Feature Length Documentary Produced By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Looks At Legendary New York City Basketball Team in the 1930s-40s
“<a href="http://kareemabduljabbar.com/osg/.>On The Shoulders of Giants” is a new documentary that looks the history of professional basketball through the prism of the Harlem Rens, a pioneering basketball team from the late 1930s, and features three key animated sequences created by <a href="<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com. “>Calabash Animation (<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com.). The film recently had premieres in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles and is currently airing on pay-per-view in select markets.
“The producers wanted this film to be graphically strong,” says Sean Henry, <a href="<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com. “>Calabash Animation Executive Producer. “There is literally no film footage of any of these major championship games, and although their historical importance is significant, they barely got a footnote in the newspapers of the time. Our goal was to provide visuals that would fit the story and the setting and the mood of the film. A large percentage of our time was spent just developing the style of the animation.
“<a href="http://kareemabduljabbar.com/osg/.>On The Shoulders of Giants” honors the greatest basketball team you’ve never heard of — a group of sports pioneers who have been all but forgotten to time, and it celebrates the legacy of a magical game. It tells the story of Bob Douglas, who loved the new sport of basketball and was determined to make it profitable. To do this, he would not only have to fight for the game itself, but against the rampant racism that was determined to see him fail. His team, the New York Renaissance Big Five, affectionately known as the Harlem Rens, became the embodiment of a new attitude among African Americans who fought to be recognized for their abilities rather than for the color of their skin. They were the precursors to those brave men and women who, twenty years later, would found the Civil Rights Movement.
The look Calabash developed has a dynamic, high end feel, but avoids anything overly cartoony or silly. The style takes is cues from the distinct look of urban artist Justin Bua (www.justinbua.com), who contributed original art to the film.
“We weren’t trying to copy him exactly, but be in keeping with his overall sensibility and style,” Calabash animator Eric Meister adds.
For the Calabash creative team, the ultimate challenge was to find a way to depict these games and their intensity through animation.
“It is not easy to capture the physical nature and beauty of the game of basketball in animation,” Henry notes. “In the end we decided not to try to perfectly simulate the action of the game, but rather to tell the story with visuals that complimented the narrative.”
Credits (3 key animated sequences)
<a href="<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com. “>Calabash Animation, Chicago, IL
Creative Director: Wayne Brejcha
Executive Producer: Sean Henry
About <a href="<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com. “>Calabash Animation
Led by Creative Director Wayne Brejcha and Executive Producer Sean Henry, <a href="<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com. “>Calabash Animation, Inc. (<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com.) is the Chicago, IL-based animation production studio, known for its award-winning cel, 3D and stop-motion animation for the advertising and entertainment industries. <a href="<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com. “>Calabash Animation is perhaps best known for their creative development of some of America’s most beloved brand icons. In addition to working on some of today’s top advertising the company has also produced several acclaimed short films. It’s 2002 short ”Stubble Trouble” was nominated for an Academy Award in 2002. Its most recent “Botnik” will hit the festival circuit in Fall 2008. For more info about <a href="<a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com. “>Calabash Animation: <a href="www.calabashanimation.com.>(www.calabashanimation.com..
For more info about “<a href="http://kareemabduljabbar.com/osg/.>On The Shoulders of Giants” and to see a trailer for the film visit http://kareemabduljabbar.com/osg/.
Video Credits
Calabash Animation, Chicago, IL; Creative Director: Wayne Brejcha; Executive Producer: Sean Henry Contact:Right Word Media Ray Ecke p. 973.726.3797 f. 973.726.3798 c. 201.741.1092 Contact Ray via email
“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More