The Tain
Reminiscent of the flashback sequences at the beginning of Coppola’s overly produced and stylized Dracula, Andy Smetanka’s animation-by-Xacto-knife is utterly mesmerizing. Remember those construction paper figures you used to cut out in kindergarten; you know, the kind where you hinged together the figure’s joints with little brass brads? Well, for seven months Smetanka did just that, shooting every specific movement with a Super8 in front of a lightbox. With music by equally eclectic artists The Decemberists to fill the void, this 18 minute vision feels like antique animation at its finest.
This video is best played full screen, at full volume on a high speed internet connection. Enjoy!
Tags: Andy Smetanka, Animation, Francis Ford Coppola, The Decemberists, The Tain, video
November 18th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Stylized silhouettes, monochromatic landscapes, a mythological epic: Smetanka’s recipe for a truly dynamic & evocative video for the Decemberists’ The Tain. The imagery is, as you put it, “utterly mesmerizing.” Thanks for posting this!
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:17 am
The filmic equivalent of Thai shadow puppets with a tale of bloodshed and revenge as gripping as Macbeth. Riveting, haunting–I got goosebumps!