Animation on Glass

I remember first seeing a few of Caroline Leaf's films while in college in Chicago. I believe she came to the Art Institute to show her work. Ms Leaf pioneered sand, paint-on-glass and scratch animation during her 20-year tenure at the NFB. I recently came across this excellent "Making of" documentary featuring Caroline  talking about her work and demonstrating her technique. Enjoy...
 

Hand-Crafted Cinema Animation Workshop with Caroline Leaf by Eric Roberts, National Film Board of Canada

There are also clips from her previous films and below is "The Street". Using watercolor and ink on glass, Leaf illustrates the reactions to a dying grandmother, capturing family feelings and distilling them into harsh reality.

The Street by Caroline Leaf, National Film Board of Canada

I contacted the actual Caroline Leaf and if she responds, I'll let you know...)

Great NFB Animation Shorts!

There are tons of short animation films which can be found on Youtube and other websites. There are a few of them that have inspired me to get into animation in the first place. I hope you will let me know if you have seen them before or have some great short films that have inspired you.

When I was growing up, I remember watching a PBS show hosted by actress Jean Marsh called "The International Animation Festival". Every week, she would showcase animation films from around the world. I remember the catchy theme song when the show  began and they showed a lot of animation from Europe, Canada and Zegreb which was all new to me at the time. I tried to find a copy of it, but sadly, this is all that's out there today. You will get just a taste of the theme song.

And so began a young animator's journey to find more animation to watch and learn from. Next, I discovered the animation shorts from National Film Board of Canada. 

Here are some of my favorite films from the NFB.

Hot Stuff by Zlatko Grgic, National Film Board of Canada

I like this one for the use of music and animation transitions...

Canada Vignettes: Log Driver's Waltz by John Weldon, National Film Board of Canada

Showing a relationship and how small arguments start off from silly things... My wife and I still can recite some of the dialogue from this film.

The Big Snit by Richard Condie, National Film Board of Canada

And finally, another great short animated to music with some clever editing and animation.

The Cat Came Back by Cordell Barker, National Film Board of Canada

If you enjoyed "The Cat Came Back", you should check out this section of Cordell Barker's discussion about this film and others he has made. Its interesting to find out that he was locked into the music and wanted to do more without it.

Cordell Barker's Master Class in Animation (Part 1) by ONFB, National Film Board of Canada

I could fill several webpages of all the NFB films past and present, but luckily, they are already have all this online. Follow this link, to see a whole library of live action and animation shorts from the NFB!

Let's hear it from our Canadian Brothers and Sisters! Do you have a favorite NFB film or have a favorite short that inspired you? Let us know!