Chalk Board Animation

Photographer Yanni Kronenberg and animator Lucinda Schreiber have collaborated on this magical stop-action video of chalk board drawings set to the song Autumn Story by Firekites. A lyrical series of images drawn and then erased to make way for each subsequent picture, the animation’s elegant simplicity belies the complexity of its production. Kronenberg is an award-winning photographer and videographer living in Sydney, while fellow Australian Schreiber first became known for her short film done as a graduate animation student, titled The Goat That Ate Me. Visit their web sites to see more of their work.

“Seduce Me” Series with Isabella Rossellini

A sequel to the popular “Green Porno” series of videos about animal and insect reproduction, the “Seduce Me” videos expand on the playful combination of paper props, unique musical scores and amazing costumes worn by Isabella Rossellini to describe how creatures attract each other for the purpose of procreation. A combination of hard science, art, sound and poetry, the videos make learning about the natural sciences fun. Visit the web site to see all the videos along with behind-the-scenes views of  the creators and the making of the props. http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno/

Paper Film Noire

This intriguing film noire animation was done by Australian creator Andrew Buchanan while he was a student at Melbourne’s RMIT University. It has a book-like feel, combining digital backgrounds, cut-outs and objects, all in black-and-white. A deep, deadpan narration adds to the aura of a gumshoe mystery.

Book Animation by Chris Northey

Chris Northey did this inventive 3-dimensional book animation, called “Start Running Pico,”  while living in Japan. It speaks to the dynamic balance between creation and distruction that is part of most mythologies. Watch it here on YouTube.

Muto, the Painted Animation

In still animation, each frame advances the story just a little bit. The frames move so quickly before your eyes that you barely notice they are individual images spliced together to create a “moving picture.” Here, the technique is sometimes visible, but all the more amazing because the images that move are painted, then scrubbed out as part of the narrative itself. This short film titled “Muto” is by the artist Blu, shot on walls in Buenos Aires and Baden, with a soundtrack by Andrea Martignoni. It is a totally captivating adventure.