Crooked Rot

   

 
      This stop motion short is one of the main reasons I decided to go into making one myself. I have always wanted to try stop motion and claymation, but never really got into it enough. However when I stumbled upon this I was immediately hooked. "Crooked Rot", by David Firth, is an absolute masterpiece. It is a completly surreal and chilling video indeed. I think there are two reasons that it has that "feel" that defines it. Watch it HERE

1.      The fact that it's stop motion and has a framerate lower than reality. The lowed framerate is visible, but not to the point that its distracting. Things that are animated smoothly like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Coraline" don't have as chilling of a feel as this stop motion film. Examples of the lowered framerate to create a unique feel is the show "Crashbox" and parts of the movie "The Evil Dead". The different Frames Per Second (FPS) should be subtle enough to where its not distracting, but gives that feel of a separate reality. This is one reason stop motion and claymation period have a very distinct feel to them. 
2.      The second reason is the one that sticks out to me is the content itself. When you create something so unique and strange, it will have that feel that is almost impossible to replicate. The objects used as well as the use of the manikin heads created something cool, disturbing, and almost scary. When you see a water faucet, you see nothing but a piece of metal with a knob. But combine it with other objects and you have something that is downright disturbing.

     This short deserves to be watched over and over. It is art. David Firth's genius never fails, and this, his last stop motion film, is a perfect example. Can't wait to finish my stop motion, and i will be providing a few more examples in upcoming posts.