Saturday, September 27, 2008

07: Bedshaped, Keane / Butterfly


Bedshaped, Keane
Butterfly
Corin Hardy, 2004

When I think of my favourite animated music videos I think in particular of this one. I saw this when I was 14 and I was just starting to wonder about what I wanted to do with my life, and an absurd idea forming in the very back of my head whispered "I want to do THAT."

Bedshaped is one of many creepy stop motion videos that are floating around out there. Another one that pops to mind is Insanity (Which I have pondered blogging but it seems redunant seeing as I love the song more than the mind-boggling video), but of course this is a full on model based animation, rather than toys.

What I didn't know about Bedshaped at the time is that the models and the story ( I haven't seen the whole movie yet but I really want to now) is that they're from a previous movie directed by Corin Hardy.

In the interests of being a good blogger I found the trailer, and oh my...is it beautiful. When you watch Bedshaped you always wonder what the rest of that world is like outside the stall, and the trailer gives you a very good idea of what horrors are out there.

It's a very perfectly imperfect style. It's a very fine-artsy approach to an unrealistic world. Stop motion in general is supposed to be Jerky and incomplete movement, which is what gives it its charm. When you watch old movies like Jason and the Argonauts for example, especially the scene with the skeletons, you get the feeling the animator is trying too hard to be realistic. When you watch the tears fall jerkily from Boy's face in Bedshaped, you geniunely feel sad but its detatched in a way that feels real.

Heartbreakingly beautiful...I only hope that I can achieve such a wonderful work of art one day.

Go to Colin Hardy's Myspace to find out about more of the music videos he's produced for some very popular english bands.
Or to his website.

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