Ted's Video Blog

2011-03-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been working on a POV-Ray animation of flying saucer taking off from a launch bay. At right is what the launch bay looks like so far.

I might add or edit a few details, make some lighting changes, but I think it is pretty close the way I want it.

It will be short, but I am planning to release it under a Creative Commons license, so others will be able to incorporate it into their videos.

ToonTube Reborn!

2011-01-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

I have been happy to see Wes Abrams's ToonTube site (http://www.toonlifeonline.com/toontube/) spring back to life over the past few weeks. ToonTube is an animation forum featuring family friendly animations in a variety of styles (2d, 3d, stop motion, hand drawn, digitally created, etc.) It was comatose for quite a while due to Magnify.net (which formerly powered the site) having imposed a 200 video limitation on their free accounts (and Wes's understandable reluctance to fork over $100 plus dollars a year for something that had previously been free).

Now, however, it's back in the form of a PHP-powered set forum and open to new videos once more. So if you are an animator or just like watching animations, I would encourage you to stop by. Please note the above url carefully as there are a number of other sites with similar names.

(Full disclosure: I'm an admin on ToonTube and an active participant, so I'm definitely not unbiased).

Clay Clayman Sings Jingle Bells

2010-12-11T11:24:00.000-08:00

Clay Clayman applies his limited singing talents to "Jingle Bells", but fails to impress the unseen talent scout:

2010-11-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

Sitting in a tree, the Catbird utters the cry for which he is named.

Sparrow Splash Party

2010-09-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Sparrows may be small, but they make up for it with enthusiasm:

related web site: http://videos.viewmyart.com

Hummingbird Buzzes Cameraman

2010-09-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird in this video decided she would fly in for a closer look at me as I was filming her:

related web site: http://videos.viewmyart.com

2010-05-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

Swahili music, an international buffet, good fellowship - It's the Global Hosanna Fellowship Spring/Summer Concert (scheduled for 5/22/2010):

"Service With A Smile"

2010-03-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here is the most recent animation from Dan Byers, Service with a Smile, featuring the ever clueless but always funny character "Larry":

Service With A Smile from Dan Byers on Vimeo.

related web site: http://goofygraffix.com/

Twas the Cat Before Christmas

2009-12-21T20:00:00.000-08:00

Since the mice weren't stirring, the cat settled for going after the Christmas tree :)

Robin Bird Bath Videos

2009-12-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

Robin Bath Closeup

Robin Takes Bath:

Cat and Computer Desk

2009-12-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

Oops, gotta learn to exit more gracefully :)

Geese on Film

2009-10-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

A couple of videos I made featuring local geese/goslings:

Goose and Goslings Feeding

Geese Family Closeup

related web site: http://videos.viewmyart.com

Cat Bites Man

2009-08-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

It was all in good fun. That's just the way the cat plays:) Here's When Cats Hunt Humans 2:

related web page: http://videos.viewmyart.com/video-when-cats-hunt-humans-2.htm

Blue Jays Splashing

2009-07-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

It's one way to keep cool in the summer :)

Blue Jay Splashes in Bird Bath:

More Blue Jay Splashes in Bird Bath:

related web site: http://videos.viewmyart.com

"Bad Luck Archer" (animation)

2009-06-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

That third arrow didn't go as planned :)

related web page: http://videos.viewmyart.com/video-bad-luck-archer.htm

Colony Seeding

2009-06-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a short animation showing an alien ship depositing its
"seeds" on a planet. Stuart Whitmore created the video footage,
and I added the sound track:



We're allowing anyone who wishes to create derivative videos from
the clip to do so under the terms of the Creative Commons 3.0
Attribution license.

Details (and several formats for free download) are available at:

http://videos.viewmyart.com/clips/video-colony-seeding.htm

Some additional information on this and other open source videos
is available at Stuart's "Open Licensed Videos" page at:

http://www.videoliberty.org/Videos.php

"Walker and Cannon"

2009-04-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a Lego animation from Revver member Twisted8opod with a surprise ending. Nice sound effects too :)

related web site: http://www.just-stuart.com/octopod

"Robot Lost" (animated music video)

2009-03-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a music video entitled Robot Lost by the British band Idioverse. I especially liked the way the first part and the very end of the animation were done:

related web site: http://www.idioverse.net

Earlier "Mr Red" Episodes

2009-02-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

Back in August of 2008, I made this post, featuring the ninth episode of Revver member tomweatherill's "Mr Red" series. At the time, I was convinced from watching the video, that it was claymation. After noticing that tomweatherill lists "cgi" as a keyword on his Revver posts, however, and does not list "clay" or "claymation" anywhere that I see, I'm thinking the series was strictly computer-generated, and therefore did not involve any use of clay. Anyway, here are the first two episodes of the amusing series:

Mr Red Episode 1:

Mr Red Episode 2:

Papercut - Vancouver Film School (VFS)

2009-02-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

Here's an action-packed animation by Vancouver Film School student Pedro Eboli. It contains a bit more violence than I would prefer, but probably not hugely more than one would find in some of the old Bugs Bunny cartoons:

related web site: http://www.vfs.com

"Larry's Last Ride"

2009-02-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a well-executed and humorous cautionary tale, fresh from the talented hands and mind of the meticulous creator of hand-drawn animations known as Goofy Graffix (aka Dan Byers):

watch more at aniBoom

related web site: http://goofygraffix.com/

Some real world robot footage and a note on Revver's return

2009-02-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

I don't know how intelligent the robots in this video by Revver member MultiVu with the rather long-winded title of Honda Develops Intelligence Technologies Enabling Multiple ASIMO Robots to Work Together in Coordination really are. I'll at least give them high marks for looking pretty smart:

related web site: http://www.honda.com

And on another matter as I pointed out in my edit at the end of this post, Revver is (at least as I write this) serving up videos once more. I can only hope that the move to new servers has resulted in a more stable, reliable Revver. Time will tell :)

"Ipie - Vancouver Film School (VFS)"

2009-01-29T09:58:00.000-08:00

Here's a unique and well done animation from Vancouver Film School student Jonata Alves. I like the appropriately matched music:

related web site: www.vfs.com/

Revver Going Down for Planned Outage 1/28/2009, 5:00 pm-10:00 pm or so

2009-01-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

I just saw a late posting on the Revver forums. The official word is that Revver and all related services (including video serving) are scheduled to go down at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, 1/28/2009 (as of right now that's in less than half an hour). They hope to be up and running again by 10:00 p.m. or so.

I'm not sure exactly what prompted this. Hopefully they are doing something which will make the system more stable in the long run :)

1/29/2009: At this point I don't know that the outage actually took place. I checked back 2 hours and 15 minutes after it was supposed to have started and Revver was (presumably still) up and running. I haven't seen any indication from anyone that it actually went down at any point during the planned time period.

1/29/2009, 4:47pm: Ok, now it seems that Revver and all related sites (and video serving) are down. If I knew more, I'd tell you :)

1/31/2009, 10:55am PST: Ok, now I know more (I think). Although Revver is still down, to the extent that the Brad Greenspan's quote in this article on CNet:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10153816-2.html

can be relied on, it looks like Revver will be back online soon (although it's already missed the time frame specified in the quote).

2/2/2009, 8:22 PST: I see Revver video serving is *FINALLY* back up again (along with Revver.com). No sign of the Revver forums, the Revver blog, or LiveUniverse.com and PageFlakes.com yet (not that I really care much one way or the other whether those last two non-Revver sites are up or not, but I checked out of curiousity). And I mean my heavily emphasized "finally" in the sense of "Good grief, it's about time!" rather than in the sense that I have any firm conviction that it won't go down again.

Two Train Videos (featuring steam locomotives)

2009-01-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd make this a "train video Tuesday" for all of you rail enthusiasts out there:

The Durbin Rocket (from Revver member tinika2):

"Sir Lamiel" at York Station (from Revver member Metaltype):

related web site: http://www.video.metaltype.co.uk/

"4/4 for 4 - Percussion Quartet"

2009-01-26T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here, from Revver member JNFilms , is a catchy little percussion number performed by the Fond du Lac (WI) High School Percussion quartet:

related web site: www.jugglingnebulafilms.com

"machines" by Stefan Venbroek

2009-01-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

Here's a neat, albeit very short, bit of stopmotion from Revver member Stefan27, a.k.a Stefan Venbroek:

related web site: http://www.stefanvenbroek.com/

"Tetra Vaal"

2009-01-21T11:45:00.000-08:00

Although I found the concept in this video by Revver member livelycontent interesting, I'd think long and hard before handing out firearms, futuristic or otherwise, to an autonimous robot:

"Erráns Alba: part 1 New"

2009-01-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this video by Michael J Dowswell (with music by his father, Harold J Dowswell) incorporates not only the earlier part 1 and part 2 clips, but then goes on to continue the story with substantial new footage as well, comprising over 9 minutes in its entirety.

What was no surprise, was that this new clip displays the same supurb visuals and sound track attained by the earlier clips. I particularly like the new parts that were added at the end:

There's a third teaser trailer as well:

related web site: http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk/

A Modeling Reel - Vancouver Film School (VFS)

2009-01-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

First, apologies to anyone who could not see the videos last night. It appears that Revver's video serving was experiencing yet another outage, almost exactly one week after the previous one ended. I'm not sure exactly how long this one lasted.

Anyway, now that video serving is back online, here's an impressive modeling reel entitled Fireflies by Vancouver Film School student Zheng Tang. I love the lighting and character rendering. The main protagonist reminds me of the kid in Polar Express.

The music is good and well matched to the video as well. Edit 1/19/2009: OK, I found another version online (here) where the credits are somewhat more legible. It looks like there are two sound supervisors listed, Brett Anthony and Matthew Thomas. Beyond that, I still don't know anything about the sound track, other than that I like the way it sounds:

related web site: http://www.vfs.com/

"Stop motion paper fight"

2009-01-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

In this stopmotion video by Revver member josh222, two pieces of paper morph into a variety of configurations as they square off against each other in this unusual battle:

related web site: http://www.fetchvideo.co.nr/

"Inanimate Objects"

2009-01-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

In the short video "Inanimate Objects", master of stopmotion CarrotKid (aka Paul Whittington) provides an answer with rather spooky undertones to the question "what happens when the human leaves the room?" With great visuals accompanied by just the right sounds, this short sequence would make a great intro for a horror movie:

related web site: http://www.carrotkidfilms.com/

Erráns Alba: part 2

2009-01-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

I'll confess to being somewhat embarrassed that I let so much time go by between posting the first part of this extraordinarily well done animation back in July of last year and posting its even better second part today. As in part 1, intricately crafted visual elements by Michael J Dowswell combine with an impressive and well-matched classical music sound track composed by his father, Harold J Dowswell to form a real audiovisual treat :

Here are a few related goodies:

Erráns Alba (deleted scene)

Erráns Alba (teaser trailer)

Erráns Alba (teaser trailer) (2)

related web site: http://www.studiotacitus.co.uk/

Happy Birthday to ToonTube

2009-01-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

On January 7 of this month, one of my very favorite animation sites, Wes Abrams' ToonTube, turned one year old. In addition to being a talented cartoonist himself, Wes has managed to build a dynamic community, centered around family friendly animated videos and those who enjoy creating or watching them. ToonTube has grown steadily, attracting over 300 members in its first year.

If you are interested in animation either as a creator or a viewer, I encourage you to visit the site. In addition to animations in many styles from many different animators, there's a message board and some other goodies (see links at the bottom of the ToonTube page), such as animation tutorial videos, and animation resource links. It's not hard to find something to like. I've enjoyed being an active participant there for some time.

related site: http://toontube.toonlifeonline.com/

MOTH FLYING -- HI SPEED VIDEO

2009-01-12T09:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it's time for the Moth of Monday video :) From Revver user batool, here's some slowed down footage of a moth flying under a glass jar:

"When Banks Turn Mean"

2009-01-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

I made a parody of the 1947 movie "Using the Bank" with some footage from the original film. In my version the bank is a little nastier:

related web site: http://videos.viewmyart.com/video-when-banks-turn-mean.htm

Brief Guide About Bridesmaids - Vancouver Film School (VFS)

2009-01-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

Now that Revver is back online, here's an animation by Vancouver Film School students Yaniv Fridman, Amber Mackay and Nicolas Alexander. While I found the story itself of only moderate interest, I thought the animation with which it was presented was very skillfully done (and rather unique):

related web site: http://www.vfs.com/

Revver Down (Temporarily I Hope)

2009-01-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

I had hoped to be able to post a Revver video here today. Maybe I'll get the chance later, but as of right now Revver seems to be totally down.

By totally, I mean Revver.com, the Revver blog, and the Revver forums are all inaccessible as far as I can tell. Worse, it looks like video hosting is affected as well. Of course, there's always the possibility that it is a lesser problem, specific to my ISP (ATT), although that would also be bad.

Either way, I hope the situation is of short duration. It's always a bit disconcerting when something like this happens. Doubly so when it involves an entity which is behind in payments to its users. Still, I won't write a premature obituary for Revver just yet. They've come back from this sort of problem before. I hope that will be the case this time as well.

Later in the day: OK, it's all back online now. I'm sure what went wrong, but hopefully the fix is enduring :)

"Run Cycle Progression"

2009-01-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

Revver member UberAnimator's robot learns to run:

Video Liberty Project

2009-01-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

The video featured in yesterday's post falls into the general category of "open-licensed video". If you are interested in this type of video for use in your own productions or if it's something you'd like to create and allow other people to use, I encourage you to take a look at Stuart Whitmore's Video Liberty Project

In addition to a brief explanation of the concept, the site offers a couple of relevant articles, as well as some descriptions of and links to a number of open-licensed videos.

Train Crash Clip (cc license)

2009-01-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

I took some silent footage of a staged train crash from the 1913 movie "California State Fair Highlights" (Progressive Film Producing Company of America) and added some sound effects and dramatic music. I'm offering free use of the resulting clip under a Creative Commons license (details available on the related page to which I've provided a link below the video):

related web page: http://videos.viewmyart.com/clips/video-train-crash.htm

Well Done Teaser Animation

2008-12-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

Here's a very professional animation with the somewhat long-winded title of "Celebrate the Good News God's Word Christian Children's Animation". It's really just a short animated sequence to get you to come to the web site but I found the visual and audio quality extremely good:

related web site: http://theocartoons.com/who-is-theo/

"Hold The Mustard "

2008-12-26T19:03:00.000-08:00

Here's a great 2d animation from Vancouver Film School student Tammy Dubinsky. It reminds me a lot of the old Pink Panther cartoons:

related web site: http://www.vfs.com/

Humpty Dumpty and the Candlestick

2008-12-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

The fourth video in my series featuring the famous egg:

related web page: http://videos.viewmyart.com/video-humpty-dumpty-candlestick.htm

Syncopated Christmas Music Video

2008-12-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

I joined portions of some animations and stills I've created over the years with a rather stacatto synth/percussion piece to make this short music video:

related web page: http://videos.viewmyart.com/video-syncopated-christmas-music.htm

"The Switch - Vancouver Film School (VFS)"

2008-12-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

Need a break from Christmas videos? Here's an amusing animation from the talented mind of Vancouver Film School student Zack Mathew:

related web site: http://www.vfs.com/

Jingle Bells (Using Only SuperNotes) Collab

2008-12-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

Rhett and Link, put together this highly unusual vocal/instrumental version of the classic Jingle Bells:

related web site: http://rhettandlink.com/supernote/

A Christmas Tale

2008-12-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

Here's rather skillfully done (albeit somewhat odd)animated parody of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". If you've got time for a somewhat long version with a lot of silliness, you might find it amusing. (Parents, there is a briefly displayed drawing of a scantily clad "ice queen", so you might want to watch it by yourselves before deciding whether you consider it appropriate for your children):

created, written, and directed by: Craig Isherwood
starring: Sarah Freeman and Craig Isherwood

HappySlip Jingle

2008-12-16T17:50:00.000-08:00

Here from a Christmas past (2007) is comedian Happy Slip's unique jingle:

related web site: http://happyslip.com/

Merry (Monster) Christmas

2008-12-15T10:02:00.000-08:00

Although he no longer publishes "Daily Monster" drawings with his former frequency, Stefan G. Bucher makes up for the lack of quantity with some really great quality when he puts together something like this one, entitled Have a Monster Holiday:

related web site: http://www.dailymonster.com/

credits (from his Revver page):
© Stefan G. Bucher / Music: "Truck Stop Shoppin' (Monsters Mix)" by Holter/Robertson, ©2008 BurstLabs.com Trombone solo arranged and performed by Peter Batchelder for The Burst Collective. Used with kind permission.

Smiley

2008-12-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a short one from Wes Abrams that answers the question "what happens when Smiley pushes the button?":

Ouch!

related web site: ToonLifeOnline.com/

"Spread Joy"

2008-12-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

With a positive message, great music by Mike Strickland, and skillful animation by Dustin Haynes, I have to give this music video by Revver member spreadjoymusic high marks:

related web site:http://www.mikestrickland.com/

Robot Character/Animation - Two Videos

2008-11-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple videos from Revver member UberAnimator dealing with the animation and coloring of robot characters:

Animating And Colorizing Robotic Character

Robotic Character Walk Cycle

A Good Site Gets Better

2008-11-13T10:48:00.001-08:00

I was pleased to see that Stuart Whitmore's MyVidsRock video (and other media) sharing site,of which I've been an active member for quite some time, has now added support for displaying videos from Blip and Metacafe (as well as YouTube, which was added earlier and Revver, which it has always supported). The diversification from a Revver-only site comes at a particularly appropriate time as Revver and its parent company, Live Universe, have been having a lot of problems lately (which include the Revver site having been down for the past day or two).

MyVidsRock has always been a great place to watch and discuss video. Maybe now that it appeals to a far broader audience (than just Revver users) it will get the level of participation it deserves. If you create videos or just enjoy watching or discussing them, I highly encourage you to check it out.

Killer Robot Island

2008-11-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here's an action packed clip entitled "Killer Robot Island" (It's not completely clear from the entry on Revver or from the clip, but I think the movie has a similar title). Unless I'm mistaken, I believe the actress is Hudson Leick, known for playing the evil Callisto on Hercules and Xena, among her many other roles:

I can't find any reference to the film on the internet other than on Revver, so I'm not sure if it was a "made for the internet" movie, a movie that bombed, or perhaps something that just never got completed.

related web site (from the Revver page): http://www.cinetelfilms.com/

"A Scary Walk through the Woods"

2008-10-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

Just in time for Halloween, it's a mildly scary music video I made with POV-Ray.

Japanese Girl Robot

2008-10-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

Here, from Revver member Bluedevil, is another video featuring a real world robot. You might mistake her for a real person if you don't look too close :

Scooba vs. Robosaur

2008-10-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Here's one from well-known and prolific creator of videos Nalts (aka Kevin Nalts) where the Robosaur dinosaur robot and the Scooba floor cleaning robot do battle against eachother. Will the fact that Scooba cost several times as much translate into a battle field advantage?

Nalt's web site: http://willvideoforfood.com/

"Anomalous Incident" (sci-fi Music video)

2008-10-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

I based this one loosely on the idea of an unknown alien entity visiting a remote orbiting power station (perhaps attracted by the power output). This is the first video for which I've used POVRay's radiosity feature.

related web page: http://videos.viewmyart.com/video-Anomalous-Incident.htm

"Robot Demonstration"

2008-10-06T18:10:00.000-07:00

In this video from Revver member Greentreadmill, a dexterous little robot (demo'd by students at Lake Superior College) has the task of picking up and moving an egg (presumably with the goal of not breaking said egg):

"Don't Pick It"

2008-10-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here's another of Revver member sketchr's tech art creations. This one seems to have been created digitally:

related web site: http://www.TheDailyDrawing.com

"Living off the Robot"

2008-09-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a tech-themed mixed media creation with an interesting twist by Revver member sketchr:

related web site: http://TheDailyDrawing.com

Amusement Park Rides

2008-09-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well, Summer is over and for many the roller coaster rides and other such entertainment are fast-fading memories. Thanks to Revver member JPPI, however, here are a few such moments captured for posterity:

Extreme Fair Ride

Mini Coaster: Take 2

Splash! The Water Ride

In addition to being a talented photographer and filmmaker, JPPI (aka Stuart Whitmore) also runs the MyVidsRock video site/forum.

Robot Music Video

2008-09-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Sticking with the robots theme of my previous video, but going in a somewhat different direction, here's my latest entitled Bzzzt Bzzzt, Bing! ... less plot, but more robots :)

related web site: http://videos.viewmyart.com/video-Bzzzt-Bzzzt-Bing.htm

"Spectacular Fireworks - Thames Festival London 2008"

2008-09-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have to agree with the title. The fireworks in this video by Revver member gauravcreation are, indeed, very impressive :)

"Robotic Mutation"

2008-09-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Here's an experimental animation from back in 2004 by Revver member cyriak (Cyriak Harris). Cyriak describes the video as "my animation degree film". I'd certainly give it an "A", both for the visual elements and the well-matched sound track:

related web site: http://www.cyriak.co.uk/

"Organ Repair"

2008-09-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

In this video, ScienCentral tells us about some exciting research which has dramatically extended youthful liver function in old mice and may someday lead to benefits for people:

related web site: http://www.sciencentral.com

"Automated Assets"

2008-09-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why it can be so hard to get a problem resolved over the phone? This video from Revver member dastolidigital sheds a humorous light on the matter:

related web site: http://automatedassets.dastolidigital.com/

MORAV Robot test 1and 2

2008-09-06T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here from Revver member fondavis are a couple of clips featuring a telemetry suit and robot for the action/sci-fi story MORAV (which stand for Multi-Operational Armored Vehicle):

MORAV Robot test 1of 2

MORAV Robot test 2 of 2

related web site: http://www.morav.net/

A Robot Drawing in Two Parts

2008-09-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

From the talented hands and mind of Revver member sketchr, here are parts one and two of Robottimis:

Robottomis Part 1

Robottomis 20f2

related website: http://TheDailyDrawing.com

ToonLifeOnLine's Latest Stickman Cartoons

2008-09-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

The action continues in episodes 7 and 8 of The Adventures of Stickman by ToonLifeOnLine (a.k.a. Wes Abrams). Between rescuing StickChick, facing a group of dance stickmen, and confronting "The Masked Man", Stickman never has a dull moment.

Episode 7:

Episode 8:

related web site: ToonLifeOnLine.com

A New Twist on an Old Excuse

2008-08-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Back in school and already behind in your homework? In this superb animation by Vancouver Film School graduate Mark Shirra entitled A Great Big Robot From Outerspace Ate My Homework, a young student offers his teacher a novel explanation as to why he didn't turn in the assignment:

"Mass Material"

2008-08-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting robot/sci-fi animation from Revver member diggetydandog (a.k.a. Dan Mikulski). It's accompanied by some appropriately mechanical/techy music by Lyfcycl:

"Part Two: Off to a Rocky Start, A Dark Decent"

2008-08-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Back in November of last year, I made a post about a colorful animated short entitled Part One: Off to a Rocky Start from Revver member lupar. Lupar has since come out with the sequel. Like it's predecessor, it's pretty neat:

related website: http://www.deshayart.com/

Doodlez - Black Hat

2008-08-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

Lots of animated fun ensues when cartoon character Dood gets a magic top hat in this recent video from Revver member Doodlez:

Official Doodlez site: http://www.doodlez.tv

S3 vs the Mad Scientist's Robot (Animation)

2008-08-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it took a while to make, but here's my latest video, featuring a heroic little spherical robot battling a much larger opponent, set to synth/percussion music. I hope you like it:

Happily I was able to get the correct default screen to display on the player after communicating with the knowledgeable folks on the Revver forums and MyVidsRock.

If you are interested in viewing some related pictures and background information on the video, I have them available here.

Toon Life (Playing to the Crowd)

2008-08-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

This is a "new and improved" version of the classic cartoon by Wes Abrams (animation) and Gary Baxter (script). I think the series has a lot of potential:

If you'd like to see how the style has changed, there's an entry in the ToonLifeOnline Blog here.

Two Upcoming Robot Videos

2008-08-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a sequel to my Spinning Silver Sphere video of last year. The new video is considerably more ambitious than the original and involves multiple robots, a lot more action, and the threat posed by a mad scientist and his monstrous battle droid. At left is a preliminary screen shot.

As in the case of the original, I'm using POVRay to generate most of the visual elements (with some "hand-editing" in a few spots). I plan to write a new sound track, incorporating some of the same themes from the first video but with new music as well.

If all goes well, I hope to have the new video up and running sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Another robot video project I have been following with interest is that of Dan Byers of Goofy Graffix , whose previous robot video, Break Time, I first posted about back in July. Like me, he's using POVRay in the creation of his visual elements. He has plans for additional movies in the series as well.

He's been providing some glimpses into the development of his current project on his blog. If you'd like to read all about it, he has the relevant posts conveniently grouped in a category here.

"Mr Red Episode 9" (claymation)

2008-08-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

Here, from Revver member tomweatherill, is a short but amusing clip about a red clay man who walks under a ladder and experiences a string of unfortunate (but amusing) incidents:

2/11/2009: Based on keywords included in tomweatherill's Revver posts, I've revised my opinion to conclude the series was likely computer-generated rather than done in clay (sure looks like clay to me though!)

A cute 2d animation from a couple of years ago

2008-08-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed this animation posted by Revver member framebyframe way back in 2006 entitled Petro Glifo and the Flower. The catchy little tune and sound effects accompanying it match the visual elements very nicely too:

Unstung (Animated Parody of "Unforgiven")

2008-07-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

You'll probably be better able to appreciate this video if who've seen the 1992 Clint Eastwood movie Unforgiven, as Unstung is a parody of the final gunfight scene therein and the conversation immediately following it. It might also have some added appeal for those if you who just don't like hornets, yellow jackets, or bugs in general. Anyway, here's Unstung:

If you're interested, some more info on the video and how I made it is available here.

"Break Time" (humorous robot animation)

2008-07-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

If you've followed this blog at all, you've probably realized that I'm a big fan of animation, robots, and the POVRay program. So of course I was delighted to find this great video featuring animated robots that Dan Byers (aka Goofy Graffix) created with POVRay. Here's Break Time:

If you'd like to see more of Dan Byer's work and get a glimpse into what else he has in the works, you can view his blog here.

Two More Stickman Animations

2008-07-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here are two more episides from Wes Abrams' unique Adventures of Stickman series which I first featured in this post. In these episodes, stickman enters a new world and eventually (in episode 6) meets up with StickChick again.

Episode 5:

Episode 6:

Wes Abram's website: toonlifeonline.com

"Unsuspecting Monkey" (short hand-drawn animation)

2008-07-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a very short animation (set to music) that I made recently about a monkey who jumps happily along, unaware that he might be jumping into trouble:

"Erráns Alba: part 1" (very detailed sci-fi animation)

2008-07-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here's another intricate creation from the talented and meticulous Michael J Dowswell (whom I first featured in this post on July 8). In addition to it's superb visual elements, "Erráns Alba: part 1" has an excellent classical music soundtrack, composed by the animator/director's father, Harold J Dowswell:

For more information on the film (including a couple of teaser trailers and some deleted scenes), you can visit the Erráns Alba section of Michael J Dowswell's website here

Humpty Video Featured in Revver "Animation" Category

2008-07-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to have the latest of my Humpty Dumpty videos, Humpty Dumpty Danced on a Disk, selected recently as a Featured Animation Video on Revver. Considering the vast pool of talented animators creating Revver videos, it is a real honor to have one of my animations chosen for this category.

"Doodlez" Animations

2008-07-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of unique animated cartoons from Revver member doodlez:

Doodlez - The Littlest Hero

Dood Mclood (This one reminds me a little of the old "Dudley Do-Right" cartoons):

You can see and read more at the official Doodlez site: http://www.doodlez.tv

Humpty Dumpty Animations

2008-07-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Humpty Dumpty Danced on a Disk is my third and latest episode in the animated Humpty Dumpty series:

Here is the second most recent, Humpty Dumpty Climbs a Hill:

And here is the first episode, Humpty Dumpty and the Tramp:

"Servus Clips" (very detailed animation)

2008-07-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I'll discover a new (to me) animator and think "Wow!" This was the case today when I spotted some of Michael J Dowswell's work on Revver. He has created some extremely intricate science-fiction themed computer-generated animations set to classical music. Here are a couple of clips from one of his recent projects, "Servus", with background music by 19th century Norwegian composer Edvard Hagerup Grieg:

Servus: clip

Servus: clip 2

Michael J Dowswell's website can be found here

Adventures of Stickman (first 4 episodes)

2008-07-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

Drawing (and animating) stick figures is a time-honored art. Here are the first episodes of Wes Abrams own unique contributions to the genre. I think Episodes 1 and 2 have their charm, but it's in episodes 3 and 4 with the introduction of Stickchick that the story really takes off :)

In addition to Stickman, Wes Abrams also has several other animated series, an animation community site, a blog, and other animation-related items, all of which can be accessed from his site, ToonLifeOnLine.com

Table Kid Kirby - Part 5

2008-07-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is the concluding episode of the superb stopmotion series by Paul Whittington aka Carrotkid. If you missed any episodes, here are links to my posts containing parts 1 and 2 and parts 3 and 4. I loved the way in which he chose to end the series (but I won't say anything more so as not to give it away :)

More films by Carrotkid/Paul Whittington and his work are available for viewing on his website. You can also get some information on about what he's working on from his blog.

The ToonLifeOnline Blog also has an excellent interview with him here.

Clay Clayman for President, Episode 2

2008-07-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

The story of the little-known third party candidate for President continues:

A couple of raytraced music videos

2008-06-29T21:45:00.000-07:00

Each features graphics created in POVRay. The first one, posted by Revver member FinHit last year is entitled Dawn of Ray:

And here's my latest, a sci-fi mood piece entitled Abandoned Outpost:

If you're interested, I have a little more information about it here

Stop-Motion Animation of Soul Mates Meeting

2008-06-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

A romantic tale told in an unusual way:

Thieving Squirrel Steals Bird Food

2008-06-18T01:04:00.000-07:00

He knew I was videotaping him too, but it didn't seem to phase him:

"Laughing at the Abacus"

2008-06-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

An orchestra work by John Bura played by the University of Calgary Orchestra, Edmond Agopian conducting:

"Hawks in Flight"

2008-06-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time. I'm not sure why the hawks in this video were all circling, but I'm glad I was there with a camera when it happened :)

I do have one theory as to what drew their attention (involving some newly hatched ducklings), which I describe here, but it's just a guess.

"Blind Date"

2008-06-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for two minutes or so of amusing animation reminiscent of some the classic cartoons of years ago, this film, created by Vancouver Film School student Dave Wesch is a good place to start. Here, from Revver member VFS, is Blind Date:

Two More Table Kid Kirby Videos

2008-05-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Two more skillfully animated episodes by Revver member Carrotkid (Canadian filmmaker Paul Whittington) continue the saga of Table Kid Kirby, a little clay man exploring a sometimes frightening big world:

part 3 (The Other):

part 4 (Darkness):

No Quarter - Vancouver Film School (VFS)

2008-05-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

No, this video has nothing to do with the Led Zeppelin song "No Quarter". Rather, VFS has produced a humorous computer-generated animation, set presumably in the 1920's, with well-done visuals and music appropriate to that time period. It reminded me somewhat of a Laurel and Hardy film: