Meet the Engineer Preserving The Last Analog Motion Graphics Machine 

I hope I find something in life that makes me even half as happy as this man. Godspeed Scanimate Man

this needs to be 30 minutes longer ;_;

People like this are genuine, I can feel the purity of his soul...

When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground"

"Its been worth it to me!" Damn that got to me

Operating Scanimate was my first Job in 1981! thanks Dave for preserving these amazing animation systems.

"some people might think I'm crazy" - literally one of the most sain and intelligent humans I've seen in the last months

Biggest, oldest, most addictive toy ever. There’s so many buttons, switches, levers and ports, so many variations of ways to change what you see I bet it really doesn’t lose it’s appeal, plus knowing it is so rare helps it’s desirability

This guy could literally work 24/7 the rest of his life making graphics for RU-vidrs.

This thing is basically a monster analog video synth. You can still buy analog video synths, small companies make them from time to time, but they tend to be small and fit into rack systems and can't do nearly what a beast like that old machine can do. God bless this guy's heart for taking care of it.

This guy is like the wise old grandmaster of Vaporwave graphics and he doesn't even know it!

I can't be the only one who really wants a full documentary about this, can i? Also, the last comment: Some people say i wont amount to anything, but its been worth it to me. That is pretty much the wisest and most comforting words ive heard ever regarding life choices

Vice. Go tell this man about Vaporwave. He has so many music videos to make and he doesn't even know.

"...that's really where the term plug-in came from." Man, that hit hard for some reason.

As an 84 baby, this guy is my hero. The last of his tribe of a bygone era, passionately carrying on the torch of the analogue world that is slowly eroding away. A living legend. I hope he knows there has been a renaissance of sorts with synth wave music and music videos from this era.

What a great guy and a fascinating machine.

I would love to have him make graphics for me. This kind of timeless design needs to live on!

Why does obsolete technology have to be so beautiful? “This stuff was made to be fixed” - Dave Sieg

The visual graphic version of a Moog is a great analogy. People making retro/synthwave style music should beating this guy's door down to do graphics for them.

J-B.J. Fourier: In the end, everything is a sine wave.

I hope this man lives forever cause if we lose him we lose a lifetime of knowledge and experience of a technology that most people don't understand.

As someone who's been been working in motion graphics for over 10 years, i'm only now realizing how much i owe this kind man and people like him. By the end there i really got misty eyed. Well done.

This guy could make an absolute killing because 80s graphics are massively coming back. They are so iconic and people love the vibe. Put your name out there! People will a pay lot for this to have as a intro screen for their channels. Especially gaming channels.

That wireframe of a camera is beyond amazing.

As a synthesist myself, I immediately began thinking about how this Scanimate is essentially exactly like the Moog modular synthesizers, with oscillators and filters. It's an analog video synthesizer! Fascinating stuff!

“It’s been worth it to me.” Bravo. “We live in a throw away society.” Yep.

This guy is literally keeping decades of history alive with his machine, a tremendously important work in any society. Fact is I never even heard of the scanimate but he is sitting on a working example, but what about 50 years from now on? What then? Scanimate will only be real in the history book, but thanks to people like him, its here and its working.

3:39 "Your iPhone quits working you go get another one and throw the old one away but this stuff was made to be fixed" that's so fucking savage

Once he said moog Synthesizer, I knew I would like this guy.

Last sorcerer of analog alchemy without an apprentice.

I'd love to hear an extended cut of that interview. Pretty inspiring.

This is the kind of stuff that I love about old school tech. It's always so interesting how it all works and where it all started from. And this man here is keeping a legacy alive, at most respect he's like a hero.

This is pure gold for anyone who wants to make authentic 80's TV. Nothing is the same

He is a ham radio operator too. It makes my heart happy to see the included shot of his HF setup, and knowing he has a TNC2 for HF packet. 73’s to him. Nerds rule the world.

Dear Vice... As a long time watcher I am begging you please do not stop doing segments like this... If you don't do it no one else is going to and this is such a wonderful documentary. this one and the one about the old Pentecostal preacher still doing tent revivals are my two favorite episodes. You showed respect and integrity to both. Bravo Vice ..bravo.

This is way tooo short for something like this, it's a tragedy how much tech and art has just been trashed

Vice, I think the people here would love a little more depth behind the man and his machine. Maybe dive into the history of the machine itself and tie him in elsewhere with questions like how he got involved, the impact it saw, etc.

this guy needs an apprentice to take up the torch for him. someone who can reinvigorate that look into pop culture.

The controls look like the death star controls in a new hope. “You may fire when ready!”

This is almost a lost art form. I'm glad to see the retro stuff come back, especially the liquid light shows. This is my childhood.

I'd kill for an afternoon in this lab

He's got the 20th century memories and technologies in his fingertips and work skills ...analog was magical.

I love this look too...it truly takes you back to a more comforting homey time...remembering all the intros for late night TV movies!

Wow, I live in Asheville, NC right by Fletcher and I'd give anything to see this machine in person! I always wondered how these animations were done so intricately!

As a motion designer, this equipment is history! Preserve it! I love the old-school look and it makes me happy that this equipment is still around.

Being that I love analog synths, this is amazing! It really is the visual equivalent of a synthesizer. Bless this man for what he's doing. So cool

Hey Vice thank you guys for sharing something like this that is just beautiful and touches ones heart. I hope this man can donate his knowledge to an archive somehow someday.

I really hope he manages to pass this knowledge down somehow. There really is nothing like the feel of those images, it's a special and timeless piece of technology.

I hope this man has found an apprentice. We cannot let this die.

When he dies generations worth of art dies. He is art he is the key.

This was me using Amiga for everything (between 1993 and 2003: music composing, design, art & paint, desktop publishing, printing, video editing...) It was amazing time and I know exactly how this man feels :) Thank you for the video :)

It is very touching hearing the excitement and wonder that is in his voice.

The amount of passion this man has is way undersold by the interviewer . ive talked with him in the past and hopefull have the pleasure to do so again . sending mail to ya out there in the waves of skip. 269 - 269 in this black gold sitting back reading the mail.

Im like this guy. I hate seeing old tech being thrown out. Stuff that back in the 70s 80s and 90s that people used without a second thought. Laserdiscs, reel to reel, betamax, ced, record players etc. All that stuff had character. Different curves and edges that made those appliances unique. Gave them thier own identity. You could take 1 look at machines back then and know who made it and how much care and inovation went into developing it. Whenever i go to goodwill or flea markets and i see old stuff ill walk up to it and in my head I ask that vintage record player, "whats youre story? Where have you been? What have you seen? What was it like back in the day?" I guess I look at things like they have a heart and soul. Old tech may be boring to the current generation but this stuff needs to be preserved. It is the embodiment of human creativeness, and the drive humans have to push the boundaries of what technology can offer.

Great video. Nice to see a passionate guy doing his thing. I wondered if that star wars scene was done with a scanamate.

I watched old animations that looked like cgi and wondered "how did they do THAT back THEN?" Now I know.

Schematic tips n tricks book on point... Glad someone has preserved this awesome equipment. This stuff was made to be fixed and last a lifetime.

I bet this guy could make money by making openings for certain RU-vid channels. Especially retro channels that review old electronics.

How the absolute hell have I never seen this video? Other than woodworking, I spent half the time in my electronics lab repairing industrial test equipment and doing component level pcb repair. I spend 12 hours a day on RU-vid watching electronics videos.... so that I don’t get so lonely in the lab… And Iv never seen this video nor has it ever been recommended. And I search for new electronics videos constantly. Not sure if the gentleman in the video will see this… But this is very impressive. Would love to see more about your work. Also Reminds me of a guy on RU-vid (Dexters tech lab) who has been restoring a “quantel paint box” graphics workstation. I hope you see this comment I think you would find it interesting. Thanks for what you do! I think there will be a huge explosion and rediscovery/protecting any of the old equipment that exists.

That is beautiful. And so many dials and knobs. It would be amazing to know how such a thing worked. So much beauty in the ingenuity of analog, lost in the transformation to digital.

He should be teaching people how to use and maintain this great machine, so that future generations can use it.

This literally answered a question I have had since I was 10 years old.

Love this piece. Should be more than 5 minutes long. You're awesome, Scanimate guy!!

It takes time to come across great content like this on RU-vid, I hope more people like Dave can help us preserve a part of history that we should never forget.

Seeing these kinds of animations on TV when I was a kid inspired me to go into production. That was 40 years ago. It’s taken me around the world. All the terrific people I’ve met continues to drive me until this day.

"things were made to be fixed". Sounds about right.

Absolutely fantastic! Love this video.

The joy in this man. Its a spark of pure energy. Bless him!

I have been fixing my 80s sound equipment I got from an old bar and know exactly what he means. Every feature has a knob, a switch, a dial - everything can be used in real time and fixed. Just based on what you have you can see exactly how it was made if you take it apart and you know precisely what the person setting it all up wanted.

I hope someone learns from him and keeps the legacy going. I bet some big artist would love a video with these graphics anno 2021. It's so cool

Bro I saw this video like two years ago and couldn't find it again after a lot of searching and today I finally got it recommended to me again. This makes me so happy

This is awesome as an old electronic student I wish I was your neighbor! I hope you have the chance to share your knowledge so it is preserved, you have learned so much, so MUCH to teach.

vice we need more of this not fuckin "oh yeah weed dude"

Omg i love this. You're not crazy

This is so inspiring! Thanks for sharing.

Great great video! Real fun from start to finish.

He should do youtube intros :P

Well, quite simply the best video ive ever seen on vice. Respect to David Sieg & the OG who was setting up the media centre back in the day

oh my, I can relate to this so much, it's such a rare thing this day where nothing really has value anymore.

Nostalgic, inspiring ... what a guy, he really put his heart into this.

Imagine trying to figure this thing out after he dies. That's the real tragedy of stuff like this. It's going to be gone to forever.

Does he have a RU-vid channel where he demonstrates and teaches the “cheat sheet” recipes?

this is beautiful, analog organic beauty and infinite waves to create art, i hope this never disappears and that this animation technique never dies, its beautiful, like a retro acid trip in time, please keep it alive!

This is outstanding! As he said, the visual version of a Moog. Couple one of these with a synthwave soundtrack and you're in an 80s time capsule. Thank you for posting this.

The irony was when HD came about, only the old, mothballed tape to tape linear editing machines could handle it as it was too much for the fancy capture boards on the SD non-linear editing machines. Some made a killing on that. I wish it was still all analogue pot switches close to the touch, rather than options buried in software drop menus on some computer. Makes it all less impressive somehow. Hope the boards last a long time for him to enjoy his equipment.

The confused guy with the blueprints could have said “just building something for the school” But instead he encouraged a young mind and created something that he isn’t even ever aware of. And I bet he wasn’t his teacher. Imagine if all people in the school system treated students like this. Props to the confused guy with blueprints who asked for help, which he probably didn’t even need.

Fletcher NC is right next to me on the map. I’m going to go see this man and his wonderful machine

Dude is wholesome and genuine as they come!

"It's been worth it to me!" And thats all that matters

“That’s where the term plug in came from” ..wow didn’t even think about that

He is so chill. Love the anolog stuff

Wow, what an absolutely amazing unit, I'm glad at least 2 examples still remain

I SO respect and admire this man and what he's all about. I wish I could go hang out with him and learn all he knows. Thanks for this story.

"The Father of the motion Graphics' Let's give it a tribute.

This is so cool! Thanks VICE for sharing this!

I have an analog electronics exam tomorrow, this is so cool it has actually motivated me

Anyone interested in a modern day equivalent to this kind of thing should check out LZX Industrys' modular eurorack systems. I would buy one myself but they're expensive as hell.

Someone needs to bring back old things like this in film and stuff

This machine literally creates that retro look & style that I see so many content creators fail miserably at trying to create with digital video plugins and other methods. Simply awesome.

Wow, this totally made my day. As someone who maintained a 60's era temper-mill at a steel mill, this really struck a chord with me. It did close down, and I was one of the people that kept the old technology running way past its expiration date.