Film Evaluation

Over the past year I have been producing a short film for my moving image course. We were given total creative freedom to produce a film of our choice. I have always been fascinated by animated art and have been drawing cartoon sketches since i can remember. I decided to channel my passion for cartoons and drawing into this course and decided to create a animation using Adobe Flash.

Flash took a few weeks to get to grips with. I struggled to incorporate basic movements to my cartoon characters. After my preproduction I decided to simplify my ideas because the final product was not up to standards. I decided to leave out colour and emphasise on smaller more subtle movements.

After a few pencil sketches on paper I perfected my character and drew it using various tools on flash. I was trying to create a character a day to day office worker could relate to and i think i succeeded doing this. Later in the production i found it hard to re create background images so i decided to draw them in detail, scan them in and drop them into flash. This worked when i had to recreate a picturesque image of a beach.

I think my film turned out as i wanted it to, the poem 'island man' complemented the animation however, the order of the poem didn't particularly match the scenes but i think it still adds to the dream like atmosphere. I introduced a soundtrack to add euphoria and momentum but then i abruptly end it to pull the audience back into reality.

The course was really enjoyable although at times I got frustrated at flash because i wasn't able to do what i wanted. I had to adapt and change my ideas because they were to complex.

Illustrated Pre Production Materials

Synopsis

My animation will follow a man named Reggie, who is stuck in a dead-end office job and seeks a more exciting life. His boredom leads to him daydreaming in which he fulfills his wildest dreams. The animation starts in a grey scale and develops into colour as he slips into a dream like state. The dark and gloomy beginning is a contrast to the vibrant atmosphere of his 'dream'.

The outline of my story is based on the poem 'Island Man' written by Grace Nichols:

Morning
and island man wakes up
to the sound of blue surf
in his head
the steady breaking and wombing

wild seabirds
and fishermen pushing out to sea
the sun surfacing defiantly
from the east
of his small emerald island
he always comes back groggily groggily

Comes back to sands
of a grey metallic soar
to surge of wheels
to dull North Circular roar

muffling muffling
his crumpled pillow waves
island man heaves himself

Another London day

I will recite parts of the poem over my animation.

My film will end with the sound of a car horn, which wakes my character, returning him to reality, a depressing gloomy work day.

Gantt Project

Statement Of Intention First Draft

'SOUTHPARK' INFLUENCE

I am going to produce a flash animation for my assessed coursework and have been analyzing a number of cartoons and animations which could inspire and give me ideas for for my project. Including Family Guy, The Simpsons, Studio Ghibli Productions, Southpark and Monty Python Animations.

I focused on the animated comedy series, South Park. I was drawn to the visual style and the simplicity of the animation. The use of bold simple colours and 2-dimensional animation is a contrast to the sophistication of the narrative. The creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker were influenced by stop motion cut-out animation used in Monty Python's Flying Circus which explains the simplicity of the animation. 

I also studied family guy in detail. I was heavily influenced by the facial features of each character and hope to emulate the visual comedy it creates. 

AUDIENCE

The facial expressions used in southpark and Family guy covey real emotion and provide physical comedy to the audience which is what i want to also illustrate. In class we looked into formalism and realism, and I believe my idea involves both these genres. My Idea is influenced by the formalism genre however the production will be un-complicated displaying hints of the realism genre.

I hope the audience of my film should take my animation as a break from reality almost like a dream of some sort. My film is a simple idea and doesn't rely on the audience to interpret it for themselves.

FLASH PRODUCTION

I am exploring many techniques in flash, in my preproduction i hope to create a car traveling down a road, a simple idea however flash does restrict you and i aim to create a simplistic and clean cut production. To create a dreamy supernatural atmosphere i will insert a shape tween to the whole animation which slightly distorts the image. I will use contrasting colours so the audience will be able to identify what is reality and dream. I will apply a greyscale to reality and vibrant bold colours to the dream.     

Classical Hollywood Cinema

Between 1910s and the 1960s, classical hollywood cinema was at the forefront of the film industries golden era. Movies were rolling off the hollywood assembly line and were increasing box office profits to a new high. 

Here are some examples from the genre:

• Casablanca 
• Wonderful Life
• King Kong

Is Classical Hollywood Cinema Formalist?

Classic Hollywood cinema uses continuity editing also known as invisible editing. This technique gives the audience the impression they are watching and are involved in the story. Stereotypically, a Hollywood Classic film follows a protagonist character who struggles to reach their goal. The story is over dramatized and exaggerated by using epic music and unrealistic form of interpreting the narrative e.g. voice over explaining the situation.  

German Expressionism

What are the key features of German Expressionism?

This genre originated in Germany during the 1920's and uses many features that make it original, including:

• Dramatic lighting
• Distorted sets
• Symbolic action
• and Characterisation

Where can the influence of German Expressionism be seen in film history?

German expressionism has had a heavy influence on many films and movements throughout cinematic history. Many contemporary films have adapted G.E features. For example, Tim Burton' s 'Batman Returns' which is often seem as a modern attempt to capture the essence of German Expressionism. The angular building designs and dark severe-look of Gotham City relates back to G.E films like 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'. The dark manic atmosphere created in G.E is also displayed in hundreds of top selling horror films we see today.