Screen Squinty's "SHUDŌ" Review.

("SHUDŌ." Screen shot, property of To-Anh Bach, Charles Badiller, and Hugo Weiss.)

Short: SHUDŌ.
Directed by: To-Anh Bach, Charles Badiller, and Hugo Weiss.
Running time: 2 min.
Released: 2015.

This is a very short promotional animation from Goeblins Le’Ecole de L’Image that features a fight between two swordsmen, Hayate and Iwa out in the snow.

This is an excellent little animation, almost like a clip form some larger project really, with this amazing visual dance between the past and the present as the relationship is shown between the two battling swordsmen, the images between fighting and embracing were particularly poignant given the ending.

The animation style itself was unique, and attention to detail, such as the cloths whipping in the blizzard wind, the angle and the choice of cold colors for the present battle, and warmer tones for the past scenes was well done.

This is how film should be, showing. There is no dialogue, and the actions in the animation play out a deep relationship within such a small space of time, that it rivals many feature length films.

Well Done!

SHUDŌ link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVw68FKLEzQ
For other animated short reviews go to Film Shorts Reviews.

 

Original post: https://screensquinty.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/shudo-a-review/
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Screen Squinty's "Une Noce en Enfer" Review.

("Une Noce en Enfer." Screen Shot, Property of Yannick Boireau, Pierre Butet, Magali Garnier, and Clémence Maret. )

Film Short: Une Noce en Enfer.
Directed by: Yannick Boireau, Pierre Butet, Magali Garnier, and Clémence Maret.
Released: 2015.
Running Time: 2.52 min.

This French animated short produced from the ever popular GOBELINS, l’école de l’image, tells the colorful story of a little girl named Rachelle who takes her pretend play a little to drastically, much to the pets despair.

Let’s start with the technical, because the animation is definitely where this film shines. There is a presence of individual style here, a great tell of thought in the character designs, the colour palate is just the right amount of shades and tones to make everything pop perfectly, just the right amount of exaggeration where it was needed with very smooth movement and excellent pace.

The little girl was delightfully grotesque and cute at the same time, and the actress who played Rachelle worked believably well and was able to portray a great deal of boisterousness. The expressions on the aggrieved rodent and cat were also chuckle worthy, and the chicken playing the wedding march was amusing.

The story, as short as it was, worked its humour well, escalating quickly and entertainingly all the way through the end credits. Some people might have issues with some of the violence in regards to the animals, but then again, this is not meant to be an innocent cartoon. Its good if one is even slightly disturbed by the darker humour as slapstick as it comes across, that’s part of the point of it, a little girl taking things too far.

Overall, this was a brilliant little short with obvious talent going into its production. It had a well-paced plot, smooth well designed animation, and some supreme funny moments.

Une Noce en Enfer. can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7FYhULJphQ



Original post:  https://screensquinty.wordpress.com/2015/11/25/une-noce-en-enfer-a-review/
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Screen Squinty's "Wildfire" Review

 ("Wildfire." Screen Shot, Property of  Hugues Opter , Pierre Pinon , Nicole Stafford, Valentin Stoll , Arnaud Tribout and Shang Zhang.)

Film Short: Wildfire.
Directed by: Hugues Opter , Pierre Pinon , Nicole Stafford, Valentin Stoll , Arnaud Tribout and Shang Zhang.
Released: 2015.
Running time: 4.04 min.

This bit of slice of life animation about a firefighter named Ena and her growing fascination with the fire she fights gives viewers a fascinating look at the complex relationship of passion.

There are many different types of passion out there. The romantic passion between lovers, the passion for life, the passion of a calling, etc. it’s all a state of sustained want and/or excitement that drives many individuals in many different and unique ways, both good and bad. This short caught my attention because it displays a moment in the complexities of desire, particularly in the moments that shift from one particular desire to another, evolving on the cusp into obsession, that was explored through the protagonist Ena brilliantly.

The narrative is constructed in such a way that we are clearly introduced to two different aspects of Ena: Ena the family woman, and Ena the firefighter. Her fascination and desire for the wild beauty of the flames as she fights a forest fire was portrayed in beautiful rolls of purple smoke and red gold sparks and flames as she approaches the conflagration with this enthralled look on her face. The flames act also as a symbol for the excitement of the harsh unpredictability that being a firefighter gives her, and her passion for her calling, while the staid little flames, the constrained and tamed moments of controlled fire in her daily life through her moments of contemplation of her matches, her cigarette, and the flames of her son’s birthday cake reflect her more staid and controlled existence as a family woman.

What makes this dynamic between Ena the mother and wife and Ena the firefighter, is that she does clearly love her family, it’s just the staid and controlled life that they represent which is what we see her drifting away from. The filmmakers here did a good job in not making the two lives completely polar opposing, cut and dried from each other, each part is well balanced and seamlessly transitioned.
Overall this was great animated short that utilized a very mature and sophisticated understanding of desire, had a good utilization of dynamics between Ena’s family life and career, some good poignant moments, and a definite artistic visual appeal.

Wildfire can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj7zfiMr7UI&index=6&list=PL7IGBkaIQiG8lJxxOYMzdZJ85jfXv5cdo



Original post: https://screensquinty.wordpress.com/2015/11/26/wildfire-a-review/
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Screen Squinty's "Duo" Review.

("Duo." Screen Shot, Property of Goeblins.)

Short: Duo.
Directed by: Goeblins student team (unspecified).
Released: 2014.
Running time: 3.31 min.

Duo is an animated short done in a 2D animation style with miniature sets, created by a group of students from the Parisian School Goeblins, an institute famous for their spectacular animated shorts, and likely this will not be the first of theirs to be reviewed on this blog. The short shows the ending of a partnership of two sisters whose days of performing together are coming to an end while also exploring staging and performance as a vehicle for the theme of relationships.

The use of setting is very well utilized, the scenes of on-stage, which is the present time frame as the two main characters are preforming, and behind the stage, where the final moments before they go on-stage are playing out behind the curtain of Claire and Marla, uses a vibrant red and blue colour to express the transition and conflict, both hidden in the public and upfront in private was an excellent touch with the reddish colour seeming to represent the honest relationship between the two characters, while the blue represents the public relationship, the performance faces, that they put on stage. The colours also represent the relationship of separate personalities, evidenced through the opening scene of the side by side red and blue dressing room, one organized, one not.

While the particulars of the conflict are never fleshed out, the fact that we are watching this conflict behind the seeming harmony of their movements, becoming ever more intertwined together in their act, juxtaposes this unity with their conflicting desires, and in the moment of the final act when one of the characters lets go of her partner’s hand, the viewer is left in this tense moment of wondering if her fate was going to be influenced by the conflict between them.

This film intelligently expresses a theme of relationship and performance with a narrative rich in animated mise-en-scene subtext and an inspiring capability to express an engaging story within such a short period of time. I would highly recommend this animated short to any aspiring, or current filmmakers.

To view Duo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eebQYIUxjGw
Goeblins webpage: http://www.gobelins.fr/en/gobelins
Goeblins Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/gobelins
For other animated short reviews go to Film Shorts Reviews.



Original post: https://screensquinty.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/duo-a-review/
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