Why I'm animating The Magic Lantern.
I’ve made this yesterday and have now watched this little trailer about 50 times since. Have a look, see what you think.
It’s a mood, right? I needed to make a trailer for an upcoming thing I’m working on, and after listening to
’s song “Puppy-Doo Dandelion: an improvisation in F Major” on the piano, I asked if I could use it, and he very kindly made a new recording for us. Truly stunning, isn’t it?But there is more to this, there always is. This is not the first animation I have done about TML.
I have been sharing all kinds of different aspects of what these Magic Lantern books are about for a while now.
I have told you about the origin of the idea, about the writing and illustration, and even the business side of it all. A whole lot of different facets that are all connected by a common thread, the books.
This series is a monumental task and requires most of the available time I have, so it makes no sense to spend time making an animation that will not be on the final page, right?
I think my wanting to do it came down to these few things.
Skill. I take a lot of pleasure in learning new things, and learning new skills. And after learning illustration, animation seems like a natural progression. So the temptation to learn it was right there.
Feel. It allows me to get a feel for the world. I spend so much time thinking about it, putting it all together on screen gives me a clearer sense of direction.
Indulging. In the end, it also gives me a sense of what could be. I think it’s in most, if not all of us, the hope to one day see our works adapted and brought to life. This is a selfish way, perhaps, of getting to peek through that window.
And earlier this year I did this:
5 seconds of animation.
It was an ordeal to be sure. I had to learn a whole new workflow and toolset, I fumbled through all the basics of animation and finally got serious about painting landscapes. I even got to go out and hunt for sounds to include here, from the wind to the birds. But the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
I took away a couple of things from this experience.
Animation is not a solo activity. There are just too many facets to it, and it’s such a large amount of work that it’s a burden best shared. I hope to one day get to do more of it with others.
I really needed to double down on the style, I have since worked on it and am very happy with the portraits of my characters, but I do wish the animation had that same style. Something to do on the next one perhaps?
To you, from the home of magic.
Marco D Blanco.
Marco, it's hard to describe the feeling of having contributed to something like this with my music. I know every stroke of your brush is done out of a passion for your characters and your medium, so being able to add something to this project is an absolute honor.
The animations are wonderful! And the music piece fits beautifully. Great job!