Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Kaj's earliest films: B&W theater commercials
When Kaj graduated from school in the summer of 1945, it was hard to get into animation. He didn't know a grown man in the whole country who knew anything about it. His only way to learn was go to theatres, watch Disney and Popeye cartoons, and work it out in his head.
In 1946, Kaj started working in an advertising agency, making animated commercials for theatres. He made seven films, in zigzag order: one ambitious, one safe, some to impress himself, some to avoid trouble.
These black and white films are highly influenced by the Fleischer Popeye cartoons. They brought the attention of Kaj's mentor-to-be, Borge Ring. Shortly afterward, Ring set up an animation studio in Vedbek and Kaj came on staff.
Eventually Ring got in touch with David Hand, former director on Snow White and Bambi. In 1949 Hand finished working at the J. Arthur Rank studio in England, and Borge Ring invited him to Denmark as his guest. Hand could stay as long as he wished, under one condition: he had to lecture about Disney animation.
Kaj vividly recalls David Hand saying that “For every 10 thousand drawings you see on screen, another 10 thousand had to be made to find the finished drawings.”
Bad news!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Laugh Lines
I apologize for the recent lack of posting, school deadlines got my full attention this past month. To start posting again, I've chosen "Laugh Lines" a wonderful documentary film the NFB has made about Kaj.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Kaj's Artful Explanatory Films
After his service in the Danish military, Kaj proceeded to make explanatory films for the public sector. A film he made to explain the inner works of a steam engine caught the attention of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB for short).
Having been commissioned by the Royal Canadian Air Force to make a film explaining the inner works of a Jet engine, the NFB knew that Kaj was the man for the job.
I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Blog
In 1959 , the NFB wanted Kaj to stay on staff for more explanatory films. Not keen on being type casted Kaj returned to his original ambition- making cartoons.
Ensuring the interest of the CBC, Kaj went to work on a TV pilot featuring his character "Peep". in the inventive spirit of the NFB, he developed a set-up to animate "Peep" on adding machine paper. During that time, a young talented British man named Derek Lamb arrived in Canada hoping to find work for the NFB. Soon enough, Derek started making a film based on the children's nonsense song "I know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly". It took a while for this project to take off.
Why is that, you ask? It turns out it was missing a bit of Pindal. Here's the story, in Kaj's own words:
"At a party one Saturday evening, Derek cornered me, and I guess we all had something to drink, but he made me promise that I would be the new animator on "The Old Lady" (laughs). So the following Monday when everybody was sober, I was pulled into the office of Wolf Keonig, who was now the head of the animation department, and he told me bluntly, that I was now responsible for this film. Not only that, I had to see it carried out, within reasonable time and budget. Further more, I was now made responsible for the money that has been wasted on it up to now (laughs).
So I wasn't too happy with it in the beginning, but I was moved into a large office, together with Derek. He brought in his guitar everyday, he knew that I have been kind of drafted on to this job, so he really checked my mood everyday. If he felt I wasn't in a good enough mood he would strike on his guitar, and sing a very funny song, and you can't help getting in a good mood with something like that! We became very good friends, because it turned out to be a wonderful experience to work with him.
I want to say I think both of us learned from one another, I had much longer experience with animation than he had. But he was a musician, he was a performer, he had this showmanship about him, that I could learn from. Derek had an ability to spot talent in people, not just for drawing and animation, but also for voice, he never went to an agent to find talent, he went out in the park, and could spot a good voice. That's a good quality to have! Derek had an enormous strength at the sound side of the film. I should tell you that his father was a gentleman farmer, but his hobby was to play magician on Saturdays and Sundays. Derek was in the audience, and he learned so much about making animation from his father, because of the play with the audience. He wanted you to see certain things, not to see other things, mislead you to believe that magic happens, which it doesn't. In a way, to go to a magician school is probably a very good school for an animator (laughs)."
Kaj and Derek continued to collaborate with each other, most notably on the films "Karate Kids" and "Goldtooth" which will be posted soon.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Meet Kaj Pindal
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dec 1, 1927. In the 1980s, out of respect for International AIDS Day that was established on this same date, Kaj pulled his birthday back to November 31st.
Since then, Kaj is always one day younger than he used to be!
Occupation/Title
Cartoonist and Animated Filmmaker.
“I very strongly feel the difference in the way people react when I tell them I'm an animator. 40 years ago there was a lot of prestige about it, animators MADE animated films, today it's more like a link in an assembly line”
Bio Summary
In school Kaj was the class cartoonist (as popular as Hockey players today). At age 18 he started working in an advertising agency, making animated commercials. This brought the attention of famed animator Borge Ring, and eventually David Hand, former supervising director of Snow-White and Bambi.
Kaj proceeded to make explanatory films for the Danish army and motor companies. So in 1957, when the National Film Board of Canada (a.k.a 'NFB') were commissioned to make an explanatory film about jet engines for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Kaj was invited to NFB bureau in Montreal, where he animated his way through their first golden age.
Kaj proceeded to make delightful cartoons which revived the rubber-hose animation style of the 1930s. Many of his films were made to deliver important messages, including public safety, anti-smoking, and even AIDS prevention.
Kaj also worked for Richard Williams in London and for Korty Films in San Francisco. He created "Peep and the Big Wide World" at the NFB, which was developed into an Emmy Award winning TV series.
Kaj has been teaching at Sheridan College for the past 3 decades, continuously inspiring those who are passionate about Animation.
Pindal and friends vol.2- Ward Kimbal
Below is rare footage from Kaj's collection: Ward Kimbal demonstrates how to rotate Mickey Mouses' ears! As well as operating Mr. Pindal's electric train.
Monday, March 8, 2010
"Biet Anton"- Rare animated commerical
In 1951, Sweden was very prosperous, and its residents were among the most movie-going people on the world.
Sweden had more money to spend on commercials than Kaj's Native Denmark. His friend Kjeld Simonsen was invited by an advertising agency to pitch storyboards for an animated commercial. The intended commercial was for a Swedish savings bank. Kaj, Kjeld and Ib Steinaa teamed up to make an album of storyboards and cel models that would far exceed the client's expectations.
The ad agency offered them a contract to produce the commercial. Since it had to be produced in Sweden, Kaj and his friends set up their studio in Stockholm.
Kaj animated the main character, Kjeld Simonsen animated the rest of the bees, Ib Steinaa painted the backgrounds and composed the music.
Their leisure time had also proved to be beneficial, as it helped them become better animators- while Danish theaters exclusively screened Disney and Popeye cartoons, Swedish theaters would run the rest of Hollywood's Golden Age output, Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry to name a few. Can you imagine the excitement that ensued?
It was also thanks to their patron, Mr. Cederroth that Kaj was first introduced to Norman McLaren's films from the National Film Board of Canada, where Kaj would later make some of his finest films.