:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Saturday, August 02, 2008 ::

Character Study

A character study of present and past cartoon characters by Michael Paulus

"Animation was the format of choice for children's television in the 1960s, a decade in which children's programming became almost entirely animated. Growing up in that period, I tended to take for granted the distortions and strange bodies of these entities.

"These Icons are usually grotesquely distorted from the human form from which they derive. I decided to take a select few of these popular characters and render their skeletal systems as I imagine they might resemble if one truly had eye sockets half the size of its head, or fingerless-hands, or feet comprising 60% of its body mass.

"These characters have become conventions that are set, defined, and well-known personas in our culture. Being that they are so commonplace and accepted as existing I thought I would dissect them like science does to all living objects - trying to come to an understanding as to their origins and true physiological make up. Possibly to better understand them and see them in a new light for what they are in the most basic of terms.

"I am currently offering a few of these for SALE"

Bubbles


Betty Boop


Marvin the Martian

Labels: Animation, Art

:: Dan 2.8.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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I attended the Phill, Bagpuss and Friends event as part of the Encounters short film festival at the Watershed yesterday.

Hosted by Phill Jupitus along with Loaf of The Dragons' Friendly Society and animator Brian Cosgrove the event celebrated the work of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin of Smallfilms.

It was great to sit in a room full of nostalgic 30 to 50 somethings and enjoy these great pieces on animation again. Not that there is anything technically spectacular about them; it's the story telling, the pacing, the eccentricity, the music and the general mood that make them unique. Not to mention Oliver's voice.

There were a few things I'd never seen before. Like the "terrifying" Pogles episode "King of the Fairies" (watch when the witch appears). And I'd never even heard of Pingwings, which is brilliantly funny and touching at the same time, not just in it's naivety as they hadn't thought about the lighting problems shooting animation outdoors.

The BBC 4 documentary "Ivor the Engine" and the story of "Smallfilms" is on YouTube in three parts.

Oliver is now 84 years old and is in a retirement home so the event was being recorded for him. Keen to send him a message about how much his work is loved Phill Jupitus insists on all of the camera equipment being rearranged at the end so the whole audience can wave to him and send him their love. It was a funny, fantastical and heart warming afternoon.

Labels: Animation, Film, Review

:: Dan 28.7.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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The children meeting Satan (taken from The Mysterious Stranger)


Wikipedia , buy DVD (NTSC, R1), buy VHS
[via Breakwhore & Andrew Kpl on Hijack]

Labels: Animation

:: Dan 16.6.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Charles says, "had a bit of time on my hands with nothing to do so i made godzilla a city to destroy."

Labels: Animation, Film, Sci-Fi

:: Dan 12.5.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Food Fight is an abridged history of American-centric war, from World War II to present day, told through the foods of the countries in conflict. Watch as traditional comestibles slug it out for world domination in this chronologically re-enacted smorgasbord of aggression.



Breakdown of the foodstuffs
Breakdown of the actual battles portrayed in the film

Labels: Animation, Food, Humour, Politics, Video

:: Dan 12.3.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Oddly I've just found an old (2003) Aphex video I've never seen before. Beautiful animation and nice long remix of one of the best tracks on Drukqs. Watch it.

Labels: Animation, Electronic Music, Video

:: Dan 10.3.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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"Wonder even sang a little dittie, with a harmonica, that was sung as if he were reciting the musical scales in ascending and descending order to the name of “Ba-rack O-ba-ma.”"
Stevie Wonder sings for Barack... and it sounds awful. What was he doing?

In my mind it works best sung to the tune of Long Distance Clara from Pigeon Street. He should have tried that.



[That wonderful example of Alan Rogers artwork is available as a print from easyart.com. Thanks for the bandwidth!]

Labels: Animation, Art, Humour, Music, News, Politics

:: Dan 6.2.08 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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"Braveheart meets Care Bears in psychedelic battle with peace as final winner. Animation by PandaPanther and Music by The Black Angels."

zuneartsdotnet

Labels: Animation

:: Dan 30.12.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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LIGHT UP BRISTOL - 17th / 21st December

Next week, College Green will undergo a magical transformation into five nights of Winter Wonderland. Using 6 of the world's most powerful projectors to dress up the whole of the Council House with light, this very unique "visual feast" will feature a selection of short video animations by some of Bristol's leading creative talent.

Antivj is very proud and excited to have been asked to be part of this and Crustea [Antivj / Cuisine] will be the only one to do a live performance every night, at 9.40pm.

LIGHT UP BRISTOL
College Green, Bristol city center
Monday 17th to Friday 21st December
Every night 6.30 to 10pm. Free!

More info:
www.blog.antivj.com
www.lightupbristol.co.uk

Labels: Animation, Bristol, graffiti, Visuals, VJ

:: Dan 14.12.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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I mentioned David Wachtenheim & Robert Marianetti's Saddam and Osama cartoon when I attended Inspirational International at the animation festival in 2005. At the time I called it, "an absolutely hilarious satire of US foreign policy and the supposed connection between their two greatest enemies." I've just found it on YouTube finally (its only been there a year), and although it doesn't work as well online as it did in a cinema packed with liberals at the hight of the Iraq conflict, it's still well worth a viewing.

Labels: Animation, Humour, Politics

:: Dan 13.12.07 [Arc] [0 comments] [links to this post] ::
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Japanese Louis Vuitton commercial by Takashi Murakami

[music by Fantastic Plastic Machine]

Takashi Murakami is probably best known for his Manga related work. "[His] style, called Superflat, is characterized by flat planes of color and graphic images involving a character style derived from anime and manga. Superflat is an artistic style that comments on otaku lifestyle and subculture, as well as consumerism and sexual fetishism. Social commentary is nothing new, nor is appropriation of mass media or popular culture." [source wikipedia]

Murakami - Army of Mushrooms


Which reminds me. I bought the recent Pop magazine because I was intrigued by the article about creating mushrooms out of designer clothes with similar sounding names. eg Shitake Versace:

Labels: Animation, Art, Fashion, Food, graphics

:: Dan 8.12.07 [Arc] [2 comments] [links to this post] ::
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