▁effects ▁department ▁and ▁helped ▁out ▁with ▁camera , ▁labor atory ▁and ▁sound ▁work ▁when ▁he ▁could . ▁Ho ed eman ▁spent ▁his ▁even ings ▁taking ▁courses ▁at ▁the ▁School ▁of ▁Fine ▁Arts ▁in ▁Amsterdam ▁and ▁the ▁School ▁of ▁Phot ography ▁in ▁The ▁H ague . ▁As ▁his ▁skills ▁improved , ▁he ▁took ▁on ▁more ▁complex ▁work , ▁including ▁trans itions ▁and ▁models , ▁and ▁eventually ▁began ▁design ing , ▁editing , ▁and ▁direct ing ▁commer ci als . ▁ ▁Ho ed eman ▁imm igr ated ▁to ▁Canada ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 5 ▁with ▁his ▁then - w ife , ▁on ▁the ▁chance ▁that ▁the ▁National ▁Film ▁Board ▁of ▁Canada ▁might ▁h ire ▁him . ▁He ▁showed ▁up ▁at ▁the ▁N FB ▁with ▁a ▁re el ▁of ▁his ▁previous ▁work ▁under ▁his ▁arm , ▁and ▁within ▁days ▁land ed ▁a ▁job ▁as ▁a ▁production ▁assistant . ▁His ▁first ▁major ▁project ▁there ▁was ▁an ▁educational ▁film ▁called ▁Cont inental ▁Dr ift . ▁He ▁then ▁moved ▁to ▁the ▁recently ▁created ▁French ▁An imation ▁Studio ▁and ▁made ▁what ▁he ▁called ▁his ▁first ▁" real " ▁film , ▁O dd ball , ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 9 . ▁W ant ing ▁to ▁learn ▁more ▁about ▁stop - m otion ▁animation ▁techniques , ▁he ▁went ▁to ▁Czech oslov ak ia ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 0 ▁to ▁study ▁pu ppet ▁animation . ▁ ▁On ▁his ▁return , ▁he ▁ ▁produced ▁the ▁innov ative ▁and ▁char ming ▁children ' s ▁film ▁T ch ou - T ch ou