Short Film Sharing #5: Fumiko's Confession

This is a really fun short!  It has a lot of things I really LOVE about animation.  Besides it being just funny and simple it really showcases the dream of every animation ever done.  We want to be able for anyone to understand what is going even without dialogue.  I don't speak any Japanese (Chinese?) but I can clearly understand what the beats of the moment are and the fact that I don't speak that language does not detract from my appreciation and enjoyment of the short at all.  That to me is HUGE.  If you animation works without understanding the dialogue; you win.  There are also a couple other things that I love about this short.  The use of dynamic camera movements for one.  The shot of the old lady walking with her basket and then the camera pans over really quickly and then tracks the girl as she is running down the hill and then as she hits the basket is really a fun shot that adds a lot to the overall feel of the short.  The last thing that I will say about this short that I think makes this such a success is the fact that it taps into something I think everyone has felt at one time or another.  When you start running down a hill and you hit this point where your legs have moved faster than you ever thought that they could.  You are running so fast you don't feel in control anymore and at that point you are just along for the ride.  That tiny emotion is a universal one that this short taps into that in a really funny way.  We empathize with the girl as she traverses the landscape with her legs leading the way because we have all had that feeling at some time or another.  On top of these great elements the short has a fun art style, nice sound effects and great camera work throughout.  Congrats to everyone who worked on this short, I think it is a winner for sure. 

Short Film Sharing #4: Blik

This is an interesting short film for a couple of reasons.  Foremost being the design style.  The very minimalistic nature of this short really grabs attention.  The bright colors which are enhanced by the very direct and somewhat harsh lighting really makes the visuals pop.  The other interesting choice in this short is the choice to have characters without facial features.  In a lot of ways that could be considered a cop out.  It is difficult to rig a face and it can be very difficult to create great facial animation but most people wouldn't even consider making a character without a face.  The thing to remember is that it is so much harder to create a believable performance with only a characters body.  That is the thing we as animators are always striving for, pantomime acting.  Seeing a short which is all about pantomime acting is wonderful.  But to see a short film that is all about pantomime acting and has such an involved story such as this is a real treat.  I hope all of you take a couple minutes to watch this short film it has some bits of really good animation and a few really wonderful moments of character acting.

Short Film Sharing #3: Defective Detective

I think that this film is really quite a lot of fun.  For me, what makes this short film is a couple of things.  The first element is that there is no dialogue in the entire short.  All the ideas, emotions, thoughts, decisions, and actions are displayed through clear acting choices.  I think that is a wonderful element for any animated short film to have.  It is not easy to do something like that and for how effortless it looks in this short I have to say really great work making everything read.  The second thing I enjoy is the overall design of the whole thing.  The character designs are very fun and the choice to switch between a cg world and a 2d world is a very fun and effective choice.  As always, great work to everyone involved, you guys did a really great job of creating this piece. 

Short Film Sharing #2: Death Buy Lemonade

The next short film I would like to share is called "Death Buy Lemonade". It is a very short short film. Only 2 minutes in length but full of a lots of humor and great characterizations. I think its a great example in how you can tell a very fun engaging story in very little time. The two things I love about this film are that the characters are so clearly defined as well as their motives. We know exactly what each character is thinking and doing at any given moment. Their is no ambiguity in anything that any character does. The other thing I love is the use of color and framing to help make things funny or more clear. For Example when the guy dies his body turns a pale blue color and instantly we know he just died. Had the animation been the same and his color not changed we probably would have assumed that he just passed out. But the use of color makes it very very clear that he just died.
As far as framing goes we can look at the introduction of death. The first shot we get is of the girl looking up as a giant ominous shadow drifts down past her setting up the idea that something scary is happening. Then we get a steep up shot of death, seemingly looking down at her with all the color pulled out of the sky. Where just a second ago the sky had been blue and clear its now cloudy and dark. All of this sets up the idea that this character is something to be feared. The next shot we go to is a fairly flat angle of death standing there kind of hunched over, looking a little confused with all the colors of the world back to normal. That build, and then that turn around from something we think is going to be really scary to something that is not scary at all is what makes that a really fun moment. It goes back to the idea of building up an expectation in the viewers mind and then giving them something they never would have expected.
The last thing I want to say is good job to everyone who worked on this short film. It is really well done and it is one of my favorite short films without a doubt. I hope everyone else enjoyed this short film. If you guys have any short films to share, add them to the comments section! I always enjoy watching good short films!

Short Film Sharing #1 : The Cat Piano

I thought it would be nice to start a new series where I post up interesting short films that I find entertaining or interesting. Not really any kind of breakdown happening with these. It is just nice to appreciate what other people have done. I have to say I really love this short film. I think its my favorite short film by a large margin. I think that the use of poetry in the story telling really defines this piece tone wise. The visuals are also amazing with some really interesting and solid 2d work on display. The use of non conventional color is a HUGE thing for me as an animator and artist and to see it used here to such wonderful effect is great to see. Props to everyone who made this short film, you guys are great.