Circus in a house!

Summer 2010 has been an exciting time for the Circus. We've had workshops in Marion, Grinnell, Iowa City, Des Moines, and Fairfield (more posts on each workshop later). Also, The Tiny Circus is now located in a HOUSE! Come visit us in Grinnell, IA any time. This year we have had plenty of rotating members to occupy it and keep the creative juices flowing. Pictured here, Rudy and Susanna animate the History of Umbrellas in our brand-new basement studio.


Here, Mikey, our college intern, works on props for the History of Boxes (a new and pending animation). In the foreground, the sculpy-clay protagonist imitates him.

Here's a picture of Circus members at work in the new location. Jason, Mikey, and John are hard at work on props for the History of Boxes in the living room.

Tiny Circus at the Des Moines Art Festival

We are gearing up for the Des Moines Art Festival! We are very excited to be a part of one of the largest art festivals in the country. Along with Showing "The Other Histories of the World" Friday June 25th and Saturday June 26th at dusk, we will be shooting interactive animations all weekend! Swing by and help us out! What animation will we be shooting? Here are your clues:

Show in the Park

Join Tiny Circus for a Show on our home turf! Tiny Circus debuts "THE HISTORY OF WINDOWS" along with The Other Histories of the World!

****JUNE 24TH AT 9:00pm at Central Park in Grinnell, Iowa****

THE HISTORY OF WINDOWS was made in collaboration with some amazing artists and animators during our workshop at The Grinnell Area Arts Council. Enjoy the show, bring some popcorn!

EXTRA! EXTRA! WORKSHOP NEXT WEEK!

Baltimore School For The Arts and Switches

The second of the Baltimore School for the Arts animations: Switches.


The universe: one flashlight to illuminate the sun, one hand to flip the switch, a couple more to slide it all into view.


And a few more to make things and shoot the images. Check it out on our youtube page.

Baltimore School for the Arts and Chocolate Milk

Tiny Circus rolled over to the Baltimore School for the Arts to create three new animations. First up: Chocolate Milk! Here, after each animator has written a suggestion for a topic on a scrap of paper, Bea draws our subject from a bucket.


Lots of great ideas came out of the brainstorm - cows and mud figured prominently, but were eventually dismissed in favor of a nautical theme. Waves were made of paper, boats were made of chocolate...


The waves were marked carefully so that the animators could accurately simulate a milk sea!


Here is some careful motion with paper waves mounted on balsa with magnets, stuck to a piece of sheet metal.


Several people were needed to keep the sea and boats moving, two more to shoot and count off numbers for the wave animators.


Meanwhile, sound effects!

Citizen Jane Film Festival!

Tiny Circus has been working hard this week at the Citizen Jane Film Festival in Columbia Missouri. We are in the final stages of finishing up "The History of WAR", a new animation made here in Columbia with an amazing group of local kids, and adults. The animation will be ready for our performance at the Orr Street Studios at 10pm tonight! Many thanks to all the volunteers and coordinators of Citizen Jane for making Tiny Circus's stay here in Columbia so fantastic!

Carlos explaining Tiny Circus, and the importance of storytelling

Greta heading off the Brainstorm.

Sarah with a group of flower makers

Bee making

Butterfly making


Sylvia helped with the butterflies


Max and friends experimenting with the Do it Yourself animation station



Tiny sound making session





Mark one of the Citizen Jane volunteers was wiped out, after a long day which included hand delivering us amazing coffee



John and Quana observing progress

John

Greta and Sarah being interviewed at KOPN radio station in Columbia.


From left Sarah, Greta, Polina, and Jo speaking on the Animation panel at Stephens College