http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2010/12/19/bottle/
Title: Bottle
Director: Kirsten Lepore
Hit or Miss: Hit.
This week's video comes from Kristen Lepore bringing a short entitled "Bottle". Lepore's original take on the classic love story formula of complicated love from afar is both fresh and emotional. You can't help but feel your heart warm up and break at this bittersweet romance.
Lepore opens by introducing us to a sandman who is pining for love found in his snowwoman counterpart. In order to communicate with her, the sandman sends out sand in a bottle. When she receives the gift she pours out the sand and fills up some snow for him casting the bottle out into the ocean again. Their exchange continues as he sends out kelp and in return she sends small red pinecones. This time they find a way to use each others gifts on themselves as she uses the kelp to make hair and he uses the pinecones to construct a face. As time progresses they follow the same cute routine, sending each other such items as seashells, sticks, even a hair comb, gloves, and pennies. They use these items to build themselves up as people implementing each object to create looks for themselves. After they have created their ideal look, the sandman decides to write out a letter to her with drawings suggeting that they should meet. In a final sequence, they decide to meet. As they march toward each other in the ocean, they begin to loose all of their decorations and begin to dissolve/melt until they (very sadly) are no more.
In comparison to the other shorts films I have reviewed so far, this one was absolutely up at the top as one of my favorites. It's story is both original and engaging. It's story is very simple and very cute-you can't help but want to see this unlikely couple together. As for a plot, this definitely finds itself up in the top of one of the best written shorts even in it's simplicity. Being able to have the ability to stir up such an emotional response, especially in a simple plot, is something that is very difficult to do and the filmmaker has mastered wonderfully.
As far as technical components, I really enjoyed the style of the animation. It is always refreshing to see a well made stop motion animation that flows beautifully. The cinematography, including the natural light was a great key component in this short that really helped create a gorgeous picture for the viewer. The editing was additionally spot on which is very necessary in this type of animation.
The film's direction, character development, and overall "look" were entirely engaging and well made. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an outstanding short. Lepore has left us with a "Hit" that will should leave any viewer very pleased.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Between Bears
http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2010/08/16/between-bears/
Title: Between Bears
Directed by: Eran Hilleli
Hit or Miss: Hit
Israeli filmmaker Eran Hilleli's short "Between Bears" is one of the simplest yet most awe inspiring shorts I have seen in a while. By using a minimalistic style of animation, Hilleli is able to take us to beautiful landscapes and interesting characters in this visually stunning piece of work.
The plot is pretty simple in "Between Bears". Hilleli opens up by showing us a black bear shaves off all of his fur. As the fur falls, it takes flight into the forest. Flying around the forest, the pieces of fur find themselves trailing behind a group of mysterious characters, following them through a variety of landscapes and changing seasons. After a while of wandering, these characters finally reach a point where they cannot continue. As they stop, they see the black bear interacting with a polar bear atop of an iceberg.
Something interesting about this short is it's unclear story structure. As you watch the short, you might not fully understand what is happening, the motivation of the characters, or even why certain things are happening. While this sounds complicated, as the story isn't exactly "clear" or organized in a traditional narrative sense at times, you can enjoy that freedom to try to come up with your own interpretation as you watch it. You might find yourself asking yourself at times in the film, "Why does the bear shave?" or "Why are the people following him?" It's not clear and that's what makes this an interestingly interactive viewing as you or others you view it with might come up with entirely different interpretations.
This film's strongest point is definitely found within it's animation. What it lacks in coherent story, it fills with such beautiful frames. The style of animation here is absolutely stunning. I really liked how the animation was so simple yet really beautiful. The transition of seasons was one scene in particular that I found really visually interesting.
Title: Between Bears
Directed by: Eran Hilleli
Hit or Miss: Hit
Israeli filmmaker Eran Hilleli's short "Between Bears" is one of the simplest yet most awe inspiring shorts I have seen in a while. By using a minimalistic style of animation, Hilleli is able to take us to beautiful landscapes and interesting characters in this visually stunning piece of work.
The plot is pretty simple in "Between Bears". Hilleli opens up by showing us a black bear shaves off all of his fur. As the fur falls, it takes flight into the forest. Flying around the forest, the pieces of fur find themselves trailing behind a group of mysterious characters, following them through a variety of landscapes and changing seasons. After a while of wandering, these characters finally reach a point where they cannot continue. As they stop, they see the black bear interacting with a polar bear atop of an iceberg.
Something interesting about this short is it's unclear story structure. As you watch the short, you might not fully understand what is happening, the motivation of the characters, or even why certain things are happening. While this sounds complicated, as the story isn't exactly "clear" or organized in a traditional narrative sense at times, you can enjoy that freedom to try to come up with your own interpretation as you watch it. You might find yourself asking yourself at times in the film, "Why does the bear shave?" or "Why are the people following him?" It's not clear and that's what makes this an interestingly interactive viewing as you or others you view it with might come up with entirely different interpretations.
This film's strongest point is definitely found within it's animation. What it lacks in coherent story, it fills with such beautiful frames. The style of animation here is absolutely stunning. I really liked how the animation was so simple yet really beautiful. The transition of seasons was one scene in particular that I found really visually interesting.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Pivot: HIT
HIT OR MISS: HIT.
Title: Pivot
Director: Bergs, Vos, Megens, Grijs.
http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2010/02/28/pivot/
Title: Pivot
Director: Bergs, Vos, Megens, Grijs.
http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2010/02/28/pivot/
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/9178331?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9178331">Pivot</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/pivotthemovie">Pivot</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
"Pivot" tells the story of a photographer who witnesses a murder and as a result is chased around a dark and brooding city. In this short by the creative team of Andre' Bergs, Floris Vos, Kevin Megens, and Arno De Grijs, "Pivot" turns out to be a chase you won't want to run from.
"Pivot" tells the story of a photographer who witnesses a murder and as a result is chased around a dark and brooding city. In this short by the creative team of Andre' Bergs, Floris Vos, Kevin Megens, and Arno De Grijs, "Pivot" turns out to be a chase you won't want to run from.
The film starts off with the main character, a tall lanky armed photographer who is snapping shots around the city. When he stumbles into an alley and witnesses a dark shadowy figure who has just shot a man to the ground, he nervously starts pressing the button on his camera and taking pictures of the event in a state of panic. Realizing he is now caught as a witness to the murder, he starts running as fast as he can from the villain. In this cat and mouse chase, our main character leaps and scales his way throughout the city trying to stay out of harm's way. It isn't until he winds up with the gun that he is able to turn the tables and chases the villain out in a role reversal of hunter versus prey where our prey now finds himself as the hunter. It is in one final twist when our main character finds himself standing over the villain with a new innocent bystander snapping a photo in panic that the whole story sets itself up to repeat itself in an exciting and original ending.
From the very beginning, this film set itself up to be very original. In it's very style of animation, the overall look of this short was exciting and refreshing, presenting a unique style of computer animation that is not commonly seen. The "lighting" used in this short really helped enhance certain scenes by providing a classic film noir feel that really flowed well with the storyline. The overall style of the animation, the way the characters moved and the way the buildings and alleys were designed, provided a really eye-catching aesthetically pleasing look that kept the viewer interested and entertained. The pacing in this short was nothing less than perfect. There was plenty of edge of your seat action and horror that kept the viewer on edge and full of tension throughout the chase. The ending was perhaps the film's strongest point as it foreshadowed the whole event starting over again in a refreshing and original finale.
"Pivot" is one short that you will not be bored with. The filmmakers here and able to deliver such great entertainment and thrills in such a short amount of time that it is no question that they should be praised here. The animation is so original and different in it's style that you can't help but be impressed with their refreshing originality. This is a top notch short that will make you happy you followed the chase!
"Pivot" is a definite HIT
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