Animated Discussions: Bitz by James Pollitt

Some of us like a dog.
Some of us would like to animate a dog.
Animator James Pollitt is already doing so with his creation, the whippet Bitz.

I favour the buzz of creating only from what is to hand, which is the challenge which James set himself in creating a critter from a selection of random bits and pieces. Voila - Bitz exists.

James has a kickstarter project going for creating more Bitz.
But meanwhile, for dog - and in particular whippet - lovers everywhere ... just click the arrow and behold the wonders and setbacks of animating Bitz.



BITZ- The whippet made from random stuff... from James Pollitt on Vimeo.

Artistic Obsessions: Adrian Piqueras Sanchez as an "Animaholic"

Still snacking, dozing and discussing creative obsessions, Mrs D is herself rather preoccupied with the notion of buying a fountain pen (after watching Mattias Adolfsson's video about pens).
Whilst considering creative obsession she fell upon this confession of Madrid-born Adrian Piqueras Sanchez on his own consuming addiction. Mrs D do quote from his website  (original is in Spanish of course but ... here's to the glories or otherwise of Google translate.). 

"The first time a painting came to my hands, I heard a voice in my head that said ... Draw! But since I still could not speak, I ate it. That day I learned 2 things: that it is not food does not mean that it does not feed, and that life can be seen in many ways. Since then I do nothing more than draw everything that goes through my head, creating impossible beings with everything I encounter and encouraging everything that is supposed to be inert. 
And yes ... I do keep hearing voices."

Aaah! Passion! says Mrs D. Oh ... by the way, references to "the dragon" in this film are likely to refer to an addiction to the animation software Dragonframe and not another substance... ahem.


ANIMAHOLIC from Adrian Piqueras Sánchez on Vimeo.

Animated Discussions: Bath House by Niki Lindroth von Bahr

For fans of Nordic Noir ... or "slow film" as in Roy Andersson  ... Bahr's award-winning "Bath House" is a meticulous stop motion film set in a Swedish public swimming bath.
If you think you've had a bad day at work take pity on this shift manager. I think it's funny in a bleak way but then I love the aforementioned Andersson and I adored the Icelandic comedy series set in an all-night garage -The Night Shift.

The film is in Swedish with English subtitles. If you don't get the subtitles, click on the CC button at bottom right on video bar.

Bath House from Niki Lindroth von Bahr on Vimeo.

Animated Discussions: Lea Vidakovic: Trailer for "Porcelain Stories"

A trailer for an award-winning film "Porcelain Stories" by Serbian born artist, installation artist and animator Lea Vidakovic. I found it thanks to a post on the Dragonframe blog. (Dragonframe is a stopmotion animation software.)

There is a flavour of the Quay Brothers ... in its slow pace and intricate, detailed shots of tiny objects. Perhaps that's an Eastern European thing? It's got a "breathing pace" which I don't mind but may not be for impatient caffeine-freaks.

Animated Goings On: Mrs D Gets Personal With "Our Mothers"

I can't get much help out of Mrs D these days.... she keeps playing with plasticine.
This is her latest "work". Don't blink or you'll miss it.... and clearly she hasn't mastered the art of focus yet.


Our Mothers from Mrs D on Vimeo.

Mrs D says that this is about ...."The realisation that... I am my mother."
The animation and sound is all hers (sigh) with some "sound advice" from The Old Man, of course.
The music is "Baltic Levity" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Mother's Day

Mrs D says hello to her Mum... and Mrs D's Mum says hello back......Weird.

Mother's Day from Mrs D on Vimeo.

Animated Goings On: True Stories - "The Hat"

The Hat from Mrs D on Vimeo.

Animated Goings On: That Head Thing

Oh No. This is dreadful. I have lost out on yet another film role. Mrs D is reverting to childhood and mucking about with plasticine... OK...Newplast .. if you want to be accurate.
She is muttering about claymation and lip-syncing.... and is playing with this dreadful "talking head" which I think that SHE thinks is her.... but of course it is not.
Mrs D is old, let's face it. She do sag in the face and have wrinkles. This is not her. She should have picked someone forever young... like I. Why did I not get this job?
Also Alan Bennett she is not.

Animated Goings On: Finally...."A Christmas Spirit"

At last Mrs D have wrapped it up (for you)....
And Me and The Old Man can put our feet up.... before our legs drop off.... again. That is.... there still be some cooking and cleanin to do and some lights to put up and all. But The Old Man and me do really wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


A Christmas Spirit from Mrs Doonuthin on Vimeo.
A very short film in which The Old Man gets a Christmas surprise and a wake up call.

Animated Goings On: Seating The Guests

So Mrs D finally got her act together and I be worn out again.

About this film she do say: "One should do all that one can to make one's guests feel comfortable - seating them in an informal manner for example......."


Seating The Guests from Mrs Doonuthin on Vimeo.

Animated Goings On: Waiting For The Guests To Arrive

OK. The doorbell has just rung and Mrs D has got us sitting here waiting for the arrival of the supper guests....

Today she is filming the actual arrival and speaking personally... at my age.... I can't hold this pose for ever.

Animated Goings On: A Demanding Situation

.....In which I start to demand cutlery and dishes like a demented bride-to-be making her wedding list.

Mrs D is scratching her head over the relevant merits of Fimo..  (cups and plates).... Newplast (the original "plasticine" for us oldies, seen here as oranges and pie!) and Polymorph.....(cutlery handles).

But I still want MORE....

Animated Goings-On: The Old Man Makes The Stage

Much as he would love to be a thespian....
..... it is more that The Old Man have done what I say on the tin. He has made an animation stage for me to do my thing on.... (such devotion).
About 6 inches high.....steel floor for the magnets.....
Er... I'd better get some proper magnets to hold me feet down.

Animated Goings On: Domestic Settings

Supper from Mrs Doonuthin on Vimeo.

Mrs D is obviously obsessed with furniture and dining tables now.

Animated Discussions: Real-life Settings And Lighting for Paul Howell's "Husk"

With a life-sized puppet and real backdrops - "Husk" is a stop motion animation set on the streets of Melbourne and telling the tale of a dryad amongst feral fairies! It's currently doing the rounds of film and animation festivals. The film is by animation software "Stopmotion Pro" owner, Paul Howell with music by Bruce Smeaton.
Follow this link to a set of blog posts that describe its making... including some of the problems involved in shooting on real-time city streets.
And this is a very short trailer!


Husk film trailer from Paul Howell on Vimeo.

Animated Discussions: "The Maker" by Zealous Creative

The Maker is an award-winning animated short by Los Angeles based production company Zealous Creative - who produce ads, corporate videos and short films.
Devised as a vehicle for a music score by Paul Halley and using the puppets of Amanda Louise Spayd the end result is a wonderful tale of the excitement...and pain behind being "A Maker".

You can watch an accompanying, fascinating, short that describes the long journey of  "making" of "The Maker" here.

Thinking Of Animating....

So if that Mrs D cannot get a move on and finish my own "makeover".. I shall just give up and get behind the camera.
I've been thinking about that Car Image... what do stay in my mind....

And...... I do get the Car........  

And I do get the actors... 

Dog and  Bike Girl......

 

 But Bike Girl says ..... No way she will get in that car even if she could.

Already we have temperament.

Animated Discussions: TAMTAM Objekten Theater at The Kroller Muller Museum 2013

A link from Stopmotion Pro cheers Mrs D considerably. It leads to a video of a public-participation live stop-motion event at the Kroller Muller Museum, Holland in 2013 where the public hand over found objects and the TAMTAM Objekten Theater team incorporate them into short animations using Stopmotion Pro software. You can watch a YouTube video of the actual event here.

It goes to show how simple it is to use anything to hand... together with a willing imagination and some animation skill... to create a stop-motion animation.
Problem for Mrs D is... her imagination ain't very willing at the moment.

Animated Discussions: Joseph Brett's Video for "Where The River Don't Flow" by Liz Green

Talking of where rivers don't flow... (or shouldn't).
I do jump up and down to find out that Liz Green (that most reticent of musicians) is releasing a new album of her dark, I-dunno-what-style-this-is music in April. The album is called "Haul Away" and this is the stop-motion animation video for one of the tracks by film maker/paper sculptor/animator Joseph Brett...  the promo says it explores " the themes of mortality and legacy. With skellingtons."  

Animated Discussions: Ana Kim: Bertie And Camera

Bertie and Camera from Ana Kim on Vimeo.

Animated Review picked this one out. It is indeed a lovely, stop motion animation short, incorporating drawn animation. It comes from Ana Kim, a recent graduate of Rhode Island School of design.

I have a thing about "camera" as a symbol. I did dream one time of a big blue polaroid-type camera... I never knew exactly what it meant, but that's the way with dream stuff. They resonate. Come to think of it... perhaps the "dream camera" is not simply a polaroid ... but one of those old-fashioned underwater cameras. Oh Yes. Photographing thedeeps... I do like that. I did make a replica dream camera out of driftwood and beach plastic. Then I did use  the dream camera as a woodcut image.... Endless fun with a camera.
Anyway I like this subtle, quiet, little piece very much.