blog: things you should check out

Three videos about Hollywood

Here are three neat videos I’ve come across recently — all very different, all cool, but each shining a light on a different little corner of the entertainment business.

This showreel for Stargate Studios shows just how much television production uses visual effects — in ways that, if the compositors have done their job correctly, you won’t even realize:


(direct Youtube link)

This funny short about the trials and tribulations of a trailer-editor struck a particular nerve for me:


(direct FunnyOrDie link)

And finally, check out this pilot episode of would-be Nickelodeon animated series called The Modifyers. I love the aesthetic and pretty much everything about this. But, alas, it wasn’t picked up for a series! Luckily we’re able to view it regardless. (via Boing Boing)


(direct Vimeo link)

BONUS VIDEO: snowfall timelapse


(direct YouTube link)

probably not in Hollywood

Two Wondermark-esque videos

Here’s a neat Wondermark-style video made to dramatize a  radio sketch from the BBC comedy show That Mitchell & Webb Sound:

(direct YouTube link)

And rarely has my email lit up like it did upon the release of this video for the Ramona Falls song “I Say Fever”:

(direct YouTube link)

Quite striking, and quite worth a watch!

BONUS THIRD VIDEO: TEA RAP

(direct YouTube link)

L.A. locals: Take a crafts class with my wife!

You remember my immensely talented, wonderfully creative wife Nikki — she of the calendars, the pins, the Slügs and Doughboys, she of the special-effects makeup and many strange costumes, and even of many special future projects unrevealed as yet. Well, this spring she’ll be teaching an adult class at Santa Monica College entitled “Arts & Crafts to Share With Kids”. Here’s the course description:

Make the most of the time you spend with kids! Come learn about some fun, creative, and very appealing arts-and-crafts projects you can share with kids, whether you’re spending a quiet afternoon with your family, or having a lively meeting with your neighborhood youth group. Find out about the steps and materials you need to create sand candles, melted crayon pictures, Jacob’s ladders, ‘stained glass’ windows (no glass involved), and other awesome projects. You’ll leave this workshop with instructions, materials lists, and even a finished piece you create yourself, ready to share with others.

It’ll be a great class for parents, group leaders, or even just strange and crafty individuals. The class runs four Saturdays in April and May, and enrollment is open now!

Tweet Me Harder LANDMARK EPISODE 30

I hope you’ve been listening to my weekly comedy podcast, Tweet Me Harder! If you haven’t, there’s absolutely no better time to start — the latest episode that’s been posted, Episode 30, may be our best yet. I’m super-pleased with how the show’s been progressing and developing over the last few months, and if you like the voice and temperament behind Wondermark, I’m confident recommending TMH to you as well.

In fact HERE IS THE EPISODE IN QUESTION for your listening pleasure:

(direct MP3 link)

We’re engaged in a concerted campaign right now to get noticed by the folks at iTunes who decide on the “staff picks,” which are podcasts that are given special precedence in the iTunes directory. If you’re an iTunes user, and you enjoy the show, there are two things you can do to help:

– You can subscribe to the podcast using this direct iTunes link, which is what determines our popularity ranking;
– You can rate and/or comment on the show in iTunes!

And, of course, there is one thing that you can always do, iTunes user or not, TMH fan or not… you can give yourself a big ol’ hug. Why not? (Unless you are spiky)

Qlassic Qhristmas Qomics

Merry Christmas, Christmas-celebrators out there! Here are some of my favorite Christmas-themed Wondermark strips from years past:

#141; In which the Son of God stands in queue
#260; In which a Plan ends poorly
#363; In which Joy is Mandated
#357; In which Mall Parking sucks
#466; In which Everyone loves the Freak
#474; In which you better Watch Out
#476; In which Suffering was a Waste

And hey, if you’re not celebrating Christmas, that’s okay too — here are a bunch of comics just for you!