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Back in July I blogged about our involvement in the Savannah 48 Hour Film Project, which was some of the most fun I’ve ever had working on a film set. Our short film entry, “Frozen,” was well-received but strangely enough, didn’t win any awards. Shortly thereafter I got tied up with my trips to New York and Hollywood with Duck ♥ Teslacoil, and never got around to posting it online. Well, with midterms week in full swing and all my time being consumed by some new, exciting projects, I thought this lull was a good time to show off just what all the summer fuss was about. When you watch it, remember that we did everything – writing, planning, filming and editing – in only 48 hours. Enjoy!

I was just telling my Flash CS4 Workshop last night that Duck ♥ Teslacoil wouldn’t go online until late this year or early next year. But I was completely unaware that one day beforehand the Digital Artist Awards gave Duck ♥ Teslacoil a “commended” award and published it on Vimeo. Oh snap!

This probably could have gone by mostly unnoticed, but then this morning, the Flash animation blog Cold Hard Flash featured Duck ♥ Teslacoil in its very own post! Wowzers! Now that the cat’s out of the bag and I might as well release an official online version of Duck ♥ Teslacoil.

I wasn’t done planning DHT’s viral video campaign yet, so while it now is officially online, I’m going to keep the fanfare low until after the Savannah Film Festival. I suspect that will give us the big boost we need to really ratchet up the film’s popularity!

Update:Duck ♥ Teslacoil is now playing on YouTube!

Tonight was the first Adobe Mentor Workshop sponsored by SCAD’s Contemporary Animation Society and taught by yours truly! It went really well and I want to thank everyone who attended! Look for more Adobe Mentor Workshops in the future! Thanks again everyone!

» Download the Basic Tutorial Files
» Download the Advanced Tutorial Files

Last night was SCADanimate [skuh-dan-uh-meyt] or however you pronounce it… and it was awesome! Duck ♥ Teslacoil screened alongside many other wonderful student films. The fun was kicked up a few notches with Jason Maurer’s call to department head Jeremy Mooreshead, who was in Greece as the keynote speaker for the Animasyros 2.0 International Animation Festival & Forum, where it was about 2:30 in the morning. But the real highlight of the evening was the SCADanimate cake created by SCAD Animation alumnus and professional cake designer Ashlee Perkins. I personally was elated to see a sucrose recreation of Duck at center stage. We ate the cake, but unlike the Duck cookies earlier this year, I’m keeping the Duck.

Oh, and if anyone is in Northern California today, Duck ♥ Teslacoil is showing at 1pm at the Galaxy Theatre in Riverbank, CA as part of the California International Animation Festival.

Just a quick note for all Savannah residents: I just confirmed that Duck ♥ Teslacoil will be showing at the 2009 SCADanimate! animation showcase THIS Saturday at 7:30pm, in the historic Trustees Theater. This is great news for all my animation friends who have been dying to see the film on the big screen but just can’t wait until the Savannah Film Festival. Best of all, it’s FREE. Come on out for a entire evening of great animation!

Duck ♥ Teslacoil has been stirring a lot of attention lately. Here are the highlights:

• Duck ♥ Teslacoil has been accepted to Louisville’s International Festival of Film in Louisville, Kentucky. It will be showing at the Galt House Hotel & Suites at 1pm Saturday, October 3rd. Tickets for a Saturday pass are $35 each.
• Dates and times have been announced for the Savannah Film Festival. Duck ♥ Teslacoil will be shown on November 2nd at 9:30am and November 6th at 11:30am. Ticket’s are only $5 each and FREE for SCAD students. I will be at both screenings, so don’t miss it!
• Duck ♥ Teslacoil tied for fourth place with ten other student films in the SkyFest Film Contest. How significant that is, I’m not sure.
• We are an official selection at the Animasyros 2.0 International Animation Festival & Forum on the island of Syros located in the Aegean Sea in Greece. This marks our first international screening!
• Duck ♥ Teslacoil has also placed in a very exciting international competition but we can’t announce it publicly yet! Details on that as soon as winners are officially announced by the judges.

In the last two weeks, Duck ♥ Teslacoil has been accepted to another two film festivals: the 2009 Savannah Film Festival and the 2009 California International Animation Festival. While the latter may sound impressive, the Savannah Film Festival is by far the biggest festival we’ve been accepted to. We’re talking eight days of nonstop filmmaking mojo. And of course, it’s extra special to me since it’s right in my backyard. No doubt I’ll be there – all week long. Both are coming up soon: CalAniFest will be held September 27th in Riverbank, CA and the Savannah Film Festival takes place October 31st through November 7th, right here in Savannah, GA. Exact show times will be added to the site as they are announced!