For some unknown for me reason, it turns out that I am better at writing at night. Not that I am good at it, I still suck, don’t get me wrong, but my thought is flowing smoothly, and I better express my mind.
So tonight, I want to share more about my inspiration for the Children’s Society project and the work of artists I admire.
As you already know, my film has a black background and contrasting, colorful main character and symbols.
Initially, I was inspired by Disney’s Dumbo, and more specifically, by the scene where Dumbo gets drunk. The scene is so different, compared to the rest of the film, that made a big impression on me. I loved the way, Disney portrayed the unconscious state of the character through the vast black space where huge, colorful elephants were dancing and coming closer and closer to the camera. I wanted to recreate a similar feeling with my animation. Therefore, I decided to look for more films, that had similar aesthetics – black background and contrast bright characters.
I found a music video on Vimeo, made by Sophie Koko Gate (I watched her Slug Life film and I absolutely love it, but will probably write about it in a different post) that fit the description perfectly.
Here is a link to it:
https://vimeo.com/105585712
I used the meaning of colors to emphasize the inner change of the character. I started with blue color to show her isolation and the hostile environment, went through the green color of the cocoon to indicate her personal growth, and finished with pink, to set the environment for the positive message of the girl.
As you can see from the illustrations and the character design sheet, I used a similar approach in my animation – first, I would draw the black outline of the character, and then I would color it.
Finally, I liked the roughness and sketchiness of Koko’s animation, and how she left some gaps while coloring to show the imperfections. I applied this sketchy look to my project, and I believe that it gives the film the authentic feeling of the strong emotional distress, discussed by the narrator.
Here are my initial sketches. As you can see, the idea evolved in the process and I changed the beginning. Initially, I wanted to show the girl gazing through a car’s window, as a train passes by, and use it as a transition for the next scene. However, as I was sketching it, I felt that it would look like a teenage series where the main character is going through a crisis of identity, and there is dramatic music in the background. Therefore, I decided to show how uncomfortable she feels in the car, almost as if she is too big to fit in it, and she cannot breathe. Therefore, I started designing a character with a large body, that makes her almost clumsy but also adds softness to her personality.
Bread and Butter,
Nicole