Blog

Producing a Television Special

Sruli Broocker — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:12:17 +0000

I've really wanted to keep a blog journal about my experiences producing this animated television special, but I've run into a very big problem. At this point in the game, there's really not much to say. We're getting funding and attaching talent - which means we're waiting. And waiting. And waiting some more.

It may take six weeks to get a meeting with an agent, another two months for the agent to speak to their client, and it may take another two months to hear back from the agent, "come back when you've got funding."

The good news is that we're not sitting around, twiddling our thumbs. We're continuing to get more materials together, put more hard numbers together. We're making appointments and waiting for them. In the meantime, I'm continuing to keep busy by driving a fuschia bakery truck.

Hopefully, it won't be long before I have fresh news to deliver, too.

Blog 2.0

Sruli Broocker — Sun, 15 May 2011 03:45:43 +0000

Okay, I really hope to be getting back to more of these posts. I've been super busy raising a family, co-producing an animated holiday special, and driving a bakery truck. BH.

Reading the trades, it's been great to see how much the face of distribution is changing. One thing that's got me really intrigued is the Dynamo Player. It's a phenomenonally good idea, and I really hope it gives filmmakers great choices in how to distribute a film.

I wonder if there's any plan for an iPad compatible player?

Still Here...

Sruli Broocker — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 04:14:47 +0000

How many posts have a started with "I know it's been a while since I've posted?"

The last few months have been such a whirlwind of goodness, I don't even know where to begin. Rest assured, I'm learning heaps about the movie industry, and moving forward with real guidance. It's way too early to let too much out of the bag, but things are really moving forward with "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins," and I'm in awe how well it's being received by people in the industry. The whole point of Hanukkah is about publicizing the miracle - letting people know about it. G'd willing, if this project works out the way it's looking now, the miracle is going to be reaching some very far out places.

Nachshon taking a Leap

Sruli Broocker — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:13:03 +0000

There's this great story in the book of Exodus, when the Israelites are completely stuck. In front of them is the Red Sea, and behind them is the Egyptian army - out for blood. Some of the Israelites want to pray, some want to fight, some want to go back to Egypt. The Voice calls out to Moses, "What are you waiting for, dive in!" Taking his cue from Moses, a man named Nachshon leaps into the sea. He trudges inward, the water level rising from his knees . . . to his waist . . . to his shoulders . . . until his nose and mouth are completely submerged. Then the miracle happens. The Red Sea splits.

I love this narrative because it's about taking risks when it looks like all is lost.

Living in a time with the economy the way it is, where it's hard to find good, solid jobs - a story like this really needs to be considered. Not everyone believes in a Higher Power, but there's no doubt that taking risks and believing in a positive outcome go a very long way in splitting the sea of stagnation. Here's to thinking good, so it will be good.

Goblin Concept

Sruli Broocker — Mon, 31 May 2010 16:09:01 +0000

So, I'm currently in pre-production on the adaptation of Eric Kimmel's "Hershel and the Hannukah Goblins." Although I won't be using the original illustrations as a basis for the final character designs (mostly to tone down the intensity of the monsters, so my kids can watch them), I still wanted to try modeling one of them - just for fun. Here's the still render:

. . . and here's an animated turn-around, just 'cause . . .

New Endeavors

Sruli Broocker — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:37:58 +0000

Once again, way too long since I've posted anything. So where was I, and what was I doing? Well, I had this outrageous thought that I needed to learn every aspect of CG animation - so I could go on to make my short and catapult into fulltime Careerland. Watching tutorials, reading books, fixing up old shots. A total waste of time? Absolutely not. Delving so deep and wide into the whole process, I became very familiar with what goes into making a CG film. In other words, it really prepped me to produce and direct animation.

I'd really love to get more into details, but needless to say, I'm keeping busy. No promises, but I'll do my best to update much more frequently.

Subtle

Sruli Broocker — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:49:06 +0000

It's been a long time since I've posted, but I've been really delving deep into animation technique - trying to take my stuff to the next level. One thing that I find difficult is "subtle" animation - when there's not a lot of movement going on, and a character may be doing a great deal of acting while generally staying in one pose. In my searches, I found a great article by John K (Ren & Stimpy). Here's a snippet to think about:

"Subtle" is a very misunderstood word today. Most people think it means the lack of anything happening-and they think that's good. It actually means that lots of things are happening but they are happening not blatantly obviously and they are conveying meaning even though each individual subtle move is hard to detect.

I'll keep posting as I find out more.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Sruli Broocker — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:25:33 +0000

Here's the short film I recently contributed to for Zoetifex, a Pittsburgh-based animation studio that's on the up and up. My shot (3) starts with "forthcoming lecture" up until ,"our good friends." Check it out, spread it around, and leave comments on You Tube!

Magnificent Baby

Sruli Broocker — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:28:02 +0000

I did some illustration work for the Magnificent Baby company this summer, and their website just went live. Their product is so necessary and long overdue - taking the hassle out of baby clothes. I myself had three little ones that put up the darndest fights when we tried buttoning them up in little outfits that had fifty-million snaps to fasten. Great product, great clients.

Check out their site: www.magnificentbaby.com. I'm featured in the "how it works" section.

Candletime

Sruli Broocker — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 02:14:33 +0000

I enjoyed a brief stint last year at Chabad.org, working on a couple of projects for the site. They asked me to do a commercial for their Hanukkah site that had the potential to maybe go viral. So, I cranked this bad boy out in less than a month - doing the design, animation, and sound design. It was really my first shot at something like this, and considering all of the hats I was wearing for it, I think it came out pretty OK.