PES (director)
PES | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Personal information | ||||||||||
Born | Adam Pesapane 26 May 1973 Dover, New Jersey | |||||||||
Education | University of Virginia (BA) Delbarton School | |||||||||
Occupations |
| |||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||
Channel | ||||||||||
Years active | 2007–present | |||||||||
Genres |
| |||||||||
Subscribers | 4.19 million[1] | |||||||||
Total views | 1.40 billion[1] | |||||||||
| ||||||||||
Last updated: January 28, 2024 |
Adam Pesapane (born May 26, 1973), known by the pseudonym PES, is an American director and animator. He has created several
After receiving a B.A. in English Literature at the
PES' distinct use of everyday objects and stop-motion animation has garnered a positive reception from critics and audiences. His other known works are the short films Roof Sex, KaBoom!, Game Over and Western Spaghetti.
Early life
Pesapane was born on May 26, 1973, in Dover, New Jersey,[4] the son of an elementary school principal and a hairdresser.[5] The name "PES" is a family nickname deriving from the Italian surname "Pesapane".[6]
Pesapane grew up in an Italian-American household in the Budd Lake section of Mount Olive Township, New Jersey, and showed an early facility for drawing and painting.[7][8] He attended Delbarton School, one of the nation's top private high schools,[9] where he began exhibiting and selling his artwork.[5]
Pesapane attended the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar. In 1995 he earned a B.A. in English Literature and wrote his senior thesis on James Joyce's Ulysses. In addition to his English degree, Pesapane studied printmaking throughout all four years of college. He wrote and illustrated his own books, hand printing them using 15th-century techniques, and even made the paper they were printed on by pulping his own underwear.[10][11]
In his senior year at U.Va, Pesapane lived on The Lawn, one of the University's highest honors. He lived at 33 West Lawn, in the room directly above the cornerstone of the University set by Thomas Jefferson in 1817.[12][13]
After graduation, Pesapane moved to New York City where he landed his first job in the creative department of
Once inside the agency, Pesapane had daily exposure to award-winning commercials, short films, and music videos from around the world and first began thinking about making a film of his own. He cites the work of the Swedish directing collective Traktor, Michel Gondry, and Spike Jonze as influences from this period.[10][11]
In 1998, while still working at the agency, Pesapane made his first film, a live-action short called Dogs of War. Based on a dream Pesapane had about hot dogs being dropped as bombs, the 48-second film "anticipates PES's animation work through the use of absurd humor, placing everyday objects in unfamiliar situations and slick editing that clearly shows the influence of advertising films."[15]
Career
2000s
PES's first animated film, Roof Sex which was released in June 2001, features two life-sized chairs having sex on a New York rooftop. Though only a minute long, the film took 20 shooting days to complete.
The war short KaBoom! (2004) was instrumental in defining the artist's personal style and approach to animating objects. The film features an atomic airstrike on a miniature city using children's toys and festive objects such as gift bows, Christmas ornaments, and clown-head cupcake toppers. Originally commissioned by
In October 2006 PES released his short Game Over, PES recreated classic arcade death sequences (from the games
In July 2008, PES released his short Western Spaghetti. The film shows PES cooking spaghetti (the hands in the film are PES's
In November 2007 PES launched his own version of the classic "Yule Log" television program, creating a miniature fireplace loop using pretzel logs and candy corn animated in stop-motion. It was the world's first animated "Yule Log." Originally released in an edition of 1000 DVDs, the film is now available to stream in 4K on the director's YouTube Channel.
PES has also directed over 75 TV commercials, including spots for The Gates Notes (2021),
2010s
In December 2010, PES's short "The Deep" premiered in Episode 1 of Showtime Network's "Short Stories" series (PES's films were the source of inspiration for the series).[24] "The Deep" features various metallic objects including old hand tools, nut crackers, calipers, film lenses, faucet knobs, chains, skeleton keys, a bike horn, a belt of bullets, and a piece of a flute that come to life as mysterious sea creatures. The film is an imaginary nature documentary.
In March 2012, PES released
On December 8, 2014, PES released Submarine Sandwich, the third film in his stop-motion food film trilogy, and the follow-up film to Fresh Guacamole. The film is set in an old Italian deli in which all the meats and cold cuts have been substituted with vintage athletic equipment such as
As in Fresh Guacamole and Western Spaghetti the hands featured in the film are PES's. The role of the butcher in the film is also played by PES, the first time the director has made a
On March 12, 2012, Deadline Hollywood reported that PES was set to direct a feature film based on the Garbage Pail Kids trading card series originally published by Topps in 1985.[29] The film was to be based on a story by PES and writer Michael Vukadinovich. Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner was set to produce the film through Eisner's The Tornante Company. The film was later cancelled.[29]
On November 17, 2012, Wired magazine reported that PES has a second feature film project in development entitled "Lost & Found." Based on an original idea and incorporating the director's signature style, PES is teaming up with and Katz/Smith Productions and the writer Seth Grahame-Smith on story development.[5]
His commercial for Honda, "Paper", received an
In August 2016 a new commercial PES directed for the Honda Ridgeline premiered during the Opening Ceremony of the Rio Olympics. Officially called "The Power of Ridgeline", the spot is the director's largest production to date and features workers (who appear as ghosted blurred streaks) building a massive version of the Honda Logo utilizing materials they brought to the location using Ridgeline pickup trucks. The film was mostly shot in-camera and features a mixture of long exposure photography, stop-motion animation, live-action, and CGI.
Filmography
Short films
- Lens Smash (2018)
- Still Life (2018)
- Submarine Sandwich (2014)
- Black Gold (2014)
- Fresh Guacamole (2012)
- The Deep (2010)
- Western Spaghetti (2008)
- The Fireplace (aka Yule Log) (2007)
- My Pepper Heart
- Cake Countdown (2007)
- Game Over (2006)
- Making of KaBoom!
- KaBoom! (2004)
- Fireworks (2004)
- Making of Roof Sex
- Pee-Nut (2003)
- Drowning Nut
- Baby Nut
- Moth
- Marriage is for...
- Prank Call (2003)
- Rogue Peanut
- Roof Sex (2001)
- Dogs of War (first film, 1998)
Commercials
- The Gates Notes "Mosquito Week" (2021)
- Corona x Parley "THE FISH" (2019)
- Samsung "Octopus" and "Ice Block" (2018)
- Hoka One One "Bondi" and "Yee-Haw!" (2018)
- Honda "Clarity" (2017)
- Honda "The Power of Ridgeline" (2016)
- Android "Fingerprints" (2015)
- Honda "Paper" (2015)
- Lipton "Mussel Beach" (2015)
- Ford Italia Tennis - 5 Vines (2015)
- Samsung Galaxy K Zoom - 3 Vines (2014)
- CitizenM Hotels "Swan Song" (2014)
- Het Klokhuis (Title Sequence) (2013) (NL)
- Kinder Surprise (2011) (UK)
- Washington State Lottery (2010)
- Scrabble "60th Anniversary" (2008)
- More Than "Journey"(2008)(UK)
- More Than "Motor"(2007)(UK)
- More Than "Home"(2007)(UK)
- Sprint (2007)
- Sneaux Shoes "Human Skateboard" (2007)
- PlayStation PSP "Fred" (2006) (UK)
- PlayStation PSP "Milo & Maria" (2006 (UK)
- Orange Telecom "Socks" (2006) (UK)
- Blue Cross (2005)
- Coinstar "Gift" (2005)
- Coinstar "Book" (2005)
- Bacardi Coco (2005)
- Bacardi Razz (2005)
- Bacardi Apple (2005)
- Bacardi Limon (2005)
- Coinstar "Inspired Coins" (2005)
- Los Angeles Dodgers "Bobbleheads" (2005)
- Nike "Wild Horses Redux" (2003)
- MoveOn.org "Missing" (2003)
- Glacier Glove
- The Learning Channel "Beasty Boy"
- Tic Tac "Whittlin' Wood"
References
- ^ a b "About PESfilm". YouTube.
- ^ a b "Nominees for the 85th Academy Awards", Oscars.org, January 10, 2013
- ^ a b "Animation Basks in Oscar Spotlight", The New York Times, January 30, 2013
- ISBN 9780826429568. Accessed December 1, 2017. "Born in Dover, New Jersey, PES says that he says that he was always interested in art."
- ^ a b c "Meet PES, the Stop-Motion Genius Who Turns Grenades Into Fresh Guacamole", WIRED.com, November 17, 2012
- ^ Robinson, Chris. "PES Play", in Animators Unearthed: A Guide to the Best of Contemporary Animation, Continuum, 2010, pg. 57
- ^ "PES Talks 'Fresh Guacamole'", AWN.com, February 6, 2013
- ^ Hyman, Vicki. "Oscars 2013: Budd Lake's PES nominated for best animated short for appetizing Guacamole", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 24, 2013. Accessed December 1, 2017. "Maybe you, like Adam Pesapane, have glanced at a mound of avocados in the supermarket and mistook them, for a moment, for a stockpile of grenades.... The Budd Lake native and Delbarton graduate is nominated for best animated short for "Fresh Guacamole," an infectiously entertaining stop-motion wonder that clocks in at one minute and 40 seconds, the shortest film ever nominated for an Oscar."
- ^ "How The Schools Stack Up", The Wall Street Journal, December, 2007
- ^ a b "Fairly Long Interview with the Director of the Shortest Film Ever Nominated for an Academy Award", in 1985, Jonathan Mayor, 2014
- ^ a b "Oscars: PES aims for a long shelf life with 'Fresh Guacamole' buzz", Los Angeles Times, John Horn, February 23, 2013
- ^ Lawn & Range Directory 1895-2016
- ^ Timeline of the Founding of the University of Virginia, Monticello.org
- ^ "PES: The Deep", Motionographer Interview, 2011
- ^ Robinson, Chris. "PES Play", in Animators Unearthed: A Guide to the Best of Contemporary Animation, Continuum, 2010, pp. 58
- ^ a b "The Making of Roof Sex" by PES
- ^ "Bio from Ottawa '05 International Animated Festival". Archived from the original on 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ ""Game Over" interview with PES, The Animation Show, 2006". Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ Original interview with Toru Iwatani, transcribed from Programmers at Work, Microsoft Press, June 26, 1986. [1]
- ^ "PES discusses the creation of Western Spaghetti", Digital Arts Magazine, August 1, 2008.[2] Archived 2008-12-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Top 10 of Everything 2008", TIME Magazine, December 2008
- ^ "Sundance Shorts Awards Announced", January 21, 2009
- ^ ""Glittering Delight", Paste Magazine, June 2008, p.16". Archived from the original on 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ^ "Showtime SHORT Stories - Trevor Noren / PES Interview", The Reel (UK), January 24, 2011
- ^ a b "PES dices with magic", 1.4 magazine (UK), March 2012
- ^ "Oscar Nominated Short Films 2013". The New York Times. 2013.
- ^ "Fresh Guacamole". The New York Times. 2013.
- ^ ""PES on Stop-Motion & Making of 'Submarine Sandwich'", ImageChaser.com, December 17, 2014". Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
- ^ a b "Michael Eisner’s Tornante Company Behind Feature Adaptation Of ‘Garbage Pail Kids’", Deadline.com, March 12, 2012
Further reading
- Gasek, Tom. Frame-By-Frame Stop Motion: The Guide to Non-Traditional Animation Techniques. Focal Press, 2011. ISBN 0240817281
- Levy, David B. Directing Animation. Allworth Press, 2010. ISBN 1581157460
- Robinson, Chris. "PES Play." In Animators Unearthed: A Guide to the Best of Contemporary Animation. Bloomsbury Academic, 2010, pp. 57–70. ISBN 0826429564
- Wells, Paul, Johnny Hardstaff and Darryl Clifton. Re-Imagining Animation: The Changing Face of the Moving Image. Fairchild Books, 2008. ISBN 2940373698
External links
- PES at IMDb
- PESfilm.com, Director's website. Selected films available here.
- PES's channel on YouTube
- Director's Facebook page Some behind-the-scenes material here.
- LATimes feature on PES in Los Angeles Times, February 23, 2013
- Chapter on PES in Animators Unearthed, Continuum, 2010
- PES interview in Animation World Network in AWN, February 2013
- PES interview in Salon in Salon, February 2013
- Make Magazine article on Western Spaghetti, June 2010
- PES talks Directing Commercials in Directing Animation, Allworth Press, 2010
- WIRED article on PES in WIRED, November 2012
- "The Deep" interview with PES at Motionographer, January 2011
- "Fresh Guacamole" Interview with PES in 1.4 magazine (UK), March 2012
- PES set to direct Garbage Pail Kids movie at Deadline.com, March 2012