New York-based Brazilian filmmaker Guilherme Marcondes (Tyger, Into Pieces) is prepping a new ten-minute mixed-media short Caveirão for release this fall:
Shot in São Paulo, ‘Caveirão’ imagines the secret night activities of that city’s spirits. Inspired by the darker side of Brazilian pop culture, the film crosses over genres and techniques. Fantasy, horror and cartoon meet through live-action, 2D animation and 3D VFX. This is the first film from The Master’s Voice project about ghost stories based on urban folklore.
‘Caveirão’ literally means ‘Big Skull’. Besides obviously addressing the main character’s features, the name has few of connotations in Brazil. It nicknames the armored policecar that goes up the favela hills to terrorize drug-dealers (and the whole population living there). You would also use the word ‘caveira’ (skull) in everyday language as an adjective for something evil or ominous. At the same time, despite the dark imagery it conjures, ‘Big Skull’ sounds as goofy as a monster from a Scooby-Doo cartoon. That irony was certainly not lost when I chose ‘Caveirão’ as the name of my film.
Follow Guilherme’s new Facebook page for behind-the-scenes footage, animation tests, and updates on the film.
Brew reader Leo Santos introduced me to the fantastic work of Brazilian animator Daniel Og, who animated this series of eight 30-second spots for Canal Futura—one for each of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals:
- Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
- Achieving universal primary education,
- Promoting gender equality and empowering women,
- Reducing child mortality rates,
- Improving maternal health,
- Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
- Ensuring environmental sustainability, and
- Developing a global partnership for development.
Og’s eccentric animation style tweaks the conventional patterns of movement. His characters jolt around the screen with an aggressive staccato edge, and everything’s just a little wobbly, but make no mistake, it’s skillful artistry done for effect.
After seeing these spots, I checked out Og’s reel, and while there are hints of the individualistic quirks that make these commercials special, it’s clear that Og’s creativity flourishes most when he works within his personal funky contour-line drawing style. Here’s hoping we get to see a lot more of that because it’s quite unique.
It’s been a while since the last installment of Animated Fragments so here’s another random assortment of short animation tests, exercises and other brief pieces that I’ve run across recently:
AD by Adam Dedman (UK)
Bassawards “Call for Entries” spot by Lobo (Brazil)
Animated walks and runs by Michael Schlingmann (UK)
“Cuckoo” by Alexander Pettersson (Sweden)
Run Cycle by Matt Abbiss (UK)
When done well, the tactile quality of stop motion is one of the true joys of animation. I can’t take my eyes off of this beautifully articulated and brilliantly caricatured stop motion animation of Sigmund Freud created by Rio de Janeiro-based Luciano do Amaral. More impressive, Stop Motion Works suggests that the animation was achieved primarily through low-tech means with no jointed facial armature mechanisms, computer printed facial masks, or cable controls. Bear in mind, there’s a few wires and greenscreens in the video above because the animation was later composited into a TV mini-series called Afinal,o que querem as mulheres?, a show that I know absolutely nothing about except that it’s better than anything on American TV.
Cartoon Brew |
Permalink |
No comment |
Post tags: Brazil, Luciano do Amaral, Sigmund Freud
Festivals rarely make animated spots to encourage film submissions, much less spots that are as cool as the one above. The piece was created by Diego Akel to encourage filmmakers to submit to the MUMIA Underground World Animation Festival. The festival, which is celebrating its 10th edition this fall, screens in various Brazilian cities including Belo Horizonte, Betim and Nova Lima.
If I understood their submission rules correctly, they also have an awesomely renegade film selection process: “There will not be selection of the films and videos submitted. As long as four hours of the festival programming is completed, the selection will be over.” If you’re interested in showing your film at MUMIA, go here for submission details. Entries need to be postmarked by May 31.
Cartoon Brew |
Permalink |
No comment |
Post tags: Brazil, MUMIA Underground World Animation Festival
Brazilian artist Jomário Murta used multiple Microsoft Kinects to generate a sequence of point clouds (a set of points in 3D space) as reference for creating animation. The process is akin to motion capture, but not the same:
This is something like animating over the videos. Just like we usually do as reference for timing and more complex movements. The difference is that I can animate three-dimensionally “inside” the video; the advantage instead of mocap is that the animation process is more free, where I can easily exaggerate the movements and play a lot with the poses without compromising my style of animation.
Murta admits that he is still in a research phase and hasn’t figured out any practical applications for the technique, but that’s to be expected of any exploration of a new technology. The results are promising thus far, and it’ll be interesting to see how he and others build on the process.
Cartoon Brew |
Permalink |
No comment |
Post tags: Brazil, Jomário Murta, Kinect, motion capture
O Rei Gastão (King Gaston) by Rio de Janeiro-based animator Diogo Viegas picked up the best children’s animation award at this year’s Anima Mundi festival. It’s easy to see why: the animation, design and color are undeniably charming. There’s English captions for non-Portuguese speakers, but the visual storytelling is so clear that I found it just as charming (if not moreso) when I didn’t understand the lyrics.
Cartoon Brew |
Permalink |
No comment |
Post tags: Brazil, Diogo Viegas, Toon Boom
Today Brazilian teen and Ypulse Youth Advisory Board member André follows up his in-depth look at the music scene in Brazil with an overview of some of the country's current television trends, many of which, interestingly, transcend generations.... Read the rest of this post
In honor of the start of The World Cup and all the fans in my family who will be watching: This review originally appeared as a NonFiction Monday post in March 2008. Schwartz& Wade reminded me of this title in their FaceBook update today.
Young Pelé: soccer's first star
by Lesa Cline-Ransome, paintings by James E. Ransome; Schwartz&Wade Books, 2007
James Ransome's illustrations shine in this picture book biography of Edson do Nascimento, who would be known to the world as Pelé. Using the greens, yellows and blues of the Brazilian flag Ransome paints luminous scenes of Edson's school, family and soccer life.
Edson struggled in school and his first soccer ball was "a sock stuffed with rags, rolled up and tied with string." His inability to focus in class resulted in reprimands and punishments but soccer was always foremost in his mind. His team, the Shoeless Ones, became a force in the city's soccer leagues. His nickname, Pelé, was bestowed at this young age.
The author describes the work ethic of the team; they sold peanuts and shined shoes to earn money for uniforms. The reader is reminded that talent also requires practice, drills, coaching and teamwork to suceed.
There is much here for the young soccer enthusiast to enjoy. Pelé traps, heads, dribbles and boots the ball across the pages. The creators of this biography, score, indeed.
Recent exhibition of Rogerio Duarte’s work at the Narrows Gallery.
Rogerio Duarte is a Brazilian graphic designer, musician, poet and philosopher. He is also considered to be one of the founding fathers and the main intellectual force behind the Tropicalia movement in the late 1960s. During this period he designed album covers for many of the great names of Brazilian popular music, such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, João Gilberto and Jorge Ben. If you have access to idea magazine, I recommend picking up the March issue (#339). It features a 24 page article on Duarte and includes a nice selection of his work.
—–
Like what you see? You might also enjoy Almir Da Silva Mavignier, Odilea Toscano, Gian Calvi, 2000+ Bossa Nova Covers
Hungry for more? Sign up for our Grain Edit RSS Feed. It’s free and delicious!
—–
No Tags
Share This
Vintage kids book Mi Diccionario is in the Grain Edit Shop
Grain Edit recommends Buffet Script A font designed by Sudtipos. Check it out here.
©2009 Grain Edit - catch us on Facebook and twitter
Just a few weeks ago, I did a short post on the recently deceased children’s writer Eva Ibbotson. I picked up a few of her books at my local library, and became instantly engrossed in one of them, so much so, that it became my bedtime read, rather than my daughter’s! That book was Journey to the River Sea (Macmillan, 2001). Set a hundred years ago near the turn of the century, the story features a young orphaned girl, Maia, who is sent on a journey from England to distant relatives, the Carters. The Carters live on a rubber plantation on the banks of the Amazon river near the city of Manaus. Maia is accompanied by a governess, Miss Minton, who must not only educate Maia, but the twin daughters of the Carters, Beatrice and Gwendolyn.
Maia is intrigued by the adventure that lies ahead of her. She is fascinated in particular by the Amazon River and is eager to experience this new part of world. She and Miss Minton board the RMS Cardinal and make the journey across the ocean to South America. While on board, Maia befriends a young boy actor named Clovis, who has been ‘adopted’ by the Goodleys. The Goodley’s run a theatre troupe and plan to stage Little Lord Fauntleroy at the Manaus Theatre with Clovis as the lead. Maia promises Clovis that she will do her best to meet up with him once they arrive at the city.
Now, rather then give you any more of the story, I insist you get out the book. Suffice it to say, the Carters are not quite the family Maia expects and she has many more adventures once she arrives at their house. I found Journey to the River Sea to be a riveting and captivating read. The characters are fully developed and dynamic; the jungle and plantation setting marvelously evoked, and the unfolding of the story’s event evenly paced. I kept thinking to myself what a marvelous movie this would make, but of course, as a story in a book, it is also quite fine as it is. If you are reading chapter books to your children, I’d certainly recommend this one to keep both mother and child entertained. Or, as in my case, simply ‘mother’ entertained!
We are all reeling from the news of the terrible flooding in Queensland, Australia, and now also in Brazil. Our hearts go out to all those who have been caught up in these devastating events, as news continues to emerge, both of tragedies and incredible courage.
Read Slightly Addicted to Fiction’s post “Queensland floods: how the writing & reading community is helping.” This is the link to the official appeal in Australia. I will add a link for the Brazilian disaster as soon as I find one.
Rio de Janeiro-based animator Rodrigo Leme directed and animated these spots while working in-house at Globosat TV in Brazil. The top piece promoted the airing of the four Indiana Jones films, while the bottom was a promo for a block of horror films.
CREDITS
“Indiana Jones Rock Song Promo”
Art Direction/Animation: RodrigoLeme
Writer/Lyrics: Alex Mendes
Music: Eduardo Miguens
“Fear Club” Promo”
Art Direction/3D/Animation: RodrigoLeme
Writer: AlexMendes
Sound: Flavio Biniou
Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation |
Permalink |
No comment |
Post tags: Brazil, Rodrigo Leme
I have applied for a scholarship to win a volunteer vacation to Salvador, Brazil. And you can help. Please watch my video and vote for me. It's easy to forward to friends, and - yes, it's true - you can vote daily. The more votes I get, the better my chances of winning. Here's the link. http://www.volunteerjournals.com/volunteer-travel-grants/entries/send-andi-brazil
Thanks for your help!
Sao Paulo, Brazil-based Animatorio created this stunning piece of stop motion animation. There’s some CG effects thrown into the mix too. I’ve posted the description of their short below, but honestly, it’s such a visceral feast for the eyes that no written description will do it justice:
Transformation trough mutations stages. Evolution as a function gain is called neo-morphic. Imaginary creatures adapt into an Ecosystem and the transformation of these habitats for these creatures generates a fantastic cycle. The mutation symbolism is part of our experiences in that trajectory, changing places, finding a new spectrum, a new phase, evolving.
Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation |
Permalink |
No comment |
Post tags: Animatorio, Brazil
I'll admit it - my youthful competition for the Travelocity Travel for Good scholarship is beating the pants off me. HEEEEELPPPPP! I need lots of people voting daily so that I can win the opportunity to help babies, elders and people with HIV/AIDS in Salvador, Brazil. You can vote here via the link, but even better would be to join my daily email list. How it works: I send you an email with the voting link every morning, you click twice and you're done. It takes TEN SECONDS (I clocked it).
Here's the link: Send Andi to Brazil. Or, just shoot me a quick email and I'll put you on the daily email. My email is andib88@comcast.net
Thank you so much, or, as they say in Brazil, muito obrigada.
Gratefully,
Andi
architizer:
Painting Urbanism is an exhibit opening Saturday at Storefront in NYC - it examines the work of Haas&Hahn, Dutch artists who paint large-scale murals in Brazil’s poorest urban communities.
I want to live in this neighbourhood. Read more about it on Haas&Hahn’s website, where you’ll also find a huge panoramic JPG shot of the scene above. Stunning.
.jpeg?picon=3225)
By: Andi Brown,
on 5/17/2011
Blog:
Writer's Cramps
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
volunteer vacations,
ego,
voluntourism,
authonomy,
Brazil,
animal crackers,
pets,
animals,
animal shelter,
Add a tag
I must have an ego the size of a walnut. In the interest of expanding it to peach-size, I have entered two popularity contests.
In my quest to enjoy a vacation of hard labor in Brazil, I began in 47th place (out of 70 contestants) and have worked my way up to 22nd. Go friends and family who vote for me daily!!!!
My novel ANIMAL CRACKER now appears on authonomy.com. I began life there at 3700 and I'm now up to 1100. If I reach the top, Harper Collins, which owns the site, will take a look. So, if you care to drop in on the authonomy site and see a very different version of my prose style, feel free.
By: Alice,
on 1/26/2012
Blog:
OUPblog
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
*Featured,
Europe,
History,
Latin America,
This Day in History,
Brazil,
exploration,
higher education,
New World,
this day in world history,
Vincente Yáñez Pinzón,
pinzón’s,
pinzón,
vincente,
martín’s,
martín,
sailed,
spain,
Add a tag
This Day in World History
January 26, 1500
Pinzón Becomes First European to Land in Brazil
On January 26, 1500, Spanish sailor Vincente Yáñez Pinzón spotted land. He named the cape the Cabo de Santa María de la Consolación. The site was near modern-day Recife, Brazil, making Pinzón the first European to explore Brazil.
Pinzón was an accomplished navigator who had taken part in the famous 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus. Pinzón commanded the Niña while his brother Martín commanded the Pinta (a third brother, Francisco, was Martín’s chief officer on that ship). It was not until 1499, however, that Pinzón set out on a new expedition.
In November of that year, he sailed from Palos, Spain, reaching the South American coast by the next January. He spent several months exploring the coast, reaching as far north as the mouth of the Amazon River. Pinzón noticed that the color of the water had changed and, after sampling that differently color water, found it to be freshwater, and not saltwater. He named the body the Mar Dulce, or Sweetwater Sea, and using the strength of the outflowing current, he sailed for the West Indies before returning to Spain.
Records and maps from the Age of Exploration are not always clear or without controversy. Pinzón’s sighting of Brazil is subject to these uncertainties. Some historians think that he landed in Venezuela, not Brazil, and encountered the Orinoco River, not the Amazon. They believe that Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral—who certainly reached Brazil in April of 1500—was the first European to land there. At any rate, Portugal, not Spain, gained possession of Brazil and made it the cornerstone of its American empire.
“This Day in World History” is brought to you by USA Higher Education.
You can subscribe to these posts via RSS or receive them by email.
Brazilian designer, Odiléa Toscano, illustrated delightful magazine covers and book jackets in the 1960s and 1970s. This particular illustration, created as the cover of Visão Magazine in 1962, omits a handful of energy as it uses bright complementary colors and geometric heavy forms and type. I really enjoy the intricate cutouts of the subject’s hair and the shapes he’s about to twist with his wrench!
(Via Design Diário)
Book jacket from the collection Jovens Do Mundo Todo (1960)
Textbook Criatividade em língua portuguesa (1978)
Book jacket cover from Jovens Do Mundo Todo (1961)
In 1961, Odiléa won a prize at the 1st International Biennial of Book and Graphic Arts of São Paulo and some international recognition in design magazines for her work on the book jackets for the collection Jovens Do Mundo Todo (Youth from Around the World). These book jackets feature a row of children, whose clothing feature brightly colored patterned layers, as well as images pertaining to the subject matter of the book. To achieve such colorful effects, Odiléa used art supplies that were relatively new for 1960s, such as Letraset, Pantone films, and markers.
To find out more information about Odiléa Toscano, check out Design Diário’s article on her. It includes a wealth of interesting facts; and be sure to check out other fascinating articles on the site as well!
——————
Also worth checking: Brazilian book covers by Gian Calvi.
Not signed up for the Grain Edit RSS Feed yet? Give it a try. Its free and yummy.
——————
No Tags
Share This
Grain Edit recommended reading: IDEA magazine - The Max Huber issue
©2009 Grain Edit - catch us on Facebook and twitter
Today's Ypulse Youth Advisory Post comes from Brazilian teen Andre Perez on the recent controversy around a local beer ad featuring American export Paris Hilton. If you haven't heard (see AdFreak's coverage), the campaign for Devassa Bem Loura beer... Read the rest of this post
This week we’re excited to feature this Rabbit print by Leandro Castelao as our poster pick. Castelao is based in Buenos Aires and has previously been featured on grain edit. Rabbit is presented in Castelao’s signature style and I must say that I am once again blown away. The lines look like wires creating some sort of robo bunny with a CD drive on steroids. Good stuff. You can pick up a Rabbit print here.
—–
Also worth checking: Leandro Castelao design work
Enjoy this story? Sign up for our tasty free grain edit RSS feed.
—–
No Tags
Share This
Vintage kids book Mi Diccionario is in the Grain Edit Shop
Grain Edit recommends Colo Pro A font designed by Font Fabric. Check it out here.
©2009 Grain Edit - catch us on Facebook and twitter
London based illustrator, Clayton Junior, has a keen eye for precision as shown here in this image from the “A View From London” exhibition at the London Transportation Museum. Here, he depicts the hustle bustle of the city in a delightful way by cohesively weaving the intricate details of buildings and people with an eye-catching color palette. If I had my choice, I’d want to be one of the kids on the scooter instead of the commuter with the briefcase.
Clayton’s work is vibrant, meticulous, and references elements of modern illustration that are timeless. To see more of his work, visit his website. Be sure to pick up a print or two while you’re at it.
(Via Katie Kirk of Eight Hour Day)
No Tags
Share This
Vintage kids book Mi Diccionario is in the Grain Edit Shop
Grain Edit recommends Colo Pro A font designed by Font Fabric. Check it out here.
©2009 Grain Edit - catch us on Facebook and twitter
View Next 12 Posts
