Wow. Every conceivable shape, formation, and movement in three dimensions all with just vertical lines. And it perfectly follows the rise and decline of the intensity and dynamics of the music.
So beautiful. So necessary this calm and focused work, humble work, humble and patient. The dance of time in its purest form. A space where creatures exchange themselves, cross and bounce.
This is the original, correct music for this piece. McClaren’s technique was tightly done to score and pure genius. So glad you’ve given me part of my childhood.
When I explain to people how important a solid narrative structure is for all films, no matter what genre they are into, I quote this film. No matter how abstract you get, you still need a strong structure, and this film has it.
@dtwhitney My mentor said that the main parts are: introduction, inciting incident (or trigger), build up and climax. It's also about pacing. Let's say you have some cool abstract animation tricks you want to show in a 3 minute film. The last thing you want to do is throw it all in the face of the audience in the first 15 seconds and spend the remaining 2 minutes and 45 seconds repeating the same thing. One of my teachers showed us such an example (I forgot what film it was).
@Bernard Allum You're wrong about something: Without a camera or money for fresh film stock, he bought worn-out 35mm print from a local movie house, washed off the color emulsion in his bathtub, and hand painted color abstractions directly onto the celluloid--an immediate, tactile approach he employed time and time again. "If I don't like what I've done," he explained, "I can wipe it out with a damp cloth and begin again." That's a quote from Norman McLaren himself.
@aldiakaroofus Nice comment. Apart from the rising and falling action, what else seen in this movie constitutes a narrative structure? I think about doing abstract work from time to time, but I don't know how to make it presentable or enjoyable in a narrative. What are your thoughts/advice?
