serious animation tip no.2

good artists borrow, great artists steal
-VG

Well, I dunno' if it can really be summed up so simply. After all, Van Gogh was probably half way through the gates of looneyville when he muttered those words. But it is true that inspiration comes from all around you. Sometimes it's good to remember that. Take last night, for example. I was watching Spider Man 3 and I was inspired never to make a movie that costs over 300 million dollars because it will inevitably turn out crappy.

Learn from the greats. One of my early inspirations came as a kid watching Disney flics like The Rescuers and 101 Dalmatians. There is a lot to learn from the peeps of the past. You can find some amazing behind the scenes footage here of Glen Kean's 2-D animating insight and magic.

George Pal is best known for his special effects in movies like The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, but what blew my mind was the first time I saw the Puppetoons series of cartoons. Stop-Motion replacements taken to the extreme. Some of my favorite replacement animation is found in the short, Harbor Lights, and check out the Nazi influenced 'screwball' robots in "Tulips Shall Grow" below.


Of all the videos and all the films in all the world, Charles and Ray Eames' Powers of Ten is the most influential in my life. I remember when I was 7 or 8, going to the Field Museum in Chicago and watching this in one of those old kiosk displays and being completely enveloped in it. Never before had I felt so much a part of something bigger than myself, and at the same time, so tiny and insignificant. The Eames simple explanation of the powers of ten has been re-made and adapted countless times since, but the original still holds the power to impress.


This trailer from indie video game artist Arnt Jensen got me all excited again for games. I have no idea when or if this will ever be finished and released, but we can all hope...


Ok Go's music vid is just fun. And my fascination with all things pac has been quenched for this entry.


Anders Nilsen and his 'Big Questions' series of comics is one of those brain opening experiences where you look in to the abyss and realize it's much bigger than you thought. It's like, man... I swear I dropped a pebble in to this thing a week ago and it hit ground down there but today, it's endless! Nilsen blends quiet contemplative environments and humor perfectly.


One can learn a lot from trying to mimic nature. Sony's Qiro biped robot came closer than any before in behaving like a human, But it's still definitely a machine. It's interesting to see the drawbacks of these bots, and to dissect which parts of the movements look real and which look artificial. Okay, DISCUSS!


New York Stop-Mo dude, PEZ having some old school fun. And by the way, if you feel like playing any of these and are in the NY are, be sure to stop by Barcade for a glass of beer and some quarter arcades!