Sunday, March 2, 2008

websites

http://www.thehalcyonhours.com/
I enjoyed the concept behind this site more than the actual animations themselves. The animations are subtle and not particularly action-packed, which communicates the idea of these "halcyon hours" well. By isolating these scenes of no particular importance, the artist captures each moment perfectly. The ambient soundtrack adds to the mood of an unrushed day. By keeping the animation minimal and spacing it out, the viewer is forced to slow down and savor these moments fully.

http://www.matthewmahon.com/
I think this is possibly the best way to show of a photography portfolio I've seen. The interactive, unorthodox presentation is a natural fit for the photos themselves. One gets the sense that these pictures are spread out over a bed or table, rather than in a gallery. There's no uniform orientation, and Mahon includes receits and fake IDs in the mix. By allowing the viewer to select and zoom in on whichever photo they want (as opposed to the standard linear slideshow format) Mahon creates a casual and at the same time intimate relationship between the photos and the audience. In all honesty, this is probably one of the coolest websites I've seen.

http://alanbecker.deviantart.com/art/Animator-vs-Animation-34244097
Not only is the concept wicked, but the animation is way convincing too. I can only imagine the amount of cut-and-paste screen captures that went into this. The story was great; action, humor, and a surprisingly effective way of learning about the various Flash tools. I enjoyed the very meta-perspective of having the battle take place in Flash itself; the line between animation and computer glitch is blurred effectively. Functions equally well as a metaphor for the relationship between the Creator and mankind, or as an amusing action cartoon full of nerd humor.

1 comment:

Julian May said...

I disagree with everything you said about that first sight, you could not have been more wrong, you need to get your act together