Adam, I've seen this film too, but I can't remember its title. My curiosity got the better of me, so I did a quick search using your description. The AI overlords came back with the text below. I ~think~ the one I saw was "The Pencil Burster/The Notebook". Hope these help! Dan
The masterpiece you are remembering is likely *The Mind's Eye: A Lasko Notebook Animation* or *La Joie de Vivre* type of meta-animation. However, the exact matches based on your highly specific visual cues—a flat-lying standard notebook bound in the middle, top-down framing, literal eraser scrapings being brushed away, and a longer, escalating narrative—point to one of two legendary independent animated shorts: 1. *The Pencil Burster* / *The Notebook* by PES (or similar avant-garde independent animators) - The Format: The camera is locked directly overhead (down-shot), framing a clean, open notebook lying completely flat. - The Progression: It begins with simple graphite lines sketching basic geometric shapes or stick figures. As the pages turn left-to-right, the complexity morphs into highly intricate architectural or anatomical structures. - The Eraser Crumbs: This is the most distinct identifier. The animator intentionally retains the meta-elements of real physical drawing. Characters are violently rubbed out with a pink or white rubber eraser, leaving behind textured rubber shavings/scrapings that a hand physically sweeps off the page before the next sequence starts. [1 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8TTg1aPCLo&t=16>, 2 <https://storywarren.com/picture-books-that-flip-the-script/>] 2. *Notes on Biology* (by Ornana Films) - The Format: Captures an escalating, epic battle/animation sequence inside a student’s standard, center-bound notebook during a class lecture. - The Progression: It starts as a simple doodle of an animal (an elephant) and expands into an incredibly detailed, multi-page, action-packed cinematic sequence utilizing multiple layers of the notebook. - The Duration: It runs much longer than a standard 30-second internet flipbook, transforming the entire notebook into an expansive ecosystem. ------------------------------ Other Iconic "Flat-Book" & Eraser Masterpieces To Explore If the above do not exactly match, your description perfectly aligns with a highly niche sub-genre of stop-motion replacement animation executed on physical notebooks. Check these acclaimed shorts to see if one is your exact memory: - William Kentridge's *Drawing Lessons* / *Erasure Series*: A world-renowned fine artist famous for filming a large book or page from above. He draws in charcoal, records a frame, partially erases the charcoal (leaving a distinct "ghost" smudge and debris on the paper), and redraws over it. The animation is entirely defined by the physical act of erasing. - Blu's *Muto*: While famous for wall graffiti, this animator has a lesser-known, highly technical sequence shot top-down on an open, flat-lying sketchbook where surreal creatures morph, tear through the center seam, and consume the opposite page. - Don Hertzfeldt's Early Archive: Known for maintaining the physical realities of paper. His animations frequently show the edges of the paper, accidental tears, and pencil smudges, rejecting the sanitized digital look. [1 <https://mediacommons.org/imr/2015/01/15/morphing-city-street-art-vision-and-urban-embodiment-blu-s-muto>, 2 <https://biffbampop.com/2017/08/17/creations-of-chaos-the-chipmunk-adventure/> ] To help narrow down the exact film, could you tell me roughly what decade you saw this, whether the drawings were in black-and-white graphite or color, and if there was any music or sound effects (like the loud scraping of paper)? -- Dan Wilson. INTJ. Art. Music. Film. Bartoli Filmworks - Milwaukee, WI 414.573.3456 “Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking." -Steve Jobs <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> Virus-free.www.avg.com <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Fri, May 15, 2026 at 12:50 AM Adam Hyman <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi all, > > I am trying to figure out I saw at some undetermined time in the past (but > probably between five and ten years ago, maybe a bit more) and I have no > info on it except my recollection. Can’t find my notes. > > > > Animated, photographing down at a blank book, in which drawings start, > pages turn, and the animation becomes more and more involved. The > notebook(s) had pages on the left & right, bound in the middle (like a > normal blank book, lying flat), not one bound on one side (like a flip > book). At times parts of it are erased and scrapings are pushed off. (It > is not a regular flip book.) I’m sure there are multiple films like this, > and I’m happy to learn of more, but this one was exceptional in my memory, > and not by someone whose name I remember. It’s not short, so perhaps > multiple notebooks are used in the film. > > > > Sorry for the vagueness. Thank you for any help or suggestions. > > > > Best regards, > > > > Adam > > > > > > ----- > > Adam Hyman > > Executive Director > > Los Angeles Filmforum > > www.lafilmforum.org > > [email protected] > > 323-377-7238 > > > > > > > -- > Frameworks mailing list > [email protected] > https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org >
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