Illustration by Charles Pieper. See more of his artwork here. 

Since I started doing the Wacky Tuesdays blog, I've been noticing how fast the week flies by. And I run after it with my flyswatter to smash it (or stop it from going by so fast). In any case, I fail. It's almost 2013, and it's yet another wacky Tuesday. Today, I want to highlight one of my favorite wacky videos by one of my favorite animation filmmakers on Film Annex, the one and only Charles Pieper. Pieper has been presenting his films on our platform for more than 3 years now, and he is one of the most prolific, young filmmakers I've met. His film, EYE CONTACT (2007) is about the interaction between a man and a woman (or a boy and a girl) who sit awkwardly at a table trying to make conversation. As wacky as it is, it's also very familiar... Don't we all feel a little shy sometimes? Or have strange interactions with one another? Say, I wish I said this or I wish I didn't say that? 

"Eye Contact is a stop motion animation shot with an old Bolex on 16mm film. It's both wacky and dark, but then again, isn't everything?" writes Pieper on his film's page. The latter sentence perfectly describes the feeling Pieper evokes with his stories and the style in which he tells them. And it's probably why I'm a big fan of his work. So let's celebrate life being dark and wacky today, yeah?

I finally met Pieper in person last month when he came to visit the Film Annex studios. He talked about his work, career, and sharing on social media at length and revealed how much he knows about the Film Annex model. We're glad to be helping him fund his new projects. Seeing great filmmakers make the films they want to make is the biggest satisfaction. So without further delay, here is Pieper's Eye Contact.

-- EREN