Cool animation for Nike by James Jarvis, of Martin fame. This is apparently his first motion project, which is super cool for him. Obviously rotoscoped, but a lovely application of the process, in the tradition of Pinocchio and 101 Dalmations (something there is, tragically, no video evidence of on the internet, putting to rest the idea that EVERYTHING is online. But look for it in the movie, when Cruella DeVillie’s car flies off the embarkment and into the snow; some of the strangest, coolest rotoscoping ever).

I posted this to a online group I’m a part of, and it immediately brought up the ‘sell-out’ clarion call, and whether it would be applied to Mr. Jarvis. What a crock of utter horseshit. As a professional illustrator, I want to, for once and all, call every single self-important punk-ass artist out on the mat for using this tired term born of petty spite and jealousy. There’s only two types of work in this world: the kind of work that satisfies you, and the kind of work that helps you continue to make the kind of work that satisfies you. Nothing else matters.

Well done, James: I hope Nike paid very well

Above is a frame from a page I found with stereoscopic images looped into an animated GIF, and it’s just phenomenal. Remember how incredible ‘Bullet Time’ was the first time you saw it? And then NFL tried to do it, to hideous, awful horrible effect? This is better than all of that. Like, times a million. In my humble opinion.

The best part about the relatively recent obsession with stereoscopic technology is A.) how old and low tech it is, and B.) the level of fanaticism of the current crop of lenticulators. While the current level of stereoscopy is involved in some serious next level stuff, the quaint turn-of-the-century old-timey charm of vintage stereoscopic images is undeniable. I think it’s because these images are clearly produced strictly for enjoyment, and the manufacture of a 3D realm out of a 2D medium is also what happens turns my gears. I guess it’s because everything that I’m interested in, on some level, exactly that: the manufacturing of reality artificially. It’s the God Complex writ large.

So, why is this stuff so much cooler than the high tech stuff? Because it’s mostly all DIY, and DIY stereoscopic tech is sometimes, very very DIY. Additionally, these stereoscopic images, on Chinese Jet Pilot and else where are, for the most part, still very prosaic images: people living their normal lives, without exploding cars and flying bullets. The benefit is that, for just a fraction of a second, you get to be there with these people, in their private moments, sharing their space, as only they experienced it, a frozen moment of nostalgia for anyone to share. And that’s deep, baby.