Stan: Beautiful Hand-Crafted Animated Film by Meirav Haber

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I recently went into the Hive Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. Making my way toward the back of the long row of artists’ stalls – for all intents and purposes an artists’ neighborhood – I encountered an animated film playing on an iPad that was hung on the wall of the display area for artist Meirav Haber. It caught my attention because of the gorgeous and finely detailed handmade dolls she uses for her animation. This kind of filmmaking has become something of a rarity in our CG world. So now the eye seeks out the human touch. Finding it is a pleasure.

Haber has an unusually quiet and calm approach to telling her story. We are encouraged to watch the character and look for the details in his surroundings. The details are incredible. Watch the film through, then go back and pause it to have a look around. Enjoy the work of a master at her craft.

This kind of animation is done in a small studio on tabletop sets built by the artist. It’s all about imagination connected to the hand.

Stan is a simply told tale about a man who was born with an unfortunate resemblance to the Devil. His efforts to gain acceptance and companionship essentially turn him toward an appreciation for odd objects that closely resembles the artistic impulse. Haber’s beautiful film is made entirely with the magnificent hand-crafted artworks of an amazing artist.

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Jeff Keen’s Dreams of the Archduke Sketchbook

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This is a short film made for a gallery showing of works by the late great British artist and filmmaker, Jeff Keen. It’s a soundless page turn through a series of brilliant and inspiring pages in a sketchbook. If you are at all familiar with his amazing film work, you will see how directly connected to that work these pages really are.

 

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If you are unfamiliar with Keen’s incredible and very influential film work, here is a treat for you. It’s his ‘Marvo Movie’ from 1967.

 

Masters of Photography: Diane Arbus

This 1972 documentary on the brilliant photographer Diane Arbus contains her own words which turn out to be quite possibly some of the most penetrating observations and comments about the art of photography that one will ever hear. She says she never takes a photograph that she intended. She says what a photograph is of is more important than what it is.

 

Grand Central: Animation by Fred Aujas

Okay, I have no idea what this is but it was submitted to my Vimeo short films group and I like it. It has a goofy look and it just makes me laugh even though it’s in French. It actually appears to be the work of a graphic designer named Fred Aujas. Here is how his web site describes this little film:

Outrageously Ferocious and vulgar !
A trashy animated series worthy of the great grindhouse films of the 70s.

I mean seriously this thing should just go straight through to a full-blown TV series. Right now.

The artist has a very cool web site.

The Quixotic Videos of Steve Roden

Artbound produced this short documentary video about artist and video-maker Steve Roden whose recent work has taken inspiration from composer John Cage, philosopher Walter Benjamin and choreographer Martha Graham.

The artist says,

I think failure is one of the most important things you have as a maker because that’s when you learn the most and you realize what you want. It’s not just about doing something bitchin’.

Artbound has an article about the artist’s recent exhibition.