#pinscreen

[limeshade]

An inscrutable, nightmarish, surreal dreamscape set to Modest Mussorgsky's famous composition of the same name, "A Night on Bald Mountain" is one of only a handful of short films ever created using pinscreen animation, a method in which shadows cast by miniscule steel pins positioned against a sidelit screen are manipulated to produce images of unique texture and dimension unparalleled in the field of traditional animation. Co-directors Alexandre Alexeieff (1901–1982) and his partner Claire Parker (1906–1981) built their first pinscreen device in 1931 with the assistance of Alexandre's then-wife, fellow artist Alexandra Grinevsky (1899–1976). Alexeieff and Parker then spent nearly two years animating this 8-minute film, which preceded the better-known cel-animated short "Night on Bald Mountain" from Disney's Fantasia (1940) by seven years. "A Night on Bald Mountain" represented the public debut of Alexeieff and Parker's pinscreen method.

A NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN (1933) "Une nuit sur le mont chauve" Directed and animated by Alexandre Alexeieff, Claire Parker

[animatedshortoftheday]

Étreintes (Embraced) (2018) [5 min] by Justine Vuylsteker | Canada / France

Making-Of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BYXWETvCps

[torchturtle]

Woh last month of college is a lot

[canmom]

Annecy photodump 2 - museums

On Sunday, before the festival began, I went to a few of the museums around Annecy! Starting with the Palace de l'Îsle, then on to the Chateau d'Annecy and the Museum of Animated Film!

Probably the most iconic Annecy Building, it is presently a museum to both the building's own history and the industrial history of the town, which flipflopped countries a few times before becoming an industrial centre after the French rev. The Palace itself has been at various points a mint, a courthouse and a prison.

The museum is mostly captioned in both French and English. The industrial history gets a bit dry, but the downstairs section on the history of the building itself is cool.

My ticket got me into the castle too so I went up this absurdly picturesque little path...

...to be rewarded with the town skyline. Probably not quite as the dukes of Savoy saw it.

The castle doesn't tell you a lot about its own history for the most part, but it does have a couple of art galleries.

I saw a version of Peter Brueghel the Elder's Massacre of the Innocents - though apparently there's a whole bunch of different versions and this one might not be the real one? Art history is funky.

Much of the lower floor of the gallery had these big romantic nature paintings. And when I say big these are really fucking big, like very much 'this would be the whole wall if we weren't in a literal castle' big.

One thing that is really interesting to me here is that the panorama with its cylindrical projection seems to actually predate panoramic photography. Although I can't say whether this is strictly a cylindrical projection, the insanely wide aspect ratio seems to suggest it would be.

Here's a closeup, showing how a tree breaks down into individual dabbed brushstrokes which suggest the texture of leaves without getting lost in noisy detail - the 'painterliness' so beloved of shader designers. It's fascinating seeing these paintings up close like this!

I'm fairly sure this kid is a chimneysweep? Unfortunately I managed to frame this photo so the painting gets perfectly bisected by the corner of the glass box. I'm not quite sure the relationship of the sculpture and the painting.

They also have a bunch of furniture from the castle, if you like wooden boxes. They built things well chunky back then.

The upper floor of the castle was devoted to contemporary pieces. I don't seem to have taken many photos of these, but here's a bike wheel with bits of broken glass which look like mountains when a projector shines through them:

Later in the week I would go to the Museum of Animated Film! It's a bit of a walk from the town centre but well worth the trip. They had various 1800s-era gadgets that form the precursors to animated film...

...though sadly in the low light of the museum, not all my photos came out good. It's remarkable how well these devices work though! The narrow 'shutter' created by the slots works perfectly to make the images appear animated rather than spinning around. Also the illustration quality, and even general sense of motion, is remarkably sound! Like honestly they could give today's animators a run for our money!

The rest of the museum had production materials showing the full range of different animation techniques: storyboards, key drawings, cels, backgrounds, stop motion puppets, pinscreens etc. They covered the history of animation pretty damn well - go figure, it's the animation museum in Annecy of all places.

They also had a special exhibit on showing drawings from Regina Pessoa, whose films I saw as part of the Portugese animation block. These are so cool to see up close. I'm still not entirely sure what techniques she used to make this film, its style is unique.

(My main camera didn't do great in here due to the low light, but I'm learning how to control ISO to get that exposure time under control. My phone actually did a lot better.)

One thing I didn't manage to photograph was the intro panels to the museum where they defined animation. After various definitions based around e.g. constructing frame by frame, they eventually resorted to a negative definition - animation is basically any film that isn't live action. It was pretty funny reading them struggle to pin down such a broad but intuitive concept.

Next up: more movie related stuff!

[kustas]

No, I feel you so bad cuz this happened to me once. The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite books ever so once I attempted to use Gankutsuou as a getaway to make people read it and people were like: "Hmmm... I dunno, the artstyle is too distracting." like?!

the art style? the generic ass pretty boy smooth lines nice face 00s anime art style of gankutsuou that has funky textures on it and that's all? we should lock these people in a room and make them watch the stuff that comes out of berlin film festivals until they start craving pinscreen stop motion

[laughingsquid]

Slow Motion Footage of a Pinscreen Toy Visualizing the Sound of a Cymbal Being Struck

[global-research-report]

Avatars in the Spotlight: Disrupting the Influencer Economy

The global virtual influencer market size is expected to reach USD 45.88 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 40.8% from 2025 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing preference from brands to adopt unique marketing strategies that can reach a large potential customer base while generating higher returns on investment is expected to fuel the growth of the market over the forecast period. Moreover, technological progress, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence and 3D modeling, enhances the realism and functionalities of virtual influencers. With ongoing advancements, it is anticipated that virtual influencers will continue to evolve, becoming increasingly sophisticated and attractive to audiences.

Virtual influencers improve investment returns as they help brands reach out to specific audiences. Brands focus on creating virtual influencers to target specific demographics. They are cost-effective compared to real-life influencers because brands can save on accommodation, travel, and other expenses while working with virtual influencers. In addition, the interactive and immersive experience offered to the audience helps brands build stronger connections with customers, which can augment the market over the forecast period.

Furthermore, virtual influencers provide a higher degree of creative freedom and affordable scalability, which helps to target the right customer. Popular brands, including Prada S.p.A., Puma SE, YOOX Net-a-Porter Group S.p.A., Alibaba.com, and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., have developed virtual influencers to promote their products on various social media platforms. In February 2023, Maybelline New York, a cosmetics company, launched their virtual influencer named May to promote their series of Mascara and will assist in future product launches.

Virtual Influencer Market Report Highlights

Based on type, the human avatar segment recorded the largest revenue share of over 68% in 2024. This growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for realistic and relatable virtual influencers that can connect with consumers on an emotional level.

In terms of offering, the solution segment dominated the virtual influencer industry and accounted for the largest revenue share in 2024, owing to the increasing demand for comprehensive and innovative marketing solutions that integrate virtual influencers into brand strategies.

Based on end-use, the fashion & lifestyle segment accounted for the largest revenue share 2024, primarily driven by the increasing popularity of virtual influencers as trendsetters and brand ambassadors in these industries.

North America virtual influencer market dominated the industry with a revenue share of over 42% in 2024. This growth is driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and computer-generated imagery (CGI), which enable the creation of highly realistic and engaging digital personas.

Virtual Influencer Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the virtual influence market on the basis of on type, offering, end-use, and region:

Virtual Influencer Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Non-human

Human Avatar

Virtual Influencer Offering Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Solutions

Services

Virtual Influencer End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Food & Entertainment

Sports & Fitness

Banking & Finance

Travel & Holiday

Fashion & Lifestyle

Others

Virtual Influencer Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

US

Canada

Europe

UK

Germany

France

Italy

Spain

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Middle East & Africa

South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Key Players in the Virtual Influence Market

Epic Games, Inc.

Pinscreen Inc.

Soul Machines

NEON

Superplastic

Dapper Labs, Inc.

UneeQ Limited

Didimo Inc.

Spatial Systems, Inc.

DeepBrain AI Inc.

REBLIKA

Ogilvy

Cafegroup

Order a free sample PDF of the Virtual Influencer Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.

[you-should-care-about-animation]

have you seen the cesar nominations for animated shorts and feature films?

Unfortunately, I didn't go to any festivals this year, I've only watched what's available for free online so my opinion/answer is extremely limited :'( .

For the features, I've only seen Interdit aux chiens et aux Italiens. I really enjoyed that movie, I thought it was soulful and very well directed. I don't know about the two others (Chicken For Linda! and Mars Express), but damn, no Sirocco et le royaume des courants d'air?!!! I don't want to give a judgement without having seen the two other movies but really??? No Sirocco????!!!!!!  

For the short films, that selection looks kinda meh to me, but I'm a judgemental cunt and what the fuck do I know lol. The three nominees are Drôle d'Oiseaux, été 96 and La forêt de Mademoiselle Tang. I've only seen La forêt de Mademoiselle Tang but looking at who was in list for the selection, I really don't think it should have been a nominee (full explanation under the cut because I feel bad for shit talking without explanation). 

In the nominated list we also had 27, La grande arche, Christopher at sea, Ice merchants, A Kind of Testament, Miracasas, El After Del Mundo, La saison pourpre and Scale (I only saw the one in bold). From what I've seen, La saison pourpre was robbed! It's so rare to have a pinscreen movie, and this one was so beautiful to me! I also enjoyed Ice merchant. Even 27 (that I don't even like that much) or El After Del Mundo would have been much better pics imo.  

Anyways, I'm really curious to know your opinion on the topic! What do you think of the selection overall ?! Did you think a movie that was made this year should have been selected?! Who was robbed this year? What's your overall opinion on the César in general?

 opinion on La forêt de Mademoiselle Tang:

I thought the movie was overall quite enjoyable and the storyline was definitely the most compelling part for me. The film had A LOT of ambitions and it caused tons of pacing issues imo as well as some very cheap looking shots (you can make wonky animation work perfectly sometimes but damn the art style they choose was not forgiving!). Imo, the film could have benefited so much from being longer, more contemplative, with less dialogues, and way less music. Some shots were gorgeous though and I really do think the movie is worth a watch, I just wished the director had more money and time to accomplish his vision.

[grolloman]

Sure we could have books, we would just have to read them by touch instead of by sight. Some of the earliest writing was etching into clay tablets, that could be read by touch. The modern alphabet would be something between that and braille, I would guess. Displaying text on a screen would probably work by some kind of mechanical pinscreen. It's a solveable problem.

Imagine if all the materials we made stuff out of gradually turned transparent over time, so you have to keep painting the walls of your house every 3-4 months so people can't see in, and you have to re-dye all your clothes like every two weeks so they're not see-through. A lot of stuff like a fridge you would probably just accept being transparent and not bother painting it. There'd be an extra sad indignity to socially isolated people dying alone because people would find out they died by seeing them dead and naked through their walls. I guess we couldn't really have books and stuff.

[chris-mga2022mi5019]

Finding more animation styles

1. Claymation

2. Brickfilms (Legofilms)

3. Puppet or Model animation

4. Cutout animation

5. Sand animation

6. Paint animation

7. Object animation

8. Pixilation

9. Pinscreen/Pinboard animation

10. Destructive animation

11. Animated Light and Shadow

Watching some of these animation style work interests me to try some for myself.

Here are some in particular that interests me:

[dianatorrado]

Assignment #5 1960's

The Nose ( Le Nez ) This animated short Film was produced in 1963 in France. The directors are Claire Parker and Alexandre Alexeieff. The story is an adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's short story "The Nose," the Film is about a Russian Official who loses his nose due to an accident with the barber, the official looks for his nose and tries to recover it, but the nose now has a life of his own and does not want to come back, the end is ambiguous but shows as if it everything was a dream.

The animation in this Film is an innovative type created by Claire Parker and Alexandre Alexeieff called Pinscreen. This type of animation uses a technique in which the artist has to push back and ford pins in a screen casting shadows and light and creating the images. It is generally made by two animators working simultaneously to create the shadows; however, it can be done by a single person drawing with both hands at the same time, which is a technique that requires a lot of time and precision.

Despite being an abstract animation and story, the European audience liked the short Film, and it was a successful adaptation of Gogol's short story "The Nose," given that the pinscreen animation was the perfect way to bring Film the strange tale, mixing it with a mixture of Asian music, the people tried to give meaning to the story putting some psychological context to it and analyzing the content of it. The animation provides the Film with a unique look, and the artists involved in it were able to create beautiful and abstract images that perfectly convey the story's style.

References:

[rrrauschen]

Claire Parker & Alexandre Alexeïeff, {1960} Alexeïeff at the Pinboard (A Propos de Zivago)

[meowmeowriley]

Ghost has certain textures he needs to touch. He see's the thing, he's gotta touch it. Those things, pinscreen toys, the side of Soap's head. The prickly/raised textures catching on the pads of his fingers, or under his nails. Heaven for Ghostie.

Ghost likes lenticular prints (the ones that change image at certain angles) bc he likes to run his finger nails across it

[torchturtle]

Me when I experience burn out for the first time, but this is literally my last semester and I have my degree project due so to combat it I end up throwing away all the progress I made in the fall and decide to do an experimental pinscreen film 🧍

[goliadkine]

Pinscreen, dir. Norman Mclaren, 1973

[magicmattie]

You know pinscreens, right? A box of tightly packed pins or nails blocked off with a piece of glass or transparent plastic on one side, moving freely back and forth on the other. You press an object into the sharp end of the pins, and a creepy 3-D impression appears on the other side. If you're brave, you can press it against your face. They come with plastic, colourful pins nowadays.

While the pinscreen as a novelty office toy appeared in the 80s, the pinscreen as a canvas for art was invented in the 30s, in larger scale, by American artist Claire Parker and her Russian husband Alexandre Alexieieff.

Parker was an engineer as well as an animator. If society insists on pitting liberal arts and sciences against each other, then Parker and Alexieieff's work is a wonderful marriage of the two: impressionist art created via a precisely engineered mechanism.

Their pinscreens ranged from small 'baby screens' to huge vertically-mounted grids which could contain as many as a million sliding metal rods. To obtain an image, you used it much like you would the office toy- you pushed the pins in or pulled them out.

In this animation technique, 3-D imprints are not the goal in themselves, just the method by which Parker and Alexieieff obtained different patterns and strokes in their pin painting. On their board, he pins are black, and the surface they are placed in white. As they are pushed in or pulled out, the shadow they cast changes, creating different images of unexpected nuance.

The effect and method are somewhat similar to pixel art, mosaic, or cross stitching, or any method where the artist painstakingly adjusts the smallest possible element on a grid in order to create the nuances of a larger image.

Claire Parker collaborated with her husband Alexandre Alexieieff on six animated films made with her pinscreens. Only six films in 50 years- because the pinscreen technique is incredibly difficult and time-consuming. The screens themselves are complicated to make, expensive, and heavy.

Night on Bald Mountain, 1933

An image from the static prologue to The Trial directed by Orson Welles, made by Parker and Alexieieff on the pinscreen.