Here’s a bunch of great non commercial projects that actually got finished:

“Marvel” by Blackmeal

“Windows” by Conor Whelan

Well, I’d like to think that I came up with the term but, as with most ‘original’ thoughts, it seems it has been around for quite a while. A quick Google search reveals results from the fantastical Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer, haptic devices, stop motion and so on.

For me (and since I hold sway over the keyboard), I am going to use the term for any form of animation that uses primarily non-digital media. That is, no slick 3D, no smooth motion graphics work, just charcoal, cardboard, lightbulbs and the like. Obviously I am not going to nitpick, almost everything is touched by digital in some way these days, but I am looking for pieces where the artists have stepped out of the constrictive frame frame of the computer screen and made something tangible, something that you can touch…something tactile.

Following are some of my favourite pieces of ‘tactile animation’, stuff that I wish I had done…

Lightbox Music Video

Husbands – “Dream”

The Making of…

Many of these projects have a charming DIY aesthetic to them. And no matter how easy it is to create something similar in After Effects or the like, there is an undeniable magic to the realness of this piece.

Singing Microwaves

AKQA Cristmas Card

This is an classic from a couple years ago. So inventive, so captivating, so memorable. Job well done!

This is a beautifully minimalist project from one of my favourite designer/animators. The 2D character work is really well done and the sparse environments are perfect. Plus it’s a good cause to boot.

More of his work here.

mail@michaelclark.co.za
+27 83 895 1655

61 Susman Ave
Blairgowrie
Johannesburg
2194
SOUTH AFRICA

We’ll start off with a music video that inspired me to do my own stop motion work. It’s the Bubblicious music video from Rex The Dog. I love the simple DIY look & feel and the way the ‘behind-the-scenes’ is worked into the narrative showing off the process and making it even more interesting. Really nice work.

Much Better Now

Next is another piece that brings along a smile from Salon Alpin, a Portuguese studio. This integrates a 3D character into a stop motion background. The result is seamless and looks like loads of painstaking effort. It pays off though…

Daedline

This one’s a classic and remarkable since it’s a student project. From Bang-yao Liu.

Time to Go

One last one I came across recently: a beautiful piece from Melbourne-based studio Oh Yeah Wow for Wax Tailor: ‘Time To Go’. Strong concept, smoothly executed.

Hmmm, time to get out my Nikon and make some puppets…

I have a large skill set ranging from After Effects & Photoshop to Cinema 4D and back to pencils & paper.

I am happy to work on-site in a studio, over the interwebs or handle an entire project in-house.