Saturday 12 November 2011

It's either gotta be a straight Yes, or a By Jesus No!

Storyboard frame, Digital

OK, so what do I have in development at this very moment? I have a short story about a dragonfly and a butterfly. Dragonfly falls in love with Butterfly. Butterfly rejects him. Dragonfly flies to Grasshopper, who turns him into a butterfly. Dragonfly and Butterfly kiss and make up.

And...that's the entire gist of this threadbare plot for my graduation film. This plot is not without inspiration, though. It's actually based on an old poem called "Yes By Jesus No" by New Zealand animator Len Lye. Who's this Len Lye, you might ask? In a nutshell, Lye was an experimental animator, whose favoured technique was to draw and paint directly onto strips of 35mm film. His fascination with motion drove his work, whether it would be film or kinetic sculpture.

Lye's best film (IMHO!) has to be "Trade Tattoo", a fine blend of discarded documentary footage and hand-painted stencils, all tied to lovely Cuban tunes. Unlike the large majority of his animations, which use a tacked-on advertisement at the very end, this film carries a promotional theme from start to finish, a shout-out to the post office labourers in late-30's Britain.



Keep following for more news on upcoming projects. I hope to have another post ready by Tuesday!

3 comments:

  1. Did Len Lye ever do a film with a chicken dancing around that you know of, Sarah? It looked like it was painted directly onto the film emulsion, like the example you have shown here......

    ReplyDelete
  2. I believe you're thinking of Hen Hop, by Norman McLaren. Correct me if I'm wrong!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq8yqduOJOA

    ReplyDelete
  3. yes, that's the one, Sarah! Thanks for correcting me---ever seen Neighbours by Norman Mc Laren? Very innovative and bizarre!

    ReplyDelete