26 November 2023

Firekites - Autumn Story


This is clever: a chalk board animation in the round.  Created for the Firekites (a band from Newcastle, Australia) this animation by Photoplay Films is possibly inspired by the South African animator William Kentridge but it stands up very well on its own.

I particularly liked the transition from one board to another, particularly the cat which grows larger as it does so.  I am not an expert in these things but that must have been very difficult to do.

The film is made up of approximately roughly 1900 frames with the frame rate varying between 12fps, 8fps and 6fps throughout. Considering the delicacy of the technique employed the drawings are incredibly (almost unfeasibly) stable.  The only thing missing really is the chalk animation coming off the board - now that would have been something (but even suggesting it seems a little churlish considering how beautifully this is done).