Dude, That's Insane: A Tribute to Chris Reimer

A collaborative animated film in tribute to Chris Reimer.

Produced by the Quickdraw Animation Society and the Chris J. Reimer Legacy Fund.

Animation contributions, titles, editing and production support by Tyler Klein Longmire.

Screenings:

  • Debut screening at Sled Island Music and Arts Festival, Calgary AB, June 2015.
  • Online premiere with CBC Music, Fall 2015.
  • Ignite! Festival for Emerging Artists screening series, Calgary AB, summer 2017.
  • Equinox Vigil, Calgary AB, Fall 2015

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

A collaborative animation featuring contributions from 17 artists, Dude, That’s Insane was inspired by the music and drawings of the late Women guitarist, who was also known for his work with The Dodos, Azeda Booth and Gold, among other projects.

Seventeen animators, ranging from indie veterans to first-time artists, were each given a pair of Chris’ drawings to bring to life however they saw fit, with the last frame of one artist's animation becoming the first frame of the next. The result is a freewheeling, patchwork project that is at times irreverent and anarchic, and also meditative and reflective. Backed by a compilation of Chris’ unreleased ambient music, it’s a celebration of the power of art to inspire creativity.

Quickdraw would like to thank all of the artists involved (listed below), as well as Chris’ friends and family for helping make this film a reality. We also would like to thank the generous support of the Calgary community, who donated artist fees to this project through Calgary Arts Development’s InvestYYC platform.

The filmmakers
The artists involved, in order of appearance, are:
Ben Jacques
Ryan Von Hagen
Francesco Van Der Zwaag
Chad VanGaalen
Heather Kai Smith and Neal Moignard
Kiarra Albina
Tyler Longmire
Andrea Hoff
Norma-Jean Harvey
Robert Starratt
Laura Leif and Dana Schloss
Brian Batista
Brandon Blommaert
Sonki Sharar
Bradley Lewter

TYLER'S NOTES:

This was one of my first big projects as the Production Director at the Quickdraw Animation Society. I contributed 20 seconds of animation, made all the titles, and edited the entire film together. That was a tricky task: each animator was assigned a shot, and each submitted segment needed to flow seamlessly into the next in the final film. There was a lot of massaging of frames, gentle coaxing of transitions to make everyone's bits flow together.

Once complete, we had a really neat debut screening at Sled Island, then sent the film to festivals around Alberta. There was an online debut of it on the CBC website, though the page seems to have been memory-holed. It's been included in some international Quickdraw retrospective screenings too, though I can't seem to find the link.

Chris Reimer was a totally cool dude around town. I listen to Women a lot, classic indie rock vibes. He inspired a lot of people, and I know he is missed to this day. It was an honour to help put together this tribute to him.