Lev Polyakov - Artist & Animator http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp Sat, 28 Oct 2006 04:14:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 en Trip to Los Angeles http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/09/03/5/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/09/03/5/#comments Sun, 03 Sep 2006 21:37:48 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp2/2005/03/15/5/

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/09/03/5/feed/ AWN interview http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/07/07/awn-interview/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/07/07/awn-interview/#comments Fri, 07 Jul 2006 19:22:15 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2006/07/07/awn-interview/ Recently I just came back from a fanastic trip to Annecy, and now to make for more good news, I got interviewed by AWN:

The Animated Winners: Indie Short Filmmakers Speak

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/07/07/awn-interview/feed/ New Film. New Beginning. http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/03/29/new-film-new-beggining/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/03/29/new-film-new-beggining/#comments Wed, 29 Mar 2006 19:38:34 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2006/03/29/new-film-new-beggining/ morning-hog.jpg

Going to college really allowed me to improve my skills, as well as my production process. My new film “Morning, Day, Evening, Night, and Morning Again” was done in just three months, and I don’t think I was ever deprived of so much sleep as I was while finishing it. However it was all worth it, now that it is finished and is most definetely superior to any film I did before. But now I see that I can do a film 5 times better than this finished one. I have just finished storyboarding for my top secret 5th Film, and I see that everything including story is a long mile away from when I first started animation. Wish me luck.

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/03/29/new-film-new-beggining/feed/ Looks like those work nights spent at the morgue really paid off… http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/01/18/nights-spent-at-the-morgue-really-paid-off/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/01/18/nights-spent-at-the-morgue-really-paid-off/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2006 06:29:18 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2006/01/18/looks-like-those-days-spent-at-the-mourge-really-paid-off/ First, I want to wish a happy new year too all. And secondly decree that I have updated the sketches section which now features most of my new drawings that I have been doing all this time, including lots of hands and feet from the mourge that I have visited part time on the weekends. More of my bigger, non- sketchbook drawings will be coming up. Also, I have another new section called …, where I upload random doodles of pigs and other oddities from my sketchbook and give each one a name (from left to right). And last but hopefully not least, my new film is getting completed but there is still some more shading and music to be done.
hands drawing

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2006/01/18/nights-spent-at-the-morgue-really-paid-off/feed/ The winner is Piper! http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/09/30/the-winner-is-piper/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/09/30/the-winner-is-piper/#comments Sat, 01 Oct 2005 03:22:16 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2005/09/30/the-winner-is-piper/ I am still in shock over the result, but it is so that my 3rd animated film “Piper the goat” won the High School/Secondary School category in the Ottawa International Animation Festival competition. This is the first time that the Ottawa Animation Festival merged with it’s Student Animation Festival into one grand safari of a festival, and I am honored to have been part of that experience. I want to thank my mom, dad, grandmother, and uncle for encouraging me to make this film with all of my strength. But now that months have gone by after finishing “Piper”, and I am doing backgrounds for my mysterious top secret 4th film. I hope to make my family more proud with this new film, and I know that I am bringing something very special to life at this moment. It has been a pleasure to meet all you wonderful people at the Festival, and hope to meet you in the future.

And to end, here is a festival quote…

“The energy and bizarre humour of this high school student film suggests an original talent with great promise.”
OIAF jury

“The promise will be kept”
Lev Polyakov

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/09/30/the-winner-is-piper/feed/ My dad’s website opened! http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/08/12/my-dads-website-opened/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/08/12/my-dads-website-opened/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2005 22:27:53 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2005/08/12/my-dads-website-opened/ My dad, Alexander Polyakov is the first person who taught me how to draw, more importantly first person to teach me about life. Without him I would have probably ended up working as a window cleaner in a gas station. And it is a great pleasure for me to present my father’s website http://www.alpstudio.com it is full of my dad’s paintings, backdrops, wooden toys, and nutcrackers. He is an inspiration to me, and I hope he will be an inpiration to you too.

Wooden Rooster

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/08/12/my-dads-website-opened/feed/ Piper grazing in Ottawa http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/07/18/piper-gazing-in-ottawa/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/07/18/piper-gazing-in-ottawa/#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2005 17:19:12 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2005/07/18/oh-ottawa/ Ottawa Poster

It seems like yesterday that I was in Ottawa, feeling unsure and a bit scared as I sat in a Canadian bar covered by the blazing heat of the sun, and slapped by the cold north wind. My shirt was soaked from the sweat of running from one place to the other in search of a place to eat, and not getting a chance to change shirts since our hotel room wasn’t ready yet. All this however, was not the reason I felt strange after arriving in Ottawa. This was the first film festival I have ever attended, and I felt like a newbie on a planet of veterans. Half a year later now, I still consider myself a newbie. But the experience of Ottawa (and now also Annecy) entered inside me, and now I feel more comfortable then ever in going to these festivals. But this year, I have a new experience as “Piper the Goat” is in competition. Wish me luck!
Here is the link to the festival

Now though, my mind is firmly set on my new project. And I am glad to say that all is going very well with it. The animatic is done, and the music is being made.

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/07/18/piper-gazing-in-ottawa/feed/ The Faces of Annecy http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/06/20/the-faces-of-annecy/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/06/20/the-faces-of-annecy/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2005 04:37:46 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2005/06/20/the-faces-of-annecy/ Annecy
I’m back, baby! Annecy may be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life yet. But this is just the beginning. Anyway, Annecy is a really beautiful city, and the festival was full of great works! I got to meet the talent behind the works, as well as meet back with the guys from NY. Congradulations to “The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morrelo” for winning the Annecy Cristal for best short film. But honestly, I would trade 10 cristals for a bunny (which was awarded to the director of a very fun german film)

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/06/20/the-faces-of-annecy/feed/ Annecy Time! http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/06/03/asifa-and-cartoon-brew-bits-2/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/06/03/asifa-and-cartoon-brew-bits-2/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2005 19:35:06 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2005/05/03/asifa-and-cartoon-brew-bits/ In about an hour, I will embark upon a voyage of immense proportions. The Annecy animation festival is certainly going to be a quite a highlight for me this week. Plus, I am going there two days before the festival starts, to catch some alpine goodness.

But Annecy isn’t the only good thing coming my way so far. I am almost done with the storyboards for my fourth animation. And after I get back, I will do the animatic with music. The music will be done by these guys you see in this picture. They are very talented musicians I hope they hit the big time really soon. Also, I will be animating a music video for them after Annecy as well. Here in this photo, I am telling them about my ideas for their music video, and my animation.

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/06/03/asifa-and-cartoon-brew-bits-2/feed/ ASIFA and Cartoon Brew bits http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/05/03/asifa-and-cartoon-brew-bits/ http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/05/03/asifa-and-cartoon-brew-bits/#comments Tue, 03 May 2005 20:17:14 +0000 admin Blog http://www.levpolyakov.com/wp/2005/05/03/asifa-and-cartoon-brew-bits/ dilly

First, I would like to congradulate Bill Plympton, Chris Conforti, Fran Krause, Jeff Medinkow, Nina Paley, Patrick Smith, PES, Signe Baumane, Tom Warburton, and those who’s names I don’t know, for winning in The 2005 ASIFA East Festival.

And a special hug for John Dilworth who won “best in show” this year. Here is a photo of him looking at the DVD of “Piper the Goat” that I gave him.

Also, here is a quote of Amidi’s from cartoonbrew.com in response to the Bobblehead caricature I drew of him:

The surest way to get a link on Cartoon Brew? Create a post on your blog titled “All Hail Amid Amidi” and draw a caricature of me surrounded by beaver clouds and other monstrous creations.

The surest way to scare the hell out of me? Create a post on your blog titled “All Hail Amid Amidi” and draw a caricature of me surrounded by beaver clouds and other monstrous creations.

So, guess what Lev Polyakov (a talented and quite young animator out of NY) did?

Thanks Amid, and I hope you have sweet dreams of sweet Beaverclouds in your sleep. See ya in Ottawa (or Annecy)

]]> http://www.crackpotfilms.com/wp/2005/05/03/asifa-and-cartoon-brew-bits/feed/