Violence in movies and video games

Posted on December 18, 2012 by - free speech, politics, society, womens issues

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings, there’s been plenty of discussion about guns.  Violent video games and the role of Hollywood have also been mentioned as causes, with calls for restricting the amount of sex and violence.  My radar immediately pops up whenever I hear someone going down the censorship path- who would make those decisions and where does it end?  Frankly, I find Victoria Secret ads tasteless for their blatant sexual messages but I wouldn’t call for outlawing them.  This will cause some readers to roll their eyes but I think the lack of diversity is a big reason why this country has a  “culture of violence”.  The majority of the video game developers are young males, the powerful players in Hollywood are men, and we’re still a far way from true representation in Congress.  From my own experiences in the animation industry and the editorial cartooning profession I can tell you the lack of women and minority groups does color what is created and commented on.

092800ViolentMovies

Counterterrorism programs and your privacy

Posted on December 13, 2012 by - free speech, politics

Reading an interesting WSJ article about an Obama administration counterterrorism program which allows examination of the government files of all US citizens for possible (that’s the part which should worry you) criminal behavior, even if there’s no reason to suspect them.  The article also referenced the 2002 Total Information Awareness program promoted by then DARPA director John Poindexter, which was widely criticized at the time.  Here’s my view from 2002:

 

 

The process

Posted on November 28, 2012 by - politics

A recent Facebook post asked me to explain how I create my animations.  Basically, I approach the concept process the same as I did my print editorial cartoons;  reading and listening to the news, drawing thumbnails, and making notes in my sketchbook.sketchbook pageMy drawings tend to be very rough so sometimes I can’t even decipher what I’ve done.

On deadline days I’ll decide on which idea to take to the next step to make sure that it will work as an animation. This is where my process changes (and becomes longer) than my process to create a print cartoon.  While sketching up ideas I’ll also write down possible sound effects to use and then go online to find and purchase what I’ll need.  Sounddogs is my favorite to use.  After that it’s time to lay tracks and begin figuring out the timing.  In Photoshop,  I’ll scan in rough drawings and export to Flash where I’ve laid my sound tracks.  Once I think it’s working, I’ll send to my editor at The Washington Post for approval.  After I get her ok, then it’s time to do the final animation animation poses.  animation poses

This is where I’ll send you over to an excellent video by Anup Kaphle which shows the rest of the process (this was done about a year ago, so it won’t show the one above; but you’ll get the idea)- and then here is the finished version.