March 30, 2006
Let Loose!
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
"It's your birthday, let loose" features an older woman, with a beehive
of pink cotton candy hair and ample proportions, removing her bra, and
letting herself loose. What ensues is a mockery of bouncing breasts.
Funny to watch, but more amusing is the feedback. Feedback from men who
are worried that women might be offended.
I find it highly hilarious that men honestly believe that we women don't
find out own breasts humorous. How can we not? Even those of us in the
Itty Bitty Tittie Committee are aware of our own breasts. We're as up
front about our breasts as we can be, and that includes being able to
hoot and holler over extremely animated hooters.
And men, aren't you the first to laugh at a movie where a man is hit in
the crotch? Entire movies have been built on this premise -- movies that men love.
OK, women too. And we don't watch these movies wondering if men are
offended, we just laugh at them. We don't need to have the same
equipment to share a laugh.
Obviously, if you don't think the recipient is likely to bust out in
laughter at receiving a "Let Loose" ecard, don't send them the card and
make a boob of yourself. But don't think that just because she's a
woman she's not going to laugh. Most of us will find it udderly
amusing.
Posted by photocartoonist at 12:59 AM
March 29, 2006
I Swear I Don't Know The Guy
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Fresh off the success of Brokeback Mountain, Kickback Mountain depicts
the unnatural love (of money) between two men.
Jack and Georgie are a couple of buckaroos with moola to burn on this
camping trip in the mountains. Partners in political corruption, the
two ride roughshod over the very flock that Georgie is supposed to
shepherd. Their dirty deeds of fleecing and midnight cowboy antics are
a far cry from moral confusion; this is sordid business.
Kickback Mountain offers more proof that politicians take (as well as
make) strange bedfellows -- and what's worse, they don't even claim to
remember the names of those they bunk with.
We may not know where the buck stops yet in this troubled love
affair between two cowboys. But we're pretty sure if we stop looking,
we'll all feel more than a little sheepish.
Posted by photocartoonist at 3:13 PM
NoEvil Productions Achieves a New Level
By THOMAS HUDSON REEVE
Kickback Mountain achieves a new level of accomplishment for the Dreamteam.
It’s good. It really is, thanks to everyone.
The creativity of the team coordinated very well. The artists each added something
uniquely their own, but it all works so well together. And yet we are around the world
from one another! Amazing!
Although every teamster didn’t leave actual fingerprints on Kickback, everybody shares
in the success or failure of our ambition to create work of the highest quality, and all
our work has been steadily improving. This is not only gratifying; it is the key to our
chance for success.
We don’t have an uncle who owns a network, or a friend in publishing, but we
actually have some talent.
We feel that if we make good use of the web it is conceivable that works of quality
and integrity will have a chance to rise into view, find an audience, and lead to
new opportunities. However, since this option is open to absolutely everyone,
only our best can avoid being overwhelmed by the sea of amateur mediocrity.
The main thing we do is make e-greeting cards.
It is creative work, and there has been enough of a market – thanks to Kat – for us to
get this far.
However a greeting card is a limited form. It is a friendly salutation from me to you. It’s
pretty simple and although we can stretch it, the requirements confine the possibilities;
it must always return to the one and only conclusion – Happy Birthday (or whatever) to you.
So what can we do besides e-cards? What topic is worth the attention of our brilliant team?
Political satire and social commentary is the answer.
One reason is that it opens up all the possibilities of narrative storytelling – it can be more
fun, but the most important reason is that the 2006 U.S. elections are crucial in America’s
effort to begin to change the course of our Federal government. If the Democrats can make
significant gains in Congress we may still be able to rein in an Executive Branch that is
galloping head long down the wrong road. The citizens of this great country must wake-up.
They must reaffirm that this is a democratic republic by electing honest representatives.
They must flush the corruption from the halls of power before it is too late, before
the republic is completely subverted.
If we can make people laugh and think about the stupidity, deceit and hypocrisy –
it is a disgrace! - we will be defending the principals that are the true foundation of the
country: The Rule of Law, a government “Of the people, by the people, and for the people”.
It is a time honored American tradition. Blogs and the Internet can be like the Colonial
pamphleteers (Thomas Paine most famously) who printed small handbills criticizing and
satirizing the rule of King George III and passed them around among the common citizens.
The NoEvil logo depicts the fabled 3 monkeys known for diligently eschewing evil. But our
monkeys, rather than covering up, hold the tools of communication. The monkeys of legend
are meant to warn against participation in evil, but they are sometimes taken to recommend
a life of willful ignorance. This is incorrect, I believe, but an understandable conclusion in a
confusing world where there is seldom a crisp line between good and evil.
(That’s why they invented sports).
These Monkeys do not participate in evil they participate in Good. They look, they listen,
they speak – just not evil.
Posted by photocartoonist at 12:58 AM
March 28, 2006
A Torch Song to Unpaid Taxes
By KAT CAVERLY
AtomFilms goes deep into the Heart of Taxes!
Today our short "Audits on my Mind: Deep in the Heart of Taxes"
was showcased as the lead in Atom Film's newsletter, which is seen
by over 1 million subscribers!
Written by me and our NoEvil composer Chris Leap, Audits on My Mind
is a tribute to Willie Nelson's past run-in with the IRS and a spoof of
Bush economics. "...the air is free, for now!"
Posted by photocartoonist at 9:08 PM
March 23, 2006
More Than What You Say
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Amy Vanderbilt once said, "Good manners have much to do with the
emotions. To make them ring true, one must feel them, not merely exhibit
them." She may well have been speaking about greeting cards too.
Like the tired Wal Mart greeter who mumbles 'hello,' or the crabby
receptionist who barks her 'hello' in such a manner that it sounds more
like a 'sit down' command; it's not the words, but how you feel them,
that makes or breaks a greeting.
So when selecting a greeting card, it's not always about finding the
exact perfect wording -- it's near impossible for someone to predict all
of what's in your mind. But cards can capture the feeling, the essence
of your emotions.
It's the warmth, spirit and readiness of the greeting which matters most.
Send your wishes with genuine and sincere emotions, and the recipient
will feel them. Really. It's the same magic mom uses to read the words
'I Love You Mom' on every drawing you ever made.
So it doesn't matter if you wishes are spoken, delivered via email, or
created from the cheapest construction paper and paste by pudgy little
fingers. Just open your heart, and let your spirit pour out.
Posted by photocartoonist at 1:53 PM
March 17, 2006
I'm not Irish but I still need a Kiss
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
After the big holiday season ends January 1, people have had enough of
the hustle and bustle -- and, it seems, of one another. We take to our
homes, avoiding contact with the outside world (people, events and
weather) as much as possible. Even on Valentine's Day many of us prefer
snuggling in private to fancy dinners out in public. Like bears
hibernating, we must stay in for awhile.
However, as the weeks turn to months, cabin fever sets in.
The weather may or may not be more mild, but we find ourselves so tired
of the same old walls, and bored with entertaining ourselves, that we
must put ourselves into circulation again. But it's now mid-March...
There are no big holidays with fancy meals, gifts to buy, or events with
formal attire to attend, yet we are as desperate as a teenage girl
for a social life!
What are we going to do?!
We're going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, of course! Even if we are
not Irish.
I myself can say that the only Irish thing about me is that I've made,
and eaten, under-cooked potatoes, but on March 17, I'm so in need of
human interaction, that I am willing to lie about my heritage, pass the
hazing rituals of green beer, and kiss complete strangers. How about you?
Posted by photocartoonist at 1:22 AM | Comments (1)
March 16, 2006
Do Unto Yourselves
By KAT CAVERLY
I do unto you. You do unto them. They do unto others. It's a three-ring
vicious circus that is on a perpetual worldwide tour. And here come the clowns;
the politicians!
Dressed all up in suits and with all their pretty words, it just boils down to
another tale of vengence. Except the victims have nothing to do with the
previous crimes.
Watch Do Unto Others, a film by Thomas Hudson Reeve and Anders Worm,
featuring music by Chris Leap, all members of Team NoEvil.
Posted by photocartoonist at 6:09 PM
March 13, 2006
Why DO Women Talk So Much?
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Men often ask these questions:
"She just had lunch with her today, why does she need to be on the
phone with her tonight?"
"Why does it take her so long for her to tell one lousy story?"
"Why does she need to send a birthday card to her sister if she's going
to see her at the party on Saturday?"
Men are clearly frustrated by women's need to communicate -- nearly as
much as women are frustrated by the silence of men! So why do
women talk so much?
A female brain can, and will, effortlessly, put out 6,000 to 8,000
spoken words a day. A man's maximum spoken verbage lies between 2,000 to
4,000 spoken words daily -- and if watching my dad and husband is any
indication, it's not without great effort. All of this has its roots
in our survival as a species.
Men evolved from hunters who didn't do much talking. (If you've ever
seen your grandpa and uncles hunt and fish, you know this to be true.
Hours and hours go by, and no one speaks.) While there is evidence to
support that communication was needed among early hunters, most of it
was done prior to setting out to hunt, leaving little for discussion
during the hunting trip itself. This was practical. Too much noise
(conversation) would alert the prey -- at best scaring it away; at worst
turning hunter into hunted.
On the other hand, women went out-and-about not to hunt, but to gather.
As they did this activity in groups, they would keep up a stream of
conversation in order to make sure no one had fallen behind or prey to
animals. For a woman, conversation was literally life itself!
The many life-saving conversations among our female ancestors consisted
of sharing the details of the day's work with other members of the
group. This is also practical, since gathering is all about the
details. You have to know each leaf pattern and shape, and not just
what color, but what shade it is; because eating the wrong plant or
picking the berry at the wrong time could mean death. What better time
to educate the younger or newer members of the group than to with show and
tell? These detailed training conversations are still alive among
gathering societies today -- be it 'primitive' cultures or women
'gathering' at the mall.
When you look at these detailed life saving conversations, it's easy to
see why we women use twice the number of words of our male
counterparts. But there's another aspect to this communication as well.
Think about these groups of women relying upon one another to be trained
in the subtle art of gathering. As they walk along, bent over, looking
for signs of edible goodies, they are also listening to the voices of
the group members. They are not merely listening for tips on spotting
safe foods or cries of 'deep red ripe berries over here!' but for the
tone of voices. Does she sound alarmed? Does she sound too far away?
Urc's been quieter than usual... is she sick? Again, they are paying
attention to the details in the voices themselves. And they also
listening for what is missing... Has Ug's voice been heard recently?
Is she missing?!
Conversations like these, discussions which are clearly meant to teach
and share as well as look out for each other, build trust. You are
entrusting your own life, the lives of your family members, to the other
group members. You have to trust that the information is good. You
have to trust that these people are listening to you.
For women, talking and sharing are bonding experiences which help them
build relationships. Women learn how to trust and who to trust by
communicating and paying attention to the smallest of details. Having
communication reciprocated, to know that others are listing, is a reward
too. So the cycle continues.
Women talk so much because communication never fails to make women feel
understood, comforted and supported. It's proof that we matter! And we
do delight in letting others know that they matter too.
Posted by photocartoonist at 11:09 PM | Comments (5)
March 9, 2006
Juiceball Goes WAC-O
With MLB opening day just weeks away, isn't it time you were prepared
for what you might see?
We're so in the mood for this festival of Americana, that we'd like to
bring Juiceball back to your attention.
Juiceball is an animated short. It's funny. But since it's satirical
commentary on two All-American pastimes, baseball and fast foods, it
often hits more nerves than homeruns.
If you're the sort of person who finds humor in, well, what is funny --
or if you'd like to make a statement about this bigger-is-better
mentality, you can vote for Juiceball at World Animation Celebration
Online (WAC-O), Animation Magazine's Online Short Film Festival.
We'd hope you'd vote just because it's funny. But we'll accept social
commentary votes as well. After all, a vote is a vote, and we want the
biggest, most super-sized pile of votes we can get.
Posted by photocartoonist at 9:26 PM
March 7, 2006
All Manner of Manners
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
In 1922, Emily Post the philosopher suggested a way of living: "Manners
are made up of trivialities of deportment which can be easily learned if
one does not happen to know them; manner is personality -- the outward
manifestation of one’s innate character and attitude toward life."
While I am in no way suggesting that we return to such formal or rigid
customs such as calling cards (with specific specifications for men
and for women) -- not even the Emily Post Institute suggests this
-- but I do think it's important to consider Post's point of view,
that manner is the outward manifestation or presentation of
one's character and attitude towards life.
One way to positively display your manner or character is through
manners. While many think of manners as some formal, perhaps even
antiquated and out-dated set of foppish behaviors, manners are
one way of easing the stresses of living among other people. Saying
'excuse me' when sliding past another in an elevator, holding the door
open for the person behind you, covering your mouth when you cough, send
a 'Thank you' for a courtesy recieved, these are more than good habits;
they are public ways of showing our respect for others as well as
self-respect.
And these actions are courtesies which need not be for public display
only. Too often we forget to include those nearest and dearest to us,
especially those we live with, such actions of respect. It's a shame
really, for if manners are a way to make communal living easier,
wouldn't we be better off to demonstrate them at home as well?
What's more, if we really love and value these people, why not show them
our considerate character and positive attitude toward life? Why not say
'excuse me' when sliding past your spouse in the kitchen, hold the door
open, cover our mouths when coughing, deliver a 'thank you' for some
generosity shown by a member of the household... Surely if they make our
lives richer, we can afford to not skimp on such gentle luxuries, and
flaunt our happy attitudes.
As John Cassis said, "It's nice to be important, but it's more important
to be nice."
Posted by photocartoonist at 5:58 PM | Comments (1)
March 4, 2006
The Guy in the Back with the Glockenspiel
Before there was the a Dream Team per se, there was Kat with a dream and
Team Tommy. Team Tommy consisted of Thomas Hudson Reeve, Kat's husband
-- and I'm guessing plenty of tablets with 'to do' lists.
Tom first met Kat when she had left the commercial and fashion studios
of Chicago for New York. The year was 1981, and Tom remembers meeting
Kat: "She was getting her toehold on the isle of Manhattan in the
traditional way, working at a Restaurant."
He began helping Kat with photography for her paper greeting cards. At
first her photo greeting cards were all her own shots, but later she
developed card designs that featured photographs of herself as some
character, especially Shirley, and so at that point she enlisted Tom to
be her photographer.
Tom himself had studied theater, photography and filmmaking and began a
career in the film business where he has been for nearly 30 years. It's
been 30 years of learning everything he can, looking over everybody's
shoulder to see why they do what they do, preparing for that 'some day'
when he could make his own movies.
D. W. Griffith, the first great movie director, said "A painter needs
only a canvas and brush, but a motion picture needs an army", which is a
great quote, but I find Tom's account of film making more enlightening:
"As with any endeavor as complex as professional film production there
are hundreds of people for every one big name. Like a symphony
orchestra, a film crew has many artists, players and workers who all
contribute, but only in concert. If you are lucky enough to find a part
to play in big film production, you will also find that you must
specialize and dedicate yourself to that part. You will be smack-dab in
the middle of it all yet paradoxically distant from the dream of making
a movie that had started you down that garden path so many years
before. Mozart wrote it, Bernstein conducts, and the guy in the back
with the glockenspiel? That's me. But if the dream persists in you as
it has in me, you will never be completely satisfied to just settle in
to the specialty and leave it at that."
So as Tom works 60 hour weeks on the Big Show, learning all he can, Kat
works at building The Dream Team, "creating the opportunity for us to do
what you can't do by yourself: make a movie." And just because there is
a Dream Team, this doesn't mean that Team Tommy is without his 'to do'
lists -- Kat keeps crackin' the whip, err, making sure he's kept busy
writing scenes and dialogue. Tom's not complaining, "Even if it's a
'Concerto for spoons and kazoo' and not the full orchestra, it means a
lot to create something from your own thoughts for a change."
Tom's favorite project is always the last one he wrote, except at this
moment his favorite is one that he had little to do with: The Hip Hop
Happy Birthday card. This card is also a classic example of the team
effort or orchestra Tom described earlier.
"The card is the product of a give and take between Suzanne and Chris,
which then switched on Anders imagination with great results. Kat gave
some guidance, I may have nodded with approval once or twice, but those
guys inspired each other and the whole was greater than the sum of the
parts."
So here's to Team Tommy, the guy in the back with the glockenspiel,
assisted by the rest of The Dream Team, all working on concert to create
'Concerto for spoons and kazoo' -- sure to be shown at a theatre near
you in the not too distant future.
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Posted by photocartoonist at 7:27 PM
March 2, 2006
E-cards vs Paper Greeting Cards
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Many people cite convenience as a reason for sending e-cards. Not only
are they easy to send, with a few quick clicks, a few more keystrokes,
and one final click to send, but they may be a saving grace for those last
minute folks. And of course, it can be much easier to search for and
locate that perfect card at home rather than at the store with impatient
children, or husband, in tow. But are e-cards acceptable?
According to Emily Post's site, yes! When asked if it is
acceptable to send holiday e-greetings, the reply was "Yes -- if your
intended recipients are frequently online and you're fairly certain that
they would welcome this type of greeting."
And this of course, means that you should know your card recipient
well. Miss Manners believes that letters are better than greeting
cards, and so likely believes that greeting cards are better than
e-cards -- so if you have a proper and formal person in your life,
e-cards are likely not the best option.
While it may seem obvious not to send an e-card to Great Aunt Edna
either because she's not online or she is the more formal type, there
are other times that e-cards are not appropriate.
For example, some folks are vary wary of 'opening' e-cards. Even if
they are safe, your recipient may not believe so, and
your greeting will not be read. 'Not read' is as good as 'not sent'.
Others may only have internet access at work, and sending personal
e-mails to people's work addresses may be a problem as many companies
have policies against receiving and sending personal e-mail at work. If
your greeting isn't outright blocked, the recipient may get in trouble
-- which is likely not the way you want to be remembered for sending
birthday wishes.
And of course, there are some situations with some people in which e-cards
may be in bad taste. Some of these include condolences for the loss of a
loved one through death or even divorce. And, in some cases, e-cards
sent for romantic purposes may well end in, well, a reason for another
to send you a condolence card. Know your recipient!
So e-cards have not replaced paper greeting cards -- they have not even
decreased the use of paper cards.
In a recent article, the Washington Post notes that the rise of e-cards hasn't
diminished the popularity of old-fashioned paper cards. In that piece,
Valerie Cooper, executive vice president of the Greeting Card
Association, is quoted as saying "I think because people are e-mailing
so much, they're connected to a lot more people than they were 10 years
ago."
So it seems that building your friends and contacts in a digital world
increases your real world connections.
Posted by photocartoonist at 11:04 PM
March Madness
Stuck between winter and spring, the weather forcasts more snow for
New York City today. Well I am over and done with it. I think I'll take a
hybernation day!
What do you do when you get the winter blues?
---Kat Caverly
Posted by photocartoonist at 1:35 AM