Blog Post # 10- Early Network TV IDs

Since we started talking about animation and cartoons being on television in its infancy, I figure I could add to this by including an element that is just as important and historic, but very relevent to this subject: The TV identifications’ (or station ID’s for short).  These were just simply friendly reminders to you, the viewer know what network you are watching (NBC ,CBS, ABC, as well as the defunct network DuMont TV and NET, predecessor to PBS).

Here are some from the 1950′s

NBC:

CBS:

ABC:

DuMont TV Network, an early attempt at a “fourth network” long before FOX came along,aside from the “Big Three” (NBC,CBS,ABC), but was short-lived.

What I just showed you was the ID’s when TV was still presented in black and white.  By the mid to late 50′s and well into the 60′s, the networks began presenting in color.  These ID’s became more animated, and loaded with lots of color!  Once again, these were friendly reminders to you the viewer what network you were watching, only this time, the announcer would tell you the program you are about to watch is presented “in color”, much like the same way later on in the 1980s with “Presented In Stereo- Where Available” and today with “Presented in High Definition Where Available”.

Collection of Network IDs. Mind the wacky beginning and end!!

NBC: This where they got the nickname “The Peacock Network” from

CBS:

ABC:

NET & PBS

Update: Blog Spicemen #2

I have uploaded some clips of the network color logo’s in actual use as lead-in’s to some TV shows shown in color at the time:

Here is actual footage of the NBC peacock for “In Living Color” in use.  It dates from 1959 and was used as a lead-in to the “Fred Astaire Show”  Chrysler Corporation sponsored the program, hence all the Chrysler cars paraded around the screen.

Here is a 60′s CBS color logo in use as a lead-in to the Carol Burnett Show, also with the show’s intro in animation as well.

Here is the ABC color logo in use as a lead-in to Batman, with Batman’s intro in animation as well.

Blog Post # 9- Dire Straits- Brothers in Arms

Previously, I posted a blog post the animation of “Take on Me’ by the band a-ha.  Well I have another great music video from 1985 that strikes a different chord.  The song is called “Brothers in Arms” by the English band Dire Straits.

The music video contains animated charcoal scenes dipicting images of war, along with both animated and live action, all in black and white film, except for the end with the sunset.

The song was originally written during the 1982 Falklands War between Great Britain and Agentina.  For the 25th anniversary of the war in 2007, the band redid the song and music video as a tribute to those who fought in that war.

The song has been featured in TV shows such as Miami Vice, The West Wing, Due South, and In Justice.

It was used in the films Spy Games, McBain, What Just Happend.

Various other bands and acts have sung versions of the song. 

And now, here is the music video:

Spicimen Post #2

Over the past week, we as a class talked briefly about rotoscoping.  Simply, rotoscoping is taking live action,  and going frame by frame, tracing over to give moving objects a more animated feel and look to them.  While in the classes learning about the technique,  It made me start to think of a certain “movie” I have seen before, and for you 80s fans out there, you might have seen this one too.  For this blog post, I am going to use probably the most famous music video of the 80s, and probably the greatest music video to air on MTV.   I am talking about  “Take on Me” by a-ha.  The only thing I don’t like is when the lead singer hits the high notes,  it can hurt yours ears he’s so loud and high pitched.

A little background on the band:

Formed in 1982 by   Morten Harket - lead singer,Paul Waaktaar-Savoy- guitar, and  Magne ”Mags” Furuholmen- keyboard/synthesizer. 

From Oslo, Norway

Broke up in 1994, came back together in 2000, still play today.

Take on Me song and music video:

from album Hunting High and Low (band’s 1st album, 1985)

1st version of song recorded in 1984.

2nd and current version recorded in 1985.

Music Video:

Directed by Steve Baron

won 7 awards at 1986 Video Music Awards

14 artists worked the drawing and rotoscoping

It took 3 months and 2,000 drawings to make the video.

At 1:52-53 in the video, the drummer is none of the band members, purely fictional.

The last scene, as Morten fades from drawing to live in the hallway, the inspiration came from another film that used rotoscoping: Altered States.

The music video is the 2nd video for the song.  An earlier one , known as the “blue video” because it was shot

Here is the Take on Me music video.  Note the rotoscoping.

 

In case you are wondering, here is that “Blue Video”. See for yourself which is better!!

As a bonus, here another a-ha music video, Train of Thought.  Also, note the rotoscoping.

http://www.vh1classic.com/view/playlist/1575686/189435/Pop_Up_Videos/Pop_Up_Video_A_Ha_Take_On_Me/index.jhtml

Spicimen Post #1

The animated movie I watched was Cars.  It was made by the Pixar Animation Studios (of  Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and Up fame), in which by this time, in 2006 when the movie came out, became a division of the Walt Disney Company.

To make the long story short here it goes:  Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is one win away winning the Piston Cup Championchip, when he ends up in a three way tie with rivals Chick Hicks and  Strip “The King” Weathers, who is retiring at the end of the season.  Because of the tiebreaker, the three have to go to LA for the tiebreaker.  While on the way to the track, Lightning gets lost and ends up in a town called Radiator Springs.  The town fell on hard times after the interstate opened up, but the inhabinants never forget there auto racing roots.  Lightning meets Doc Hudson, Mater, and Sally Carrera.  After spending time in the town, Lightning competes in the race, in which he loses, but wins everbodys respect again.

If there is something bad to say about this film, it is that for once Disney got something right for once when it came to historical accuracy.  What I mean is Disney has lacked in the historical accuracy department.  The subject in question is Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul Newman, his last movie role ever before he passed away).  Doc Hudson , who is a 1951 Hudson Hornet, and is nicknamed “Fabulous Hudson Hornet”, is based off a real car of the same make, model, year, and nickname as Doc Hudson.  The real car was driven by both Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas.  These two drivers were legends in the early days of NASCAR.

Some stats on Marshall Teague:

First race in 1945.

Won 1951 AAA Stock Car Driver of the Year.

Won 1952 and 1954 AAA National Stock Car Champion

Died in 1959 in an car accident

About Herb Thomas

Won 1st Grand National Race in 1951

1951 and 1953 Grand National Champion

Died in 2000

Herb Thomas #92, Marshall Teague #6

Marshall Teague’s page

http://www.legendsofnascar.com/marshall_teague.htm

Herb Thomas’ page

http://www.legendsofnascar.com/Herb_Thomas.htm

Blog Post # 8- Disney Wartime Patches

Yesterday, we talked about how Disney went war (WWII).  We mainly talked about the films they produced.  But what we did not talk about was Disney was under contract by both War and Navy Departments to make unit patches.  From Pearl Harbor to the end of the war, Disney made insignia for squadrons, ships, infantry, artilery, support, and other units.

I have managed to find a website that sells WWII era patches, to which there are alot of Disney ones in there.  Since I cannot copy and paste the patches here (the website will not let me) here is the link to it:

http://members.cox.net/ww2squadronpatch/SquadronPatchesHomePage.html

Blog Post # 7- If Cars could talk, what do they say?

The animated movie I watched was Cars.  It was made by the Pixar Animation Studios (of  Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Wall-E, and Up fame), in which by this time, in 2006 when the movie came out, became a division of the Walt Disney Company.

To make the long story short here it goes:  Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is one win away winning the Piston Cup Championchip, when he ends up in a three way tie with rivals Chick Hicks and  Strip “The King” Weathers, who is retiring at the end of the season.  Because of the tiebreaker, the three have to go to LA for the tiebreaker.  While on the way to the track, Lightning gets lost and ends up in a town called Radiator Springs.  The town fell on hard times after the interstate opened up, but the inhabinants never forget there auto racing roots.  Lightning meets Doc Hudson, Mater, and Sally Carrera.  After spending time in the town, Lightning competes in the race, in which he loses, but wins everbodys respect again.

If there is something bad to say about this film, it is that for once Disney got something right for once when it came to historical accuracy.  What I mean is Disney has lacked in the historical accuracy department.  The subject in question is Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul Newman, his last movie role ever before he passed away).  Doc Hudson , who is a 1951 Hudson Hornet, and is nicknamed “Fabulous Hudson Hornet”, is based off a real car of the same make, model, year, and nickname as Doc Hudson.  The real car was driven by both Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas.  These two drivers were legends in the early days of NASCAR.

Here is the trailer for the movie

Blog Post #6- Rotoscoping- A-ha- Take On Me

Over the past week, we as a class talked briefly about rotoscoping.  Simply, rotoscoping is taking live action,  and going frame by frame, tracing over to give moving objects a more animated feel and look to them.  While in the classes learning about the technique,  It made me start to think of a certain “movie” I have seen before, and for you 80s fans out there, you might have seen this one too.  For this blog post, I am going to use probably the most famous music video of the 80s, and probably the greatest music video to air on MTV.   I am talking about  “Take on Me” by a-ha.  The only thing I don’t like is when the lead singer hits the high notes,  it can hurt yours ears he’s so loud and high pitched.

A little background on the band:

Formed in 1982 by   Morten Harket - lead singer,Paul Waaktaar-Savoy- guitar, and  Magne ”Mags” Furuholmen- keyboard/synthesizer. 

From Oslo, Norway

Broke up in 1994, came back together in 2000, still play today.

Take on Me song and music video:

from album Hunting High and Low (band’s 1st album, 1985)

1st version of song recorded in 1984.

2nd and current version recorded in 1985.

Music Video:

Directed by Steve Baron

won 7 awards at 1986 Video Music Awards

Here is the Take on Me music video.  Note the rotoscoping.

 

As a bonus, here another a-ha music video, Train of Thought.  Also, note the rotoscoping.

Blog Post #5- Disney goes to war-Victory Through Air Power (1943)

In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, all industries transformed from peacetime to wartime production.  Walt Disney did its part by making training films, both regular traing  and classified films, as well as design unit patches for the armed forces.  But this did not mean they stopped producig films for the general public entirely.  In 1943, Disney produced a film titled “Victory through Air Power”.  It was adapted to film from a book of the same title, written by Maj. Alexander de Seversky in 1942, in which it became a best seller. The movie was pretty much a giant educational film compacted into a full-length feature film format.  It was designed to educate the public that, for the first real time in the history of warfare, not only will victory of the war will come from the ground and sea, but from from the air.  Once a warring nation controls the air,  the nation/s will have a greater chance of winning the war.  The film introduced the public to the concept of strategic bombing, and how by bombing the enemies industrial centers, the enemy will soon not have the industrial capacity to continue making war.  Maj. Alexander de Seversky was both a narrator and teacher through out the film.  The film did so well, it was nominated for the 1944 Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

Here is the poster for the film:

And here is Maj. Alexander de Seversky in a scene from the movie:

And here is the You Tube link to Part 1 of the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paY6y87rrpE&feature=PlayList&p=06B6BB834527E0A9&index=0