Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Got it figured out? See Spike Jonze’s one-page treatment below:
I love being able to see the broad strokes in which he designs the video (“eating chips, wearing a clown suit, hobleing [sic] on crutches, speedo”), as well as the commitment to specificity and detail needed to learn an entire song in reverse.

Enjoy!

Doug Fox’s Picks for Dance and Movement Animations

One of the captivating elements of dance and animation is the diverse range of forms it can take. Among the animation techniques that can be employed to represent the body in motion, whether in a more concrete or abstract manner, include:

• 2D
• 3D
• Stop motion
• Live-action and animation hybrids
• Real-time animated graphics using motion tracking
• Visualization overlays
• Special effects
• ASCII-based animations
• Digital puppetry
• Cut-out animation
• Motion-capture based
• 2D/3D lasers
• Rotoscoped
• Virtual worlds
• Pre-cinema era animations

For Doug’s round-up of some of his favorite dance and movement animations he made selections of each of these different types of animations.  A few videos chosen by Doug couldn’t be embedded onto our blog for your viewing convenience, but we encourage you to take a minute to check out these great videos, to learn about the many types of dance and movement-based animated videos artists are creating. Enjoy!

Rotoscoped Tango dance scene from “Waking Life”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Gabrielle Lamb’s “Quizas” mixes 2D animation and live-action footage:

Click here to view the embedded video.

“En Tus Brazos” is a narrative-based 3D animation about a tragic accident that besets a famous Argentinean Tango dancer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also enjoy an ASCII-based animation “TextField” by Chirstinn Whyte and Jake Messenger:

http://www.jakemessenger.plus.com/textfield-h264.mov

The Converse music video “My Drive-Thru” is based on the cut-out animation technique:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Oren Lavie’s “Her Morning Elegance” is a stop-motion music video compiled from thousands of photographs:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The “Prodigy Warrior’s Dance” combines stop-motion animation and puppetry:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Recoil Performance Group’s “Body Navigation” uses motion tracking and projectors to general real-time, interactive graphics in a performance environment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Trash Dance” features 3D animation and motion capture:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lastly, Doug offers us “Anima Istanbul”, which re-creates the feeling of the pre-cinema era zoetrope effect:

http://motionographer.com/theater/if-2009-zoetrope/

Movement Media appreciates Doug sharing some of his favorite animated videodances with our readers.  As you can see, artists are making some extraordinary animations, and there will certainly be more exciting works in the future, as more artists are combine animation with dance and movement.

Doug Fox is the founder of Great Dance, one of the first dance blogs. His blog and speaking programs have primarily addressed how dance-makers can embrace the Internet and digital tools to enhance their marketing and promotional efforts. He is an active member of the dance community and serves on the Dance/NYC Advisory Board.

Doug began to study and research all forms of animation, especially as they relate to dance and movement. This research led to the creation of his dance animation educational program, which he was delighted to introduce at Movement Media’s Kinetic Cinema. Doug is continuing to expand this screening program and workshop and it will be shown on August 16th at the Hong Kong Science Museum presented by the City Contemporary Dance Company.

Doug can be reached at doug@greatdance.com and through his Great Dance website: http://greatdance.com. You can also follow his Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/dougfox.

The world is responding to dance more than ever, as individuals from across the globe share their love of dance publicly and through video arts.

We are finding more and more people documenting their celebrations of dance icons through dance and video, and their dances continue to resonate with Internet viewers looking to connect artistically, locally, and universally to create MORE dance.

This new social movement through dance is liberating and profound.  World records are being broken as more and more people come together to dance for a common goal–the celebration of dance.  The growing numbers speak volumes, and as we continue to learn from dance, we will continue to grow to our full potential as artists and communities.  At the end of this posting you can learn how to get involved in this new social movement and dance phenomenon and help Thrill The World by dancing with the WORLD to Michael Jackson!

Dance legends have impacted me greatly, as I see them teaching us how to connect with ourselves, others, and the world.   This week we pay tribute to Michael Jackson who continues to affect the world as seen through the arts.  Dancers and media artists have been making documented tributes to his legacy.

Michael Jackson-the King of Pop

Michael Jackson is remembered fondly for his impact on dance.  Out of the hundreds of videodances recently created to celebrate the beloved Michael Jackson, these are some of my favorites.

As a dancer, this next videodance speaks to Michael Jackson, the man who made me want to dance freestyle and hip hop every day.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video artists have also done their part to pay tribute to Michael, as seen in this adorable video to the song ”Don’t stop til you get enough“…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Michael Jackson dance tributes continue to hit the street, as seen in this videodance tribute to Beat It done in Stockholm.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In addition to these popular songs and dance moves, there are continuous dance tributes to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.  Never before has there been more ZOMBIE walks and events, as demonstrated by the zombie networking website http://www.ThrillTheWorld.com.  ‘Thrill The World’ has organized 72 dance tribute events, breaking a world record last year with 4,179 dancers participating from 10 different nations.  They are hoping to reach their goal of 270,00 people to dance to Thriller in 2009 and pay tribute to Jackson’s life and dance. Thrill 2009 looks to be a big year for zombies doing the crawl of the dead!

This videodance tribute from 2008 showcases the individuals who came  together as dancing zombies to celebrate Michael Jackson’s influence on the world.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anyone can learn the dance moves to Thriller, and participate in Thrill The World 2009.  There are various videos available online, such as this one.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In addition to thousands of people who are learning dance moves from online video, more and more people are learning Michael Jackson’s dance moves in dance studios around the world.  Leaders in the Hip Hop genre are doing their part to perform and teach Michael Jackson’s moves to current and future generations of dancers.  The following videodance tribute features Hip Hop Masters Lil’ Mama, Taeko, Feng, and The Beat Freaks.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The King of Pop was one inspirational gentleman, and will be remembered on a global scale…as evidenced by the videodances shared in this posting and the hundreds available on the Internet.  I look forward to continued celebrations of Michael Jackson through dance…so whenever you can, by yourself, with a partner, or with a group–get out there and dance!

Tune in next week for more posts in tribute to Pina Bausch and Merce Cunningham.

Thank you to everyone who nominated a video for this week’s “Pop Dance Phenomenon” theme! We really enjoyed getting a chance to see your favorite viral videos!! This was the last week we were accepting submissions and nominations for our Videodance Contest. Next week will be guest curated by Doug Fox of Greatdance.com, who will be presenting wonderful dance animation videos.

If you didn’t get a chance to participate in the contest, don’t fret. We have a brand new opportunity for you! Movement Media is excited to introduce UMove, our First Annual Online Videodance Festival!! UMove will feature short dance and movement-based videos that were made specifically for the web and other new media formats. For more information about the festival and for submission details, please click here.

POP DANCE PHENOMENONS

As technological advancements continue to infiltrate our society, YouTube has emerged as the new hit-maker of today. This platform has led to the discovery of countless videos that would never have been shown on TV, and given them the chance to spread swiftly through virtual word of mouth. Although there are many videos that have gone viral on YouTube, the six that we have selected are each strong representations of one of three categories; “The Earlies,” “Global Phenomenons,” or “Sponsors/Marketing.”

The videos representing “The Earlies” are:

“Here It Goes Again” by Ok Go

Click here to view the embedded video.

and ”Evolution of Dance” by Judson Laipply

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Here it Goes Again”

The American band Ok Go struck gold when their quirky music video choreographed on treadmills was released. This video, which debuted on YouTube on July 31^st, 2006, was one of the earliest viral YouTube videos to mesmerized audiences across the world. As of 2009, it is still one of the most iconic videos of all time with over 46 million views.

“Evolution of Dance”

Judson Laipply’s “Evolution of Dance” was first put on YouTube in 2006 and became an overnight internet sensation reaching over 123 million viewers. One of the first comedy performances ever to go viral, the video features Laipply performing popular dance moves from the 1950s all the way to the present. Even now, it remains the single most watched video in the history of the web.

Our “Global Phenomenon” videos are:

“Filipino Prisoners doing Thriller”

Click here to view the embedded video.

and ”Korean Madness”

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Filipino Prisoners doing Thriller”

Featuring over 1500 inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Phillipines performing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video, this video became a surprise smash hit on YouTube. Conceived by Byron F. Garcia as an enjoyable exercise regimen for the prisoners, it has now been viewed over 30 million times throughout the globe and given the prisoners a great source of pride, proving the immense effect that YouTube has had on people and cultures worldwide. Here is a link to an earlier blog post written by Anna Brady Nuse comparing the Filipino Prison dances with Busby Berkeley and the Balinese Kecak.

“Korean Madness”

This hilarious video, which has now become a global phenomenon, was actually taken from a Korean TV show. It features two young girls singing karaoke, and from the looks of it, they are truly enjoying themselves!

Our final category this week is “Sponsors/Marketing” and our winning videos in this category are

“Where the hell is Matt” by Matt Harding

Click here to view the embedded video.

and The “T-Mobile Dance”

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Where the Hell is Matt?”

This video, which features a guy named Matt Harding performing a ridiculous and amusing dance at various locations around the world, began as a joke between friends. Over time, these videos of unexpected bursts of dance by a goofy man in exotic locations sparked a media frenzy that ultimately led to a sponsorship by Stride gum company. Stride has sponsored Matt’s last two excursions simply because they were amused by his ideas, however by associating themselves with a fun-loving guy who is a YouTube sensation, they have craftily created a more progressive brand image.

“T-Mobile Dance”

This video, which documents a brilliant publicity stunt used to promote T-Mobile, was filmed in a crowded London train station in the middle of the day. This seemingly spontaneous yet choreographically synchronized dance was a viral hit, and since then many other brands have posed similar media marketing stunts, such as the Belgian TV company’s “Sound of Music” in Central Station in Antwerp, which was our “Choreographed” videodance contest winner on June 12th.

For further intellectual discussion about these videos or any of our previous themes, please click here: Movement Media’s Weekly Online Video Dance Contest

As always, we appreciate your comments and feedback about the contest winners! We’ll be back in September. In the meantime, please submit your videos to our new UMove Videodance Festival, taking place Oct 1-31, 2009 on the web and at live screenings around the world! Deadline AUG 15Th.

If you haven’t read it yet, check out Joan Acocella’s article, “The Faun,” in this week’s New Yorker:

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2009/06/29/090629ta_talk_acocella

It’s a really interesting article about Christian Comte, a French artist, who makes animations from still images. Recently he chose Vaslav Nijinsky, the much revered Ballet Russe dancer and choreographer, as his subject, and posted what appeared to be film fragments of the artist on YouTube that were never known to exist before. The appearance of the clips sparked a frenzy of excitement and debate among balletomanes and dance historians.

If you go to his YouTube page you can see all the videos he’s made and all the comments users have left. They have said everything from praise for Compte “finding” these videos, to appreciation of him using his talent to finally bring some idea of Nijinsky’s movements to life, as well as reprimands for him fooling them. He does insist that he is not trying to pass his films off as originals, but the confusion is understandable…sometimes.

Here are couple of Comte’s videos:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’d love to hear your responses to this work and the debate surrounding it.

Coming up next at Kinetic Cinema:

P.O.V: PRO SPORTS

Curated by Lisa Niedermeyer

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 7:00pm

Tickets: $10 (purchase at the door)

*A co-presentation of Chez Bushwick and Pentacle’s Movement Media

PLAY LIST:

InFormations (excerpt)
Directed/Edited by Charles Dennis Choreographed by Stephan Koplowitz
POV- Multiple Angles

InFormations by Charles Dennis and Stephan Koplowitz

Film maker Charles Dennis documents Stephan Koplowitz’s site specific work, InFormations, performed at The New York Performing Arts Library in celebration of its 2001 inaugural re-opening. 40 performers are captured indoors and out doors from a total of 18 different camera angles, including one camera 50 feet above Lincoln Center.

ILLUSION FOR MOVEMENTS
Directed by Lemeh42
POV- Kinetic Response

Click here to view the embedded video.

Italian video artist duo Lemeh42’s study on choreography, Illusion for Movements, increases our heart rate and suspends our breath with a brief but extremely intense physical experience.

JUMPY BALLROOM
Directed/Edited by Alan McIntyre Smith
POV- Capturing Speed

The fast and furious partnering of ballroom dancers, often seen by the naked eye as a blur of sequins and bright smiles, is captured with clarity in Alan McIntyre Smith’s delightful animation, Jumpy Ballroom.

DUST
Directed by Anthony Atanasio Choreographed/Performed by Miriam King
POV- Competition and Endurance

DUST by Anthony Atanasio and Miriam King

Miriam King’s butoh-influenced dance film, DUST, traces her solitary journey as a stranded, long distance swimmer within a waterless world.

VESTED (excerpt)
Directed and Choreographed by Kristi Faulkner
POV- Effort as Story Telling

VESTED by Kristi Faulkner

The choice of location gradually transforms its framing context in Kristi
Faulkner’s VESTED, as seven uniformed women move in athletic abandon inside an empty raquet ball court.

STOMP THE YARD (excerpt)
Directed by Sylvain White Choreography by Dave Scott
POV- Spectacle

Click here to view the embedded video.

In preparation for the full feature dance film, STOMP THE YARD, Hollywood film maker Sylvain White studied sports videography for inspiration

Curator’s note:

“I am not a film maker or editor or video designer. Although I have enjoyed many wonderful art making and collaborative experiences in these specific roles since moving to NYC in 2001, I come to Kinetic Cinema as an audience member. An audience member who simply wants to be moved by movement, in all the wild and vastly different ways this is possible with screen dance. My mixed pedigree of performer, designer, and production informs me as an advocate and curator.” – Lisa Niedermeyer

Special guest, Ray Wenzel Jr. has been a professional sports videographer for 18 years, traveling to 7 different countries and throughout the  US, shooting for every major sporting league in the USA including: NFL, WNBA, MLB, NHL, WBA (boxing), MLS (Soccer), PBA (Bowling), PBR(Bull Riding), NASCAR, NHRA (Drag Racing) and IndyCar, and with every major sports network in the USA including: ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, SPEED, VERSUS, TURNER, and CMT. Wenzel has been behind the camera for the Summer and Winter XGames, Winter Goodwill games, US Track & Field and several Emmy nominated shows, including The Indy 500, and The Daytona 500. Non-sports would include Legal Depositions, Documentaries, Fashion Shows, and various Studio shows.  If pressed to choose which Sport is his favorite to capture with his camera, IndyCar Racing wins every time, his independent production company is Lightspeed Productions.

About Kinetic Cinema

Kinetic Cinema is a co-presentation of Chez Bushwick and Pentacle’s Movement Media project, and happens on the second Wednesday of each month as part of a weekly dance, visual & media arts series at Chez Bushwick. Exploring the intersection of dance and the moving image, each screening features a different guest artist from the fields of dance and the media arts films who share a selection of films and videos that have inspired them. These could be works for screen that feature dance, are kinetic-based, or have been influential on their work in some way. The guest curators come from a range of backgrounds as performers, choreographers, critics, video artists, and filmmakers.

Next month on May 13th, Victoria Murphy, a screendance-maker,  will present “Is it live or is it Cinedance?” a program of films that illustrate her personal definition of the genre.

T-X from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

The evening was arranged by character, with Marya giving background exposition about each woman and illustrating her points with key scenes from films. The characters featured in the program reflected Marya’s personal favorites, and weren’t meant to encompass the entire range and history of female characters in action films. Rather it was a personal tour of the ladies that have inspired Marya the most, and she made us all feel like we were sitting in her living room sifting through the best bits of her DVD collection.

Some of my favorites from the evening were:

Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) from The Matrix series.

Pure elegance punctuated with vulnerability. In the opening scene from The Matrix, Trinity seduces you with a slow motion leap, before giving you a sharp crack in the nose.

Trinity's Kick

Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

The Bungee Ballet scene combines high adventure with silk pajamas. Gotta love Lara’s McGyver-like ingenuity, using her remote car starter to blind the enemies with a garage full of headlights while making a getaway on her motorcycle.

Lara's bungee ballet workout gets interrupted.

T-X (Kristanna Loken) from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

She’s an advanced cybernetic organism from the future and she kicks Arnold’s ass!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Angels (Drew Barrymore as Dylan Sanders, Cameron Diaz as Natalie Cook, and Lucy Liu as Alex Munday) from Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.

These ladies take teamwork to a new level. When the lights go out they tap morse code on each other’s palms to communicate. They’re also not afraid to take a punch. You see them get seriously messed up, but no mind, they just spit out the blood, pull out the glass, and keep on kicking ass!

The Angels

After the screening we had a discussion about some of the finer choreographic points of the films. One dance film-maker opined that the less successful clips were ones in which you couldn’t follow the movement all the way through. In the scenes in which the shots were mostly close-ups and fast cuts, it seemed to obfuscate the action of the fight, belying a lack of vision on the director’s part. Marya observed that many fight scenes will show a punch starting and then cut to a different angle at the moment of impact rather than showing the full movement. One of the most exciting clips of the night, a fight scene from Charlie’s Angels showed mostly shots of full-bodied action where you could see all the movements from start to finish. This style made the Charlie’s Angels’ scenes look more realistic than some of the others, even though they were still very cinematic and fantastical.

An interesting exercise would be to look at movies by their fight choreographers. Simon Crane was the stunt coordinator for both Lara Croft:Tomb Raider and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and I could see a similarity in these films, mainly in their approach to using elaborate sets. In each, the fighting really moved through space and created armaggedon-like paths of destruction in its wake. Yuen Wo Ping, Kung Fu choreographer of The Matrix also worked on Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and I can see a throughline of elegance and fluidity in both those movies. Daxing Zhang, fight coordinator of Charlie’s Angels:Full Throttle is a famous Hong Kong actor/choreographer/producer. The creativity and freshness he brought to the scenes in Charlie’s Angels were really wonderful. Now I want to see more movies by all of these choreographers. I think I have a new Netflix queue forming!

Click here to view the embedded video.

He just posted an online version of his fabulous videodance series “GRAPHIC.GLORY” that is also for sale as a DVD (Track 2 is shown above). He mentioned that his concept is to make great albums, like pop music albums but with dance. The result is so sexy, fun, and tasty you just can’t get enough. Rock on Richert! We love you!!!