Great execution from animation to final post. Artus spoke with us about using Dragonframe software to capture the film using multiple exposures.
-
Philipp Artus-
There was a lot of post production. To be flexible in the editing I often did about five different exposures per frame—so working with Dragonframe was awesome, as I just had to do a single click per frame, and then everything was automated. The exposures were from about 1/8 of a second for to as long as 30 seconds. So it was still quite time consuming, as I had to do this for every single frame. So I was lucky, that the motion is only at 12fps. However, the framerate was rather an aesthetic decision, as it was important for the “ghosting” images that there are not too many frames overlapping. And also I like the 12fps stop motion feeling as a complement to the digital flow of the motion.
All the best, Philipp
TOOLBOX
I rigged and animated the character in 3ds Max. Then I projected the animation with a laser on a phosphorescent material and recorded it frame by frame with Dragon Stop Motion [Dragonframe]. Finally, I did the post production with After Effects. It was a very time consuming process, but I like the unique style that it creates. It looks somehow digital but has also the feeling of a hand-drawn animation.
CHALLENGES
The animation is based on a laser sculpture (https://vimeo.com/27659555), which has a somehow purer and darker feeling than the film. For me the challenge was to find the right tone for the film, to make it into something else than a mere copy of the laser installation. It took me some time to realize that I had to free my mind from the original character and to give space to an evolution. Finally, the film turned out much brighter and more colorful than I had imagined in the beginning.
LESSONS LEARNED
In the animation the snail goes through various metamorphoses. Working on the project was quite a similar experience: in the beginning I just wanted to do a normal animation with a snail. Through experimentation I then discovered the phosphorescent light trails, which add a unique sense of time to the animation. Later I had the idea to project the laser onto a 360° cylinder, so that the audience would have to walk around to follow the course of the snail. Finally, I created the film version, which again turned into something completely different from what I had originally in mind. Thus, the snail taught me the lesson to be fluid, to leave space for the evolution of your creations. Or as Bruce Lee puts it: “Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless – like water…”
INSPIRATIONS
My inspirations come from being in nature, observing animals and the way they move. The drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, Alberto Giacometti and M. C. Escher have also inspired me. As a kid I played video games a lot, which probably had an unconscious influence. I also used to do a lot of skateboarding and I love surfing – which might be an inspiration for the motion. The sound was influenced by various musicians, ranging from classical ambient drones to electronic post-dubstep beats. Aditionally, I had a very creative collaboration with the Portuguese musician Madalena Graça. Finally, the Vimeo community and the rapid change of our world through the digital era have also inspired my work.
Snail Trail, 2012, 3min. 1080p, Idea, animation, sound: Philipp Artus www.philippartus.com Musical Basis: Madalena Graça; www.madalenagraca.com Additional Sounds: Jan Goldfuß www.gegenrichtig.de