Pud comics from Dubble Bubble complete set

Yesterday we finally acquired the missing comic to complete the set of 60 "Funnies: Starring Pud" comics from Dubble Bubble gum. I spent far too much money on gum to get these, but as it went to William's art project, it was likely worth it. (when you go to William's blog on this, if you click on the word "Pud" at the bottom of any of the posts, it will give you nothing but his Pud drawings). William created a podcast called "Pud Cast" describing these comics.   I wrote to the Tootsie Roll company to tell them about how the buckets of gum did not have fair distributions of the gum and asked about how to get these images in other ways. I didn't get a reply right away so I kept on buying more. Eventually I did get an amazing response from them and they sent me a copy of the whole set. http://geraldsaul.blogspot.ca/2017/08/amazing-pud-delivery.html   Anyway, here are the 60 current Pud comics:

Roger Ing at the University of Regina

 

Oct 28, 1999

 

Film 200 in-class project

 

Roger Ing, a painter came to Canada from China in the 1950's and purchased the Utopia Café.  He became well known around Regina in the 80s through his paintings which he made and sold at his café, until its closure a few years ago. His paintings often followed the abstract expressionist model, but also included figures of cows, coke bottles, and iconic religious or celebrity images. He includes collage in much of his work.  His paintings were known as “Rogerisms”. At noon today, Roger Ing will be listening to a lecture by new visual arts faculty member David Garneau in UC 050.. Following that, he will speak for a few minutes with other attendees at that talk. At 1:15, Roger will be in UC 233 where he will paint and/or draw for the benefit of this class. We will have three groups, each with a high-8 video camera and a 60 minute tape, which will document Roger’s University visit and create a portrait of him.

 

Decide amongst your group who will do what roles. At the head of each tape, give a verbal description of who is in the group and who is doing what job. You may swap jobs within your group during the course of the class. Take opportunities to speak as a group and suggest shots or approaches amongst each other. Conserve your batteries! I do not expect you to shoot the entire tape.

 

Group 1 - Follow Roger Ing, capturing his works as they are created and the things he says. Roger likes to goof around in front of the camera but rarely speaks to it. Make sure to get close ups of him working.

 

Group 2 - Capture the mood of the event. Get wide shots, reaction shots, images of previous art work, the mood of the room and of the world outside the room (ie: does the weather or the events in the hallway affect the event as it transpires?). Pay close attention to the image - get some interesting visuals and compositions around the event.

 

Group 3 - Interview people who are in attendance. At the end of the presentation in 050, capture conversations (if any) between Roger and other people there. Determine a short list of questions to ask people while Roger is painting. Begin with asking if they were previously familiar with Roger and the Utopia Café. If so, they likely have a story about how they first met him or where they have his work hanging. Have a handful of questions for everyone. If you get someone really interesting, don’t be afraid to got for a few minutes with him/her. Pay attention to sound recording - have an external mic if possible or else stay close to your subject.

 

 

Label your tapes. I will collect them at the end of class. Have fun.

 

Roger Ing at the University of Regina

In my first year of teaching, Roger Ing used to phone me and ask me if my students would like to make a movie about him. One day I took him up on it and brought him to the university. I asked David Garneau, who had started on faculty the same time I did, if I could borrow a studio for a couple of hours. We got into a room and I assigned my students into three groups. One group were to videotape Roger and whatever he was doing (I'd set him up with a few canvas boards and some paints). A second camera was to watch the people interacting with Roger. The third camera was to interview people a short distance away from the painting to get reaction and commentary. It took the whole class time and we had to dive back into subject matter afterwards so never watched the tapes. I have them of course. 
 

Screening under the stars

"Son of Cthulhu", curated by Dianne Ouellette and Shawn Perrin at the Cathedral Village Festival screening under the stars. 

"...from Baroque to Contemporary" at the Toronto Heliconian Club

On an invitation from Margaret's aunt, one of the organizers behind the Ontario Goethe Society, we attended a very classy event at the Toronto Heliconian Club. There was nice wine and food and performances by Andreas Evers (Flute) and Stephan Schafer (guitar) of works by Bach, Schubert, Jolivet, Mozart, Kiesbauer, Albeniz, Joplin, and Bartok. Margaret's aunt, whom I had never met and Margaret had not seen in decades, did not attend. When we finally found someone from the Goethe Society, we were told that Margaret's aunt never attends events. We were completely under-dressed. 

 

Birthday

 From my grad program journal: 

It's my birthday today. Was woken by phone with birthday greetings. Went to department and did Bolex proficiency test. I know that camera better than they do and I debated a few points with them. The viewfinder on the Bolex is notoriously inaccurate though they claim it is accurate. HA. Got a high 8 camera out. Lee asked what I wanted it for and I told him "Thesis work...?" with more than a hint of sarcasm and irony. He laughed and said he only wanted to know if I intended to shoot with it or dub with it. I'm shooting some home movies to show the folks where I live.

Grad school 5, watching Griffish films on vhs

Sept 23: Went to library but couldn't use 16mm projector so I watched some video. Have I complained recently that I still don't have a tv; it is supposed to be shipped to me from Regina but hasn't been yet. Here's what I watched:

     As it is in Life        D.W.Griffith  1910 10 min

     The Mender of Nets      Griffith      1912 10 min

     A Arcadian Maid         Griffith      1910 10 min

     Wilful Peggy            Griffith      1910 10 min

Grad school 5, starting to watch films including "The Golem"

Sept 21   Watched Paul Wegener's "The Golem" on 16mm at the library. I've read about it numerous times and have looked for it often but never been able to find it. It combines my love for German Expressionist design with the creation of a man. It was quite interesting, the monster of stone which seemed to have a few lustful thoughts. It was upon this monster that Universal initially wanted to base Frankenstein (with Bela Lugosi as the monster) but eventually changed the look.

     Also watched many other films today (I spent the day in the library). They are as follows:

Migration               David Rimmer  1969 11 min

Surfacing on the Thames D Rimmer           5 min

The Golem               Paul Wegener  1920 72 min

Puce Moment             Kenneth Anger 1949 6 min

Eaux D'Artifice         K. Anger      1953 13 min

Kustom Kar Kommandos    K. Anger      1965 3 min

Invocation of my Demon Brother, Anger 1969 11 min

Meshes of the Afternoon Maya Deren    1943 14 min

At Land                 Maya Deren    1944 15 min

A Study in Choreography M. Deren      1945 4 min

Ritual in Transfigured Time  M. Deren  1946 15 min

Meditation on Violence  M. Deren      1948 12 min

The Very Eye of Night   M. Deren    1952-59 15 min

Exposure           Michelle Mohabeer  1991? 8 min

Coconut/Cane and Cutlass     M.Mohabeer    1994 30 min

     Michelle did her presentation in class today so I include her works in this list. I didn't understand how she got the superimposed images on the sword, and her explanation just didn't make it any clearer. I think that money tames filmmakers. I think her film would probably have been better if it was stripped to its bare bones. Nothing fancy. If you have ideas, express them, don't hide them under expensive effects. Otherwise, it was a seductive viewing.

Grad school 4 at Toronto Film Festival

Sept 17   Last night got out to the festival and saw Darryl's film. I look forward to seeing it in class and talking about it. I felt very disturbed by the laughter by the audience AT the subjects of the two films. At least in the first one (on folk artists) the subjects recognise that they are selling their personas along with their art so would be prepared to be laughed at. The collectors on the other hand did not invite public scrutiny into their lives. I wonder what Darryl thinks about this.

     Also saw Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman", at a regular theatre but it was a festival film 6 days ago so I guess it will count for me seeing a festival film. I typed up some notes about it; feeling nervous about what to say about films in front of classmates. I don't know if I could defend my opinions against some of them. Here is what I was struck by in the film:

- Technically speaking, this film is very simple. Conversations between pairs of characters are commonly covered in long (up to 2 or 3 minutes) unbroken, static shots. The camera rarely moves. One of the rare moving shots, a hand held shot quickly moving through a gigantic kitchen, appeared to me to be just that, hand held (no dolly and probably no steady cam) through a real kitchen (floors, ceilings, stoves, and 100 people working).

- The process sequences showing how the food is prepared give the film the most 'flavour'. I remember that a common first year production exercise was to show "how something is done". Through a series of simple shots a complex procedure can be clearly depicted. In the film, lavish gourmet chinese cooking unfolds theatrically, As we the audience watch the chopping and frying and ladling, we feel drawn in. The simplicity of the film techniques lend to the apparent simplicity of the cooking process, it brings us in close; allowing us to understand as if we were there. As a result, the food seems very real and very appetizing.

- It is during the conversations and the cooking that we feel closest to the film. Some other scenes (ie: the teacher with her students and the growing relationship with the volleyball coach) are covered in a more common way with more intercutting and thus do not seem as intimate as the aforementioned scenes.

- The intimate nature of the film leads us to believe in the characters and to care about their dilemmas.

Post script: Darryl is Darryl Varga and his film was Hunters and Collectors. The "festival" was  the Toronto Film Festival. 

Grad school 3

Sept 15   Dropped into the department for a few minutes, poked around the equipment room. I've never used a CP16 and would like to learn it.

     Margaret and I finally went downtown. Of course we got lost, but not very lost. Made it to all the book stores, but not to any movies. There are line-ups everywhere and we just couldn't deal with it. How long do you have to live here before your skin stops feeling like you've been dipped in Mazolla? Couldn't get the books for this class but I did get The Complete Film Dictionary. Kinko's didn't have the Super 8 book. 

Post script: the department refers to the Film Department at York University. I never did find that super 8 book. 

Grad school day 2

Sept 14   Got into some more avoidance today. Shopped. Got a can opener. My VCR finally arrived but still no tv. I got out an Oscar Wilde book from the library. Upon reading a collection of his short stories a couple years ago, I became very excited about more writing stories; and I did. They are short fairy tales, some of which were created verbally as bed time stories for Margaret. Even though I show very few people my stories, I am really quite proud of them. I think one of them, either already written or one I am yet to write, will be the basis of the short film we are to make this term. 

York MFA program, first day of class

September 13, 1994      I was initially very excited when I saw that you were requiring us to write a journal. I find them a great outlet for all the complaining I want to do but find socially embarrassing to vocalize. Journals I've done in the past have always remained hand written which meant that I could add to them anytime, anywhere. Typing is not a problem, though it may not end up as spontaneous. I apologize now for any times in the following pages where I may drift off topic. I have no intention of editing it all out as I think that some of the more mundane thoughts of today may reveal themselves to be the revelations of tomorrow. In other words, please bear with me.

     We had our first class yesterday. I was extremely nervous going into it and remained so until the end. Although I am fairly certain that I will be able to keep up with my classmates in scholastic matters, I worry that my reclusive ways may leave me straggling behind when it comes to developing interpersonal relations between myself and the others. Although today I spoke at length with Mark from Concordia and we shared many of the same thoughts about the state of the Canadian film industry.

     Mark and I talked about horror films, a favourite topic of mine, and how the recent Canadian horror films I've seen (ie "Dracula Rising") which pull most of their punches and substitute style and gloss for tension and atmosphere. The purpose of this, I propose, is that the market for our "B" movies is through venues such as pay tv which must be "appropriate" for a wide audience. Don't get too scary, we don't want to create any new Cronenburgs out there. Italian and Spanish horror films pull no punches. Perhaps they don't get the rapid support of the film establishment, but they make money and international reputations for their creators. Neither of us desired to see the continued support of mediocrity in our cinema, here or in any country.

     So we'll be shooting super 8 film eh? I wish I'd known. I left my camera and projector at home (home will always be Saskatchewan. Oh well, start off on a equal footing I suppose. I have a couple 16mm cameras being shipped here for when I need them. I used to shoot 8mm when I was younger (1976-1982) so I think I'll be an interesting endeavour.

     Went to Scott library to watch Wells' Magnificent Ambersons

on lazerdisc. I hadn't seen it before. Frankly I was a bit disappointed. There are bits of interviews and storyboards and so on after the movie; they explained how he lost control and how so much was cut out. I felt regularly confused by what was going on and who was who. It wasn't that difficult but something was seriously wrong. My tv still hasn't arrived so I am feeling very frustrated, my evenings have been filled with reading and time with Margaret. Margaret (Bessai), whom I may regularly refer, is my partner of nearly 4 years. She moved here with me. She has a degree in visual arts and frequently assists me with my animation or other aspects of my films.

     Regarding the film festival; I really wanted to avoid the chaos of the big crowds until I feel more settled in my routine here. There is constant pressure to go to films there, so I suppose I will have to try. 

Birthday and interview

 

I had my interview, over the phone, with York University. I was asked why, given my background and ability initiate and complete projects on my own, would I want to come to grad school? I pondered this for a second and said that I was interested in teaching. This satisfied them. I was accepted in some time later and moved to Toronto in September. 

The interview was on my birthday and was on the phone but to remind myself to be respectful, I wore a tie. 

Filmpool special meeting regarding finances

Met with Elaine Pain, John Kennedy, Ian Preston (on phone), Chuck Gilhooly, Darryl Kesslar, and others regarding distressful financial situations which have come to our attention at the Filmpool. Brenda Olsen has not been in the office since five days ago and the Board are not able to answer many questions, beginning with Michael Hoolboom's non-payment for his optical printer months ago. The accounts are overdrawn by $10,000 and the bank indicates that the "other account" we've always believed existed, doesn't. Entire meeting was audio recorded. 

On Johnny Sandison show

Drove  myVW Rabbit in snow storm out to CKCK tv. Was hit by semi. It blew a tire but just wrecked fender of car. Got to station on time for interview with Johnny Sandison. I don't think he read any of the pre-interview material on me but I didn't think he would, based on what I saw from previous interviews with Filmpool members. I just prepared to talk and I did. Short segment about "Angst". 

Weird birthday horoscope

 

Unused idea for printmaking

Sometime in 1992 when I was taking Jack Cowan's printmaking course, I drew this idea but it never made it to a print.