Mirto's Kinimatographos

A blog about Animation, Art, Movies and TV.

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Take Thirtyone: Body Language Extravaganza

For anyone who has been reading, I am a big fan of using body language reading in every day life. It has shown me and helped me a lot both in my career but also in my personal life.

I watch Big Brother UK for that reason: It has amazing snippets of body language that is very clear and grabs you by the face and says “LOOK! LOOK!!”.

In the last few days I have seen some amazing footage that I originally planned to withhold, but here I am sharing nonetheless:

The snippet with the blonde slim guy in the Diary Room shows someone realising that shenanigans have been happening in the house, and that Someone stole some wine. Watch the eye darting the minute he realises it and sinks his teeth into it.

The snippet with the guy being taunted after he thought he was signed with some big media company to promote him as a reality star but it has come to light he was conned by Big Brother. Watch at the 60 second mark where you can see, actually physically pinpoint his dreams being crushed and him realising it.

The snippet of the blonde girl in the Diary Room. Avoidance body language, lying that they are OK and not a problem. Clear cut that even a novice can see.

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Really well done, very creepy, love it!

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Take Twentynine: For the Fans of Sweets going Twisted

I am a big fan of twisting fairytales. From going back to the true, gritty and dark routes of fairy tales, to buying figurines such as McFarlane's Monsters Series 4: Twisted Fairy Tales and proudly displaying them in my household.

I also love the polar opposite, Disney and its sweetness and its pretty princesses.

Now.... Combine the two and you have the perfect mix:

Amazing work from Mr Jeffrey Thomas! via the Art Blog Who Killed Bambi.

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Looking forward to this? I know, I am  :D

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Take Twentyseven: Del Connell (1918-2011)

Den Connell passed away, a true veteran of the animation industry.

He wrote one of my favourite shorts: The Cold-Blooded Penguin.

Idea is king when it comes to animation, and this short has it all.

Here is a short eulogy by Cartoon Brew.

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Take Twentysix: Pixar Stamps on Sale 19th August

A reminder from my calendar popped up today: http://www.slashfilm.com/pixar-stamps/

If a fan, you might want to remember to buy!

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Take Twentyfive: On Body Language

One of the few things that make or break a good animation is good body language. It is reading between the lines, "body leaking", secondary actions...

It is all about what the body is saying and not what the mouth is on about.

You have heard of Smiling that engages the eyes (true smile) and Smiling that does not effect the eyes (fake smile).

Animation is about observing human behaviour and translating it into believable motion, motion that speaks to our instincts and not just the images our eyes perceive. 

Every now and then I stumble on pictures that are just so telling of that specific situation, the feelings within, the people behind the motions and as a special treat, the face is not even shown:

Do the hands talk to you? Do both of them tell you so so so much about each person behind that kiss? Do you love it or do you love it?! 

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Take Twentyfour: Concept Art for Brave

So I saw this article the other day come up in my feeds that showed concept art for Brave, the new movie announced by Pixar.

And I really liked them... I loved the Scotish man, the old lady.. and then.. hang on.. this reminds me of something: I have been a fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series for many many years.. It is what got my husband and I to meet after all.. I have the books, figurines, calendars, extra guides.. Through it all Paul Kidby has made my favourite illustrations of Discworld characters, and possibly the only reason why I have been buying the hardbacks from Europe even now that I live in the USA; His art is really exactly how you think these people in the pages to be.  And it seems it is damn close to what the concept art for Brave is as well. It feels the same.

So it is guarantied I will like this movie, if anything else, it will tap into an emotional memory I have of reading the Discworld series for the very first time and how it made me feel.

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I have been a big fan of Oliver Jeffers for a few years now.

Albeit a children's book writer and illustrator (mostly) he has captured the imagination of many adults alike.

I have a print of his in my bedroom, most of his books... my husband has tattooed an illustration of his on his forearm...

So as you can imagine, the love runs deep for this artist.

So I was particularly excited when Dominic emailed me this link, where Oliver has a sweet illustration series on how to draw a penguin. Read it!

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Jason Schleifer talks about how he nails down the intent and the reasons behind a shot to drive quality work as opposed to quantity work.

Practical tips, no airy fairy concepts, a 1-2-3 type of guide for working with shots that have been planned by others.

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A great post from Tad Leckman on creating texture when a character is rather idle in the scene.  Highly recommend to read/watch. 

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I have been waiting for "A Family Portrait" by Joseph Pierce to be available to be viewed for a while now; it was saved under my "to watch" electronic pile of notes.

It is now available at Joseph's channel on Vimeo and it is worth the wait.

Much like his "Stand Up", this stirs a lot of emotions as art should. 

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I have been attending Animation Mentor for the last year, and it has made me very happy to explore that side of brain. 

Animation Mentor is a really awesome school with amazing mentors.

Sometimes I wish I had a really experienced person look over my work though and say "Do these exercises to improve yourself on your weaknesses that are these" and I have asked a lot of mentors (either that were mine, or some I just had an open discussion with) and I never got the type of solid answer I wanted.

Bear in mind, everyone has their own learning pattern, and mine is quite Shpeshiul (with a little yellow bus and everything -see HERE for my soapbox post on flawed eductions), and in this case, Andrew Gordon, Mike Makarewicz, Rob Thompson and Aaron Hartline deliver what I have bee craving for. Hoozah!

See you in July :) 

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I was looking through my feeds today and Victore Navone had this post with a short, beautifully done stop motion. You don't need to know the language to understand what is being said, which is the beauty of animation done so well.

Enjoy!

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There is little mumbo jumbo going on in our household and any references of karma or fate get a good scorned look at best, a targeted rant at worst.

When I saw this lovely executed animation, with a story I could stand firmly behind, I had to share. Great beat poem and greatly narrated by Tim Minchin.

Enjoy!

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I was raised with movies from the 60's.

Peter Sellers, Jerry Lewis.. but my absolute favourite was Louis de Funes.

He frequented our TV on a weekly basis as the Greek television played his movies a lot.

Studying animation has brought a new appreciation to his acting style, the shift of emotion, the connotation of the shots..

This scene is a particularly favourite of mine. You don't need to know French or German to understand what is going on (but should you feel inclined, I am sure google/translate will help with the list of food he resists in German).

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I think Art is made to strike cords in you. 

I have seen a lot of crap Art that hasn't shocked me, because it was fake and contrived.

This though, is not the case. Take a look.

Bare in mind, it is not for the weak of heart.