Wandaland by Richard Noble

Produced at the Royal College of Art, Wandaland by Richard Noble is an intoxicating blend of woozy sound design and rich environments rendered with exacting detail. Combining traditional hand-drawn animation with 3D models, Noble’s portrait of a reclusive (fictional) animation tycoon and his abandoned theme park relates how obsessions and compulsions can overtake an imaginative mind.

An abandoned theme park reveals the obsessions of its creator, John Wanda. [Wandaland by Richard Noble]

"Dani" by Lizzy Hogenson - Vimeo Staff Pick

This ingenious animated film weaves intricate stop-motion together with documentary storytelling – a feat that becomes more captivating after every screening. Winner of the Jury Award for Best Animated Short at Palm Springs ShortFest, along with being shortlisted for the “Best Animated Short Film” Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards, Dani by Lizzy Hogenson is a marvel of craft and imagination. Special thanks to Meghan Oretsky of the Ladies With Lenses Vimeo channel, supporters of this, and the best short films on the Internet written and/or directed by women.

Dani

Created by Lizzy Hogenson

Sound & Music - Ricky Lee Berger

Editor - Robert Panico

Scientific Advisor - Stephanie Shishido

Vimeo Staff Pick: "I'm Not Ready" by Cassie Shao

I’m thrilled for my friend Cassie Shao, awarded a Vimeo Staff Pick for her visionary reimagining of “I’m Not Ready” by Maggie Dave. Featured on “Ladies With Lenses,” a curated staff channel that celebrates the best work on the Internet by womxn behind the camera, Shao’s delicate and abstract expression of my lyrics makes the song new again with each viewing.

“I’m Not Ready” (2019) by Cassie Shao

“I’m Not Ready” (2019) by Cassie Shao

CREDITS

Directed & Animated by Cassie Shao
Produced by Sean David Christensen

“I'm Not Ready” written by Maggie Dave
Vocals & keyboard: Sean David Christensen
Synthesizers: Mark Christopher & Ricky Berger

Vocals engineered by Ricky Berger
Mixed by Ricky Berger & Mark Christopher
Mastering by Trevor Case

Single Mother Only Daughter by Ellie Wen

At NewFilmmakers LA earlier this month, I was honored to share the screen with director Ellie Wen's Single Mother Only Daughter, a lovingly-crafted portrait of her relationship with her mother. Stitching new connections between analog memories culled from her collection of home movies, diaries and childhood photographs, Wen traces the synchronous orbits of two lives circling closer together with age. As the film navigates through a collage of VHS footage chronicling birthday parties, ballet recitals and impromptu Mother/Daughter karaoke performances, their bond is strengthened by the film’s aural foundation; A recorded phone conversation between the two. Auspiciously, Wen's husband, Greg Katz began filming her end of the line one evening, capturing her moments of realization & revelation with their shared past that would’ve otherwise remained in the dark.

Naturally, I find a kinship with Wen's work, as much of my directorial efforts are traced along similar lines of connecting the past with the present, and the web of dreams/memories that form between its many points. Both my latest film, The Duel and Single Mother Only Daughter attempt to reconcile childhood mysteries with a waking adult life that refuses to shake them free, perhaps motivated by a duty to forgive or better understand their parents. Film is one of the rare art forms in that respect, as it grants the artist the tools to fold time in on itself to form new strength in re-examining the power of memories and the role they continue to play in shaping their lives. For Wen, Single Mother Only Daughter is a beautiful effort in striving for that new understanding.

Director Ellie Wen relates the creative challenges of Single Mother Only Daughter to the NewFilmmakers LA DocuSlate audience on December 2nd, 2017 at the South Park Center. From the left, cinematographer of The Duel, Aaron Gambel & I look on.