David Daniels (filmmaker)

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David Daniels is an American commercial director, filmmaker, and co-founder (along with Ray Di Carlo and Chel White) of the Portland, Oregon based animation studio Bent Image Lab. [1]

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With a master's degree in Animation from The California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), Daniels' expertise includes computer (or CG), clay, foam, character, and mixed-media animation.

History

Early in his career, Daniels animated parts of Pee-wee's Playhouse , [2] and sections of Peter Gabriel's music video "Big Time." [3] David later directed the original twelve M&M's spots, helping define the CGI designs of Yellow, Blue, Red and Green personalities that are still being used decades later. His industry awards include an AICP award, a Clio, Mobius awards and a Daytime Emmy.

Stratacut

David Daniels used a technique called strata-cut animation, [4] [5] [6] a form of clay animation in which internally packed "loaves" of clay are animated in thin slices, revealing the movement of the pre-sculpted images within. [7] Daniels first used the technique of strata-cut in his 1985 film, Buzz Box. [8] Strata-cut was later used in animated segments of the Pee-wee's Playhouse series during the mid-80s, and in the music video for "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel (1986).

At Bent Image Lab

In 2008, David Daniels and Bent co-founder Ray Di Carlo co-directed "Hidden Formula", [9] a Coca-Cola television commercial created for the advertising agency Santo, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since 2014, Daniels has also been developing augmented reality. [10] [11]

Screenings

Daniels' experimental animated film, "Buzz Box Remix" premiered at the 2007 International Film Festival Rotterdam. [12] His Masterclass presentations in person at Santiago, introduced a new generation of animators firsthand to this unconventional art form. In 2017, David Daniels gave a one-man show at the historic Anthology Film Archives in New York City. Guests not only got to see his legacy of work but Daniels also gave an in-person demonstration. [13]

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References

  1. David Daniels Strata Cuts New York – Animation Scoop
  2. "Freaked (1993) Art of the Title". artofthetitle.com. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  3. Peter Gabriel: Big Time (Video 1986)- Full Cast & Crew - IMDB
  4. "David Daniels Talks About Stratacut | Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation". Archived from the original on 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  5. Anthology Film Archives: Film Screenings
  6. David Daniels Talks About Stratacut|Cartoon Brew
  7. "Clay Animation: Strata-Cut". stopmotionworks.com. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  8. What are all those paint men digging? - 'Buzz Box'|Animation World Network
  9. "Motionographer Bent Image Lab and Santo: Coke "Hidden Formula"". motionographer.com. 15 December 2008. Retrieved 2016-07-16.
  10. youAR Unveils Secret Augmented Reality Tech Demo|AWN
  11. Post Magazine - Bent Image Lab reveals new AR technology
  12. Buzz Box (Re-Mix)|IFFR
  13. Anthology Film Archives: Film Screenings