Animation Blog

Léonard Cohen "Plato" (2010)

2011-09-09T05:33:00.001Z

I sometimes write a review, then scrap it, change the film, get it wrong, scrap it, write it again, scrap it, go back to the original via the Recycle Bin, and start again. Actually I don't. I've no time for that. So what I write I publish, given a little pruning. The fabulously named Léonard Cohen and his equally fabulously entitled creation, Plato. Here a figure struggles to get the shape just right. Time and again the object is discarded until, as an apple falling from a tree - or was that another Eureka moment and a different Brit or Greek - a solution is found. Funny, retro, clever and fluidly drawn. Léonard studied at École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratif and received Best Graduation Film at Annecy 2011. How gratifying the judges rewarded such an simple, inventive film, given a plethora of mind boggling 3D with every colour in the palette movies, many of which I, of course, feature here.

Pola Gruszka "Three Brothers" (2011)

2011-09-08T06:11:00.002Z

Here's a Who Dun It from London's Motherlode studios: Three Brothers. Be warned however as it has the worst ending in the world. Pola Gruszka is the Head of Animation there, a talented woman whose represented work on her website is strictly commercial. Therefore the gentle, tongue in cheek tale of the three brothers who attempt to unravel which of the three murdered the uninvited guest, is a diversion and a pleasure. Pola graduated from Kingston University in 2008 and here provides a little (but not quite) girl's voice for a rhymed poem and some stylish graphics. Premi Ksiazek contributes a twinkling, melodramatic score and the whole thing breezes along in cheery fashion, the suspects being presented in traditional Hercule Poirot format though the denouement is offered by a narrator from further east than Belgium.

Adam Sharp "The Little Thief" (2005)

2011-09-06T05:37:00.000Z

Some weeks ago England experienced riots that were a combination of mass hysteria and plain and simple greed. So many thieves. Well, a large number of them will have time to reflect on their situation now they've had to cancel their holidays. Harsh though the judiciary was, here's a cautionary tale of what could be. The Little Thief is a professional piece from the prolific Adam Sharp with an excellent score from one of the top composers around, Dimitri Tchamouroff. Puppets that come alive and a haunted house. And be warned: the ending will keep you hanging by a thread.

Anthony F. Schepperd "The Music Scene" (2010)

2011-09-05T06:22:00.000Z

An obligation of returning to my blog after a year's inattention! This is one I owe, though doubtless well known to readers. The Music Scene was created for New York hip hop artist, Blockhead, by Anthony F. Schepperd. Music video's can be a mixed bag. At their worst they are made on a meagre budget and in no time at all. The music company's exploit those eager to break into the market, willing to work for stale air. Undeniably at other times music commissions support the industry, inspiring the best work. Such is this. I have covered one of Anthony's films previously and was therefore prepared for the stream of consciousness that frames the work, bright hallucinogenic colour, unabashed 2D, and at its heart an immediate, fluent drawing ability to complement real wit. Familiar figures from cartoon fantasy land, humanoid ones that unravel and then reform, shapes that swirl, the enigmatic stag.

Natalie David Esphani "Still Water" (2011)

2011-09-04T01:28:00.001Z

A fisherman toils away day after day, fruitlessly. Supported by his wife he trawls from dawn to dusk with discarded shoes his only harvest. Such is his despair that a storm is released. Still Water directed by Natalie David Esphani for her graduation film is a work of rare quality. I marvel that it is a student's work. The opening beautifully conveys the theme with dripping tap and sardines tin from which emerges the man himself. There is artistry throughout: the composition and transition of scenes, shimmering quality of light and director's assured skill with drawing, not to mention impeccable colouring and animation. Natalie has a rare eye for the visual aspects of film-making. One could include a whole anthology of stills from this movie. As so often with a quality work, Natalie is fortunate in having a gifted composer and musician, in her case Dan Karger who enhances an already stunning piece, drawing out the allegory of a man hammered beyond endurance by life's impossibilities. Natalie graduated from Jerusalem's Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Still Water is a moving and stylish achievement. A tour de force.

"Skoda: Curriculum Vitae" (weareflink, 2011)

2011-09-03T06:42:00.000Z

A couple of decades ago perhaps, Škoda used to be something of a joke here in the UK. Not now. Not with beautifully engineered vehicles, motoring awards galore and sophisticated ads like - Skoda: Curriculum Vitae from Leagas Delaney, Praha though the animation was made by Hamburg's weare flink. Commencing with a live action sequence showing one of the motor company's employees preparing his CV, the piece moves into a paper universe of CG newsprint. I have commented before on the ability of CG to emulate stop motion, including origami. Here the world of the automobile factory and indeed some of the sights of our wondrous planet come to life quite beautifully using, amongst other “PaperTools”, Autodesk Softimag. For more technical explanation of the process have a look at the Munich based work of the design team, via Christian Schnellhammer's blog (Martin Sächsinger, Nils Engler and Stefan Galleithner were the others)."Simply Clever" is the message from the globally ambitious Skoda. Ads like this move the company up-market indeed. So much so that I take delivery of a new Skoda Superb Combi next week. Upwardly mobile.

Ewan Green "High Water" (2009)

2011-09-02T04:46:00.000Z

I've remembered why I love animation. Ewan Green was rather self-effacing in his e-mail to me way back in April, but High Water is a smashing little film in which he uses original line drawings worked over in After Effects and Photoshop to tell a story of old age, or at least one facet of it. A man and woman face each other across the dinner table in their fishing cottage, surrounded by life's paraphernalia, each bored with the other, both in their own way cantankerous. Life's glum. The woman is no longer the jolly, colourful figure of her youth - a fact charmingly realised in the use of the doll. When the fisherman dons his gear and storms off to escape it is all too much for his wife. Subtle throughout, never strictly literal, with some delightful watery colouring, the story is certainly about old age, but most of all love and not taking one another for granted. Such affection in their, eventual, embrace. (Ewan, I was not nearly so sensitive when I was your age!) Made in 2009 at Edinburgh College of Art, the film deserves the exposure. Such a thoughtful title too.

"Mortys" (2011) Gaelle Lebegue, Mathieu Vidal, Aurelien Ronceray-Peslin and Nicolas Villeneuve

2011-09-01T16:49:00.007Z

A feat of technological wizardry, for me anyway, when I downloaded the Vimeo application for my new Samsung internet TV, having added fast streaming hardware. First test: check out the Vimeo HD Channel, specifically Mortys (or, should you prefer, via the directors' website). Gaelle Lebegue, Mathieu Vidal, Aurelien Ronceray-Peslin and Nicolas Villeneuve do the honours in yet another impressive graduation film from ESMA. Death, complete with robes and scythe, is not an unusual figure in animation, though I have never considered the Grim Reaper to be a hard worked single parent with a techno child, bored, desperate to introduce a little much needed modernity to the ageless ritual of waiting for death to arrive, Death here being something of a scavenger, mankind's servant, at his beck and call. It is tedious work awaiting a distraught young man terminate his life. Surely there's a quicker, more modern way of doing things, sort of streamline the operation, computerise the whole damn thing, align the work/life balance. Well so thinks impetuous Youth much to mum's chagrin and mankind's too, come to think. Mass destruction and having to explain the facts of life all in one day. Gallic wit of the whimsical variety accorded the glossy treatment of one of animation's educational powerhouses. Film and the Lumsden LAN pass muster, I think.

Merav and Yuval Nathan "Lose This Child" (Eatliz 2011)

2011-08-25T20:29:00.005Z

52 nights filming on an Israeli beach seems like heaven to me, creating turtle sandcastles that crawl towards the ocean and circle the moon. Lose this Child has a gorgeous song from Eatliz and the pedigree of proven film-makers Merav and Yuval Nathan whose flair for and patience with stop-motion is once again demonstrated. The lighting is delectable, soft, moon-lit, night-time blues of sea and shore, a back-drop of bars and nightlife, then an emerging turtle scooping itself into the sand to release rounded balls of sand. Will they hatch and elude the predatory fish that is but one of the obstacles modern life places before them? And the image above is not a turtle; our Gods freeing many creatures onto the Earth, here elvers released with a shake of a deity’s locks. The film is to be screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival from September 29 - October 14. This is just one of the many treasures I should have featured were I not also frequenting the beach though in less productive mode. And, lest I forget, because I got it terribly wrong last time I featured their work (Her Morning Elegance), Merav and Yuval are a couple.

New Postings Soon

2011-08-23T19:41:00.003Z

I took a year off. Nothing ominous but what should have been a joy was becoming a chore. I will be back in September - I wish to write a few blogs to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for the many kind words. It's so nice to read that my blog is held in the regard it is.

Psyop & MassMarket "The Dread" (2010)

2010-10-09T19:09:00.005Z

The Dread has rather more turbo charged brio than your average automobile commercial. The Nissan Duke’s gleaming metallic red is given prominence by being placed in a car demolition zone, all grey escaping steam, detritus and terrorising 500 ton "Dread", a vast maker of scrap whose nemesis this time is not an Arnold Schwarzenegger but Duke. A Big Brother-like projection of the narrator voices the drama of it all but the undoubted star is the CG of Psyop (slogan "Persuade, Change and Influence") with impressive visual effects from MassMarket. Would I buy the car based on the ad? I might, were I single, younger. And allowed! Thanks both to Shannon Stephaniuk and Jaime Chen for their separate recommendation, of ad not necessarily car.

Aya Zakaria "Swing" (2009)

2010-10-08T17:44:00.007Z

Aya Zakaria graduated last year from Egypt's Helwan University, her film Swing acting in no small way as an antidote to those dreadfully mischievous French students a day or so ago. A little girl ventures onto one of those boat-like swings and is transported rather more spectacularly than she had intended .... onto, and very nearly into, an ocean where pirates cascade cannon balls down upon her. But not before she has enjoyed flying fish and whale. Aya majored in book design and animation and I can just see her artwork translated into one of those glorious children's books I read to the kids, where the drawings are clear-cut and story gentle. I provide all the voices. One for the kids and me!

Dmitry Geller "Greetings from Kislovodsk" (2000)

2010-10-07T19:00:00.005Z

The arrival of a man and woman at a hazily drawn railway station, together and yet apart, sets the tone for Greetings from Kislovodsk, a film depicting the breakdown of a relationship in an oddly fragmented style. The figures are simply drawn, but with a grace about their movements at once sinuous and affecting. The action (courtship, departures, meanderings) is movingly set against a series of atmospheric photographs from earlier in the 20th century, frozen moments on vacation or with family, speaking of happier moments that give the parting of the pair a universality, emphasised by an effective soundtrack of music and sound effects, of which the sound of the train is predominant. Russian director, Dmitry Geller, uses locations evocatively, the station of arrivals and departures, the subtly lit dance floor, tango music speaking of courtship and romance, the beach with a battery of photographs almost as stage flats projecting images of happy families, a fairground’s carousel heavy with symbolism, life played out in circles, the condensation on the railway window as those photographic images pass by as poignant, discarded billboards. Dmitry’s allusive world of watery colours and shadow is a treat, exploring love's freshness and loss. Thank you, Pavlovich, once again, for your recommendation and fine taste in movies.

"Maternelle" Guilhem Salines, Jean-Bathiste Bister, Matthieu Gouget de Landres & Marine Perraudin (2010)

2010-10-06T16:32:00.003Z

I remember my first day at school well enough. It was not a nightmarish experience in any way. My older friends reassured me from the adjacent playground and we mixed oil paint with water. Innocent days! Not so now. Maternelle was made at the Georges Méliés School in Paris by four of those talented French students they seem to breed there: Guilhem Salines, Jean-Bathiste Bister, Matthieu Gouget de Landres and my 22 year old correspondent, Marine Perraudin. Childhood allows a rich resource for animated films though seldom this nightmarish. All commences well enough as our little boy accompanies mummy to the school, only to be drawn to those dark tears in the walls where lurks who knows what. Naturally the adults and, in fact, the other children, are unaware of anything unpleasant but our boy is inquisitive. That tear in the paper is helped along a little. But surely my friends across the channel are well intentioned, compassionate people, sensitive to the fears and foibles of tiny folk. Fooey! I’ve lived a sheltered life. The bright artwork is appropriate for a light tale of childhood, the kid having large blue eyes, there being other colours a-plenty. I used to love those pools of brightly coloured balls into which I’ve dipped my kids in my time, never suspecting that at their base lies something visceral and altogether unpleasant. No fears though, mummy and teacher are always at hand to help, aren’t they? At a time, in the UK at least, when our family tax credits are in jeopardy maybe this is the moment to sample a creepy bit of film-making. Do visit the talented quartet's website.

Arjen Klaverstijn "Manfred" (2010)

2010-09-25T14:33:00.011Z

Here is something nice and light to re-establish myself after so long away, my vacation, professional and personal circumstances taking a strange turn, not entirely planned. Arjen Klaverstijn graduated from the Utrecht School of Arts with Manfred, an amalgam of Maya’s 2D and 3D technology. The short is a simple, humorous piece in which Manfred queues at a bus stop only to be out manoeuvred and lose his place to others, bad enough at any time but worsened by a deluge of rain, albeit a situation our guy turns to best advantage. In an age where reality of animated figures can be absolute, Arjen has rectangular characters, some taller or squarer than others, but imposing a satisfying chunkiness, the endearing central character a hoped for model for other proposed episodes. Click here to view a series of clips revealing the making-of secrets. Expressions of concern for my welfare have been welcome though, as I have been quick to reiterate, for the past fortnight I have been somewhere mid-Mediterranean, or was it the Aegean? Anyway it was hot.

Dafna Axel "Table for 2"

2010-08-18T19:32:00.007Z

It is a delicious return after a dramatic change of career and an extremely long vacation. So with due apologies to all those whose work I have yet to feature (broken promises!!!) here goes... Dafna Axel’s graduation film, Table for 2, explores a young couple ‘s relationship over several courses. In Bill Plymptonesque fashion, the pair undergo the little tribulations of romance, from the fresh rose that blooms in the cheeks, the gentle touch of fingers over a glass of red wine to more stodgy fare, as a chicken leg is seized in the hand and etiquette discarded as surely as the chewed bones. But this is a tale with a happy ending as our guy bares his chest and shares the washing up. Dafna’s artistic talent is obvious in a wittily conceived and executed short, with delicate colouring. The reference to the great man above should be considered a compliment though I guess the action at the sink would not end so harmoniously in Bill’s hands. A promising career beckons for Dafna.

Julia Pott "Howard" (2010)

2010-07-19T20:07:00.007Z

Guest Reviewer: Marta Macková

Julia Pott’s new graduation film Howard (Royal College of Art, 2010) is a touching reflection on long term relationships. Its thought provoking script is beautifully brought to life by hand drawn animation. Howard’s illustrative frames take us to sensitive, surreal landscapes with a feel similar to Kovalyov or Paarn’s films. Julia’s combination of human and animal characters is cleverly thought through and describes greatly the loneliness and heartache of their relationship. Julia has created yet another powerful and moving short. Julia’s a freelance animator and illustrator working from London and New York. Her clients include E4, Passion Pictures, Sherbet and Etsy. You can watch more of Julia’s animation work including her animated short My First Crush and an interview about Julia’s work as an animator she has done with Etsy called Animated Portraits on her YouTube channel.

Jeff Scher "Summer Hours" & Tobias Hall "Threads"

2010-07-16T15:37:00.009Z

Taking a screen shot for Summer Hours by that harbinger or recorder of the seasons and life in general, Jeff Scher, much beloved of the Animation Blog, is an interesting task for no frozen frame is ever quite the same. Frozen is an inappropriate word for this particular film is about warm, sunny weather by the sea, summer at its most evocative, suffused with an essence straight from our childhood, when excitement mounted the nearer to the sea we got. So seagulls, waves, sun, yachts, fish, sand, blue skies fading to dusk and night fishing. And mosquitoes - certainly can’t forget those. There’s something of the symbiotic about Jeff’s relationship with composer Shay Lynch, like the horizon on a blue sea, one merges into the other. Jeff speaks of a darker mood given the appearance of an oil rig (without the BP motif as far as I can discern) emphasised by the music and sound distortion though I can’t see or hear it myself. Still, there is a skull on the beach as subliminal warning of something drowned out by the infectious loveliness of summer. Skull not withstanding, by absolute way of contrast view another rotoscoped animation from Coventry University’s Tobias Hall, newly graduated with a first class degree, the final project being Threads, a monochromatic, music video for Portishead whose anguished music establishes an altogether colder season than does Summer Hours. In his Vimeo notes, Tobias writes of the angst aired as our guy unravels by the door or is submerged on the sofa. The rotoscope animation has a bare boned realistic effect made the more interesting as the surreal creeps in and the guy disintegrates in line with the lyrics: "I'm worn, tired of my mind/ I'm worn out, thinking of why/ I'm always so unsure." Bundle of laughs: but distinctive work from Tobias.

Conor Ryan "Phil Lynott" (2010 Music Matters)

2010-07-15T17:06:00.005Z

Thin Lizzy’s singer and frontman is the subject of Phil Lynott, an animated biography for Music Matters, an industry-led campaign site to drive for legitimate musical downloading. The organisation has commissioned a series of animated films on a wide variety of music, from a Welsh Male Voice choir to Blind Willie Johnson, Kate Bush and Louis Armstrong. Today’s post features one that does not as yet appear on the site. Directed by Conor Ryan, with the assistance of Eoin Ryan, the black and white video features the singer whose songs have become classics. The potted biographies all communicate the leanest of facts but here we learn that this son of an Irish-Catholic mother and Afro-Brazilian father gravitated from the working class suburbs of Dublin to booze and girls, and of course stardom. The film features some iconic imagery of London set with a nicely textured look, plus music that still rocks today. One of Conor’s early movies way back from when he graduated in 2004, Cold Pursuit, was featured way back in the early days of the blog. I shall have to make a feature, Where are the Animators Now?

Hampa Studio "Margarita" (2009)

2010-07-14T15:45:00.007Z

Hampa Studio base their very assured short film, Margarita, on a poem by Rubén Darío - Margarita, how beautiful the sea is. Written by the poet for a daughter of a close friend, poem and film tell the story of the little princess who has a quite magical life in her castle with her loving father, the King. When she sees a glistening star she sets off on an epic sea voyage to obtain it, without seeking permission. In fact the fantasy element is rich in the original poem: "But, alas, our little one went far/ across the sea, beneath the sky,/ and all to cut the one white star/ that left her wondering a sigh." Alex Cervantes writer/director and writer/producer Diana Rodriguez take their cues from this, the film rich in beautifully orchestrated and coloured spectacle, none more so than the girl setting off on her journey by tiny boat, the motor of which is a record player, the speaker under the keel emitting musical notation. Storms, whales, pirate ship and mountain peaks await the princess. There is also a lesson to be learnt from the movie, the little girl pursuing a dream, overcoming obstacles. ( The Spanish soccer team had similar high ambitions and the skill to stick to their beliefs.) Margarita is a professional production, a full studio team contributing to its success. I must pick out Ivan Llopis for his superb music, alongside a stand-out song from Lonely Drifter Karen. It is refreshing to see a full making of film recording the thoughts of those concerned, and the production from low tech pencil to extremely high tech CG, even a word with the composer and footage of the soundtrack being recorded. Hampa Animation Studio is located in Valencia.

Henrik Malmgren "The Guest" (2010)

2010-07-12T16:17:00.004Z

Henrik Malmgren’s well crafted The Guest has a not dissimilar feel to that classic 1955 Ealing comedy The Ladykillers where instead of Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce we have the lonely Elsa celebrating the birthday of her departed husband when a fugitive from the police takes shelter in her home. The brute - complete with pump action shotgun, police helicopters screaming overhead and the house surrounded - is charmed by the old lady whose solution to the problem is gracious and not without tension. The 3D drama contrasts the sedate home of the lady with the urban chaos occurring noisily outside. As with its illustrious predecessor, the feature is the relationship between old lady and criminal, a tour of the family photograph album cementing a friendship. Very largely self-financed the film was made in co-operation with Open Workshop and the West Danish Film Fund. Teacher and musician, the multi-talented Henrik has a dedicated site for the film.

Tobias Stretch "In The Summer" (Crystal Fighters 2010)

2010-07-08T15:58:00.007Z

The irrepressible Tobias Stretch is back again with In The Summer from Crystal Fighters. By now regular readers of the Animation Blog will know the score. Tobias creates fantastic puppets and props filming them in a rural location, here amongst gloriously sunny grassland and a waterfall. There is always an invigorating quality to his work, the fast moving music driving the piece along at a furious lick. I always watch for his vehicles. As a boy I had a home-made go-cart, or bogie as we used to call them. So I try to work out how Tobias achieves the practicalities each time, with complementary puppets lashed to the cart and camera attached. His carts are somewhat more ornate than mine however, this one propelled by rainbow balloons. He has a flair for colour, the sun god (for wont of a better description) all fiery and yellow, flowers in the meadows a sympathetic echo, the contrast with the dark and water well made. I have no idea of meaning though the lyrics of throwing coins into a wishing well are translated vibrantly into tiny puppets squeezed into a super nova mouth. Or something. And I suggest the head peeps out of saffron spiced oil in water. Beautiful really.

"Muzorama" Elsa Brehin, Raphaël Calamote, Mauro Carraro, Maxime Cazaux, Emilien Davaud, Laurent Monneron & Axel Tillement (2008)

2010-07-08T06:06:00.000Z

To understand Muzorama it helps I suppose if one is aware of the work of French surreal cartoonist, Jean-Philippe Masson (Muzo). He is totally new to me but nevertheless I very much enjoyed a genuinely surreal experience in a universe turned head over heels. We begin in deceptively suburban surroundings looking down on houses and a tiny square before we meet a man with a bouquet of flowers. Birds sing in the background. The guy presents it to a blonde woman who almost takes it before devouring the blossom as we pan out to discover she absolutely towers over him. Pan out a little more and the pair form a painting on the wall as another man almost devours a giant spoon of food, thwarted by the tiny mouth emerging from his own mouth; meanwhile the same blonde cracks open a huge egg from which emerges her erstwhile suitor. Marvel at the 3D surreal world. Ingenious work then from Supinfocom’s Elsa Brehin, Raphaël Calamote, Mauro Carraro, Maxime Cazaux, Emilien Davaud, Laurent Monneron and Axel Tillement.

Zach Cohen "The Chair Not Taken" (2010)

2010-07-07T17:32:00.004Z

Satire surprisingly perhaps is not something attempted by many students of animation as compared, say, with drawn cartoons for magazines where satire often has real bite. Refreshing therefore to view Zach Cohen’s amusing The Chair Not Taken. Made at the Shenkar School of Design and Engineering, Zach’s thesis film takes a painter whose seat is left for a moment whilst he recharges his paint brush inducing a mad dash by the exclusively elderly politicians desperate to gain the empty chair. Politicians the world over will scramble for a safe seat in parliament causing much spilt paint in the process. Nice touch that the only colour in an otherwise black on white film is red, much of it splurged in the frenetic last moments before, chair flattened, the spellbound politicians come back to earth – for a moment. In fact there are subtle touches of humour throughout. I liked the guy fending off chair grabbers with a flag, or the leapers into space acting out gravity defying dances behind the very down to earth decorator in the elevator. Flash used for this hand drawn look works very well. And politicians spill litres of paint and never clean up. Or is that oil comapnies? Count up how many politicians are represented. I think our own Winston is there somewhere.

Elianna Morningstar Hansen & Stine Nymand Svensson "The Fox Sisters" (2010)

2010-07-01T17:52:00.007Z

The Fox Sisters are credited with having created the Spiritualism Movement in the New York of the C19th. Elianna Morningstar Hansen and Stine Nymand Svensson based their film, The Fox Sisters, on the three women, taking as the starting point the departure of the eldest sister who leaves her inadequate siblings to cope without her, something they signally failed to do. There is nothing of lightness here as one retraces the journey from childish nightmares to professional duplicity, the girls surrounded by shadowy figures in séance mode or petrified by the imminent loss of Leah, threatening to inform the press of their deception – yes, it was all a hoax, something the Spiritualist movement has shrugged off I guess. The sound and music is shrill as the outlined figures are set against a background with the look of damp wallpaper. There is a decidedly arty look to it all, coins as backdrop to signify greed, stained and spilt liquor, the younger girls' alcoholism, and a symbolic sequence as the Maggie and Katie are swept out on a bottle to a red wine sea. The character voices are all excellent, including Patricia Ryan who provides a cold Leah, the sister who thought up the deception, retaining her money whilst her weaker kin squandered theirs. The directors were awarded their much deserved Bachelor of Arts from The Animation School in Viborg though the movie owes something to an internship in Canada where Elianna, originally born in Toronto, worked at Chuck Gammage Animation Inc.