Seen and Not Seen

Seen and Not Seen by Dan W Jacobs. Manchester school of art graduation film. Dan talks about his film below…

Who?

Just me, with a bit of help from Nicholas Barnes on the 3D stuff.

What?

Seen And Not Seen is the story of a man at unease with himself and his cyclical, monotonous lifestyle. He seeks refuge through different forms of escapism, but his over indulgence becomes problematic as he becomes increasingly detached from reality.

Why?

I like to explore tensions of opposites thematically and stylistically in my work. Repetition and cycles was on of the things that really interested me when working on Seen And Not Seen, the idea that a loop can be hypnotic and relaxing, but can also drive you to the point of madness. I really enjoy producing music and sound design, and I was influenced by a lot of loop based electronic music and ambient work from artists like Aphex Twin and The Field. Animators such as Stuart Hilton, Oskar Fischinger and Run Wrake were influential, among others. There is definitely an autobiographical element to the film too.

How?

I wanted the film to have a strong human quality, so I used a lot of hand drawn/painted textures and loops. After Effects was used for comping and to add that extra depth, Blender for the 3D head. I was keen to deliver a really visceral experience and sense of immersion, which sound design played a big part in too.

Next Project?

I play in a band Fun Adults, chances are I’ll be working on an animated video in time for the release of our first single this Autumn.

Which animated film would you like to have made?

Jonathan Hodgson’s Nightclub is one of my all time favourites, it’s just brilliant.