A few weeks ago, here and on synesthetic superscam I put up a couple of videos: Pictocracy #1 and Pictocracy #2 and I got a lot of feedback. I'm more able to deal with it now that I have some distance. That's good because I think I am going to revamp the idea and use it for this show Artifact/Metafact (Queens, Sept.) that is being organized by Carla A., whom some of you may know, and her friend Tamas. The animations are going to be related to images from a painting series I was working on last year called Perceival.
I like the idea of getting feedback from a very simple animated picture. I think I am going to simplify simplify simplify.
The first topic is the "look." I like the simplicity of the animations, but I'm not into the repetition as much, so I'm going to make them shorter. I enjoyed synching the animation to the music, but it seems dumb to use pop music, so I'm not going to. I may use sound effects andor my own music. I am going to simplify the backgrounds (I'm really really into black and white), limit the text at the beginning, and put more practical info towards the end.
The second topic is the structure. I want to get feedback so I'm still going to ask questions, but in the current Pictocracy videos the questions were too many. I think I'm going to limit the questions to "What is it?" People can still respond, but it will feel less schooly. I think I might start a blog especially for these videos and then put the videos up on YouTube, google video, etc.. I want the blog to be separate from synesthetic superscam because I like the idea that there is some artifice to art - that it is separated from your life. The videos will send you to the blog where the original mov files will be available for download, just for possibilities.
Anyway, I am working mainly on the hand drawn animations this week (lots of time they take) and I'd like to hear what you think of this game plan before I start framing them up cause then it'll be too late.
Here's the latest animation - it doesn't have any intro, outro, info, soundfx, or narration. But chzeck it out anyway.
PS - How to export files from Final Cut to look good on YouTube - export as .mov with jpeg image compression, 30 fps (but I use 15), custom size: 425 x 318, de-interlaced.
8 comments:
The hand is rad. I think the pictocracy video came out really well -- like it's a little more MTV now, appealing to the add youtube types, but still retains the overall feeling and message, which is cool. The beeps are sweet and the sound is working really well.
I think setting up a separate blog from your other one for this project is the way to go, because it will frame the project and make it really focused I think.
So, for the new bit I wanted to reduce the noise - I'm still into beeps though.
I want to eliminate the crazy background and keep it a bit more... minimal. Because there will only be one question there will not be as much narration. I want to make the sound less poppy.
What do you think?
I'm not sure what you mean when you say 'less poppy' in reference to the sound. Could you explain?
In the end, the noise in the background works because of the fast pacing of the edit -- I know that goes against what I said earlier, but with the final sound and the speed, it feels very throwback UHF kind of thing, and that's rad because it definitely gives the whole thing an cohesive aesthetic.
However, I agree that you should change it up because they're really short and each one can be its own thing -- although obviously they should feel the same.
How many are you making, and what's the blog going to be like?
love the reductionist kick, farley.
you keep getting closer to the things that matter.
dedicated blog is good, as is limiting the questions.
i think having only one question will possibly encourage participants to actually write *more*.
oops sleep time
hey farley this AIR video for don't be light has elements of animation you mind find of interest. There are moments of simplicity and mild mutation that are similar to the animationed shorts you are working on.
I like the moments of clarity that exist in the video; when the mutation of one event spawns a clear and simple image before being caught up in the crawling vine-like creature.
Based on the animation you posted, it seems like you're working on a sort of devolution of an initially recognizable image. Are you planning on making all of your shorts mutate in this forward to backward / advanced to primitive direction?
haha animationed
Hey Brian, what's uPPP?
Thanks for posting that video. I forgot how much I liked that song... Echo rules!
I like the video - good call - there are a lot of parallels... esp the line drawing style.
The first animation demo I posted here kind of devolves, but not all of them will. The one I am working on now is more of a steadystate. They are only unified by the fact that they are related to this series of paintings I did, and in that they kind of fit onto the square in a certain way. But we will see where they go. The hand took about two days, and the one I'm working on now is taking even longer... NOOOooOoOOoOOoOOooOoOo!
De-Evolution!
Self-Execution!
No Solution!
I'm a POTATO!
-M. Mothersbaugh
so for reals i have only seen the hand animation....and it rules...and so i dont know what the sounds are like....but a few words came to mind...and you may recognize them:
"wacky"
"nutty"
"coo-coo"
the reference i think also applies to mark mothersbough...so i was thinking you should download some hanna-barbara sound effects...they are easily available online for free...i mean on websites and shit....and those old cartoon sound effecx are like mini-masterpieces...i think you should focus on these sound effects...or any sound effects...like i said i havent heard them, but i think that with simple animations, the sound effect can really improve the animations...like in a movie when you see a building explode you expect to hear a big boom...and if you are lucky...maybe some awesome flying rubble noises...but when you use sound effects in bizarre anmations, the sound effect can put a nice spin on it....this is something i am contemplating myself recently...although i think to be fun i am going to delegate that task to chester....but with animation you dont have to worry about the sound matching the animation too much...the sound can be more of a surprise....plus making new sounds is awesome....if you want i can give you a copy of reason..it should help you make some cplex shit...although there are a lot of people on this blog who know waaaaay more about making sounds/music on thier computer than me.
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