Narrative Source Material

We first began to look at narrative source material within the industry that put emphasis on the use of sound in relation to animation. We used this opportunity to find inspiration for our own projects and to look at the pieces of work through the eyes of both a director and an audience member.

'LOVE SPORT- STUDIO AKA'

We looked at this short from 'STUDIO AKA'. The design is simplistic and very stylised- Both the characters and the environment are created from blocks of colour which makes the visual of the piece extremely easy to consume as an audience member. Combined with the fact that the sound used in the piece is silent apart from minimal sound effects such as the clicking of the dominoes falling and the crowds cheering, the film has no specific audience. A person of any age, language or culture could watch this film and it would still make sense due to the easy to follow theme and storyline, the basic animation and simple visuals.

'Back to The Start- Johnny Kelly'

We next watched this advertisement for 'Chipolte'. The piece was beneficial to watch as it was clear that the soundtrack is the driving force of the animation, and it determines the pace and emotion of the short. In the beginning sequence the mellow soundtrack reflects the simplicity of rural farm life, and the track slowly builds up as the farmer builds his farm. There is a moment a minute and a half into the short where the soundtrack is stripped down to just the vocals, depicting a moment of reflection. The determination and passion of the farmer is then apparent as the song builds to a climatic crescendo exhibiting the emotion of the piece.

'The Rolling Stones: Doom and Gloom- Rok Predin'

Lastly, we looked at this lyric video created by Rok Predin. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to speak to him in person about this piece as he delivered a talk to our class as a guest lecturer. He told us about the importance of timing when animating to a soundtrack, and suggested that like this brief he was given from his client, it is in our best interest to first create a soundtrack and then use it a a basis to our animation. This will allow our animation to look more professional and flow nicely as a whole.

What I took away from this research is that the soundtrack can be used as a driving force to animation and aids you in the timing and spacing for the movement within a short. I also learnt that simplicity is key and that it is beneficial to create a minimal and bold design that both is visually appealing to the audience and easily understandable to a wide range of viewers. Combined, these features allow the film-maker to deliver a narrative quicker, more efficiently and effectively.