Palo Alto 1879

This was my final film at Vancouver Film School in 2003. I was in the classical animation department and 22 years old. With original music by Derek Herbster. I made this short film before I made any comics. I used colored pencils to hand color each frame. The artwork was then scanned and composited in the computer. I think I was told not to make a film longer than 1 or 2 minutes. But I couldn't help myself. The title, PALO ALTO 1879 is a nod to Edward Muybridge and his Stanford-funded photography experiments that proved for the first time that a horses runs with all feet off the ground during the run. Back when I made the film I got the date wrong. It should have been Palo Alto 1878. This film was selected by staff and the French Consulate of Canada as the best animated film (2d or 3d) that year and I was given a scholarship to attend the 2004 Annecy International Animation Festival. It was later included in the Canadian Film Showcase for screening at the 2004 Ottawa International Animation Festival. I was so embarrassed when the film was screened because the image appeared washed out in the theater. I had no control over that. I just had to sit there and squirm in my seat. I'd love to make another film one day.