The Stain

I guess to start out I will just say that I did not enjoy watching The Stain. I just thought that the story was very disturbing and the animations just added to the creepiness. When the whole question of, "why does some art seem ugly" comes up, this was the short that I thought of. I believe there is a kind of art for everyone that just seems kind of off, and thats what this was for me. Although we discussed the things that happened in this story happen is real life too, but its not something that people want to be reminded of and shown. I guess if your inspiration was two old women murdering each other over some stain, its probably a giveaway that it may be a little disturbing. I think over all of that stuff the worst part of the film for me was the clips of live action mixed in with the animations. It just made the connection between the disturbing film and real life, something I'd rather not think about.

Quiz 2: Tchou Tchou

This is both a clever and amusing film. I have always been so intrigued by stop-motion, but seeing this film has taken my interest, as well as my expectations, to a new level. The stop-motion detail is unbelievable, and I cant even imagine how long this film took to make. Co Hoedeman has some serious patience and expert technical skills. Although it is clearly a children’s film, it can definitely be appreciated and be enjoyed by adults.

“Tchou Tchou” has such a clever story. I love the child’s take on the Adam and Even in the garden. The blocks are perfect to represent creation, especially with all the detail on each one. It is just so playful and fun, that I know any child would enjoy this. The boy and the girl are so innovative when dealing with the serpent. It’s fun to see what they are going to do each time the serpent comes around. Although I guess that the we aren't  merely watching and waiting, but the film is arranged to have us help figure out how to deal with the serpent ourselves.  Then after all the plans fail, all of a sudden the serpent becomes something else. We see the joy of the boy and the girl and experience joy ourselves as they ride away on the train.

Quiz 2

Johnny Cash's "Hurt" music video was fabulous. After I have seen it for the first time in the class, I've watched it and listened to it over and over again while doing my animation assignments. Both the music video and the performance was powerful. I've listened to Trent Reznor's original version, and I have to say that it definitely had Reznor flavor in it. However, it was no comparison to Johnny Cash. 

I've heard that song for the first time, and it was my officially the first Cash music in my life. I've heard his name a lot, but I never really had an opportunity to lend my ears to his story.

The powerful moment in the video was Cash's presence in front of the opulent table, but he says, "you can have it all".

I think many people in the society strive to be at the peak of their mountain: the mountain of art, politics, education, church, media, business etc. People want to be successful. They want to be the influential figure in their own area. What for? Control? Fame? Wealth? I think opulence is the inherent ambition for the foolish hearts. 

I have no doubt that Cash had them all as one of the most influential musical figures. With all the success and trials in his life, when he says, "you can have it all". He really means it.

hedghog in the fog quiz 2

i love this film and how much work went into this  it allmost seems impossible when i look at this this is one of those films you just have to show other people. it seems like theres a big meaning in this thats so rich and inspiring thats why i wanted to do it on this video thanks.

Quiz 2

I realized I didn't get a quiz 2 posted.. so here it is. Throughout these last few weeks we've been focusing on animation. The distinguishing between Pixar and low budget films. I like them all, but I just feel that these low budget films are amazing. From Pfffirate to Clik Clak and all the other ones we watched, I'm really impressed how people can create such greatness. Personally I really liked Clik Clak the best out of all of them. What I liked most about it was the story and the creativeness behind it. The series of sounds, movement, and "puzzle" I guess you could say is really sweet and very well animated.  Even though the whole thing is in french, I don't think that matters one bit. It really just adds to the effect of the awesomness. The sound was just amazing, and part of the story and meaning behind it, each one of them sounded perfect along with using language with sound is a great idea. The ending caught me off guard when the robot killed himself after an accident, but anyways, I loved the film and it was pure art. Having the white background is low budget and I think using it adds to the story presented as well. Overall, I just think these low budget films are amazing.

The Man Who Planted Trees

I'm really glad we focused mostly on animation for the last few weeks, as I think independent animation is something I don't personally get to see enough of. The Man Who Planted Trees was one of my favorite films that we watched, even though I truly enjoyed almost all of them.

What I liked so much about The Man Who Planted Trees was that it was told like someone reading a story. The entire film was a narrative, and I liked how I felt this connection to the reader/narrator. I thought that was a fantastic way of telling the story which was initially told as a narrative. Rather than giving the the characters a dialogue, the creator's of the film kept true to the initial narrative of the story.

The art was also beautiful. The film itself was gorgeous and set the mood of the film. The art made the film feel like a fantasy, but the film itself was told in such a way that I wanted to believe it was true. Which brings me to the story itself, and the message I got from it. One man's diligent work can impact and change many lives. I thought the film brought together that message in all areas of medium: story, visuals, and sound. 

I definitely found The Man Who Planted Trees to be one of the best films we watched during the animation unit.

-R.

Geri's Game

Out of all of the films, one of my favorite's was Geri's Game. I personally thought that this short was both clever and entertaining adding humor not only meant for children, but for adults as well. I know that Leeper mentioned in class that Pixar is great, but they may be slowly declining when it has come to the last year of animations, which is a little sad.

I grew up on Pixar and one of my favorite film's is Toy Story. There's just something very heartwarming when watching films like Toy Story, A Bug's Life, etc. because I feel like I'm a kid again whenever I watch them, and my connection with them is very strong and comforting. Geri's Game is played before the film "A Bug's Life," and it's definitely a short film that I will remember.

There are a few films that I picked out as my favorites that were shown in class, but I enjoyed the Pixar day, and hearing the different opinions, both good and bad, about the films in the past an the present, and possibly future. I hope that  Pixar continues to grow and not get too wrapped up in something that isn't what Pixar is at heart.

Pfffirate

  Here is a late Quiz 2 blog. "Pfffirate" was obviously relevant to the weekly reading about making short films. The reading was about how lone animators would be fools to try to make a short film as awesome as one of Pixar's. The "Pffirate" short film showed how two students made a nice-looking film without being as fancy as Pixar, by making a balloon world. The thing I think is the most significant about the film is just that it's such a cool idea; making everything out of balloons, especially the water. I also like how the pirate used the mice as rubberbands to shoot at the bird.
 

Gay Boyfriend

As opposed to the title the video is not as offensive as you would think.  It is quite humorous and at times complementary.  The video has some great aspects.  It includes the women who don't sing very well and if they did I doubt that the video would work as well as it does.  I like the use of lips and that the girls use lip phones.  The classic phone call where some is calling someone in the nearest box is a great testament to the old music videos.  The cheesy running through the meadows is another great homage.   Then there is the great sailor on a boat part.  Great little campy part.  Walking down a street with many marquees is terrific.  It's nice to have a cocktail party.  The superhero thing to end it is a nice touch.  It's low budget but a lot was accomplished with that budget. 

The video doesn't totally make fun of homosexuals.  It actually partially compliments them by saying how they do like to cuddle, go shopping with girls and also are sensitive to girls problems.  Not all guys are like that.  In a way the video actually makes heroes out of gays.  Whatever my feelings are on homosexuals, I find that video very funny.

How it pertains to class and the reading is that it deals with a subject that can seem uncomfortable to some but humorous to others.

Quiz 2

 

Out of all the animated films we have watched in class, I would have to say my favorite was Tin Toy. I understand that the baby was super creepy, and probably didn't do well for Disney Pixar because of that reason, but for me it made me more appreciative of Pixar's short films. It shows me that what they make seem so easy comes from lots of hard work, and in that film they hadn't mastered creating people with CG and it just proved to me that they have come a long way since then constantly working harder to make their software better in creating characters that are people in CG.

I have also come to the realization that if I try to create a short film like that, I will ultimately fail, because the technology that Disney has is not available nor the time, and amount of people that it takes to work on a short 5 minute film. I am better off coming up with an idea that will work well with the software that is available and do what I can with that. You can still create great films from CG and not have all the "fancy technology" that Disney has.

Geri's Game

I loved the film Geri's game. Since I first saw it I thought it was the funniest thing. I remember acting out that scene when I was about 7 years old and just loving it. The film is so fun and enjoyable.

I don't feel like there is some great experiential truth to learn in this film. Maybe that the elderly people are still young at heart. But honestly I don't think there was any truth that was meant to be conveyed in this film. I think the animators simply set out wanting to make a beautiful film that people could enjoy, and they wanted to stretch their creative abilities.

In the end, "Geri's Game" is a nice film that makes me smile and I can enjoy it as just that. Nothing more and nothing less.

The Man Who Planted Trees

There is just something about the man who planted trees that intrigues so very much.  That even now on my quiz essay, that film is the one that comes to mind first.  I would think that looking back at the film it would be the least memorable film just because it’s very quiet and truthfully not much happens for a video that spans 30 minutes long.  I feel like at the same time however, that that peace is what makes to movie and really contributes to the story as a whole which is an alone man who spends most of his life planting trees which isn’t really all that impressive by itself.  But through that peacefulness there is so much beauty to be had. 

First of all the art style is catchy and could alone hold my attention for 30 minutes.  But beyond the aesthetic is a story that is truly inspiring.  Of how one man can change so much by just planting trees! I find this really encouraging that a man doing what he loves changes the world without him really even knowing it.  Plus he is carefree of the world around him, even when wars and such are going on around him, he doesn’t notice and keeps on working.  A also find the narrator’s voice very soothing and I feel like they couldn’t of picked a better narrator, his voice is soft and he talks at just the right speed. 

Anyways, The man who planted trees is a beautiful film which inspires me along with intriguing me. 

Quiz #2: Rockfish

Throughout our series on animation, the film I enjoyed the most was Rockfish. The film had great CGI animation done by Blur Animation Studios, and I thought it had a very well thought out and creative story. I liked the relationship between the fisherman, and what I believe to be his pet. His pet always wanted to be with him, while the fisherman wanted to protect him. I remember the scene when the “fish” is pulling them around, and the man hangs off of his machine to pickup his pet. Sometimes through out this film, I was reminded of a boy and his dog type story. I also thought the story was a cool concept about how this man goes out and uses his machinery and technology to go fishing.

            I also thought the animation on this film was done incredibly well. I thought they did a very good job of animating the fisherman and his pet. The background and machinery was also done beautifully. When the laser was shot into the ground it looked amazing. I loved how the dust blew around afterwards, and appreciated the work it took to make it. I thought this was the best, and most beautiful film that we have watched over the past few weeks, and it also contained a great story.

Quiz 2: KISS

Keep It Simple, Stupid. Apparently Michael Bay does not understand this concept. Seriously. Look at them polygons.

After You is a perfect example of what Keith Lango was discussing in his blog. It shows that through dedication and with even the most basic of programs at an artist’s disposal, they can create an excellent short without trying to copy the polish and style of large animation companies. After You is such a simple film, but the animator completely sells the characters’ expressions and nails the humor of the piece. He didn’t have a whole studio behind him or a budget big enough to build a new Titanic; he just had a vision and worked with what he knew.

 The Tin Soldier's reaction when he learned that Michael Bay's Optimus Prime had over 1000 moving parts.

The creator of After You has the same train of thought as Mr. Lango, or at least after Lango learned from his failed film project. He threw out the notion that he should try to replicate Pixar’s quality and instead refocused his efforts on working with what he knew and what he was capable of. He created simple characters that he crafted to the best of his ability and limited the amount of objects within his animation. This cut down on design time and let him get to work on the animation much more quickly, as well as gave him more time to polish the story and humor.

After You is short, simple, and sweet; the perfect one-man animated film.

Simplicity Is Key

     When I was considering which movie we watched in class, one idea kept coming back to me. This was the fact that so many young artists do not realize their limitations, because we are all tempted to dream up the ideal painting, feature film, 500 page book, etc. that we are going to create, and it will magically take us roughly 24 hours to get it finished, 3 days to have a buyer, and roughly a week till we are millionaires. Alas, while this is our hope, it is not our reality. That is why the reading concerning not making Pixar-quality shorts, and the film Pfffirate struck such a chord with me.

     I will readily admit that I love some good sophistication. I love detail (seriously, I am about as baroque as they came in my tastes) and texture, but I also realize that if you try too bite off more than you can chew, you will only end up frustrated and confused. That is why this little film caught my attention. While I would love to some day be making extremely visually impressive films, I can also say that films like Pffirate remind me not to lower my expectations of myself, but remind me that having boundaries just adds to the fun of the challenge. I don't believe that 2D somehow restricts and artist, and I don't believe that not being able to create Pixar-quality animation does either. It simply forces you to be more creative than you might otherwise have to be. This only adds to the fun.

Clik Clak

I really enjoyed all the movies we have watched the last couple of weeks, but I think my absolute favorite had to be Clik Clak. Clik Clak was absolutely adorable. I admit, I have a huge love for robots (which is why I love Transformers and WALL-E), and the robots in this film were adorable. The animation was pretty spectacular, and it showed how to work with the little they had - using robots as the main characters, a simple design for the child, and a lack of definite background. This coincides with the blog we had to read that talked about not trying to make your shorts Pixar quality - Clik Clak was not overly ambitious, but they did a lot with what they could do well.

BAH THEY ARE SO ADORABLE

 What I think I loved the most about it was the imaginitive world it was in. Robots speaking through making noises, often through fantastic looking Rube Goldberg machines. The sentences were mostly nonsensical French (the little French I knew came in handy; thank you middle school!), but the noises actually sounded like the words! Who thought of that? Whoever did was amazing. In the end, though, it was super bittersweet, since the one robot died...and then the other committed suicide. The boy made another machine that expressed his apology, since he did unintentionally cause the death of the first robot. It was handled in such a way that a child audience could understand, but I still thought it was really sad. Appropriate, but sad. However, I get really emotional over things some other people would not.

When they Day Breaks

Easily one of my favorite animated films we watched in this section. I keep thinking about that Pixar quote. It's not about story, but storytelling. I think this film excels in that. And it's just so fascinating to watch. They painted on photocopies, and I cannot even imagine how long that took.

I've never seen animals like this. It's hilarious and amazing. The chicken's hat is genius. Since it's so realistic, I easily accept all of this as normal. It gets very profound. I love the shot of the egg that flashes to the ambulance. That is life. Fragile, gone in a moment. And it's shown through human like animals.

This is something that should be watched several times. I love seeing all the walks of life portrayed by different animals. They're all connected and their lives cross, they affect each other.

Tchou Tchou

I enjoyed the style behind this film—it was so inviting because it created a whole new world that resembled the playful child-like innocent environment. While watching it for the first time in class, I was so caught up in the way every little piece was moving that I didn't even think about the resemblance to the creation story. The way that the solid, square objects flowed so smoothly throughout the set was too mesmerizing for me to focus on much else. Any object that had motion was exciting to watch because it was so unique! The perception of each item from the 4 basic viewing sides (more if you count top and bottom) did take away from the realism that shows up in animated films, but not in such a way that you couldn't understand the environment.

This is the type of film that is the best kind of interesting. Funny YouTube videos may make me feel inclined to share them with my friends, but incredibly intelligent stories have so many good things packed in them that you can easily notice or appreciate something new each time you see it. This makes sharing movies so much better.

I've loved to analyze movies and then sit back to be amazed by how much detailed thought went into each little part of the story, set, dialogue, (the list is endless). Tchou Tchou is one of those examples because there are new things to appreciate each time you see it, but practically nothing you notice was an accident.

I also thought this film was significant because of the simple way it addresses a story so that children can enjoy it for its innocence, but others can enjoy it for its internal messages. As a perfectionist, I appreciate the amount of background work that is necessary to create any kind of film (except a really bad one), and I love to look for it in order to enjoy it.

When the day breaks

When the day breaks.

I enjoyed this short because this had very good animation that i liked. I think it had pretty good character choices. I think with the uncannon valley what ever  that word is hahahahahha. I think if it was with real people or close to human analogs we would just be scared and the film might be sick. With using animals its funny and creepy. My favorite character was the chicken. Cause i think most of the time alot of artists use those three or four liks of feather or what ever that is on top of a chirckens head. Like in the movie chicken little.

Chicken Little was a great movie--- side note i thought.

probably if this was made by a man it would be more bloody and less meaning full.

When the day breaks

This time we spent focusing on animation was a lot of fun, because there is no limits to what can happen in an animated film as opposed to a live action film. This unpredictable style has always been the highlight of animation has a genre to me. Since the definition of comedy as we read earlier in the year is "unforeseeable"; animation can reach comedic heights with no limit.When Leeper showed us "When the Day Breaks" and i saw that chicken getting dressed and ready for the day i could not stop laughing; there was just something about seeing a chicken acting like a human that cracks me up; and don't even get me started on the pig singing! Anyways, i think this film is so great because it was not written just to appeal to children although at first glance one would cast it off in the children film genre and never watch it. There is a level of enjoyment and content that is age appropriate for adults as well. The ending of this film portrays the guilt experienced by the pig after the chicken is killed. Adults, much more than children, can relate to what that poor pig is feeling.