Wielding the Power of the Animation Gods...

Last week's assignment for the Stop-Motion Project went really well.  It was a completely new experience that involved a lot of creativity and patience.  The class was extended by one hour, but if we didn't have that extra time, then I doubt we would have pulled it off the way we did.  One of the main things that I learned from this project is that it takes detail and a different mindset in order to create a fluid animation.  

My group consisted of Debi, Clay and I, and one of the first things that we decided was the background to use.  We decided to go with a simple neon green background, because we found that it contrasted well with the colors of the other objects and as an added factor it wouldn't be a hassle to move around if the shots called for it to.  Luckily, I brought my Jabba the Hutt action figure, it became one of the main characters in the animation.  Since he had movable limbs, it made the motion less corny, more realistic (But seriously, how realistic can you get with a plastic replica of a Gangster in a galaxy far, far away...?).  Clay brought a crazy Cat Action Figure that looked sweet to battle Jabba, so Debi, Clay and I started pondering how they can duke it out in a unique way.  Using some of the art objects Debi brought, we found the perfect projectiles, and with the added bonus of having 3 lizard figures, we made a bloody spectacle out of Jabba the Hutt (Pretty Gnarly I must say...)  One of the cool and innovative ideas that came out of the shot was the uses of the fuzzy pipe cleaners and making them become lasers and explode with star shapes.  They could be easily manipulated into any shape and fit well within our scheme for the shots.  

For the frame rate with the 8mm camera, for some shots we shot three frames and for others we used two shots or one.  This unevenness made it more realistic for separate actions.  I really liked using the 8mm camera and I wish I could have had the opportunity to experiment with it more, but hopefully in the future I will be able to.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Animation Project.  My group members were fantastic and I thought the process was sweet.  I am excited to see how the footage came out.  

WOO!

Where is my Chewbacca PEZ dispenser??

I checked the website www.eatpes.com out recently and I found myself liking it alot.  The "Short Shorts" section was really neat, because it used the common household objects and personified them.   Starting with "Cake Countdown"  I could tell how much time he puts into it since you can see that he uses a large amount of pictures to make the animation fluid and seamless.  The Moth short intrigued me even more since I wondered how he made the paper clip suspend without seeing any strings or wires.  Even though these shorts are never longer than half a minute, there are different layers of experimental and animation engrained in the films.  As I begin to comprehend the process of animation, it is clear that it takes time and dedication to pull of the shots.  I must be honest, I am not the type to be able to concentrate my focus in frame by frame animation, I have a better chance at staying awake in a Mizoguchi film, then putting all of my attention the compostion of the shot.  But hopefully I will pull something off that looks interesting for once.  

The films we watched in class were awesome, espically KaBoom, and the behind the scenes was eye opening of the simplicity of how Pes went about making the film and the inspirations behind it.  It is amazing that with just a little imagination and some random stuff can one make cool stuff.  I am looking foward to the shoot tomrrow and the animation project that we will be doing.  It may be a little tough to get used to but I feel good that I can accomplish something.  I really want to learn about the Super 8 camera and get my hands on it and see all that it can to.  In the past couple of weeks I have been having a blast getting to mess with film as the medium itself and the complexites of it.  All the high budget movies of today and it is good to know that with just a roll, we can make a different kind of film ourselves and in some cases it will be better than the films in the multiplexes.  

In this new section we are delving into with animation, I am excited in grasping the concepts that go into creating a short animation film.  I feel like it could help other areas of my process of filmmaking and it could help with the logisitics of cheesy special effects that I love so much in films.  The Pes film, Game Over used the vintage sound effects of old games and the whole nostalgia with animation and these old effects is what I like to see in films.  Animation has changed so much today, so we expect Finding Nemo or The Lion King whenever the word "animation" is brought up.  In the work of Pes, we realize that there lies an entire world of film that is not in the huge markets we are exposed to.  In the power of the internet, people can have the oppruntiny to see the films and get a taste of something different for once.

Got a heavy day tomorrow animating it up so on that note.....

Gumby-Slide Out!!!

You All Can't Be Like Me

I really like what we have done so far in the 6x1 class.  This has been a completely new field of filmmaking that I have never encountered hands-on before.  The first assignment with the Earth, Wind, Fire and Water (Props to the band, still jamming since 72') makes me really want to put much heart and effort into creating something unique.  The magazine transfers is the aspect I like the most so far, the colors intrigue me the most, with all the sampling of the fonts mixed in and the smallest images that eventually get blown up when it is projected.  Still having trouble with the rayograms though, but hopefully me and ol Birdawg Lucas will get it worked out.  

The animation with the hundred frames is a tedious but worthwile concentration.  One really has to look ahead and try to percieve what to expect once it is completed.  It has been taking much patience to draw each indivuail shape and then alter it slightly to produce a fluid animation.  My favorite part of the class is how much time is devoted to actually working on projects and getting our hands dirty to what we just learned.  Reading chapters out of textbooks aren't going to get you anywhere to building to one's potential (Eistein doesn't have jack on some splicin and dicing...) so messing around at our pace really helps.

I am pumped to see what else lays head in 6x1, and I hope that some of my stuff that I will make won't be dull and boring just to be one of the countless of knockoffs attempting to make something exceptional (i.e. Broken Arrow)

Let's Rock and Roll   (Heeellllooo Cllleevveellanndd!!!)

He Ain't No Danny Glover

Throughout the years I have witnessed the many different films of Stan Brakhage.  But one of the things that have discouraged me in my findings is the actual writings by the filmmaker.  I have been marvelized at this short films of Brakhage, their simplicity but yet brilliance, in the complexity of the manipulation of the inks that he uses.  The essay by him, it seems to me that he actually "dumbs" down the reader by explicity explaining the craft he composed in terms that were comprehendible by a simple fifth grader.  I must express though, in class I was taught the same concepts by Andre, so maybe that is why I throughout my impulses to critic such a noble filmmaker.  

In the end though, Brakhage explains easily the techinques he uses in his films.  The beginning section just seemed too much of a overexplanation and theory into what he actually does.  I may just be concentrating on the bad, but I had hoped to feel a much more connection to the film to in which he explains.  In a better outlook, I would have hoped that Stan Brakhage made it feel much connected to the film that he explained.  The devotion he has the filmic aspect is remarkable and the way he carries out his vision becomes a new and invigorating motivation in film.  But luckily, I feel that I am gaining the strengths in the realm of experimental filmmaking.  I hope that in gaining this new expertise by the master filmmaker of Brakage, I can develop something intelligible in the comforts of the expressionism of experimental