Dimensions of Dialogue, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Oculart

This week's animations consisted of three very different animations, however, they all presented very unique ways in how a story is created and various techniques and styles in how to do it.  The three animations consisted of Jan Svankmajer's Dimensions of Dialogue (1982), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (end credits), and my pick from Oculart's animation, Pigalle 1913.  Each animation brings such a unique style to it, that it is hard to put all three next to each other and compare, but what each one does do is present different ways in how stories can come together.  

If we look at Dimensions of Dialogue, the approach with clay is very unique because the way it is used allows for so much creativity in a way that no one else may have thought of.  The way that the clay is used in an abstract way actually helps with the storyline, because the rest of the actions of the characters help to fill in for what the abstract pieces are missing.  The characters are created out of the same material with with they are destroyed with as well, and just simple details really give the characters enough personality to make a story.  The facial aspects, especially the eyes, are almost enough detail to help convey what the character is thinking even with only one material being used to create them.

A Series of Unfortunate Events really creates a story out of making you think a creature or object is one thing and than changing it to be something else to create an incredible flow of events and a retelling of a story just within the credits.  For example at one part what appeared to be thin, branched trees turn suddenly into creepy, grabbing hands.  The way in which the animation was done in a silhouette look and the flow of one scene to another really gives a new look at how a story can be created and how much of what we see is within our own perspective.

The final animation of Pigalle 1913 is very abstract and full of collages, but I picked it to view because it seemed similar to the other two animations in how one scene just gradually turned into another scene, and the layering effects of all the objects gives the viewer so much to look at and so many stories for them to assume about what is happening.  It's an animation that is particularly interesting in that it comes full circle and continuously begins and ends in the same spot so it just keeps going.  It really creates a world within another world and does so with both a 2D look and then turns into a 3D look at other parts giving it another very interesting dimension.  All three really give very different perspectives on creating stories and the small and/or simple details that can really bring it to another level.