Triathlon Commence

The HoC and RedRover family is starting up their very own Studio Triathlon! Each player will be put through the grueling events of:
Ping Pong - this sport requires you to hit a miniscule target traveling of speeds up to VERY FAST with and equally tiny paddle
Pool - not the swimming kind, I wish we could fit a pool in here
Foosball - in the words of Abed from Community "I think its European, It's probably a more important game over there, it's like the soccer of pingpong....."

Only the fit will last and only one can reign champion.......... who will it be?

DoggyTime

Did you think all House of Cool did was make cartoons? Well, that's mostly correct but over that last couple of years we have been dabbling in app development. I am please to announce that we have just release our newest app called DoggyTime. It'a a cute app for dog lovers who want to keep track of their dog's age in dog years. Jeffrey Thompson is responsible for most of the artwork. Go download it for free on iTunes or click on this link.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/doggytime/id503776820?ls=1&mt=8

www.doggytimeapp.com

Let us know what you think of DoggyTime and write a review on iTunes.

Stay tuned for our other apps in development. They are going to be game changers in the animation industry. That's a promise!

-Ricardo (Man of the House)

BROWNSTONES

While Ricardo was head of story on Horton Hears a Who!, he met Chad Walker and Dave LaMattina, two Blue Sky employees.  At the time, Chad was a story PA and Dave was an assistant to the director.  On the side, however, the two had joined with their friend Clay Frost to form a production company called Copper Pot Pictures.  Chad and Dave casually told Ric about a documentary Copper Pot was making called BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT, which was about a pen pal program connecting sixth graders living in Brooklyn, NY housing projects with war orphans in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  Ricardo offered the support of House of Cool and, over the next few years, he and Wes helped mentor the first-time directors.  BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT went on to a successful festival run, with stops at the Sarasota, Aspen, Tallinn, Brooklyn, San Francisco and Seattle International Film Festivals among others.  In Seattle, the film was a runner-up for the Golden Space Needle Audience Choice Award.  Additionally, it was a centerpiece for the San Francisco International Film Festival's Schools at the Festival.

Now, Canadians will finally have a chance to see it.  The film has just been added to the lineup at the Toronto International Film Festival's "TIFF Kids" and will have it's Canadian premiere on Wednesday, April 18th at the TIFF Lightbox Theater.  To view BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT's TIFF screening schedule, please click HERE.

While on the festival circuit, Copper Pot Pictures also undertook a significant fundraising campaign to help the kids profiled in the film.  In September 2011, the team returned to Sierra Leone to attend the opening of a new school built by their efforts (see the new school HERE).  During their trip, they shot with Major League Soccer star Kei Kamara, who was in Sierra Leone to play with the national team.  The resulting short documentary, simply titled KEI, will premier at the Bermuda International Film Festival later this month.  Next up for Copper Pot is I AM BIG BIRD, which profiles Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who has been Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since Sesame Street began in 1969.  At 78 years old, he has no intention of stopping.  For updates about all of Copper Pot's projects, follow them on Twitter.

Game Of Thrones in Toronto!

Have you seen or read Game of Thrones yet? If the answer is yes then you might be interested to know that the TIFF Bell Lightbox will be host to HBO's Game Of Thrones Exhibition, March 9-18th. The best part is tickets are FREE!! And before you ask what this has to do with animation, have you seen the first season? If you have then you shouldn't be asking that question and if you haven't go watch it.

http://tiff.net/gameofthrones

In Search For The BEST Intern!

House of cool is in search of a kick butt intern. Here are some of the credentials we would like to see on your resume.

- Computer Science Student, must know python, has an interest in working in the media field.
- Knowing Maya & Nuke are a plus but not expected.

If you think you got what it takes email us at apply@houseofcool.com || subject: "Best Intern".

Spirited Away: The Films of Studio Ghibli March 10 - April 13 at TIFF Bell Lightbox

"Often referred to as the Disney of Japan, Studio Ghibli has created some of the most wondrous and groundbreaking animated films in the history of cinema. Discover (or re-discover) such classics as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and many others in this fifteen-film retrospective." - tiffbelllightbox

This is something not to be missed.................Enough said.

The New Kid In Town

So we have had our debates before about Starbucks vs Timmy's but there is a new kid in town. Balzac's! (not to be confused with "ball-sack"). Unfortunately it is nowhere close to the studio, sigh'. I personally prefer this company over the big chains. Great coffee, awesome treats and a wide array of different kinds of milk. Just thought I'd let the rest of the world know so they can be just as excited as me!

I guess the studio will still only be filled with the empty cups of Starbucks, Timmy Ho's and the occasional  trendy organic vegan no gluten coffee shop that was opened for six months down the street.


http://www.balzacscoffee.com/

picture of their distillery district location! Also one in Liberty Village.

Cheesecake is an Artists Fuel

This morning we received the best gift of all "Cheesecake"! Thanks to Ben Pilgrim the studio is not only fueled on creativity and drive today, but on something that is covered in chocolate, made out of chocolate, with a chocolate filling and a hint of caramel.

How will we ever face another day without this wonderful slice of heaven. Thanks again Ben! Your talent for making cheesecake must get you tons of girls!

 

Cheesecake at the desk always makes them work faster!

 

If you're around come by and have a slice before it's all gone!

Hugo

As a preproduction studio it's always difficult to show work we do on films because they are often not released for years after we've worked on them. Here are some development images we did on The Invention of Hugo Cabret (now titled Hugo). These were done about four years ago before Martin Scorsese was involved. The bulk of them were done by Normand Lemay.

House of Cool's Next Top Storyboard Artist!

We are in search for the next cool storyboard artist - Jr. position available. Can you handle our cool? Send us your work and you could be working and learning from some of the top feature story talent in Canada.

Send applications to apply@houseofcool.com

From Pool Table to Ping Pong

Since our last trip to spin everyone has been itching to play. Our Pool table got an upgrade today!!! But can Wes figure out how to put it together?

Rio Talk

Carlos was awesome talking about Rio. His presentation was polished and very informative. A real pro.

It's always nice to see someone who is as down to earth as Carlos be so successful.

Here is a shot from the talk and the lunch after.

Lill' Red and Gainer at it again!!

Here is the new SaskTel videos done by our brother from another mother Redrover! Great works team!
They also added an outtake video to show you not everyone or every fish is perfect :P Enjoy!

Red Rover Reel 2012

Here is the good works of Scotty! The 2012 Red Rover Reel!

Carlos Saldanha from Bluesky coming to down

We are pleased to have Carlos come to Toronto to talk about some of the film's he's directed including his newest release RIO. Come check it out!

January 23rd @ the Tiff Bell Light Box, 350 King St W
Event starts at 11:30


Hey Everyone,