Marz-Rotoscoping

media type="youtube" key="uk2DeTet98o" width="420" height="315" Waking Life Trailer (Found on http://www.animatormag.com/topical/lost-art-rotoscoping/)

This video is a trailer of the film "Waking Life," directed by Richard Linklater, while the cinematography was produced by Tommy Pallota. I chose this video because of the way it was rotoscoped. The characters still look relatively realistic, but they move as though they are made of fluid, which I found very appealing and intriguing. It is experimental because the premise is centered around an unnamed character living in a dream-like world, where there is no sequential, linear pattern from day to day or experience to experience. Throughout these scenes, the background continues to move, almost vibrating, which mirrors this dream-like, surreal concept. The protagonist is uncertain of his path in life, which also works to make the film experimental. I enjoyed the prominence of surrealism in this piece, and in my own video, I want to try to stretch my experimental boundaries further than I have in past videos. If I chose to make my film by rotoscoping my scenery in a similar manner, I would be able to do this.

media type="youtube" key="NgKc6LMDCQA" width="420" height="315" "Unnatural" (Found on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgKc6LMDCQA) This video, titled "Unnatural," was created by Kristoffer Klakegg, Simon Brun, and Erik Ringdal. I chose it because I enjoyed the contrast between the simplicity of the rotoscoping compared with the complexity of the subject-matter. This animation was a little more cartoon-like, which is what adds to its simplicity. What makes it experimental, however, is the idea behind it--that humanity is becoming progressively more "unnatural," as seen when the character pops pills, struggling with addiction. This is a powerful concept, and although there is no distinct direction to the piece, we watch as this character struggles to work through his problems, eventually making his way outside, where, amongst nature, he is able to breath again. This complex concept came across in a short amount of time, and I can use this idea in my own video by focusing on characterization to convey a point, which would allow me to make my own video more experimental.

media type="youtube" key="U3SrL9QJ4zs" width="560" height="315" "Rotoscoping - Running" (Found on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3SrL9QJ4zs)

This video, titled "Rotoscoping - Running," was created by Eunice Park. I chose this video because this rotoscoping style deviates from the previous videos'. Here, only the outline of the characters is distinct, while the rest of their bodies are colored in, which allows us to focus more on the movement of the characters over anything else, which makes sense because it focuses on running. This one is experimental for these reasons, as well as the glitched animations and discordant sounds that overlay parts of the video. There is no clear storyline here either, which also helps us to focus on the motion of the people. I enjoyed this technique, and I also like the concept of running portrayed here. If I were to focus on a video about running, I could use the ideas from this video to hone in on the motion of running itself and how it engages the entire body.

For my one-minute rotoscoped video, I want to focus on the idea of running, how it engages our bodies, and how it affects us physically, mentally, and emotionally. In past videos and projects, I have utilized the idea of progression, of one scene building off of the previous one, and I would like to continue that in this video through my rotoscoped images. My intention is to start out with the setting and character very animated, more cartoon-like than realistic. As the film progresses, as the character continues running, my plan is to back off of the rotoscoping, making it less animated toward the end of the film, making it experimental in this way. I will also utilized paints to color and outline some of the shapes. To expand upon this idea in the future, I could incorporate more of a storyline. What if the girl is running from something? To something? What is her story? This is what I could explore. For this particular concept, rotoscoping is a good choice because it allows me to convey the feelings I had mentioned previously in a convincing and creative way. The lens of a video speaks volumes, and I think that definitely applies here as well.