Water Drops – #Animation

This short is called “Water Drops” by vimeo artist seccovan, who calls it a compilation of “some old stuff.” Beautifully rendered work. You can find more on the animation process here.

“The Old New World” (Photo-based animation project)

For lovers of both photography and animation (like my wife and me) this video is a natural fit. It is a marvelous piece of animation with camera projection based on old photos. In the first video, take a steampunk time machine trip through parts of New York City and Washington, D.C. Now, take a short…

The Nature of Things: 3 #Animation Films

Although I’ve been a lifelong fan of animation, when it comes to selecting films to show here, I’m much less fan than I am fellow writer. I have no thematic bent; however, I do look for shorts that tell a story in their brief allotted time. Here are 2 such videos, which combined should take…

Perfekte Geist

At their basest elements, animation should evoke an emotional response of some sort before they can claim to be successful. Here are a couple of animation pieces that elicit strong, if different, emotional responses. The first is “Geist,” from Giant Animation Studios. In it, a shipwrecked fisherman is led to a dark secret. The second…

Between Models and CGI – The Hybrid Animation of Tiny Inventions

Here is a sweet fairy tale (for adults) about two clocks for whom time is always relative. It is called “Between Times” and is produced by the wife and husband team Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter (tinyinventions.com). A second, behind-the-scenes film on the animation duo follows. Enjoy. Behind the Scenes: the story of Tiny Inventions…

Behind the Scenes: Simpsons Couch Gag by Sylvain Chomet

Here’s a nice video showing the process by which animators put together the Simpsons Couch Gag in the style of famed artist Sylvain Chomet. For completeness, the final product is below.

Contrasting Videos: Bat vs. Ghost

First, a sweet, colorful video entitled I’m a Bat, produced as a 4th-year project at California Institute of the Arts by Lauren Adassovsky. The message here is “Know who you are.” The second video, while also an old-school “drawn” animation (as opposed to stop-action or CGI) is a film titled The Chase in the Ghost…

Insight: Brad Bird on #Animation

“You are constantly trying to get the audience into the state of feeling, how things feel, rather than how things are.” — Brad Bird This excellently animated (illustrated?) five-minute films features Brad Bird, writer and director of animated films The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, providing insights into his process and why many people…

Denise

Denise follows the story of a young obese woman roaming the hills of Easter Island. While trying to figure how she can possibly accomplish her journey, she also has the chance to find her true self and accept who she really is.

Witness

My wife and I both like animation, perhaps more than we like live-action films. As such, we thought that perhaps we’d start sharing some animated films we’ve stumbled across. Here’s the first. Note the strong animation and atmosphere of the piece. The blurb is below. In order to avenge the death of his wife, a…