Short Film Critiquing week 5/6

Miniscule Series- Pique Nique

Miniscule" is a french animation series aired on ABC on Saturday Nights and was one that purely enchanted me. It was introduced to me in a class just this semester and its attention to detail and its beautiful treatment of humour. The animation allows us to see the world as we saw it as a child. However animation has come along way since 1890 when the first comic strip emerged called" Humorous Phases of Funny Faces by cartoonist Stuart Blackton. This was also the catalyst for the first fully animated french film by Emile Cohls called "Fantasmagoria" which was produced in 1908. It was created through simple drawings that looked like stick figures.

This paved the way for Pixars first fully computer animated film in 1986 and then theatre goeers were introduced to live action and animation in the same film. It broke new technological ground with its remarkable blending of animated imagery and live action human characters.

If it was not for this critical step in technology taken to create this cross art film making films or animated series like "Miniscule" that also incorporate animation and real background sounds and plates. What an incredible series. There are over 60 episodes. Happy watching!!!

DV8 Physical Theater Company -The Cost of living.

The Cost of Living is quite a popular film piece for DV8 Physical Theater Company, and one that you can find alot of snipits on youtube. This particular excerpt is a pas de deux by Lloyd Newson for the short film The Cost of Living that runs for approximately 30 minutes, however this is only a two minute segment.

"When the body is not more linked to our mind and seems to be unused

less weight to managae art provides with an immense flash of purity"

-DV8

DV8 is a world renowned physical theatre company that has its routes in London. The Company was created in 1986 and led by LLoyd Newson and over the past 13 years they have created 16 dance pieces and toured internationally. There current project is called "To be straight with you" and it is a multi-ethnic cast that aims to explore tolerance, religion and sexuality. It is also a cross arts piece blending both dance, text, animation, documentary and film and is currently touring this year.

The internet has a long standing relationship with dance and it has been used as an experimental medium through video art and for documtary reasons. Through use of the internet a dance perfomance can not just be an ephemeral experience but one that can be experienced from the other side of the world. Dance companies are relying on video documentation not only as a marketing tool but for exposure for the company and its dancers.

Flight of the Conchords

This is the episode of Dave's Party and they are singing the song "most beautiful girl in the room". It is a humorous video clip from the New Zealand duo that not only have their clips on youtube and have become a household name for younf internet users. They also have a radio show for BBC in New Zealand.

This brings me to the advent of the music video clip. The most notable of these to discuss is "Thriller" video clip by Michael Jackson who created the first 20 minute music video clip which her recieved numerous accolades for. This then opened up the possibilities for other artists to break the boundaries and then Prince went on to make a film based around his music and then so did Michael Jackson with "Moonwalker".

It is also notable to mention the life that a music video or series takes on in the youtube and also its ability to turn the young girl with her bedroom webcam into a famous superstar, however this can only be considered 15 minutes of fame as the media world will soon be caught up in another new piece of youtube flesh and will grow tired of the previous talent.

Artists would also not be able to create music videos expecially for internet usage, without the computer, the advent of sound in film, film itself and the internet. Without all of these things getting your band noticed, getting exposure as an actor and showing the world your new video clip would be impossible.