Hasta La Motion!

Meindbender Animation Studio in Sweden has really done a nice job for Cartoon Network. They’ve reproduced stop motion-like animation with a real clay feeling—but with all the advantages of CG.

The Duplicator Series was animated in Maya and rendered with Maxwell Renderer using HDR’s Rendernet. Check out the series on Meindbender’s site or individually here:

The Duplicators
Evolution
Audition
It´s Magic
Push The Button

Some background information from Meindbender’s Olov Burman:

In 2007 we released an animation test called Rabbit vs Football. This film got quite a lot of attention on the internet, and one the companies that contacted us was Cartoon Network. We were at that point looking for buyers for a film called Gifts for Greta.

Cartoon Network bought this as a Christmas ID short film, and it ended up winning awards in Promax/DBA Europe and world awards. Cartoon Network then ordered 5 more ID shorties, and we started working on the “Duplicator Series.”

We put together a small but dedicated crew of world class CGI artists and got to work. After several months of hard work we completed the production. We hope you enjoy the films.

Title: The Duplicator Series
Director: Olov Burman

CLIENT:
Client: Cartoon Network

ANIMATION:
Animation Studio: Meindbender Animation Studio

Lighting, Shading, Rendering: Michael Bengtsson
Animation, Rigging: Calle Halldin
Music and Sound Design: Robert Lundgren
Animation, Modeling: Marcus Ottosson
Rigging: Tony Österlund
Props: Ola Larsson
Intern: Rickard Germundsson

MUSIC AND SOUND DESIGN:
Music and Sound Design: AD Union

Posted on Motionographer

Ci si narrava spesso, da bambini, di un sedicente angelo che meglio da fare non aveva che vagare in cerca di irrispettosi pargoli intenti a far smorfie allo specchio. Se ci si fosse lasciati scorgere, egli avrebbe per sempre immobilizzato la nostra mostruosa espressione. Le creature dell’artista americana Allison Schulnik da sempre cercano di combattere il malefico angelo, talvolta ci riescono, ma è solo per un istante: l’ammasso scombinato di materia che li compone è in perenne trasformazione, e la loro vita è una sequenza di estasi e smarrimento.

Dopo una prima riuscita collaborazione per il cortometraggio Hobo Clown, i Grizzly Bear si affidano nuovamente alla pittrice di San Diego per “Ready, Able”, terzo singolo estratto dall’acclamato Veckatimest (Warp, 2009): prende vita così “Forest”, una fiaba moderna d’una creatura alle prese con continui cambiamenti di stato, scanditi e cantati da un irrequieto coro in pongo.

Clicca qui per vedere il video incorporato.

Film: Allison Schulnik
Lightning: Helder King Sun
Thanks to: Eric Yahnker

Articolo redatto da Didier Falzone

HunterGatherer is the latest artist to be commissioned by Fuel TV for one of their award-winning Signature Series IDs. The new stop-motion spot is inspired by the idea of synthesia, with music transformed directly into the spare and graphic visual style of Todd St. John. Bright, stimulating and very impressive.

See more pictures and read a Q&A with Todd St. John about his process here.

Posted on Motionographer

Nando Costa’s colorful career recently took another interesting turn when he joined Bent Image Lab as a director/partner. The fruit of that union can be tasted in his first project with Bent, a music video for Modest Mouse’s “Whale Song.”

Nando took time to fill us in with loads of juicy behind-the-scenes details, as well as bringing us up to speed on life after Nervo.

Read the feature here.

Posted on Motionographer

Different is a gorgeous new film by Alchemy in Toronto for the Girl Guides of Canada and agency john st.. It features stop-motion animation of paper-cut out characters with terrific lighting and inventive transitions from scene-to-scene. I found it a real joy to watch. The ultra-cute character design and illustrations are by noted illustrators Nathan Jurevicius and Andrea Kang via Lunch.

Explore by Hayley Morris is another film for Girl Guides that combines stop-motion, paper animation and cel-animation into a sweet, personal narrative that encourages girls to get outside, and to interact with each other and turn off their televisions. The playful, craft-filled world is both tactile and charming. Nicely done!

More films at the Girl Guides Online Film Festival site here.

Title: “Different”
Client: Girl Guides of Canada
Project: Girl Guides Online Film Festival

Agency: john st., Toronto
Creative Directors: Stephen Jurisic, Angus Tucker
Interactive Art Director: Daniel Saunders
Writers: Jennifer Rossini, Elizabeth Whalen

Broadcast Producer: Nicole Andrisevic
Interactive Producer: Ryan O’Hagan
Project Managers: Robyn Crookshank, Tara Giacinti

Production Company: Alchemy
Director: Anthony Burns and Eric Makila
Director of Photography: Anthony Burns
Executive Producer: Stefani Kouverianos
Art Direction: Jamie Webster
Character design/Illustration: Harley and Boss (Nathan Jurevicius and Andrea Kang)
Animation & Compositing: Eric Makila and Anthony Burns

Music & Sound Design: Six Degrees (Via Lunch)

Title: “Explore”

Project: Girl Guides Online Film Festival
Client: Girl Guides of Canada
Agency: john st., Toronto

Director: Hayley Morris
Writer: Hayley Morris
Production Company: Curious Pictures

Director of Photography: Hayley Morris
Executive Producer: Mary Knox
Producer: Hilary Downes
Editor & editorial company: Hayley Morris, Curious Pictures
Music & Sound Design: Hayley Morris and Evan Kultangwatana, Curious Pictures

Posted on Motionographer