Category: experimental animation/music film.
Length: 14 minutes and 59 sec.
"Complex behaviour can arise from an extremely simple set of rules."
This is the statement which best describes the development and net result of the O2 project-
in a sense it's the sequel to "O", but far more than that: it can be considered a video for my 2005 EP, "I want to listen to it" and a short film in it's own right.
This time I made my own visualisations, which were developed in C++ using simple algorithms to generate moving graphics.
These were gradually mutated over a couple of months, with some of the more interesting variations being defined as their own separate "species".
The mutation and change was done manually as opposed to a according to a predefined random or 'evolutionary' programmatic process,
while final visuals were selected based on one factor only: "cool"ness.
The end result is a film which explores the two existentialist polar extremes: abstract nothingness and intensely-definitive chaos.
Whirly and changing, the most intriguing forms always lie between these two.
Hopefully the audience is not overwhelmed or that they are overwhelmed to the extent that it becomes entertainment!
These will give you a small idea of what the visuals of the film look like- click on one to bring up the full image.
However, because motion is such a huge factor in the film, it doesn't come together until you see it move:
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DVDs of the film can be purchased for $5US each plus $1NZ postage within New Zealand, or $5NZ postage to overseas. The DVD includes a higher-res Xvid version, which can be played back on any Xvid-capable computer.
You can purchase this via the main site (music page).
I guarantee the playability of the DVD on 98% of all equipment, provided you don't scratch (or smudge) it - I've been making playable DVD's for years and years now.
A sample of the O2 project is available for download, however due to the complexity of the visuals a DVD is
the only medium which shows this film to any great effect (without making a massive downloadable file);
but this short preview should give you a better feel for the film:
Click here to download a preview of o2 (25MB)
You will need the Xvid codec (available for Mac and PC) to watch this movie -
if you do not already have it, I suggest you download it from here.
Mac or PC users who cannot get the Xvid version to work can also download a low-quality and larger filesize version in Quicktime format here (not recommended).
If you do not have a media player I recommend Media Player Classic, an open-source 1MB powerful, but simple video player for Windows, Linux and Macintosh.
An interest of mine has always been hypervisuals- the advent of the demoscene, that online community (and occasionally offline) of programming artists, graphic artists and musicians which produce such amazing landscapes of colour, sound and excitement has been an inspiration to me. Another source of inspiration for this project were later, more audio-focused works such as Autechre's Gantz Graf, and Aphex Twin's "Rubber Johnny" - both of these demonstrate the vitality and speed at which images and sound can enter the brain and enable the excited viewer to, temporarily, escape to a realm of largely-subconsciously percieved messages, meaning and audio.
Matthew Bentley was born in 1978, and never fully recovered; yet since this time he has achieved much: a few short films as well as short film scoring and conducting, 15 years of music writing, a BSC in Comp Sci, two years of programming for a living, then releasing an hour-long collaborative net-film titled 'O', finally starting his own small music studio based in Waikato, New Zealand.
Editor/Composer/Programmer - Matthew Bentley