EIFF 2015: McLaren Award: New British Animation 1
Another year at the Edinburgh International Film Festival is upon us and with it comes another batch of new British animation. From an animator’s perspective this is without a doubt what the festival does best; animation never feels like a second thought here and by showcasing this year’s best of British we get to indulge ourselves, once again, with the best this island has to offer.
This first screening was meticulously programmed by Iain Gardner who should get credit for creating a lovely flow to the films which enhanced the entire experience. The overriding theme of life cycles was perhaps noted by the majority of the crowd but one could also detect themes of documentation and reminiscence through both narrative and visual components in the films.
Edmond
Dir. Nina Gantz
The winner of the Cristal at Annecy is a prime example of what British student animation is able to offer. We have a wealth of talent coming out of our graduate schools and as you may expect a programme such as this includes work from students from across the UK. This NFTS offering immediately strikes you as a trend following film as the techniques popularised in Oh Willy are on display here. However, Oh Willy can’t claim to have invented felt and what this film does differently to its predecessor is that it adds an extra layer of 2D animation over the characters faces which in turn adds an extra layer to the delivery of the characters perspective as we follow his unorthodox journey through his past mistakes and misunderstandings with the world.
Teeth
Dir. Tom Brown, Daniel Gray
Teeth is a film that toys with the audience masterfully. You find yourself engrossed with the morose narration of a grim man whose life is dominated by his obsession with his and others’ teeth. As we take a biographical look at his life, we feel every bite, squirm at the thought of dragging serrated knife across the dentine and feel generally uncomfortable throughout. In the wrong hands this would be a recipe for disaster, but the writing and delivery of the narration is thoroughly engrossing from the first word to the final, grim punchline.
Crow
Dir. Yoav Segal
Ted Hughes’s poem is narrated by the poet himself but delivered through Rorschach-like imagery. The earthy colours and textures mix well with the wet and dry time lapses which are difficult to place but enjoyable to watch. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it animation in the traditional sense, but it fit very well into the programme.
Outlines
Dir. Daisy Gould
The anxieties of an insecure individual grappling with scientific facts are decorated with an almost sketchbook style as watercolour, crayon and pen exaggerate the emotions of the delivery. As the characters are set against a white background this works very well and exaggerates the protagonist’s annoyance at how the universe works.
Five Minute Museum
Dir. Paul Bush
Photographs of artifacts from a museum come together and create motion. Rocks morph into arrowheads, which morph into crude pots, these morph into decorated Greco-Roman pots as the history of man is displayed through objects. This monumental photographic and organisational challenge gives the film a sense of accomplishment that some films like this lack, though there are parts of the film where the animation is slowed down to a near slide show which takes one away from the motion of history and unfortunately out of the moment. These moments are quickly remedied though when the motion returns. The soundtrack of this film is impressive too, supporting the film throughout and adding more life to the objects.
Stems
Dir. Ainslie Henderson
In the space of two minutes Ainslie Henderson spills the secrets of stop motion by constructing characters from bits and pieces that he has to hand. There is a bittersweet relationship between artist and work at play here as the director narrates his thoughts about how limited the life of a puppet is, and how due to limited screen time “everything they do is their swan song”. As the film builds, the narration disappears into the background as the characters awaken first through time-lapse, helped along by the hand of the animator and then as animation takes over they begin their song, making music, before the magic that enveloped them disappears as soon as it arrives.
Amaro & Walden’s Joyride
Dirs. Tim McCourt, Max Taylor
An epic joyride of miniature proportions is projected through the urban streets by a heavy soundtrack and cameos from the general public, this could easily be described as Gorrilaz with bite. Joyride is such an apt definition for a film that is such short and sweet joy to watch. The films technical prowess is also clear as the 2D characters and live actions shots sit together. Featuring a cameo from Suggs from Madness for no apparent reason, the film has a surprise that’ll bring a grin to your face as it twists and screeches around every handbrake turned corner.
My Dad
Dir. Marcus Armitage
The chilling influence of racist views on a young boy’s mind are demonstrated to chilling effect in Marcus Armitage’s graduation film as we see the innocence of a young man gradually succumb through narration to his fathers right wing ideology. A powerful demonstration of the care we should all take as we unwittingly influence those around us.
Gerascophibia
Dir. Shuangshuang Hao
A pencil-on-paper tale of a young child’s fear of growing older and the steps he takes in order to stem to tide of time. This is such a fun flick with a pitch perfect narration delivered in a charming style.
One Step Ahead
Dir. Helen Chiu
An elderly lady and a younger woman are divided by a difference in pace. 2D created in a CG environment looks a little tired in this day and age, and I’m afraid to say the weakest film of the bunch was let down by its choice in visual style. It would appear that the animation team had severe limitations at first, but some of the straight 2D animation was superb and I was left wishing that the whole film was created in that style.
Meanwhile
Dir. Stephen McNally
Four self-obsessed individuals indulge their own colourful worlds. Fears, self-loathing, personal grief and embarrassment all take centre stage until their worlds finally collide. This film combines a 2D aesthetic with a CG environment in a masterful, painted way as the director clearly understands how to use light and how to create atmosphere and depth necessary to lift this tale from the screen.
MANOMAN
Dir. Simon Cartwright
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH! Well, I’m glad I’ve gotten that out of my system. A timid man undertakes primal therapy and his reluctance to scream leads him to a face to face encounter with his own primal manifestation of himself. The DeVitoesque monster leads our man astray as he embraces his crazy inner self leading to the darkness and suffering our previously timid protagonist was hoping to avoid. Created using rod puppets with animated mouths, this film is could be described as animation in the loosest possible sense, but the same level of ingenuity and craft is executed in this short.
Ray’s Big Idea
Dir. Steve Harding-Hill
A heroic fish leaves his pond life behind but is greeted by much bigger problems as he is confronted with a hilarious problem that takes both Ray and the audience by surprise. This film was developed for 10 years, though only recently made by Aardman and so the film feels a little more classic and perhaps on safer ground than others in this selection. That shouldn’t take anything away from this incredibly enjoyable and well-written comedy film though.
Toonocalypse
Dir. Owen Rixon
An ambitious tale about cartoon creatures invading the earth and interacting with two human pals over the course of a year. The best analogy for this film would be Cloverfield meets Space Jam, I dare not use Who Framed Roger Rabbit as the toons reminded me of the unlikable Monstars. The gooey creatures are animated well enough but there are real problems with the shaky hand held camera as the toons tend to slide all over the screen and are not particularly well-rooted to the ground, which I found very distracting. The film transitions from a cosy co-existence to a life and death escape between the toons and mankind made a fair few members of the audience jump at the scary bits but on the whole the film was a little signposted. This is a great film, but with the right improvements it might have been a superb one.
