Friday, April 22, 2005
Thursday, April 21, 2005
FATKAT DIRTY DEED
Ok, it's not that often that I post a public challenge. But this is a worth while cause.
Here it is, Grab some eggs and soak the corny bugger who stars in this video.
Take pictures of your dirty act and we'll send you a fancy Fatkat Jersey with you name on it and everything. Free of charge!
Of course, we're joking (ahem) and in no way do we really mean for you to (ahem) do this.
Ahem, good luck.
Gene.
Here it is, Grab some eggs and soak the corny bugger who stars in this video.
Take pictures of your dirty act and we'll send you a fancy Fatkat Jersey with you name on it and everything. Free of charge!
Of course, we're joking (ahem) and in no way do we really mean for you to (ahem) do this.
Ahem, good luck.
Gene.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
ROCKIN OUT WITH LIL'BASTARD
Last Saturday night a few of us kats made it out to check out my cousins band "Lil' Bastard". With songs like "Call of the Cougar"and "Miramichi Slut", who wouldn't love these guys? Mike, my super tall cousin plays lead guitars while my old skating buddy Aaron Young slams on the bass. Mike plays the guitar effortlessly, but his real passion is hitting the drums. It's my bet that Mike is quite possibly the world's fastest drummer. He will be known as the superior musician soon enough.
Mike wreaks havoc on his strings.
Tara phases out in the blue light.
Prolonged exposure inbetween sets.
The mullet is out, and so is the Michael Jackson thriller vest. Nice.
ROUND ABOUT MIRAMICHI
Last weekend Tara and I picked up an Englishman and his Serbian sidekick who's tank broke down just outside of the city limits. We decided to take them on a whirlwind tour of the eastern shore.
Through Miramichi Bay, Point aux Carr, Napan, Black River, Baie du Vin, Baie Saint Anne, Escuminac, Point Sapin rounding out through Kouchibouguac National Park we went. Ending up at the long abandoned Tweedie Brook power station.
Here's many pictures of our ride. I strongly reccomend getting out and exploring your countryside at least once a week. Take the back roads. You never know what you'll find.
Through Miramichi Bay, Point aux Carr, Napan, Black River, Baie du Vin, Baie Saint Anne, Escuminac, Point Sapin rounding out through Kouchibouguac National Park we went. Ending up at the long abandoned Tweedie Brook power station.
Here's many pictures of our ride. I strongly reccomend getting out and exploring your countryside at least once a week. Take the back roads. You never know what you'll find.
It all starts with a snowball to the head, compliments of our Serbian newscaster.
Neven begins to plot the course through the ice.
Someone's very own private church, complete with copper onion on top.
We make our way to Escuminac Beach.
Mick hauls up his pant legs, grabs some driftwood, wades out into the atlantic ocean to take a whizz off an iceberg. Scratch that one off your list Mickey.
Tara enjoying the ocean waves.
Neven's new pet starfish.
Micks new pet shell and rock.
Spooky old tree and stone staircase at the site of the old Kouchibouguac Mill in the national park.
The old power dam. Roaring waters and salmon fishing!
Despite all the natural beauty, Neven finds time to be an original gangster.
Tara and Mick take time to reflect at the foot of the damn.
Meanwhile Neven and I scale the sucker.
Who knows what this weekend will hold in store. Get out! Enjoy yourselves!
Gene.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
SUPER HAPPY FUN LUNCH DAY
Last Friday we went to the trucker pit stop, The Portage Restaurant out on HWY 11. Great food and good company. A few of us even donned our fancy ass Fatkat jersey's. You want one don't ya!? They're only a hundred bucks, fully customized.
Neven, playing silly games. He's just so ridiculous.
Mick, Nick and the new folks, Andy in red, and Mel in the shadows. She likes it back there.
Tara, giving the evil eye.
Brian giving the french version
Neven, Beans and Mick Just bought this, they drive it to work. It tears up the downtown streets, which is an improvement considering the shape they're in already.
Neven, playing silly games. He's just so ridiculous.
Mick, Nick and the new folks, Andy in red, and Mel in the shadows. She likes it back there.
Tara, giving the evil eye.
Brian giving the french version
Neven, Beans and Mick Just bought this, they drive it to work. It tears up the downtown streets, which is an improvement considering the shape they're in already.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
FATKAT PILOT WITH BRUCE TANTON
When Andrew and I were at the Kidscreen Summit in NYC in Febuary we met alot of cool people. But there was no cooler cat then a chap I met at a dapper shin dig held at Curious Pictures. Amongst all the drunkeness was a well dressed man by the name of Bruce Tanton.
Bruce an independant producer out of Toronto looking to get further into animation, joined Andrew and I in slugging back one to many marguritas that night. We also had some great talks about cartoons and animation in general. At least I think we did.
The Next day, we somehow met up with Bruce again and just in time for more drinks and schmoozing. This is when Brucey decided to drop his idea for his cartoon. I have to be honest right out of the gate it didn't grab me. But he did, right by the grapes! Bruce had a passion for his cartoon and the animation industy equivalent to Mick and Sixteen year old girls. With that kind of enthusiasm, well it was time to get loaded and see the sights of NYC, and boy did we ever!
Check out some shots.
Andrew even met Spidey!
For the rest of the week we hung out and chatted, sharing our experiences and such. It was great. Later, as we we're leaving for our respective hometowns, we vowed to get together and go over his idea with a fine tooth comb.
I'm not sure what happened, perhaps I sobered up and realized the potential and originality of Bruce's idea. About a month later.. BAM I found Bruce wondering into the Studio with a beer or two.
We had a blast going over his cartoon, great ideas pouring as freely as the beer.
We even deputized Bruce with his own Fatkat Jersey. We later wore it out and continued to get shit faced. In the twilight hours of the night, long after I had retired, the rumour has it that Bruce and Mick were involved in an altercation at a local night club, there was some throwing around of bodies as the evening wound down with the sound of sirens. Now that's the kind of fun we have when clients come to town!
So production starts on Bruce's pilot next week. We'll be establishing some art direction then. But as anxious as we are to get rolling (the latest script is really original and cool). We've been tinkering away at some stuff. Here's some of that stuff.
Concept sketch
A clean up run of one of the sketches.
Then I threw them onto a BG from an old production.
Then singled out one for a mix. What do you think?
More to come, I'll keep you posted yo!
Bruce an independant producer out of Toronto looking to get further into animation, joined Andrew and I in slugging back one to many marguritas that night. We also had some great talks about cartoons and animation in general. At least I think we did.
The Next day, we somehow met up with Bruce again and just in time for more drinks and schmoozing. This is when Brucey decided to drop his idea for his cartoon. I have to be honest right out of the gate it didn't grab me. But he did, right by the grapes! Bruce had a passion for his cartoon and the animation industy equivalent to Mick and Sixteen year old girls. With that kind of enthusiasm, well it was time to get loaded and see the sights of NYC, and boy did we ever!
Check out some shots.
Andrew even met Spidey!
For the rest of the week we hung out and chatted, sharing our experiences and such. It was great. Later, as we we're leaving for our respective hometowns, we vowed to get together and go over his idea with a fine tooth comb.
I'm not sure what happened, perhaps I sobered up and realized the potential and originality of Bruce's idea. About a month later.. BAM I found Bruce wondering into the Studio with a beer or two.
We had a blast going over his cartoon, great ideas pouring as freely as the beer.
We even deputized Bruce with his own Fatkat Jersey. We later wore it out and continued to get shit faced. In the twilight hours of the night, long after I had retired, the rumour has it that Bruce and Mick were involved in an altercation at a local night club, there was some throwing around of bodies as the evening wound down with the sound of sirens. Now that's the kind of fun we have when clients come to town!
So production starts on Bruce's pilot next week. We'll be establishing some art direction then. But as anxious as we are to get rolling (the latest script is really original and cool). We've been tinkering away at some stuff. Here's some of that stuff.
Concept sketch
A clean up run of one of the sketches.
Then I threw them onto a BG from an old production.
Then singled out one for a mix. What do you think?
More to come, I'll keep you posted yo!
Man, we're nice people.
As you all know, Fatkat is pretty active in the community. We're always pushing for this and that, donating our time, advice and sometimes when we can afford it, Money and production efforts.
A few months back, we went bowling for kids, I shared some pics from that, but here's the official picture we recieved in the mail.
Last year we also did a free public service announcement for the Save Our Hospital Campaign. You can watch the PSA Here. Here's a picture from the shoot too.
I gotta say one of the most rewarding things we've done, besides donating Fatkat Turkeys last year...
... was the work we've done so far with the Eel Ground First Nations School. Last year we donated an animated piece for their annual "Celebration of Technology" event. It was a huge honour and a big event. Even the Prime Minister, Paul Martin made an appearence. (He secretly spoke about Fatkat to other big wigs and told them how "Fucking Metal" Fatkat was).
You can see the intro animation HERE.
Then starting in January of this year Peter MacDonald, the school's principle and good friend of mine hired Fatkat to come teach his students basic flash animation techniques. I regret not getting up there personally but alot of the Fatkats volunteered their time once a week to travel up to the school.
You can watch the hilarious film these kids made for Health Canada HERE.
We'll be taking part of alot of other events this year. I'll keep you all posted.
Cheerios,
Gene.
A few months back, we went bowling for kids, I shared some pics from that, but here's the official picture we recieved in the mail.
Last year we also did a free public service announcement for the Save Our Hospital Campaign. You can watch the PSA Here. Here's a picture from the shoot too.
I gotta say one of the most rewarding things we've done, besides donating Fatkat Turkeys last year...
... was the work we've done so far with the Eel Ground First Nations School. Last year we donated an animated piece for their annual "Celebration of Technology" event. It was a huge honour and a big event. Even the Prime Minister, Paul Martin made an appearence. (He secretly spoke about Fatkat to other big wigs and told them how "Fucking Metal" Fatkat was).
You can see the intro animation HERE.
Then starting in January of this year Peter MacDonald, the school's principle and good friend of mine hired Fatkat to come teach his students basic flash animation techniques. I regret not getting up there personally but alot of the Fatkats volunteered their time once a week to travel up to the school.
You can watch the hilarious film these kids made for Health Canada HERE.
We'll be taking part of alot of other events this year. I'll keep you all posted.
Cheerios,
Gene.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
ANOTHER SPOT FOR LEISURE TIME RV CENTER
We've just wrapped up on our 2nd commercial spot for Leisure Time RV Center. Great folks, with great patience! Patrick, Jon with a little help from me (just a tad though) pumped this one out in less then a week. The outcome, not a bad little spot. See for yourself.
LTRV-COMMERCIAL-02
LTRV-COMMERCIAL-02
Saturday, April 9, 2005
NEVEN FINDS A MOOSE
I realize it's been a while since our last post. Busy busy goes the kat and all those that are cleaning it's litterbox.
Man, we have so much on the go. We're currently finishing up the first episode of "Sprays of her Life". A webisode series for... ... well you'll see soon enough.
We're also completing another commercial for our buddies at Leisure Time RV Center and we're ramping up for a huge project with Ex-Fatkat's at Copernicus Studios in Halifax.
Starting Monday both studios start on a flash production for the Comedy Network. Did I mention we're hiring? I've hired 3 in the past three days, looking for 3 more too.
gfowler@fatkatanimation.com
So alot's going on and for the past week we've all been doing alot of sacrificing. All my nights, weekends have been used up. Alot of the crew here at Fatkat are doing the same. Jon, Patrick slaving away on commercials, Neven, Mick on the Webisodes. Not to mention Dave & Cindy , who have been non stop since Christmas supervising animation on two direct to DVD featurettes. Alot of learning going on; alot of sacrificing too though.
This is what it's about though, would you rather be digging ditches? Mowing lawns or waiting on tables? Maybe, but I wouldn't have as much fun as I'm having on a daily basis working at Fatkat. Creating cartoons, once a hobby now a profession. Man, I laugh hard at least once everyday and I'm not a man who laughs out loud at stuff to often. Not truthfully anyway. Plus every once in awhile I'll get to draw something which as President I don't always get to do any more, phone doodles don't count. Although I do draw at home from time to time. Here's the latest sketch. Mick is pushing me to finish a drawing for once in my life.
This drawing is far from finished though. Ouch, look at that foot!
I'm not sure what the point of this post was, I'm just happy I'm doing what I'm doing and I get to work with creative geniuses everyday. Sure I wish I had more time to draw or paint and to be with my wife and live a somewhat blue collar life. Lucky for me she is as understanding and patient of my profession as I could ever hope her to be.
Picture from Beaubear's Island on the Miramichi River.
So what's the deal tomorrow? Go grab some lunch with my wife, go for a hike in the woods and take in earths goodness. Then, after being recharged, I'll check in at the studio on the Leisure Time Commercial and the scenes left on the webisode. Then spend my night editing them into the final comps.
Take some time out to do stuff you like to do, other then making cartoons. You need to keep your one time hobby and now full time job, feeling like a fun little hobby again. Because when it becomes work. It'll get old. So take a break once in awhile and get out, the outdoors has so much to offer you. Just turn off your monitor.
Be like Neven, take a break, go find your moose.
Gene out.
Friday, April 1, 2005
THE FIRST DEBUT OF THE VIKING HELMET!
Back in 1998 when I graduated from NBCC Miramichi's Animation program into the great wide world of being broke but happily drawing cartoons.
While Graduating, loving the principle.
With my classmates. From left to right, Gene Fowler, with trusty viking helmet action, Craig Deredin, Colin McLaughlin, Jon Jon, Tattoo artist master - Dick MacDermaid, Zak Baisley and Adam Barry.
While Graduating, loving the principle.
With my classmates. From left to right, Gene Fowler, with trusty viking helmet action, Craig Deredin, Colin McLaughlin, Jon Jon, Tattoo artist master - Dick MacDermaid, Zak Baisley and Adam Barry.
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