mike geiger's sketchbook: 2008

the most boring animated christmas card ever not produced

so, a few weeks ago i thought i would animate a county ghost christmas card for the season.
but a good 65% the way through, i realized that my original idea was actually not very good and probably just an excuse to make a card rather than something worth making.
so i decided to halt the production and scrap the whole christmas idea rather than having make you sit through a boring holiday card that wasnt even remotely enjoyable.
in any case, heres some stills from the most boring unmade christmas card ever not produced...
happy holidays.

twitter

i just set up a twitter account,
im still not exactly sure what it does, but consider me a "twitterer".
so if any of you roll twitter too,
please feel free to add me or however that works...

im at http://twitter.com/mikegeiger

ol mo.

a drawing from a project is was starting to work on a while back but put on hold until i have some more time to devote to it.
this dudes name is mo.

some county ghost fan pages

aloha

ive created some county ghost fan pages that will hopefully help get the word out when new episodes and other fun stuff happens.
if you wanted to join any or all of them, id be forever in thankness.

you can join my facebook page here:
county ghost fan page

or if you prefer the wild western ways of the myspace, you can join me here:
myspace page

thanks!

another county ghost post about a host...

super excited to announce that the animation portal aniboom has posted the county ghost episode 1 on the title page of their youtube account.
you can check er out here if you so please and read through a few of the comments being left by some viewers.

mirco wins this one...

wow, i try to do at least a post a week, but since im just finishing up the last of the third episode of county ghost, im a little low on things to post until its done. in the meantime, please check out an episode of mirco's sloth series to hold you over.
its kinda like the hills...but way radder.

i know i said i would calm down on the festival posts...

but just a note that cuddle sticks is screening this weekend at the Castelli Animati festival in Rome.

year number 5!

its my blogiversary!!!
so to celebrate the occasion,
i give you, the return of fishball...
zing zing!

the county ghost rolls frederator...

episodes 1 and 2 of county ghost are playing with this weeks frederator video.
coolness...

zoink

a drawing from the 3rd episode of the county ghost...
only problem with working on a web series in my spare time, is that it doesnt really leave any time to be drawing too much of anything else.

a little bit of "insight"

so youtube has this new feature for people who upload movies called "insight".
itll give you a graph of when during the length of your video, you are either "retaining more viewers than the average", or "viewers are leaving the video faster than the average" as they put it.
so needless to say, here is the exact spot in cuddle sticks, where it seems viewers were "dropping out faster than the average".
cant imagine why...

(you can click on the image for a larger view)

county ghost - episode deux...

im pretty sure this guy works for a cell phone company

ok, im sorry about this

but i have more festival news...

cuddle sticks is a finalist in the HAFF internet contest.
if your interested in checking out the rest of the contenders, you can do so on their youtube channel here:
hafftube

also,

encounters has released their program schedule and cuddle sticks will be in competition with their late lounge program which is screening nov 21 and 22nd in bristol, U.K.

cuddle sticks X giraf

i know these festival posts probably get old,
but giraf will be only the second canadian screening of cuddle sticks since its been finished, so im stoked.
nov 5 - 9th in calgary, alberta, canada.

episode 2

episode 2 is on its way...

cow

ive been in vancouver for the past 11 days, so now that im back home, here is a quick cow drawing until i get on something a little more fancy.
mooo.

the week in news...sort of

county ghost was featured on cold hard flash this week. you can check it here if you havent already. episode 2 is midway through and im feeling a bit better about it than i was about the first, so we will see if i still share that sentiment once its completed.

i was in ottawa for the animation festival this weekend. i think the standouts for me were the aardman shorts, and a really nice film by kyle marshall that was part of the canadian showcase.

and lastly, i noticed that a site called "i am bored" has been somehow streaming cuddle sticks to 3200 people without me knowing about it. lord i wish i could understand how they got a hold of my file considering its only been uploaded to youtube and 4mations from my computer, and not available for download anywhere else that i know of. in any case, its a weird feeling. i guess i should just be happy that it is 3200 more people that might not of watched it otherwise...but still...

county ghost

alrighty, i figure now is as good a time as any to introduce a new web series that ive been working on called "county ghost". seeing as how its a solo project, im doubting that the episodes will come out on any sort of schedule other than when i finish making them, but the prospect of keeping 12 episodes so that i could release them weekly just didnt seem to make all that much sense to me right now.
in any case, here is the first one. its actually been done for a few weeks, so there are a lot of things i really dislike about it (especially that the new youtube encoder doesnt hand pans very well so the animation looks really choppy in there during the movements), but i decided to just leave em in and spend that time moving forward on the next episode rather than going back to sugar coat the first.

alright, enough yapping...

episode 1...

this weeks update...minus any sort of drawings or artwork

ill be at the ottawa animation festival this weekend if anyone is interested in hooking up for a beer or beavertail or anything like that. it will actually be the first year that i dont have an itinerary to follow, so im looking forward to some relaxing evenings of animation screenings and some supposedly 27 degree weather!
in other animation festival news, cuddle sticks is showing this weekend in denver at the frame damage animation festival if anyone is anywhere near there and wants to help cheer on the madness.

ohoh, also, before i forget, since youtube wont let you replace videos, i stopped using my old youtube account and started a new one at http://www.youtube.com/user/MikeGeigerAnimation so that i could upload my stuff in youtube high quality! wowzers does it ever make a whopping difference. so if you have a chance, please feel free to check out the high defness, it is like night and day compared to their old compression...still drops frames during pans or other heavy movements, but at least it looks good doing so.

branding

as i begin to produce more independent work, i find myself with the urge to start branding myself and my work in an attempt to keep it all somewhat organized. its been an oddly hard struggle because the last thing i want to do is start saying that "mike geiger" is a brand, just seems really cheesy for me to do, but low and behold...here we are.
although it seems like a good idea to use a "cartoony" name for myself and my work, my first concern was that a lot of names that sound good now, may not be good in a few years. how many times have you had a brainchild that you looked back at only a few weeks later and said "what was i thinking".
on that same note, coming up with a name that i was happy with that also happens to be available with a .com beside it is next to impossible. unless you want 10 or more letters in your name, chances are whatever you come up with plus .com is already taken.
on top of that all, considering i am already registered as mike geiger and i already own mikegeiger.com, seems logical to avoid the complications of being called "some sorta funny but not really original" cartoon name and just stick with what my parents gave me.
so, there ya have it. mike geiger. i guess i should at least be happy my name is not something way worse...

4mations

cuddle sticks is the featured video on the 4mations website today. if any of you would want to go ever there and give it a click, or better yet a rating (of coarse i would prefer a higher rating, but do me as you may), that would be great.

and if your wondering about that kitty in the skull thing...thats their logo. believe me, i wish i came up with it first, but ill give the credit where the credit is due, and thats to the fine people at the 4mations.tv site.

some trees to hold ya over...

ive actually been really busy lately with a ton of new stuff, unfortunately, nothing that makes sense to post on the ol blog at the moment...
so to hold you over until the time when these things are ready to post (really...really...soon), here are a few drawings of some trees from my sketchbook.

european vacation

cuddle sticks is announced to be in contention for best of british award, UK audience award and international jury award at the encounters fest in england this novemeber.
if paris hilton were typing this, im sure she'd refer to this news as "hot".

collideascope...

i heard the unfortunate word today that collideascope animation will be closing its doors as of this october.

super sad news.

i had worked in animation during the web boom before starting at collideascope back in 2001, but they were my first real experience in "saturday morning cartoon" animation and really the people that opened the door for my career.

i know everyones first animation job is always kinda a special one, but i feel like the move from the west to east coast, and working on a production with a crew of people made up of almost entirely rookie animators, gave my experience a uniquely exciting vibe.
i can still very vividly remember walking into the studio for the first time and being so intimidated by all the people that would eventually become my friends over the next nine months.

in any case, its sad to see such a positive and genuine studio go.
one of the few places i can say ive worked where you felt that passion for animation present with your first step in the door, and a complete lack of that "industry" vibe that made the place so pleasant and fun to be in.

a lot of credit should go to ron and curtis and james and breandan for helping make that place a great creative learning environment for me and a lot of other animators that im sure still feel the benefits of spending time there.

heres an audioless sequence i dug up of some animation i did on ollivers adventures while i was at collideascope back in the day. good times...

star wars clone wars the animated adventure...

so, i got asked to go check out the new star wars movie today...

after sitting patiently through the entire movie, i feel it would only be fair that george lucas let me throw up into his mouth...just so we're even.

above is my rendition of the first hour and forty minutes of the movie...but animated way nicer... and yes, i realize my drawing isnt animated.

the fred

the tais monster jam that i took part in is featured on the fred this week. my part in the production is already on here a few posts down, but here she blows anyways...

klik

i received word that cuddle sticks will be playing in the open competition at the klik animation festival in amsterdam this september. looks like a really cool event.

and the new...

yowza, ive been incredibly busy with a bunch of new projects,
here is a preliminary drawing from one of them that ive been working on in my spare time. more to come soon...

cuddle sticks

alright, there seems to be some interest in watching the film...
so what the hay...
for your viewing pleasure.

but please! if you are a child...for goodness sakes dont watch this

getting some cuddle props...

gettings some cuddle sticks hype from the man himself...

this week in cuddle sticks news

just got back from an enjoyable weekend in montreal attending the screening of cuddle sticks at the just for laughs festival. (the picture above is of the festival party on st.laurent street).

also this week, if youre around the big apple, the film will be playing friday evening at the animation block party.

as well as this saturday evening at the comic-con in san diego as part of the spike and mikes gauntlet.

"10:30-12:30 Spike & Mike: The Gauntlet. You vote via applause and your reaction is the deciding factor as to whether an animation keeps playing or whether it will make it into the next world tour. Gift Girls with swag! Animators include Mike Geiger (Cuddle Sticks), John Goras (Chirpy Returns), Joe Borelli (Arties Day Off), Ross Bollinger (The Mosquito Who Gave Up Blood), Stefan Schuch (Tinky Winky: Last of the Teletubbies), Jeff Chiba Stearns (Yellow Sticky Notes), Steve Fonti (Yes Timmy There Is a Santa Claus), Spike (Death to the Teletubbies), and Matthew Lee (Flock Off). Room 6CDEF"

i also received the news today that cuddle sticks will be screening in denver colorado as part of the frame damage animation festival in august.

exciting!

10 second monster jam

my little contribution to the 10 second monster jam that was put together for the toronto animated image society.

* i just watched this thing and i guess it drops frames when uploaded to blogger, so if it looks a bit whack to you...well, it is... but if it also looks choppy, then lets blame it on blogger.

number 1

i signed up for a painting coarse in town, and although im a little apprehensive about posting my first painting ever...here she blows.
the result of 3 hours of confusion and happy funness.

animation block party

looks like cuddle sticks will be showing at the opening night screening of the animation block party in new york.
if you think you might be in the area, id be happy to see you there.

computer woes...

ive been having so many problems since i installed this new firewall software. nothing seems to work properly and its beginning to drive me a bit loopy...
for something that is supposedly a necessity for anyone with a computer, it sure is an extreme harsher of former mellows.

two from the weekend...

the wall......e

i went and checked out the wall---e movie today.
pretty fun stuff...

more of the sketches...

gigantor grapes of doom

so i picked up a bag of grapes the other day that turned out to be hideously genetically modified to the size of golf balls...

yikes!

a lil weekend sketch

more sticks news

if anyone will be in montreal around july 18th at 7 p.m., it looks like cuddle sticks will be having its canadian theatrical debut as part of the Just for Laughs comedy festival in a category called "eat my twisted shorts".
i might make an appearance, so id be happy to see any of you there as well...
and if you clap for my film, ill buy you a coke...
just for laughs film festival 2008

casa loma

i took a wander up to casa loma at lunchtime today...

neapolitan napoleon

you know...some days i wonder if my life has purpose...
such would be the case no more than when i sat down and produced the neapolitan napoleon.
surely i must be able to find better things to do with my time than this...

animation test

heres a little test i did for a pitch i was putting together a few months back. i was doing my best to find an alternative look for flash without giving myself too much extra work. youll probably get bored by the end cause its just a walk cycle with a panning bg, but i guess that what tests are for...

4 eyes...i mean legs

the cuddle sticks at annecy

taken from the 08 annecy site:

SPIKE & MIKE'S SICK AND TWISTED FESTIVAL OF ANIMATION
The best... of bad taste

Spike & Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation has become an Annecy tradition.

They came from nowhere with nothing to create a market where none existed. By bringing animated shorts to the public, they introduced the world to the likes of Tim Burton, John Lasseter and Nick Park to name but a few. They took chances on films and directors and proved that animation could be cool, not just brat stuff and wholesome family fun.

Once again, Spike Decker, the big man with the big red crown, will hold court at this year's Annecy Festival. The 2008 edition features 26 new films, which Spike has searched far and wide for, as far away as France… and his mailbox!
New titles also include Happy Tree Friends, Breehn Burns' of Dr. Tran fame, The Furious Little Cinnamon Bun, Pat Smith's Puppet, Jeff Chiba Stearns’ crowd favourite Yellow Sticky Notes and many more!

But lest we forget the perverts, they are sure to be satisfied by John Goras’ sequel to Chirpy, Chirpy Returns, and newcomer Mike Geiger and his delightfully sick Cuddle Sticks which Spike proudly puts in the top two most disgusting films ever shown at this special programme.

The first 50 people at Thursday's 9.30 pm showing of Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation will receive a creator signed Happy Tree Friends DVD.

Come by and say hi to Spike, Joker Head and his entourage – especially if you are a cool French babe! Remember Spike is always looking for the next big thing so bring your film too!