Tag: stop motion

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Gothtober Day 24: Stop Motion Magic with Ignis Fatua

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 24 to see some lovely residential stop-motion film from Ignis Fatua!
There is so much to see in this arresting interior/exterior adventure! Watch the scene turn from night to day and back again, the curtains billow, everyday items perform mundane activities… or do they?
ARTIST STATEMENT
“It is a tragedie, exploring the possible inner lives of the objects around us and our unknown impact on them.”
And here it is for you to see, lovingly put together with gorgeous animated water colors, puppetry, sculpture and more.
Find out more about Ignis Fatua  here! 
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Gothtober Day 18: Material by Stephanie Abler

Visit www.gothtober.com and click on DAY 18 to see Material, a film by Stephanie Abler
You can also visit this wonderful gallery of production stills that the artist sent, so you can see what goes into making something of this ilk, it’s a lot of work! From the gazillion bristol-painted bees, to the live-action actors, the grass, flowers and bears, this film is a feast for the eyes! Material can be many things indeed, from internal to external what is in the mind, and what is not of the mind but as physical objects.
Here is the artist’s statement:

I use this experimental video to consider different aspects of several materials. The point is to
look at the same substance from different angles: its visual properties (Part I), the associations
we make with it (Part II), and its use or behavior as a physical object (Part III)

It’s always interesting when an ordinary object brings to mind something fantastic or far away.

I combined a few of my favorite things (cherries, honey, flowers, and feathers) with live action,
stop-motion animation, still images, and sound to create this video, along with contributions from
some incredibly talented and generous friends.

If you like 90’s punk rock, bees, ice cream sundaes, understated acting, or drag queens, you’ll probably enjoy this piece.

Therefore, enjoy the experience of what you see in this Gothtober Day!

Find out more about Stephanie Abler  here! 

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Yes, Dracula, There WILL be a SpongeBob Halloween Stop-Motion Special!

I’m trying really hard not to hyperventilate while typing this because I’m just SO EXCITED to learn that The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom is coming to your television (via Nickolodeon) this October AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! While I was a wee bachelor’s student, running around CalArts and learning the joys and rigors of Experimental Animation, there was this GUY.

His name was Steve Hillenburg, and every time I was running in and out of the lab, he was working on his stuff. 

He was eleven years older than me, which felt super OLD, and super SMART. People even FIVE years older than you when you’re 18 seem like demigods. Where I felt pulled in all directions and trying to hush my overwhelmed mind, Steve’s presence in the Experimental Animation department was quiet, strong and steady. He did not mess around, he put pencil and pen to paper everyday to build his film, frame by frame. I watched it happen, wondering what he was up to, and then one day, it was ready! Here’s one of the films I saw him hand-drawing all those days at his desk, it’s called The Green Beret. 

So anyway, that GUY I went to school with invented SpongeBob Squarepants, and you can just SEE in the style, the humor, every last pitch perfect observation of a hilarious cartoon underwater weirdo world just couldn’t come from any brain but Steve’s. If you haven’t seen the Spongebob Squarepants Holiday Special, it’s well done, and such a love letter to the Rankin Bass stop-motion animation specials of old. I can’t wait to see this Halloween Treat from an ol’ school chum!  

(From L-R) Mr. Krabs, Flying Dutchman, Plankton, Squidward, Sandy, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick in Nickelodeon’s stop-motion special, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom. Credit: Screen Novelties/Nickelodeon© 2017 Viacom International, Inc. All Rights
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Confectionary Crazy with Jenny Walsh • Day 23

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There is a LOT of candy in today’s Gothtober 23rd cinematic jaunt, so much that you may feel your glycemic index go up just a bit watching today’s animated diversification of candy craziness!

Jenny Walsh, fim maker, commercial animator, teacher, and martial arts mama has recruited her sons, Harry and Liam, to help her make the shapes march and twirl across the candy screen! They could not be learning from a better animator, Jenny Walsh’s locomotion skills are to be envied, she knows analysis and locomotion, squash and stretch, the rhythm and blues of making stuff move. Habitually, Jenny Walsh is always Day 23 on the Gothtober calendar, so for past glimpses of her greatness, visit the Gothtober archives and check out all of the twenty-threes.

It is indeed a conspiracy, a plot to inspire trick-or-treating and rabble-rousing of the best kind. 

You’ll dig the 8-bit soundtrack, colors and composition of this animated piece. Jenny’s husband, Dave, did the editing and post, so it really is a family affair!

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Euro Monster Smash from Frankfurt, Germany for DAY 13

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Hold onto your eyeballs, it’s DAY 13 with the Chambers!

Not all that far from Stuttgart is Frankfurt, but wow is Frankfurt far from Gothtober Headquarters in Los Angeles! We’re so excited to offer MORE work from distant lands, a Gothtober family in Germany! We love the internet because it lets art travel here from outer space! Bridging the gap from bratwurst to hot dogs is the miracle of online perseverance, a true international collaboration, we couldn’t be prouder of our International participants!!!

Here is where the Chambers family is sending their art from, it’s out there! Someday we hope to visit!

There are many monsters from mythology you do not want to meet, but we must insist that you meet these. Thought up by the young Nigel and then brought to life with his parents, Christy and Brian, here we have quite a gruesome gallery of beautifully illustrated creatures thoughtfully caged behind your computer screen so that you don’t have to worry about safety. It’s a mixed media treasure trove of droll entertainment.

The Chambers are like the Frankensteins, but instead of using human remains and lightening, they’ve paper puppets and stop motion magic to breathe life into thirteen creations. It’s alive… IT’S ALIVE!!!! 

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Lots of Letters for DAY 6 of Gothtober!

 

An astonishing amount of meticulous movement went into “16 Letters” by Stephanie Abler, you’ll see the arrival and transformation of many words in this piece dedicated to some specimens of the modern English alphabet.

About this piece, Steph says

This impish six-minute stop-motion animated piece plays with moveable letters that represent a partial selection of the alphabet, morphing a few letters at a time into a succession of words. Reflecting on the malleability and abstract power of language and thought, I expanded on the meaning of and my personal associations with each word using sound and images, with sometimes rather quirky results.

If you’d like to know more about the piece, and Ms. Abler’s other wonderful works, check out her blog! 

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Day 21: chicks in love

Gothtober Helena KimToday’s piece by Helena Kim is a heartwarming tale of chick-meets-chick, told through gingerly crafted and stop-motion animated yarn and felt creatures. Hel acquired over 40 pieces of felt to prepare for this epic stop-motion journey, and each crocheted chick boasts about 400 loops apiece.

This lovely little Gothtober love story might make you misty, or foggy, or downright stormy, depending on your mood and the atmospheric conditions. And certainly it will make you appreciative of the time and care it takes to cut, shape, navigate and finagle each star, heart, pumpkin, cloud and candy corn!

Enjoy!