Animated GIFs

So after looking through the article at the different gifs, I realized that these were completely different than what comes to my mind when I think of the word gif. When I think of a gif, I really just think of what I would use as a reaction when I'm texting or on social media. The gifs in the article were like a whole different realm for me just because I wouldn't really use them in my everyday life so I don't think about their existence. They were very interesting to me. I became particularly interested in Carl Burton just because I liked the example shown in the article so I looked up more of his work. I like his work because he uses still components and then has one or a few things moving. Also, some of them are real-life settings so I liked that better than abstract. The gif I chose is of a Christmas tree and the lights are the moving component while the tree is still. I chose this one because while it is animated, it portrays something in real life. I like how the lights blink at different times, that's pretty much why I took an interest in his computer screen gif on the article. 

link: https://gfycat.com/flashyelectrichuemul

This article gave me an interesting new perspective on the possibilities of what a gif can be. I agree with Ariana in that the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word "gif" is a short video or graphic that is used to portray a reaction to something. That's what the majority of gifs are created and used for nowadays; yet, I never thought to consider artistic gifs. After looking at some of these kind of gifs myself, I was really amazed at the creativity and technological skills that can go into creating these things. This is just one of the cool animated gifs I came across:

http://www.born-hungry.com/ikea-pixels/

(first one on the page)

https://media.giphy.com/media/L7cVrIkAfdEhW/giphy.gif

I found that the list of gifs expanded on what I thought a gif could be. Usually I use gifs as a reaction type image but they can be essentially mini art compositions that I never thought of.

Before reading this article, I thought of gifs as merely the short 1-2 second video clips that capture a particular expression or response of a person or animal. Little did I know that gifs were capable of expressing so much more in the form of art. The animated gifs in the article were of such wide variety that it made obvious the limitless potential of creativity able to be expressed by a gif. Of all the artists mentioned in the reading, I enjoyed Miguel Co's work the most. 

https://imgur.com/gallery/jUjW4

I liked this article because it showed the artistic side of gifs. I agree with my classmates that when I think about gifs, I think about a short reaction clip that has words attached to it (like a meme but a short video clip). I didn't realize that gifs could be used artistically and could display different visual elements. When I looked at different artists work, I liked Micael Reynaud's work the best because he used time lapse videos and other short clips to make what he calls "hypnotic very short films." 

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/06/award-winning-gifs-by-micael-reynaud-warp-space-and-time/

(the earth gif and the picture gif)

Like many others, reading this article and viewing many "artsy" gifs gave me a perspective on gifs. In the past, I only saw and used gifs for meme purposes or to deliver my texts in a more visual way. However, some of the gifs I saw in the article really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of gifs. In particular, Rebecca Mock's gif showcasing a cardiac monitor really hit it for me. The gif itself had minimal movements, but was able to deliver emotions in short period of time. Now my mindset is that gif can be used for pure artistic purposes and can deliver messages while provoking emotions.

https://d2jv9003bew7ag.cloudfront.net/uploads/Nikola-Silic.gif

After reading this article I see gifs in a really different light. Like how others have mentioned that reactionary gifs are very common these days, I am used to seeing them be filled with sarcasm or wit. Seeing many examples of the opportunity to showcase gifs as art is quite interesting. My first reaction when seeing some of the examples was that these categories of gifs reminded me of motion graphics. A lot of design went into these short loops. I first found the fourth gif but all of the ones featured in the link below are really impressive with their use of optical illusions. They all have a really eerie feel and produce a question as to how to interpret or perceive them. 

https://juumag.com/2015/09/01/presque-aveugle-il-realise-des-gifs-artsy-sans-pareil/

I've always considered gifs as sort of the same thing as memes except they are in a distinct form. This opened my eyes to some really inventive and creative ways of producing art in the internet age. I particularly liked the gif by Micaël Reynaud, it really showed the potential that art in the form of a gif has. The gif I looked up is a reanimation of Van Gogh's famous painting Starry Night. I chose it because I liked how it was able to take a dated piece of art and turn it into something that more 21st century, and expand on it with the animations. 

http://gph.is/VwGjyu

I guess we all seem to have had the same idea of gifs before now. To me, they were short little video-pictures that people use to react to something said on social media. They are usually relatable and funny, which is why I believed they were so popular. However, it is clear that gifs can be used for so much more. Gifs provide a new/different way for artists to express themselves and their ideas. I'm genuinely curious how a lot of these are made, for the composition is so impressive, especially in the more artistic ones. It is clear these are not just short video clips and that a lot of time was put into manipulating the composition. I chose an artistic gif that has movement within stationary figures, because I would love to learn how to do that.

https://media.giphy.com/media/UNBbBnOLA69YA/giphy.gif

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiclPXsnqzgAhVrm-AKHRvwA20QjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F446911963006704805%2F&psig=AOvVaw3Uu8nvYVPowcrWNclTs9T2&ust=1549718877487095

I really like this gif because of the artistic aspects of it. Most of the gifs we see on social media are silly and meant to be funny. There are a lot of hand gestures or expressions in the everyday gifs we see. This one that has basically no movement creates visual interest with the sort of optical illusion it creates on a still face.

http://www.unomoralez.com 

I really enjoyed this gif because of the movement that the lines made during the gif. It was more of an artistic movement that was peaceful and interesting. Although this gif did not include text I thought that it was complex and well created. I think this gif showed that art can be incorporated into a gif. 

As many people have mentioned, reading this article and looking though the gifs presented showed to me the true talent behind creating these works of art. I used to think it was kind of a simpler process, but now I realize the amount of detail and sophistication that goes into making these gifts. My favorite is this gif of an individual performing a flip but the clip stops him midair repeating the flip while people watch on. I believe this makes the observers understand the beauty and difficulty behind the performers actions.

https://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-cute-RrBQLVasunuVi

Looking through these gifs has really given me a new perspective on the range and possibilities of what a gif can do. I just thought they were some beautiful creation you just found from the abyss of your text message app or on Facebook. I mean there really is some awesome stuff that people are creating; I mean it is literally an art - just like a painting or a movie, and also in my opinion, a meme. I lobe the one I linked to because of the clean style, but the addition of the simple loading symbol relates to us students so well. 

https://d3ui957tjb5bqd.cloudfront.net/uploads/2015/03/miguelco.gif

http://www.fintechblue.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Lava_Burst.gif

I thought the GIFs in the article were incredible, and Robin Davey's was my personal favorite. I had never really thought about the time and effort that can go into the more advanced animations, and they were really impressive. GIFs can certainly be their own art-form, and I was completely unaware of that until reading this piece.

This article truly brightened by day! I agree with most people's comment, that when I think of GIF I think of a video. In addition, I usually think of something to do with pop culture or a relevant TV show. These were funny to me because a lot of them seemed more timeless, I think this is good because it is able to make multiple generations laugh. 

https://giphy.com/gifs/dog-puppy-fly-3o6ZtaO9BZHcOjmErm

I think this article really explained to me how important movement is for animated GIF's. Originally I thought of gif's has funny snippets from movies and TV shows. The archery GIF really emphasized this because I found myself captivated by this simple movement. It's like watching a favorite movie, you know what to expect and it is the fact of knowing that keeps us captivated.