Wednesday 24 January 2018

Animated Discussions: Loving Vincent

I'm looking out for "Loving Vincent" - a film produced by Polish animator Dorota Kobiela and film director Hugh Welchman (who also worked on the 2006 animation "Peter and the Wolf"). They just got an Oscar nomination and the European Film Academy gave it their 2017 European Animated Feature Film Award.
The project was Kobiela's labour of love which everyone said could not be done: a film about Vincent Van Gogh animated with frames individually painted in the style of the man himself. "CGI it": they said. "No": said the team whose dream it was.

From a test run in 2012 they managed to tackle problems such as frame size vs varying canvas size of source paintings; film timeline vs depicted seasons in chosen image; varying styles of the painter (Van Gogh) himself... you name it.

And with a team of 80+ painters (including Helford-based artist Sarah Wimperis) and a method involving rotoscoping live-action filming ... They did it.

Take time, if you can, to watch the "making of" video at the end of Ashley Lo Russo's  Review of "Loving Vincent" on the Canadian Animation Blog.


Wednesday 17 January 2018

Mrs D's Criminal Reading

I'm not really yawning, honest. But aint it hard to get up on a cold and frosty morning? Or in my case a grey and raining morning.

But I can have a lie-in because this post is about Mrs D's criminal reading habits. She's contributed a list of her favourite Brit-Euro-Crime reading in 2017 to the Euro Crime blog and you'll find that list here.

Now I guess I had better get up and put the kettle on.

Sunday 14 January 2018

Whiffled

Has you ever been whiffled by a horse? Well, that is to say, breathed with and snuffled quite warmly, gently and noisily. It was very new to me. As was I to the horse, a young rescue who still won't be ridden because of the way he was introduced to the idea.
But his rescue owner said he would be fine. And he was. And it was me that was all giggly and nervous. But there. Now I have shared breaths with a horse.

Wednesday 10 January 2018

The Miniaturist

One of the British telly programmes I enjoyed over Christmas was The Miniaturist. Well I would, wouldn't I ... all those miniature lovelies destined for Nella's dollhouse; a touch of the supernatural; lovingly detailed Dutch interiors; a flavour of family saga (although exceeding brief - a touch, a blink as such); an insight into the religious and social politics of that place and time.

I didn't understand why the BBC broadcast it in two unequal-length parts (one and a half hours and then an hour) which tripped up the pace of the ending for me.

But it was very sumptuous, visual ... and lovingly miniaturised.


Wednesday 3 January 2018

January 2018: The Doll's Doubts

So here I am again and here you are too. I have to say that, after posting to this blog for seven years or so, I am wondering whether I can go on with this. I get older, ironically angrier, and therefore less inclined to play and have fun.

I wondered whether to simply make images with a single sentence or link: one a day... snap, snap, snap.

I wondered whether to migrate to another platform (cos Blogger is lonelier than it used to be and Mrs D do enjoy her time at WordPress.) But where to go? Tumblr's parent company has been gobbled up by Verizon - not a fan of net neutrality.

Instagram is owned by the giant Facebook now ... although I think they are currently supporting net neutrality...

I am full of confusion. I may pack my bags and leave but, for now, I appear to have made another post!

All good wishes for 2018. As the immortal Bette Davis said in "All About Eve" 
... "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night."