Take a look at this beautiful music video for “Katachi” by Shugo Tokumaru. It uses stop motion animation with colored cutouts, but unlike most animations that use the technique, the cutout used in the previous frame isn’t removed. Instead, each cutout is placed against the last to form what looks like a shockingly long row of dominoes.
Courtesy of Shugo Tokumaru.
Watching the pieces of frames build on each other one by one is like watching some strange, living serpentine sculpture coming come into being and growing. What could just be simple but pleasant images of suns setting, trees growing, windmills spinning, dolphins leaping or a man cradling a giant banana (who knows) also becomes a daunting monument to the labor-intensive and love-driven art of animation.
Courtesy of Shugo Tokumaru.
That said, it’s also just an awesome, cheerful video for an awesome, cheerful song. For a film taking place in a room with grey floors and black walls, it’s amazingly pleasant.
Written by Raj Gopal.↓
Raj Gopal (n.): DPS maximizer; Nerdsmith; Intellectual gadfly.
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