Tag Archives: Animated Short Films

New Yorker Films: “The Smallest Power”-A Woman In Iran Finds Her Might

The New Yorker (April 17, 2024): In “The Smallest Power,” the filmmaker Andy Sarjahani captures the power of an individual act of resistance amid the chaos of nationwide disorder. The animated short is a product of his own circuitous journey to understand his dual identities. Sarjahani’s mother, Tammie, is a Baptist from the American South.

His father, Ali, was born a Shiite Muslim from Iran. They met in the library at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, married in 1978, and eventually settled in Russellville, Arkansas. “I grew up in the Ozarks, so I didn’t have a deep connection to my Iranian heritage,” Sarjahani told me. His family had Christmas trees and celebrated Easter but also marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year.

Ceramics: Ancient Athens Red-Figure Vase Painting

In this five-minute animated video, journey back to the 6th-century BCE workshop of the Athenian master Andokides and witness an ancient artist’s moment of creative ingenuity. For generations Athenian vase painters had employed black-figure technique, in which the figure is painted in a mixture of clay and water called slip and details are incised with a sharp tool.

At some point—we don’t know precisely when or why—a vase painter had the idea to reverse the scheme, leaving the figures the color of the clay and painting details with a brush. We now call this red-figure technique. Learn how ancient vase painters created vases in both styles and marvel at the technical virtuosity of the multi-step firing process that contributed to their distinctive, high-contrast look.

Tributes: Google Honors The Life Of Singer Luther Vandross (1951-2005)

Google celebrated the life of Luther Vandross with an animated Doodle by Atlanta-based guest artist Sam Bass, on what would have been his 70th birthday.

Vandross was born in 1951 and began performing and writing songs while in high school, singing at the 1969 pilot of Sesame Street with the Apollo Theater’s performing arts group. His first big break came when his song Everybody Rejoice featured in the 1974 Broadway musical The Wiz.

Vandross went on to record 14 studio albums that went either platinum or multi-platinum, and he was nominated for 33 Grammy Awards, of which he won eight. Vandross suffered from diabetes and hypertension and had a severe stroke in 2003 that left him in a wheelchair. He died of a heart attack on 1 July 2005 at the age of 54.

Read more here: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en…

NASA Goddard: ‘A Field Guide To Black Holes’

If you’re looking to find some black holes, it’s always helpful to know exactly what you’re looking for!

To get started on your black hole hunt, first watch this handy video to learn the basics about these strange cosmic objects.

Music: “Perfect Little Monsters” from Universal Production Music Video credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Chris Smith (USRA): Lead Producer Chris Smith (USRA): Lead Animator Chris Smith (USRA): Lead Writer Jeanette Kazmierczak (University of Maryland College Park): Lead Science Writer Scott Noble (NASA/GSFC): Scientist John G. Baker (NASA/GSFC): Scientist Bernard J. Kelly (UMBC): Scientist

Tourism: Ten Things To Know About ‘Thailand’

As the business world prepares to get moving again, here are 10 things that you might have missed about Thailand during the past 12 months. From its sunny disposition to its trade and innovation, quality of life and sustainable development, there’s much to look forward to on your next trip.

Animated Short Films: ‘Ozymandias’ – A Poem By Percy Bysshe Shelley

Directed and animated by Alvaro Lamarche-Toloza

“OZYMANDIAS” is the animated 3D adaptation of a poem written by English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in December 1817. It was created with a series of wash paintings animated with the Unreal Engine and EbSynth to test an experimental 3D animation pipeline.

Additional info:
Using EbSynth, a texture synthesis / transfer tool created by Secret Weapon, we applied wash paintings to 3D scenes created in real-time with the Unreal Engine. The result is a unique look and a promising experimental pipeline which dramatically speeds up the production of 3D animation stylized with traditional 2D art.

About the poem:
Written in 1817 by Percy Shelley, “Ozymandias” refers to pharaoh Ramesses II and was perhaps inspired by the acquisition of a large Ramesses statue by the British Museum the same year. References to this poem have often appeared in pop culture, though Shelley himself might not have considered it to be one of his major works.

It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of The Examiner of London. 

Credits:
Directed and animated by Alvaro Lamarche-Toloza
Wash paintings by Estelle Chauvard
Voice by Bryan Cranston, taken from the Breaking Bad Teaser Trailer
“Menkaure colossal statue base” model by Zhejiang University
“Ramses II” model by Taoetsia
“Horse Skeleton” model by Diego Luján García

‘OZYMANDIAS’ By Percy Bysshe Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Top New Animated Videos: “In My Particular Case” By Chico Jofilsan (2020)

Direction, design and animation: Chico Jofilsan

Music & sound design: Antfood
Voice actor: Chris Gibbs
Script: Chico Jofilsan & Duda Fonseca
Editing and proofreading: Laura Zuñiga
Live action support and actors: Duda Fonseca, Lucía Yáñez, Micaela Cantaro & Pablo Yáñez

How to choose an idea among so many others? This seems to be an endless question. This short film by Chico Jofilsan is a parody of that particular moment that seems further from us every single day: the idea of the perfect idea. In a world in which focus no longer stands out dispersion occupies the foreground. And this is the main theme of this film that shows different resources of animation in adapting to the rhythm of our minds. After all, what other art, if not animation, is capable of shaping so many imaginary worlds?

Website

Food & Wine: “A Nose For The Right Wine In Tuscany” – James Suckling (Video)

Monocle FilmsAn invitation to one of James Suckling’s soirées at his Tuscan villa is a rare treat. An influential wine critic, Suckling’s approach to choosing wine is characteristically considered. He will often theme the evening by grape, country or wine style but also might present wines based on the mood or the tastes of people attending. Correct storage of any vintage is incredibly important. The LG SIGNATURE Wine Cellar allows variable control of temperature, humidity, vibration and light levels. Find out how to become the consummate host with LG SIGNATURE in our five-part “The art of hosting” series.

Animated Video: “Salvador Dali’s Magic Cheque Book”

Directors – Luke Marsh + Alexander Hellebaut

Designer – Alexander Hellebaut
Animation – Luke Marsh, Alexander Hellebaut, Michael Towers + Ish Ali
Voiceover – Javier Fernandez
Music + Sound Design – Arthur Brouns
Producer – Eve Somerville
Creative Director – Giles Dill

With thanks to Fundació Gala Salvador Dalí, Shamina Knights and Danielle Hallock.

Surrealist master Salvador Dali would often be found in Catalonia’s capital Barcelona. His visits were often followed by stories as strange as his artworks. One such tale is of Dali’s magic chequebook… a story of food, drink and finances that may or may not have happened.

Find out more here