Finally get to see everyone's stop-motion films!
so, the longer its been since i started this project the less i like my final outcome. but then again i feel like that happens with everything. it loses any novelty it had in the beginning- you get sick of looking at it, but more so, you start to see everyone else's work and recognize how much yours might or might not suck. in this case, for my first attempt, yeah it sucks. but one day, ill make something im a tad bit more proud of. :)
Sara Martinez [Constellations]:
My favorite part about the film is how she made the push pins twinkle to resemble stars, dont know if she did it by individually editing the brightness* of each push pin in photoshop, which im sure mustve been extremely tedious, but regardless, good job. Also, i dont know if its the quality of the exported video or just the materials used but it resembles old style black and white cameras, and reminds me just slightly of the french stop motion film we saw on the first day of class.
*Bloom effect on FCP?
Joel Ramnaraine [Sunlit Romance]:
I like the passage of time that happens only in that one setting, the cars passing are part of that effect. The parameters of the frame dont change and it focuses the viewer on the action.
I was almost inclined to say the chiming/glittery feel of the soundtrack was almost tacky, but i quickly changed my mind. It was pleasant, enjoyable, and lighthearted. **
*ok so the feeling i got from that can probably be renamed as the 'feeling of purity' described by the artist. it works, just not in a way i would personally prefer.
Yeah, it comes across as mainstream/commercial, so good job on portraying your intentions :)
Nicole Pennington [Dead Leaves]:
Totally sad, adorable, everything in between. The pauses at the end when the leaves turn grey and crumble worked really well. The whole piece successfully conveys a sense of loss, which i think the artist was trying to achieve, (dedication at the end..). The end is especially impacting, when all the leaves just get shaken and broken apart, it's like a little final jab to the heart for the abandoned girl. The scene with the girl and boy are definitely the strongest, and because of that its easy to forget the rest of the film. My brain processes: "initial black flower, scene with the girl and boy, the boy floating up and leaving the girl along, end black flower symbolism."
The addition of the silk flowers on the bird and the bouquet held by the boy add color, and with color comes a hint of hope for the future after the loss.
Leslie Dulfer [And Then There Were Two]:
The opening scene where the figure is pacing i think is longer than it should be. After maybe four turn arounds i was expecting the figure to turn and do something, but it walked for a bit more. The overwhelming emotion for the whole piece was just "loneliness and then a girl companion walks in" and something makes me feel theres more to the story but i wish i knew what it was, i wish i knew the details, and that more could be given away in the story. i guess not knowing, and using pretty neutral figures could allow the viewer to come up with his/her own conclusion- is it a blank canvas video? Make it what you will? Even considering that possibility, i still wish there was more.
And yay for playing with camera focus!
Melissa Bonnewell [Separation Anxiety]:
When shes closing the computer and the camera zooms in to the screen is great, it highlights the moment perfectly. The film mostly just makes me smile in recognition of most people's current attachment to technology in general. A giggle sets in when the camera is walking all over the girls' face. Her computer turns into a cute little pet, and it's easy to sympathize with it. yay personification! The clock is a nice detail, as usual, something to indicate the passage of time in film.
Jim Kirkwood [Les Lapins]:
THE SOUNDTRACK IS PERFECT.
i am completely in love with jim's piece. the song makes it timeless, and it makes me love it even more because i tend to appreciate simple work like this, from a different era. makes me think of old cartoons, 2D and completely handdrawn which this obviously is, no computer animating, just good old fashioned labor. The intense cuteness is even better when suddenly there is straight up bunny sex. best part. and the song continues through that scene, and it makes me think of the simplicity of courting in a different time- flirty eyes, a gift, sold. >
Olga Brahollari [Moot]:
Mud monster!!! i dont usually head for effects too much, like those artificial frames that come with your cameraphone, but the fuzzy vignetting around the video works pretty well. I feel like without it i wouldnt like the video as much. it gives a sense of a secret camera following this little mud creature. totally love how the creature takes it upon itself to get rid of the trash and so im kinda sad at the end when the foot squashes him :( aaaand it has a little tongue! and it winks! details! i love details :) and im impressed with the way you moved a pile of mud and gave it personality.
{my turn!}
Kristin Anderson [Buaia & Baruk]:
The set is gorgeous. And props on your dedication with cut out figures. The song matches really well, especially in the beginning. Im a sucker for color, and this just makes me want to stare at the screen continously. details, great, bubbles and splashes. the figures are REALLY detailed for you having to cut them out. theres a lot of action going on which is reallly impressive. wish there was some kind of fadeout at the end though instead of an abrubt cut off (jim had this too). I like the circular plot, monkey ends up back in the tree where he started, we got to know the character through his dilemma and we've come full circle. charming :D
The puppets are beyond amazing. can i just shower you in compliments right now??? soo many branches! TWIRLY branches?! the cutouts in the figures themselves are very tropical/eastern, whole thing made me think of batik fabric. Gooood job. gorgeous color, once again.
William [Under My Skin]:
Love the music. for the record, having a certain type of music will immediately endear me to a film. toooo much handwashing! OCD? early morning routine? its like me everytime im in the bathroom or get out the shower. ok im relating to this a lot, a film about habits, and personal space. surprisingly, im down with that, but i wish there was more to the content. of course you could read a LOT into the whole thing. making it black and white helped focus the viewer on what the scenes meant, without distractions. that was nice of you, william. the song now reads as the opening credits to a movie- like there would be a whole story that follows the clip.
i like this a lot for some reason, cant place it exactly. "elevator music" -melissa. yup. it works though.
KT Stemper [Towel Dry]:
the opening shot, were the camera grazes the human's head is a nice touch. the fear of the washing machine is portrayed realllly nicely, it came across at once. the immediate reaction- 'startled' is the appropriate word. the viewer is the second towel, its like 'helllzzz no!" the color/light change when we're looking into the washing machine, even if it wasn't intentional worked perfectly. Towels were like inchworms, adorable. kinda wanted to hug em. i like how she made the film about the towels and their emotions and not about the human in the piece.
**oooooook so im totally on crack. apparently there was only once towel.. and it was curious about the washing machine, got scared, and ran away. oooops. total misread.
Emily Sneeden [Check your Spam]:
in terms of keeping my interest with colors, action, sequence, wondering about what materials were used.. this was the most creative, maybe? it was entertaining more than anything else, which was nice considering spam is kinda related to the entertainment industry in the context of the internet. the spam was naaasty. yay for culture references! which also obviously ties back to spam and entertainment in general. and thanks for taking the point of view requirement a step further, 2D to 3D to 2D again, suhweeeet. :D
Ryan Rudock [Flashed]:
I like the strange coloring, night time, and the figure looks fluorescent. the way he is superimposed on the background is strange but interesting. The font choice + color is bothering me. also too much contrast in general.
i wish there was some kind of narrative to the film though. Is he just walking? ??
the title is misleading. "used to be fast?"
"superhero retirement community?"- victoria :) hah
Anthony [Familiar]:
The shine specks off the objects that the toy wanted were reallllly effective, and gave humor to the film. I enjoyed the video in general. pleasant.
Kelsey Olson [Film Colore du Furbi]:
The sofa licking its cushion is fabulous. little furby community. forest mystery whaaat?! creepy brother's quay dolls. my favorite shot was when the furby walked away from us on a log. realllly nice. i feel like there was more to the film that i could figure out since the film moves pretty fast. i wish i had time to examine the subtitles. the whole setting is very fantastical, and the excitement is palpable throughout the whole piece, especially with all the furniture moving, and all the different colors. The kind of clip you watch over and over again because you want to catch each detail, you discover something new every time. i wish the clarity was better in the forest.
Great crit, woop!
off to glaze 10 bowls.. au revoir!
