4mations isn’t just about kittens and love, you know. Today Captain Contentious steps onto the soapbox for a reasonable, balanced discussion about sand animation.
I love animation. At its best, it is magical in a way that live action can never be. DOWN WITH LIVE ACTION!!!!… Not really. In animation you can create crazy characters and a mad universe and describe them however you like. It doesn’t have to look realistic, it doesn’t have to follow the laws of science or logic.
Then there’s sand animation. I HATE SAND ANIMATION. I really hate it. There’s nothing I hate more than sitting in a festival when a sand animation comes on the screen. I let out the long mournful howl of the wolf when I see sand dance. Sand belongs on the beach: whether it’s under foot on a romantic walk, as the primary component in the sand castle or as an unintended ingredient in barbecued food, that is its realm. I get nothing from it on the screen. I loath the way it moves around, you can’t make anything with any detail and there’s no way you can convey emotion or any kind of life with sand. I just don’t understand why anyone would choose to use it. And no I am not throwing down the gauntlet to sand animators everywhere. Don’t send me your sand animation clips. You are sick, SICK, you darn, dirty sandimators! I am not suggesting we throw sand animators in prison. I’m all for freedom of expression. I simply ask animators to think, think really hard before you throw your life away on sandimation.
Join the debate. Does sand have a place in animation?
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Of course it has a place in animation, but I mean, not in front of my eyes. After all, sand animation IS animation and some people really can tell great stories with this but it’s more like chinese shadows or puppet shows. No for me the only one problem with this type of animation is that it’s ugly, really.
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You are vicious sand haters.
I have very pleasant memories of working with sand on my degree film. I toiled in the dark, above a backlit perspex sheet, carefully tweezering individual grains of sand into place to construct elaborate, ephemeral, delicate backgrounds. Oh, how I loved the solitude of those quiet hours, how a single sneeze or sigh could destroy hours of work in a split second…
… yeah, OK, I hate sand too.
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Possibly you are not looking at the positive side of the act . In a grain of sand lies the secret of the universe . Sand animation in real sence is a unique art of story telling uncompared to anything else without speaking a word ……
you are unlucky not able to appreciate the massive great quality of sand animation
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“In a grain of sand lies the secret of the universe”
That’s funny cos my belly-button is a gateway to another dimension.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518XP8prwZo&feature=player_embedded
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Maybe a lot of the charm comes from the voices, but i think this is an excellent sand film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fusYZ7eIhps
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