Fresh from the Festivals: March 2009's Reviews
Within the world of animation, most experimentation occurs within short-format productions, whether they are high-budgeted commercials, low-budgeted independent shorts or something in-between. The growing number of short film festivals around the world attests to the vitality of these works, but there are few other venues for their exhibition, nor are they often reviewed. As a result, distribution tends to be difficult and irregular. On a regular basis, Animation World Magazine will highlight some of the most interesting of these films.
This month: Hungu (2008), 9:10, directed by Nicolas Brault, Canada. Contact: Johanne St-Arnauld, Director General, Distribution, National Film Board of Canada [T] 514-283-2703 [F] 514-496-1895 [W] www.nfb.ca [E] customerservice@nfb.ca
I Have Seen the Future (2007), 6 :00, directed by Cam Christiansen, Canada. Contact: Cam Christiansen, Anlanda Digital Studio, [T] 403-229-2576 [W]www.anlanda.com [E] cam@anlanda.com
A Letter to Colleen (2007), 8:36, directed by Andy and Carolyn London, U.S. Contact: Andy London, London Squared Productions, [T] 212-665-3343 [W] www.londonsquared.net [E] andyandcarolyn@mac.com
L'Ondée/Rains (2008), 7:42, directed by David Coquard-Dassault - France. Contact: Johanne St-Arnauld, Director General, Distribution, National Film Board of Canada [T] 514-283-2703 [F] 514-496-1895 [W] www.nfb.ca [E] customerservice@nfb.ca
E1even Roses (2008), 5:00, directed by Pedram Goshtasbpour, Canada. Contact: Pedram Goshtasbpour, MoM Studio/Vesta Pictures [W] www.e1evenroses.com; Iris Li, Producer, 300ft, Hong Kong [E] irislm_li@yahoo.com
E1even Roses E1even Roses opens as Trevor, a balding, overweight nebbish daydreams about his neighbor, Anna, who lives across the street from him. He imagines himself a valiant knight, and her, a beautiful princess, who will gladly give her heart to him, given the opportunity. On that fateful October evening, however, as he spies on her through his telescope, Trevor's fantasy world is shattered as Anna's new boyfriend, Vince, enters the picture. Trevor snaps, and rushes across the street to confront them, with cataclysmic results.
There's much to like about this film. The computer graphics are done well, the character designs are solid, and the animation is smooth. The second dream sequence is the film's real standout, however, with 2D animation done in the style of famed caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, one of several shifts in tone during the film. A film unit in Hong Kong handled the 3D renderings, while the Canadian unit handled the 2D material using Flash and Maya. Louis Solis handled the "classical" animation beautifully, including the difficult task of editing 3D characters into a 2D world.
The soundtrack, Tchaikovsky's unmistakable "Piano Concerto No. 1," also gives the film a big lift. Classical music and cartoons have been a successful combination for decades, and it's the rare cartoon that isn't enhanced by a bold, sweeping score with which the audience is already familiar.
The story, however, leaves something to be desired. Director Pedram Goshtasbpour tries to present Trevor as someone to be pitied, and someone with whom the audience can empathize. At best, he's a sad, lonely man trapped in a world that has no place for him. At worst, he's a deranged peeping tom with severe anger management issues and homicidal tendencies. The object of his affections isn't given a personality, nor is her boyfriend. Many of the technical aspects of E1even Roses are superb, but the heart of at the center of the film, like the heart of its protagonist, just isn't there.
October 22, 1929 was a day that changed America forever. People foolishly placed their futures into the hands of irresponsible, reckless investors, who gambled away the hopes and dreams of the common man, rendering him helpless in the face of overwhelming adversity. Thankfully, we all learned a valuable lesson from that, and... um...
Hungu Director Nicolas Brault spent much time traveling in preparation for this film, but oddly enough, he was a full ocean away from Africa while he conducted his research. Inspired by an instrument similar to the hungu, the Brazilian berimbau, Brault took an ethnologist's approach to music and its intersection with cultural development and diversity, and his studies in African oral tradition led him to create this short film.
Brault drew much inspiration from African tribal art, which informs the design of Hungu. It's as if figures have stepped directly off of clay pots and tablets, scratches and all, to relate this ancient tale.
To create the unusual look for this film, Brault mixed several techniques, including cut paper, the creation of 2D animation on a graphics tablet and sand-based animation, resulting in an interesting combination of old and new techniques. The characters were created using the interactive pen display of the Wacom Cintiq 21UX and the software program Flash CS2-CS3. Brault used neither digital interpolation (Twain) nor skeleton to articulate his characters' limbs in an effort to make the human hand more evident than the work of the machines involved. The sand effects were achieved with a digital camera and shadows created with an Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel). This screen was used as a light table and as a reference screen to synchronize the shooting of the sand with animations done at the computer. Final compositing of the sand and the computer animation was done with the help of After Effects CS2-CS3 software.
It's a very powerful piece of animation, and the stark black and white contrast is a bold and effective choice. Composer René Lussier admirably recreates the music that inspired Brault. The timeless subject matter and the simple designs ensure that this film can be revisited again and again for years to come, just like the stories that inspired it.
An old man sits in the dirt, sadly plucking away at the hungu, a musical instrument native to the African continent. As his song progresses, the old man reflects back on his life, his travels and the people that he met along the way.
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