Candyjam

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Candyjam
Directed by Joanna Priestley
Joan C. Gratz
Produced byJoanna Priestley
Joan Gratz
CinematographyJoanna Priestley
Joan Gratz
Edited byJoanna Priestley and Joan C. Gratz
Music byR. Dennis Wiancko
Production
companies
Gratzfilm
Priestley Motion Pictures (1988)
Release date
  • 1988 (1988)
Running time
7 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English

Candyjam [1] is a 1988 7 minute 35mm short animated film animated collaboration by ten animators from four countries produced and directed by Joanna Priestley and Joan C. Gratz. The animation was made with clay painting, drawings, puppets and object animation. [2]

Contents

Synopsis

Candyjam [3] is a whimsical, animated collaboration by ten animators from four countries. Candy is the subject and each filmmaker brings their own unique style to this experimental film which includes animated candy and objects, clay painting (a technique invented by Gratz), [4] drawings and stop motion animation.

Process

Joan Gratz and Joanna Priestley met at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival in Japan in 1985, where both filmmakers had films in competition. During the trip, Priestley collected Japanese candy, which struck her as stunningly beautiful and elegant. She showed the candy to Gratz and asked her about using candy to make a film together. Gratz suggested inviting other filmmakers to direct segments of the film. Eventually they asked ten directors from four countries to create segments for Candyjam: David Anderson (London, UK), Karen Aqua (Cambridge, MA, USA), Craig Bartlett (Los Angeles, CA, USA), Elizabeth Buttler (Cambridge, MA, USA), Paul Driessen (The Hague, the Netherlands), Tom Gasek (Cambridge, MA, USA), Marv Newland (Vancouver, BC, Canada) and Christine Panushka (Valencia, CA, USA). The directors were asked to create a one minute segment of animation using candy.

The directors sent back 35mm and 16mm film and Paul Driessen sent a stack of drawings on pink paper. The final format of Candyjam was 16mm. Both Gratz and Priestley were fans of Marv Newland's Anijam, a collaborative film made in 1984, so they chose the title Candyjam. Animated short films where multiple directors produced separate segments eventually became known as 'jam films'.

Release

Candyjam premiered in 1988 and was re-released on DVD in 2006 by Microcinema International. [5] It was screened in 11 film festivals and was shown retrospective screenings of Joanna Priestley's films including at the Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA), Masters of Animation Festival (Trivandrum, India), American Cinematheque (Los Angeles, USA), REDCAT in Los Angeles in April 2009, [6] Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN, USA), Hollywood Theatre (Portland, OR, USA) on March 10, 2014 [7] and the Sweaty Eyeballs Animation Festival in Baltimore, MD on October 18, 2019. [8]

Credits

Awards

Festivals

Screenings

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References

  1. ↑ Candyjam at the Internet Movie Database
  2. ↑ Candyjam (1988) - Plot at the Internet Movie Database
  3. ↑ "Candyjam (1988)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Animator Joan Gratz Embraces Technology To Create Her Newest Films". Oregon Public Broadcasting.
  5. ↑ "Animator Joanna Priestley Celebrates 20 Years on DVD Set".
  6. ↑ "Joanna Priestley: Fighting Gravity". July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Joanna Priestley Retrospective".
  8. ↑ Davis, Phil (October 2, 2019). "Joanna Priestley Guest Retrospective". Sweaty Eyeballs International Animation Festival.
  9. ↑ "Candyjam - Awards at the Internet Movie Database
  10. ↑ "Candyjam - Awards at the Internet Movie Database
  11. ↑ "Candyjam - Awards at the Internet Movie Database
  12. ↑ "Candyjam - Awards at the Internet Movie Database
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