Think about all the numbers that define your identity. Date of birth, phone number, address, zip code, postal code, tax ID number, employer ID number, social security number, driver's license ID number, license plate number, registration numbers, birth certificate ID number.
Bank account numbers, routing numbers, credit card numbers, debit card numbers, last 3 digits on the back on your card.
PIN number, VIN number, confirmation number. Policy number, ticket number, passport number, badge number. Enlisted service number. Patient ID number. Client ID number. Certification, permit, license, membership and account numbers of all varieties.
Even prisoners and the deceased have ID numbers.
All of this adds up to your unique personal identity. It may look a little something like this:
0734563597185634596132964523-xxxx 0-740715234-2136496725363746935608134-xxxx-09986321765412345678537460986754453135672548767615234603476587236578-453645184657687572569457681235763246-981357-907865132872364-975348524562385740 5865234892-000 00875897864598398609897673642359287596135235-098-667889-QRP098769980718-829-3772.0734563597185634596132964523-xxxx 0-740715234-2136496725363746935608134-xxxx-09986321765 4123456785374609867 54453135 6725487676152346 03476587236578-453645184657687572569457681235763246-981357-907865132872364-975348524562385740 5865234892-000 0087589786459839860 9897673642359287596135235-098-667889-QRP098769980718-829-3772.
They used to tell you that you're defined by the years you've lived and the experience you've gained with age. But that's just age...which is, of course, nothing but a number.
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I had wanted to do this entire film using just a printer but the printer ran out of ink in the middle of it and I wasn't about to go out in the snow for more. So this ended up being a analog/CGI hybrid.
I started out by drawing a human head and then pixelating it in Photoshop. Using the jagged edges of the pixelation as a guide, I was able to build a new face using O's and X's:
Then I printed the final image 22 times, stopping the printer at different intervals each time so that it only printed a certain amount of the image:
Then I put all the prints together in sequential order and scanned them back into the computer:
Then the printer ran out of ink and I was forced to do the rest in CGI. I'm actually glad it did. I think the final wouldn't have looked all that different and would have taken a lot longer to complete if I kept going down the analog route. I'm literally sprinting to the finish line and can't get hung up on laborious processes. Especially when there is a faster and easier way to get the same point across. I'll definitely keep the printer idea in my back pocket for another time though.
Thanks for reading!