Off the Air

Off the Air is a adult swim show that airs late at night. It is a compilation of experimental films that they find on the internet. They cut the videos together and animate the transitions with unique and "trippy" changes. I personally love the show. I think it is a very creative work of art that while at some points can get extremely weird, is truly enjoyable to watch.

The show has a plot based on a specific word like "falling" or "color", then the makers of the show choose selections that fit into that category. The run time of each episode is only around 11-15 minutes, but there is so much going on in each that it feels just as long as a episode with a normal half hour runtime. 

The show focuses primarily on animation but there are some times when some strangely edited live footage comes into play. As seen above there is a colorful spider that made its appearance on the "Dance" episode where it was performing a strange mating dance that had some strange editing and animation. 

Off the Air incorporates a lot of unique contemporary animations. I find the style of some of the animations they choose to include to be very inspiring. The experimental videos are all entertaining but the animated ones specifically catch my attention due to their creativity and style. 

Here are some links to full episodes:

Colors

Animals

Falling

Food

SyncBody

So I'd be lying if I said all of the information thrown at me on the first day of class didn't make me piss my pants (figuratively) but at the same time I'm looking forward to learning how to do all of these fancy  tricks and effects. I've always enjoyed making crude animations and pictures to post on Facebook (not to brag but I'm pretty good with MS Paint; Please try to keep your pants up, I know) but I always wanted to learn how to do more.

The video below I saw on a late night show called "Off the Air" on Adult Swim. Each episode is a 15-minute collection of independently made surreal videos. This one, called SyncBody by Daihei Shibata, is interesting. While there isn't much depth to the plot, the animation, effects, and music make it an interesting watch. Many of the subtle effects which may have been random experiments in development play out to create a visual wonder. The music is essential because if I turn off the sound I feel like I'm watching a glitched commercial for a Japanese PS2 game. To me, at least, it stylishly complements both the subtle and harsh movements.

The entire thing is pretty creepy. But watching it over and over again, and being a beginner in the field, I think about each little detail. How long does it take to do something as little as making the hair move? How was the girl designed to look so fluid and realistic? What amount of avant-garde effects draws the line between artistic and not making any sense? I'd love to be able to make a video like this and figure that all out by myself.