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Closed: Nothing But Cubes

What Are Five Second Projects?
We all want to make original work for our demo reel or portfolio. But, sometimes you just need a theme to get you started or some rules to fight against. Here is your chance. Use the theme “Nothing But Cubes” to make a five second motion piece and enter it into the form below. If your new to five second projects, why not check out the Five Second Projects Archive to see all of the past themes and winners. Have Fun!

Rules
Watch a Video about the rules
1. Submissions must be Five Seconds Long!
2. Any animation is accepted. Video only submissions will not.
3. The animations has to do with the theme in some way.
4. Original Work only. Don’t cut out 5 seconds of already made work.
5. Link back to GSG on your Vimeo Post

Why Should You Enter?
Watch The Video about why to enter
1. Try new techniques or software
2. Limitations help get the mind working.
3. Make short, awesome pieces for your reel.
4. Get critique from your peers.
5. Promote yourself.

How Do I Enter my Video?
1. Create a five second animation based on the theme.
2. Upload your video to Vimeo. Don’t forget to add a link back to this blog post.
3. Submit your link to the form below and I will add it to the channel. (Submissions can take up to 48 hours to be added to the project.)
4. Deadline is Sunday, May 13th

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED. Thanks for entering.

Now What?
Watch all the entries at the vimeo channel, or check out old Five Second Projects in the FiveSecondProjects Archive

 

Winning Entry

Honorable Mentions

Latest Five Second Projects

eggs Bounce 12979.jpg 12747.jpg
Texture Kit Pro
Transform

Comment Rules

This is a friendly community. Please treat everyone with respect. We don't all have to agree, but we do have to be nice. Criticism is fine, but rude comments and name calling will be deleted. Use your real name and don't be spammy. Thanks for adding to the conversation.

183 Comments

  3. Vladimir Hartvig

    That would be nice!
    Cubes instead of Balls Is it some kind of transformation happening inside you Nick?
    Looking for some inspiration on Vimeo I found “BEAT” an animation made for by or bar-el
    http://vimeo.com/31423544
    Good luck to everyone!

    Reply

    • Devin Sloan

      You would really benefit from a few better render quality settings. If you have AE, render this as a JPEG sequence and output from AE in H.264.

      Reply

  7. S3B

    Hi !

    cool idea. Cubes ! i love cubes :)

    i’ll try to do something if i have enough time…

    Reply

  10. Zachary O'Connor

    Great! I said to myself that the next 5SP that came out I would do it! So here it is, wish me luck :D !

    Reply

  11. Gabriel

    1st time I submit something to the 5s projects thing. I wanted to enter quite some time ago, but I didn’t have the inspiration, time, courage, etc.

    I hope it won’t be categorized as bad as I expect, but I’m open to criticism on all of my projects becausee I want to learn from my mistakes.

    Here’s the link: http://vimeo.com/41192725
    Please feel free to comment on it. I just can’t wait to see with what great things others will come up with, I have high expectations from this theme :)

    Reply

      • Gabriel

        Thank you. It’s simple, I used a circle spline and applied an align to spline tag and a target tag to the camera. I remember seeing that in a tutorial,, not sure if it was on GSG though.

        I guess you can also put everything into a null, except for the camera and have the null rotate. I believe the results are the same.

        Reply

  12. renderTom

    Hi guys. Hi Nick.

    Really great idea for the project. I bet you can go million ways about it and you will not be wrong.
    I bet we gonna see here some Cubic-Rubic animations:) What can better represent cube then Cubic-Rubic itself.

    However, I went in different direction. At first I got sound. Then done some storms in my brain and came up with this animation. After all is done I did some major intense color correction and added those 2D elements in AE.

    Hope it is suitable for 5SP as this is my first piece/attempt at this. So I hope you enjoy it. If not, just let me know where I can improve myself. Thanks.

    https://vimeo.com/41209438

    Reply

  14. Mezmerrizer

    Hey Nick this time i wanna give it a shot too.
    But how should i render it?
    1080p?
    What Framerate?
    H.264, right?
    Anything else?

    Reply

    • Devin Sloan

      1080 takes at least two times as long to render as 720. If you want a nice portfolio piece use it, but 720 should cover it. 24 or 30fps both work. h.264 is the most hassle free.

      Reply

  15. Bryson

    When are the usual deadlines for this project? Just graduated from college and wanted to get in on this for my first time. :)

    Reply

  16. Angelica Baini

    Finally have time to do one of these! can’t wait!

    Reply

    • Devin Sloan

      No puedo leer espaniol. So I’m just going to give my comments. ;) It depends on what you’re putting in just as much as how you’re putting it out. Make sure C4D is out putting out at least 1280×720 jpegs or PNG’s. When you add it to the render queue select h.264, but then click format options and crank up the target bit rate to about 4 and then set the max to something like 8. That’s what I use and it give me a pretty good balance between size and quality. Lemme know if that works for you. :)

      Reply

      • Omar Gonzáles

        Thank dude, welll when i export in QuickTime format the quality is good, nevertheless vimeo doesnt upload that format. Im pretty sure I used 1280 * 720 to render from C4D. Ill give it a tried later. If you may have other ideas let me know ;) !

        Reply

        • Mattski

          You can still render at 1080 using Quicktime format. All you have to do afterwards is open the final render in Quicktime player, select Export as… and then select the HD 1080 preset. Now its ready for Vimeo!

          Good times! :)

          Reply

          • Mattski

            Forgot to mention, my above comment is assuming that you have finished your render from Cinema 4D and that you have Quicktime Pro (which has the Export feature).
            For those that use After Effects, here is a small tut to use Adobe Media Encoder: http://vimeo.com/24052279
            :)

        • Devin Sloan

          I used to render to quicktime as well, but i’ve found that the format is a bit bloated. Bit for bit h.264 give you beter quality than Quicktime in h.264.

          Reply

  18. Abdul Rahman Janoo

    Hi,
    Guys I am sure I will not get selected for this competition but at least I have participated and learn many things.
    If any one like this then don’t forget to press “LIKE” button on Vimeo.
    My video link:
    http://vimeo.com/channels/cubes/41231891
    Please give any suggestion or feedback on it. So, that I can improve.

    Thank you.

    Reply

    • Abram McDaniel

      My feedback would be 1st never doubt yourself, at least not publicly. It shows lack of confidence in your abilities and work even if that may not be true.
      Second, try to create something that tells a story. Make it clever. I know this is only 5 seconds but a lot can be told in 5 seconds. Look at what other people have done and dissect the story or meaning behind the coolness and effects. Anyone can apply effects and tutorials learned but go the extra mile and find a way to make people fall in love with your art. This is actually my first 5 second project and I’m like, “how can I make cubes attractive?” Think Clever. And what ever you think of assume someone has already thought of that and make that thought better.

      I hope that helps.

      Peace.

      Reply

      • Abdul Rahman Janoo

        Thanks Abram!
        :)
        Just I was looking for such kind of reply.
        Firstly it was really awesome motivational comment.
        Secondly I will come back with more decent work as you mention above.
        I have seen your demo reel, its really pretty work.
        Thanks again for precious comment :)
        I will get back to you with my work to have honest suggestion,
        hope you help me out.

        Thank you,
        Janoo

        Reply

  20. Kurley

    Had a lot of fun with this and ran a couple of different tests before making a submission. Is it uncouth to enter more than ONE entry? Just curious. Thanks!

    https://vimeo.com/41269261

    Reply

  23. Mezmerrizer

    Hey i just added my Video but on vimeo it doesnt look like when im playing the mp4 on my pc.
    Can i send you the mp4 file with better quality? Vimeo did some compression, it seems.

    Reply

  29. Gion "Basstorious" Gruenberg

    http://vimeo.com/41495193

    That’s my try.. I’m not really used to working with after effects and I didn’t want to entry a project based on a tutorial, so I came up with this bit..

    please leave comments so I know what u think of it :)

    Greez from Switzerland :P

    Reply

    • Gion "Basstorious" Gruenberg

      Wow.

      That is a awsome piece of work there :)

      How did u do the sounds??

      Reply

      • Yanis ethikdesign

        Thx very Much, i work generally with sound designer / beatsMaker friends “the Nox Sound ” & “Willy Kalash ” , you can listen the sound of opening a soda is create and work fast at Willy recording Studio, following effects are sound effects from bank sample of my friends, two Effect Switch from Fx sound designer, but they are working, re-arranged upstream. this is a good way to work quickly . The burp at the end ? , hmm … it’s an friend (LOL ) … The sound design is part of the production steps that I like and also where I can express myself. I really wanted a beginning and an end, spite of that second five is sometimes a big challenge.

        Reply

      • Dave

        Your video settings won’t allow for it to be added to the 5sp channel. Can you change the settings?

        Reply

        • makosx

          Hey Dave! Thanks for the warning. And sorry. Settings are correct now.

          Reply

  32. Throb36

    Can the next project be “Nothing But Pubes”?

    Reply

      • Dan Seekings

        Thanks! There’s some great work that’s already been posted. Lots of variety too :) My first time with a 5 Second Project but certainly not the last!

        Reply

  37. Omar Gonzáles

    This is my animation, first time making one. I dont work as an animator, i do something else. But, like 3d animation.

    https://vimeo.com/41589586

    Can any one tell me how to export … what settings to use… i dont touch anything and then use HandBreak but still i dont like results.

    Reply

  40. Stephan

    Hey! This is my short video for the five second project.
    https://vimeo.com/41627265
    I hope you like it, but feel free to critisice me.

    That was very funny and i learned very much!
    Its good to see all the other stuff.

    Reply

    • Stephan

      PS: Greetings from germany and have a good night ;)

      Reply

    • Remco

      Hi Nikonido,

      Please don’t be frightened and do participate in this project. It’s all about learning en getting better and there is no minimal entry level. You won’t get any better after all if you’re not trying :)

      Hope this helps!

      Reply

      • nikonido

        Thanks Remco :)
        I know that i can’t do better and this is why i choosed to enter. But the level is high! What i’ve done is so basic….

        I will post anyway my work, i won’t progress if none make some critique. But i have to do better next time.

        Reply

        • Remco

          Don’t we all have to do better next time? ;) Looking forward to see your work!

          Reply

  49. Omar Gonzáles

    Hey Gorilla and guys, this is my last video (the official one). I have a question: it has to be a 5 sec video or it can be a 3 sec video for example?

    Tell me so I can render more frames ;) !

    My last video: https://vimeo.com/41811233

    *Hey guys it would be nice if you tell me what do yo think of it. Its my first time in this contest and by the moment i just to animation in my spare time. Im thinking in doing it a profession in the next months! Cheers! ;) !

    Reply

    • Remco

      Hi nikonido,

      I think you did a great job! Keep it up!

      Reply

      • nikonido

        Thank you! I have to do my best to make it better and better :) I had a lot of doubts but i have motivation ton keep it up ;)

        Reply

  52. Dan

    Dave Kiss,
    I got your message and trimmed my video and updated it on vimeo but couldn’t resubmit on GSG site. “Submission error – One submission per user”
    Thanks!

    Reply

  53. Thomas

    Hey Nick !
    A have a question :
    I submitted my video 3 days ago but I don’t know why it’s still not admitted in your “Nothing But Cubes” channel…
    I tried to resubmit my entry (just for check) and I got this message : “Submission error – One submission per user”.

    The vimeo link : http://vimeo.com/41623485

    Thanks :)

    Reply

  54. Omar Gonzáles

    Hey all, this is my official official entry:

    “Born to be a Cube” : https://vimeo.com/41859906

    The link yo the page is in there. Please, Gorilla tell me if its ok, so I can enter the contest.

    Greatings, nice time doing this! ;) !

    Reply

  56. Mike

    Glad I managed to get in on this one.
    Heres my submission: https://vimeo.com/41876735
    I tried some of the tips here on improving the quality but I could not get vimeo to
    reproduce the sharpness of the original file.

    Reply

    • Albert Fung

      Hey Mike,

      What’s the format of the file you uploaded to Vimeo? For your reference, mine was…

      H.264 codec compressed as a .mp4 file
      Main profile 3.2
      1280px x 720px, square pixels
      5000 kbps bitrate
      30 fps

      File size was about 3MB.

      I could see the sharpness of the animation seen in your screenshot, and I agree it’s quite different from the quality of the animation itself…

      Let me know if I could help.

      Reply

      • Mike

        Hi Albert, yeah I’ve been having big problems trying to get a decent quality film at vimeo I must be doing something wrong everything is high quality before I upload to vimeo but after vimeo converts my file its just a shambles I have tried mp4 H.264 mov 24MB
        in the end I gave up and I’m stuck with what I could.

        I rendered out jpegs
        1080px x 607px
        25fps

        Thanks for your help I guess I will try again.

        Reply

  58. Markus Gonser

    That one is mine ———-> https://vimeo.com/41898985.

    I have seen some really cool stuff here already. I´ll go with some character driven action. By the way, I am a motiondesign student from Germany, Berlin. And, sure, I like Cubes (Spheres too).

    You know what guys? This scene really stressed my system, although I have enough power…well, at least I thought so:-).

    Plus, I switched from my old wacom intuos 3 to intuos 5. The tablet still feels buggy, anyone of you sharing my feelings? Sorry guys, enough of the babble.

    Good luck to everyone and may we all do better next time.

    Reply

  60. hetors

    Is too late for me now :(
    I’ll participate next time .

    Reply

    • topsy krett

      never too late!

      sit down for a few hours and learn something new and post it! :)

      Reply

  65. Mike

    Hi Nick,
    I just wanted to know if it is possible to replace the film that I submitted (that was low quality)
    for a Higher Quality video, same film, just doesn’t hurt so much to watch it.
    If not that’s okay, now that I know the right workflow next time I’ll get it right first time.

    https://vimeo.com/41976547

    Reply

  66. damian hughes

    Hi Nick.

    I have just tried to upload my first five second cube entry, and im getting the error one submission per
    user, not sure what to do as this is my only entry. url is http://vimeo.com/41980963.

    Many thanks.
    Damian.

    Reply

  69. BrennW.

    Hey guys.
    Another first timer here. I’m new to C4D and GSG 5 Second Projects.
    My entry: http://vimeo.com/42005507
    I’ve learned so much from this site and I can’t wait to pick up even more C4D tips and tricks.

    Thanks to Nick and everyone behind GreyscaleGorilla.

    Reply

  70. John

    Hi there ! The deadline is sunday 13th so we can give the link until Sunday 13th 11:59 PM ? Right ?
    And if it’s sunday 11:59 PM what is the GMT please ?
    Thank you

    Reply

  71. Arnout

    First project in Cinema 4D and my first submission for the 5 Second Projects. I see a lot of great animations out there in the comments, I’m really looking forward to see which one is going to be the winner! (And what’s going to be posted in the last two days off course).

    https://vimeo.com/42017327

    Reply

      • Trond

        Thanks for the input man, I totally agree.

        The codec also turned out pretty bad. I did the tweaking I could, according to other posts in here, but it’s still pretty bad compared to what I’m trying to upload to vimeo.

        Reply

  81. Mike

    Hi everyone,
    This was a fun contest to do and I had some time so I just made a second “Nothing but cubes” film it’s not submitted for the contest (one submission per person I think are the rules) not to sure about that though anyway here’s the link.

    https://vimeo.com/42047541

    Reply

  82. Mike

    Mike here again,
    This was the first idea I had for the “Nothing but cubes” contest at greyscalegorrilla.com
    I ended up not submitting it in the contest, (it would have been disqualified because it’s not all cubes, but I liked the idea, maybe I’ll redo it when I have the time.

    https://vimeo.com/42048545

    Reply

  84. Angelica Baini

    Finally finished mine and is up.
    Just one question are the 48rs after the deadline or before the deadline as in it had to be submitted by yesterday, the 11th in order to be in on the 13th?
    Here is mine if anyone wants to check it out.
    http://vimeo.com/42054532

    Reply

  85. James Duddy

    Hi GSG,
    I submitted a link earlier which I then removed from vimeo to make some changes. I tried uploading a new version/link but it says ‘one submission per person’. I hope I can still enter!! here is the vimeo link https://vimeo.com/42047727
    thanks,
    J

    Reply

  89. Colton Geil

    Hello.
    Just wanted to say thanks, greyscalegorilla, for some fun motivation. Even if I am a little late on this project and a bit out of my league, it was still great to work on.

    Here’s mine: http://vimeo.com/42061101

    Also, from what I’ve seen, everyone is doing great work, so please keep these projects going, GSG!

    Reply

  91. Mike

    Thanks Nick, this was great fun to work on and I know I have certainly learned a lot and hope it’s not too long before the next one comes around.

    Cheers!

    Reply

  92. Rob Sulman

    I’m not sure if I made the deadline but here is my animation.
    I put it up on vimeo earlier and posted the the url but for some reason it was corrupted so I had re submit it, but now your website is saying 1 entry per person (understandably). Is there a way to replace my corrupted vid url with the one that works?
    Anyway, Thanks again for the motivation, these 5 second projects are really great.

    Thanks and here is my entry https://vimeo.com/42063800
    Rob

    Reply

  93. Marco Chiang

    Hello everyone, My name is Marco Chiang, I came from hong kong,
    this is my first time to made a video in five second project,
    and just made a funny video for everyone, hope you can enjoy it and support, thank you!!!

    https://vimeo.com/42067426

    Reply

  97. Ola Thorn

    https://vimeo.com/42088917

    Fooling the eye and the observer, is this really a cube or is it cheating? I played around with the idea of designing something with cubes but without being absorbed into the almighty 3d space.

    Made in after effects. Last minute edit to match with the sound using time remapping.

    Enjoy :)

    Reply

  108. André Magri

    Hi…How do I know that my video went into the contest page? I will receive a notification?

    Reply

  110. spenser

    Hey, I submitted my entry late sat, but im not seeing it on there? I also posted a comment in this thread and not seeing that. Am i going crazy or?

    Reply

    • spenser

      Oh, Looks like lots of peeps having the same problem from comments on vimeo channel. Hoping It will get worked out, but anyone else have the same issue?

      Reply

  114. zrk

    I’m 1 week late… (I saw the 5SP too late…)
    sorry!

    here is my video:
    vimeo.com/42507392

    just have a look ;)
    thx!

    Reply

  115. Omar Gonzáles

    And the winner is¿? there is a winner, right?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Comment Rules

This is a friendly community. Please treat everyone with respect. We don't all have to agree, but we do have to be nice. Criticism is fine, but rude comments and name calling will be deleted. Use your real name and don't be spammy. Thanks for adding to the conversation.