Here are the original 1991 versions of the Expando Machine cartoons, made back when I actually lived on Columbus Avenue and had a cat named Mugsy. I used a Macintosh SE (the computer that's actually in the story) to make these original low-res, 1-bit versions with no color and no sound. It's an interesting comparison in that the whole thing is virtually identical shot for shot and line for line. I would show these to people on the Mac's 9-inch screen (they'd have to come into my bedroom, where my desk was) and everyone would stand in a line silently watching.
http://www.jordanorlando.com/other/expando/old.cfm
3 comments:
Very cool, Jordan! Was the old version merely touched up with today's technology or did you completely recreate it? I love that this has been gestating for 18 years. Is Ralphie a nephew?
I completely re-created it. When I got the idea for my "Pipeline" animation system, I decided to remake The Expando Machine rather than start from scratch with something new, because that way I could focus on the process and not worry about the story.
"Ralphie" is a made-up character who's been around since before high school. As I told Octopunk, traditionally I "refuse to provide any explanation."
I've always assumed Ralphie is sort of a mutated, short version of Jordan. Not like a bad clone, but something more conceptual, as if Cartoon Jordan must just contend with this anti-version of himself.
You should add some manic piano music to the silent version. Like the Teen Girl Squad music.
Cartoon Jordan has this weird pose he sports when he works on the Expando Machine, on his knees with his torso and arms impossibly cantilevered forward. I'm just sayin.
Post a Comment