René Jodoin

Spheres

René Jodoin, Norman McLaren

This animated short is a play on motion set against a background of multi-hued sky. Spheres of translucent pearl float weightlessly in the unlimited panorama of the sky, grouping, regrouping or colliding like the stylized burst of some atomic chain reaction. The dance is set to the musical cadences of Bach, played by pianist Glenn Gould.

Notes on a Triangle

René Jodoin

In this short animation film the triangle achieves the distinction of principal dancer in a geometric ballet. The triangle is shown splitting into some three hundred transformations, dividing and sub-dividing with grace and symmetry to the music of a waltz. The film's artist and animator is René Jodoin, whose credits include Dance Squared and several collaborations with Norman McLaren.

Rectangle & Rectangles

René Jodoin

This is a didactic film in disguise. A progression of brilliant geometric shapes bombard the screen to the insistent beat of drums. The filmmaker programmed a computer to coordinate a highly complex operation involving an electronic beam of light, colour filters and a camera. This animation film, without words, is designed to expose the power of the cinematic medium, and to illustrate the abstract nature of time.

Danse carrée

René Jodoin

A square dances.

Alouette

René Jodoin, Norman McLaren

This animated short co-animated by René Jodoin and Norman McLaren was produced for inclusion in the Let's All Sing Together sing-along series. It illustrates the popular song Alouette, gentille alouette. The technique used is single-frame animation of paper cutouts.

Bandwidth

René Jodoin

Jack Curran

This film combines colour, animation and sound to clarify principles of radio wave transmission. It illustrates how antennas propagate radio waves and how they may be adapted to increase the bandwidth of transmissions. (The film was released for general use as a public service by the Royal Canadian Air Force.)

Question de Forme

René Jodoin

In this film, which takes place to the rhythm of Schubert's Military March, the point, this first form, by its multiplication and the chosen orientations, allows us to see how it can be chained to form lines, shapes, surfaces, to form ensembles that ultimately occupy the entire surface of the screen.

Propagation

René Jodoin

Combining colour, animation and sound to clarify principles of radio-wave transmission, this film illustrates how antennas propagate radio waves.