Animation Article Review

A recent study by psychology today, 130 people were shown the same animation, and each had a different response as to what they thought it meant. The blog details 10 different interpretations of the video's possible meaning.

The author uses the attempted explanations to help make her case. Each interpretation comes with the age and occupation of the person who said it, and I was quite suprised when a few matched my interpretation. The entire article goes to show not only that different people have different opinions, but that those opinions change in interesting ways as we age. All in all, I really appreciate this part of the animation, and it's certainly something I wish to emulate with my own work.

Hello Loyal Viewers! This was our first real project in animation class this year. Our assignment was to produce a 3D model of a fish in Maya, before texturing and coloring it. We also ended up animating it, but due to the temperamental nature of Maya's animation rendering, I didn't post the video here. I decided instead to just post a photo of the fish model, creepy hollow eyes and all. My next project won't be done for a while, but I'll have a preview out soon.

Review of the Short Film 9

Greetings Loyal Viewers! In honor of the new school year, I'm posting a review of my favorite short film of all time (Ironically enough, it also inspired my favorite animated movie of all time: 9). I credit this film as being the inspiration for much of my work from last year, including my Character Animation. You can find the short itself on this website.

The project itself was an animation final created by college student Shane Acker. There are many examples of advanced animation techniques, most notably, when 5 unfolds his spear, or when 9 and 5 pull the light bulb from the old lamp. Each of these examples looks amazing and flows like the animation of a professional.

9 tells the story of a group of rag doll creatures working to stop a machine that is hunting them down and stealing their souls. The premise seems strange at first, but you leave feeling emotionally invested in the story and characters. I feel like the biggest thing I can take away from this animation is the aesthetic and sense of mystery that the animation creates. The creator did a really good job of keeping tension high the entire time, leaving you constantly wondering what will happen next. However, the sense of wonder extends a little too far, leaving you with too many unanswered questions.

In the end, I believe 9 is a great short film, and an even better full length movie. Shane did many things well but left some to be desired. 9 still ranks as one of my favorite films of all time and Shane, wherever you are, good job.