tween

An interesting article from the New York Times posits that Pixar is leading the way in a new form of animated storytelling that will eventually render hand-drawn animation obsolete. While I’m not completely sold on the argument, it makes for a good read:

“Look, No Hands: Pixar’s Killer App” by Elvis Mitchell

Onedotzero8 and Nikelab have announced a new film project entitled “The Art of Speed.” Although the premise seems a bit shallow (seriously, how much can you really say about going fast?), the project promises to be pretty sweet.

Get more details at The Art of Speed site.

Check out the Saiman Chow + Han Lee teaser clip.

Lots of big-client animation and design work over at Blur.

The Embassy has outdone themselves with their latest piece for Nike, featuring a fluidly evolving basketball shoe and minimalist, organic sound design. Great concept, great execution.

Here’s the spot.

(Tip o’ the hat to my buddy Ross Mansfield for the link.)

Let’s add another software release to the pile:

Alias’ Maya 6

So far the buzz about this release has been pretty quiet. The new feature list isn’t earth-shattering, but then again, it’d be hard to improve THAT much on the original.

Whoa! Apple just announced a new motion graphics product to be released this summer. It’s called, appropriately enough, Motion. (Their marketing team didn’t lose any sleep over that one.)

Motion promises to deliver a lot of exciting features, including real-time previews, keyframe-less animation and “natural simulations.”

Has AfterEffects met it’s match?

Check it out.

(Anticipating my rhetorical question, Adobe has posted the feature list for After Effects 6.5.

I don’t see real-time previewing on there. That’s going to be the biggest selling point for me when it comes to comparing Motion and After Effects…)

Just posted a handful of tutorial links (see the right-hand column).

The tutorials found on those sites address all levels of proficiency, with quality ranging from piss-poor to excellent. Given a little persistence, you’re sure to find a gem or two.

Lobo’s recent collarborative work with Diesel is nothing short of a masterpiece. According to the Diesel marketeers, “Lost Paradise” is a series of video pieces designed to convey the “birthplace of the Diesel Spring-Summer 2004 Collection.”

Whatever. All I know is that it’s a breathtaking ride and well worth your perusal.

So, without further ado: Get thee to the Lost Paradise!

Hint: Click Explore on the Lost Paradise site to access the videos.

My prediction for this seasons’s biggest trend: stop-action animation, baby! Art Clokey himself would be proud of some of the latest stop-motion work hitting the streets these days.

Some fine examples include
—Steriogram’s “Walkie Talkie Man” promo, directed by Michael Gondry
—Choice cutlets from Diesel’s Lost Paradise video series (produced by the estimable Lobo)
—A cute little robot animation from HunterGatherer

Head on over to Nakd to check out their new work for the Anime Network. My personal favorite is “Duel.”

http://www.nakd.tv/