And to all a Goodnight

      Wow to think this is my last post, how time flies. First off I wanted to say it was a pleasure to work with all of you throughout the semester. Additionally this class has been one of the most unique experiences in both college and life in general (especially due to the interesting stories and objective of the class). While some days there might have been stormy seas it is nice to know we will all be sailing into the sunset on calm waters after our screening this Saturday. In all seriousness this class allowed me to gain a true appreciation for the industry and taking myself serious as a filmmaker, I mean how can one not learn from such a seasoned veteran like Arturo. Lastly I wish you all the best in the future as you pursue your careers, good luck on your finals and have a safe break!

      Now that I got all the sappy shit out of the way I would like to share my favorite holiday animated special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. This was actually the first prime-time animated TV special. The animated TV special is based on the comic strip, Peanuts created by Charles Schulz. For any of you that aren't familiar with Schulz or his work he was an American cartoonist that dedicated 50 years to his most notable work, Peanuts. A Charlie Brown Christmas was first debuted on CBS in 1965 and was switched to ABC in 2001 where it is currently aired on multiple occasions leading up to the Christmas. The animated TV special  has received much recognition throughout the years and has won an Emmy and Peabody Award. The last reason this is one of my favorite of all time is the soundtrack and how it works in unison with the animation throughout the entire special. Additionally the music simply spells Christmas as it provides a magical feeling we have all felt at one point or another during the holiday season. Without further adieu here is the classic opening to A Charlie Brown Christmas...

Arthur Ganson and the Rude Goldberg Tradition

        So after Arturo mentioned Arthur Ganson the other day I thought it would be fit to provide some of his work on the blog. To start off Ganson is one of the most highly regarded kinetic sculptures in the world. He has been on TED talks, an art-in-resdience at MIT and invited to many other conventions/exhibitions to show his work. His mechanical artwork has been seen all over the world and he has a unique style called Rude Goldberg (Ganson describes his work as "A cross between mechanical engineering and choreography"). Rude Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculpture and inventor among other things and is Ganson's inspiration for his absurd yet brilliant creations. Researching a little more behind the topic and with an additional tip from Arturo I found that every year Ganson hosts a competition involving creating a Rude Goldberg chain reaction machine. To further breakdown what the machine contest consists of is basically college students from universities around the United States build a device/machine that completes a task with a minimum of twenty steps in the style of Rude Goldberg. For a little more insight the competition originated at Purdue University in 1949 as a match between two fraternities. Here is the 2012 Rude Goldberg Contest Winners...

 Here is one of Rude Goldberg's cartoons and inspirations for the competition and Ganson's work alike...

To give you an idea of Ganson's work and the intricate machines he creates...