Fall animating

TC is working on a new project to illustrate a historical speech. We're trying out brainstorming with multiple people in multiple places. Lee, John, Susan, Jason, Carlos and Alex were at the farm.
First, we made some new tools - a camera-boom that allows our animating camera to pan across a scene. It's huge! 16 feet long! We might need to make a baby version for smaller scenes. Here, Alex works on the sliding part of the boom.
John puts the parts together - the sliding part fits into the channels on the sides. Here the camera is mounted on the boom above the work-surface. It can slide left to right.
Back to animating, and Susan designs some money. A conveyor belt for money-makers.
John arrives for his acting/animating debut. The shoot begins...

Minnesota: Circussed

Tuesday was a lovely day in St. Paul, Minnesota. We finished editing The History of Pillows (perhaps our best animation yet!) and rolled over to the History Center for our show. Here, our peanut is in place on the lawn in front of the building.
The screen-frame and the St. Paul Cathedral.
Sun sets and the screen rises.
The crowd moved from a musical show up the hill to sit on the lawn and watch.

A perfect night! Many participants from the animation workshop (and thus our newest Tiny Circus members...) came to see their creation on the screen! You can see the animation on our youtube page: www.youtube.com/tinycircus

Minnesota History

Tiny Circus is in St. Paul, Minnesota this weekend for a workshop and show at the Minnesota History Center. We are animating the History of Pillows.

Chris and Cecil make stars for a night sky.

An elephant factory at Aimee's desk...

Turtles!
Janaki crafts a lovely rooster.

Carlos, Janaki, and Cecil perform a careful operation to replace a night sky with a morning sky while leaving the chicken on top of both motionless.

Here, Chris acts out how a bear might fling aside a turtle. Cecil, Aimee, and Mollie watch.

Many hands...

Many levels of supervision!


The History of Pillows is shot. After a bit of editing, it will premier at the History Center on Tuesday August 11th at dusk! Thanks to all the new Tiny Circus members!

Garden Bounty

The studio airstream has been suspended for the last month or so - we made it serviceable just before our Des Moines Arts Festival debut. Now it's time to move forward again. Here, the plywood floor is belt-sanded flat and a cherry wood floor is fit to the curves.

Now that the circus is tiny again, the garden is huge! Grinnell College TC'ers will help eat this when they get back in a few weeks. Zucchini anyone? The local coffee shop has a pile of them for free on a table by the register - this might mean they will be hard to give away...

Little Village hearts Tiny Circus

Maggie Anderson from Little Village Magazine wrote a lovely article all about Tiny Circus!  

Summer 2009 is Circused Out (sort of)

The end of Tiny Circus Summer 2009 is fast approaching, we decided to have an impromptu show at the Dari Barn, an awesome Grinnell ice cream shop, as our last show of the season.

First, we rolled in the airstream..

...nestled betwixt tractors and combines...

Then, we set up the screen...collaboratively...

Then, we got ice cream and waited until dark to project our show on the screen.

And Pogo enjoyed the show and ice cream...

Then, we took down the screen (so skillfully nowadays, having the fastest time fitting within a Micheal Jackson song) and rolled out.

Tiny Circus is thankful for every participant, interest, collaboration, and donation. We have learned a lot and have had so much fun with all of you guys. Tiny Circus Summer 2009 has slowed down, but not really...so see you soon.

Hilltops and Carnivals at the Linn County Fair

After a hot July Saturday, Tiny Circus found a lonely hill overlooking the vintage carnival at the Linn County Fair. Cast in a summertime glow enhanced by the long going tractor pull, our circus group gathered to set up for one of our final summer events.


With the evening sky streaked pink by lazy clouds, our small band set about to ready the hillside for the show.




And of course, after all that preparation, all that's left to do is to sit back and enjoy the show...



And what is a celebration without...

Thanks for having us Linn County.