Hi, Replying to you and Eli,
It does have similarities to but it’s not Kentridge; I know his films, and I remember that this film was by someone I did not know. The film, if I remember correctly, was in color, but the drawings might have beem primarily black pencil or charcoal. But the book pages and setting had color. I can’t remember the “story” being drawn. I would imagine it would have circulated more in animation festivals. I also don’t fully trust my memory, and I trust AI even less, but will check these out. I found “The Mind's Eye: A Computer Animation Odyssey” on YouTube, and it’s definitely not that. That’s almost the exact opposite. Still looking for reference images from those works by PES. It’s not PES. https://pesfilm.com/pages/films And to show you how AI sucks, PES doesn’t seem to have films called “The Notebook” or “The Pencil Burster,” so no idea what AI is talking about. I am reassured that AI should actually be called AS for Artificial Stupidity, and should never be trusted for fact checking. Notes on Biology is closer https://vimeo.com/21119709 but the film didn’t have the scene-setting moments around it like this does, and there was nothing else in the notebook besides the drawing. That’s a fun film though. Best regards, Adam From: Frameworks <[email protected]> on behalf of Daniel Wilson <[email protected]> Reply-To: Experimental Film Discussion List <[email protected]> Date: Friday, May 15, 2026 at 3:31 AM To: Experimental Film Discussion List <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Frameworks] Trying to figure out a film 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, 2] 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, 2] 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 Virus-free.www.avg.com 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 -- Frameworks mailing list [email protected] https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org
-- Frameworks mailing list [email protected] https://mail.film-gallery.org/mailman/listinfo/frameworks_film-gallery.org
