Encyclopedia Pictura is an American animation and film studio. Based in Los Angeles, it is led by directors Isaiah Saxon, Daren Rabinovitch, and Sean Hellfritsch.
Encyclopedia Pictura directs music videos, short films and commercials.Jon Kalish, "Making Cutting-Edge Animation On A DIY Homestead," NPR, July 16, 2011. The studio is known for creating ambitious music videos and short films with an organic, handmade quality."25 New Faces of Independent Film," Filmmaker, Summer 2008.
History
Isaiah Saxon and Sean Hellfritsch founded Encyclopedia Pictura as a directing duo in 2004, before expanding into a trio when Daren Rabinovitch joined in 2007, and ultimately transforming into an animation studio.Jenna Wortham, "The Making of Bjork's 3-D 'Wanderlust' Video," Wired, April 21, 2008.
In 2007, Saxon and Hellfritsch directed the music video for the Grizzly Bear single "Knife". The video was filmed in Death Valley, CA and Brooklyn, NY. Their first major video, it was listed at #26 on Pitchfork's list of the top 50 music videos of the 2000s.Scott Plagenhoef, "The Top 50 Music Videos of the 2000s," Pitchfork, August 30, 2009.
Following the "Knife" video, Encyclopedia Pictura got a call from Björk to direct a music video for her single "Wanderlust". Their concept was inspired by the work of Hayao Miyazaki, Stanley Kubrick, and Walt Disney's work from the 1930s. The video was shot at Matthew Barney's studio in New York City, in stereoscopic 3-D using a 3-D camera rig they designed and built.Mike Sager, "These Are the Directors of the Future," Esquire, November 19, 2009. Combining handmade puppetry, scale modeling, CGI and live action, it took over nine months to complete.Melena Ryzik, "Bjork in 3-D: The 'Wanderlust' Video," New York Times, April 1, 2008. The "Wanderlust" video premiered at the Deitch Projects gallery in Long Island City, Queens, and was shown in 3-D at Saatchi & Saatchi's 2008 New Directors Showcase.Ann-Christine Diaz, "Saatchi Remembers Arden, Toasts Fearlessness," Advertising Age, June 19, 2008. It won three D&AD Yellow Pencil awards"Wanderlust," dandad.org, 2009. and the UK Music Video Award for Video of the Year.2008 winners , ukmva.com, 2008. Spin magazine named it the best music video of 2008,Abigail Everdell, "The 20 Best Music Videos of 2008," Spin, December 15, 2008. and Pitchfork ranked it #21 on its list of the top 50 music videos of the 2000s.
Encyclopedia Pictura directed the animated music video for the Panda Bear song "Boys Latin", which premiered on Adult Swim in 2015.Daniel Kreps, "Panda Bear Shares Trippy 'Boys Latin' Animated Video," Rolling Stone, December 15, 2014. It was nominated for the UK Music Video Award for Best Animation in a Video."UK Music Video Awards 2015: here are the nomination…" Promo News, September 30, 2015.
Works Notable works include: Knife by Grizzly Bear (music video, 2007) Wanderlust by Björk (music video, 2008) DIY.org (website and related animation and graphics work, 2012–) The Legend of Ochi by Isaiah Saxon (film, 2025)
References
External links