Evaluation

        This module has provided me with my first experience of working on a stop motion production, and it has been a steep learning curve. Whilst I have previously experimented with model making and brief animation tests, never before had I had to consider the sets, props and various other technical aspects which would need taking into account to produce a finished film.

        Ultimately, the main lesson which I will take from this experience is one which I was beginning to suspect: that I am far more interested in the design, modelling and fabrication of props, puppets and other assets than I am in the animation process itself. While I enjoyed positioning the characters in the set, when it came to arranging the camera and light, I lost passion and motivation. While I realise that I will need at least a basic knowledge of how to light and photograph my work (for portfolios if nothing else), this is not a process I enjoy, and I would be best ensuring in future that I work with someone who has an aptitude and an interest in the more technical aspects of producing a stop motion animation.

        While Fiona and I were in constant contact throughout the module, in retrospect there are areas of our project management that could have been improved. While we made week by week to do lists, we perhaps would have benefitted from developing a long term plan at the outset of the module, setting ourselves strict deadlines and production goals. As it is, or indecision regarding a firm narrative concept set us back quite a bit, leading to production being rather rushed and stressed in the final few weeks.

        Such indecision could be attributed to the fact that we did not assign specific roles at the beginning of the module, as each of us had a desire to be involved in all stages of the project, sharing the responsibilities and gaining experience of the entire pipeline. While this worked well during the research and early development stages, it began to be problematic during the character design, modelling and narrative development stages. We should have completed a collaboration agreement form similar to that we used in Responsive, and agreed on our specific roles and responsibilities. Not only would this have helped to ensure continuity in the character and set designs, but it would have presented certain tasks (narrative and storyboard) from falling by the wayside as we reached a stalemate over which direction to go in. It would have been best had agreed that one of us would select a story, and eliminate the need to negotiate a compromise.

        Despite these earlier issues, when it came to modelling and casting the character heads and props, as well as building and clothing the characters, I felt as though I were in my element. As opposed to the stress of narrative development (or the filming to come) I felt relaxed and at ease, and importantly, productive. When working on tasks which I find less enjoyable I can sometimes find myself procrastinating or lingering on small and ultimately irrelevant details. Yet on the days when I was working in the ceramics studio, I was surprised and pleased with how much I was able to achieve, and was motivated to work long hours each day. It was immensely satisfying to see our vision begin to take form.

        As I am unquestionably a perfectionist, I cannot say that I was immediately happy with everything I managed to produce. Some of the clay props for instance, I spent far too much time trying to sculpt to perfection, when in reality a simpler version would have been perfectly adequate. As Lee Hardcastle mentioned during his visit, there is no need to be precious or fuss excessively over sets and models, particularly when you are on a tight production schedule. 

        I also took inspiration from some of the pearls of wisdom offered during our studio visit to Mackinnon & Saunders. In my previous attempts to model a character's face, I sometimes struggles to match the sketched character to the sculpted character. The sculptors at Mackinnon & Saunders, while no doubt talented enough to work to a beautifully realised character design, are also used to taking scrappy, five minute sketches from clients and developing them into a fully formed character. While my modelling and sculpting abilities are still developing, I felt it would be beneficial for me to attempt to capture the essence of a character rather than obsess over creating an exact likeness. With this in mind, I focussed on the key features (thin, pointed face and large,haunted eyes), and was happier with this sculpt than when working to fixed designs. In future I ope to develop more control over my modelling abilities.

        Another piece of advice I took from Mackinnon & Saunders, yet perhaps did not realise the importance of, was to consider the practicality and viability of a puppet's design. The staff were very emphatic that tall spindly characters present problems for multiple departments, yet it was not until I was attempting to build such a character myself that I appreciated their advice. The joint of the Armacreature were really too large for such a thin character as I had in mind, making his arms bulky and somewhat difficult to manoeuvre. There is also a delicate balance between making the puppet big enough to work with comfortably, and keeping the set manageable. We perhaps neglected this consideration, as our set is almost 2m long, many times bigger than the set of any of our classmates. As a first attempt, we should perhaps have worked at a smaller scale.

         Yet for all the stress and tears of the last few weeks I am immensely proud of what Fiona and I were able to produce. We managed to avoid any arguments, and rationally overcome any problems which we encountered. I am incredibly grateful to her for completing much of the photography and post production work, while I am pleased with the quality of the models I was able to produce, given my lack of practice and experience up until this point. I am looking forward to further experimenting with props and models at Level 6.

Drawing Voices

        The Drawing Voices text focuses on Stranger Comes To Town, an animation by Jaqueline Goss, who conducted interviews with a number of immigrants based on their experiences of the use of biometrics for identifying those entering the United States. While the interviews themselves are not particularly interesting, unlike many animated interviews, Goss chooses to leave in awkward speech patterns and stilted silences. She attributes this decision to the fact that a lot of a subjects energy and personality comes through their speech patterns. This gives her film more honesty than many other documentary interviews, as pauses and silences can be as effective in communicating as the most eloquent speech.

        Also unusual in Goss' animation is her choice to let the subjects design their own character avatar. Given completely free reign, Goss (and I to a lesser degree) was surprised that not a single subject chose to alter their own gender, although many chose to use non human characters. 

A is for Atom

        A is for Atom, by John Sutherland, is a 1950s American public information film, very much of the type which has become the subject of parody across popular culture (Jurassic Park's Mr. DNA is startlingly similar in its simplification of grand scientific concepts). While it may be somewhat outdated in its political views, it still exemplifies how animation is well suited to presenting complex ideas in a manner which is easier for an audience to digest.

        

        What drew my attention to this particular animation is not its scientific content or educational tone, but rather how it communicates with relatively little animation. Much of the time, the camera moves within a still frame, which can be just a effective as a fully animated film. In fact, given the complexity of ideas discussed, it is probably good decision making to keep the animation simple, so as not distract from the vast quantities of information that the viewer is expected to digest. As Fiona and I are intending to rely mainly on stills and minimal animation or camera movements, we could use the example set by A is for Atom, and take high resolution stills which we could then track though using After Effects.

        Unlike the other documentaries I have studied, which have veered more towards the poetic mode (in which the imagery can be more abstract and less coherent), A is for Atom is very much expository, with a stern and authoritative voice, calling for imagery which closely matches and represents the concepts being discussed. After all, the aim of the film is to inform and educate the viewer, so providing strong visual aids to the voice over is key.

Marketing & Distribution Material

        In the event that we submit this animation (or any other film for that matter) to a festival, chances are we will be required to proved a range of marketing material to help promote our work. To get into the habit of good practice, we are required to produce a poster, logline, summary, crew biographies and a DVD case alongside our film.

        While Fiona took charge of designing the poster and accompanying DVD case, I took responsibility for the written material.

Logline:

An abattoir worker speaks frankly about the hidden cruelty and mistreatment present in the dark underbelly of the meat industry.

Summary:

Inspired by the interviews conducted by Gail A. Eisnitz in Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect and Inhumane Treatment Inside the US Meat Industry, Ignorance is Bliss is a short film combining video and puppetry, which depicts the shocking cruelty and mistreatment witnessed by just one worker in the American meat industry. Under pressure from management to place the quality of the meat above the welfare of the animals, an abattoir worker’s concerns about the unnecessary suffering are swept under the carpet.

His experiences are not isolated. Similar stories have been reported from abattoirs worldwide, from the UK to Australia and the USA. Animals are beaten, kicked, whipped, tormented and improperly stunned on a regular basis. Ignorance is Bliss aims to shine a light on the practices of an industry that remains largely behind closed doors, and encourage the public to be aware of how their meat is produced, and source from ethical butchers.

Crew Biographies:

 Anna Denison is an artist and animator specialising in character design and the production of puppets, models and props for stop motion animations.

Fiona Stuart-Clark is a writer and animator, who specialises in narrative development and storyboarding for animation, and has a interest in set design.

War Story

        It was Aardman's animated interviews, and War Story in particular which was the main inspiration behind my desire to use an interview as the foundation of our documentary animation. While Creature Comforts are the studio's most famous interviews, these are arguably not documentary films, as the interviews (with actual members of the public) are taken out of context and presented for comedic rather than factual or educational effect. 

       On Probation (and Down and Out) is an excellent example of an animated observational mode documentary. Taking a piece of audio recording (a somewhat mundane piece in which negotiations are made with a probation officer), the animators than recreate a perfectly believable set in which this conversation may have taken place. There is no manipulation and little emotion; the conversation is presented for what it is with no ostensible attempt being made to influence that viewer's reaction. In short, it is a fly on the wall observation of an everyday scene. The only remarkable feature is that the protagonists have been replaced with well observed plasticine facsimiles.

        War Story is constructed in the style of a stereotypical interview, as we have come to expect from live action documentaries. The film alternates between a talking head of an (animated) elderly gentleman recounting his experiences of World War Two, and 'flash back' footage of his younger self in scenarios which correspond to his recollections. However, unlike a live action documentary, where the supportive footage could be expected to be largely comprised of archive films, in War Story the footage is more personal to the character, showing his experiences not as though he were being filmed but as though we were omnipresent observers.

        This is a similar approach to Fettle Animation's Children of the Holocaust in which interviews are placed alongside animation which is not factually accurate, but effectively emphasises the tone and emotions of the voice over. While neither War Story nor Children of the Holocaust suffer from dull material (the interviews are very engaging) World War Two and the Holocaust are perhaps topics which may not appeal to all at a first glance. However, as animation the appeal is broadened, in the case of Children of the Holocaust becoming suitable for children, which the films would most certainly not be if accompanied by the archive footage featured in many live action Holocaust documentaries. In the case of War Story, Aardman's distinctive animation style helps emphasise the inherent humour in the interviewee's dialogue. The subtle nuances in the performance, such as the character's bouncing nose and cartoonish sleepiness, contribute levity to what could have been quite dry.

        Animation helps make these topics more appealing, more engaging and more approachable. Due to the distasteful and perhaps off-putting nature of our subject, it would be prudent for us to take note. While it would not in our case be appropriate to use humour to broach a difficult subject we can temper our imagery (in the manner of Children of the Holocaust) to make the topic more palatable to audiences, while not diminishing the emotional impact. Indeed, sometimes it is more powerful to imply than to show.

        One final consideration. An interview may seem an honest and truthful form of documentary, after all it is the spontaneous opinion of an impartial interviewee, but as Kath Shackleton of Fettle pointed out, an interview has the potential to be edited and manipulated to fit the directors needs. An interviewee could have been given direction or guidance on what to say, or sections of their dialogue could have been cut, as was the case with Children of the Holocaust. This may not have been done with dishonest intent, but changing an interview has the potential to change the meaning and message.

    

Sensory Overload

        Normally, I am not a fan of rotoscoping, as I find the style quite jarring and disorientating. However, it is just these qualities that make it ideal for Sensory Overload, a dialogue free animation which effectively and sensitively provides a window into how an autistic person may experience the world.

        Without dialogue, Miguel Jiron places an emphasis on shot framing and audio to place the audience in the mindset of a young boy who suffers from autism, a condition that while well known remains largely misunderstood. It is one of the strengths of animation that it has the ability to present an alternate world view that would be impossible or less effective as a live action film. The way in which the imagery is manipulated, with increasingly jagged line work, and the grating audio track, reflect the increasing tension and aggravation of the young boy while simultaneously placing the viewer in a similar frame of mind. It is not a comfortable watch, but provides a deeper understanding of another person's mindset in a 2 minute film than any number of textbooks or lectures could hope to achieve.

        It is an excellent example of when we need to be shown rather than told something, and the striking film resonates long after viewing. By its very nature this is a subjective representation of autism, and no doubt there are countless other ways in which autistic people experience the world. But as a means of showing the audience what autism truly can mean and opening up a subject which many would perhaps feel more comfortable avoiding, Sensory Overload feel more honest and truthful than many supposedly factual documentaries. Where the poetic mode approach works is that this is a film dealing with emotions rather than facts, figures and statistics, so it makes sense for the message to be communicated via an emotional reaction.

Documentary Animation

        Documentary animation comes with a number of social, cultural, ethical and commercial considerations which are not necessarily apparent in other animation forms. It is a fine line to tread between documentary and propaganda, between presenting the facts and presenting a biased view.

        Particularly with the subject of abattoirs, we must be careful to avoid any religious or racial aggravation, as many of the pulicised cases of animal cruelty have taken place in halal and kosher slaughterhouses, where there are arguments against using stun guns. However, cruelty in the meat industry is widespread, with PETA reporting cases in organic abattoirs, so both I and my collaborative partner feel it would be wise to avoid pointing the finger at any one group, and focus instead on the disgraceful behaviour towards the animals, an promote sourcing meat from ethical butchers.

Documentaries, animated or otherwise, can be divided into a number of subcategories:

• Poetic mode, which tends toward subjective interpretations of its subject, often with little or no dialogue, and continuity being of little or no consequence. Character development is often sacrificed in favour of creating a strong mood or atmosphere through editing.
• Expository mode is what has become most associated with documentary film, in which a narrative or authoritative voice over is supported and strengthened by a selection of footage. Think David Attenborough.
• Observational mode could also be described as fly on the wall. While some other modes can be subjective, biased or even propaganda, observational is more objective, showing rather than interpreting.
• Reflexive mode demonstrates an awareness of itself or the process of documentary film making.
• Performative mode places the director, and their views and opinions at the centre of the film. This sub category can be deeply person to the director/film maker with the truth depicted being constructed to support their own views or opinions. The work of Michael Moore is a good example of this mode.

Often it is easy to place your trust in a documentary and accept its arguments and 'truths' without question. I at least have been brought up under the assumption that documentaries are reliable, honest and factual. But as I have learned more about documentary film making during this module I have come to question how reliable many of the 'truths' are, particularly when propaganda can be counted as documentary, or when a film maker may omit truths which do not correspond to their desired message.

        Winsor McCay's The Sinking of the Lusitania is one such example of questionable documentary film making. Widely acknowledged as one of the first, if not the first, documentary animation, it is an unquestionably biased depiction of a pivotal event in the First World War. Billed and presented as a historical record, while the animation itself may be an accurate representation, the intertitles use a variety of manipulative and persuasive language to evoke feelings of anger, horror and hostility in the audience. It is these intertitles that place the animation in the realms of propaganda, although not a very effective piece as by the time of the film's release in 1918 the war was close to over. 

        Arguably, The Sinking of the Lusitania is a poetic mode documentary, as its representation of events are subjective, and positioned with the aim of provoking a strong emotional impact amongst viewers. While not as devastating as the needless deaths of hundreds of people, the topic of slaughterhouses shares some similarities with McCay's subject, so perhaps a similar approach may effectively evoke a strong response from our own viewers. For the most part, McCay lets his realistic imagery do the communicating, transporting viewers to a place and event most will not have been. Similarly, an abattoir is a place that the majority of the public have never seen first hand, and while they will be aware that these places exist, for the most part would probably rather ignore or brush under the carpet. We could use animation to bring this distasteful and even rather taboo topic to the public's attention, albeit with rather less manipulation than demonstrated by McCay.

Lighting

        Although we were given a useful and informative induction into lighting at the beginning of this module, I have little experience of lighting a scene effectively. Thankfully, Fiona has a greater understanding of lighting than I and had made notes on how she envisaged the scene being lit.

        While we attempted to light the scenes ourselves at first, our initial test shots came out looking rather flat, which did not communicate the atmosphere of discomfort and unease we were aiming for. In the image below the lighting is very flat, and also quite warm, whereas the second test is darker, dingier and the strong shadows create a sinister and more threatening vibe. While by no means perfect, the second image is stronger and more effective at communicating mood and atmosphere. As we are relying more heavily on audio, lighting and cinematography rather than animation, it is important we use lighting effectively. The problem with the first image is that we had too many lights. We would be better of sticking to just two to create the strong shadowing we desire: an edge light, and a softer fill light, perhaps bounced off a screen/card.

 

        While I understand the principles of lighting, my inexperience and lack of confidence mean that I am at the moment not capable of recognising how a scene should be effectively lit. Compared to the enthusiasm I felt for the modelling and construction stages of production, the technical tasks of lighting and camera work leave me confused, frustrated and without motivation. However, I feel it is important that I develop at least a basic understanding and ability of lighting and photography, to enable me to effectively record my work in future, if not as an animation then at least as stills for my portfolio.

On the plus side, the pale pigs show up well in the dark set.

Other Props

        While I was preoccupied with the props already mentioned, Fiona very helpfully put together some of the larger props, using clay and modroc. Among the props she created were a sink, some barrels, a clocking in/out machine and a reel of hose. She then passed them on to me to paint (keeping as much continuity between the props and characters as possible). I used a palette of blues, greens, greys and whites for the most part, mixed in various proportions and pasted on fairly haphazardly, to achieve a dirty, unkempt look. For the hose, I deviated and used a dull shade of red. I was worried at first that it would look out of place, but in the set, with lighting, the colour is dulled and does not stand out. Besides, there are also splashes of red elsewhere, on the pigs and the blood which has been painted on other props.

Fiona had the idea to make the hose from a shoelace
threaded with wire, allowing it to be wound and unwound.

        The other major props which needed constructing were the fence of the holding pen/corral and the rail from which the carcasses and stunned pigs would hang. In our set designs, we had two separate hanging rails: one suspended from the ceiling along the entire length of one wall and another free standing framework with three or four rails for hanging vast numbers of pigs. In the interests of being economical, we decided we could make one rail,which could be moved between frames if necessary. Also to fill the free standing rail would take many more pigs (we have a total of 15, 10 of which are hanging) and many more days casting them. Again, we judged that if we needed to give the illusion of more pigs we could move them between fames or tracking shots. Another suggestion we were given was to shoot a pig against green screen, before compositing as many as we needed into the set. However, it struck me that this solution would create issues with matching the light between the composited pigs and the set.

        As the pigs are very lightweight, the rail itself did not need to be particularly strong as it wouldn't be under much pressure. I thought that wooden dowel would be a good material to use, as offcuts are available cheaply, and in a variety of diameters. It could also be quickly and easily spray painted to give the illusion of metal. The main conundrum was the best way to attach the various pieces of the rail and the fence together. I considered making joints out of clay or plasticine, but was worried that under the heat of the lights plasticine would become soft and be unable to take the weight of the dowel itself let alone any pigs. I could abandon my desire to make the joins flush, and bind the legs and cross-rails of the fence together. In the end though, my dad suggested gluing the joints, and spray painting any glues residue once dry, which would then resemble welded metal.

        At first we tried Evo Stik wood adhesive. However, after leaving the framework secured to dry it became apparent that the adhesive was not going to hold securely. We then tried Araldite, and to be certain it was as secure as possible left it to dry by the fire over night. This seemed to do the trick, as all of the joints seemed solid and capable of bearing the weight of the pigs. One joint was broken by a falling set wall, but fortunately it was reparable.