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Blinkity Blank

1955 5 min
Leaving soon

This experimental short film by Norman McLaren is a playful exercise in intermittent animation and spasmodic imagery. Playing with the laws relating to persistence of vision and after-image on the retina of the eye, McLaren engraves pictures on blank film creating vivid, percussive effects.

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Blinkity Blank

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This experimental short film by Norman McLaren is a playful exercise in intermittent animation and spasmodic imagery. Playing with the laws relating to persistence of vision and after-image on the retina of the eye, McLaren engraves pictures on blank film creating vivid, percussive effects.

  • director
    Norman McLaren
  • music
    Maurice Blackburn
  • musician
    Bert Niosi
    Lew Lewis
    Gordon Day
    Isaac Mamott
    Perry Bauman
  • recording
    Roger Beaudry
    Joseph Champagne
  • producer
    Norman McLaren
  • animation
    Norman McLaren

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Education

Ages 9 to 10
School subjects
Have your students make a free-flowing and amusing short film using a camera, various coloured lights and lots of accessories. The theme “an imaginary animal” could be the basis for their screenplay. By incorporating assorted items, such as transparent paper, music, cardboard, pencils and paint, students can experiment with the blending of colours, different kinds of movements, shapes and flashing lights, all of which will help them develop a creative mind.
Blinkity Blank
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Home licence (worldwide); Classroom licence (Canada only)

You may download this film for private, personal or classroom use only. Public screenings and institutional (non-educational institutions) uses are not permitted. Download films in standard or high definition. (Please note that bonus materials are not available for DTO films.) You can copy each file up to 5 (five) times, onto various devices. DTO films cannot be hosted on a streaming server. To add DTO films to an institutional or educational streaming server, please contact a sales agent to discuss pricing.

Institutional licence

The institutional price includes the rights to screen this film in institutional settings and in free public screenings.