Announcing the Bray Animation Project!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

After years of researching and collecting materials, as well as recent months of toil, I am extremely proud to formally announce the launch of a new website that will be of great interest to film historians.

The Bray Animation Project, as I'm calling it, is a major research tool devoted to the 1913-1927 output of animated films from the Bray Studios. Combining imagery, videos, essays, and the most complete filmography published to date, the Project pays overdue homage to an early New York City film studio whose product has been painfully understudied.

Noted film and comics historians David Gerstein, Charlie Judkins, Mark Newgarden, Ray Pointer, Tom Stathes (yours truly) and Jack Theakston have provided informative texts for the site. The animated cartoon filmography can be viewed either chronologically or by series. It establishes whether each film is lost or survives (to our present knowledge), as well as noting whether an element has yet been collected for the Bray Animation Project proper.

There is also a discussion board included in the site. Film scholars, historians, fans and surfers are encouraged to post messages and connect with others through the site.

Without further ado, please visit the Bray Animation Project and pass along the word to your colleagues in the industry.

Cordially,

Tom Stathes
http://cartoonsonfilm.com

Hello from the Blogmaster

Some of you faithful readers may have noticed that after a long hiatus, there have been some new posts on this blog. Yes, while only slightly informational, they are mostly commercial in nature. The fact remains that few are able to or believe they should financially support archival film efforts so I have had to take steps in monetizing this blog which happens to have very good page ranking thanks to all of the links I've received. That said, I wanted to let everyone know that I have in no way abandoned my efforts: quite the opposite, in fact.

For the past couple months I've been working on a VERY special project that all you animation and film history enthusiasts will just love. It's a website devoted to my favorite early animation studio and it will be packed with lots of goodies, info and images you'll find nowhere else. The new site will even have a discussion board for all who want to talk about any aspect of the studio or early animation archiving in general. I will of course keep everyone posted.

Now- for those of you who have not seen this groundbreaking film, I would like to sign off this post with a lovely YouTube video I uploaded recently. Please excuse the poor video quality...my source on this film is not so good at all and a better copy is forthcoming.

New York Video Production

Those of us who know a thing or two about film history are aware that the industry flourished in the New York area. With its roots in the very late 19th century, most aspects of commercial production were born in or were perfected and monetized in New York and New Jersey. However, the Motion Picture Patents Company, of which Thomas A. Edison was part, drove then 'independent' film producers out of New York City. The MPPC's film camera patents only extended into the midwest, and the lush "free zone" of California proved to be the future hot bed for building a place where cinematic dreams could come true.

Clearly, most people think of Hollywood when discussing media production. California has historically been the center for film production but thankfully New York video production companies are still in full force and can be found with ease. After all, the medium was born here in New York and we in the film studies field are certain that will continue to be the case.

Annapolis Photography

Our friends at Roman Grinev Photography want to tell you a bit about their work in the photography industry. Roman Photography is a leader in the Maryland area and are especially renowned Annapolis Wedding Photographers.

The esteemed Annapolis wedding photographer Roman Grinev has captured occasional humorous subjects, as can be seen in the sample at the bottom of this post. The 'macabre' wedding cake reminds me of some of the darkly cute stop-motion animated subjects that have come out in recent years, wouldn't you agree?

That said, if you are in the Baltimore, Maryland area-- particularly Annapolis and are contemplating marriage, do contact the studio for specialized Annapolis Wedding Photography.


(Photo courtesy Roman Grinev Photography)

Today's compact Audio/Video Interface

In the years before I was a film collector, my main medium of operation was VHS tapes and their duplication. Thankfully, the VHS technology was simple and even kid-friendly, as I was dubbing tapes as an early grade school student. Film enthusiasts had great fun with VHS which relied primarily on the standard three-color RCA cables. Video dubbing in the home in the home is still relatively easy and accessible through a new and wide array of other electronics.

Today, we've moved on to other technologies. I can't say I've used all of them, but there are two new common types of video interfaces, both of which readers are probably familiar with. First there is the High Definition Multimedia Interface, which obviously makes use of HDMI cables. Second there is the Digital Visual Interface which utilizes DVI cables. It would be interesting to know who among us in the archival field use these technologies in their home setups.

FTC Disclaimer

Full Disclosure: Certain product listings on this site will be provided by third party affiliate partners; we will only have limited control over them. By using this site you agree to shop at your own risk.

NYC 10/30/10 Cartoon Carnival 7: Halloweenie!

The Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival 7: Halloweenie!

Picture this: you are a Runaway, cast into the belly of a dark forest, armed with little more than the clothes on your back. Sometimes, you have a friend with you - a trusty dog? - but company provides no consolation. Danger lurks around every turn; in the gnarled and spindly tree branches, the soft ground underfoot, even that seemingly inviting cabin at the edge of a clearing. Should you enter? After all, what’s the worst that could happen?

The whirl of the reel will drown your screams of terror when Tom Stathes, Master of the Millimeter, spins these spooky yarns of yore on 16mm!

Vaudeville Park and Cinebeasts bring you the first-ever two-part Cartoon Carnival! Bring the younger boys and “ghouls” to our matineé at 2pm, for flickering tricks and frightening treats! Stick around for the 7pm show when we unleash the truly macabre upon a captive, “boo”-ze infused audience! All films will be screened on vintage celluloid, hand-picked from Tom’s oceanic collection.

Program highlights include Willie Whopper in Hell’s Fire (Iwerks, 1934), Koko’s Haunted House (Fleischer, 1928), and the early Disney effort Alice’s Mysterious Mystery (Disney, 1926). Stick around for creepy cocktails, costume contests, and another famous raffle!

PROGRAM ONE:
DOORS AT 2PM
General Admission - $8
Kids 5 - 12 - $5
$1 off with any Halloween costume

PROGRAM TWO:
DOORS AT 7PM
General Admission - $8
$1 off with any Halloween costume

Location:
Vaudeville Park
26 Bushwick at Devoe (L train to Graham St / G to Lorimer)
Brooklyn, NY


Please check out our Facebook event page here and RSVP if you like:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...4611980&ref=ts
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ALSO
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Spend Late October with Tom Stathes!

Saturday, October 23rd at 7pm
Silent Animation and Ragtime
Good friend, ragtime/stride pianist and animation historian/student friend Charlie Judkins is accompanying a selection of silent cartoons culled from my DVDs. This will take place at The Community Bookstore, 143 Seventh Ave, in Brooklyn.
Event info here: http://communitybookstore.net/events/?p=1028

Friday, October 29th at 7:30pm
The Loose Caboose Halloween Show!
Ms. Tina Cione' and Shane Webb bring you a night of bumpin' and grindin' with comedic timin' at their vaudeville themed variety show.Every last Friday of the month The Bowery Poetry Club hosts un spectacle with vintage cartoons from Tom Stathes' Cartoons on Film, burlesque, comedie, music, and sideshow acts.Hosted by Juliet Jeske as Fraulein Shtup.
Event info here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=124880080900896&ref=ts

Sunday, October 31st at 2pm
MoMA: To Save and Project
Serge Bromberg Presents Walt Disney’s Laugh-O-Grams and Ub Iwerks Cartoons
This is part of what I like to consider the Disney discovery of the century...close friend and colleague David Gerstein has discovered the last of the missing (and fabled 7th) Laugh o Gram cartoons done by Walt Disney; his first series of animated cartoons. I was very exhilarated to be present during much of the discovery process and an amply due acknowledgment goes to Cole Johnson for helping to start the whole process.
MoMA is screening two of these prints which were actually in their collections for decades but misidentified. They have now been preserved...come see them with us!!!
Event info here: http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/films/1113

Last year I was participating in a panel at the 2009 New York Comic Con about animation in New York. I put together a video montage of animation that was produced in NYC when it was still the film capitol and the stronghold before the west coast studios gained most of the industry's prominence.

I've now uploaded the video which can be viewed here:

NYC 8/27/2010: Cartoon Carnival 6! Please Come!

**PLEASE RSVP ON FACEBOOK HERE**

Time
August 27 at 7:00pm - August 28 at 12:00am

Location
Attic Studios
11-05 44th road
Long Island City, NY

Cinebeasts, The Attic Studios and Cartoons On Film take great pride in announcing the Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival #6: TRAVELAFFS!

Just what are Travelaffs? We’ll call them those primitive belly laughs we’ve seen world-round by naughty children, gossipy coworkers, nozy neighbors or an folly-seekers. This time, the folly is on film, as NYC celluloid’s dean of 16, Tom Stathes, unleashes an epic maelstrom of classic - and controversial - cinema. This August, escape your summer into a macabre paradise of bizarre cartoons – we’re talking Terrytoons, Van Bueren Studios, Mutt & Jeff, Warners gems and more. On a celluloid flying carpet, transport yourself to faraway lands with further-away mores: taking you to the jungle, the big city, on the farm or in the desert, Tom will be projecting a strong 80+ minute battery of hand-doodles to drool over, all on celluloid as they were meant to be seen. It’s strong stuff.

This will be Tom’s biggest screening ever, located in the spacious (and air-conditioned!) Attic Studios in Long Island City, Queens – just a few minutes from Manhattan. It also promises a long-lost Max Fleischer (Popeye Meets Sinbad The Sailor, Out Of The Inkwell) Talkartoon which hasn't been publicly screened in decades — come see the premiere of a newly found print. It's Bimbo the Dog, with lots of great Al Eugster animation and a crazy Southern-style soundtrack. Further-to-the-more, there will be a bouncing-ball singalong number, abundant popcorn and a heavy dose of 1920s and 30s style attire!

The Attic Studios are located at 11-05 44th Road in Long Island City, Queens. For quick subway access, take the 7 train to Court Square or the G/M/E to 21st/Ely. Subway map below.

7PM DOORS / $6 ADMISSION / FREE POPCORN / DRINKS

http://www.cinebeasts.com/

http://www.atticstudios.net/

Old MacDonald, by Popular Demand

Brooklyn, NY: Cartoon Carnival #5 Rescheduled

Cinebeasts and Vaudeville Park are quaking with excitement to present The Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival for your viewing pleasure!

On Saturday, March 20th, the Cartoon Carnival will overrun Vaudeville Park for its fifth installment: a two-part program of hand-selected 16mm treasures abandoned by history and reactivated by whiz kid curator Stathes. Luddites, romantics, nostalgists, pop culture theorists, enemies of censorship, lovers, archivists, nerds, kids-at-heart, actual kids and armchair film historians are all welcome!

The lineup promises a mix of the bizarre, raunchy, and beloved: packed both with favorites and super-obscure characters and gags. The shorts range in vintage from the 1910s to the 60s, each one on the best possible print available. All cartoons fall within the public domain, but will be screened in stunning contrast to the pathetic discount DVDs and VHS tapes you see at garage sales and drugstores!

The evening also promises an OPEN BAR with custom cocktails, free popcorn, a bake sale to benefit Cinebeasts, and some classic 78rpms jazz records following the cartoons.

$6 at the door / OPEN BAR (with ID) / 7:30PM DOORS
RAFFLE! SNACKS!

Vaudeville Park (26 Bushwick Ave at Devoe, Williamsburg): L train to Graham / G to Lorimer

Please RSVP at our Facebook event page if you are registered on the site :-)

Cartoon Carnival 5- cancelled and postponed

Unfortunately we've had to cancel-- for now. The update as emailed to guests of the event on FaceBook:

Dear Guests,

I'm sorry to report that for reasons outside of my control, this show will have to be cancelled. It seems as if it will be postponed until late March and you will all receive an invite to the new event. Again, with deepest regrets, we are

Tom Stathes and members of the Cartoon Carnival and Cinebeasts.

Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival 5: Feb. 27th, 2010

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED- PLEASE SEE ABOVE POST.


You're invited to the 5th installment of the Tom Stathes Cartoon Carnival presented by Cinebeasts~ Come and see some classic cartoon characters you know and some ancient ones you've never heard of! This screening of rare 1910s-1930s animation is presented in 16mm with a projector--no digital aspect whatsoever enabling you to enjoy film as it was originally intended to be seen.

Also hear Charlie Judkins playing ragtime piano during intermission!

$6 at the door-
**OPEN BAR**(with ID)
DOORS AT 7:30

@Vaudeville Park, 26 Bushwick Ave at Devoe in Williamsburg. "L train to Graham / G to Lorimer"
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As usual, I'll be showing some old time favorites as well as hard-to-find silent animation.

You may RSVP on Facebook

And also join the Carnival's group on Facebook as well!

How NOT to write about film history...

...that is, consulting NO reference materials or expertise for accurate information! Read on for a good laugh at

Aviva Directory

Tom Stathes Interviewed

That's right, I've been interviewed. Check out the third issue of Stop Motion Magazine, a new and delightful online publication dedicated to all things Stop Motion Animation.