Score: 10

"SUMMON THE ELDER!!!"

submission: A Short Flash about Clams

date: August 19, 2008

This is the kind of flash I love. It doesn't matter if you have no idea what is going on; as long as it kicks ass it kicks ass. That and the animation style was great.

Score: 10

"Liquid sweetness."

submission: Christmas Isn't Safe

date: August 15, 2008

Thnx u Sir may I has anuther plz?

Score: 6

"Pretentious. Boring technique. Unexpressed symbol"

submission: Then I Run

date: July 21, 2008

-ism. But great animation. (cont from title)

The title pretty much says it. I am practically a prostitute for surreal cinema, and the great thing about surreal cinema is it doesn't need reality to make express emotions. This animation was a little empty. Obviously there is more to this kid then meets the eye, and I am not asking that you TELL US what it is but that you make us FEEL what it is instead of simply showing us that it is dark and twisted.

Imagine your symbolic imagery as pieces of a puzzle, and the image of the puzzle being the emotion you are trying to express. Your puzzle pieces should not so obviously give away the nature of the image in the puzzle (not if you want to be effective and surreal), instead they should only give away the image when taken in their totality, and arranged in juxtaposition. In this case then the message should be clear.

Let's discuss some of your techniques:
Tea party dolls barfing black stuff.
Kid and a ghost sitting above liquid darkness.
Loop of kid tearing his face open (looped).
Kid seeing twisted image of himself.

These are just some, but they seem to have the same note, but do not lead to any coherent conclusion other then the same note they all share. This really makes them amount to nothing more then techniques you simply thought would expressed this one, simple note.

Anyone can make an animation with surreal imagery that expresses one simple note, that is most definately not the appeal of surreal imagery, however. The appeal arises when these images intertwine to create something bigger and more powerful: a statement.

Your images alone hold all the power and because of that there is nothing beyond them. When the pieces are put together the puzzle turns out to be nothing that wasn't already shown on every piece of it... it's a boring puzzle...

The score I am giving to you is for a combination of both your animation (which was good, except for only the loops which I found to be a little boring) and the fact that you at least attempted something more then the countless hordes of Super Mario Parodies, which alone is immensely respectable, to say the least.

Score: 10

"Simply awesome."

submission: Desert Underground

date: March 27, 2008

I am thinking of using this for the ending/credit music of an animation I am making.