Computer Animation Arts

The video essays below created by Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting) and Evan Puschak (The Nerd Writer) explore physical comedy and the staging of gags/action for film. Including, the importance of characterisation, physical performance, readability, using a single/static camera, selecting the correct camera angles, clear staging, and editing. These video's illustrate many of the fundamental elements you will encounter in making your film for the Collaboration project (and beyond). Please take the time to watch them either as a group or on your own. Buster Keaton: The Art of the Gag "Before Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson, before Chuck Jones and Jackie Chan, there was Buster Keaton, one of the founding fathers of visual comedy. And nearly 100 years after he first appeared onscreen, we’re still learning from him. Today, I’d like to talk about the artistry (and the thinking) behind his gags.- Tony Zhou / Every frame a painting".  Jackie Chan: How to Do Acti...

This video by Tony Zhou ( Every-frame-a-painting ) explores the silent and physical comedy of Buster Keaton. This film neatly captures Buster Keaton's thought process and expertise for creating humour using his physicality, his facial reactions, a static camera, and clear staging. Watching this film will help you clearly understand what it is that you are trying to achieve in your current project. In addition, I've included links below to more on the history of film making, the Hollywood studio system, and the silent era. Each film is under 10 minutes long... Episode 0: Introduction Video (above). Episode 1: Pre-Cinema History Episode 2: The Rise of the Studio System Episode 3: The Golden Age of Hollywood Episode 4: The Foreign Wave Episode 5: The New Hollywood Episode 6: Contemporary Cinema