Power Animation #004: "The Jolly Green Berets"
Before we begin, I do need to confess: this is definitely not a Power Animation. It took me several weeks to complete this piece, though a very significant portion of that time was the result of some serious technical issues with Flash. At one point, I was pretty much resigned to abandon the gnome project entirely when my Flash file became completely unworkable. However, I did manage to come up with ways to work through it, and in the end, was able to produce something which I think is pretty fun. I do apologize for the large delay though!
But enough excuses and tales of woe! On with the show! This short piece introduces a new breed of Gnomes! An elite special forces unit of worker gnomes known as the 'Jolly Green Berets!' What's that? You've never heard of the Jolly Green Berets?? There's no job they can't handle! No deadline too daunting! No mug of mead too full! These gnomes are the ultimate badasses... state of the badass art. Let's check in and see what they're up to!
(Requires QuickTime)
Flash 8 Version for fast computers (try this if the QuickTime version (10MB) is too darn big! I recommend QuickTime, however, because Flash always has a hard time playing smoothly when the imagery gets complex.)
Additional Info
Music Credit: R.E.M., "Finest Worksong"
What is Power Animation?
Power Animation is a term I use to describe the fast and manic process of creating an experimental, standalone animation... in one night only! Work typically starts sometime in the evening, and can often last into the wee hours of the night, until one of three things happens:
a) I come to a logical finishing point
b) I pass out
c) The National Film Board of Canada calls me up and offers to fund me
The only rule, which acts as the driving force behind the process, is that whatever gets done by the end of the night is the final product - no further work is allowed to be done beyond this one night! As the night goes on, the Power Animation process is often accompanied by a mounting sense of urgency and doom, since I usually have to be to work early the next morning... but this only adds to the experience!
The results of a Power Animation session may not be the most sophisticated and artful animation ever crafted, but it's a fun exercise and it flies in the face of the usual drawback of animation: the fact that it TAKES FOREVER!! Having a finished product in one night helps bring some attainable satisfaction to the life of a weary animator!