Zimmermann-+Animator+Research

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Animator: Ailin Liu This is an example of Hand drawn 2D animation. I chose this animation because I find it so beautiful. No only is the animation itself flawless and smooth, but the music and story is beautifully composed. When I first saw this animation, I was immediately attracted to the piano in the background. I found it so calming and stuffed full of emotion that I dared to replay the video. The way each character moves is surreal to the point that their proportions appear natural yet gloriously smooth and “liquidy”. I was also intrigued with the way her legs were drawn. When I was younger, and couldn't draw feet, I would draw the legs with sharp points instead of feet. Seeing that style of art in this piece was nostalgic. Color is a key factor, especially at the end. In the last scene, the main character is drawn with faded colors as she looks around for her love. When she finds him, her colors immediately become vibrant again. Liu’s use of space also caught my attention. The is also of negative space was the characters move around and I feel that they did this to show how alone the protagonist is. In most frame’s it’s just her surrounded by a dark abyss that reminds me of water. It’s very interesting how Liu was able to make the character seem as if she is trapped under water (metaphors!). As I began to pay attention more to the meaning behind the film, I found a rather somber tale that speaks of temptation and addiction. The way this animation was able to portray this struggle with beautiful visuals and sound, is simply. . . breathtaking. Addiction is human nature and it can be seen a many different forms. The animation tells the story of a girl who’s so addicted to the idea of love that she ends up falling for someone who’s only going to harm her. At least. . . that’s how I perceive it. There are so many ways someone can perceive this animation, which is why I find so enchanting.
 * Gravity**

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Animators: Studio LAIKA This is an example of stop-motion animation. I chose this animation because the animators were able to create the most beautiful visuals for stop-motion models. When I first saw this film, I found the music and story to be rather intriguing. The music isn’t modern (which is extremely refreshing!) and perfectly fits in with the story and world. It transports you into the land of Kubo. However, it was the animation that surprised me the most. I never have my expectations high for when I see stop-motion, simply because I know it is a difficult and time-consuming process. However, when I saw the animation of Kubo, I was pleasantly surprised to see beautiful landscapes, fluid movement, and stunning presentation. The water almost looked real! Texture is a key element in the film because everything is. . . well, stop-motion! The models are sculpted to have this realistic texture that pulls the viewer into the world of Kubo. From the clothing to the water, Kubo is full of interesting texture! The light/shadow principle is also very important to this film. The lighting is gorgeous and it really makes the character seem ‘real’ in their world. When I view this film, I am filled with adventure. The world of Kubo is so vast and beautiful that it makes me want to go explore my own world. I even decided to watch this film for the second time while on a place to California because I wanted to feel that sense of adventure as I traveled across the country. All in all, Kubo and the Two Strings is a fine example of stop-motion at its best.
 * Kubo and The Two Strings**

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Animators: Beth David and Esteban Bravo This is an example of 3D computerized animation. Although everyone else probably chose this short film as well, I felt that I couldn’t do a project on animation without mentioning this masterpiece. When I first saw this film, I was touched by the music, the animation, the characters,. . . everything about the short film. The courage these animators have to create such a beautiful film about two boys in love is inspiring and sweet. The music gave the film a certain sound that was sweet during the good moments and heartbreaking during the moments of struggle. The sound of this film breaths emotion into this film. But that’s just the music! The characters are adorable and show great development through the piece (especially Jonathan (dark hair)). The animation is beautiful. The lighting, as well as the shading, is lovely and used well. Movement is key in any animation, and the way the characters move in this film is natural and smooth. The character expressions are one of my favorite parts of this animation! When Sherwin (the redhead) first sees Jonathan, his expression bleeds love. His expression is sweet and nervous, the perfect blend for a crush. Later on, while the other students begin to whisper about the two, Jonathan’s fearful yet apologetic expression is perfectly heartbreaking! Sherwin’s response is equally heartbreaking. I could go on and on about the expressions of these characters but the different elements the animators used must be mentioned. I found that color was an important element because the color in the happy scenes were colorful and vibrant. However, during sad scenes, the colors were dull and cold. Although, the animation of this film is well done, it’s the story that really made me fall in love with this piece. The story describes how “the heart wants what it wants” and you can’t control who you love. It brings hope for the LGBT community which is really something powerful. Some of my friends are gay and/or bisexual so being able to see so many wonderful people support them is wonderful and reassuring! A fine example of computerized animation.
 * In A Heartbeat**

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Animators: Unknown This is an example of Claymation. This animation was banned for a reason. It sends shivers up your spine. Never before have I found myself so uncomfortable as I watched clay come to life in mischievous ways. I chose to present this title because of how it is animated. I’m not going to talk much about the theme or story of the short because the main focus is the claymation. The claymation is disturbing, to say the least, but it’s done well. The animator was able to use real life clay models to express create this creepy and eerie vibe. The way the angel moves is unpredictable and every movement he makes is rather frightening. Every wrinkle in his face, every hand gesture he makes, it’s all frightening. It takes great talent to be able to bring such a strong emotion to a piece. Shape/form is very important for this short because the way the characters are formed is important to how the viewer views them. As in any animation, movement is vital. As I mentioned before, the movement of the characters is splendidly scary yet natural. The character shake as they move, which give off this uncomfortable feeling. Although the texture in this piece is far from the texture in Kubo, it’s still important. The angels “face” is very smooth, which makes him look all the more un human. The texture in his wrinkles when he is mad gives off the impression that he is furious, which is good when presenting emotions. The sound was also important though because the background score was barely there. Sometimes there would be ‘scary sounds’ but other than that, it only played a dead wind. When the angel spoke, his voice was rough and distorted, making it very daunting. This animation reminds me of moments where I simply don’t feel safe. Sometimes at night, when I am surrounded by complete darkness, I feel a certain disturbance around me. I feel that something, or someone, is about to jump out at me and drag me to the bottomless pits of the underworld. That’s what it felt like to watch this film. I felt like the angel with watching me from within the screen, judging my every movement. That level of emotion this claymation was able to produce is brilliant.
 * The Mysterious Stranger**

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Animator: Cesarlinga This is an example of sand animation. Why do I always find the disturbing ones? I chose this this animation because of it’s eerie and surprising nature. There is no music played during the animation. The only sound is the sound of a thunderstorm, which already makes the viewer suspicious, considering only the most mysterious things happen at the crack of lightning. Considering that it was completely animated using sand, there really isn’t much of any color. The value the artist includes, however, making the characters and background interesting to watch. Line is also a key element because the outline around the character is what makes up the entire character. There is also quite a bit of texture, especially with the little girl’s hair and the man’s face. Now, as I’ve mentioned quite a bit, movement is key in animation. The way these characters move around the screen is brilliantly done. It adds a certain effect that only increases the eerie nature of the short. The characters movements are rigid and rather suspicious. However, it was actually the color that was the star of this animation. The golden/brown color of the short reminds me of old films. I don’t know about anyone else, but old films have always made me uncomfortable. Something about the strange color made me uncomfortable. I feel that the artist’s choice to use sand to animate this disturbing (and shocking) tale was brilliant. The way the sand looks, moves, and acts makes the short film ever the more startling. The animators use of the sand is genius, which is why I believe this is a fine example of sand animation.
 * Atormenta **

media type="youtube" key="IimLnyOeCtY" width="560" height="315" Animator: Rob Levesque and Henry Budd This is an example of rotoscope animation. I chose to include this animation because it using rotoscope in a creative way. While others may simply animate over a video and do nothing more than that, this one makes it interesting and surreal while keeping the form of the people realistic. The music was nice for background noise but nothing special. It was the creativity that persuaded me to include it. The animation truly represents how a skateboard would look while on a skateboard without making the animation too unrealistic. Line was a pretty important aspect of this animation for the outline of the characters is what makes up the characters. I'd say that shape was also a key aspect because the shape of the people and objects that move through the frame needed to look interesting and artistic. The movement of the characters moved fluently across the screen and looked natural, as described before. Something that particularly caught my eye, though, was the perspective. The 'camera angle' was very interesting in many of the scenes. The skateboarder would skate above the camera or the camera would follow the character's feet. It made each scene more appealing to the eye and gave a little creativity into the animation. Which is why I chose to include this animation. It also reminds me of a cartoon I used to watch (and still do!) where one scene was entirely animated in this strange style with interesting perspectives. It was nice to see my childhood in this rotoscope animation. While others that I have listed may have left a bigger impact, I felt that the creativity of this animation needed to be noted.
 * Skateboard Rotoscope Animation **