Feature: Wood and Evil
Posted by Rebekah Cook on
We could wish for more animation videos from Tony Nguyen, who shares his artistic take on stop motion with a single short he punnily titled:
Wood and Evil
Tony (below, left) is an art director and designer based in Austin, TX. He undertook this project in collaboration with Jesse Kudron (right).
They spent four months in pre-production: researching stop motion, developing characters, writing story, storyboarding, and creating an animatic. Filming was in January-March of 2012 and post-production was completed in May. The film's music was scored by Greg Florence.
The heavy use of dramatic lighting helps develop each character in the narrative. A spotlight sets the stage for our protagonist mannequin, and follows his misfortunes and adventures throughout. Red hues with deep shadows alert to the evil aura of the large skeleton monster...and dissipate when his destructive power fades.
Creative angles can really set a style apart, and be a great tool for plot reveals. The different camera perspectives to communicate disparity in size between the victim, hero, and villain quickly enhances the element of danger.
Do you like contrasting lighting set-ups? Getting creative with camera angles? Or are you gifted with drawing facial expressions? Especially with enough planning, you can easily play to your own strengths as an animator!