About the Films
Landscape with Duck
Kinografx's animated short film, Landscape with Duck, is now winging its way to film festivals. The 3-minute short tracks the adventures of a wayward duck who misses the migration south and struggles to catch up to his companions. Animator Patrick Neary uses a combination of traditional, hand-drawn animation with some digital compositing for the backgrounds.
The original idea for "Landscape with Duck" was probably stirred by the constant yammering of ducks that live near our Portland home. Initially the story was almost somber, emphasizing the isolation of the duck who misses out on the southward migration. Many of the spare backgrounds were homages to Edward Hopper paintings. As the animation work began, the film evolved into a slapstick comedy which was more fun to watch, and much more fun to animate!
The simple, black and white style is directly inspired by George Herriman's "Krazy Kat" comic strip of the 1920's and 30's, as well as the Fleischer Bros. and Ub Iwerks cartoons of the same period.
The short took several months to complete, with the character animation and backgrounds drawn with pencil on paper, then scanned into a Mac and finished in Toon Boom, After Effects (for compositing characters and backgrounds), and Final Cut for editing and sound work.
So far, Landscape with Duck has been selected for Prescott, Ashland and Durango Independent FIlm Festivals.
 Otis v Monster
Otis v Monster pits Man against Wilderness in troubled economic times. To create the 3-minute clay animation film, Patrick Neary painted backgrounds, created miniature woodland scenes, and sculpted each clay character – a process taking several months. Contributors to the production included Susan Elhardt (set material) and Kevin MacLeod (composer). Everything else was crafted by Patrick: script, characters, props, lighting, cinematography, picture and sound mix. The film was shot frame-by-frame on an old 35mm Mitchell camera – with a history of being used for Korean war-era missile testing – on Fuji Eterna 35mm film. At the lab, the film was scratched on every single frame, then miraculously restored by some digital voodoo at Alpha Cine Lab.
Code: Bigfoot C.I.A.
Code: Bigfoot C.I.A. is another take on Bigfoot’s story, as an indentured servant of the Federal Government. Patrick created this cartoon with classic ink and paper, trying out a variety of animation techniques, including use of clear animation cells and compositing in Photoshop.
About the Animator: Patrick Neary
Drawing on his expertise as a cinematographer, Patrick Neary brings a rich visual style to motion graphics and animation projects. His portfolio of work combines the tools of traditional illustration, drawing and painting with state-of-the-art motion graphics software. Patrick's 2009 clay animation short film Otis v Monster has been featured in ten film festivals to date, and won Best Regional Film at Tacoma Film Festival.
Patrick works in a variety of animation techniques, and applies these skills to motion graphics and video production for commercial projects. National and regional clients include Microsoft, Fox TV, REI, Montrail, Hillsboro 2020 and South Sound Radiology. Our clients love the way great animation enlivens their corporate and commercial videos!
Major Awards!
 Otis v Monster
Best Regional Film: Tacoma Film Festival
Official Finalist: Nickelodeon Animation Festival
Official Selection: 1 Reel Film Festival
Official Selection: Couch Fest Films
Official Selection: Anchorage Film Festival
Official Selection: California International Animated Festival
Official Selection: DC Shorts Film Festival (2010) and DC Shorts REWIND (2011)
Official Selection: Ashland Independent Film Festival
Official Selection: Sarasota Film Festival
Official Selection: Prescott Film Festival
Festival Screenings
DC Shorts REWIND: January 28-29, 2011
We are so pleased to announce that Otis v Monster was selected to play at REWIND – the best of 7 years of DC Shorts, screening January 28-29. This popular event sells out year after year.
Landscape with Duck: Official Selection at Durango Independent Film Festival
Happy New Year! Landscape with Duck has been been accepted into Durango Independent Film Festival, March 2-6, 2011.
Otis v Monster World Premiere at Bumbershoot
September 2009: Otis v Monster premiered at Seattle's 1 Reel Film Festival, September 5, 2009. 1 Reel is put on by the Seattle International Film Festival Group as part of Bumbershoot, Seattle's city-wide music and arts festival. The screening enjoyed a sold-out theater and an appreciative audience. Patrick Neary joined other animators onstage after the show for a Q&A. News
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