I am fascinated by our growing scientific understanding of our senses, brains, and minds. Today I present some reports originally presented on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's weekly science radio program, Quirks and Quarks. (If you're interested in the world around you, I think you should listen to it every week.) These reports impressed me and give me insights into how I'm making movies. Particularly when I want to trick you into thinking a patch of colored light on a screen is thinking and feeling, or maybe even dancing.
You can also follow progress in our understanding of music. Here's the web page for a Quirks and Quarks radio documentary that introduces the subject.
We Got the Music In Us June 15 2002
Here's the link to the mp3 audio file:
We Got the Music In Us running time 25:41
Fast forward to 2006, Dr. Daniel Levitin writes a book: This is Your Brain on Music. He's interviewed on Quirks and Quarks on December 9; here's the page from the Quirks site:
This Is Your Brain On Music December 9, 2006
The mp3 file of the interview is here:
This Is Your Brain On Music running time 16:45
We're discovering the mechanisms by which music goes directly to our emotions, before our conscious mind is even aware of what's going on. Mood music has always been important in movies but can be overused - and I want to understand where the line is between "just right" and "in your face".
It's not just music that gets processed before it gets near our consciousness. Here's a related story from November 3, 2007. Towards the end of the story they note that movies are totally dependent on the ventriloquist's illusion. It certainly helped me, as an animator, understand just what's going on when I get a drawing to talk.
Ventriloquism and the Brain November 3, 2007
Here's the audio file:
Ventriloquism and the Brain running time 8:57
As an animator, I am tricking you into believing things you see - lines, shapes, forms - are moving, thinking, feeling, living - and I'll use whatever I can to make you believe it. Music that makes you feel things and brain processing that links movement and sound before you notice it - both of these are part of that trickery.
The better I can do it the better my animation will be. I'll be able to grab you, my audience, and hold you through whatever roller-coaster ride I want take you on. As well as being able to look at my work and proclaim to the world, ---(dramatic chord)--- "It's ALIVE!!!!"
Studies of creativity are important and fascinating as well. Here's one from the March 29, 2008 Quirks and Quarks show.
Your Brain on Jazz - or should that be Your Brain Doing Jazz ? Dr. Charles Limb has found a unique pattern of brain activation during musical improvisation. This pattern is shared with dreaming, and (I speculate) is connected to other states of creativity and improvisation as well.
Here's the link to the mp3 file of the interview:
Your Brain on Jazz running time 9:30.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
"Crit" - a movie by Kyler Kelly
Kyler Kelly made this movie, Crit, using my program StopMotion Station for the animation. He's letting me post it here; I think it's inspiring!
To rate or post a comment on this movie, go to Crit on YouTube.
Crit blends live action and animation into a complete story. Kyler says he used Premiere to combine all the elements to make the finished movie. It's a movie "from the heart"; he's a student and it looks like he's been through some pretty rough critiques. The movie also says you shouldn't underrate the characters you create! Kyler can be reached at kylerk@gmail.com.
To rate or post a comment on this movie, go to Crit on YouTube.
Crit blends live action and animation into a complete story. Kyler says he used Premiere to combine all the elements to make the finished movie. It's a movie "from the heart"; he's a student and it looks like he's been through some pretty rough critiques. The movie also says you shouldn't underrate the characters you create! Kyler can be reached at kylerk@gmail.com.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Classic Pixillation and Cutouts - Zanymation Magic
Quickdraw Animation Society held their third Giant Incandescent Resonating Animation Festival (GIRAF) November 2 -3. I try not to let one pass without having an animation in the festival, so I edited a movie out of animations created by the instructors and facilitators at Quickdraw's Zanymation events. The movie (ta-DAA!):
(Summary) Animation compilation, various artists, sound design and editing by Andrew Jaremko. All animation created using my program StopMotion Station. Please feel free to rate or comment on this video at Zanymation Magic on Google Videos.
"Zanymation Magic" wasn't in the main festival screenings. Instead, Keith Murray decided to run it as an installation. I made a looping DVD and "Zanymation Magic" ran continuously in the classroom space. I suspect the soundtrack got a little annoying for the people in the classroom doing cameraless 16mm film. I could occasionally hear the track next door in what we call the sunroom, where we were doing pixillation and lightning doodles, live with the attendees.
Photo Gallery of GIRAF 3 courtesy of Cineart Photography.
It was an honor to have Zanymation Magic run continuously for anyone who cared to watch. (I actually caught some people watching it!) I'll have more to say about this movie and about our lightning doodles in later posts. For now, watch and enjoy!
(Summary) Animation compilation, various artists, sound design and editing by Andrew Jaremko. All animation created using my program StopMotion Station. Please feel free to rate or comment on this video at Zanymation Magic on Google Videos.
"Zanymation Magic" wasn't in the main festival screenings. Instead, Keith Murray decided to run it as an installation. I made a looping DVD and "Zanymation Magic" ran continuously in the classroom space. I suspect the soundtrack got a little annoying for the people in the classroom doing cameraless 16mm film. I could occasionally hear the track next door in what we call the sunroom, where we were doing pixillation and lightning doodles, live with the attendees.
Photo Gallery of GIRAF 3 courtesy of Cineart Photography.
It was an honor to have Zanymation Magic run continuously for anyone who cared to watch. (I actually caught some people watching it!) I'll have more to say about this movie and about our lightning doodles in later posts. For now, watch and enjoy!
Monday, November 12, 2007
A mini-lockdown Nov. 10
The November 10 Zanymation Workshop on Stopmotion Station at QAS went well and was a lot of fun for the seven people attending. Here's a quick look:
(Summary) In the first part of the workshop, we animated to a soundtrack. I managed to animate and talk at the same time. We took a break and Alan Ferguson animated his version in about 30 minutes.
I had thought to have two segments in the workshop: one on animating to a soundtrack and one on copying motion from one movie to another. I hadn't thought to allow time for the group to try things out, but that's what I should have done, and it's what I'll plan for next time. As it is, we did two animations to my track, and could have done more.
In an "animation lockdown" participants spend an "insanely intense" period of time creating a movie. Quickdraw's first Animation Lockdown happened over three days, with 3 teams animating to a 30 second soundtrack. Judging by Alan's performance on Saturday, we could have a StopMotion Station Lockdown that lasted just one day. The 4 hour workshop would have been enough time for a "mini lockdown" with cutouts or plastic shapes or clay or other things that lend themselves to improvisation in front of a camera.
I used a "buddha board" for part of my animation. This is a sheet of paper that darkens when it's wet, with the marks fading as the water dries. I hadn't worked with it before and wanted to try it. It's fun and very immediate.
Trying two distinct techniques in one day was definitely too much. Just like in a movie, it's best to focus on one thing and take it as far as you can. I'll be seeing just how far I can take my ideas...
(Summary) In the first part of the workshop, we animated to a soundtrack. I managed to animate and talk at the same time. We took a break and Alan Ferguson animated his version in about 30 minutes.
I had thought to have two segments in the workshop: one on animating to a soundtrack and one on copying motion from one movie to another. I hadn't thought to allow time for the group to try things out, but that's what I should have done, and it's what I'll plan for next time. As it is, we did two animations to my track, and could have done more.
In an "animation lockdown" participants spend an "insanely intense" period of time creating a movie. Quickdraw's first Animation Lockdown happened over three days, with 3 teams animating to a 30 second soundtrack. Judging by Alan's performance on Saturday, we could have a StopMotion Station Lockdown that lasted just one day. The 4 hour workshop would have been enough time for a "mini lockdown" with cutouts or plastic shapes or clay or other things that lend themselves to improvisation in front of a camera.
I used a "buddha board" for part of my animation. This is a sheet of paper that darkens when it's wet, with the marks fading as the water dries. I hadn't worked with it before and wanted to try it. It's fun and very immediate.
Trying two distinct techniques in one day was definitely too much. Just like in a movie, it's best to focus on one thing and take it as far as you can. I'll be seeing just how far I can take my ideas...
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