THE MACHINE

As a Mas Man I find ideas and inspirations for a band or a costume, anywhere and everywhere, concepts, themes, and storylines can be sourced, and developed to create something truly special at any given moment.

The following is a beautiful little story that reminds me of great Mas of the Eighties, those with eyes to see will see it, and those who don’t, think...it isn’t illegal yet.

THE MACHINE from Bent Image Lab on Vimeo.
DIRECTOR Rob Shaw
ANIMATION STUDIO Bent Image Lab


"The Machine" is an animated fable following the path of an innocently forged mechanical creature. As his independence and knowledge of the world grows on his journey, as does his desire to conquer all that we encounters, from the pastures of a farmer to the realm of man's entire world.

The story is in itself a mechanized apparition, the characters and scenery exisiting inside of an early 20th century nickel arcade and being driven forward by the gears of this machine.

The main character, the innocently created, human like mechanism whose power knows no bounds, thinks of himself as invincible, that no man or spirit could ever overpower him. Yet, the irony is that he himself is only a small part of a greater device, and in this case, a mechanized stage for passers by to waste a nickel in.

This film was shot over many hours at Bent Image Lab over the course of several months in 2008-2009. Animated using stop-motion puppets and sets, then composited together in After Effects, the film has a mixed media presence to it that is accentuated by the machine's own collage like form.

CREDITS:
Film by Rob Shaw

Narrator
Andrea Schuch

Voice recorded by
Angela Poschet

Animators
Rob Shaw
Sarah Hulin

Sound Design
Brian Kinkley

Music
Sirrobrob

Color Correction
Orland Nutt

Additional effects
Fred Ruff