftover art materials from my work, including a vanload of Polystyrene and foamcore sheets, and several car loads of half used paint and modelling materials.

How awesome is that?

I have to say thanks to Dimitri for not using all of the materials while he had the chance. :)

While we're on the subject of Awesome, here is an architectural sweatshop concept for a bluescreen composite shot, where one machine is animated and overlayed many times, courtesy of set designer Nick Conner.

STUDIO LAYOUT

2007-03-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

Above: Image.
Below: Text.

This layout shows the production departments located around STAGE 1, generously offered by Ms Tanya Barlow; the estate owner. Please note that the old bath in the top left corner of the stage layout above is a real bath, but the pile of used snow inside it is fake.

Nick Conner is now officially on board designing sets, and it is very exciting seeing descriptions turn into plans, and makes the prospect of building things in forced perspective so much simpler... although I somehow doubt it will be easy.

Strangelight has just joined Virb.com, which is like myspace but NOT owned by Rupert Murdoch. As I add film images to this blog I'll also add some to Virb with a more convenient filing system. So if you're into nerdy things, sign up to Virb and join the North Pole Revolution. Or you can visit the Strangelight page at ~

http://virb.com/strangelight

I'm also back on IMDB Pro now, so if you need me to add agent contact information, look up specific movie info like movies in development, or just look up your STARmeter... let me know.

Production Schedule Amendment

2007-03-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

I have been lazy and used my weekend for catching up on lost sleep. Turns out I've been walking 30Km a week (1.5 hours to work and back) and not sleeping enough...

Creative New Zealand called me up and told me that to be eligible for additional funding, principle photography needs to start in June. It's a strange system they have but I have ammended the production schedule for them on the off chance of getting my food paid for during production.

Between insomnia and work, I am somehow managing to watch a lot of Cowboy Bebop, which is now my favourite animated series of all time.

Character development

2007-03-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

I've been given some helpful advice from documentary filmmakers Micha X Peled (China Blue & Store Wars: When Wall Mart Comes to Town) and David Redmon (Mardi Gras: Made in China). I wanted to find out what the sweatshop workers were like offscreen which has been useful for our script, and will help base the film on reality as much as possible. They were also digging the story, which makes me relieved to know my work won't offend real documentary film makers

Now I just need to find out more about what elves are really like...

Prop "buying"

2007-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks for your comments and congratulatory wishes!

I will no doubt be ~~stealing~~ seeking skills, advice and props from all of ewes soon... In fact, while we're on the subject, I am starting to source props and set dressing at a scale of 1:5 (one fifth of actual size) and 1:10 (one tenth...). Things like books, lamp posts, sewing machines, tools, and a few more specific things such as a miniature yellow toy monkey or thomas the tank engine train. I'm especially keen on miniature corrugated iron (although I don't think that exists...). So if you want to offload any of your old (or new) toys, no matter how damaged or chewed, I'm interested in helping you.

Betrothal

2007-03-04T16:24:00.000-08:00

Unable to pull myself away from the epic horror DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE, I have had a slow weekend on NPD. Although I am developing my sculpting skills making marquettes (models) for Hogspot and Trixie.

****
TRIXIE
Trixie is a 13 year old Elf. She has worked in the factory for over a year now. She has black hair kept in two ponytails, and a short fringe, which she constantly tries to tuck behind her ears. She is shy, tired and constantly nervous. Her backstory will be told in the North Pole Deception.

HOGSPOT
HOGSPOT is an upper class factory owner who moved from America to the North Pole in the great Christmas Decoration boom of the early 1990’s. He is a greedy man but is also a “nice guy” according to his business partners. He thinks he is a nice boss, and blames the workers low wages on market demands, with low unit prices established by the Clause conglomeration. He often thinks the elves are trying to scam and steal from him, apart from the gun slinging security elves on the front doors. HOGSPOT has agreed to speak with us and let us film in his factory, because he thinks that the documentary is about his entrepreneurial genius.

MIETTE
Miette is almost 16, and works with Trixie in the workshop. She wears a big white scarf, and has brown dreaded hair, which hangs down over her shoulders. Miette is the older, more intelligent and confident of the girls.
****

In other news, I am betrothed [engaged] to the beautiful Marama K! (pictured below). We are currently considering the probability of an engagement party. :)

[We also saw Ian Mackaye's band The Evens last night which was a rockin good time!]

Standby for Pre-production

2007-03-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

To my right, you will notice a PRODUCTION STATUS corner. These numbers will [hopefully] go up over the next couple of months, so everyone can supervise and make sure I'm on track.

Because it looks like I haven't done anything yet, here are some photos to prove I have gathered materials, and am working on something in Tanya's basement.

I also have some character marquettes which aren't quite ready for human consumption, and obviously a script which is locked away in a vault (not literally). My goal for the next week is to draw one storyboard per day, and get a third draft of the script finished. Of course this will have to compliment a weekend of editing DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE, but who needs sleep when you've got coffee?

Speaking of which, I must cut down my coffee intake so I don't have shaky hands for animating!

Strangelight.org

2007-02-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

Welcome to me blog. Me being Joe Hitchcock, and my blog relating to everything to do with THE NORTH POLE DECEPTION. Since the strangelight.org website wasn't designing itself I figure a blog is adequate until the production is complete.

Here you will [eventually] discover production updates, photos, concept art, images from the film and anything else I can find to upload.

A BRIEF SYNINININOPSIS ~

"THE NORTH POLE DECEPTION is a new type of short film, inspired by real dialogue and using actual statistics from sweatshop workers around the world. Voices are being recorded and animated in the context of Santa’s elves being overworked and underpaid in the North Pole.

Santa needs to take responsibility and ensure his workshops pay a fair rate. Our choice for ethical consumption and support of fair trade can make a difference."

The film is being funded by an AMP scholarship, combined with generous donations from sponsors such as BOINX istopmotion.

PRODUCTION STATUS

The film is currently being re-written and re-written by Brad Davison, the few voices have almost been cast [details TBA], and sets and characters are in early design stage. I did the first storyboard (out of many) last night, but plan to get these done as soon as possible.

My schedule (which hasn't yet changed since I begun), tells me I have to start animating in May, finishing in August.

Fun times ahead! :)