Droste Effect Video
November 25, 2008 8:45 AM   Subscribe

You might have seen the Droste Effect before, perhaps even the animated version. But here's a new iteration - a music video.
posted by le morte de bea arthur (28 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
this is so neat.
posted by The Whelk at 8:52 AM on November 25, 2008


My favorite implementation is the zip file quine (click the box image).
posted by Plutor at 8:52 AM on November 25, 2008 [3 favorites]


Cool. I don't find the video nearly as compelling, since the whole fascination is that the image is the same, ad infinitum, no? The changing, moving video image wrecks it for me.
posted by chococat at 8:56 AM on November 25, 2008


I'm so sorry.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:01 AM on November 25, 2008 [1 favorite]


ohgodnotthehoffpicturewrrrrwrrrrfllbbblmeltybrain
posted by flashboy at 9:08 AM on November 25, 2008


I dig that song.
posted by everichon at 9:09 AM on November 25, 2008


from the wiki link on the Drost effect:

The American mock pundit Stephen Colbert has a portrait of himself on the mantle of his set's fireplace which makes use of the Droste effect. A new one is painted each season, with one more level of recursion added.

Is this well-known? That's awesome.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:15 AM on November 25, 2008


Is this well-known? That's awesome.

Yeah, it's comedically obvious. Whenever he gets a new portrait of himself, it's of him standing in front of the fireplace with the old portrait hanging over it.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 9:18 AM on November 25, 2008


I've seen maybe a dozen shows max so never caught this. Heh.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:35 AM on November 25, 2008


More trvia on how th video was done: OneInThree create droste effect video for "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants": Mathmap was designed to apply the effect to single images so OneInThree developed a proprietary method to be able to run batches of images through the program, unfortunately the batch limit was 40 frames before the application would crash, so with 15992 frames to run through, they needed more machines and people. OneInThree begged borrowed and stole 7 extra computers from friends, colleagues and the runners at Blink Productions and built an impromptu render farm in the directors area. The 9 computers had to be continuously tended 24 hours a day for 5 days. During the day shift two work experience students from Central Saint Martins; Abbie Stephens & Richard Holden, prepared the images in After Effects and applied the 'Droste Effect' which Ross then started compositing into the final promo, Bugsy worked the night shift tending the farm. After 1080 computer hours, over 400 crashes and 2 terabytes of data, spread across 7 hard drives, the final compositing could be done.
posted by dabitch at 9:51 AM on November 25, 2008


It'd find it less headache-inducing if there were not a slight pause before each iteration. Cool nonetheless.
posted by VulcanMike at 10:00 AM on November 25, 2008


Mathmap was designed to apply the effect to single images so OneInThree developed a proprietary method to be able to run batches of images through the program, unfortunately the batch limit was 40 frames before the application would crash

So not the all time greatest proprietary method then.

The 9 computers had to be continuously tended 24 hours a day for 5 days.

Maybe I just don't understand the music video business, but why are they boasting about their inability to automate a process?
posted by xchmp at 10:48 AM on November 25, 2008


Cool effect. Too bad the creepy hipster mustache and, frankly, fucking awful song kinda ruined it for me.
posted by notsnot at 10:55 AM on November 25, 2008


Even Oneinthree admit that mexican Frank Beltran's six-month labour-of-love, his home-brewed music video for NSM MSM's track "Clap your brains off", in which the Droste Effect is even used recursively (not sure how else to describe it...) is in a league of its own. Here's the (in-depth, and very well worth watching) making-of.
posted by progosk at 11:09 AM on November 25, 2008 [7 favorites]


I'm pretty sure the White Stripes already did something like this in their video for Seven Nation Army.
posted by LSK at 11:36 AM on November 25, 2008


I was all ready to be disappointed by the song but hey, that's actually pretty cool.
posted by dunkadunc at 12:27 PM on November 25, 2008


"Clap your brains off" wins because it looks like they were having more fun.
posted by hapticactionnetwork at 12:55 PM on November 25, 2008


THere's a similar effect in comic books called the "infinity cover," where the cover of the comic book is repeated in the art for the cover.
posted by dogwelder at 12:58 PM on November 25, 2008


When will then be now?
posted by peeedro at 12:58 PM on November 25, 2008


Durn Bronzefist, one of the Colbert portraits was at the National Portrait Gallery for a time, in a bathroom alcove. My daughter made me make a special trip just to see it.
posted by MrMoonPie at 1:12 PM on November 25, 2008


Also: Not quite Droste effect.
posted by dogwelder at 1:39 PM on November 25, 2008


Thanks for the "Clap your brains off" link, progosk.
posted by Wolfdog at 2:03 PM on November 25, 2008


See also: The Chemical Brothers: Let Forever Be
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:24 PM on November 25, 2008


The best part of this video is that if you stare into the center of it for a minute or so, and then you try to read something, all the words will pulsate and move.
posted by fungible at 2:54 PM on November 25, 2008


Reminded me of the first part of this.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 5:06 PM on November 25, 2008


Cool.

But how did you resist 'ad infinitum' for a post title?
posted by rokusan at 5:26 PM on November 25, 2008


This is like a M.C. Escher painting with moving pictures.
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 5:31 PM on November 25, 2008


Trippy...and nauseating
posted by god particle at 10:00 PM on November 25, 2008


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