Greetings traveler! Here… please… relax… make yourself at home. You must have journeyed from afar to find yourself in a strange place like ‘Ascot Vale’. No, please don’t confuse it with the ‘Ascot Vale’ your mother visits every Saturday morning to have coffee with her friends. For this is the planet Ascot Vale, and it differs greatly from the peaceful suburb.
Welcome to the official ‘Alexander: The Not So Great…’ homepage. Here you will find all there is to know about the short film. Feel free to browse over the site’s content or spend hour after hour reading this paragraph.
‘Alexander: The Not So Great…’ is the brain child of Melbourne based filmmaker Thomas Kinsman. The project began in August 2006 as a final year assessment for the RMIT Advanced Diploma Of Screen Production program.
The animated short film has a running time of approximately 14 minutes and has been created by using various rotoscoping techniques.
DVD Cover
20th of Feb
Complete, Ended, Finito, Wrapped up, Polished off, Done and dusted!
27th January 2009
Yep, production has come to a final end following the completion of the sound design and composition. Many kudos go to Cameron Chapman for making the time to work on it, and for doing an awesome job. The metal on the track 'Pinecone Power' can only be comparible to the likes of Kirt Hammet circa 1988. I think it is safe to say, the film would be nothing without it.
I have begun introducing Alexander to the festival circuit, submitting it to several over the past few weeks, and plan to continue this over the coming months. In the meantime, I'm working on a fun DVD design with some kooky little menus lots of fun extras. I'll be sure to post up the cover when it's done.
It's been good fun working on this film, dispite its trecherous and long-winded post production. So i'd like to thank everyone involved in the process, from beginning to end. The best thing about watching a film you've either crewed on or been cast in, is that weird sense of self-satisfaction that comes over you when you're watching the finished product months after production. It's a snapshot of you and the person you were. I hope you all get that feeling.
I apologise the project took so long from beginning to end, but who could've predicted that tracing over 20,875 frames would be so laborous.... : D
All the best for the New Year, and please feel free to come on down to the planet Ascot Vale every once in a while. Who knows, you might spot a squid or two flying in the sky. Thomas Kinsman
All Finished - Check the trailer!
21st of May
Ok. So maybe there are around two people out there who have been hanging out for the latest on 'Alexander: The Not So Great...'. And, if so, both of you have probably been wondering why it's taken me several months to post another update. Well, to tell the truth I've been hammering into the final stages of animation on the project, and trying to balance it with paid work. I must admit I was a little surprised when I stumbled on the translation: money = food = me not dead. So there's my excuse. But enough of excuses, they certainly aren't hard to come by here. I have some VERY exciting news. It has made me a happy little kidlett indeed... ANIMATION ON ALEXANDER HAS COME TO AN END! Yep. I didn't die of old age in the process, and I didn't lose what little sanity I had when I started.
The mountain has been conquered, now it's time for the super fun happy slide down it! Over the next few weeks, Cameron Chapman aka. Camelot The Chameleon of Polo Club fame, and I will be slogging away on the sound design (check out Cam's myspace for some awesome Hip-Hop). Composer, Seamus Duffy will also be putting in the hours on a brand spanking new score, and I will return to employment as I pump out poker videos for the man. So, there you have it people, or person. After roughly 19 months of on and off toil, production on ATNSG has almost come to an end. In the meantime, please accept this gift from me to you.... a little trailer I threw together.
Oh, and if you're interested, check out the pics page, where Ben has uploaded some of the photos taken from our recent ADR / voice recording session in Cam's studio. Cheerio, Thomas Kinsman
Schools Out
2nd of Nov
Well, it's officially pedal-to-the-metal. My studies have finally come to an end following the completion of my four minute animated major project 'The Sorrowful Story Of Michael McShane'. Special thanks go to Seamus Duffy for providing a sublime narration and a score to match. With the hassle of university out of the way, I can now focus most of my attention back on ATNSG. I aim to work as much as I can on the project, to get it completed before the year ends. I know, I know, you've probably heard it all before. But give me a break, I've had four projects on the go this semester. If all goes to plan, I will be releasing them simultaneously! It looks as though I wont be the only with projects to show. Lucas Testro, my co-producer, soon to complete post production on his new 16mm short 'Jigsaw Girl', and Bill Irving, Cameraman/2nd AD, currently directing production on a feature-film documenting the Chill Island Music Festival. So, it's a time of progress, and I can't wait to see the results! I hope all is well in the worlds of the ten or so people who are nice enough to check out our website every month.
Here we go with another update!
20th of August
Unfortunately, heading into semester two at university has meant that most of my time has been allocated to another shorter project. A four minute cut-out animation, the film is based around a fictitious 19th Century children's poem and uses Victorian etching and woodcuts. I apologise to everyone waiting to see some footage from ATNSG, I'd like to show something like a trailer, but I just don't have the time to render anything right now, so just hold tight. News on other fronts. Apparently strange 'Alexander: The Not So Great...' wanted-posters have been popping up around New York City (see image). Don't ask me why this is. I'm embarrassed that some idiot brandishing this web address on the other side of the world. If you know who's doing this, please get in touch with us. Rob Alec, the actor who played Alexander, has begun work on The 'Pacific', the latest Stephen Speilberg/Tom Hanks production being shot just outside of Sydney. Apparently the shoot is 'a bit more subdued' than reported. He passed on a link to an article on recent events...here
Thomas Kinsman, TRAK
The end is near!
10th of July
Hey everyone, It's been over a month now since we launched the website, so i figure its about time I posted another update. Hopefully doing so will satisfy the massive number of visitors the site has had... i'm sure that all three people will be pleased. Anyhow, In case you're not aware, the last few weeks have been uni holidays. I've spent most of my days chipping away at ATNSG and have made significant progress. In particular, the scenes that take place in the desert of mighty Ascot Vale. I have not chosen to animate the shots in any particular order, so it is hard to tell exactly how close to completion the film is. However, I can feel it in my waters that the end is near. Oh God, please let that be the case.
Thomas Kinsman, TRAK
P.S Does anyone object to the cactus as a 'Pirate-Cowboy' half breed? "Yeeeeee-ARRRGH"
Website Up!
30th of May
Hey Hey, the long wait is over. The film is finally completed!!! Well, not exactly... but the website's up! A big shout goes out to Benny Collier for putting it together. Like I said in the introduction, the website is here to provide you with all there is to know about the short film. Please bookmark the page so you can frequently check back to us. Every now and then I'll be posting updates on the progress of the animation, as well as any other relevant info on the film. It wont be long before the rotoscoped extravaganza is complete. I promise. So please keep watching the site on a regular basis.
Peace Out, Thomas Kinsman
