It's been nearly a week since I got back from Annecy's Animation Festival, and, OH MY GOSH, it was awesome!! The hotel we stayed in was great, right in the middle of town and so close to the Bonlieu, where they have the majority of the screenings, and they had some big names there this year. The town itself is gorgeous, so to be watching some pretty superb animation
and being surrounded by Annecy's beauty, while hanging out with a bunch of mates... a tough combination to beat!
Trying to decide what we were going to watch each day was a bit of a mission to begin with. It being my first time at Annecy, opening up the agenda and seeing a bajillion films, all of which I wanted to see, was pretty overwhelming. But by the end of the week, after the queuing and the sunshine and the surroundings, the food and the company, you slip into the way of things, and figure that, anything you get to see is one thing more than you would have seen (and you can probably find the stuff on youtube, anyways). You kind of go with the flow, and see where the mood takes you. It's a nice way to go.
Next time I go though, I'd like to spend more time at the Imperial Palace. There were more workshops and presentations over there, whereas the agenda for the Bonlieu was all screenings. While it's good to be watching new things, 'filling the well' as they say, I find listening to people talking more in depth about a project they've worked on, their methods and processes, learning from the pros, is more interesting and beneficial to me than only watching films. When you watch a film, be it long or short, you're only left with the finished article, you don't get to see and explore the path it took to get there.
Also, I'm thinking we need to open a Chez Barnabe over here. One of the best ideas on the planet - a whole shop full of different dishes, and you help yourself, and pay for the tub you fill up, then go sit out in le parc, next to le lac d'annecy, with some friends, and eat and chat and laugh til dusk. Followed by a screening of a feature film on the massive screen (also in the park). Nice.
Over the next few days, I'll post up some of my notes and photos, and the doodles I got from a few pros while we were there. Ahhh yeeeahh.
When's the next one???
