Studie Nr. 5 is basically a 1930s music video and I love it

You should probably watch this right now if you have three minutes to spare. It is perfect for anyone who likes jazz or just wants to see something that feels alive.

If you need a story with a hero and a villain, you are gonna hate this. There is not even a person in it.

It is just shapes. Mostly lines and circles made of charcoal dancing around to a jazz tune.

I watched it twice in a row because the first time I kept blinking and missing the way the lines curved. It moves fast.

The music is "I've Got Rhythm" by Gershwin. It is the kind of song that makes you want to tap your foot even if you are trying to be serious.

Oskar Fischinger made this by drawing thousands of pictures on paper. You can actually see the texture of the charcoal if you look close enough.

There is this one bit where two sets of lines sort of 'walk' past each other. They look like pairs of legs but they are just straight lines.

It is kind of funny how much personality a bunch of circles can have. They hop and pop right when the drums hit.

The screen is mostly a soft gray. It is not a clean, digital black and white which makes it feel warm and a little bit messy.

I think the messiness is why it still works today. It doesn't feel like a computer did it.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Studie Nr. 5 (1930) through its definitive frames.

It has a lot more energy than some of the big live action movies from that time, like The Sea Hawk which is great but, you know, very long and heavy.

This is just pure energy. It feels like the animator was just Monkeying Around with what was possible back then.

Sometimes the lines vibrate so hard they almost disappear. It is a bit of a workout for your eyes.

I noticed a few frames where the charcoal smudge is a bit thicker than the others. It is like seeing the artist's thumbprint by accident.

I wonder how many pencils he went through making this. Probably a lot.

The way the shapes stretch out when the music gets loud is my favorite part. They look like they are made of rubber.

It is weird to think this was made in 1930. People back then were probably losing their minds seeing this in a theater.

It is way better than those generic screensavers we have now. Those are boring and don't have any soul.

There is no ending really. The music just stops and the shapes go away.

It is a tiny bit of joy. We need more of that.

Some things I noticed:

• The way the circles pulse like they are breathing.
• That one line that seems a bit crooked compared to the others.
• The syncopation is scary good for something done by hand.
• The background flicker that makes it feel like an old ghost story.

Anyway, go find it on YouTube or wherever. It is shorter than a commercial and way more interesting.