In between finishing the animation and leaving for Cuba I managed to show the video to a few friends and family. Verdicts varied depending on how drunk the viewer was. I decided to get my iphone out in the pub and showed a few mates there. 5 and a half minutes seems to be way too long if you've had more than 5 pints, so at the beginning of the night people watched intently and by the end of the evening people were having to close one eye just to focus on the screen. Note to self; be more selective when it comes to sourcing a test audience.
I enjoyed animating again but I feel like my best work (as always) was towards the end of filming. The editing process was interesting as the animation was mostly improvised, or at least not planned in the traditional way.
I can't storyboard for shit, never have been able to. The storyboards that I have attempted have mostly fizzled out after about 3 drawings. It has never helped me to draw out the animation beforehand in this way. I know that it should be helpful, I can totally understand the logic behind it but it hasn't worked in that way for me. Instead I spend my time carefully considering the levels of meaning and the subject matter. In this case I looked at the lyrical content and considered the general tone or sound of the music. The lyrics gave me the semblance of a narrative and pointed towards the type of object that might feel right which is always a good starting point.
I listened to the song as a whole first. The initial listen didn't give me much idea of what the song 'meant' as I wasn't trying to pick out anything in particular. Most of the initial impact came from the instruments employed and the use of melody, pitch and tempo which immediately inspired the overall aesthetic of the piece. After that I listened to the lyrics more and transcribed them until I started to decipher the meaning. I checked online to see what was written about the deeper meaning of the song and a narrative involving a young, pregnant rape-victim seemed to be emerging.
The song has an institutional feel so I knew this would have to be implied in the imagery too. I had some ideas about a clinical set, mocking up a corridor and making doors and beds. In the end I decided that the set was going to be too large and cumbersome. Possibly too expensive as well as my budget was very small. I spent most of my time perusing junk shops and e-bay in search of objects that seemed apt. I looked for surgical instruments, clock hands, bones, cages, time-telling instruments... anything that felt right. Before I knew it I had a huge collection of slightly macabre objects. Reflecting on my own practice I realise that this period of 'gathering' is one of the most important processes that I employ in the conception of an animation. It usually comes right before the filming and can become a bit frenzied as I have a last minute panic search just in case there's something perfect out there that I have somehow missed. In the case of this animation I indulged in quite a long period of gathering and creating objects.
The objects that I choose to animate often have meaning to me as well as relating to the narrative. The animations that involve Elizabeth (Broken Objects, Elizabeth as Abigail, Murderer and When My Baby Comes) have themes and objects in common. The lighting is often dramatic or would be if I always had access to good lighting, it often veers towards dark. I have a tendency to use visceral imagery, fluids, foods or objects that repulse slightly. Themes of guilt and punishment and an attempt to convey a sense of foreboding...
Some objects are inspired solely by the narrative or tone of the music. This song screamed 'bones!' and the passing of time. All very 'Vanitas', with a nod towards Steam-punk. That is the direction I meandered in.
I explored the space in which I was to animate and devised a rough framework for the types of shot that it would be possible to use. The tempo of the song dictated the editing techniques that should be employed in a way. I listen and I can 'see' where the cuts need to be, what should be close, what should be slow etc.
Really the animation is the part that is difficult to explain. I just do what feels right based on all of the information and materials that I have at hand when I start. I play.
I think back and can remember very little beyond being alone in the dark and moving things a little bit at a time. I should probably try harder to record my working methods but I don't want to interrupt the process. Disruption tends to impede animation. I think maybe that's why I feel that the work I do towards the latter end of filming is always my best. I've had more time to get into it and mostly my longer stints are in the last few days of filming. I think this one took 2 weeks to film, or thereabouts.
The edit is amazingly pleasurable as I almost always have animated more than I think I have. I used some repetitive imagery so that during the edit I could have a bank of cut-aways so as to avoid jump-cutting and to aid the feeling of an accelerating tempo. I don't always film things in a chronological order and as I never have a storyboard to work from I make sure that the footage I have is versatile enough that I can improvise during the edit. I fine tune bits, taking out any mistakes or general rubbish bits. I get to put my big headphones on and endlessly have my finger on the space bar playing and pausing the film on the time-line looking for he ideal cutting point, syncing sound and image, cutting, pasting, rendering... Lovely...
Now I just need to find something else to animate...
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