Edge.org was inspired by intellectual clubs like the Invisible College of the 17th century, the Royal Society, The Lunar Society and The Reality Club, which consisted of leading intellectuals from a wide array of disciplines. Scientists like Robert Boyle and John Wallis, cultural figures like James Watt, Benjamin Franklin, and Erasmus Darwin, would come together to build on their knowledge through conversation and experimental investigation.

Some of the clubs were informal gatherings, with members meeting in random locations, from Chinese restaurants and artist lofts to investment firms and board rooms at world renown universities. Today, that venue is the web.

A living document 16 years in the making, Edge.org is comprised of discussions on hot-button issues between many of the world’s smartest people. Every year, the best question is chosen and [...]]]> Recently, our Associate Editor, Ally, sent me a lovely link that her dad forwarded to her (oh how information trickles down to me!)

Edge.org was inspired by intellectual clubs like the Invisible College of the 17th century, the Royal Society, The Lunar Society and The Reality Club, which consisted of leading intellectuals from a wide array of disciplines. Scientists like Robert Boyle and John Wallis, cultural figures like James Watt, Benjamin Franklin, and Erasmus Darwin, would come together to build on their knowledge through conversation and experimental investigation.

Some of the clubs were informal gatherings, with members meeting in random locations, from Chinese restaurants and artist lofts to investment firms and board rooms at world renown universities.
Today, that venue is the web.

A living document 16 years in the making, Edge.org is comprised of discussions on hot-button issues between many of the world’s smartest people. Every year, the best question is chosen and promoted.

And in the spirit of our #GMretrospective and looking back, I thought I’d share 201o’s annual question, one I found quite relevant to production work and creative processes:

How is the internet changing the way you think?

This got me thinking about what online tools we use at Global Mechanic when producing our creative work.
While I am not an animator, (as a social media coordinator, I can only admit to knowing my way around Photoshop and InDesign), I nevertheless can appreciate the amount of process I see around the office as my coworkers rig, animate, conceptualize, sketch, record, and produce!

Inquisitive as I am, I’ve asked everyone at the office – and as many people we can reach on Facebook – the following question:

What’s your style when it comes to brainstorming and sketching new designs and concepts? Have a favourite tool you love to use?

Michael, Ken and Cliff gave me a glimpse into their world and it looked something like this:

I was a bit surprised to find, however, that when talking to them, the good ol’ sketch pad and HB pencil were a favourite.

What do you think? I invite you to share your thoughts with us on Facebook.

Sketches from Impromptu, a 3D animated short currently in production

Sir Bit, an ASCII quest game for the iOS platform. Full version coming soon.

The year has started off with a full bang: We’ve signed on new ad campaigns; we’re in production of Impromptu, our first 3D animated short and co-production with the NFB; we’re preparing to develop our first ebook; and our developer, Cliff, is putting the final touches on the full version of Sir Bit, an ASCII-style iOS game.

Yet, while we prepare for what’s in the works for 2012, we’ve also had a bit of time to really think about all the work we’ve done over the past year.

As part of a special blog series, I thought we’d highlight 10 intriguing Global Mechanic projects of 2011, a retrospective, if [...]]]> With January almost done, we’re already used to saying it’s 2012. But 2011 is still relatively fresh in our minds.

Sketches from Impromptu, a 3D animated short currently in production

Sir Bit, an ASCII quest game for the iOS platform. Full version coming soon.

The year has started off with a full bang: We’ve signed on new ad campaigns; we’re in production of Impromptu, our first 3D animated short and co-production with the NFB; we’re preparing to develop our first ebook; and our developer, Cliff, is putting the final touches on the full version of Sir Bit, an ASCII-style iOS game.

Yet, while we prepare for what’s in the works for 2012, we’ve also had a bit of time to really think about all the work we’ve done over the past year.

As part of a special blog series, I thought we’d highlight 10 intriguing Global Mechanic projects of 2011, a retrospective, if you will, that may even give us a good sense of what’s in store in the coming year.
In our office discussions, we’ve observed how our design decisions, style and aesthetic reflect many of the trends happening a broad range of industries, from animation to design in general.

GM emphasizes a revival of handmade, physical media in the digital environment. We’re into experimental, old school techniques and aim to produce high-quality work, from films and digital products to all kinds of uncategorizable “stuff“. As many professionals who work using such an aesthetic know, this kind of work oscillates between the seemingly instantaneous (animated!) product, and very hard work.

Producing this type of stylized animation requires meticulous and time-consuming preparation and production, long hours, and a lot of heart. Please join us as we feature some of the unique projects Global Mechanic has produced over the past year and draw common threads between them. You may find that these threads will weave themselves into a poignant commentary on what informs and inspires not only us – but others in the creative industry today.

With that, I invite you to visit us over the coming weeks as we feature intermittent entries that will coalesce in a kind of Global Mechanic retrospective. Please check back with us or feel free to search the series up on Twitter at #GMretrospective. Enjoy!

Have a look!

For more sketchbook pages from our talented staff, see sketches #007, #008, #009.

Bruce’s friend from London, Jeremy Southgate, just sent us a neat link about the making of a particularly cool motion comic, The Art of Pho, based on the graphic novel by Julian Hanshaw.

You see, we’ve been brainstorming ideas for the My Robot, an ebook for kids we’re developing with Jem. Jem’s going to be producing the “book” and we’ll be contributing the “e” to the project.

Motion comics, or graphic novels whose images have been somehow animated or moved onto a digital platform, have been a great point of reference during our creative process. Seeing how others have approached this medium will help us eventually make decisions about how to stylize our own technique for My Robot. We’ll keep you posted on the project’s status!

Tidbit: See some of our kid-friendly projects!

Impromptu is a co-production between the NFB and Global Mechanic. The short film focuses on a modern man named Chuck, who’s experience of a dinner party he’s throwing acts as a metaphor of something we can all relate to: the experience of our external world, which can often be chaotic, but which can still lead to poignantly beautiful resolutions inside ourselves.

In the words of the film’s director, our one and only, Bruce:

“The film is about how Chuck sees and feels about his world. Like the piano impromptu from which the piece takes its name, it’s an account of thoughts and visions spurred by the spirit of the moment. It’s a metaphor for the inner redemptive eurekas of life, the ones that carry us forward even when no-one else knows they’ve happened.”

The film will be produced using stereoscopic 3D, which lends itself very well to the film, especially in scenes where Chuck [...]]]>

Impromptu is a co-production between the NFB and Global Mechanic. The short film focuses on a modern man named Chuck, who’s experience of a dinner party he’s throwing acts as a metaphor of something we can all relate to:
the experience of our external world, which can often be chaotic, but which can still lead to poignantly beautiful resolutions inside ourselves.

In the words of the film’s director, our one and only, Bruce:

“The film is about how Chuck sees and feels about his world. Like the piano impromptu from which the piece takes its name, it’s an account of thoughts and visions spurred by the spirit of the moment. It’s a metaphor for the inner redemptive eurekas of life, the ones that carry us forward even when no-one else knows they’ve happened.”

The film will be produced using stereoscopic 3D, which lends itself very well to the film, especially in scenes where Chuck is at his most detached from reality and removed from the crowd, but very emotionally and imaginatively charged inside.

Here are a few (current) sketches of the dinner party guests (inspired by Matisse and Javier Mariscal). Enjoy!

Meet Sylvie, Chuck’s wife:

…and Jeff, Chuck’s best friend:

This is Hester, Sylvie’s friend (whom Chuck really dislikes):

..and Adele, a flirty fan of Chuck’s:

You’ll have to wait to meet Chuck though… Stay tuned for more…

Remember those two NFB animated shorts we blogged about? They’ve each been nominated for an Oscar!

Montreal-based filmmaker, Patrick Doyon, was delighted when he heard the news that his debut film, Dimanche/Sunday, was nominated (actually, he kept screaming out excitement). The film is a whimsical animated fable that follows a bored young boy attempting to escape a dreary Sunday (this instantly made me think of Murakami’s most recent main character in 1Q84, who loathes Sundays – but don’t we all just a little bit?)

Emily Carr alumni, Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby also had a reason to celebrate, also having earned a nomination – for their Prairie-set short, Wild Life. Though this isn’t Forbis and Tilby’s first run at the Oscars, it definitely deserves a big congratulations!

It’s a good day to be in the Canadian film industry!

We recently got a sweet 47″ 3D (flicker-free!) TV in our office, along with an XBox Kinect and a Playstation 3.But it’s not all for just fun and games. Sure, we went through some melee training and fought some gladiators in Medieval Moves, but it’s all part of the artistic process (really!)

You see, we’re about to start production for Impromptu, a 3D short that Global Mechanic is co-producing with the NFB. We posted some preliminary character sketches a while ago – stay tuned for more next week- to give you a sneak peek at what the movie is going to look like (you’ll notice Matisse and Javier Mariscal are a huge inspiration). 

It’s funny though, ever since 3D made its way into our office on a more physical level, I’ve been noticing all [...]]]>

Jimmy Rigger + XBox Kinect come together. (That's Philip, one of our animators, moving the smiling Mr. Jimmy)

We recently got a sweet 47″ 3D (flicker-free!) TV in our office, along with an XBox Kinect and a Playstation 3.But it’s not all for just fun and games. Sure, we went through some melee training and fought some gladiators in Medieval Moves, but it’s all part of the artistic process (really!)

You see, we’re about to start production for Impromptu, a 3D short that Global Mechanic is co-producing with the NFB. We posted some preliminary character sketches a while ago – stay tuned for more next week- to give you a sneak peek at what the movie is going to look like (you’ll notice Matisse and Javier Mariscal are a huge inspiration). 

It’s funny though, ever since 3D made its way into our office on a more physical level, I’ve been noticing all kinds of cool 3D-related stuff being discussed in the interwebs. For example, data visualization project by designer Odaibe lets you visualize drum beats in 3D (on a related note, we’ve also seen paint droplets dance to music). Sensor Based Display Environment may also take Smartphones to a new level (maybe even the iPhone 5!), with possibilities of motion control.

We’re really excited to be taking on a 3D project and aligning this technique to our creative vision.

Pretty neat world we live in, I’d say.

Tidbit: The 3D TV is also really unlike the theatre experience- you’re looking into a window with a 3D plane on the other side, rather than having seemingly random objects and people’s noses poke out at you from the screen. It’s a much more interesting experience.

Vegas wows once again  – but this time with an interactive experience paying homage to Chuck Jones, a renown artist and animation pioneer.

The Chuck Jones Experience opened its doors Thursday morning at Circus Circus in Las Vegas. Visitors of the 10,000 square-food destination will get a chance to learn more about the animator and his characters by, watching a short film in a 1930s-style theatre, discovering a wide collection of his work in the Animation Alley, as well as have an opportunity to play with sound effects, do voice-overs, and learn to ink and paint real animation cels in the Acme Workshop.

For $20, you get to spend the entire day exploring the fascinating worlds that Chuck Jones created in the span of his 60-year career. I know what I’ll be doing next time I’m on the strip!

Tidbit: Jones is known for his famed Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, Tom [...]]]>

Vegas wows once again  – but this time with an interactive experience paying homage to Chuck Jones, a renown artist and animation pioneer.

The Chuck Jones Experience opened its doors Thursday morning at Circus Circus in Las Vegas. Visitors of the 10,000 square-food destination will get a chance to learn more about the animator and his characters by, watching a short film in a 1930s-style theatre, discovering a wide collection of his work in the Animation Alley, as well as have an opportunity to play with sound effects, do voice-overs, and learn to ink and paint real animation cels in the Acme Workshop.

For $20, you get to spend the entire day exploring the fascinating worlds that Chuck Jones created in the span of his 60-year career. I know what I’ll be doing next time I’m on the strip!

Tidbit: Jones is known for his famed Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, Tom and Jerry (yes!), the TV version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and a feature length film, The Phantom Tollbooth, among other classics.

For 90 minutes, be enthralled by the the best short films of the last two years. The selection is comprised of eight very different films, each one produced or co-produced by the NFB.

Tidbit: Our very own Vive la Rose was featured in last year’s Animation Express.

I know we’ve finally arrived to “the future” when we can make colour dance.

Dentsu London just launched a project in collaboration with photographer/biochemist, Linden Gledhill, to reinvigorate the Canon brand and promote the PIXMA colour range printer. The project “brings colour to life” through “sound sculptures” made of paint droplets captured in vivid detail as they “dance” in response to sound waves.

Using a high-speed camera – the Canon 5D Mark II, to be exact (with a  100mm lens) – Gledhill will be capturing more mesmerizing formations of vibrant water-based paints. When you see it on video, it really looks like rigged animation, but it’s not; what you see, is really what happened in real life.

How do they do it? Dentsu explains on its blog: “The ‘colour sculptures’ were created by stretching a balloon over a speaker to form a membrane.  A few drops of paint [...]]]>

Sound sculptures by Linden Gledhill.

I know we’ve finally arrived to “the future” when we can make colour dance.

Dentsu London just launched a project in collaboration with photographer/biochemist, Linden Gledhill, to reinvigorate the Canon brand and promote the PIXMA colour range printer. The project “brings colour to life” through “sound sculptures” made of paint droplets captured in vivid detail as they “dance” in response to sound waves.

Using a high-speed camera – the Canon 5D Mark II, to be exact (with a  100mm lens) – Gledhill will be capturing more mesmerizing formations of vibrant water-based paints. When you see it on video, it really looks like rigged animation, but it’s not; what you see, is really what happened in real life.

How do they do it? Dentsu explains on its blog: “The ‘colour sculptures’ were created by stretching a balloon over a speaker to form a membrane.  A few drops of paint were then placed in the centre of the balloon and a single sharp note was played through the speaker, causing the paint to erupt for just a fraction of a second.” You better believe it!

Tidbit: Want to see more? Take a look at Gledhill’s Water Figures project.