11 December 2010

Nothing To Fear


This bleak but perfectly animated short film is a personal project by illustrator, motion graphics designer and art director Simon FA Russell.  It imagines a time in the near future where everything is seemingly controlled by technology except, perhaps, the imagination.  If this is all sounding a little Winston Smith to you then you will probably be right: what little plot there is certainly sounds like something from 1984.

What separates this, however, is the exquisite way in which it has been animated - solely in black and white.  Together with a beautiful composition by Ben Ash of Candle Music for its soundtrack and sound effects and the music of Ólafur Arnalds, the whole piece comes together seamlessly.  It is a thought provoking piece.  The length of time it will stay in your head is belied by its brevity, but I am sure it will.