Air
Your role of art director on this film undoubtedly had its share of both agony and ecstasy. Painting every background form Bill Plympton, the true king of indie animation, must have been a phenomenal experience--and also pretty daunting.
Bill drew a zillion lines by hand for this film, and you and your team had the epic responsibility of taking those lines and breathing color and depth into them. The animation and art is uniquely Plympton's, but it certainly has a more illustrative feel than some of his other work. Visually, it's a masterwork.
Things start a bit slow, but once Ella, on her way to the fair and bombarded by cat calls, gets to the bumper cars and her fun turns to peril, the film picks up its pace.
She meets a man and falls in love, which gives us one of the best visual moments of the film, as she unlocks her heart. In true Bill Plympton style, these scenes are both beautifully designed and beautifully animated.
Love blossoms, but, of course, fate sets them astray. Misunderstandings, bad choices, and the inevitable cheatin'. The visuals continue to get more elaborate and fantastical as Ella enters the minds of her husband's mistresses, which is when the film gets interesting.
But how the passion of these characters is expressed visually is interesting but I would have liked to see more of the abstract inner workings of their minds.
Still, I can't praise the style enough. I was surprised to learn that Bill draws everything in square boxes that you and your team must convert into standard 16:9 cinematic format--a task that any art director would likely find just as frustrating as it is fun.
Nevertheless, it works fabulously--you and your team pulled off a terrific visual experience.
Keep up the great work!
Cheers,
Chris
