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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 5.11 - FEBRUARY 2001
Fresh from the Festivals:
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Daddy and I, directed by Eun-su Kim,
Jye-jung Kim, You-jin Jung, Dong-jae Lee, Kyung-hwa Lee, Mi-sun
Park and Song-hee Lee. © Kaywon School of Art and
Design. |
Daddy and I
Daddy and I is interesting to discuss both in terms of
its subject matter and the way in which it was made. The subject of
the film, which is about a man who sexually molests his young daughter,
is depicted largely through suggestion, without dialogue. During the
violent act, the film takes its viewer into the mind of the child
as she struggles to escape physically and mentally from what is taking
place.
The 7-minute computer-generated work was made as a graduation film in the Department of Animation, Kaywon School of Art of Design. On the one hand, it is surprising that the film comes from students, since its message is relatively subtle in its delivery. From my experience, students often take emotional topics or angst-ridden scenarios as the focus in their work; in most cases, though, they have not yet developed the skills to render these subjects delicately. I am guessing that the fact that the film was made as a team effort, with not one but seven directors, probably aided in this respect. I have often counseled students to work in teams, to gain objectivity and the skills of others to supplement their own. I am also guessing that the group directorial effort -- which was done as a practical solution to the shortage of equipment and space in the animation program -- helped these students develop the kind of balance often lacking in single-student works. They worked together to create the small amount of rotoscoping used, in addition to 2D animation, created through the use of Adobe Photoshop 5.0 and After Effects 4.0 for digital painting and composition. An Avid was used for editing and final output.
The student directors say that some people found their concept, a father molesting his daughter, somewhat unbelievable (unfortunately, I suppose, it's not that hard for me to believe). As a result, they tried to instill a sense of realism by using a true news story on television and creating background textures with the text of actual newspaper articles. On a television, the father watches a rotoscoped image of a popular Korean actress who herself fell from grace after a kind of sexual attack; when a video showing her in a private situation was widely distributed, she went into seclusion. Adding another layer to the story is its opening music, an adaptation of a popular children's song, which goes, "At the flower garden which Daddy and I make together, Sun plays and Touch-me-nots are in full bloom . . ."
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| Hein?! (What?!), directed by Mauricio
Vidal, Renan de Moraes and Sergio Yamasaki. © Estúdio
Conseqüência. 320x240 | 160x120 |
What?!
From Brazil comes another computer-generated short created by
a group directing effort. What?! was created by Mauricio Vidal,
Renan de Moraes and Sergio Yamasaki, as part of a demo reel for their
new production house, Conseqüéncia, which was the first
computer animation studio in Rio de Janiero. The 2-minute short tells
of a wheel-chair-bound grandma named Dona Mariana (Mrs. Mariana),
who takes revenge on a purse-snatcher. It was created using 3D Studio
Max 2.5 for animation, Adobe Photoshop 5.0 for textures and Adobe
After Effects for compositing. The made-for-television short is without
dialogue. They worked in conjunction with Mauricio Barros, a Brazilian
musician, to create the film's soundtracks, while well-known director
Cesar
Coelho provided encouragement for the project.
The humor of What?! is largely developed around the grandma's super-charged wheelchair, which is armed with all kinds of technical devices and weapons, but even Dona Mariana's false teeth come in handy when she is in pursuit of the criminal. She is a high-tech, feisty attacker, far from the stereotype of a helpless old lady. What?! has proven popular among a variety of audiences, winning the popular vote in the 1999 Anima Mundi festival held in Brazil and numerous other prizes. The short was acquired for broadcast by France's Canal + and has inspired sequels, including Roubada! (The Steal!, 2000), which again features the relentless granny chasing down a deserving young punk.
Each of the film's three directors received college degrees from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and have been employed by TV Globo, though Vidal now teaches at Estácio de Sá University in Rio de Janiero.
