A Sidewalk Show at Artspace in Raleigh, North Carolina

On Friday night, Tiny Circus presented a sidewalk show outside of Artspace, projecting our animations out of the airstream for all walking by to see. It was a lively night in downtown Raleigh, with many people passing by on their way to the First Friday music and art exhibitions at Artspace. We were thrilled to present our two new animations from the local Brentwood Boys and Girls Club. We witnessed some parents having to pry their children away from the sidewalk.  

 

 

We talk a lot about communicating with our audience as we create a film so it's always interesting to watch the people watching the animations for the first time. How are they reacting? Which parts of the film are people responding to in particular? After spending so much time with each story, creating the animation, it's pleasurable and sometimes surprising to watch the films alongside those with fresh eyes.

Giraffe. Trapped.

 

They said it couldn’t be done.  They said it was too tall, eats too many leaves, can't be tracked, is perfectly silent. Camouflaged to near invisibility... ferocious to boot.  Many had tried, all had failed.

On October 14, Tiny Circus and 500 elementary school students proved the doubters wrong.

With loads of help from middle school and high school students, teachers, parents - and, of course, the local coffee shop - the giraffe was successfully (and non-violently) trapped!

The premiere of Giraffe Trap on the lawn of Washington Elementary School was a joyful, overflowing community event. Over 600 people - the creators, and their parents and neighbors - took in the 40-minute Tiny Circus show. There were lots of cheers and giggles throughout the night.

We loved working with such a supportive and enthusiastic community. Here are a few of the thank you notes and reflections on the project by the students.

To all this we say: we tingk it was a blast, too. Tank Ewe! We'll be back soon!

Hello Mount Vernon!

Autumn is in full leaves-falling, crisp air mode, and the drive from Grinnell - 80 miles East - to Mount Vernon, Iowa was a golden and dusty one.  Last year over 500 students at Washington Elementary School, as well as teachers and some middle and high school students created Elephant Trap, an animation that continues to delight audiences at our shows across the country.

We’re back in Mount Vernon again, this time with a taller order: we are trapping a giraffe!

Trapping the world's tallest giraffe requires lots of height so we decide to use a sky jack to become as tall as the giraffe.  By rigging the camera to the sky jack we are able to capture movements of the students below.

Back inside the school students fabricated parts of the trap and scenery then began bringing them to life at the animation station.  They also worked on composing and recording an original score for the film based off of the phrase "we're gonna catch a giraffe!"

Tiny Circus received a huge welcome back from the students, who covered the walls with an abundance of wonderfully original, handmade TC posters.  Thanks to the students and teachers for the rock star welcome! 

Our tallest trap yet will premiere at Washington Elementary School, Mount Vernon on Thursday, October 13th starting at dusk.

Films, Music, Pie

A few weeks ago, Tiny Circus was a part of Backyard Band/with, an evening of films set to live scores by local musicians, and our favorite part: it’s a potluck with homemade pies. We wish we could have shared Circus bread with the 1,500 people who came to this community event at Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, New York.

The History of War, created by a group of about 20 children and adults at the Citizen Jane Film Festival in 2009, and The History of Falling, were great punctuation marks for the program of films, helping to transition between heavier and lighter pieces. A beautiful and tasty night.

Tiny Circus Plays Music in the Park!

On July 2nd, Tiny Circus rolled into Central Park on Broad Street.

As the sun set, the animations glowed.

The crowd was ready for a new type of entertainment after their evening salsa dancing. As the moon rose over the train tracks, Grinnellians resting on lawn chairs and blankets were able to enjoy our show complete with four new histories created by the Animation Camp goers.

Terrance helps out at the donation box. With bow tie on, he can be quite the charmer.

Pogo knows what's up.
She watches intently as Circus members finalize setting up the event.

Three fans go in to investigate.
Perhaps soon they'll be watching their own animations on the big screen.

The crowd starts to grow.
Many of whom are sporting rather snazzy Tiny Circus t-shirts.

The History of Staring Contests kicks off the show.
Who will blink first and lose their castle built of cards?

Over all it was a beautiful night of warm weather, friendly faces, and fanciful tales.

If you missed Music in the Park, mark your calendar for the next Tiny Circus Event!

July 10th we will be projecting at the Ped. Mall in Iowa City at dusk.
July 11th will find us at the Linn County Fair.

Come join us as we wrap up our summer tour.