Animation

When I read the title of this article, I was extremely interested in the subject matter. Animation is one of my favorite parts of the film industry. I had hopes that this article would hold many fascinating facts about this film style. After reading the first few paragraphs I realized that most of the information covered was about animation properties and the history. I did like how the author recognized Disney for his animation of Alice in a hand drawn background as opposed to a real life setting. Then I hit the page break and the article became more interesting with its discussion on experiment/abstract animation style. This is an area of animation that I have yet to explore. One of the more interesting pieces of information for me was the quote by Leopold Survage. I really enjoyed his take on art and animation. I like that it is about giving life to objects that normally seem lifeless. I enjoyed reading about the different ideas on experimental animation. The section on sound was beautiful. I agree with the article that sound is incredibly important for any animation. A good soundtrack can make the audience feel whatever the filmaker desires. Experimental animation has an interesting ability to use a variety of sounds and in some cases silence to create moods. Overall, this was an interesting and quick read. While I already had knowledge of some of these ideas and concepts, I still discovered new ideas.

Found this and laughed

“…and I was so surprised that I could turn a yellow letter into an orange letter just by adding a line."

When I first heard about synesthesia, it was only mentioned once in a book I was reading. After more research on the subject I find that I am ever more interested in this ability. It sounds like an incredible condition to experience. It was interesting to read up on the different types of synesthesia. I think the types that turn sound or images into colored visions are the most fascinating. I also found it intriguing that in some cases multiple senses are linked together. Honestly, I think this would be a condition that would be pleasurable to experience. The article talked about how synesthetes use this talent to help with regular tasks such as memorization but how it can also lead into more creative worlds like theatre and film. As a person interested in design I feel like this would lead to interesting artistic creations and is definitely something I will consider in all future endevors.

The article on Synesthesia art was fascinating. It was intriguing to read about the history of art and its connections to synesthesia. The section on the artists who had had this condition and used it as a source of inspiration. The color paintings definitely looked like something one would expect to find in an experimental video. I also found the bit about the color organ interesting. It was refreshing to see that artists have been interested in this concept for a long time now. Looking at the artwork created it can be easy to see how this associates with film and also gives me some examples for inspiration.

The video on cymatics was something I had never heard of. It does bring up some interesting ideas on the connection between sound and visuals in film. One of these cymatic machines could lead to an interesting experimental film. It is smart to always think of the connection between soundtrack and what is on the screen. It makes me think of keeping tempo and rhythm coherent with images.

Overall, all these articles have opened up some interesting ideas and I am excited to get creative.

First post!

The film was interesting and well made. It was painstakingly synched (images and audio). The creator spent a great deal of time on this process. Something that interested me greatly is that this film was made entirely by hand and without any computer animation. I am interested in learning the techniques and skills required to make a film such as this one. I am incredibly interested in discerning how some of the images were created and also how the filmaker kept them lined up frame to frame. One scene that sticks out in my head is when the frame went black and the tempo slowed. The white lines formed intricate patterns. I loved this use of negative space and it was a pleasurable shift from the rest of the film. With this segment, I am interested in how these ghostly lights were created. I want to know how the filmaker kept the shape and location similar with each other. Another part of this film that interested me were the moving characters/creatures. There walking cycles were well animated and there shapes stayed the same throughout each frame. The final thing of note to me was the use of color. I liked that there was a mix-up of many colors that drew my eyes to every part of the frame. Very interesting film and a great way to start this class.