Animator. Director. Artist. Scapegoat.
I’m finally using this great plugin for Flash, that even works with Ye Olde Macromedia Flash 8 (considered by most animators to be the best version ever made, far superior to Adobe’s crippled messes). The Library Symbol renaming tools alone have made me a fan.
I didn’t think this one out beforehand, but as I was staring at the animated gif of the Roman soldiers and the one of Judah “The Hammer” Maccabee, I thought, “what if I put these together?” This might make a violent and tasteless Channukah e-card for next year. Meanwhile, I have to animate more violence: the Romans have to smite the Hebrews, the Byzantines the Romans, then some Caliphates, Crusaders and Malmuks have to kill each other. Swords, sabres, battle axes, and maybe spears, I guess.
Judah Maccabee will ultimately prove no match for these guys. They happen to look exactly like some Macedonians I used earlier in the scene, but I gave up designing more costumes.
Judah Maccabee was the original “Hebrew Hammer.” Although the Maccabees figure into the story of Channukah, not Passover, they are included in the Brief History of Israel scene I’m working on.
Here’s our pal the Angel of Death, hero of the Old Testament, doing what He does best in a scene I’m working on.
It’s been slow going working on Seder-Masocochism. In fact I’ve hardly worked on it at all. Instead I’ve been shuttling between New York and Urbana, IL, attending Ebertfest, hanging out with my Momz, and dating this guy. This “human relationships” stuff takes time, time I could be sitting in a lonely garret with nothing to do but animate. But don’t worry, Urbana will eventually become as boring as I remember it growing up, and I’ll turn inward for solace once again.
Did I mention I plan to spend this Summer in Urbana? It’s just as hot and humid as New York, but the garbage cans are spaced more widely apart and there are fewer tourists. Plus I will have access to a swimming hole out in the prairie. After 8 consecutive Summers in densely-packed New York, that alone is reason for me to spend the hottest months away this year.
Well that was exhausting. I recorded 3 Seders, 2 in Urbana IL and 1 in New York. One would have been enough, dayenu. I expect it’ll take months to go through all those hours of audio; that’s the masochism part. Here are the digital audio recorders the generous Kickstarter backers paid for:
Right before I flew to Urbana I was in Salem, MA, for a Sita screening and Q & A at the excellent Peabody Essex Museum. My friend Margo Burns met me there and snapped this photo in a nearby Salem churchyard:
Dayenu, dayenu, dayenu!