Wall animation

[Paul Fierlinger]

It really is:
http://www.vimeo.com/993998?pg=embed&sec=993998
Clearly impressive art, animation art, amazing wall art .... yet the thrill didn't carry me all the way through...
Any other thoughts?

[Klaus Hoefs]

Well, impressive because of the idea to paint and draw animated things on a wall. It's a bit bulky, that's why I like it. It also reminds me of Kentridge and his filmed drawings interacting with reality.
What bothers me are the too many stories which are placed in a row and the package also lacks a bit of sense. There must be a stronger connection of animated wall painting and telling a specific story. Sometimes it already works, but imo in general it should be tied up more to a parcel.

[Paul Fierlinger]

I find it interesting how merciless our desire for purpose can be. There is huge effort put into the piece and it gives out lots of good feelings but clearly, that's not enough.

[A1]

Maybe it is not enough to get a sence of clear understanding, but i think it finds it purpose in pure creativity and freedom
(in this case taking back the streets so to speak).
Also, i personally don't have a problem with non narrative, you don't need narrative structure (or explosions, let's be clear)
to communicate a sence of wonder/excitement to your audience. I do believe it has content over gimmick, but more as a sence-thing then something outspoken.
This film really traveled the internet at lightspeed, so something clearly is enough to satisfy to some degree.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Also, i personally don't have a problem with non narrative, you don't need narrative structure

I agree but also notice that those endearing films are usually quite short. If this film would have been very short, most of us would have wished to see more. So the secret for non narrative versus narrative films to work has a magic length attached to it.

[A1]

I do agree.
have you ever encountered or heard of structure other than narrative, to work with?
Or let me rephrase: do you consider music, for example, a narrative structure ? Or do you feel its structure is of a different order, and although seemingly transposable to visuals (norman mclaren and the likes) to etheric for other use than to mimic music, or simply still not adequate for longer duration in film.
I would love to hear your take on this.

[Paul Fierlinger]

do you consider music, for example, a narrative structure ?

All the time. I work closely with a composer and very often ask him for a piece of music for my next sequence of scenes. I explain to him the rough length I anticipate it to be, the substance and purpose of it's place within the bigger picture; the mood and we always debate the tone and instrumentation, reaching upon such agreements as: the clarinet will tell the story and the cello will set the mood.

Sometimes it will be much less ambitious; just a glorified click track but the outcome is usually the same: his music adds elements to the narrative I had never anticipated and I let it dictate my drawings. This is always my preferred method of working the story. I have long abandoned the preposterous notion that the best film music is the one that nobody notices.

Since all my films are heavily narrated by a voice over (literally story-told) I often find the music to be all capable of clearly replacing the voice and eliminate it. Those are happy results of good music making. But both my composer and I are very mindful of not falling into the cheap technique of "mickey-mousing" which is a name we picked up somewhere for the type of music that attempts to mimic every move of a character, but sometimes we mickey-mouse a segment as parody. It's easy for inexperienced composers and directors to fall into this cliche and can ruin a story for me when I see it. This happens often in live-action films too.

[Paul Fierlinger]

Related to the topic:
http://www.streetsy.com/

Hint: I have friends high up in the graffiti art crime spheres.

[ZigOtto]

this one looks like your avatar, but a bit younger ...

[Klaus Hoefs]

Raymond, this image (ähem, the left one) shows a little bit the problem I was talking about.
There is a thin blotched wooden board closing off a non visible room, it's an uncharitable door-niche from which a head is lurking around the corner to the street.
The wall is freshly painted, but the underlaying brickwork is damaged.
There is also an opened bottle of German Beck's Beer that is actual a part of the whole art-work (also it is the street , sidewalk, neighborhood...and the weather...).
This all will force a story in your head.


Unlike drawings and paintings on paper or canvas, the wall-paintings are in a direct contact with the real world communicating to real-life, also with words, letters and phrases.
Basquiat (just an example; of course he wasn't the first) took it all to the canvas and it only worked for the (chicky-micky-)art-circle. Same with Haring (imo).

[A1]

Thanks Paul,
I'm working on a shortfilm right now, so this is helpfull.

Back on topic:
cnn has the answer (don't they always)

" (CNN) -- How do you create something that people want to spend more time with, and also want their groups of friends or social community to spend more time with?
The answer lies in the idea that it's "oh so viralicious," it's got to be shared -- with your friends and colleagues at the very first instance, at that second. And what will drive that is the power of that idea -- its creativity, its point of view, or sheer genius in expression."

the rest of the article: (basicly it says : kick someone in the nuts and film it.)

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/05 ... lOnlyonCNN