This assignment was to create a motion study (animation) using a minimum of 72 frames. We studied Muybridge as well as old animation machines at the Musee Mecanique and the Exploratorium in order to get inspired for this film.
I decided to make this film about plastic soldiers that come alive. It was really difficult to shoot an entire film only using pictures, and I was surprised at how difficult that makes the editing as well. However, seeing the final outcome was really cool even if all that work only resulted in a minute or so of footage.
I love the editing rhythm and visual aesthetic of the whole film. The low-lighting definitely evokes a jungle kind of atmosphere and the cuts to various parts of the room seem so chaotic in an invigorating manner. I definitely see persistence of vision working here, where the soldier’s movements are choppy but still continuous. By the way, I really hope this was inspired by Toy Story.
I remember watching this motion study and thinking that the music choice was totally perfect. It definitely has its own vibe and it looks like you put a lot of work into it.