Psyop & MassMarket "The Dread" (2010)

The Dread has rather more turbo charged brio than your average automobile commercial. The Nissan Duke’s gleaming metallic red is given prominence by being placed in a car demolition zone, all grey escaping steam, detritus and terrorising 500 ton "Dread", a vast maker of scrap whose nemesis this time is not an Arnold Schwarzenegger but Duke. A Big Brother-like projection of the narrator voices the drama of it all but the undoubted star is the CG of Psyop (slogan "Persuade, Change and Influence") with impressive visual effects from MassMarket. Would I buy the car based on the ad? I might, were I single, younger. And allowed! Thanks both to Shannon Stephaniuk and Jaime Chen for their separate recommendation, of ad not necessarily car.

Aya Zakaria "Swing" (2009)

Aya Zakaria graduated last year from Egypt's Helwan University, her film Swing acting in no small way as an antidote to those dreadfully mischievous French students a day or so ago. A little girl ventures onto one of those boat-like swings and is transported rather more spectacularly than she had intended .... onto, and very nearly into, an ocean where pirates cascade cannon balls down upon her. But not before she has enjoyed flying fish and whale. Aya majored in book design and animation and I can just see her artwork translated into one of those glorious children's books I read to the kids, where the drawings are clear-cut and story gentle. I provide all the voices. One for the kids and me!

Dmitry Geller "Greetings from Kislovodsk" (2000)

The arrival of a man and woman at a hazily drawn railway station, together and yet apart, sets the tone for Greetings from Kislovodsk, a film depicting the breakdown of a relationship in an oddly fragmented style. The figures are simply drawn, but with a grace about their movements at once sinuous and affecting. The action (courtship, departures, meanderings) is movingly set against a series of atmospheric photographs from earlier in the 20th century, frozen moments on vacation or with family, speaking of happier moments that give the parting of the pair a universality, emphasised by an effective soundtrack of music and sound effects, of which the sound of the train is predominant. Russian director, Dmitry Geller, uses locations evocatively, the station of arrivals and departures, the subtly lit dance floor, tango music speaking of courtship and romance, the beach with a battery of photographs almost as stage flats projecting images of happy families, a fairground’s carousel heavy with symbolism, life played out in circles, the condensation on the railway window as those photographic images pass by as poignant, discarded billboards. Dmitry’s allusive world of watery colours and shadow is a treat, exploring love's freshness and loss. Thank you, Pavlovich, once again, for your recommendation and fine taste in movies.

"Maternelle" Guilhem Salines, Jean-Bathiste Bister, Matthieu Gouget de Landres & Marine Perraudin (2010)

I remember my first day at school well enough. It was not a nightmarish experience in any way. My older friends reassured me from the adjacent playground and we mixed oil paint with water. Innocent days! Not so now. Maternelle was made at the Georges Méliés School in Paris by four of those talented French students they seem to breed there: Guilhem Salines, Jean-Bathiste Bister, Matthieu Gouget de Landres and my 22 year old correspondent, Marine Perraudin. Childhood allows a rich resource for animated films though seldom this nightmarish. All commences well enough as our little boy accompanies mummy to the school, only to be drawn to those dark tears in the walls where lurks who knows what. Naturally the adults and, in fact, the other children, are unaware of anything unpleasant but our boy is inquisitive. That tear in the paper is helped along a little. But surely my friends across the channel are well intentioned, compassionate people, sensitive to the fears and foibles of tiny folk. Fooey! I’ve lived a sheltered life. The bright artwork is appropriate for a light tale of childhood, the kid having large blue eyes, there being other colours a-plenty. I used to love those pools of brightly coloured balls into which I’ve dipped my kids in my time, never suspecting that at their base lies something visceral and altogether unpleasant. No fears though, mummy and teacher are always at hand to help, aren’t they? At a time, in the UK at least, when our family tax credits are in jeopardy maybe this is the moment to sample a creepy bit of film-making. Do visit the talented quartet's website.

Arjen Klaverstijn "Manfred" (2010)

Here is something nice and light to re-establish myself after so long away, my vacation, professional and personal circumstances taking a strange turn, not entirely planned. Arjen Klaverstijn graduated from the Utrecht School of Arts with Manfred, an amalgam of Maya’s 2D and 3D technology. The short is a simple, humorous piece in which Manfred queues at a bus stop only to be out manoeuvred and lose his place to others, bad enough at any time but worsened by a deluge of rain, albeit a situation our guy turns to best advantage. In an age where reality of animated figures can be absolute, Arjen has rectangular characters, some taller or squarer than others, but imposing a satisfying chunkiness, the endearing central character a hoped for model for other proposed episodes. Click here to view a series of clips revealing the making-of secrets. Expressions of concern for my welfare have been welcome though, as I have been quick to reiterate, for the past fortnight I have been somewhere mid-Mediterranean, or was it the Aegean? Anyway it was hot.

Dafna Axel "Table for 2"

It is a delicious return after a dramatic change of career and an extremely long vacation. So with due apologies to all those whose work I have yet to feature (broken promises!!!) here goes... Dafna Axel’s graduation film, Table for 2, explores a young couple ‘s relationship over several courses. In Bill Plymptonesque fashion, the pair undergo the little tribulations of romance, from the fresh rose that blooms in the cheeks, the gentle touch of fingers over a glass of red wine to more stodgy fare, as a chicken leg is seized in the hand and etiquette discarded as surely as the chewed bones. But this is a tale with a happy ending as our guy bares his chest and shares the washing up. Dafna’s artistic talent is obvious in a wittily conceived and executed short, with delicate colouring. The reference to the great man above should be considered a compliment though I guess the action at the sink would not end so harmoniously in Bill’s hands. A promising career beckons for Dafna.

Julia Pott "Howard" (2010)

Guest Reviewer: Marta Macková

Julia Pott’s new graduation film Howard (Royal College of Art, 2010) is a touching reflection on long term relationships. Its thought provoking script is beautifully brought to life by hand drawn animation. Howard’s illustrative frames take us to sensitive, surreal landscapes with a feel similar to Kovalyov or Paarn’s films. Julia’s combination of human and animal characters is cleverly thought through and describes greatly the loneliness and heartache of their relationship. Julia has created yet another powerful and moving short. Julia’s a freelance animator and illustrator working from London and New York. Her clients include E4, Passion Pictures, Sherbet and Etsy. You can watch more of Julia’s animation work including her animated short My First Crush and an interview about Julia’s work as an animator she has done with Etsy called Animated Portraits on her YouTube channel.

Jeff Scher "Summer Hours" & Tobias Hall "Threads"

Taking a screen shot for Summer Hours by that harbinger or recorder of the seasons and life in general, Jeff Scher, much beloved of the Animation Blog, is an interesting task for no frozen frame is ever quite the same. Frozen is an inappropriate word for this particular film is about warm, sunny weather by the sea, summer at its most evocative, suffused with an essence straight from our childhood, when excitement mounted the nearer to the sea we got. So seagulls, waves, sun, yachts, fish, sand, blue skies fading to dusk and night fishing. And mosquitoes - certainly can’t forget those. There’s something of the symbiotic about Jeff’s relationship with composer Shay Lynch, like the horizon on a blue sea, one merges into the other. Jeff speaks of a darker mood given the appearance of an oil rig (without the BP motif as far as I can discern) emphasised by the music and sound distortion though I can’t see or hear it myself. Still, there is a skull on the beach as subliminal warning of something drowned out by the infectious loveliness of summer. Skull not withstanding, by absolute way of contrast view another rotoscoped animation from Coventry University’s Tobias Hall, newly graduated with a first class degree, the final project being Threads, a monochromatic, music video for Portishead whose anguished music establishes an altogether colder season than does Summer Hours. In his Vimeo notes, Tobias writes of the angst aired as our guy unravels by the door or is submerged on the sofa. The rotoscope animation has a bare boned realistic effect made the more interesting as the surreal creeps in and the guy disintegrates in line with the lyrics: "I'm worn, tired of my mind/ I'm worn out, thinking of why/ I'm always so unsure." Bundle of laughs: but distinctive work from Tobias.

Conor Ryan "Phil Lynott" (2010 Music Matters)

Thin Lizzy’s singer and frontman is the subject of Phil Lynott, an animated biography for Music Matters, an industry-led campaign site to drive for legitimate musical downloading. The organisation has commissioned a series of animated films on a wide variety of music, from a Welsh Male Voice choir to Blind Willie Johnson, Kate Bush and Louis Armstrong. Today’s post features one that does not as yet appear on the site. Directed by Conor Ryan, with the assistance of Eoin Ryan, the black and white video features the singer whose songs have become classics. The potted biographies all communicate the leanest of facts but here we learn that this son of an Irish-Catholic mother and Afro-Brazilian father gravitated from the working class suburbs of Dublin to booze and girls, and of course stardom. The film features some iconic imagery of London set with a nicely textured look, plus music that still rocks today. One of Conor’s early movies way back from when he graduated in 2004, Cold Pursuit, was featured way back in the early days of the blog. I shall have to make a feature, Where are the Animators Now?

Hampa Studio "Margarita" (2009)

Hampa Studio base their very assured short film, Margarita, on a poem by Rubén Darío - Margarita, how beautiful the sea is. Written by the poet for a daughter of a close friend, poem and film tell the story of the little princess who has a quite magical life in her castle with her loving father, the King. When she sees a glistening star she sets off on an epic sea voyage to obtain it, without seeking permission. In fact the fantasy element is rich in the original poem: "But, alas, our little one went far/ across the sea, beneath the sky,/ and all to cut the one white star/ that left her wondering a sigh." Alex Cervantes writer/director and writer/producer Diana Rodriguez take their cues from this, the film rich in beautifully orchestrated and coloured spectacle, none more so than the girl setting off on her journey by tiny boat, the motor of which is a record player, the speaker under the keel emitting musical notation. Storms, whales, pirate ship and mountain peaks await the princess. There is also a lesson to be learnt from the movie, the little girl pursuing a dream, overcoming obstacles. ( The Spanish soccer team had similar high ambitions and the skill to stick to their beliefs.) Margarita is a professional production, a full studio team contributing to its success. I must pick out Ivan Llopis for his superb music, alongside a stand-out song from Lonely Drifter Karen. It is refreshing to see a full making of film recording the thoughts of those concerned, and the production from low tech pencil to extremely high tech CG, even a word with the composer and footage of the soundtrack being recorded. Hampa Animation Studio is located in Valencia.