Animation in Performances

If you watched the Superbowl last Sunday, then you saw plenty of animation in the advertisements, but there was also some great animation in the halftime show. I'm talking about the stage Coldplay performed on. IT WAS SO COOL!!!

~woah~

I love it when artists use technology in their performances. Obviously I don't know whose idea this was, but for me, it totally worked. The bright colors, butterfly animations, and radial designs fit perfectly with the music and the color scheme of the dancers, musicians, and other performers. My friends and I agreed that Coldplay's performance would have looked even cooler if it were darker outside.

Another performance that I always think about when it comes to animation is Beyoncé's performance at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. As a powerful artist and dancer, she's perfect for this type of performance. She must have had to work on her choreography for a long time working with animators, and then practicing to get the timing exactly right with the animation in her performance.

Still, we all know who had the best super bowl halftime show...

Never forget.

Midterms Hunger Can Lead to Weekly Blog Solutions (UPDATE: Now with Behind the Scenes!)

So this week is midterms here at Ithaca College. Studying, papers, long nights, and most especially: hunger. Since this week has started, I decided that after midterms on my way home I would reward myself with a delicious, succulent Chipotle Burrito. Oh dear, typing that even made my mouth water. Anyways, this video was made by Nexus Productions and directed by Johnny Kelly, who has worked on ads for Google, Bacardi, and Adobe. This video was done completely in beautiful stop motion and took over 4 weeks to make. It features the farm-loving Willie Nelson covering Coldplay's "The Scientist" which can be purchased on iTunes with 60 cents from every purchase going to the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation.

When Comics Come to Life

Last week, I explored a painting about the Boston Tea Party which took a 2D image and broke it down into layers. This week, I'd like to show you another example but go further. I present you with Coldplay's latest music video "Hurts Like Heaven".



In the video, the viewer is brought to a world where silence and grayscale is law until a few rebellious youths decide to break the norm and throw "sparks" all over town. These "sparks" are colourful and musical and they bring hope to the town. Everything seems fine until they're ambushed by the villainous Major Minus and his army stop the youths, and the viewer is left with a shot of another character named Mylo, foreshadowing events in future videos/comics.

Something to be said though about this music video is that it starts out showing the viewer that this is a comic book setting but begins to break that whenever the youths begin doing wondrous things with the "sparks" or when they are being chased. And by break I mean turn the 2D comic world into a 3D world where the camera travels through the motions of the kids.

This video was a collaborative piece from production company Passion Pictures, visual FX/animation studio Fortiche Production, Grammy-award winning British rock band Coldplay. and many other artists. I am looking forward to future videos that continue with the story and the exciting visuals.

Hurts Like Heaven is the second track off the Coldplay's fifth studio album titled Mylo Xyloto, released on October 24, 2011 by EMI.

Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall

Since discussing what the class can do for our projects, I have been looking up different music videos with lyrics.  I think this project is a great way to showcase the lyrics of a song.  Last year, when I was filming a music video for another production class, I came across this music video by Coldplay.  I like how they incorporate some words but also drew pictures on the wall as well (ex. trees, hearts, music notes).  I have always wanted to do something similar to this, and now I can with the help of AfterEffects!  I have been on a stop- motion kick recently, so of course this video has stop motion!

Another part of this video I love is the use of glow-in-the-dark paints.  The colors are really bright and capture the audience's eye.  This video also plays with the textures of buildings and bricks, giving an additional layer of interest.  At the end of the video, paint splatters are animated so it looks as though paint is on the screen.  The combination of stop motion, animation, and video keeps the audience wondering what is coming next.  It is interesting and engaging until the very last drum set.