"Rejected" - Don Hertzfeldt
"Rejected"is a multi award winning short animated film by Don Hertzfeldt, released in 2000. It is made up of a series of very short clips under the guise of being rejected promotional pieces for fictional television channel "The family learning channel". Towards the end of the film, the animator supposedly descends into madness, with his animated world following suit. This film was created using a 35mm rostrum camera with hand drawn images. It is claimed that Hetzfeldt was inspired by the numerous offers for commissions he received from large companies and brands. Being an artist with anti-capitalist views, Hertzfeldt joked that he would accept the offers (and the accompanying pay-cheques) and produce the worst cartoons possible for them; from this, the idea for "Rejected" was born. Though considered too surreal for many, the comedic value of this film is undeniable, and has achieved cult status amongst select groups. The animation style is very simple yet very effective, and the lack of colour in the majority of segments draws attention to the bright red colour used nearer the end of the film, and makes it a focal point that matches the timing of the deterioration of the fictional animator's mental health. Another interesting aspect of this piece is the acknowledgement of the relationship between artist and creation, where the boundaries between 'real life' and the animation world are broken. This both adds humour to the film and gives an almost interactive feel to it, as if the audience will now be able to affect the animations as they occupy the same world. For my final piece for one of my chosen "A glitch in nine" briefs - a combination of "The imaginary" and "The gothic", I am considering working in a similar animation style, with simplified, almost stick-figure-esque characters in a limited (or monochrome) colour palette. This will allow me to focus majoritively on the movement of the character and the narrative, rather than the aesthetics.
"Coffee and Cigarettes" - Jim Jarmusch
"Coffee and Cigarettes" originated as three short films (released in 1986, 1989, and 2003) that then became part of an 11-piece feature-length film (released in 2003), all directed by Jim Jarmusch. It takes the form of a series of seemingly unconnected conversations between groups of two or three people, each of which share a common topic of coffee and cigarettes. The film is shot in black and white which helps to put the emphasis when watching on the dialogue between the characters rather than the visuals themselves, and is also supposedly a reflection of the interpersonal contrasts between the characters in said conversations, which is another continuing theme of the film. Another prominent contrast is the use of 'time indicators'. Between each segment of the film there are alternating black and white titles introducing them, which gives the film the illusion of age, yet the inclusion of (at least for its time) modern celebrities creates a contemporary, up-to-date feeling. This contrast again reinforces the juxtapositions of characters and scenes, and the interpersonal polarities. It is shot mainly using fairly long, uninterrupted shots with a wide field depth, giving an impersonal, almost voyeuristic, feel to the audience, again aiding the significance of the words over the visuals. Though the cinematography leaves something to be desired, one can only guess this is almost entirely intentional, and is more than rectified by the captivating and highly comical dialogue. For one of my chosen "Glitch in nine" briefs: "Conversation" I am thinking about using a stream of separate conversations, brought together by a single theme or situation, as a starting point for animation, similar to how it is done in Coffee and Cigarettes. I am also considering a similar but adapted style of shooting with long, uninterrupted shots to create tension when working on my final piece for my "3 in 1" brief of "The liminal".
"Creature Comforts" - Richard Goleszowski
"Creature Comforts" was a TV series directed by Richard Golezowski, and created by 'Aardman Animations', that aired on ITV in 2003. It was based on a short film of the same name by Nick Park of "Wallace and Gromit" fame. The series depicts zoo animals and other creatures that are voiced by members of the public. The team would interview members of the public about their own lives, and specific subjects given to them. These imperfect monologues - stutters, hesitation, and all - were then used as the basis to create 3D, stop-motion, animated shorts. The voices were brought to life by means of lip-synced plasticine characters that would also perform appropriate actions to create humour from the interviews. The episodes were highly entertaining, if a bit repetitive - though this issue was both due to and resolved by the inevitable spontaneity of working with unscripted dialogue. The animation style, though not one I am particularly interested in working with, is incredibly well executed. The action is incredibly smooth, and the shots are distinctly filmic, creating the feel of a live-action piece. This piece has influenced me into looking further into using dialogue rather than narrative as a starting point for animation, and will come in especially helpful when working on one of my chosen "A glitch in nine" briefs of "Conversation". For this brief I am considering using non-scripted dialogue as a starting point, and using members of the public rather than actors to create this dialogue. I have also taken some influence from the scenic style of animation of Creature Comforts, and will think about shooting my final piece for my chosen "3 in 1" brief of "The Liminal" with this style in mind.
"Alice" - Jan Svankmajer
This is a short stop motion animation made using playing cards by Justin Flom, published in 2011. It was created by adding and removing cards from a stack to create the illusion of growth and shrinking, with pictures taken in between each card movement. When all the pictures are put together and played extremely quickly (ideally 24 fps) it looks as if they are moving. I like the premise of using playing cards or other inanimate objects as the 'alive' parts of the film. It was also clever how he mimicked the look of a sound equaliser with the cards, matching with the music. However, the piece could have been more imaginative and just repeated itself quite a lot. It didn't have any narrative or convey any sort of message or emotion and was more of an experiment with the form rather than a finished piece. For my final piece for the 'Liminal' brief I plan on using cards (Tarot cards) as the 'characters' in my piece and make them appear to move, possibly drawing on what I have seen in this video.
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