A picture speaks a thousand words. A thousand words won't get you far, can't confirm your doubts or have all your solutions. But sometimes, a thousand words are enough and that is just all that you need.

For people interested in digital entertainment art, Motion Blur 2 provides a brief overview of digital moving images.

This media's history is not long. But Motion Blur 2 is an impressive documentation of the transition in the field today, shining a light on key creators that embody exciting new potential.

But even if a photograph can paint an array of emotions, it does not tell all. Motion Blur 2 does not hold your answers to everything that you need to know about the animation world. It does not have the best of the best or showcase the latest work. It is not set out to capture a particular spirit of time neither does it gather just the top animators in the creative industry around the world.



Title: Motion Blur 2: Multidimensional Moving Imagemakers
Publisher: Laurence King Publishing Ltd
Editor/Author: onedotzero

Nevertheless, Motion Blur 2 is an insightful sequel to the Laurence King publication, which was described as “utterly captivating”. Since then, it has gone into two reprints. That was how successful and influential Motion Blur was.

Five years down the road, onedotzero released a follow-up of a 240-page book – filled with over 1,500 glossy, high quality images – that comes with an accompanying 2-hour DVD. It features 43 pieces of work across rarely seen personal shorts, music videos, titles and commercials.

This book is a stunning and highly desirable design object, bound in an embroidered felt sleeve and presented inside a neon perspex slipcase. Released in summer 2007, it boasts of diverse moving images. It lets readers look into the future of animation and hopefully have their burning questions, answered.

Good animation is unforgettable. It catches someone's attention, lingers in his mind as the animation plays again and again in his head.





Motion Blur 2 gathers 27 of the world's most important and influential visual freethinkers, cultural influences and creative visionaries. These moviemakers belong to a group of exhilarating talent who lead a revolution in moving images.



In Motion Blur 2's photograph, there is a number of contemporary creators, working hard in a multitude of motion forms, offering their respective experiences and vision from a range of different cultures and goals. Not only does it have your usual cartoon animations, it shows animators who have done music videos for artistes such as Goldfrapp, The Prodigy and Lemon Jelly.





If you think that animation is all about cartoons or anime, with no strong storyline, then think again. Today's animators have a certain aim that guides them. They want to create something that will send a message to the public. One such example is the animation by Wilfrid Brimo. His animation, Sugar Baby Love, is a realistic public information commercial to promote AIDS awareness. This animation has scored Brimo numerous awards and he chirped: “My first gay experience and another Cannes Lion!”





Another note-worthy advertisement is by Smith + Foulkes, for their client, Coca-Cola. It became a big musical number and interestingly, it is a direct parody of the Grand Theft Auto games. The ad was a smash and registered top-of-mind recall. That's how a good animation should be.



What captures my attention actually comes from the last few pages of the book, which shows what the artists have for their meals. It is always interesting to peek into their lives and know that they too, are humans, like us who eat fatty food too. Another page has a table full of icons showing how they get to work. Some cycle, some walk, some take the train or the bus. You will find yourself smiling, as you scan down the page.



This book is something you'd want to keep for a long time. Not to look for answers, but to get that flow of fresh new ideas running constantly.

Sometimes you'd wonder if a thousand words are enough. Or, wait, the real question is, how much is really enough? Is there something more behind the works, behind the words, behind each smile and the depths of someone's eyes? Just like a photograph, there's something more than meets the eye about Motion Blur 2. It is entirely up to you, to dig the treasure out. That, in my opinion, is something that is worth taking up your time.


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