Blinkity Blank
Encyclopedia
Blinkity Blank is a 1955 animated short film by Norman McLaren
, engraved directly
onto black film leader, Blinkity Blank features a soundtrack combining improvisational jazz from composer Maurice Blackburn
along with graphical sound
s created by McLaren scratching onto the film's optical soundtrack.
Blinkity Blank features lines, dots and other abstract forms, along with fruits, trees, planets and chickens—the latter featured at length in another McLaren hand-drawn film Hen Hop
—which blink in and out of existence, or merge with or modulate other shapes. McLaren also left some frames blank, which he described as “sprinkling on the empty band of time”.
It received the Short Film Palme d'Or
at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival
, the first prize for Best Animated Film at the BAFTA Awards as well as a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival
. Blinkity Blank was produced by the National Film Board of Canada
.
Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
, engraved directly
Drawn on film animation
Drawn-on-film animation, also known as direct animation or animation without camera, is an animation technique where footage is produced by creating the images directly on film stock, as opposed to any other form of animation where the images or objects are photographed frame by frame with an...
onto black film leader, Blinkity Blank features a soundtrack combining improvisational jazz from composer Maurice Blackburn
Maurice Blackburn (composer)
Joseph Albert Maurice Blackburn was a Canadian composer, conductor, sound editor for film, builder of string instruments, and musical adviser. A graduate of the Université Laval and the New England Conservatory, he won the George Allan Prize in 1940. From 1942-1978 he worked as a film composer...
along with graphical sound
Graphical sound
Graphical sound or drawn sound techniques are a consequence of the sound-on-film technology and based on the creation of artificial optical polyphonic sound tracks on transparent film. The first practical sound-on-film systems were created almost simultaneously in the USSR, USA and Germany...
s created by McLaren scratching onto the film's optical soundtrack.
Blinkity Blank features lines, dots and other abstract forms, along with fruits, trees, planets and chickens—the latter featured at length in another McLaren hand-drawn film Hen Hop
Hen Hop
Hen Hop is a 1942 drawn-on-film animation short by Norman McLaren, in which a hen gradually breaks apart into an abstract movement of lines, as it dances to a barn dance...
—which blink in and out of existence, or merge with or modulate other shapes. McLaren also left some frames blank, which he described as “sprinkling on the empty band of time”.
It received the Short Film Palme d'Or
Short Film Palme d'Or
The Short Film Palme d'Or is the highest prize given to a short film at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the same jury of the Cinéfondation....
at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival
1955 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Marcel Pagnol *Marcel Achard *Juan Antonio Bardem *A. Dignimont *Jacques-Pierre Frogerais *Leopold Lindtberg *Anatole Litvak *Isa Miranda *Leonard Mosley...
, the first prize for Best Animated Film at the BAFTA Awards as well as a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
. Blinkity Blank was produced by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
.