Fresh from the Festivals: March 2003's Film Reviews
Within the world of animation, most experimentation occurs within short format productions, whether they be high budgeted commercials, low budgeted independent shorts, or something in between. The growing number of short film festivals around the world attest to the vitality of these works, but there are few other venues for exhibition of them or even written reviews. As a result, distribution tends to be difficult and irregular. On a regular basis, Animation World Magazine will highlight some of the most interesting with short descriptive overviews.
If you have the QuickTime plug-in, you can view a clip from each film by simply clicking the image.
This Month:
The Affectionate Punch (2000), 6 min., directed by Thor Adam Goodall, U.K. Info: Thor Adam Goodall. Email: thor.goodall@btopenworld.com
Les Chasseurs de Poissons (The Fish Hunters), 6.5 min., directed by Rosana Liera, France. Info: Rosana Liera. Email: contact@rosanaliera.com
The Dark Side of the Morning (2002), 6.5 min., directed by Erik Rosenlund, Sweden. Info: Erik Rosenlund. Email: animator@spray.se
Dog (2001), 5.75 min., directed by Suzie Templeton, U.K. Info: Adam Boulter, Animation Administrator, The Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2EU. Fax: 44-20-7590-4510. Email: anim@rca.ac.uk
From the 104th Floor (2002), 3.5 min., directed by Serguei Bassine, Russia/U.S.A. Info: Karen Gocsik. Email: gocsik@dartmouth.edu
The Affectionate Punch
Thor Adam Goodall studied design and illustration at Goldsmiths College in London and currently divides his time between commercial graphic design and filmmaking. A self-taught animator, he spent two years creating The Affectionate Punch, working at his home studio, The Art of Darkness, in Norfolk. The film has screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Sitges International Fantasy Film Festival in Spain, and at a number of festivals in England.
Director Thor Adam Goodall cites Alfred Hitchcock, film noir, German Expressionism and Russian puppet animation as influences, and they're all much in evidence in this, his debut film. A brief vignette about the murderous activities of the famous eponymous puppet, The Affectionate Punch, which was created with Lightwave and After Effects, is extremely well done. From his opening long tracking shot to his use of high-contrast lighting and portentous camera angles, Goodall, aided by his composer, Linda Christine Roast, has done a great job of capturing the look and feel of a highly stylized black-and-white suspense film (complete with scratches), while also benefiting from the extra layer of strangeness inherent in CGI visuals. However, The Affectionate Punch is as short on story as it is long on atmosphere, and despite its visual sophistication and knowing references, there's a ponderousness about the proceedings that belies the film's relatively short length.
Printer-friendly version
Post new comment